Key learning points from the book
‘KARMAYOGA’
by Swami Sukhabodhananda.
(This book is a commentary on Bhagvad Gita chapter 3.)
The genesis of mechanical tendency of a human being is unawareness. The more you are unaware, the greater is your mechanical tendency, the greater is the robotic life that you lead and consequently true religious quality gets eroded out of life. The more we deepen our awareness , the greater is our relationship with life.
In order to relate to the :
a) World of objects , be mathematical i.e. be objective, detached.
b) World of people , be musical i.e. full of love & respect.
c) Your own interior world, be meditative i.e. calm, silent & in gratitude.
Generally, people love objects and use people instead of using objects and loving people.
In English the word ‘philosophy’ means love for knowledge. In Sanskrit it means Darshana i.e. ‘seeing’ i.e. direct perception of truth. Remember it is not an interpretation, it is a perception. Hence another word for enlightened people is ‘Seers’.
Actually everyone of us is a seeker, a seeker of lasting happiness though some may appear to be seeking material objects while others may appear to seek enlightenment. A seeker is a conscious person but he who is not a Sadhak is unconscious and seeking in the wrong direction i.e. he is seeking lasting happiness through wealth, power & fame instead of being on the spiritual path and directly seeking happiness. The unconscious seeker is actually not aware of what he is truly seeking.
In therapy (western approach), if there is a problem you address the problem. But the method of Krishna is different. He believes not in dealing with the problem but in dealing with the being who has the problem.
We all have two desires : the desire to be happy and the desire to do. Krishna is already fully established in happiness, hence he only has the desire or instinct to do. The big difference is that we do for the sake of getting happiness whereas Krishna does it out of happiness.
Trust is a deep understanding that existence is a friend and not an enemy. Also do not follow trust without intelligence. Trust your intelligence also. We are not talking here of blind faith. Trust in God but lock your car.
Arjuna thought that when all desires are dropped then you will achieve true spiritual understanding. It is the other way round.. When you achieve true spiritual understanding, all limiting desires will be dropped by itself.
A teacher gives information. A master facilitates transformation. A master does not spoon-feed his disciple; he stimulates enquiry in the disciple.
The more you are restful, the more you are relaxed in life, the more is the divine grace which opens up for you, the more is the support you get from the universe.
‘What is’ can never depress you. You are constantly judging, evaluating, branding, labelling , adding meanings and interpretation to ‘what is’. It is this which depresses you.
A meditator’s Sadhana should be to learn to live in insecurity. This should be out of a deep understanding that there is actually nothing like security. Security is a big myth, it is more a consolation than reality.
Lord Krishna is not saying that do not desire the result of an action. Everyone works towards a goal, hence it is stupid to say so. He is only saying that don’t worry about it.
Karmayoga is very simple; it means that whatever actions you are doing, whatever work you are doing, do it with this climate,this space that you are offering your actions unto God or your Guru. Karmayoga is not just action; it is an action with a certain attitude. In Sanskrit, it is also called Eeshwar-arpan Buddhi.
Aging is adding years to your life, growing is adding life to your years.
Krishna does not criticize living in sense organs. But he says that living there alone and not doing selfless sharing in this world is a life in vain.
A man who is devoted to the self, satisfied with the self and content in the self alone has no obligatory duty..( This one is a very very revolutionary saying )
You can love the world of objects but do not be attached, do not cling to it, be as happy and contented with ot without it. This is true Vairagya.
Whatever you do, act with goodness, the context should be welfare of humanity and not some selfish purpose.
You can have likes and dislikes in your life, you can have preferences in your life but never have ‘must happen’ demands in life.
Be centered in your heart. Whatever you do, do out of love. If you are drinking a glass of water, do it out of love. If you are talking to somebody, do it out of love. If you are taking a bath, do it with deep love.
Modern psychology calls this ‘Act as if ‘ theory. If you wish to be an enlightened person ; act as if you are already enlightened. Make it a point to live in love, bliss and internal silence like an enlightened one and soon you will really be enlightened. This is the way of the poet-saint Kabir.
A man shouldn’t have sheer addiction to peace & status quo. One should have the courage to take up a bold stand and fight for truth.
Swa-Dharma means your own nature. Every one of us is a unique individual, we have our own needs. We should not blindly follow others in our profession.
The first responsibility is to find out what is your Swa-Dharma, what is your unique internal need, what is it that you are born for, what is your deepest urge, your longing, whether being a doctor or a poet or a manager etc etc.
In fulfilling your deepest urge you may not be perfect but it is yet better than doing what some other person is saying is good for you based on practical considerations or social norms.
