Work when performed as a spiritual discipline is called karma yoga.It is the predominant topic of the Bhagavad Gita,though the book deals with other yogas as well.The purpose of the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita is to solve a moral problem.Krishna,an avatara,was the teacher, and Arjuna,a war rior, the disciple.There was a bitter quarrel between two royal families of cousins.The family to which Arjuna belonged was the more righteous.Truth and justice were at stake,and Arjuna was determined to defend them.At first Krishna and wise men tried their utmost to make a peaceful settlement, but on account of the intransigeance of the other family, they failed.War became inevitable. Among the combatants on both sides Arjuna found brothers,uncles,teachers, sons, nephews, and friends whom he was bound by a thousand ties of love respect, and affection. Clearly foreseeing that the destruction accompanying the war would be followed by family disinte- gration and social chaos,he was reluctant to accept the res ponsibility,and said to Krishna that he would like to retire from the battlefield, go into a forest, and lead the life of a religious mendicant. Confused he asked Krishna to show him the path of duty
PLSAES VISIT
GITA - Meditation on the Gita ( part 1 )
Arjuna's dilemma was caused by his confusion about the two ideals which,from time out of mind,have moulded the Hindu pattern of life.These are the disciplines of action and renunciation,distinctly laid down for two types of mind.The discipline of action is followed by the majority of men.who believe in social obligations and who do not explain away the world and the individual ego as unreal. They seek happiness here and hereafter.But a few persons who realise self-know-ledge to be the supreme duty of life and who are convinced of the transitory nature of all material experiences either on earth or in heaven follow the discipline of renunciation.and seek liberation from bondage to the phenomenal world.Both disciplines are necessary to preserve the social stability:but their spheres must not be confused. Arjuna obviously was not ready for the discipline of renunciation because he was con- scious of his duty to society and was still attached to his relatives and friends, whose death he anticipated with sorrow Certainly he had not attained that spiritual elevation from which one sees the illusory nature of worldly values good o evil.He talked about renunciation only as an escape from the unpleasant duties of life krishna characterised this attitude as lowness of spirit, unbecoming a noble mind, and detrimental to the attainment of heaven, which every warrior covets.' He advised arjuna to plunge into action and fight in a spirit of non-attachment: "He who sees non-action in action, and action in non-action, he is wise among he is a yogi, and he is the doer of all actions.' 'He who is free from the notion of egotism, and whose understanding is undefiled- though he slavs these men, he really slays them not nor is he stained by the result of slaying.This non attachment is the secret of work as a spiritual characterise Mere karma or action is different from karma-yoga or action as a spiritual discipline.Karma is what is done, a deed. Activity is seen everywhere, both in physical nature and in man. Nature is active;for one sees activity in the stars and the planets,trees and rocks;space itself is vibrating.And there is something in the very make-up of man--the spirit of rajas-which drives him into action in spite of himself.His body is active when he is awake his mind is active,both in the wak-ing and dream states;and his heart,lungs,and other organs are always active,even in deep sleep.The body cannot be kept alive if one remains inactive.The preservation of the social order,too,demands constant and vigilant action.Even religious disciplines,such as prayer,worship,and meditation,are forms of activity.Though actionlessness may characterise a certain form of spiritual experience,it cannot be attained without previous practice of the discipline of action
By means of action, according to Hindu philosophers.one promotes a harmonious relationship between men,the deities and subhuman beings,and thus keeps the"wheel of creation,moving. All created beings are interdependent and sustain one another by their actions. Thus action has a cosmic significance. He who ignores the cosmic significance of action and works only for his selfish purpose lives in vain."He who cooks only for himself eats sin.' According to the Bhagavad Gita, when the Lord, in the beginning, created men, He planted in them a propensity for action and gave the mandate that they should not only multiply by work but also thereby fulfil their desires for happiness.
God bless you all
Krishnam vande jagadgurum
please visit
TIPS FOR HEALTHY LIFE
How to Worship God
Gita's significance
BHAGAVADGITA ( KARMA YOGA 2)
PLSAES VISIT
GITA - Meditation on the Gita ( part 1 )
Arjuna's dilemma was caused by his confusion about the two ideals which,from time out of mind,have moulded the Hindu pattern of life.These are the disciplines of action and renunciation,distinctly laid down for two types of mind.The discipline of action is followed by the majority of men.who believe in social obligations and who do not explain away the world and the individual ego as unreal. They seek happiness here and hereafter.But a few persons who realise self-know-ledge to be the supreme duty of life and who are convinced of the transitory nature of all material experiences either on earth or in heaven follow the discipline of renunciation.and seek liberation from bondage to the phenomenal world.Both disciplines are necessary to preserve the social stability:but their spheres must not be confused. Arjuna obviously was not ready for the discipline of renunciation because he was con- scious of his duty to society and was still attached to his relatives and friends, whose death he anticipated with sorrow Certainly he had not attained that spiritual elevation from which one sees the illusory nature of worldly values good o evil.He talked about renunciation only as an escape from the unpleasant duties of life krishna characterised this attitude as lowness of spirit, unbecoming a noble mind, and detrimental to the attainment of heaven, which every warrior covets.' He advised arjuna to plunge into action and fight in a spirit of non-attachment: "He who sees non-action in action, and action in non-action, he is wise among he is a yogi, and he is the doer of all actions.' 'He who is free from the notion of egotism, and whose understanding is undefiled- though he slavs these men, he really slays them not nor is he stained by the result of slaying.This non attachment is the secret of work as a spiritual characterise Mere karma or action is different from karma-yoga or action as a spiritual discipline.Karma is what is done, a deed. Activity is seen everywhere, both in physical nature and in man. Nature is active;for one sees activity in the stars and the planets,trees and rocks;space itself is vibrating.And there is something in the very make-up of man--the spirit of rajas-which drives him into action in spite of himself.His body is active when he is awake his mind is active,both in the wak-ing and dream states;and his heart,lungs,and other organs are always active,even in deep sleep.The body cannot be kept alive if one remains inactive.The preservation of the social order,too,demands constant and vigilant action.Even religious disciplines,such as prayer,worship,and meditation,are forms of activity.Though actionlessness may characterise a certain form of spiritual experience,it cannot be attained without previous practice of the discipline of action
By means of action, according to Hindu philosophers.one promotes a harmonious relationship between men,the deities and subhuman beings,and thus keeps the"wheel of creation,moving. All created beings are interdependent and sustain one another by their actions. Thus action has a cosmic significance. He who ignores the cosmic significance of action and works only for his selfish purpose lives in vain."He who cooks only for himself eats sin.' According to the Bhagavad Gita, when the Lord, in the beginning, created men, He planted in them a propensity for action and gave the mandate that they should not only multiply by work but also thereby fulfil their desires for happiness.
God bless you all
Krishnam vande jagadgurum
please visit
TIPS FOR HEALTHY LIFE
How to Worship God
Gita's significance
BHAGAVADGITA ( KARMA YOGA 2)
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