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Karma-yoga: The Art of Spiritual Work by Çréla Bhaktivedänta Svämé
Mahäräja [NOTE: This page uses Balarama font (available here) for better transliteration of Sanskrit into English]
(Bhagavanera-katha VII) The Foolish Materialist Out of compassion, Çré Kåñëa and
His devotee Arjuna instructed the
bewildered jévas to perform karma-yoga. If they had not shown this path, these jévas, who have fallen into the cycle of fruitive action, would simply continue to
suffer untold miseries.
The illusory energy, mäyä, has enslaved these pitiable materialists and stolen away their knowledge. Consequently, they are
unable to even recognise
that they are undergoing countless calamities. They may think themselves the doers, but mäyä is chastising them continuously. Çré Kåñëa explains this clearly in Bhagavad-gétä (3.27): prakåteù kriyamäëäni guëaiù karmäëi sarvaçaù ahaìkära vimüòhätmä kartäham iti manyate “The spirit soul bewildered by
the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of
activities that are actually carried out by the three modes of material nature.” Because the less intelligent materialist has forgotten Kåñëa, he
cannot even recognise his own futile attempts to usurp Kåñëa. Thus, Çré Kåñëa’s
divine illusory energy has bound him with the three modes of goodness, passion
and ignorance and hurled him into a web of diverse material activities, in
which he has become deeply entangled. Mäyä manifests the materialist’s various fruitive activities
according to his desires for sense gratification, which spring from the three
modes. Thus, the materialist, who foolishly thinks himself the doer, confines
himself in the prison house of sensual pleasure and suffering. Sri Kåñëa, the Complete
Whole The Supreme Lord, Çré Kåñëa, has revealed to us that every jéva is a separated part and parcel of
the Supreme. The duty of a part is to serve the whole. The hands, legs, eyes,
ears, nose and so on are parts of a whole, namely, the body. The hands and legs work hard to
provide the stomach with food without ever desiring to enjoy separately from it; nor would such
enjoyment be possible anyway. In fact, if the parts of the body were to engage in such senseless behaviour,
they would mutilate the body. The hand and legs, unable to enjoy in any way, would become weak by not
having fed the stomach. This has been nicely illustrated in a fable in Hitopadeça
called “Udarendriyäëäm” (“The Story of the Stomach and the Senses”). Lord Kåñëa is the life-source of the gigantic body of the
universe. The Bhagavad-gétä explains repeatedly, and in various ways, that He is the root of
the tree of this universe. It specifically states: mattaù parataraà nänyat kiïcid asti dhanaïjaya Bhagavad-gétä (7.7) Published in 1950 O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as
pearls are strung on a
thread. ahaà hi sarvayajïänäà bhoktä ca prabhur eva ca Bhagavad-gétä (9.24) I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore,
those who do not recognise My true transcendental nature fall down. na mäà duñkåtino müdhäù prapadyante
narädhamäù Bhagavad-gétä (7.15) Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among
mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons
do not surrender unto Me. Thus, Çré Kåñëa alone is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
every living entity is His eternal servant. Where, then, is there any scope for
further argument? We have forgotten this simple fact. Instead of engaging our
mind and senses in the service of Çré Jagannätha, the Lord of the universe, we
believe ourselves to be little “Jagannäthas” and direct our mind and senses in trying
to enjoy worldly pleasures. This is called mäyä, illusion. It is sheer madness to serve the universe (jagat) and neglect its Lord (viz.
Jagannätha). A Utopia for Demons Nowadays, we witness occasional attempts to re-establish the
utopian kingdom of Lord Räma, but without Räma. This is but the work of an
assembly of Rävaëas trying to denounce Lord Räma and annihilate Him. It is difficult to see how Räma’s kingdom can
ever be established by such misguided efforts. To establish Räma’s kingdom, one must engage everything in this
world in His service. The endeavour to eliminate Lord Räma or His loving
pastimes with His consort or energy is in fact an affair of the kingdom of demons. For this transgression, the community of
Rävaëas is uprooted and defeated by the servants of Lord Räma, that is, by the Hanumäns.
One should accept the shelter of karmayoga, as instructed by Çré Kåñëa, so that one, too, does not make
this mistake. True Knowledge of the
Self Materialists are foolish and ignorant, while those who are well
versed in the truth make up the learned community. Such learned persons know that the modes of nature
and the activities of this world associated with them are controlled by material nature and are
wholly unrelated to the soul’s true nature. Therefore, unlike the ignorant,
they do not engage themselves in material activities, which are governed by the
modes. Their activities are a sacrifice, or yajïa, performed solely for the satisfaction of Viñëu. They remain
forever free from identifying themselves with this material body, and endeavour
simply to develop the constitutional occupation of the soul, ätmadharma. Such learned persons understand that the jéva has, by some circumstance, come
into contact with material nature. Therefore, they remain aloof from material activities
even while their material senses – such as their eyes, ears and nose – are in contact with matter. In this
regard, Çré Kåñëa states: tattva-vit tu mahä-bäho guëa-karma-vibhägayoù guëä-guëeñu vartanta iti
matvä na sajjate Bhagavad-gétä (3.28) One who is in knowledge of the
Absolute Truth, O mighty-armed, does not engage himself in the
senses and sense gratification, knowing well the differences between work in devotion and work for fruitive results. Beyond Material
Designations Lord Kåñëa further instructs us on how to achieve such a
liberated state: mayi sarväëi karmäëi sannyasyädhyätma-cetasä niräçér nirmamo bhütvä yudhyasva
vigata-jvaraù ye me matam idaà nityam anutiñöhanti mänaväù çraddhävanto ’nasüyanto ucyante te ’pi
karmabhiù Bhagavad-gétä (3.30–31) Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering
all your works unto Me, with full Knowledge of Me, without
desiresfor profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight. Those persons who, without envy,
execute their duties according to My injunctions and who follow this teaching faithfully become free from the bondage of fruitive actions. Conceptions such as “I am the mind”, “This body is me”, “I am a
material entity” and “Everything associated with my body is mine”, display
ignorance of the Absolute Reality. Such ideas check us from knowing the truth.
Therefore Çré Kåñëa has instructed us to fully imbibe knowledge of the self and
to be situated in the self. Only by doing so will we be able to understand that
we are not these material bodies or minds but eternal entities emanating from
the Lord’s superior spiritual energy. When we realise the serenity of this transcendental reality, we
automatically become detached from material nature and find relief from the happiness and distress
that result from the senses contacting their sense objects. The false ego is
then automatically subdued. At that time we become liberated from all material
designations, and we thereby also become free of a material conception of the
Supreme Entity. Thus purified, we find relief from the blazing fire of material
existence. The Foolish and the
Faithful Çré Kåñëa alone is the Supreme Entity, as evidenced by all the
scriptures. Even scriptures from countries other than India, such as the Bible and Koran, indicate boldly
that Çré Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What then to speak of the
Bhagavad-gétä, in which the
Supreme Lord Himself declares (7.7): mattaù parataraà nänyat kiïcid asti dhanaïjaya O conqueror of wealth, there is
no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as
pearls are strung on a thread. Thus, as soon as we come in contact with Kåñëa, we come face to
face with the transcendental sun. When the sun rises, everything is properly
illuminated by its rays. As the transcendental sun of Çré Kåñëa rises in the
sky of the jéva’s pure
existence, the darkness of nescience is immediately dissipated. Then,
endeavours to serve Çré Kåñëa become free from the contamination of jïäna, knowledge aimed at impersonal
realisation, and of karma, reward-seeking activity. To foolish, sinful persons, this subject appears simply to be
exaggerated praise. But it is not a tall tale told for the pleasure of
children; it is the factual truth. Only those who have taken shelter of Çré
Kåñëa or His devotees can realise the reality of these subjects. Irrational
people with a distorted mentality pretend to be Kåñëa, being envious of Him.
But all such disobedient people who do not agree with the facts presented
herein are extremely foolish. Kåñëa Himself declares: avajänanti mäà müòha mänuñià tanum äçritam Bhagavad-gétä (9.11) Fools deride Me when I descend in
human form. They do not know My
transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be. These people deride Kåñëa, and therefore knowledge of Kåñëa does
not easily enter their perverted minds, which are deranged by mäyäväda thought. The faithful Vaiñëavas who possess sukåti, spiritual merits, and who are
simple and sincere, completely accept what has been written in Bhagavad-gétä. This simple subject
matter described therein is selfluminous like the sun. It cannot be covered by
the darkness of mäyäväda. The Vaiñëavas will not tolerate the mischief of presenting secondary and inferior
explanations of the Gétä and labelling them “spiritual”. Those who are Çré Kåñëa’s servants fully embrace
the concept of karma-yoga as defined by Çré Kåñëa Himself (Bhagavad-gétä
3.30): “mayi sarväëi
karmaëi sannyasya – fully surrender all your works unto Me.” Thus, by
practising karmayoga, the Vaiñëavas are impervious to
the great fear of
becoming entangled in fruitive activities. Such faithful people are not bound by the limits of any country,
caste or society. The devotees of Çré Kåñëa can take birth anywhere, without
concern for caste, religion, society or country. Bhagavän is not bound by man-made limitations. As a result, the entire humankind
can benefit from the instructions of Bhagavad-gétä. In the Gétä, Çré Kåñëa states unequivocally: mäà hi pärtha vyapäçritya ’pi syuù päpayonayaù striyo vaiçyas thathä çudräs te ‘pi yänti paräà gatim Bhagavad-gétä (9.31) O son of Påthä, the abominable
and outcaste dogeaters (cänòälas), women as fallen as prostitutes,and people born in the lower classes of society
likethe merchants (vaiçyas) and labourers (çüdras) can immediately attain the destination specifically by
taking shelter of exclusive devotional service to Me. The Divine System of
Varëäçrama The heinous activities that go on in society in the name of
caste and creed and which are influenced by selfish and demoniac motives,
cannot hinder one’s relationship with Kåñëa. Bhagavän Çré Kåñëa has said the following regarding the proper classification of society
based on scriptural injunctions: cätur-varëyaà mayä såñöaà guëa-karma-vibhägaçaù tasya kartäram api mäà viddhy akartäram avyayam Bhagavad-gétä (4.13) According to the three modes of material nature and the work
associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me.
And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the
nondoer, being unchangeable. A doctor’s qualifications are earned by his
natural qualities and activities, not his birth. Similarly, the four divisions
of society – namely, brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya and çüdra – are governed by a person’s natural propensities and
activities, not his parentage. This material
world is influenced by the three modes of material nature, and the classification
of human society based upon these modes and the work associated with them has
existed since time immemorial. Society has always been divided into four
classes in this way – never by parentage. There will always be doctors in every country of the world.
Similarly, the four divisions of brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya
and çüdra are also present everywhere at all times. One does not qualify
to become a doctor simply by being the son of a doctor, and one also does
not qualify as a brähmaëa merely by being the son of a brähmaëa. The qualities of each division have been delineated clearly in
the scriptures. Therefore, our vision of a brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya or çüdra as belonging to a particular place or birth is clearly faulty. Indian culture has become restricted by the hereditary caste
system, like a frog trapped in a well. If the teachings of the saints of India were preached throughout
the world in the true and magnanimous brahminical spirit, there would be no scarcity of peace and
happiness. The world can experience bliss and harmony only by the propagation
of brahminical culture. However, by subjecting people to the hereditary caste
system – thus mistakenly calling a doctor’s son a doctor, though he may lack
all the qualities of a doctor – the Vedic brahminical culture has been gravely
damaged in India, with very negative repercussions for the rest of the world. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu has propagated this brahminical culture
as jaiva-dharma, the eternal
function of the soul, thereby opening the way to boundless peace and happiness
for the world. Those who are fortunate can perfect their lives by practicing this
divine varëäçrama culture. The demoniac varëäçrama-dharma is not the same as the divine one. The division of society based
on scripture is the same for all places and times. If anyone scrutinises this
system in the light of scriptural injunctions, it will become evident that these
four classes of society in fact exist everywhere. People with the qualities and
work of a brähmaëa can be found
in all countries, whether in large or small numbers. Similarly, people in all
parts of the world can also be categorised as kñatriyas, vaiçyas or çüdras, based on the modes of material
nature and the work associated with those modes. Thus, the division of society into four classes based on qualification and
occupation is universal and eternal: it existed in the past, prevails now and
shall continue to exist in the future.
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