#8 — Dada’s Favourite Chapter

Chapter 3 Karma Yoga —

Dada’s favourite chapter and he often asked to focus on this, and to keep coming back to the shlokas. He always asked to memorize and sing these shlokas to internalize them.

Shloka 1 — अर्जुन उवाच ज्यायसी चेत्कर्मणस्ते मता बुद्धिर्जनार्दन । तत्किं कर्मणि घोरे मां नियोजयसि केशव ।।१।।

Shloka 2 — व्यामिश्रेणेव वाक्येन बुद्धिं मोहयसीव मे । तदेकं वद निश्चित्य येन श्रेयोऽहमाप्नुयाम् ।।२।।

Dada (all words in italics are said by him) — Improving your work efficiency cannot be a crash programe & you will need to persevere with your efforts to improve, step by step, analyzing what is holding you back. Concentrating to conceptualize the task & then to conceptualize the response are the key factors to improve your efficiency.

Shlokas 1 and 2: — these questions form the bedrock of the whole concept of Karma, which can be performed properly only if you are stable & steady internally, which was the subject matter of chapter 2 on Sankhya Yoga. To dwell in the moment in hand steadily, is a form of meditation which helps you to burst into a perfect action which you are planning.

Shloka 3 — श्रीभगवानुवाच लोकेऽस्मिन्द्विविधा निष्ठा पुरा प्रोक्ता मयानघ । ज्ञानयोगेन सांख्यानां कर्मयोगेन योगिनाम् ।।३।।

Shloka 4 — न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते। न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ।।४।।

Shloka 5 — न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् । कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः ।।५।।

Dada — Shloka 4 of chapter 3 makes it clear that merely giving up work doesn’t make you either a Karma Yogi or a Sankhya Yogi. because shloka 5 clarifies that there is never a moment when you are not engaged in some karma or the other — physical or mental, as per the three gunas — satwa, rajas & tamas whichever may be holding sway over you at a given moment.

Shloka 6 — कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन्। इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते ।।६।।

Shloka 7 — यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेऽर्जुन। कर्मेन्द्रियैः कर्मयोगमसक्तः स विशिष्यते ।।७।।

Dada — The usual nature of people is to be selfish & boastful even if they may have benefited from your effort to help them. Like Kautilya, I would ask you to rank your opportunity cost between helping them or not. If you don’t help them they will view you as a rival or enemy. If you help them they will never have such thoughts about you even if they may not be grateful to you, which is their failing — not quite your concern. Which is better — the answer is easily — helping them. What do you gain? 1. experience, 2. good will, 3. forbearance, 4. indifference to the result of your good deeds, & so forth.

Shlokas 6 & 7 are so very interesting — read them carefully & meditate over them.

Shloka 8 — नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः । शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः ।।८।।

Shloka 9 — यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः । तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्ग: समाचर ।।९।।

If you begin to feel that someone is trying to exploit your goodness, then very tactfully you may try to withdraw your help.

Shloka 8 seems to fit in with your dilemma — whether to help or not — and you came to the conclusion that helping was better than not helping generally, till you perceive that you are being exploited कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मण;, whether to exert enough or not enough every day for your fitness.

Shloka 9 says that any action performed for the good of society, like your extending help to all in office, is yagya — यज्ञ which you dedicate to the Lord.

Shloka 10 — सहयज्ञाः प्रजाः सृष्ट् वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः । अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ।।१०।।

Shloka 11 — देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः । परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ ।।११।।

Shlokas 10 & 11 are very important because they stress on humans performing their duties to take care of the divine powers — forces of nature — environment etc also like performing actions for the good of society, which leads to the divine forces taking care of you in return. If one is totally selfish then no body helps such a person.

My take on your piece — “I can see that in your live you have done so much work and never took credit for what, but still kept doing good things. Who made you like this, what made you think like this dada?” Long ago in my childhood, I happen to read a novel with a title — “Magnificent Obsession” which was the story of a doctor who would cure people & would tell them that they need not give credit to him for their cure & would forbid them to praise him. As days passed he became more & more famous for the success of his professional skills, but he would keep on repeating that, that it was not a matter of credit to him. I began practicing this thereafter & later when I met Gurudev, he reemphasized this approach to performing one’s duties. I practiced this approach in all my duties in the IAS, which gave me a lot of strength to face adverse situations & also added to my general reputation etc.

You will soon realize that this approach of not caring for credit, will make your actions more perfect & success would be always at your doorstep.