Harmonising thoughts and actions

11th December 2023

Yet another inspirational week and yet another interesting and enthralling sloka from Bhagavad Gita, never mind the havoc created by Chennai flood. Bhagavad Gita can give us the mental strength to come out of any turmoil.

न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्य पुरुषोऽश्न‍ुते ।

न च सन्न्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥ Bhagavad Gita 3.4 ॥

na karmaṇām anārambhān

naiṣkarmyaṁ puruṣo ’śnute

na ca sannyasanād eva

siddhiṁ samadhigacchati

Translation - Not by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction, nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection.

Renunciation is not ultimate.

This sloka looks little confusing on the face of it. Lord Krishna emphasized the importance of renunciation in many other slokas of Bhagavad Gita but why would he suddenly contradict his own statements, that ‘renunciation (sanyasanad) alone cannot guarantee perfection’. This must be understood with different perspectives. 

Lord Krishna does not approve the philosophy that renunciation is the best route, for everyone, to attain spiritual excellence. If everyone selects to renunciate, how would this world run. We need contribution from many to make this humanity a better place to live. For that to happen, we need people to take up their assigned jobs and carry out their jobs with commitment. Renunciation without purification of the thoughts is actually a disturbance to the social order.

#Disinterest&Detachment

This sloka is clarification from Lord Krishna on the difference between disinterest and detachment. Lord Krishna promotes detachment and not disinterest. That too, Detachment from greed, lust, anger, sense gratification, etc and not detachment from responsibilities. At times, I see people who desist from action, essential action, on the pretext of contentment and renunciation. This is disinterest and probably dereliction of duty and not detachment. Those who are detached, sanyasins, also need to shoulder responsibilities, responsibilities to the society. 

Lord Krishna advocated avoiding sense gratification in multiple slokas. That does not mean, a sanyasin will go hungry or a sanyasin cannot prepare food for himself / herself. Sense gratification is getting attached or addicted to taste and not staying away from food completely.

Were one to renounce actions like a Yogin without first performing his ordained duties, such a renouncer of actions cannot attain “action-free status,” 

Therefore, O Arjuna, bear this in mind that one wishing for “action-free status” must not abandon the prescribed duties. One cannot escape from actions merely by abandoning them.

#TurningThoughtsIntoActions

Desisting from action is not detachment. Detachment can be achieved only when the thoughts get purified. Purity of the mind and control over one’s thoughts, is very important. In other words, outward manifestations of one’s convictions is good but unless the mind and body are in complete sync it’s a job half done.

Salvation can be achieved only when our thoughts and actions are in perfect harmony and our words, deeds, actions, appearance, thoughts and philosophy of life are part of the same narrative. 

Your mind does not attain freedom, when you desist an action but do not control the thoughts on that action. This is what Lord Krishna calls as naiṣhkarmyam, freedom from the burdens of action/reaction. 

• Renunciation is not achieved at the cost of abandoning one’s ordained responsibilities.

• Purify and enhance your thoughts before stopping actions from thoughts.

எண்ணங்களின் உயர்வு ஏற்றங்களில் நிறைவு

More purified thoughts in the next episode.

GOOD NEWS COLUMN

It is rare to find inspiration stories from political leaders and I don’t want to miss the chance when there is one. 

Kamleshwar Dodiyar (34), a tribal leader is the only non-BJP and non-Congress elected legislator from Ratlam's Sailana constituency, a seat reserved for tribals from Madhya Pradesh.  Yet another MLA but what is his achievement for a place in our GOOD NEWS COLUMN. Kamleshwar's journey from the tiny village of Ratlam to Vidhan Sabha is inspiring.

The youngest among nine siblings, Kamleshwar lives in a straw-roofed mud house with his parents at Radhagua village of Sailana panchayat. His 62-year-old mother, Seta Bai, works as a daily wager to not only support the family but also look after her husband, Omkarlal Dodiyar, 70, who became disabled after bad hand fracture. His five brothers work as labourers in neighbouring Rajasthan, while his three married sisters also work as labourers to support their families.

Kamleshwar worked as a daily wage delivery boy at Tiffin Centre when he moved to Delhi to study LLB at Delhi University. He faced 16 FIRs, went to jail 11 times, the longest jail term he served is 84 days. He also faced an externment notice for holding protests and blocking roads to raise the demands of tribals. He was also booked under the stringent National Security Act - 1980 for protesting outside the collector's office in February 2021.

Kamleshwar entered politics in 2008 inspired by the political journey of Barack Obama, a black migrant from Kenya who became the 44th president of the United States of America. "Reading the political journey of Obama was a watershed moment in my life. It sprouted a seed in me to become a politician like Obama. That’s when I decided to go for higher studies and joined politics," he said.    

The newly elected MLA emphasised that the condition of schools and hospitals was as good as stables. "There is no one to keep a tab on rampant corruption in the scheme floated for tribals. The funds the state received under Article 275A for tribal welfare ended up in corruption," he lamented, vowing to fix these problems in the next five years.      

__________________________________________________________________________________________ Conceived, compiled and posted by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganthan.com) every Monday as a newsletter MONDAY MUSINGS. Watch the video article MONDAY MUSINGS in YouTube channel