Performing our actions as a Sacred Yagna – Bhagavad Gita Verses 3.9-3.10

Discussion in 'Chitvish on Hindu Culture & Vedanta' started by Chitvish, Aug 7, 2008.

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  1. Aug 7, 2008 #1
    Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Man can make endless ethical and spiritual progress in life and at the same time remain untethered to karma. The Lord now provides the means to it as follows:

    Yajnarthath karmanOnyyathra lOkO(a)yam karmabandhana:
    SThadartham karma kauntheya mukthasangha: samaachara: 3.9

    The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of yajna.
    Therefore, Oh son of Kunti, you perform actions for yajna alone, without any attachment.

    In vedic days yajnas were the most popular mass-rituals performed by people assembled in an utter spirit of dedication. None had a selfish motive and the only intention was the common welfare of all. The invocation of the Lord was only a prayer for the community's happiness, for the nation's glory and for the welfare of the world.
    But over the years, this spirit was completely veiled from the people, pomp and show attracting attention. It is at this juncture, Krishna expounds his karma yoga, in the language of the popular ritual already known to them.

    Every action becomes a sacred yajna if undertaken without ego and egocentric desires.
    Let us do all actions in a spirit of dedication to Ishwara (Ishwararpana buddhi). Then all our day to day work – good, bad or indifferent – will become one long continuous worship of the Lord (Ishwara puja).The Lord emphasises two features which we must maintain in all our actions. They are:
    1 – Efficiently performed (samachara)
    2 – undertaken and executed without attachment (mukthasangha:)
    It is the attitude that transforms the soul-entangling karma into soul-emanating yajna.
    Divinity reveals itself best where yajna takes place. That
    Yajna is Vishnu Is an upanishadic statement.

    Has yajna any place in cosmic plan? The answer comes:

    Sahayajnaa: prajaa: srushtvaa purOvaacha prajapathi:
    Anaena prasavishyadhvamesha vO(a)sthvishta kaamadhuk 3.10

    The creator (Prajapathi) after having created mankind, together with the yajna said "By this shall you create: this shall be fulfilling of all your desires".

    The creative force of nature is an aspect of Ishwara. Manifesting Himself in this aspect He governs and guides human destiny. Then He is known as Prajapathi.
    When all activities of man in life are changed into yajna, the spectacle also undergoes a corresponding change. The means to give somehow increases in the mind of a man who has a mind to give. The resources, the bodily effort and the mental disposition – all these become multiplied in the man of yajna. His life flowers in being useful to others and fruits in enlightenment.

    Kamdhuk is also called Kamadhenu. The owner of this mythological divine cow is believed to have all his wants immediately supplied. Allegorically this milch cow is nothing other than yajna. The doer of yajna is always above wants. He is affluent and whatever he wants to offer to others comes to him easily. His bounteous mind is the real Kamadhenu. Because of this frame of mind, he is ever in prosperity. Preyas and Sreyas do both pay homage to him. That is the plan and purpose of the cosmos.
    Preyas has unpredictability, risks, problems and potential sorrows.
    Sreyas gives peace and happiness.
    To recall Preyas and Sreyas, please go to
    What are human goals according to Hindu Religion
    And
    The four-fold Qualifications

    Love,
    Chithra.

     
    Chitvish, Aug 7, 2008
    Chitvish, Aug 7, 2008
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  2. Aug 7, 2008 #2
    Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    When we say that every action has to be performed as a Sacred Yagna, the emphasis is on the selflessness of our actions. We have a classic example of how even a Yagna, if performed for self-glorification, results in total annihilation of the Doer in the story of Daksha. Daksha caused a Yagna to be conducted on a grand scale the like of which the world had not witnessed ever. All the gods and devas were invited for the Yagna barring Lord Shiva who was the son in law of Daksha. The Yagna was performed by Daksha more to insult Shiva than for Loka Kshema. The Yagna came to an abrupt end with the killing of the highly egoistic Daksha by Veerabhadra, as ordered by Lord Shiva.

    From the story of Daksha, we come to know that even religious rites cannot take us nearer God if performed to satiate one’s ego while even an ordinary action of a routine nature if performed in the spirit of the Divine will grant us Salvation. We have any number of instances of how a simple life led selflessly could invoke the Blessing of the Divine. What does it mean to lead a selfless life? It will be relevant to recall a story that most of us would have heard as kids. It is about a ninety year old gardener planting a tiny mango sapling. Some young school boys passing that way made fun of the old man asking him if he hoped to live long enough to see the sapling grow and yield its fruits to which the old man replied with a kind smile that he was planting it not for himself but for the kids like them to enjoy the fruits.

    During the course of our life, it will be worthwhile remembering that the fruits that we enjoy are the result of toil of such selfless persons. That will help us to imbibe a little of their selflessness. This feeling of selflessness delivers us from the pleasures and pains caused by our sense organs. The essence of Chandogya Upanishad is all about rising above physical consciousness, knowing the Self as distinct from the sense organs and the mind, knowing Him in His true light, and thereby how one rejoices and becomes totally free of all bondage. Maitrayana Upanishad reaffirms the greatness of selflessness pointing out that in having realised his own self as the Self, a man becomes selfless and through selflessness, he has no part in pleasure or pain, but attains absoluteness.

    There are two ways of attaining the ultimate knowledge of the Self. The first is to launch oneself into a rigorous spiritual exercise as the Rishis of yore but this is obviously not in reach of us particularly living in the modern stressful society. We find even a 10 minute routine of Meditation difficult to persist with and even the Swamijis and Math heads devote a substantial portion of their time in administering the Maths and their finances. The second is to lead a selfless life as that old gardener. Working for the welfare of others certainly removes the feeling of self as we see every other self as our own and eventually the realisation comes that there is just one Self that pervades the Universe. This is what is known as ‘Aham Brahmasmi’

    The story of Kamadhenu is more allegorical than real. The sage who owned it was Vasishta who used this bounteous cow strictly for meeting the needs of his Yagnas and not for his personal enrichment. It is a reminder that all the bounties that God bestows on us are to be used for the welfare of the people and not use them for personal aggrandisement. Vasishta’s fights for retention of the Holy Cow might raise the question why a sage with acute detachment should be so possessive about Kamadhenu. What we must understand is that Vasishta waged all those fights only to ensure that the Cow did not fall into the hands of selfish people who would use it only for personal gains. The story of Kamadhenu should set us thinking if we are using the resources provided by God for the welfare of all.
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2008
    Cheeniya, Aug 7, 2008
    Cheeniya, Aug 7, 2008
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  3. Aug 7, 2008 #3
    ksv

    ksv Senior IL'ite

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    Dear Chitra mami,

    The first post i read today was urs... As usual a very thought provoking thursday writeup!! I always try to register some of the points(not all... i am yet to mature to that level...) in ur write up and will recollect at times...(especially when i feel depressed or something goes wrong!!)
    Thanks & Regards
    ksv
     
    ksv, Aug 7, 2008
    ksv, Aug 7, 2008
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  4. Aug 7, 2008 #4
    Shanvy

    Shanvy IL Hall of Fame

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    Chithmam & Sri,

    I am back here after being silent for so long, reason, I am so used to thinking of my actions as sacred, though I cannot call i yagna in the true sense, it is the title that made me come here to put in my FB.
    I believe, that God     is the personification of perfection.He will be pleased only when we discharge our duty in the most perfect manner,so my doing my duties with love and sincere devotion is equivalent to a Sacred Yagna here i conquer yagna to be the selfless duties/service that we do free from attachment to the fruits of work.

    saying free from attachment is very easy,it is difficult not to expect any appreciation for the duties.the day we reach that stage, is one more step towards realisation...

    The difference in the actions has been highlighted by quoting Daksha and Vashita.thanks for the examples Sri.

    I am taking very very small steps towards the goal....
     
    Shanvy, Aug 7, 2008
    Shanvy, Aug 7, 2008
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  5. Aug 7, 2008 #5
    aishu22

    aishu22 Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Chithra,
    The title is very catchy. Performing actions without attachment -i.e. perform actions, but not for self -interest. Enjoyed the vivid description about the yajnas that were performed in yester years. But it’s sad and true to note that yajna's are now performed more for self interest rather than for common interest and welfare of people. Your explanation on how day to day chores when done without any ego transforms as yajna is quite understandable.
    I re read this statement many times:- "bounteous mind is the real Kamadhenu" - a person who does self less act can be called a kamadhenu.We can now a days find, who only say no even before we ask for!
    Today’s topic was a bit tough to comprehend at some places, but will re read it again to get a clear understanding.
     
    aishu22, Aug 7, 2008
    aishu22, Aug 7, 2008
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  6. Aug 7, 2008 #6
    aishu22

    aishu22 Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Sri,
    The very first line of yours, Sacred Yajna - the emphasis is on selflessness of our actions was just superb! We may spend crore’s of rupees to perform a yajna, but end of day are we doing it for self interest or for welfare of the society matters a lot. Celebrities donating amount/clothes to poor and needy may be for selfish purposes like astrologer saying him/her to do so to ward off the bad dasa or time he/she undergoing? What do we call this act as? Selfless (?) Dharma...
    Your example of how Daksha succumbed to his ego by ignoring the avirbhagha to Lord Shiva and about the old gardener who performs a selfless act is so apt to the topic discussed. Excellent descriptions about how the selfless can be achieved in day today life. Absolutely agree with you on that. Story of Kamadhenu that you and chithra have explained cleared a few questions on why a sage like Vashistha needs that. It’s a self retrospection time..... Are we using all the resources given by the god in a good manner? Is a question that only we can ask our self and track upon.
     
    aishu22, Aug 7, 2008
    aishu22, Aug 7, 2008
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  7. Aug 7, 2008 #7
    vidhi

    vidhi Senior IL'ite

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    Dear Chith

    This is again a very thought provoking post from you. Last post dealt with divinity of work and now you move on to the welfare attached to it for others. I did go through the two other threads you mentioned and read about preyas and shreyas. Reading it again makes it very clear.

    So what ever action we do we should always keep in mind the Shreyas of all. That is more important than one's own shreyas.

    Love
    Vidhi
     
    vidhi, Aug 7, 2008
    vidhi, Aug 7, 2008
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  8. Aug 7, 2008 #8
    vidhi

    vidhi Senior IL'ite

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    Dear Cheeniya Sir

    Looking forward for the welfare of the future generations and doing our actions is indeed great. we come across a very few people who think like that of the old gardener. So many of the freedom fighters lost their lives in order to have a free country for their future generations. If they were self centered we would not have enjoyed this freedom at all.

    regards
    Vidhi
     
    vidhi, Aug 7, 2008
    vidhi, Aug 7, 2008
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  9. Aug 7, 2008 #9
    gayathriar

    gayathriar Bronze IL'ite

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    Dear C and Sri,

    I feel it will be better if I can condense these thoughts and pin it up around me so that I will be constantly reminded. Better than that would be to retain it in memory at all times..!

    We are truly blessed to have a code of conduct in the form of Gita. Yesterday I was a little disappointed with a few happenings and that was carried this morning as well. But, the moment I read this post of yours, my perception changed and all the disappointment vanished. Doing our work perfectly well, without any attachment or expectation and ensuring that it does not harm anybody is the way to live. That itself will make us feel very tranquil and help us stay focused on the task at hand. Many thanks to both of you for explaining this very well.

    -Gayathri.
     
    gayathriar, Aug 7, 2008
    gayathriar, Aug 7, 2008
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  10. Aug 7, 2008 #10
    Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear ksv,
    Thanks for sending the first FB.
    Please do not imagine or think, you need maturity to understand these posts. Not at all. All that you need is an inclination to read and enjoy.Over a period of time, a point here and a point there will get registered in your mind.You will recollect them easily and apply them suitably!
    Love,
    Chithra.



     
    Chitvish, Aug 7, 2008
    Chitvish, Aug 7, 2008
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