The Art of Doing Karma

Sri Ramakrishna

oi-Staff

By Staff

Wednesday, September 2, 2009, 15:26

Living a life in the world and how to spiritually orient oneself is a basic question. In ancient times, life was so regulated that it led to a spiritual goal, the highest purpose in life. In other words, all the four Purusharthas evolved by our ancient Rishis—Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, and the Varnashrama dharma, etc. were set to lead one to a higher purpose in life. Today we are very much influenced by a materialistic mindset and added to that is a technological Revolution which has brought people across the world to a common mode of living, making it difficult to give a spiritual orientation to life. So we will have to think of ways to orient our life to sub-serve a higher purpose.

What is that higher purpose? Sri Ramakrishna says: the purpose of life is to realize God. But God-realization cannot come just like that. The Lord says in the Gita (7.3),

Manushyanam sahasreshu
kaschid yatati siddhaye;
Yatatam api siddhanam
kaschid mam vetti tattvatah.

Thousands of people struggle to attain success in spiritual life. They put forth every effort for that purpose and still only a few attain success. If that path is so difficult, why try it at all? It is a very good and valid question. Before we answer it, we need to ask ourselves: 'What am I doing? Where am I going? What is the purpose of life?' When these questions agitate our minds, in due course we get convinced that there is a higher purpose in life—that is to know God. But right now, you may not attend to it. You can however put yourself onto a path that takes you to the right destination. How to do it? Through Karma or skillful action.

In ancient times, particularly in Purva-mimamsa philosophy, there were a lot of rituals, many yajnas, and homas that one had to perform. Every householder was enjoined to perform Agni-hotram daily so long as he lived. It was a commonly accepted practice those days wherein husband and wife performed rituals together as equal partners. I recall a marriage when I was a boy in which a couple were asked to perform Agni-hotram, which meant the pouring of the oblations into the fire for various deities like Agni, Indra, Varuna. Even today we follow these rituals in a slightly modified manner: we pour oblations into homa fire in the name of Sri Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi.

Besides these, we have many other actions to perform in life like earning, eating, bringing up children, educating them. So giving up work is not possible. The Lord says in the Gita that not even for a moment, one can be without work. Whether you like it or not, you are compelled to do it. Just for a living you have to work. Nature has organized or arranged life in such a way that we have to do something always.

Now the question is how to do it? Through Karma-Yoga. The idea of Karma-Yoga is worked out in greater details in the Gita, and before that in the Gita, and in the Upanishads. In Isha Upanishad (verse 2), it is said: Kurvanneveha karmani jijivishet shatam samah. By doing karma, indeed, one should wish to live here for a hundred years. Be detached; that is the only way by which you can make your life useful. Truly speaking it is not the work that causes attachment; it is the mental attitude, the desire for fruits of action that makes you attached. Suppose somebody comes forward and says, 'Don't take any trouble, I will give you all that is wanted.' I do not know how many people will work then.

Today there is a problem associated with the retired people. They receive all the pensions and gratuity, but still no one seems satisfied with that. In the Pre-Independence period the expected lifespan was 25 years, now it is 65 and it may go up to 80 years. Retired people do not seem to know what to do. They think that they have nothing to do. But so long as you are in the world, you have to do something. You must learn to make it Karma-Yoga and not Karma Bhoga. How to do it?

About the author

Swami Smaranananda is the General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. This is the edited text of his talk delivered at Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, during the spiritual retreat held on 8th February 2004.

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