Selfless Service

[barney]

From The Bhagavad Gita

Commentaries by Swami Shivananda

The Divine Life Society, Rishikesh.

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give, whatever you practise as austerity, O Arjuna, do it as an offering unto me.

–Gita, Ch.9, Verse 27.

 

He who is devoted to the path of action, whose mind is quite pure, who has conquered the self, who has subdued his senses and who realises his Self as the Self in all beings, though acting, he is not tainted.

-Gita, Ch.5, Verse 7.

 

"I do nothing at all," thus would the harmonized knower of Truth thinks-seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing.

-Gita- Ch.5, Verse 8.

 

[Note: Commentary: The liberated sage or a jnani always remains as a witness of the activities of the senses as he identifies himself with the Self or Brahman. He thinks and says, "I do not see; the eyes perceive. I do not hear; the ears hear, I do not smell; the nose smells, etc." He beholds inaction in action as he has burnt his actions in the fire of wisdom.]

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

He, who does actions, offering them to Brahman (the Lord) and abandoning attachment, is not tainted by sin as a lotus leaf by water.

-Gita, Ch.5, Verse 10.

 

Yogis (Karma Yogis), having abandoned attachment, perform actions only by the body, mind, intellect and even by the senses, for the purification of the self.

-Gita, Ch.5, Verse 11.

 

The united one (the well poised or the harmonized) having abandoned the fruit of action attains to the eternal peace; the non-united only (the unsteady or the unbalanced) impelled by desire, attached to the fruit, is bound.

 

[Note; Commentary: ‘Santim Naitikam’ is interpreted as ‘peace born of devotion or steadfastness’. The harmonious man who does actions for the sake of the Lord without expectation of the fruits and who says, "I do actions for my Lord only, not for my personal gain or profit," attains to the peace born of devotion, through the following four stages, viz., purity of mind, the attainment of knowledge, renunciation of actions, and steadiness in wisdom. But the unbalanced or the unharmonised man who is led by desire and who is attached to the fruits of the actions and who says, "I have done such and such an action; I will get such and such a fruit," is firmly bound.]

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

As the blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge reduce all actions to ashes.

-Gita, Ch.4, Verse 37.

 

[Note: Commentary: Just as the seeds that are roasted cannot germinate, so also the actions that are burnt by the fire of knowledge cannot bear fruits, i.e., cannot bring man to this world again for the enjoyment of the fruits of his actions. This is reducing actions to ashes. The actions lose their potency as they are burnt by the fire of knowledge. When the knowledge of the Self dawns, all actions with their results are burnt by the fire of that knowledge just as fuel is burnt by the fire. When there is no agency-mentality (the idea "I do this") when there is no desire for the fruits, action is no action at all. It has lost its potency.]

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

Neither agency nor actions does the Lord create for the world, nor union with the fruits of actions; but it is Nature that acts.

-Gita, Ch.5, Verse 14.

 

[Note: The Lord does not create agency or doership. He does not press anyone to do action. He never tells anyone: "Do this or do that." He does not bring about union with the fruits of actions. It is Prakriti or Nature that does everything.

 

The blessed Lord said:

 

He who has renounced actions by Yoga, whose doubts are rent asunder by knowledge, and who is self-possessed- actions do not bind him, O Arjuna.

-Gita, Ch. 4, Verse 41.

 

[Note: Commentary: Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati explains Atmavanta as ‘always watchful.’ He who has attained Self-realisation renounces all actions by means of Yoga or the knowledge of Brahman. As he is established in the knowledge of the identity of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul all his doubts are cut asunder. Actions do not bind him as they are burnt in the fire of wisdom and as he is always watchful over himself.]

 

The Blessed Lord said: The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform actions for the sake (for sacrifice alone), free from attachment.

-Gita, Ch. 3, Verse 9.

 

[Note: Commentary: Yajna means sacrifice or religious rite or any unselfish action done with a pure motive. It means also Isvara. The Taittiriya Samhita (of the Veda) says "Yajna verily is Vishnu" (1-7-4). If anyone does actions for the sake of the Lord, he is not bound. His heart is purified by performing actions for the sake of the Lord. Where this spirit of unselfishness does not govern the action, it will bind one to samsara however good or glorious it may be.]

 

The Blessed lord said: As the ignorant men act from attachment to action, O Bharata (Arjuna), so should the wise act without attachment, wishing the welfare of the world.

-Gita, ch.3, Verse 25.

 

[Note: Commentary: The ignorant man works in expectation of fruit. He says, "I will do such and such work and will get and such and such fruit (reward)." But the wise man who knows the Self, serves not for his own end. He should so act that the world, following his example, would attain peace, harmony, purity of heart, divine light and knowledge. A wise man is one who knows the Self.

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

Let no wise man unsettle the mind of ignorant people who are attached to action; he should engage them in all actions, himself fulfilling them with devotion.

-Gita, Ch.3, Verse 26.

 

[Note: Commentary: An ignorant man says to himself, "I shall do this action and thereby enjoy its fruit." A wise man should not unsettle his belief. On the contrary he himself should set an example by performing his duties diligently but without attachment. The wise man should also persuade the ignorant never to neglect their duties. If need be, he should place before them in vivid colours the happiness they would enjoy here and hereafter by discharging such duties. When their hearts get purified in the course of time, the wise man could sow the seeds of Karma Yoga (selfless service without desire) in them.]

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

He whose intellect is unattached everywhere, who has subdued his self, from whom desire has fled,- he by renunciation, attains the supreme state of freedom from action.

-Gita, Ch.18, Verse 49.

 

Thy right is to work only, but never with its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be to inaction.

Gita, Ch. 2, Verse 47.

 

[Note: When you perform actions, have no desires for the fruits thereof under any circumstances. If you thirst for the fruits of your actions, you will have to take birth again and again to enjoy them. Action done with expectation of fruits (rewards) brings bondage. If you do not thirst for them, you get purification of heart and you will get knowledge of the Self through purity of heart and through the knowledge of the Self you will be freed from the round of births and deaths.

 

Neither let thy attachment be towards inaction thinking "What is the use of doing actions when I cannot get any reward for them?"]

 

The enjoyments that are born of contacts are only generators of pain, for they have a beginning and an end, O Arjuna: the wise do not rejoice in them.

-Gita, Ch. 5, Verse 22

 

[Note: Man goes in quest of joy and searches in the external perishable objects for his happiness. He fails to get it but instead he carries a load of sorrow on his head.

 

You should withdraw the senses from the sense-objects as there is no trace of happiness in them and fix the mind on the immortal, blissful Self within. The sense-objects have a beginning and an end. Separation from the sense-objects gives you a lot of pain. During the interval between the origin and the end you experience a hollow, momentary, illusory pleasure. This fleeting pleasure is due to Avidya or ignorance. He who is endowed with discrimination or knowledge of the Self will never rejoice in these sensual objects. Only ignorant persons who are passionate will rejoice in the sense-objects.]

 

That pleasure which arises from the contact of the sense-organ with the objects, which is at first like nectar, and in the end like poison - that is declared to be Rajasic.

-Gita, Ch. 18, Verse 38

 

The contacts of the senses with the objects, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), which causes heat and cold, pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end; they are impermanent; endure them bravely, O Arjuna.

-Gita, Ch. 2, Verse 14