MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 314

19th May 2025

You have the right to work only but never to its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be the reason to do the work, nor let your attachment be to inaction. (Bhagavad Gita 2.47)

Do your work as your duty. Don’t have expectations that the results would always be favourable, learn to accept all results as God’s grace. That will help to eliminate #UnnecessaryFear.

#FearOfFailure, caused by being emotionally attached to the fruits of work, is the greatest impediment to success because it robs efficiency by constantly disturbing equanimity of mind.

Handling failures

How to handle failure when it strikes. We learnt from the above sloka that we should not worry about failures when attempting something. Alas, it failed. What to do?  Lord Krishna gives the answer for that too in the very next sloka ie 2.48.

When one has no desire for the pleasure of victory, one is not affected by the pain of defeat.

योगस्थ: कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय | सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्यो: समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते || Bhagavad Gita 2.48

Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, O Arjun, abandoning attachment to success and failure. Such equanimity is called Yog.

The equanimity that enables us to accept all types of eventualities with calmness is so praiseworthy that Shree Krishna calls it Yog, or union with the Supreme Lord.

When we understand that the effort is in our hands, not the results, we then concern ourselves only with doing our duty without worrying about the results as they are not our rights anyway. Unfortunately, if the results are not to our satisfaction, we should learn to accept the results calmly. In this way, we can accept fame and infamy, success and failure, pleasure and pain without getting affected.

This verse is a practical solution to the vicissitudes of life. I fondly recall enjoying boat rides in oceans sitting in the front side of the boat to get the maximum thrill. It is disturbing but awesome, it is dangerous but adventurous. Rising waves in a choppy ocean disturbs the boat, turns the boat precariously, but we still enjoy the fun much more than riding in safe still pond water, of course after taking enough precautions including wearing a lifejacket. I remember some of my co-passengers getting afraid of the waves even after knowing well that the lifejacket they were wearing will enable them to float in the event of a disaster.   Waves are an inseparable phenomenon of the ocean, and we get the best experience when we learn to enjoy the disturbance rather than worrying about the risks. If not, better to avoid such journey.

Similarly, as we wade through the ocean of life, it throws up all kinds of waves at us that are beyond our control. Unfortunately, we don’t get the choice to avoid the adversities in life. If we can learn to accept everything that comes our way, we will have surrendered to the will of God, and that will be true Yog.

KarmaYoga is defined as doing one’s duty while maintaining equanimity under all circumstances.

Fools rejoice in prosperity

After sending Ram to exile, King Dasharath fell sick in agony of separation from Ram. Sumantra, Dasharath’s minister expressed his wish to travel with Ram to the forest as his attendant, but Ram sent him back after reaching river Ganges. Sumantra came back to Ayodhya to convey the message about Ram’s wellbeing to bed-ridden Dasharath.

Dasharath was anxious and pressed Sumantra “Appraise me of Ram’s welfare. Have you brought them back or have they left for the woods?” Tears rolled out of Sumantra’s eyes on hearing his king.  Dasharath took pity of himself “My life did not depart even though I had to part from such a son! Who can be such a great sinner as I am?”

Recovering himself, Sumantra consoled the king “Your Majesty is learned and wise. Birth and death, all painful and pleasurable experiences, loss and gain, union with and separation from friends, all these, my lord, take place under the unalterable laws of time and destiny like the succession of night and day.

Fools rejoice in prosperity and mourn in adversity, but a KarmaYogi remains tranquil under all circumstances” (Tulasi Ramayan 2.149.03-04).

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Adapted from www.thenewindianexpress.com

We regularly read about horrendous cybercrimes on unsuspecting citizens mostly that of elderly citizens robbing their life saving. What do we do? We read, at the most shed a drop of tear and move forward. Not the likes of Ms. Swati Das.

The emotional and financial aftereffects of cyber fraud on the victims can be overwhelming. Cuttack-based IT professional Swati Das is on a mission to help such victims come out of the trauma for the last three years, by equipping them with coping mechanisms.

She has been volunteering for Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police for counselling people falling prey to cybercrimes.

Since 2023, Swati visited more than 50 educational institutions in Bhubaneswar to create awareness among youths on cybercrimes and provided psychological counselling to the ones who have been victims of such frauds. She has also been counselling victims of online crimes at the Cyber Crime and Economic Offence police station in the Capital City. “During counselling sessions, I noticed that many victims are extremely traumatised due to the huge financial loss they faced at the hands of cyber fraudsters. Some even lost their life-long savings to scammers,” she said.

Swati added that during counselling sessions, victims are reluctant to share their ordeal after going through honey-trapping or deepfakes. To assist such victims, it is pivotal to first make them comfortable, express empathy, and apprise them that theirs is not an isolated incident. “The negative consequences of cybercrimes on mental health can be reduced to a great extent by using effective coping mechanisms like reaching out for social support, taking part in stress-relieving activities and availing mental health services,” she added.

Addiction to social media, she said, has led to mental and physical health issues, particularly after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. “Users addicted to social media are experiencing psychological consequences like stress as they also come across disturbing content. This may have a significant negative influence on people’s relationships, sense of security, and general well-being,” she said. A safe digital environment and awareness among people on side effects of over-consumption of social media is the need of the hour, she suggested.

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Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly motivational newsletter #MondayMusings in #LinkedIn by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com) every Monday so that the readers can start their work week in a positive note.

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