Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Karma Yoga - Part 3 - How to do Karma

Chapter 3 Part 3
Karma...continues:The Bhagavad Gita

Karma vasana(prarabdha) can be finished off by doing karma as yajna(avoids agaami karma). Such person can attain sthitha prajna by athma sadhana. When all the vasana are finished off then there is no need to do anything. The one who becomes sthihta prajnan always enjoys in the soul. He becomes contented in athma-ananda and becomes delightful only in the soul. He totally dwells within the soul. He does not have anything to achieve by doing karma. Even if he does something that will not create vasana. In this world he does not have to depend any worldly matters to earn anything. A sthitha prajnan does not have anything to know in this world. He does not have to attain anything or to leave anything in this world. There is no sorrow, no fear, no desire for a sthitha prajnan.

Every one has to do their liable karma which is due to vasana. That should be done as dharma. To attain self realization no one has to leave anything in this world. There are so many examples for this. Janaka, the king of Midhilapuri attained realization while ruling his country. Even after attaining realization he continued as a king.

A sthitha prajnan has no karma vasana. Even if he does karma, that will not create vasana. Still a sthitha prajnan may do some karma for the sake of up-keeping dharma. That karma is done for showing common men the right way.

Karma and Prakriti Guna
In all the respect, karma is done depending on prakriti guna (natural quality) of a person. If satwa guna is more, then that person naturally engages in virtuous actions. This is true for rajas or thamo gunas. The person who does karma, does not have any control on karma. He happens to do his desirable karma helplessly. A person cannot stop his evil karma all of a sudden. He can change his karma only after changing his prakriti guna first, (by thathwa vichara). But ignorant person may think that he himself is doing karma. He posses the feeling of doer-ship. But a sthitha prajnan is above all prakriti gunas and all karma. He realizes that karma actually happens when indriya guna experiences vishaya guna. (indriya=sense, guna=quality, vishaya=sense matters).

How prakriti guna influences Karma
Karma is decided by prakriti guna. When karma happens, the different gunas (satwa, rajas, thamo)mix together in different proportions and produces mind, senses and vishaya(sense subjects). The prakriti-guna of mind influences senses and parakriti-guna of senses influences vishaya. If mind is with satwa guna then its thoughts and feelings also will be satwick. Then senses also show satwick qualities. Karma happens when mind and senses work in vishaya. If mind and senses are with satwa guna, then such a person happens to experience the satwick soul presence in vishaya also. When rajas or thamas gets importance, similarly, that will manifest its qualities. So mind transfers its guna to senses and senses transfer its guna to vihaya. Then in return, guna of vishaya goes to senses and that of senses goes to mind. This way, karma is the result of actions and reactions of guna. By realizing this truth of karma, a sthitha prajnan stay beyond all these prakriti guna and karma.

How to perform karma
All the karmas, done either by mind or by indriya or by organs of body, should be performed without the feeling of doer-ship(that is by submitting karma to God or Brhama). One should fix self realization as goal of life beyond all the desires, karma and sensual enjoyments. Should leave the feeling of "I" and "My". Then one should do karma as swadharma. All these sadhana make one's mind pure and gradually he qualifies to attain self realization. Those who implement all these knowledge in path of life they will become free from all karmas. But those who do not believe in these principles tries do karma by keeping attachments. They produce vasana and fall in the bondage of karma.

Do not restrict senses forcibly
As said above senses also function according to guna. No one can change it. Then how to tackle senses from sense enjoyment? There are senses and vishayas. They work each other. But when senses indulge in vishaya, do not allow mind to respond with 'raaga or dwesha'. Means, do not keep likes and dislikes towards vishaya. Do not emotionally attached to any vishaya that you like or do not have aversion to vishayas that you don't like. To succeed in this, the easy way is to teach mind Brahma bhavam in everything. Instead, do not try to restrict mind and senses forcibly by practicing stringent pranayaama or hadtayoga. It will create problems if doing that way.

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