The Secret of Service
Krishna announces now the great “secret of success” in all mighty undertakings ----- be they spiritual or material. This verse is the very backbone of the third chapter of the Geeta. The Lord reveals (III-30) “Renouncing all actions in me, with mind centered on the Self, without hope and ego, freed from fever ---fight on”. The most pregnant verse in al scriptures sometimes read as the most flippant. As it stand, this verse sounds quite ridiculous. But there are chapters of suggestions packed in every phrase here employed.
“Renouncing all actions in Me” (Mayi sarvani karmani sannyasya). Man acts always in a spirit of dedication(arpana-buddhi). We generally act dedicated to wife(Bharyarpana) or dedicated to son (Putrarpana) etc. Here Krishna insists that we should undertake all actions dedicated to Him, the Infinite Lord. Our capacities then increase according to the glory of the altar of our dedication. Thus, as an ambassador of a country an ordinary man can sign for his country, trade treaties etc ----- it is not he, the person who is signing, but the country he represents.
When we “dedicate ourselves in Him” and act, always as His deputies in life, we draw unto ourselves infinite strength, power, capacity and intelligence. Be His servant; He being the mighty ideal of your heart.
Now the question is, how is one to gain this continuous spirit of dedication? This is possible if we live with the mind centered on the Self (Adhyatma chetasa). The distractions here come from our identification with the demands of the flesh, the urgencies of the mind, or the restlessness of the intellect. But with the two processes of (1) intellectual dedication to the self, and of (2) mental centeredness in our ideal, we draw into our bosom, from some unexpected source in ourselves, an unbelievable quantum of fresh vitatlity, an active surge of irresistible enthusiasm, and the dash to face courageously all vicissitudes.
Even when we have the joyous tide of energetic fervour to act, to strive, to sweat and gain our goals, often we find, in the very fields of our achievements, our inner fountains dwindle and soon dry up completely. Why? For example, if water is not flowing from the tap in the wash-basin , we can safely conclude that either there is a clogging somewhere along the pipe or there is a leakage in the system. Similarly, when your enthusiasm in a programme of work wanes, it is clear that your vitality is being dissipated enroute.
There are only three channels through which personality dissipation takes place. They are indicated by the Lord when he says “ without hope and ego”( nirasheernirmamo bhootva) and “freed from fever (vigatajvarah) act on in life.
Hope(asha) is “Expectation for something to gain in a future period of time”. To grow thus anxious for the future --- which, is in fact, the result of the present dynamic action--- is a waste, a ruinous dissipation. Similarly, our ego-centric identity is nothing but “our total memories of the past experiences”. Thus, the exhortation “without ego-centric relationships (nirmamah) means, without allowing our present mood to be disturbed with “regrets of the past”. To remember the past and ruminate over it with regret --- is yet another channel of dissipation through which our efficiencies ooze out.
In addition to this, we have a knack of exhausting ourselves with our “excitements in the present”. In the busy chases of urgencies in a fast, energetic life, you are called upon to attend to hosts of duties, crowds of different activities, innumerable functions and varieties of relationships. So Krishna rightly points out “Freed from fever (vigatajvarah). Feverish excitement lowers our abilities. Avoid them, be calm ,serene, cool --- and act quietly; efficiency is then maintained at a very high pitch in us.
An individual of steady application is exhorted by Krishna to fight (yudhyasva), where the battle is with your vicissitude and problems. Having thus adjusted your inner equipments and their functions, bring the newly-discovered energies in fighting down the forces of evil around you and chasten the cultural and political life of the community.
This technique is equally available for both material and for bringing about one’s spiritual unfoldement. Unconscious dissipations in unintelligent “regrets of the past” and “anxieties for the future” and “excitements in the present” keep many of us at the levels of failure, disappointments and despairs. Have faith in an ideal, or idol, and surrendering yourself to it, act diligently.
Success is sure. This way of life, only the youth of the country can practice and master. In this discipline lies there achievements, and the ultimate glory of the nation in the years to come.
(Courtesy :Geeta Office, Powai).
Topic: The Science Of Religion By Swami Chinmayananda (Read 2592 times)