Thought 144: It is good to focus on work but not on its result (Continued)

Understand that the fact that you have no control over the fruits of your action, however, should not make you frustrated and stop all action; one should not renounce action out of frustration or fear. When you are afraid of something and you run away from it, then you have yielded to the immensity of the problem. When you run away from anything out of fear, it means, that you still have likes and dislikes (Raaga-Dveshas). When you have likes and dislikes still in your mind, you cannot give up action; they would always drive you to act - and you are helpless here.

When you give up action for any reason (for example, out of fear), it becomes dereliction of duty. You just do not like a particular action – and you want to escape from it. This is what the Bhagavaan refers here as inaction. Attachment to inaction is neither possible nor good. How can you live in this world without performing some action? Action is inescapable. However, neglecting to do what you have to do is not good – from both secular point of view as well as the spiritual point of view.

Vedaanta says – you must work but give up the notion that you are working to fulfill your desires; you are only working to please the god because He wants every one to play his roles in this world considering them as his sacred duties. Vedaanta also says give up your ego; and also give up the notion that you are working for gaining something. This is what an artist does; while painting the picture, he is not aware that he is doing it; he simply loves his work and keeps on working on that basis. Such a work gets success and recognition. Action thus, is a spiritual practice, fundamentally.

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Thought 144: It is good to focus on work but not on its result (Continued)

Bhagavaan Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita (2.47), “Karmanye Vaadhi-kaaraste Maa Phaleshu Kadaachana Maa Karma Phala-heturbhur Maate Sango-stva Karmani =You have a choice in action, but never in its results (Maa Kadaachana). The result is determined by me”.

This Sloka (Verse) is not advocating that one should perform every action without expecting a result. No one performs any action without expecting a result. When one undertakes to do something, he expects a result, even though he knows that he has no control over the result. This expectation of a result, which is quite natural, is not a problem. The problem comes only when you get attached to the result.

The word “Adhikaara” (used in this Sloka) actually means the right - the right to choose a particular option, out of several options available to you for performing Karma (action). You have freedom to decide what work you want to do and how you propose to do it - this is your right. You are not, unfortunately, in a position to choose the result that you want; you are helpless with reference to the result. The result is decided in accordance with the law of cause and effect. This law was not authored by any one here. It is Isvara’s (God’s) law. He alone decides the result of every action in the world.

All Karmas are undertaken to produce the desired results. Since you perform a particular Karma to produce a specific result, it appears that you have figured out, which Karma would produce which result. If you are a thinking person, you would very soon find out that what you figured out, is not really as predictable as you thought it is. What you want is one thing and what you get is not exactly what you wanted. Frequently, it is quite the opposite. And you are helpless about this.

Your power and knowledge are limited. That is your status as a Jeeva. You do have a choice, but only over the action. You have none over the result. You perform the Karma and the result is taken care of. If you had power over the result, then, every one of your Karmas would have been successful. But because you are not omniscient, you do not know that a particular Karma would produce a given result. What the result is would depend on so many unknown factors. Since you do not have choice over the result, you should recognize this limitation. This is the limitation in knowledge and power. All human beings have the same kind of limitation.
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Thought 143: It is good to focus on work but not on its result

You have to work – always. The Japanese work hard and are prosperous. If you do not work, you cannot even maintain your body. The body needs to be exercised to be in good shape and health. You should not only work, but you should also glorify your work. Those who work intelligently alone are going to prosper. There is no short cut to success except through hard and intelligent work. Work alone makes you great. Remember, it is as easy to be great as it is to be small.

In this materialistic world, we are taught, right from childhood, that one should have ambitions in life and pursue them with a single-minded perseverance. In the present day society, selfish action is admired and selfless action is pitied. We never do anything, if it does not profit us in some way. Every thing that we do must advance some worldly objective or the other for us. Disinterested action is generally considered wasteful. This is what all the management books proclaim. This is what the success-oriented western society preaches and practices. We want results - and we constantly work for their achievement.

When we constantly focus on the outcome or the lack of it, we get worked up over it. When the mind is worked up over the outcome of a task even before the task begins, it cannot concentrate on the task properly. The worry and anxiety invested in the present moments, transforms into fear of the future.

Tomorrow is only a continuation of today, just as today is a continuation of yesterday. What we invest in the present will decide how prosperous we are going to be in the future. An action today defines the fruit of this action tomorrow. When we waste the precious present moments in imaginary fears for tomorrow, we do not invest in the present moments efficiently.

On the other hand, if you focus your entire store of energy in the present moments and concentrate exclusively on what you do, you give an inspired input. Excellence in input ensures excellence in output. A single-minded devotion to work will always end up in a brilliant success - besides giving job satisfaction. If it is success that you want, then, do not strive with a mind ridden with anxiety and fear for the outcome. Even in this materialistic world, focusing on the input exclusively, with no thought of the output (as stipulated in Karma-Yoga) is very essential for success.
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Thought 142: Time is our most important resource

In Engineering management, they tell you that money, materials, men and machines - the 4 M's - are supposed to be the only resources for man. To this list, I add "Time" also. Of these five, I would consider "time" as the most valuable.

Time cannot be compressed; neither can it be expanded. No one can tamper with time; you can manipulate everything else in this creation but you can’t manipulate time. Have you ever thought “what is this time”, which is so clearly beyond the capabilities of human beings to manipulate? Who created “Time”? In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna Paramaatnma says that no one created time – because He is the “Time” (Kaala) itself. Who created the Paramatma? Who can manipulate the Paramaatma?

Coming back to more mundane view of time, anything non-renewable is more valuable, compared to that, which is renewable. The non-renewable substances are always in a limited supply. Take for instance, energy from gas (petrol). It is non-renewable energy - its availability is limited. Whereas the solar energy is renewable. An unlimited amount of it is available to you. We can afford to waste a little bit of the solar energy or use it liberally, because it is a renewable energy - and an unlimited supply of which is available to us. But the supply of gas is limited - it is expected to last a couple of decades more, at the current rate of usage. Therefore, we have to be extremely careful in its usage.

Time is irreversible – which means that what is gone is gone for ever, irretrievably; a minute wasted is gone forever. Money wasted can be replaced when necessary. Machines and Man power also can be replaced when necessary. But how can you replace the minutes that have gone by? For the manager, therefore, time is the most valuable resource; it is totally non-renewable. Good managers are conscious of this fact - and use time very efficiently.

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Thought 141: You are a conscious being in your body but you are not your body

Every one comes into this world for a temporary sojourn, seeking happiness. While we look for happiness, we end up invariably experiencing sorrow for the most part. That is the nature of life on this planet. Nevertheless, we never seem to learn from experience - we still look, with great expectations, for happiness that is not there. When the visa expires, we exit and reappear later (in the next incarnation), with another temporary visa, looking again for happiness as before. This cycle goes on and on, like this, until one realizes his folly and strives to gain freedom from birth, which is called “Moksha” in Hindu philosophy (Vedaanta). Vedaanta is derived from Vedas, which are the ageless Hindu books of knowledge – which are still considered relevant.

Human birth is a rare opportunity. Of all the lord's creatures, the human being alone is endowed with intellect (Buddhi). Intellect helps you gain wisdom – discriminating knowledge. Wisdom tells you that your goal should be Moksha. Moksha leads to eternal peace and happiness.

The body-mind complex is inert – and you are a conscious being in your body-mind complex. This conscious being is called the Aatma, which is Awareness. Moksha is to know that you are the Aatma, which is the Awareness - and that you are not the body-mind complex.

Time and death are irreversible and their inevitability causes fear. There is no death to the conscious being inside the body-mind complex. Body alone dies because it is born. Everything born must die one day or the other. There is neither birth nor death to the conscious being in the body – because he is not born. He lives on and on, forever, timelessly.

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Thought 140: The Vision of the Vedas

The vision of the Vedas is that you are the Aatma, which is Brahman. This is a profound knowledge. It is like no other knowledge. It is the mother of all knowledge. One needs a certain maturity to be able to understand and make use of this knowledge. When people have no interest in becoming mature, this knowledge does not produce the results that it produces in those, who are interested in becoming mature.

Man is born totally ignorant of who he is. He is the Aatma, but being under the influence of Maayaa, he does not realize this truth. He thinks that he is his body-mind complex. When Man thinks that he is his body-mind complex, he is known a Jeeva. When he realises that he is the Aatma and not the body-mind complex, he attains Moksha. Moksha is not a place like Vaikuntha or Kailaasa. It is Jnaanam (Knowledge of the self). When man attains Moksha, he gains liberation from Karma and Janma.

Until the Moksha is attained, Vedas say that the Jeeva keeps on returning to Samsaara (the world) through rebirth – any number of times.

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Thought 139: About Upanishads

Vedas tell us that Nirguna Brahman or the Paramaatma, is the Ultimate Truth – which is the Awareness pervading every nook and cranny of the entire universe. The knowledge of the Ultimate Truth is also known as the knowledge of the self. It is the knowledge about you, who is the Aatma. The fundamental questions of life such as “Who is the God, “Who am I?”, “What is my goal in life”, etc, are all answered in the Vedas. This portion of the Vedas is called Jnaana Kaanda; Jnaana Kaanda is also called the Upanishad or Vedaanta.

Upanishads focus on spiritual and philosophical teachings; they discuss Brahman, the universe and the beings of the universe and their interrelationships. Upanishads constitute the core of Hindu philosophy called “Vedaanta”(the end portion of the Vedas).

It is believed that 1108 Upanishads existed originally. They have been able to identify only 108 of them. Of these 108 also, Chandogyopanishad, Mundukopanishad, Aittereyopanishad, Manduukyopanishad, Taittiriyopanishad, Kenopanishad, Kathopanishad, Isaavaasyopanishad, Prasnopanishad, Brihadaaranyakopanishad, Svetaasvataropanishad, Jaabaalopanishad, Muktikopanishad, Kaivalyopanishad, Mahaa-Naaraayanopanishad, are only now available in English script for study by the modern man.

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Thought 138: More about the Vedas

The Sanskrit word “Veda” means "knowledge". Veda is derived from the root “Vid”, which means "to know". Vedas are the discoveries of the laws of nature, the laws governing the universe and also the laws about the beings living in it - and also about the Ultimate Truth (Paramaatma). The Veda Mantras are recited at Hindu prayers, religious functions and other auspicious occasions.

Hindus revere the Vedas as eternal truths - revealed to the ancient sages. They are the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism. Vedas are the main source of knowledge for the Hindus. All Hindu spiritual knowledge and also knowledge about Hindu gods and goddesses is derived from the Vedas. Vedas are not books composed by men in any period of history. Rather, they were revealed as the eternal truths to the ancient Rishis during their meditations. This is the reason why Vedas are called “Apaurusheya Grantha” meaning “not of human composition”; that is, they are authorless works. Later, Sage Veda Vyaasa compiled and codified them into four Vedas.

The four Vedas are Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Saama Veda and Atharvana Veda. Of these, the first three are also called “Trayee", meaning "the triple sacred sciences" of - reciting hymns (Rig Veda), performing sacrifices (Yajur Veda) and chanting (Saama Veda).

The Rig Veda Mantras, which are verses of praise set in a metre, are intended for loud recitation. Yajur Veda Mantras are in prose and intended for recitation in a lower tone at sacrifices. Saama Veda Mantras, which are set in a lyrical metre, are intended for chanting at the Soma ceremonies.

The fourth Veda, Atharvana Veda, was added to the “Trayee” subsequently. The Atharvana Veda like the Rigveda, is a collection of hymns mixed with incantations. By a mere recitation of those Mantras, it is supposed to bring about long life, cures for diseases, the destruction of enemies, etc.

Each Veda is divided into four parts – namely, Samhita, Braahmana, Aranyakaa and Upanishads. Samhitaas are hymns containing sacred Mantras. The other three parts, which are Braahmans, Aranyakas (wilderness texts) and Upanishads are usually in prose. The first two parts are called the Karma Kaandaa (ritualistic portion), while the last two form the Jnaana Kaandaa (knowledge portion).

Vedas (Karma Kaanda) discuss Dharma comprising the laws governing the individual (Jeeva), the world (Jagat) and the Creator (Isvara) and their inter-relationship. The laws of Karma by which man can lead a successful life in this world are also discussed in detail in this portion of the Vedas. If you desire a particular result, the Karma Kaanda recommends the performance of certain rituals, which get you that very result. Karma Kaanda also tells you what you should do and what you should not do. It also tells you the consequences of violating the do’s and don’ts enjoined in it.

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Thought 137: What are Srutis and Smritis

The ancient Rishis develped, over the millenia, a vast body of religious scriptures (Saastras) for Hinduism. This literature principally consists of Srutis and Smritis. Sruti is what is directly experienced by the Vedic seers during their contemplation or meditation; they represent the spiritual experiences of these Vedic seers.

In general, Srutis and Smritis represent the whole body of Hindu religious and spiritual knowledge and wisdom, which the Paramaatma wanted to pass on to the world through the ancient sages. All knowledge about Dharma originated from these Srutis and Smritis.

Vedas are Srutis. They are the foremost in authority, importance and antiquity. The Bhagavad Gita, which is a part of the Mahaabhaarataa, is sometimes called a summary of the spiritual teachings of the Vedas.

Smritis refer to what is remembered from the teachings of the ancient seers describing their spiritual experiences. Aagamas, Itihaasas and Puraanas are Smritis. Aagamas describe the rules for rituals, rites and worship of gods. There are five of them; for the worship of Ganesa, for the worship of Sakti, for the worship of Suurya, for the worship of Siva and for the worship of Vishnu. Itihaasas are epics – which are mythological stories, such as Raamaayana and Mahaabhaarata. Puraanas are moral stories. There are 18 Puraanas. Each Puraana upholds a moral value.

These scriptures (Srutis and Smritis) expound on theology, philosophy and mythology, providing spiritual insights and guidance on the practice of Dharma. Dharma means living a religious life performing all duties and other religious stipulations prescribed for a person in the Saastras. Sanaatna Dharma means Eternal Dharma; it is ever lasting Dharma. It also means universal religion.

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