Namaskar Mahatmas!
This week we shall continue our meditation on the second sloka of the Upanishad.
Kurvann ev’eha karmaani jijivishec chattam samaah
Evam tvayi n’aanyath’eto’sti na karma lipyate nare (2)
BY DOING KARMA (scripture ordained works), INDEED, SHOULD ONE WISH TO LIVE HERE FOR A HUNDRED YEARS. FOR A MAN, SUCH AS YOU (WHO WANTS TO LIVE THUS), THERE IS NO WAY OTHER THAN THIS, WHEREBY KARMA MAY NOT CLING TO YOU (stains you).
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Last week…..
The first line of the sloka clearly explains what should be our life style. One should desire to live hundred years, complete life time Lord has bestowed on us (jijivishec). We should live as an expression of divinity; not of death. Every day we spend should be a day of completeness (no complaints). A well disciplined life style should be adopted and not the indolence way. We should not postpone (iha eva) doing good things (sat karmaani). Our actions should be in such a way that ‘even though we are acting in the world of multiplicity, it should lead us to the destination – the supreme knowledge’.
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The next line of the sloka says “Evam tvayi naanyath’eosti asti” – there is no other way except this, the path of action.
There can be no better teaching than this for man to establish a significant and meaningful life. It is through action alone that man can evolve and develop himself. This sloka underlines the fact that ‘there is no way to happiness; happiness is the way’.
The seeker sometimes, in his illusion (I am the body), takes up practices contrary to the teachings of scriptures. Arjuna is an example. He got confused in the battle field and started considering renunciation of action as the right path. The Lord taught him that yoga of action is better.
It is the nature of man to act; it is the irrevocable truth of life. Complete renunciation of action is the state of a realized yogi and not that of a sadhaka – practitioner. Man who is a learner on the path cannot all at once rise above the idea of doership. Actions performed with the spirit of surrender to the Lord purify the Citta (mind). In the purified Citta only does a discriminative intellect develop receptivity to the knowledge of the Supreme Reality. Therefore this sloka instructs: Evam tvayi nanyatheto asti.
The sloka concludes saying: na karma lipyate nare – O man! Action will not cling to you.
As mentioned in the Gita (3.27) that all actions are performed instinctively merely by the gunas (qualities in Nature). Deluded by ignorance, however, man thinks of himself as the doer. Karma by itself is not competent to cling or attached to anyone. It is due to one’s own fascination that he gets caught in its web. One’s property, wealth and relations do not hold their sway on one, he himself exercises his hold on them. In exactly the same way, action does not cling to anyone, one himself clings to action.
Goswami Tulsidass writes in his Ramacharitmanas that the Jiva becomes bound in the way a monkey is trapped by the monkey juggler. The juggler takes a pitcher pot with a narrow neck. He puts some eatables inside and pitches it where the monkeys are around. The monkey, greedy as he is, puts his hand inside the pitcher and picks up a handful of food. Because of his closed fist now, he cannot take his hand out of narrow neck of the pitcher. He can release himself if he opens his fist and drops the food. But out of greed, he does not and is caught by the juggler. Similar is the plight of the Jiva. He himself develops allurement, temptation and attachment for the objects of his pleasure and falls into this worldly wheel of birth and death.
This sloka clearly puts into highlight that action is the only way to happiness. By doing scripture ordained actions, with the spirit of surrender, one does not get into the karma bandana. The life becomes a pleasant journey to such a person.
On the other hand, by performing other actions which are not prescribed in the scriptures, one gets into bondage (because he expects the fruit of actions and he thinks ‘I am the doer’). The selfishness ends only in suffering.
Swami Chinmayananda says that “The man, who is not satisfied with what he has, feels life bitter and at least once in his life time ends up in the thought ‘what is the use of living? Let me commit suicide’. The selfless action which arises out of knowledge alone makes a person happy here and now and that person alone lives a life of hundred years, a complete life.”
SUMMARY:
- Performing action is the only way to the Supreme.
- Perform actions prescribed by scriptures (sat karma)
- By performing sat karma, the actions will not bind us
- When to perform that sat karma? Here and now. Sadhana begins now or never.
- The sat karma alone purifies the mind and it leads to contentment.
- In that purified mind, the vision of Isha vaasyam idam sarvam’ easily sets in.
HARI OM! We will continue the sloka 3 in the next week.
