The famous verse (sloka) of Bagavad Gita says “your right is to work only; but never to the fruits there of. May you not be motivated by the fruits of actions; nor let your attachment be towards inaction.” (Chapter II/verse 47).
This is a very profound statement, which can be justified and explained from many different angles.
In our ancient scriptures, and especially in Bhagavad Gita, it is again and again mentioned that, the goal of human life is to evolve from lower to a higher state, from material level to a spiritual level, and finally through the realization of our immortal self within, we should be free from all bondages. This process of evolution continues through our birth and rebirth. From child hood to our old age, we are all ways busy in doing different types of actions. It is said that, in life when we meet all challenges and perform all our worldly duties, with honest sincerity, for well being for all, and without any expectation for its fruits, we gradually progress towards our goal. Work may vary from individual to individual, according to our previous karmic account, but how we perform our prescribed duties in this life, and with what attitude, that is very important.
Our universal prayer for perfect action in life is beautifully expressed in these few lines of Tagore
“Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows
Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service
Give me the strength to raise my mind high above daily trifles
And give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love”
To make life meaningful, we must be attentive and must know the “Law of karma”; which means, how I want to feel tomorrow, it much depends, on how I use my life today.
When we act with expectations, with hope and with fear, our mind gets disturbed and restless. If something gets uneasy or hurts, we immediately change the track, and look for alternatives.
Feeling of expectations, hope and fear comes from mental poverty, that we lack something. With the feeling of constant want, we cannot be relaxed. It also ties us down to karmic bondage, for which we have to come back again and again to fulfill our endless desires.
Life is a mystery. With our limited vision and understanding, we do not know what will be the outcome from our life’s events. After a big disappointment we may think, that is the end of the story. But we never know, it may be just the opposite. It may open up a new positive chapter in life. Temporary loss may turn out to be a greater gain in future. In this world, even in our life also, nothing happens by chance. Every event has a cause behind it. Everything is governed by the “Law of cause and effect” theory. And we must know that, ultimately whatever happens with divine will, it happens for good.
In our temporary life, while we keep our selves busy with many activities, it is essential for us to remember a few things. Whatever we do, we should do with full concentration, and with a calm and cheerful mind. When mind is calm, composed, and stable, it can focus much better on any given problem; and can find out the right way to deal with it. With agitated and unstable mind, confusion grows further.
It is also a wise policy to be always aware of karmic law, which means whatever we give, it comes back in many fold in our life. Awareness of this universal law (cause and effect theory) may stop us from doing many wrong things. With strong ego and with selfish attitude when we act, actually we invite more troubles for our own life. An ego rider’s temporary joyride sooner or later surely gets crushed under the wheel of divine law.
Generally for all our misfortunes, we blame others, and make life more complicated for us and for others too.
Life can be stress free, if we learn to deal with each challenge of life with unselfish sincere effort, and with whole hearted, intelligent attention.
After that, whatever may be the outcome of our action, pleasant or unpleasant; we can accept it gracefully as God’s gift.
