‘What if I am so weak and unable to climb the rope which I hold hanging in a deep pit. I can no more hold as my palms are numbed. Unless God reaches to rescue, I will be perished. Then if I call Him, won’t He come and rescue me without any of my efforts? What is the role of my karma or efforts in this I have totally surrendered to His Will.’
My response: Yes, when we cannot climb and send signal, God would send someone down to us to rescue. But He won’t come directly to do that as He has to hold the other end of the rope for our own safety than tying it on some tree or pillar. But when that rescuer reaches us then we have to completely trust him and cooperate with him in that rescue mission. Once he took and put us on his shoulder and began to climb, we not only should doubt him or his ability but also should do nothing that will complicate the job for both of us. This complete Trust in him and co-operating with him is the karma on our part and that decision we have to take using our free will. When that help reaches to rescue, suddenly we should not doubt him or think with so many ifs and buts of what would happen if the rope cut and both of us fell back? Or if the helper become tired and weak and in order to save him, he might drop me or keep me somewhere in the middle and go up to get more help etc. Every rescue involves risk. There the mutual cooperation and complete trust on the efficient and experience of the rescuer. So from any and every ankle we think, at the end we have the final say in the free Will.
No human can live without any action [karma] as Bhagavad Gita says. It further says that he is the wise person who sees work in no work and no work in work. Added to this I would say that not doing any kind of work [karma] is also a kind of karma. ‘Take rest and relax and don’t do any work’. We often hear this advise when we become very tired. And with a smile I used to say, ‘that is the most difficult work to do—taking rest and relaxing. I have seen people going to picnic and tour to rest and relax and return back dead tired. That needs more efforts for both body and mind. So relaxation could also come by changing the work rather than imagining that we can relax and take rest by not doing any work. That is almost impossible for any living being. From the time of forming in the woumb till we reach grave, we cannot escape from toil involving our will on every action—be it physical or spiritual.
Dayanand Bharati
Gurukulam
8-4-2024
कर्मण्यकर्म य: पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म य: |
स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्त: कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् || 18||
karmaṇyakarma yaḥ paśhyed akarmaṇi cha karma yaḥ
sa buddhimān manuṣhyeṣhu sa yuktaḥ kṛitsna-karma-kṛit
karmaṇi—action; akarma—in inaction; yaḥ—who; paśhyet—see; akarmaṇi—inaction; cha—also; karma—action; yaḥ—who; saḥ—they; buddhi-mān—wise; manuṣhyeṣhu—amongst humans; saḥ—they; yuktaḥ—yogis; kṛitsna-karma-kṛit—performers all kinds of actions
karmanyakarma yah pashyed akarmani cha karma yah
sa buddhiman manushyeshu sa yuktah kritsna-karma-krit
Translation
BG 4.18: Those who see action in inaction and inaction in action are truly wise amongst humans. Although performing all kinds of actions, they are yogis and masters of all their actions.
Commentary
Action in inaction. There is one kind of inaction where persons look upon their social duties as burdensome, and renounce them out of indolence. They give up actions physically, but their mind continues to contemplate upon the objects of the senses. Such persons may appear to be inactive, but their lethargic idleness is actually sinful action. When Arjun suggested that he wishes to shy away from his duty of fighting the war, Shree Krishna explained to him that it would be a sin, and he would go to the hellish regions for such inaction.
Inaction in action. There is another kind of inaction performed by karm yogis. They execute their social duties without attachment to results, dedicating the fruits of their actions to God. Although engaged in all kinds of activities, they are not entangled in karmic reactions, since they have no motive for personal enjoyment. There were many great kings in Indian history—Dhruv, Prahlad, Yudhisthir, Prithu, and Ambarish—who discharged their kingly duties to the best of their abilities, and yet because their minds were not entangled in material desires, their actions were termed Akarm, or inaction. Another name for akarm is karm yog, which has been discussed in detail in the previous two chapters as well.—by Swami Muktananda. From website
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