God in Action: Gita and God 0003

Karma Yoga: An Application of the Concept of God

The simple, abstract concept of God of the Gita evolved over time to as the other concepts of God were found wanting in two ways: Other concepts of God were either (a) not internally consistent, and/ or, (b) unable to consistently explain the Creation, its relationship with the Creator and the evolution of human society. The concept of God arose in the minds of human beings due to many reasons. Incidence of strange and unknown or unpredictable events had led to the belief that strange and unknown events occur in individual or group life because of the will of various Gods. If particular God was worshiped, he would arrange for events that would cause pleasure and happiness. Such good gods were given particular names. Similarly, out of the fear of bad happenings, various Gods of evil were identified and worshipped. These thoughts did not come out of the blue. There were always leaders of groups/ families who loved and cared for others and sacrificed for them while some other leaders were selfish, cruel and used their physical and knowledge powers to oppress others. Both kinds of leaders had their followers. Transforming such leaders as role models for various Gods had not been difficult. This was especially so because in ancient times through observations over long time human race had identified natural powers of Sun giving light or drying up fields that grow food, the wind that soothes the body or uproots trees and destroys shelters, the Rains that help vegetation and quench thirst as well as cause floods that damages shelters and crops. Therefore, the Nature, the Natural phenomenon and the objects in the sky provided a good source of creating different Gods. All such concepts of Gods did not explain the ultimate source of all these gods. Nor, did these concepts help explain, in any comprehensive manner, the life of human beings or the progress of civilization in terms of powers of these Gods. Some great thinkers at a later age arrived at the concept of Single, Unique, Ultimate God as the elaborated later in the Gita, This concept or theory of God helped unify all the god concepts developed earlier and provided a comprehensive and internally consistent explanation of the Creator, the Creation and their inter-relationship. How did this theory achieve this in the Gita? It did by explaining the various properties and states of individuals (and consequently of groups).
The main pillars of the explanations in the Gita are:
(a) the concept of God as explained in the Gita 0001 and Gita 0002,
(b) the concept of three Gunas (basic, broad classification of properties of any human being or element or entity in the Creation,
(c) the behaviour of recognizable individuals of certain specific types and the characteristics of the states of comfort within each such individual.
One general category of individuals is called “learned” or “wise”. Some characteristics of the learned are given in various slokas:
1.”The learned are not bewildered, nor enchanted, nor enamored nor perplexed by nor attached to the experience of the embodied existence involving continuous transformation of a physical body and mind through adolescence to youth to old age. In the process the learned successfully avoid experiencing the succession of numerous transient happiness and sorrows that are the result from the natural connection of the senses to the objects around through desire.” (II.13-14)
2. “The learned equip themselves with the ability to endure the experience of the embodied existence with patience and detachment, The learned and the wise men have realized that all such transient phenomenon of their embodied existence are unreal and not relevant to their permanent, indestructible non-embodied Real existence. The learned are solely interested in their Real existence that is permanent, everlasting and beyond the physical-sensual existence filled with transient pleasures and pains.” (II.16-21)
3. “The leaned practice, through Shankhya Yoga, to ignore all the transient phenomenon of pleasures and plain of the embodied existence and concentrate on their work without attachment. They can thereafter be in the state of practicing Karma Yoga that helps enhances the Knowledge of learned. Even little practice of Karma Yoga can increase knowledge and wisdom” (II.39-40)
4. “ Those who show skills in giving commentary or speeches with sweet words or verses (slokas) that attract the attention of the audience and luring others into activities that would bring worldly happiness or practice rituals that may produce desirable outcomes are not learned people simple because they cultivate desires, promote selfishness and attached to objects of desire” (II.42-44)
5. “ One with complete devotion to the concept of God can be as much learned through the practice of Karma Yoga with perfection as another who has studied all the different parts of the Vedas”. (II.46)
6. “Practising Karma Yoga involves only the right to work and the right to the consequences of work, involves working/ acting/ doing/ thinking/ inhaling/ eating drinking etc. without the accompaniment of any desire to derive any result or gain from suck work. One cannot stop work (karma) merely because there is no desire to derive benefits from work. It is impossible to be without work for a human body and mind. Embodied existence is filled with work even without the knowledge of the body and mind. The learned work with perfect application of the full knowledge of desire-free work: this technique of performing work is Yoga. The person that performs Karma Yoga perfectly is detached to the consequences of his work and attains Godhood. God works all the time through His creation, maintenance, destruction and transformation process without any attachment to the consequences of the work He does because He is always in the State of perfect KarmaYoga. (II.47-50)
7. “ The wise disowns any relationship with the results/ consequences of his work (even if he is aware what work can lead to what consequences) and become free of the bondage to the burden of work. When the learned person’s intellect crosses the boundaries of desires and the identification of work-performer with the physical being, complete indifference to worldly affairs develops and the desire=free state emerges.
When a person is stable in such a desire-free state, he is indeed immersed in the state of Yoga,” (II.51- 53)
9. “ A person in the desire-free state, he is not at all perturbed or disturbed in any way by any incident/ event nor does he feel the happiness or sorrow from any incident/event/ outcome, he does not seek any happiness, he is no longer angry with any thing or anyone. He is without any fear, likes or dislikes. He is indifferent and unattached to and not attracted by any event or any consequences of any event. He has completely withdrawn from all desires and instincts and made his senses insensitive to sensual objects. This is when his intellect is firmly established in the Knowledge of the Ultimate, Unique, Indestructible, and Infinite God. Even this state, desires may still be hidden and then erupt suddenly with great force to overpower the senses and dislodge the learned who have made sincere efforts over a long period of time to attain the desire-free state. Thus, it is the one whose all desires have gone away and whose instincts, senses, mind have been completely under reins so that sensual objects do not drive them to be powered by desire again, is the one who has achieved the state of stable equilibrium in Yoga. (II55- 61).
10. “ One who has successfully renounced all desires, successfully put all his senses including the mind insensitive to sensual objects and desires, and has become stable in his complete indifference to all types of events and outcomes, he is the person who is in complete peace. And, yet all pleasures shorn of all pains flow into such a person who has also given up his self-ego and he is the one who enjoys in full measure without the use of the senses that are completely disassociated with desires and sensual objects” (II.70-71).

Thus, Gita uses the abstract concept of God to explain how one group of learned and wise men lead their lives through the practice of Karma Yoga and attain the attributes of God.

We will explore similar applications of the concept later