MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 325

4th August 2025

#WorkIsWorship

Lord Krishna to Arjuna – “There is no duty for Me to do in all the three worlds, O Parth, nor do I have anything to gain or attain. Yet, I am engaged in prescribed duties” (Bhagavad Gita 3.22)

Even paramporul (Lord) is committed to his responsibilities. We humans must be conscious and committed to our responsibilities. Our literature and culture call this ‘Work is Worship’.

செய்யும் தொழிலே தெய்வம்அந்த திறமைதான் நமது செல்வம்

கையும் காலும்தான் உதவிகொண்ட கடமைதான் நமது பதவி – Tamil Song by Pattukottai Kalyana Sundaram

English Translation

Your work is your God, the skills we develop in our work is our wealth

Our hands and legs are our help and the commitment to the responsibility is our designation

What if you don’t get a job which is your passion, or you don’t get a job at all. You have two options – You can find a job which is of your passion or learn to make your job your passion. Status quo is not an option. You cannot venerate your duty if you are not passionate about your job.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam aspired to become an Air Force pilot, faced rejection at the Services Selection Board (SSB). He recounts this in his autobiography, #WingsOfFire. After he could not become an officer in the armed forces, he reached the end of a cliff and decided to “seek a new way forward’. A rishi and lessons from the #BhagavadGita motivated him to look for another passionate job. Though he didn’t wear the uniform, he eventually rose to become the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces as President of India, surpassing his dreams. His journey reminds us that there are many paths to success—never lose heart.

In George Bernard Shaw's play Saint Joan, a priest, Archbishop of Reims, transitions into a more militant figure, while a warrior becomes a priest. Bernard Shaw wanted to highlight that both are good professions, and which is the most suitable one for you depends on your passion for the job and one finds out his / her passion when faced with a crisis. People identify their passion during a crisis which they must do by introspection and take conscious efforts to take up the passionate work.

One can take up any work of their passion. No work is inferior or superior. Whichever is your passion, and whichever can take you to heights and whichever is helpful to enhance the society is the superior work.

Mason’s respect for his profession

There is a story narrated by Rajaji.

Rajaji had to handle an interesting case filed against a drunkard mason who illtreated his wife daily basis. The mason stood on the witness box in the court, took oath in the name of god and started telling all lies to establish his innocence. Rajaji could easily understand that the mason was telling all lies though he took oath in the name of God.

Rajaji laughingly took a tool from his bag, the tool used by masons to mix and apply cement when constructing buildings. Rajaji gave the tool to the mason and challenged him to repeat whatever he had said after taking a revised oath on the tool. The mason got perturbed and agreed that he told lies. The mason cried and said, “My profession is more than God to me, my profession feeds for my survival and that of my family.  How can I tell lies, taking an oath on my profession?” The tool was much more than God for him.

Tilak Who Preferred to be a teacher

There is another story quoted to Lokmanya Balgangadhara Tilak. Tilak was a teacher before he became a freedom fighter. Drawn towards the freedom struggle, he led India’s freedom movement before Gandhiji’s time.

A journalist once asked Tilak in a meeting as to what post Tilak would hold in free and independent India. Tilak’s supporters shouted, ‘Tilak should become the Prime Minister of free India’. To which Tilak replied, “Why should I become a Prime Minister? I want to return to my teaching profession.  A teacher can transform more good Prime Ministers, and hence I want to return to the teaching profession”.  That was his love for his profession.

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Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly motivational newsletter #MondayMusings in LinkedIn every monday by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com)

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Jaganathan's fourth book is a crime fiction involving information technology and healthcare. Slotted for Deepavali-2025 release. Please reserve your copies by commenting on this post