Publication
of Sai Mandir USA, Baldwin, NY 11510
www.saimandirusa.org
Gita Jayanthi
Gita Jayanthi marks the anniversary of the
day Lord Krishna gave his immortal message to Arjuna on the battlefield of
Kurukshetra. The Bhagavad Gita is an exquisite discourse given to Arjuna by
Lord Krishna, at the moment when Arjuna faced the most difficult situation of
his life. Arjuna was a warrior of high repute; he had power and fame; he was
endowed with all the qualities necessary for a man of his position, but when he
faced the real challenge of his life, he was unable to meet it on his own.
Recognizing his own limitations as a human being, he surrendered to Lord
Krishna. The Lord gave him instructions on how to live an inspired life, and
how to deal with situations in life. It is a profound spiritual teaching, a
guide to the Truth. In the Gita, the Lord teaches Arjuna about the immortality
of the soul, the nature of the world and the Consciousness illuminating
everything.
The message of the Gita is not to make us
passive idealists, but to help us be active and courageous in life.
The Bhagavad-Gita forms a part of the
ancient epic poem the Mahabharata, written by Sage Vyasa. It is the story of
the Great War between the Pandavas, who were on the side of Dharma
(righteousness) and the Kauravas, who, though relatives of the Pandavas, were an
Adharmic or unrighteous people. Sri Krishna first tried to counsel the Kauravas
on the right course of action. When they refused to listen, the Lord generously
offered the whole land to the Kauravas, except one house for the Pandavas to
live in. It was only when the Kauravas swore that they would not give one blade
of grass to the Pandavas, that Sri Krishna advised the Pandavas to go to war.
He knew that if the Kauravas were allowed to rule, the whole country would be
plunged into adharma, chaos, and destruction.
The teaching of the Gita takes place right
in the middle of the battlefield, between the two armies, just as the war is
about to begin. In the Gita, Lord Krishna teaches that spirituality is
something we have to live in our day-to-day life - it is for everyone, and is
especially applicable to all who want to live life to its fullest potential.
In his doubt and confusion, Arjuna reached
a state of helplessness. He sought Sri Krishna's guidance and help. It was then
that God poured forth His message. When the disciple hood awakened in Arjuna,
he became a vessel fit enough to receive spiritual knowledge, and the Lord
could correct his attitude. It is only when we have surrender that God can
shower His Grace upon us.
Arjuna was transformed by the teaching
that Krishna gave him. Sri Krishna did not change the external situation, but
changed the mental attitude of Arjuna. In the battle that followed, Krishna
proved that he was a living example of what he had just taught. He was the only
one on the battlefield without any weapons, and yet there was a radiant smile
on his face throughout. At the end, the Pandavas emerged victorious,
symbolizing the victory of dharma over adharma.
The Gita is one of the most beautiful
pieces of philosophy ever written. About the Gita, Mahatma Gandhi said:
"The Gita has been my mother. I lost my mother when I was young, but I
never felt the absence of a mother, because I had the Gita with me."
Krishna teaches:
You have a right to your actions,
But never to your actions' fruits.
Act for the action's sake.
And do not be attached to inaction.
Self-possessed, resolute, act
Without any thought of results,
Open to success or failure.
archives.amritapuri.org
WHAT IS KARMA YOGA ? (By:
Swami Shivananda)
Karma Yoga is consecration of all actions
and their fruits unto the Lord. Karma Yoga is performance of actions dwelling
in union with the Divine, removing attachment and remaining balanced ever in
success and failure.
Karma Yoga is selfless service unto
humanity. Karma Yoga is the Yoga of action which purifies the heart and
prepares the Antahkarana (the
heart and the mind) for the reception of Divine Light or attainment of
Knowledge of the Self. The important point is that you will have to serve
humanity without any attachment or egoism.
Action of some kind or the other is
unavoidable. You cannot keep quiet without doing anything. What binds you to
phenomenal existence or Samsara
is not the action but the idea of doership and enjoyership. Karma binds when it
is done with a selfish motive, with the expectation of fruits. But when action
is done without the expectation of fruits, it is liberating. If you act as an
instrument in the hands of the Lord, as a participant in the cosmic activity of
Nature, without expectation of fruits, that Karma will not bind you. Karma,
then becomes Karma Yoga. Work unselfishly. Feel that you are only an instrument
and that the Lord is working through you. Surrender the actions and their
fruits to the Lord. You will be freed from the bonds of Karma and enjoy peace.
Two things are indispensably requisite
in the practice of Karma Yoga. The Karma Yogi should have non-attachment to the
fruits of actions. He will have to dedicate his actions at the altar of God
with the feeling of Ishvararpana.
Non-attachment brings freedom from sorrow and fear. Non-attachment makes a man
absolutely bold and fearless. When he dedicates his actions at the Lotus Feet
of the Lord, he develops devotion to God and approaches Him nearer and nearer.
He gradually feels that God works directly through his Indriyas or instruments.
He feels no strain or burden in discharge of his works now. He is quite at
ease. The heavy load which he felt previously on account of false notion has
vanished out of sight now.
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By doing selfless service you purify
your heart. Egoism, hatred, jealousy, ideas of superiority and all the
kindred negative qualities will vanish. You will develop humility, pure love,
sympathy, tolerance and mercy. Sense of separateness will be annihilated.
Selfishness will be eradicated. You will get a broad and liberal outlook on
life. You will begin to feel oneness and unity. Eventually you will obtain knowledge
of the Self. You will realize One in all and All in one. Generally people are impatient and
they expect Siddhis after doing a little service. The real Karma Yogi who
serves people with humility and Atma
Bhava (seeing God in every face) becomes a real ruler of the world. He
is honored and respected by all. The more service you do with Atma Bhava the
more power, energy and capacity you get. Practice this and feel. If you really want to grow in the
spiritual path you must do all sorts of service daily till the end of your
life. Then only you are safe. Do not stop doing service when you have become
a famous Yogi. The spirit of service must enter every nerve, cell, tissue and
bone of your body. It must become ingrained in you. Then only you will become
a real, full-blown, practical Vedantin. Is there any greater Vedantin or
Karma Yogi than Lord Buddha ? He still lives in our hearts,
because that spirit of service was ingrained in him and he spent his whole
life in serving others in a variety of ways. He is indeed a magnanimous soul,
one without a second. You can also become a Buddha if you apply yourself
diligently to selfless service with the right mental attitude. In the practice of Nishkama Karma
Yoga, there is no loss of effort. There is no harm. There is no transgression
also. Even a little of this practice can protect you from great fear of
rebirth, of death with its concomitant evils. You will reap the fruits of
Karma Yoga, viz. Jnana. There is no uncertainty here. The path of Karma Yoga
eventually leads to the attainment of Bliss of the Self. May you all attain purity of heart
through constant selfless service. May you all shine as dynamic Karma Yogins
radiating joy, peace and bliss everywhere. May you all rejoice in the welfare
of all beings. May your minds be fixed in the Lord while your hands are in
the service of humanity. May you all understand the principles and techniques
of Karma Yoga. May all your actions become offerings unto the Lord. May you
all attain Kaivalya Moksha through the practice of Karma
Yoga. PRACTICE OF KARMA YOGA The practice of Karma Yoga does not
demand that you should possess enormous wealth. You can serve with your mind
and body. If you find a poor sick man lying on the road side, give him some
water or milk to drink. Cheer him up with sweet, encouraging words. Put him
in a carriage and take him to the nearest hospital. If you have no money to
pay for the carriage, carry the patient on your back and see that he is admitted
into the hospital. If you do service like this, your heart will be purified.
God is more pleased with such sort of service for the poor helpless people
than with the service done by rich people with pomp and vanity. If any one is suffering from acute
pain in any part of the body, at once shampoo the affected part very quickly.
Feel, when you massage, that you are shampooing the body of the Lord (Virat).
Repeat your Ishta Mantra or any name of the Lord while shampooing. Pray also
from the bottom of your heart: "O Lord! Remove the pain of this man. Let
him rest in peace. Let him possess good health." Feel, when you massage,
that the energy from the cosmic source, Hiranyagarbha, is flowing
continuously through your hands. Some neophytes are afraid their energy will
be depleted by massaging another person. This is a serious mistake. The more
you give, the more you will get. You will be in tune with the cosmic energy
or the Infinite. This is the divine law.
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