1) Is there really a contradiction
in the Vedas on karm yog? From the Vedas until the Ramayan, all the Scriptures praised karm and
recommended that human beings must perform their karm or duties. All these scriptures also condemned karm
and criticised that this will not help us to attain God.... We need clarity to clear the confusion because we need to know
what we must do.
1a) Everything in this world
is done on the basis of faith.
2) Karm refers to
the prescribed duties in the Vedas according to our varn and ashram, our position and status in life. Elaborate
description has been given on what must be done from the time of waking up to the time of sleeping. These prescribed
duties vary -- they are different for a Brahman, a Kshatriya, a Vysya and a Shudra.
3) Nitya Karm refers
to duties that are to be performed every day. For example, if one is a Brahman, one of the prescribed duties is to perform
the sandhya three times a day. You may ask, "If I perform the sandhya, what will I get?" There will be no
fruit of it, no results, from Nitya Karm. They have to be performed whether or not there are results or success.
4) Naimethic Karm
refers to occasional duties which have to be performed at the time of developments like birth, death, so on.
5) Prayaschit Karm
refers to those duties performed to overcome / neutralize/ wash off one's sins.
6) Vedas prescribe certain
procedures for the discharge of Karm dharm. No deviation from these
procedures is allowed. In this path, the karmi follows the rules, but does not surrender to God. Such a karmi
still goes to Heaven.
7) A vikarmi is one
who does neither. In other words, he neither follows the rules nor surrenders to God. He does whatever comes to mind, whatever
desires tell him. Such people like to call themselves independent. They claim they are very flexible in their approach, and
do what comes to mind, as long as it suits their convenience.
8) Such people are not really
independent. One can say one is independent only if one has conquered the mind and the senses. So the vikarmi goes
to Hell.
9) A person discharging Karm
yog does both varnashram dharm and bhakti. What is yog? It's not the popular yoga, the
physical postures, or aasanas, meant to boost one's physical and physiological well-being. Yog is defined as
the union of soul with God. That union happens through mind.
10) Whenever the mind develops
attachment with a person/object, the senses begin to desire that person/object.
11) Surrender the mind to God.
Submit the mind to Him. At the same time, continue using the physical body for worldly pursuits like occupation/profession,
family, etc.
12) The engagement of mind,
however, should be only for the purpose of loving God.
13) Why did Sri Krishna deliver
the Gita to Arjun on the battlefield? To tell the humanity, once and for all, that surrender to God and keeping the
mind in God is essential always, and this can be done even in the most testing situations.
13a) So even while one goes
about discharging the worldly duties, one has to fix one's mind on God always. If Arjun, facing the biggest challenge
in his life, can do so on the battlefield, so can anyone else.
14) To cite
work pressure, family tensions, hectic schedules, busy lifestyle, as excuses for not being able to keep one's mind in God
is not acceptable.
14a) Our tensions,
pressures, stresses, etc, are nothing when compared to Arjun's. He could yet keep his composure; he reaffirmed his faith in
God. He fixed his mind on Sri Krishna throughout the battle.
15) So can we.
We must emulate Arjun.
Click here for the salient points of the discourse on Day Five
