One of the most profound message of Bhagwad Geeta is that we need to do our work without thinking of the results.
This translates as "You have the right to work only but never to its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction."
This is a very profound statement. Neither action is driven by the desire for fruits not attachment to inaction. How is that possible? We have been told since childhood that we have to work to get the desired result. In fact, that is what we have been doing the whole of our lives. We studied to get good marks to get a good job to get a good package to have all the comforts and pleasures. We made friends to play with them and have fun. We got into a relationship to marry the person we liked. We work in the organization to get credit and appreciation, and sometimes promotions and awards. In fact, all our actions are driven by the desire for the fruits of our efforts and it is quite difficult for us to even go to the temple unless we have something to demand from God. We will not even pray if we have nothing to demand. Meaning thereby that we are constantly seeking one or the other thing. If there is no seeking, we would rather like to sit idle.
Krishna is telling exactly the opposite. How can Krishna tell exactly the opposite of what we do in our lives? Isn't that quite counterintuitive? Yes, that is. In fact, that is the reason why many of us run away from Geeta. We find it quite opposite to the way we live our lives and that is why we find it to be quite impractical. We would often listen to the statements that whatever Geeta says practically it is impossible to work without having a desire for the fruits. Whenever we work, especially when we work hard, day and night, on some project and do not get the desired results, we all get disappointed. It is almost impossible to find a person who will keep working hard without caring for the results. In fact, that sounds stupid. Then why would God himself tell us something that looks quite impractical?
I feel that we just need to contemplate a little deeper. Why do we want results in the first instance? Probably because we are hollow. We are hollow from the inside and therefore feel that if we get some degree, job, partner, friend, award, social validation, or position, we will become complete. We fail to realize that it is just bait to trap us in the net. Our mind gets attracted to one or the other thing and we keep running after that and make efforts almost whole of our lives. On the other hand, if our stomach is full, no bait will attract us. Buddha's father tried to tempt him by all kinds of baits but he had a very strong inner curiosity to know the truth and none of the baits could attract his attention. Else we spend all our lives searching for one or the other thing.
The moment we become attentive to that inner hollowness, the first thing that naturally happens to us is that we realize that there is space inside. That is a major milestone in the spiritual process. The next thing we become aware of is that whatever efforts we make in the outer world and whatever the results, none of the results fill that inner space. The next step in the process is the realization of the fact that everybody is equally empty, the only difference being that some can observe that space while most are just ignorant of the same. Naturally, the next step would be to fill this emptiness. I feel that this space can not be filled in the domain of thoughts.
We have to transcendent beyond our thoughts. During Vipassana, we just put the thoughts aside for some time and concentrate on the breath and in the process, just try to connect to the sensations in different parts of the body. We can observe sensations in different parts of the body. My understanding is that these sensations are the interplay of different forces of nature represented by the five elements. When we observe the interplay of the five elements in the form of sensations and in the process realize that this entire interplay is taking play on a "base" that is unaffected by this play, we get connected to that base and there is no emptiness. We get filled with love and compassion and that is the end of seeking and beginning of the work without desire for fruits. Of course, there are layers and layers of fixations that get reflected in the form of different seeking and we need to be in a constant mode of observation not to get fixated on anything in the material world. Once we connect to that consciousness, we love everything and everybody because we are not seeking anything. We just want to share that completeness, love, and compassion with everybody around us. Sharing makes us blissful and seeking makes us restless and anxious.
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