Karma Yoga - Part 1

               One should learn to interpret dharma at a given time . The Gita definitely has much to say about dharma . Every human being is required to know that dharma . The Gita says - yataf pravrttihi bhutanam yena sarvamidam tatam svakarmana tamabhyarcya siddhim vindati manavah - One accomplishes success by worshipping Isvara through one's own karma from whom this entire jagat has come , also by whom it is sustained , by whom it is pervaded ; he who manifests himself in the form of jagat .

                One can become successful by worshipping Isvara . How to worship Isvara ? What is the worship ? Doing one's own karma is worship . What is that karma ? That which is to be done in a given situation . And what is to be done in a given situation is nothing but Isvara in the form of dharma (svadharma -one's own duty) . Generally what you like is what not to be done and what you dislike is what is to be done . These conflicts are common to all . I am not inclined to do this , but it is to be done and when I do it , it becomes my svakarma .Who decides "what is to be done " ? . Isvara , manifest as dharma decides it . Anything appropriate in a given situation is the manifestation of Isvara and that exactly determines svakarma . Svakarma is doing the right thing at the right time and the right place . When I do the right thing , I am in harmony with dharma , in harmony with Isvara . This is called deliberate conscious way of living .

                Your awareness of Isvara in the form of dharma also implies what is appropriate and what is inappropriate . There is no dharma and adharma in eating etiquette or table etiquette . Table etiquette is a big thing in the West . You are supposed to follow certain things . People talk so much while eating . Marriages are decided , big contracts and declarations are signed , national discussions and dialogues take place while eating . That is their etiquette there . I don't say it is right or wrong . But here , in India , you have been told not to talk while eating .

                If that is one way of eating , this is another way of eating . There is no dharma or adharma involved here . There is no right and wrong , but there is such a thing as appropriate and inappropriate . Your behaviour can hurt a person in some way or the other . It is a hurt , a small little hurt , disturbance . Your way of life , your behaviour , your conduct , your words , all these disturb and as long as you find that you disturb people , that means you have room to grow . When I live a life of least disturbance , that is called yoga .

                That is possible only when I am in harmony , when my words and deeds are in harmony with dharma , which is Isvara . As a father , as a mother , as a human , as a son , as a daughter , as a citizen , as a responsible human being , I have certain things to do and certain things I don't do . These actions of mine would be in harmony with Isvara , only if I have the awareness of Isvara . That is the real essence of yoga . There is no secular karma-yoga . Lord Krsna defines yoga as - yogak karmasu kausalam . Skill in action is the general translation of the word kausalam . Kausalam is discretion in action . Doing what is appropriate , doing the right action at the right time , in the right place , using proper words with alertness is called kausalam . That is yoga . It is a life of alertness . If it is in keeping with dharma , karma-yoga is Isvara .

Guru Purnima 2013 Speech

GURU

             by Dhesegaan a/l Bala Krishnan

                                Sosanam bhavasindhosca , jnapanam sarasampadah

                                Gurof padodakam samyak , tasmai srigurave namah

Hari Om !

                A very good day to His Holiness Sri Swami Jitatmananda Saraswati and fellow spiritual seekers who are present today . I thank Sri Swamiji for giving me this opportunity to talk today  . On this very auspicious day , I wish to present you a talk entitled “Guru” .

                Today , the biggest conflict a spiritual seeker faces is to find the right guru . Nearly everyone claim to be  a qualified guru . Worst still , many are carried away by whims and fancies when we talk about guru . They think the man with the longest and whitest beard in town is a guru . If they hear of miracle men at some corner of the city , they rush there and make him their guru . Why ? Because many don’t know what it means by a guru .

                 “Gu” means darkness and ”ru” means dispeller or remover . Thus , the word ”guru” means the dispeller of darkness . Darkness represents ignorance because in dark , you cannot see anything . So too the veil of ignorance covers whatever that exists . To remove darkness , we need light . Light represents knowledge . In the presence of light , whatever existing can be seen . The light does not bring anything new into the room but it makes everything in the room visible to you . So is the nature of knowledge . It does not create something new but it sheds light to whatever it there . That is when you find something new , you say you ‘dis-covered’ something . You dis-covered it . It was there but covered and you uncovered it with a certain amount of knowledge .

                That is exactly what the guru does . He imparts knowledge on you and the ignorance is removed . Honestly speaking , he did not create something new out of you . He just removed the veil of ignorance . Just like a sculptor . The sculptor has a clear vision of the Lord’s form in a piece of stone but you cannot . To make you see the same vision as he can , he removes the parts and pieces of the stone that covers the form he can see . After that sculpting , now you can see what he can . The guru has already identified himself with Isvara . But , he comes down to your level of understanding and lifts you up to his level , helping you to get the same vision that he already has Therefore , you call a guru daya-sindhu .

                Do I really need a guru ? Can I self-study the sastras ?  After all , its just another language and with a dictionary , I can learn it . Why need a guru ?

                Perhaps you could do so if the Vedas was just any ordinary literature text . Why , today people even do PHD researches on Shakespeare’s literature works , saying that his words are so rich in meaning that it is worth doing a research on it . If a puny mortal’s words could be so meaningful  , how would the words of the Isvara’s be ? The Vedas are directly from the Isvara , so it has many hidden and indirect meanings which can be unfolded only by a proper methodology . This methodology is what we call sampradaya . Only a guru who has been through this sampradaya can help you to discover the meanings of the sastra .

                The sastra itself highlights the need of a guru in one’s spiritual pursuit . Lord Krsna and Arjuna were very close friends . But , when did Krsna taught Arjuna the Gita ? He did not say , “ O Arjuna , are you free now ? Come , I tell you a story called Gita “ . At that moment , Arjuna would surely not be bothered by what Krsna was going to say . Nor would Krsna’s words be valued if it was told then . But , in the battlefield , when he was in the biggest dilemma of his life , Arjuna asked for the teaching . Note that the teaching is only given when it is asked . Even than , Krsna waited until Arjuna mentioned “sisyas teham “ . Only when Arjuna accepted Krsna as his guru , did Krsna accept Arjuna as his sisya and imparted the teaching . In the Katho Upanishad , we see a young spiritual seeker called Naciketas asking Lord Yama himself to teach him self-knowledge . Though Lord Yama tried to delude Naciketas with wordly desire , Naciketas was firm in his spiritual seeking . He accepted the Lord as his teacher and he asked for the teaching . Only then he got it .

                In both examples , we see that only if there is asking , then the teaching is given . At the same time , there is an attitude of acceptance between the guru and sisya . The guru accepts the sisya and the sisya accepts the guru . That is why the dialogues between a guru and sisya is a samvada (discussion ) and not just a vada ( argument) . For the sisya to develop acceptance for his guru , he must have sraddha in the words of the guru . Adi Sankara defines sraddha as “ guru-vedanta-vakyesu visvasah sraddha” , meaning sraddha is trust in the words of the teacher and the scripture . Another way of saying it is  “ The guru is the sastra and the sastra is the guru “ ., I am referring to intellectual trust not just a blind trust .  Vedanta  offers something to understand not a set of beliefs . So , there is work for my intellect . To believe that I will go to heaven after death , I don’t need an intellect . To believe that there is a  judgemental God waiting to throw me into hell for my sins , I don’t need an intellect . If I am born just  follow a set of beliefs , then I would say God has wasted his grace on me by giving me an intellect .

                Here , sraddha means , “ If I don’t see the fact , then there are doubts in my understanding and not in my teacher’s words . So , I have to clarify that doubts to see the fact “ . It is just like when I wake up in the morning and I open my eyes , I’m sure I can see something . That certainty , that unwavering trust is called sraddha .

                Sometimes , people say that when they look into their guru’s eyes , they get the answers for all the questions . It seems as though the guru is able to converse with them only with his eyes . If this was really possible , then God would not have taken the trouble to give you a mouth to talk . He would have made us all mute so that we develop this “talking-by-eyes” power . For any learning to take place , a dialogue has to take place between guru and sisya . Lord Dakshinamurti did not teach in silence . He used silence as a pramana , as an instrument to explain Brahman . In silence , no learning can take place . Even if you sit in silence for years , skies will not open and drop knowledge on you . In silence , there is just silence ! Nothing more .

                Adi Sankara said that there are three very rare and precious boons(varam) in a human’s life . First , to be born  as a human itself is a very rare and precious boon . Second , to desire for moksa (mumukshutvam) is another very rare and precious boon . Thirdly , to get the right guru to guide you in your spiritual pursuit is a very rare and precious boon . Blessed with a wonderful guru right in front of us , let us make use of this boon well to attain moksa . 

Thank you