विवेचन सारांश

The subtlety of our Actions

Sri Krishna is addressing Arjuna as Mahabaho, in recognition of his capacity to perform great tasks. HE also uses the term nibodhame, asking Arjuna to learn from him, about the five basic causes which are responsible for the accomplishment of any actions.

Our ancient scriptures are abundant with indepth knowledge on karma. But we do not have time to study the vast scriptures. Bhagavad Gītā is a small text that anyone can read to understand the cause behind any task. This is the benefit of studying Gītā.

Sri Krishna explains the five causes as Adhistana, Karta, Karana, Chesta, and Daiva. These five should be comprehended together in totality.

Let us assume the task of farming. First, a place or farm (adhistana) is needed, then a person to do the farming (karta). Next, equipments (karana) need to be arranged, followed by a plan of action (Chesta). Finally, with all actions set, on the day of farming, HIS will (Daiva) has to be surrendered to.

Like the farm, our body, the place where any action is going to be accomplished is adhistana. Without a body, it's not possible to do any action.

Jīvātmā is the Karta - the doer. The Jīvātmā  is a part of the pure Atma, but it is closely associated with the body, and hence becomes the karta. No jewellery can be made from pure gold; a little bit of impurity has to be added to the pure gold to make jewellery. To get any action done, the pure Atma has to be transformed into Jīvātmā in a body, and get some proximity with the body, to accomplish something. However, it should be remembered that the Jīvātmā is a reflection of the Almighty.

The third factor, Karana or instrument (the means by which the action is done) is the sense organs, upakaran. The body uses its instruments, the karmendriyas and gyanendriyas, to derive at different types of efforts or plans (Chesta) in order to conceive the intended action.

When everything is in place, there is something called destiny (daiva) that comes to play. Daiva is one fifth of the causes that determines the success of any task. It does not mean luck or fortune. Gītā is not telling us to believe in luck.Daiva has two meanings.

These 5 factors will decide whether the effort is going to be successful. These factors function not only at the individual level, but even at the organizational level. This is relevant even in the office, when teams work together towards a common goal.

Sri Krishna further elaborates the entire concept of karma/ action.

Every task employs three instruments:

Any task can be started either from the body, or speech or the mind.

This has already been elaborated in the 17th chapter, Shraddatrayavibhagayoga.

When aiming for sattvic action, it is desirable to keep these three in the best mode. We have to perform shareeric tapa, vangmay tapa, and manasa tapa (as explained in chapter17). Sri Krishna has explained the sattvic tapa, rajasic tapa, and tamasic tapa, in detail and also sub-classified them into shareera, vangmayi and mana. HE has given Indepth insight about how to keep the initial points clean and sattvic. Whatever austerities explained in chapter 17 should be followed in sattvic form. Then the karmas will automatically become sattvic.

What is the outcome if one follows the different routes – sattvic, rajasic and tamasic?

The result is either:

In either case, whatever action results, also depends on the five causes explained earlier.

Atma is not one of the essential components of doing the task. Karta is a part of the nature or matter, prakriti, but atma is not matter, it is part of Purush.

Some people think that the Soul itself is the doer. However, this is ignorance (durmati).

For e.g., we light a lamp in the evening, for our daily activities. Different activities are performed under the light; can it be said that these activities are happening because of the light?

Similarly, all the tasks accomplished by the body are done under the light of the Atma, it is the Prakash that is with us. But the atma itself is not the doer.

Another example is the Sun. several activities happen under the presence of the Sun, but the Sun by itself is not doing anything. The entire credit of the actions goes to the Prakṛti, not the Atma.

This is explained in the 3rd chapter also:

Prakṛti kriyamaanaani, gunah karmani sarvashah
Ahankara vimoodatma kartaha miti manyate.
Sri Krishna explains that because of misidentification, people start believing that Atma is the doer. That is total ignorance.

HE further explains the kind perception possessed by the wise and learned people.

The wise one doesn’t have the ego of being the doer. When a task is being done, he understands that the action is being done by the body, the atma is just giving its light. The person whose intellect is not tainted by ego, is not tied to the action, even if he ends up slaying somebody. It should be remembered that this discussion was happening in the battlefield, and hence the example of extreme act, slaying arises here. Nobody has any rights to kill anyone. But if it is done with an egoless feeling, as a duty, he will be free from its karma.

Today, a war has erupted between Israel and Palestine. The soldiers fighting on the forefront, are carrying out their duty towards their country. If they think that they are doing a sin by killing the enemy, they will be deviating from their karma. The whole purpose of them being there is lost. If their intellect is not tainted, then they don’t get bound by the action.

In Ramayana, when Śrī Rama killed Raja Bali, in support of Sugriva, he was right and justified, because he was following his dharma. In Mahabharata, Arjuna is fearing the killing of his own people. Śrī Krishna is assuring him that he is righteous in following his Kṣatriya dharma.

Today is Indian Airforce day. Our airforce is protecting our country, not out of any hatred or malaise towards the enemy, but as part of their duty, dharma. If they end up killing the enemy, they will not be bound by the act of slaying them.

Similarly, in prvious session, we saw the example of an executioner whose job is to hang criminals. He is just doing his job following the orders of the court, so he doesn’t accumulate any sin.

Śrī Rama killed the asuras to protect the rishi munis. All of these people are not killing anyone because of personal hatred or ego; hence they will not get tainted by these killings. It is to be understood that this happens when the discretion, the intellect of a person is awake. Their action is being done as part of the dharma.

How can one understand what is dharma and what is not?

We should study Bhagavad gītā for sure. Swamiji also advises to study Mahabharata and Ramayana in order to understand dharma. A person will take correct action if he studies the two epics, especially the Mahabharata. The intellect of a person is awakened by the incidents narrated in Mahabharata, which has been rightly described as Viveka taru udhyan - a garden of trees of intellect, by Gnaneshwar maharajji.

Śrī Krishna is giving us step by step guidance about how to free ourselves from the karma of our deeds. Thus far, HE has spoken about the factors responsible for one’s actions. HE proceeds to speak about the three sources of inspirations to do any task.

For instance, a person wants to have a cup of tea. Wanting to have tea is the inspiration or drive behind the next steps of actions. The person should have the knowledge about the ingredients required. He should also know how to use the ingredients. Then there is the person himself, the knower, behind all the actions necessary for the process.

Śrī Krishna asks Arjuna to listen to him as HE explains the three types of knowledge (jnana), action (karma) and the doer (karta).

The basic structure of sattvic guna is light (prakasha).

Rajo guna is action oriented, its basic form is kriya (action).

Tamo guna’s basic nature is inertia.

Based on them, the knowledge, action and doer are described by Śrī Krishna.

In the 13th chapter, it was learnt that knowledge cannot be known per se. It can be known only through the characteristics of the person.

Here, Śrī Krishna is explaining the perception of a person with sattvic knowledge. Such a person sees One Brahmā tattva in everybody. We can get a practical glimpse of these subtle characteristics by studying the lives of our sages, like Namdevji and Eknath Maharajji.When a dog ran away with Namdevji’s rotis, he ran behind the dog, shouting ‘Vitthala, take the ghee along with the roti’. His thought process was so pure, that he saw Vitthala in the dog also, and wanted to give it the best food, as good as what he himself was having.

Once, Eknath maharaj was carrying the holy water Ganga from Kasi to Rameshwaram for abhishek of Siva linga in Rameshwaram. On the way, he came across a donkey that was dying of thirst. He immediately gave the holy water to the donkey to drink. When questioned, he responded that he didn’t see a donkey, but rather a thirsty Rameshwar and he couldn’t let him die of thirst.

Our sages had such pure perceptions and are live examples of sattvic jnana. We should be proud of our history and culture that is propagating Vasudaiva Kutumbakam. Bharat is gifting this beautiful knowledge of ‘Ekta’ to the entire world.

Next, Sri Krishna explains the second type of knowledge.

This knowledge will teach about distinction like, mine, yours, etc. The previous knowledge was of the highest level. This knowledge belongs to the middle level, where the treatment varies depending on the person dealing with. The perception with which persons or things are being seen will be rajasic. This is not the personality that we should be seeking.

There is a beautiful prayer, that requests for a perception to see equality in everything.
Pavana bheeksha dedo Ram
Abedha bhakti dedo Ram
Atma nivedhan dedo Ram
One needs to develop that kind of vision, seeing equality in everything and everyone.

A beautiful shubashit (sayings in Sanskrit impart great knowledge) says that a person with narrow thinking sees distinction of mine and yours, but a magnanimous mind will see that all people belong to one family.

Only narrow-minded persons have two different outlooks towards common matters relating to themselves and others, whereas for noble- and broad-minded persons the entire world is like their own family. (And their approach towards all matters is uniform, be it it their own matter or that of others i.e., they are never partisan.)

The phrase ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ originates from this particular shubashit. Our country is a good example of this magnanimous mind. Irrespective of whether countries were good to us or not, our honourable prime minister is helping them by providing reliefs for earthquakes, floods and vaccines, without any bias.

This shloka explains the tamasic perception. Śrī Krishna is not referring to it as knowledge. There is sattvik knowledge and rajasic knowledge. But there cannot be tamasic knowledge because the very nature of tamasic nature is ignorance. There cannot be ignorant knowledge!

There is nothing more important than the person himself. My thought is the only thought; My existence is the only important one. When this self-centred perception spreads in the world, restlessness prevails. There is no slightest consideration for the others.

There was a community of frogs living in a lake, they considered that their lake was the largest in the world. They thought highest of their leader who could leap the farthest than others. A swan arrived at their lake and was bemused to see their narrow knowledge. It tried to explain about the outside larger world, but failed to convince the frogs whose minds were clouded with ignorance. Being happy with their own ignorance and existence is the quality of tamasic nature. Without any foundation in truth, they will be attached to their beliefs. This path is a path of certain decline. In Rajo guni, there is a scope of improvement. But with tamo guni, there will only be degraded actions.

Sadhaks should introspect and improvise themselves. In order to rise from tamo guna to rajo guna, they should seek the company of activists or knowledgeable people who are active. To rise from rajo guna to sattvic guna, our Swamiji says they should engage in satsang.

Knowing these three types of knowledge, HE proceeds to the 3 types of karmas.

The best type of karma is one that is expected from a person (niyata) as prescribed by dharma and should be performed without worrying about the attachment (sangarahita).

The niyata karma of the soldiers is to fight for the country. Although it is a noble cause, yet any ordinary person cannot indulge in fighting for the country, as it is not his niyata karma.

Secondly, there should not be any hatred or malice towards any task. In Mahabharata, during a big yajna, Śrī Krishna took up the task of washing the feet of brahmins. HE didn’t have any ego that he is the Paramātmā. HE was ready to do any task offered to HIM.

There should be no expectations of fruits of the task. During our Independence, our freedom fighters were not deterred from the fear of getting killed during the fight.

Svatantrya Veer Sawarkar ji, although a great barrister, didn’t get incited by the wealth his occupation could have brought in. He sacrificed his life for his dharma of fighting for his beloved country.

Such actions performed as per dharma and without selfish desires will take us to our true destination. But most of the people perform actions with self-centred motives in their minds, as explained in the next shloka.

We are living in an era where nothing works without an incentive. Incentive is the Word of the Millenium. All the tasks driven by pleasures and desires and done with an ego of the doership, amount to rajasic karma. There may be enormous amounts of efforts involved in the completion of the task. Yet, because it is done with ego in the fore front, it becomes rajasic in nature.

Albeit this type of action is not to be underestimated. It can form the seed for future sattvic qualities. For instance, during Ganesha puja, the children attend the aartis in anticipation of the prasad that is distributed after the aarti. Their action of attending the pious ceremony is driven by their desire for the prasad. Yet, their participation should be welcome, because gradually, the taste of prasad will be forgotten, but the memory of aarti will stay in their mind, and the love for participation in the religious activities will develop.

It is not wrong to have desires. We should not underestimate the importance of desires. We should have mighty desires, driven by sattvikta, like Swami Vivekanandaji who desired to spread his guruji’s teachings all over the world. This desire was so hard to fulfil in those days, but he made all efforts possible to take our scriptures and ancient knowledge to the western world.

Similarly, the desire of our honorable PM Narendra Modiji to bring our country to the forefront as a world leader and promote the concept of Vasudaiva Kutumbam is also driven by sattvikta. Our mind should be sattvic, so our icchas or desires will be sattvic and our karmas too will be sattvic.

Śrī Krishna mentions about tamasic karma as something that leads to violence and performed with unnecessary boldness without thought about one’s capabilities. Its foundation is lack of knowledge or ignorance. A person may have a strong physique and strength, but he would be foolish if he jumped into the ocean to swim. If a handful of brave soldiers attempt to bring down a huge army, their action will also amount to tamasic karma, as it is based on unnecessary boldness.

The session concluded with a strong suggestion that one should stay away from tamasic karma, continue doing rajasic karmas and aim for the sattvic karmas, and offering the discussion at the feet of Gurudev and Paramātmā.

Questions & Answers

Suman ji

Question: Can you please recommend books to study Mahabharatha?
Answer: Please refer to the original text, and also listen to Swamiji’s pravachan about Mahabharata. Sankshipta Mahabharata, a set of 2 volumes, by Geeta Press is recommended, to start the journey. Later, you can study the 6 volume set, which contains the sanskrit shlokas also.