Bhagavtgita-chapter25-adhyaya18

August 13, 2007

Chapter25- Action, knowledge and agency

What is action and how and why is it performed?

The answer is given in the forthcoming verses.

aDhishTAnam thaThA karthA karaNam cha prthagvidham

viviDhAscha prthakcheshta dhaivam chaivAthra panchamam

(BG.18-14)

SareeravAngmanobhiryath karma prArabhathe narah

nyAyyam vA vipatreetham vA panchaithe thasya hEthavah

(BG. 18-15)

Whatever action is undertake by man, with his body, mind or intellect, whether right or wrong, that is, enjoined by the sasthras or forbidden, there are five causes that help the accomplishment of an action. They are, the seat of action, the agent, sense organs, different and distinctive functions of the vital air and the divinity as the fifth.

1. The seat of action is the body, which is the conglomeration of the five elements because all actions are performed only through the body, words or mind.

2. The agent is the individual self who is also the knower.

3. The sense organs are the instruments of action

4. The functions of the vital airs sustain the body and the sense organs.

5.The divinity the supreme self is the inner ruler who is the main cause in completing an action.

The Supreme self is the controller of the agency of the individual self, who is supported and empowered by the former. Those with perverted mind does not see this at all.

On the other hand,

Yasya nAhamkrtho bhavahbuddiryasyasna lipyahte

HatthvApi sa imAn lokAnna hanthai na nibhadhDhyathe.

(BG.18-17)

"The one to whom no sense of agency belong is not tainted by the actions and he is not bound even if he kills all these men," says Krishna to make Arjuna understand that he is not the slayer of Bheeshma etc. but only an instrument in the hands of the Lord as it was said by Krishna in the adhyaya11, `mayaivaithe nihathAh poorvameve nimitthamAthram bhava savyasAchin, ` that is the emn iffront of Arjuna were already killed by the Lord and Arjuna is only a pretext for the destruction.

Now Krishna explains how the action is induced and what are the constituents of action.

Knowledge, jnanam, the knowable, jneyam and the knower, parijnAthA are the inducement to work while, the instrument ,work and the agent are the constituents of work. Among these action itself, karma, which is the object of knowledge, jneya, is briefly described as three-fold., namely , the instrument , agent and action.

The knowledge of one who sees unity in diversity is sAtthvika and that which makes one see the diversity as if it is separate is rajasik and the thAmasik knowledge is the one which creates a clinging to the particular as though it is the whole. This clinging to a particular thing as if it alone matters is normally found in people who crave for worldly things like power or wealth etc. But it could exist even about good things which becomes an obsession. In Srimadbhagavatham the Lord says that if one worships Him and does the rituals but shows no love towards His creations is not dear to the Lord and such a person will not get the fruit of his pious acts.

There is a story to illustrate this. A man was praying earnestly to God to come in front of him and God appeared in his dream and told him that He would come the next day. The man prepared all things for worship and to offer to God and waiting anxiously. Then a beggar came to his door but he had no patience lest God might walk in any time and drove him away. Next an old woman came asked for food and even her he turned out because he was waiting for God and could not waste time in looking after her needs. It was nearly night and still there was no sign of God and lastly a weary traveller came to his door and asked shelter for the night. The man was furious and showed him the door. Then the day ended and he went to bed disappointed. God appeared to him in his dream and the man asked God why did He not come as promised. God replied, "I came to you thrice but you sent me away!"

Next the action is classified threefold.

Niyatham sangarahitham arAgadhveshathah krtham

aphalaprepsunA karma yath thath sAthvikam uchyathe

(BG.18-23)

An obligatory action done without hatred and desire and with detachment and not expecting result is sAthyvik. The same idea has been elucidated in the earlier sloka `kAryamithyeva yath karma---` (BG.!8-9)

Yatthu kAmepsnA karma sAhamkAreNa vapunah

Kriyathe bahulAyAsam thadhrAjasam udhAhrtham

(BG.18-24)

Any action done by exerting oneself for gaining the fruit of desire or out of pride and arrogance is rAjasik.

The thAmasika action on the other hand is started with a deluded intellect, without worrying about the consequences, or loss or injury to others is thAmasik. It is done purely on selfish motive relentless of who gets hurt or what is lost as a result.

Of the three inducements to action mentioned earlier, jnanam is the knowledge explained above whole the jneyam is the karma known through the knowledge and the agent of action karthA is the parijnAtha the knower.

Now the agent of action , kartha is classified.

The sAthvik agent is the one who has given up attachment, mukthasangah, is without ego, anahamvAdhee and is endowed with firmness and zeal. He is not affected by success or failure. This is because he has given up the sense of agency.

The one who is moved with desire with expectation of fruit, greedy, harmful to others and impure in his thoughts is rAjasiK agent of action.

A thAmasik doer is one who is unqualified, unrefined, stubborn, depraved, dishonest, indolent despondent and procrastinating.

The actions are directed by the intellect which is also classified into three, the intellect which has a clear perception of what is right and wrong, that which is riddled with doubt and has no clear notion and the intellect which has perverted notion and imagines the wrong to be right and vice versa are sAthvik, rAjasik and thAmasik respectively.

All actions are undertaken with the expectation of joy and no one proceed to do something which will bring him unhappiness. But the concept of joy and sorrow differs according to the temperament and to enjoy eternal joy one must have a right idea of joy.

There are two paths prescribed to man, one is that of preyas and the other is that of Sreyas. The former is the pleasant course of action but not conducive to spiritual welfare. The latter is not pleasant or easy to follow but secures permanent happiness in the end. Hence Krishna classifies even the joy as threefold.

Yadhagre visham iva pariNAme amrthopamam

Thathsukham sAthvikam proktham Athma buddhiprasAdhajam

(BG.18-37)

That which is like poison at first but becomes like nectar in the end born from the serene state of mind focusing on the self, is sAthvik pleasure.

vishayendhriyasamyogAth yath thath agre amrthopamam

pariNAme visham iva thath sukham rAjasam smrtham

That pleasure arising from the sense contacts with the objects , which is like nectar at first but turns out to be like poison in the end is rAjasik.

Any discipline conducive to spiritual welfare is difficult to pursue and hence like poison in the beginning but when it starts yielding results it is like nectar. But the one who is full of desire and enjoys his life goes on and on in to a cycle birth and death, never getting a respite from samsara.

Even in the worldly sense all that fetch longstanding joy are distasteful in the beginning like working hard to become successful or to study hard to pass with flying colours. Only the one who sacrifices his comforts in his youth, may he be a student or a business man, is able to enjoy later the fruit of his labour . On the contrary, one who enjoys his life while young comes to grief in his old age either due to disease or due to poverty.

Yadhagre cha anubanDhe acha sukham mohanam Athamanah

nidhrAlasya pramAdhottham thath thAmasam udhAhrtham

(BG.18-39)

That pleasure which is deluding both in the beginning and in the end, like that of sleep laziness and or mistaken notion is thAmasik. These may delude the individual into feeling happy but it is not a real joy but a delusion. Typical example can be that of a drunkard or drug addict.

Next Krishna shows that the attitudes and actions of people in general follows the three gunas. This is just an elucidation of the earlier statement,

chathurvarNyam mayA srshtam guNathrayavibhAgaSah

(BG.4-13)

Krishna here describes the attributes of the four varnas according to the three gunas.

Samo dhamah thapah Soucham kshAnthih Arjavam eva cha

jnAnam vijnAnam Asthikyam brahmakarma svabhAvajam

(BG.18-42)

The nature of actions of a brahmana is described as that consisting of control of senses and the mind, austerity, purity, forbearance, uprightness, knowledge, and application of it and faith.

Souryam thejo Dhrthih dhakshyam yuddhe cha apalAyab nam

dhAnam eesvarabhAvascha kshAthram karma svabhAvajam

(BG.18-43)

Valour, invincibility, steadiness, adroitness, and non-fleeing from battle, generosity and lordliness are the traits of a kshathriya.

Krishih gorakshyavANijyam vaiSyakarma svabhAvajam

paricharyAthmakam karma SudhrasyApi svabhAvajam

(BG.18-44)

Agriculture, cattle-breeding and trade are the natural duties for a vaisya and for sudhra it is one of service.

So whichever karma that is natural to one is due to the texture of the three qualities that makes the individual and this makes it all the more clear that the varnas are by nature of the individual and not by birth.

Each one should take up the work which is suitable for his disposition and aspire for salvation through that only, by doing it as worship.

Neat comes the sloka which was misinterpreted often and was the cause of the evil that is perpetrated by the caste system.

SreyAn svadharmO vigunah paradharmAth vanushtithAth

svabhAva niyatham karma kurvan Apnothi kilbisham

(BG.18-47)

Better is one's own duty, however badly done than that of another because by doing his duty ordained by his nature no one incurs stain.

Krishna has explained so far about doing work as worship and the work which comes naturally to one is that to be undertaken. So there is no mention about doing the work which is assigned to the caste in which one is born because the caste- distinction is man-made and has no sanction of the scriptures.

Here it should be noted that Arjuna wanted to give up his duty as a kshathriya because it involved killing of his elders and opted for the life of a hermit and Krishna, in saying that his own work , though considered to be faulty is better than that of another , namely that of a recluse, though it may seem to be superior. The reason for this is given in the next sloka.

Sahajam karma kountheya sadhoshamapi na thayajeth

sarvArambhA hi dhosheNadhoomerAgnirivAvrthAh

BG.18-48)

One should not relinquish one's own work, though it may be imperfect because all work is enveloped by imperfections as the fire with smoke.

The meaning is that any work undertaken may be difficult at first and may present a picture that the grass is greener on the other side. It is usually the case in the world. Everyone complains about his lot and thinks that the other man is doing a much simpler job and getting better results. but when he switches jobs he finds that he was not cut out for it and finds himself to be a square peg in a round hole. This is most important in students when they select a course of study just because that presents a possibility of getting more lucrative jobs, instead of pursuing course for which they have the aptitude. This they do out of their own desire or by the persuasion of their parents.

Spiritually speaking, it means that till one is ready for jnanayoga karma yoga is the best. Krishna elaborates on the jnana yoga next and culminates His discourse by extolling bhakthiyoga.

August 20, 2007

Dear Saroja,

This is one of my favorite verses, which also goes along with

karmaNyevAdhi kAraste

mA phaleSHu kadAchana|

(you have control only over actions and never

over the outcome)..

.... because 5 things determine the out-come of any action- good or bad (the fourth flight did not make it to the target on Sep 11, and two exceeded the expectation!)

These 5 are:

adhiSHThAnam = station/station/timing (of action)

[Monsanto company successfully produced Genticall modified crops;

however suffered a set back, becasue the world was not ready to

accept such crops!]

kartha= Doer (he/she performing the action)

pRthagvidham karaNam = Different kinds of tools (available for the doer)

vividAshcha pRthakcheSHTha= The various ways in which the tools (at the doer's disposal) are applied [in this land of abundance, my son is largely unable to find a pen or pencil!]

daivam= acts of god/fate/undetermined/not in our control/sort of wild card!

Somehow, this make better sense to me tahn the orthodox interpretation.

Love

Ambi

sarojram18 <sarojram18

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:47 am