KARMA YOGA -THE SCIENCE OF ACTION (SUMMARY-1 of POSTS 1,2 & 3)

KARMA YOGA - SUMMARY - I

In this Post, I shall try to summarize the Science of Action expounded by Lord Krishna in the Gita chapters 2 and 3 (from my Posts 1,2 and 3) on Karma Yoga.

INTRODUCTION :

i. COSMIC DANCE : Every Atom is participating in some action at every moment. These atoms unite into grosser and grosser forms, to perform action (or Karma) at all such grosser levels. The totality of all actions finally culminate in the Universal or Cosmic Dance.

ii. ACTION and CHANGE : Action is thus occurring NON-STOP throughout the UNIVERSE. It is the root  cause of all change in the world.
 
iii. HUMAN ACTION : Human Beings have the Potential intelligence to understand their individual part in the whole cosmic Dance. But, in most persons, the potential remains  DORMANT. Thus, we are all performing  our actions either consciously, seeking  some result from them or unconsciously, without seeking any result.

iv. RESULT OF ACTIONS : Every action whether consciously performed or unconsciously performed, produces a result. These results are not always on the lines expected by us.

v. SCIENCE OF ACTION : All the actions and their results are based on the science of action and its immutable Laws.

vi. This is beautifully dealt with by Lord Krishna in the chapters on  Samkhya Yoga and karma Yoga. The various posts on Karma Yoga, in this BLOG are summarized below.

POST.1. KARMA YOGA (the science of Action) :

i. EXCELLENCE :  Yoga is nothing but Excellence in Action.Achieving this excellence must be our continued motto and effort.

ii. COURAGE : Courage is the foremost quality required for performance of great action with the excellence you seek. Weak-hearted people, without courage, cannot perform great actions.

iii. INEVITABLE STAGES OF LIFE : Our Life consists of many inevitable stages and factors like birth,growth,old age, decay, decease and death. These are integral part of life and cannot be wished away.We must not regret or grieve over such inevitable factors of life. we must accept them with equanimity.

iv. DUALITIES : Life is full of dualities like victory and defeat, profit and loss, health and illness,comfort and discomfort and so on. These dualities are also unavoidable and keep occurring in life periodically, one after the other.  We must accept all such dualities with equanimity and move ahead with great, purposeful action.

v. UNSELFISH ACTIONS ; Great,unselfish tasks, even if half done or partly done, and then, left out, do not go waste. Nature gives the doer his due benefit for the same. Many times, it allows him to continue from where he left off also. So, do not avoid action. Start performing your duty.

vi. CHOICE OF ACTION : Choice of action rests with the Individual. Man  has the RIGHT TO CHOOSE the action that he desires to perform.He can choose good or bad, great or lowly action, on his own will.

vii. RESULT OF ACTION : But the results of all such actions are based on universal Laws prevailing in the world at all times. While Individual can exercise choice of action, results will not be based on his choice but on the unbiased laws of the forces around us. Fire burns any object. Water quenches our thirst. Water flows downwards. Each object, living being or universal force has its characteristics or Dharmas and they give the results of all actions based on their Characteristics or Dharmas.

viii. ACTION-LESS-NESS : Just because, we have no choice on the result, but have to accept the result based on Universal laws, we cannot remain action-less. So,we must perform our ACTIONS selflessly, aiming for the general good and without attachment to RESULTS.

ix. LIKES and DISLIKES : Our likes and dislikes are the greatest obstacles for performing our Karma unbiasedly. They distract us from discerning Truth clearly and performing SELFLESS ACTION benefiting all others.

POST-2: KARMA YOGA

i. INACTION : Inaction on  our part does not lead us to any significant result or benefit, since, a careful examination will reveal to us that insignificant actions continue to flow at such times.

ii. TRI-GUNAS: No one can really remain totally action-less. Our THREE GUNAS,  namely, Sathva, Rajas and Thamas, are always propelling us into some action continuously.

iii. SENSE CONTROL : We strive to divert our SENSES from their respective SENSE OBJECTS. We do this to escape from the vagaries of the senses. But our mind continues to dwell on the SENSE OBJECTS. This effort therefore become purposeless. If senses are diverted from sense objects but the mind continues to dwell on sense objects, this results only in SELF DECEPTION.

iv. KARMA YOGI : The Karma Yogi, on the other hand, performs actions without binding his senses to sense objects, and with total control of SENSES, mind and the intellect. Thus, he succeeds in controlling his senses.

v. YAGNA : All Karma must be performed as YAGNA. The various Universal Powers receive the YAGNAPHALAM from our Yagnas and bestow on us what we need. YAGNA is nothing but the unselfish, beneficial actions performed by us, and is devoted to the universal powers etc. Man propitiating the universal powers and the universal powers in their turn, benefitting the man are cyclical in nature. But, when we become SELFISH, and do not propitiate universal powers and take care of their needs, the Universal powers also become SELFISH and become incapable and unwilling in giving us what we need.

vi. DESTRUCTION OF NATURE : When we destroy nature, the nature's cycle ensures that we bring bigger destruction on our self. Similarly, when we protect NATURE, Nature tends to shower its bounty on us.

vii.SIN : If we eat without performing YAGNA, i.e., if we enjoy anything  without converting our action into YAGNA, it becomes a selfish action and is considered a great sin.

viii. THE MEANS for CREATION OF ABUNDANCE : Performance of YAGNA creates ABUNDANCE for us.

POST-3: KARMA YOGA

i. NATURE'S CYCLE : Performance of KARMA leads us to Yagna; YAGNA  results in rains; RAINS enable production of food; Food is the cause of ALL LIFE. All Life again leads to Karma. This is Nature's cycle.

ii. SELFISH HUMAN  ACTIONS invariably lead to Human destruction due to the breakage of nature's cycle, while SELF-LESS actions lead to Human sustenance through the continuance of nature's cycle.

iii. AKSHARA-BRAHMAN : Akshara, the indestructible, is the root of the Brahman, which causes performance of all action. The best of action is YAGNA in which BRAHMAN is always present.

iv. AIM FOR GOOD OF ALL : You  must perform YAGNA to benefit all others around you and elsewhere - even if, there is no benefit to you, and there is no need for you to perform such selfless action.

v. LEADER'S EXAMPLE : Leaders must especially perform selfless actions all the time - so that their followers and others take their example and follow suit.

vi. We will continue the summary of karma yoga in next Post.


=yours

v.vijayamohan