The Life Cycle of Action – Bhagavad Gita Verses 3.14-3.15

Discussion in 'Chitvish on Hindu Culture & Vedanta' started by Chitvish, Aug 28, 2008.

  1. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Krishna realises that Arjuna, being a man of action, still has some scepticism in him and is impatient with mere ideology. So, the Lord paints to Arjuna, the picture of the entire universe functioning as a giant wheel of action.
    For the following reasons also, action should be performed by him who is qualified for action. This is because, it is action that sets the wheel of the universe moving.
    For the question, "how", the answer comes:

    Annad bhavanthi bhoothani parjanyad annasambhava
    Yajnad bhavathi parjanyO yajna: karmasamudbhava: 3.14

    From food come forth beings; From rain food is produced; From yajna rain proceeds;
    Yajna is born of karma.

    Here, yajna means "apurva" or the subtle principle or the unseen form which a sacrifice assumes between the time of its performance and the time when its fruits manifest themselves. This can be clarified with these concrete examples.
    The sun converts the sea water into the invisible vapour (apurva) which in turn becomes rain.
    The waste consigned to fire becomes the invisible carbon dioxide (apurva) and then forms food to the plants assimilated by the leaves.
    Similarly, man's yajna changes into mental force which alone in reality is apurva.
    The syllables chanted in the yajna do not themselves become mantras or mental forces.
    It is the thought that really constitutes the mantra or the mental force.
    The purer the man and his motive, the stronger is the mental force. It is the intensity of mind that becomes apurva.
    Krishna continues the chain of thoughts in the next verse:

    Karma brahmOdbhavam viddhi brahmaaksharasamudbhavam
    Thasmath sarvagatham brahma nithyam yajne pathishtitham 3.15

    Understand, karma is born of the Creator and the Creator is from the Imperishable.
    Therefore the all-pervading Brahman is ever centred in yajna.

    The very ability in the living creatures to act – the impulse to act – is a benign gift from the Creator Himself (Karma brahmOdbhavam viddhi)
    And
    The Creator is the manifestation of the creative urge in the Infinite, the Imperishable (brahmaaksharasamudbhavam).
    Karma and the cosmos are equated.
    When karma is performed perfectly and with the best of motives, it becomes yajna.
    Eating, for example, may be done as an act of glorifying the Divinity enshrined in one.
    Living itself is turned into yajna when directed to the services of the Divine.

    A government becomes ideal when people are law-abiding. On a higher level still, when people take to the performance of yajna, the functioning of the universe itself becomes elevated and sublime. The universe is therefore stated to be ever centred in yajna. Thus, it is possible for man to convert earth into heaven! And sacrifice is the sure means to it.

    Love,
    Chithra.








     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2008
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  2. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    There is a beautiful statement attributed to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:smarttags" /><st1:place>St Francois</st1:place> de Sales who was Bishop of Geneva in the 17<SUP>th</SUP> Century-
    “God requires a faithful fulfilment of the merest trifle given us to do, rather than the most ardent aspiration to things to which we are not called”
    There is nothing big or small when it comes to the roles that we play. Most of us are not aware how our actions which we may consider inconsequential to the Grand Scheme can have any bearing on the movement of the ‘Wheel of the Universe”. These two verses of Gita provide a clear answer to our doubt.

    First of all, we must understand that no action that we perform is outside the purview of the Grand Scheme. There is an invisible and subtle thread that links all our actions, no matter what they are, to the Lord’s Plot. For example, even in a drama conceived and put on stage by a human, we can hardly find a character that has no link with the central theme. If at all there is one, how critical we become of the writer of the play?! Is it not presumptuous of us to think that we are not part of the grand drama of life and that our actions will have no bearing on the unfolding plot of the Lord? A devout Hindu, for example, considers even the act of eating as Divine. The Pariseshana Mantra has a deep significance. The concluding line in the Pariseshana Mantra “Om Brahmani ma Atma-Amrtatvaya” means, "May my self be united in Brahman (the Supreme), so that I may attain
    immortality."

    Once we know that we are all part of the unfolding plot scripted by the Almighty, the realisation comes that as a performing artist therein, we have to act only in accordance with His direction. This rule applies to the heroes of the plot as well as the zeroes. The word ‘yajna’ here does not mean only religious rituals but encompasses the whole gamut of our actions including eating and sleeping. No matter what we are engaged in, the action must be performed with the same fervour and honesty as we perform a religious rite. In all these verses, Gita stresses on the selflessness of our actions which can ensue only when we give up the presumption of a ‘doer’

    Let us try to understand the mechanics of selflessness with an example. In normal times, most of us display a degree of selfishness in all our actions. This is a human trait of which we need not feel guilty. But whenever a disaster strikes humanity, the situation changes completely. Crisis alone is enough to make a man forget his customary self and become, for the time being, something quite different. We have observed this phenomenon when a Tsunami or such other calamity strikes us or whenever there is a catastrophic accident. Thus the most unlikely people will, under the influence of disaster, temporarily turn into heroes, martyrs, selfless labourers for the good of their fellows. We can cite the example of the role played by the celebrated actor Vivek Oberoi in the aftermath of tsunami in Tamilnadu. Paradoxical as it may seem, it is much easier to behave selflessly in times of crisis than it is when life takes its normal course in undisputed tranquillity. A saintly person is one who knows that every moment of our human life is a moment of crisis for the Soul. The purpose of spiritual training imparted by such saints is to make people become selfless in every circumstance of life as if it is a moment of crisis.

    May we all constantly remember that we pass through this way with a purpose and all our actions must, therefore, aim at making the Wheel of the Cosmos move smoothly!

     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2008
  3. corallux

    corallux Bronze IL'ite

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    My Dear Gita Gurus,

    Shakespeare in his poem "Seven stages of man" starts the poem with "All worlds a stage and all men play their part."

    Chithraji, I agree when you say, that mantras have more potency when said with a pure heart. Hinduism never stresses the importance of rituals. The most important aspect is "Bhakti in selfless form."

    In all major Sahasranams, one of the most common names is "Bhaktavatsala". When we humans start to view every action of our as an offering to divinity, the bonds are cut automatically. As we say in Hindi "Karta tu. Daata tu."

    As St. Franis of Assisi said," Make me a channel of your peace," so did Shri Adi Shankaracharyaji who dedicated all his actions to the feet of Lord Shiva.

    Just shows how all religions stress the importance of Action.

    Regards,

    Corallux
     
  4. aishu22

    aishu22 Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Chithra,
    The Life cycle of action is so well explained. Every aspect of universe is created and perishes against to be formed into another one. The example of water turning vapor and again coming back as rain is quite understandable example. So the words just uttered does not carry any power, but the thoughts associated with them brings in the force to the mantras is a great lesson learnt. So the doer or kartha needs to have a clear mind .The very ability for us to act is a gift from the lord. If the soul inside once goes off, we the human body does not have any powers to bring it back. So it’s absolutely the mantle of god who makes us act.
    So it’s up to us to whether to do correct actions and live a life of divinity or perish again to go through all the worldly things.

    Great lesson today. Thanks Chithra.
     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2008
  5. vidhi

    vidhi Senior IL'ite

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    Dear Chith
    Lovely post. You have very well explained the cycles of action. So we are coming to a point that everything centres up on the thoughts. This post again explains the importance of thoughts. So the very thought process is what is ruling the world. So it is very important to watch our thoughts. Making hell or heaven out of anything is in our hands. It is very true that our thought is more important while chanting any mantra. Only that can change the impossible. And that is what is the purpose of chanting any mantra. This same thought process is what made Sage Valmiki from a thief even though he recited the mantra without any understanding. Thank you chith for your great post.

    Love
    Vidhi
     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2008
  6. vidhi

    vidhi Senior IL'ite

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    Dear Cheeniya sir,
    Only when we think that we are also playing a part in moving the wheel of universe we understand the importance of our actions. This gives us the responsibility to do our actions very carefully and with much honesty and passion. We have to do our part very efficiently no matter how others are doing. But very often we ignore that fact and act immature.
    Yes many acted selflessly during the tsunami crisis and forgot about it all together. If they act with that kind of selflessness through out then lot more can be achieved. Thank you for your great post.

    regards
    Vidhi
     
  7. aishu22

    aishu22 Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Sri,
    How true that we often forget that our actions are stage managed by the creator.We boast that "I" did, but actually we fail to realise that the mantle is in gods hands and we are mere puppets. One must act with honesty in whatever we do.But, we fail to do and only "act" when we are watched. People showcase themselves so religious and pious only if an "rival" is around or being watched.
    Its so true that we act only when disaster strikes.We realise the value of human , their support everything when we are in dimlight.But a man needs to be helpful and willing always to offer help.That's the best one can utilise his Janma and make a meaningful stay in this world of actions.

    Thanks Sri.
     
  8. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Lux,
    When the veda talks about a ritual that invokes a particular devata that will produce a certain result, the knowledge is indirect. When you perform the ritual and it produces the expected result, you understand that it has been verified, that it works.
    All we know about the rituals enjoined by the Veda is that they work, for which there is statitical proof. This applies to all scriptures in the world.
    This prayer or that prayer may work!
    We can dismiss an African tribesman as a heathen - but when he dances for rain, we read, rains often come!!
    Therefore we say that his rituals work. God understands his "mumbo
    -jumbo" as well as He understands ours.
    Infact for God, whether it be our Sahasranama or the African's mumbo-jumbo, EVERYTHING IS MEANINGFUL!
    Even if we blabber, he picks up our intention!!
    So intentions expressed in actions are all that matter.
    Love,
    Chithra.





     
  9. mkthpavi

    mkthpavi Senior IL'ite

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    Dear C & C
    One of the pertinent philosophical questions that is discussed is "Who am I? Why am I here? What am I living for?" It appears to many of us that we are not sure if what we are doing now is what we are meant to do as such. Let us take the example of Mahatma Gandhi. He is loved and respected by us as the Father of our Nation. It is his actions over a significant period of his lifetime that has given him this honour - that he was born on earth with the purpose of leading India's freedom movement.

    Let us take a current example. We now know Sachin Tendulkar as one of the world's best cricketers. Who knows, may be, in the remaining years of his lifetime, Sachin may end up doing something so differently nice, that the future generation may associate him with THAT, rather than cricket :)

    Since we do not know the future, all we can try to ensure is to do our present actions wisely and on time. Let the future remember us for our good deeds overall rather than for the bad things we may have done / end up doing.

    Since life is a mixture of both positives and negatives, good and bad, ups and downs, let the overall balance be towards "good". Then our purpose on earth would have been served.

    Thanks for a lovely post.
    Love and regards
    Your IL disciple
    Pavithra
     
  10. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Corallux
    My teacher would always say not to look for God in the Heavens above us but to look around us for He is manifest in several of His creations. This, according to my teacher, would enable us to develop a benign attitude towards all our fellow beings.
    As Hindus, we are taught that God resides within us too. When we perform a Pooja, we do a self-pradakshin in acknowledgement of the Divine within us. We are taught to believe that our body is the Temple that houses the Divine within.
    Despite all such teachings, we alienate God from us and put Him in a Temple so that we may relieve ourselves of the pressure of His presence within us! Except for the brief moments we spend in a Temple or in our Pooja room, we do not feel His presence while we go about with our daily chores. The concept of 'Aham Brahmasmi' should make us lead a life of piety and virtue as if we are stationed in a Temple all the time in His awesome presence.
    Sri
     

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