Dharma Kshetra

O Bharata, with the sword of wisdom cut through the doubt in your heart about the Divine Self; Arise, take up the path of (karma) yoga (The Bhagavad Gita 4:42)!

The Bhagavad Gita is addressed not only to Arjuna, but to each and every one of us. Krishna addressed Arjuna as Bharata. In Sanskrit 'Bha means 'light and wisdom and 'rata means devoted. Bharata means the one who is devoted to the light of wisdom. Sages addressed all wise people as 'Bharata and the land they live in came to be known as Bharat.

Bharat, spiritual India has no boundaries and shows her divine torch of wisdom to the entire world. Persians referred to the people living beyond Indus River as Hindus. Thus the word Hindu is not a religious identity but only a geographical identity.

From time immemorial this land is not defined by belief in one particular god or book. It is a land of followers of Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Truth) and seekers of spiritual wisdom, Truth, and liberation. Hence followers of any other faith also can practice Sanathana Dharma without having to undergo conversion rituals or integrating into Hindu social structure.

Sanathana Dharma is not a religion in the ordinary sense because there is no founder or messenger. It does not accept the exclusive claim of any individual, however highly evolved, to the monopoly of Truth. Sanathana Dharma is not a religious conformity but a spiritual way of life with variations and combinations of concepts such as dualism or non-dualism, Saivism or Vaishnavism, monism or pantheism and so on. Thus Sanathana Dharma appears to be a colourful fabric but the common thread in it is seeking the Supreme Being which is unity in diversity.

Spiritual life is not about withdrawing from active life and living as a recluse begging for alms. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to run into problems head on and fight the evil and stand for the good. Self-realized persons such as Gandhiji embraced the society and strived to make this world a better place. Unfortunately we have the tendency to put such great people on high pedestal and just worship them instead of learning from them and walking in their footprints.

Just when India obtained independence, it was plagued with communal riots. Gandhiji was working restlessly even at the age of 78 until the day of his assassination like a true karma yogi. He toured many riot prone areas and facilitated peace process among warring communities. Men turned into beasts and resorted to murders, rapes, looting, burning homes etc.

Gandhiji advised people that they should live like human beings and be prepared to die like human beings instead of turning into beasts. He was also busy coordinating between the Prime Minster and Home Minister and other leaders to bring about peace and order in the country.

Gandhiji didnt have anything to gain from his activities, but he was working out of love for fellow human beings and a desire to serve them. He summarized the Gitas message in one phrase: 'nishkama karma, which literally means 'work that is without kama or selfish desire. Kama is not just 'desire, it is 'selfish desire.

It is important to note that 'desire is the fuel of life. Without desire nothing can be achieved, let alone so stupendous feat as liberation, or something natural such as procreation and continuation of life.

Nishkama karma is not mere philanthropic activity. Good works that benefit others still carry a substantial measure of ego involvement. Action without selfish motive purifies the mind because the doer is less likely to be ego- driven later.

Gita tells us that we should not bother about the fruit of action. In verse 2:48 it also says 'yogastha kuru karmani. First establish yourself in yoga, then do whatever you want to do - it will work. Being rooted in yoga means being rooted in union. You are one with everything around you. The Bhagavad Gita (2:50) also says 'yogah Karmasu Kaushalam - Yoga is excellence at work.

Instead of just doing what is needed, if a man does something and then keeps record of it, 'How much I have done for somebody, he is in the lowest level of the mind and he will inevitably suffer because he is expecting people to be nice to him in return for his deeds. If they praise, it may cause egotism and deviation from the path. If they are not nice to him, he will be disappointed and gives up works altogether.

Another example of a good karma yogi was APJ Abdul Kalam. Without a family or any possession worth mentioning, he dedicated himself to work for the country. Even after retirement he was busy writing books to inspire the young and was teaching till his last breath.

Strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world; By devotion to selfless work one attains the supreme goal of life (The Bhagavad Gita 3:19).

Do your work with the welfare of others always in mind. It was by such work that King Janaka attained perfection; Others too have followed this path (The Bhagavad Gita 3:20).

What a great person does, others try to do the same. The standards set by great persons will be followed by the whole world (The Bhagavad Gita 3:21).

There is nothing in the three worlds for me to gain. Nor is there anything I do not have. Yet I continue to work, not driven by any need of my own (The Bhagavad Gita 3:22)..

Ignorant people do karma with attachment; a wise person should do karmas with detachment in the interest of society (The Bhagavad Gita 3:25).

A wise person should not hinder the ignorant; he has to live by example and do karmas so that others follow him (The Bhagavad Gita 3:26).

An individuals welfare is encompassed in the societys welfare. To function properly, a society needs acharyas who guide people, leaders who protect people from internal and external enemies, entrepreneurs and farmers who create wealth, servants, professionals and employees who serve the society. These four classes can be regarded as divisions of labour.

I have created the four social divisions based on a persons guna (quality) and karma (work), but I remain the unchanging non-doer (The Bhagavadgita 4:13).

No other verse in the Bhagavadgita was subject to so much misinterpretation as the above verse. The division is based on guna and karma but not decided by birth. Any person from any social class can choose his field of action based on his interest and merit. In the chapter on 'Maya the three gunas - sattva, rajas and tamas were explained. These four classes are categorized by the preponderance of one or combination of these gunas in a person as below.

If there is a preponderance of sattava in a person, he is intelligent and of balanced mind. Such persons naturally focus on learning scriptures and work towards passing on this knowledge to others. They are called brahmans.

If there is a preponderance of rajas and somewhat sattva in a person, he is strong and of active mind. Such persons naturally focus on leading and protecting people. They are of kshatra dharma and called kshatriyas.

If there is a preponderance of all three gunas in equal proportions, such people are inclined towards earning and producing wealth. They are called vysyas.

If there is a preponderance of tamas and somewhat sattva and rajas in a person, he is of hard working nature. They are called sudras.

Vyasa was of fishermen community but became a great sage and author. Valmiki was of hunters community and became a great sage and author. Many warriors who were not born in Kshatriya varana became great rulers. So it is not birth but their field of action and merit that decides their role in the society.

• Brahman: A true brahman is the one who is self-realized and guides other people to achieve such knowledge. Acharya is a Sanskrit term meaning 'one who teaches by his conduct. A teacher does not necessarily mean a person who teaches sciences or languages. There is a Sanskrit adage saying 'Guru Sakshat Param Brahma. Being an acharya is not just a position of authority but a position of responsibility.
• Unfortunately now-a-days many teachers draw hefty salaries, but seldom teach. They mostly indulge in earning additional money through private tutoring, money lending, real estate transactions, life insurance business, and so on. Since parents and teachers have great influence on young minds, they become bad role models for our future generations.

The following is an excerpt from Gandhijis life.

A woman was upset that her son was eating too much sugar. No matter how much she chided him, he continued his habit. Totally frustrated, she decided to take her son to see his great hero Gandhiji. She approached him with great respect and said, “sir, my son eats too much sugar. It is not good for his health. Would you please advise him to stop eating it?”

Gandhiji listened to the mother carefully and told her, “please go home and come back in two weeks.”

The woman looked perplexed and wondered why he had not asked the boy to stop eating sugar. Anyway she took the boy by the hand and went home.

Two weeks later she returned, boy in hand. Gandhiji looked at the boy and said, “boy, you should stop eating sugar. It is not good for your health.”

The boy nodded and promised he would not continue this habit any longer.

The boys mother turned to Gandhiji and asked, “sir, why didn't you tell him that two weeks ago?”

Gandhiji smiled and said, “two weeks ago I was still eating sugar myself.”

Gandhiji lived in such integrity that he would not give advice unless he was living by it himself.

• Leaders: When someone does something selfish or deceptive people say,

“look, he is playing politics.” But that's not what politics is and it is not an evil profession. Politics means activities involved in the governance of a group of people, usually local body, state or a nation. It can be noble or evil depending upon the person practicing it.

“Those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics," Gandhiji said, "do not know what religion means. Spirituality that has no bearing on and produces no effect on everyday life is an airy nothing.”

His advocacy of spiritualization of politics was not intended to mix politics with religion. It was rather, a passionate appeal for moralizing the culture and practice of politics. Gandhiji's concept of religion transcends the rigid framework of a sectarian approach. He said that it binds one to the truth within and purifies actions. As a practical person he always tried to strike a balance between the political realities on the ground and his moral ideological pursuits.

In the field of politics there is an urgent demand for new leaders; a demand which indicates nothing less than an emergency. Today many politicians have become corrupt and power brokers. They also protect corrupt officials and exploit weaknesses of voters by giving money, liquor, playing caste divisions and so on.

A true leader leads people towards the common good. He even sacrifices his life for the sake of serving and protecting people. As Gandhiji rightly said, the antidote for bad politics is not 'no politics, but 'good politics.

Hence there is a dire requirement for people with noble ideals to enter politics and serve the people, irrespective of winning and obtaining power. Democracy is not a spectator sport, but participatory sport. So every citizen should actively participate in it instead of just voting once in every five years.

Either acting alone, or by associating with like-minded people as a political party or NGO, one can fight for peoples rights through channels such as Right to Information Act, Public Interest Litigation (PIL), Sathyagraha etc.

• Entrepreneurs: Gandhiji said “the earth provides enough to satisfy every mans need but not every mans greed”. Greedy businessmen think and act in terms of profits alone instead of thinking and acting in terms of human equations!
• The real businessman must regard himself as a trustee, whose duty is to manage the business in such a way that it will work hardship on no individual or society. Making goods and services available to the customers at a fair price, paying reasonable wages to the workers, paying taxes promptly to the government etc are the responsibilities of an enlightened businessman. Entrepreneurship is also important for the wellbeing of society because being a provider of employment is better than being a seeker of employment.

A businessman, who is aware that the same soul as in him also resides in all other beings, cannot cheat his customers or the government. However, many businessmen may think that it is very difficult to be truthful in today's realistic situations. As a starting point, such men may progress spiritually, by being generous and contributing to righteous and philanthropic activities.

• Servants: Gandhiji performed tasks such as weaving, sweeping dust and cleaning toilets in his Ashram. Thus he demonstrated that there is dignity in labour and there is no shame in being a servant. Whatever occupation or field of action we are in, we can perform it the way Gandhiji had conducted his legal career.

As a student I had heard that the lawyer's profession was a liar's profession. But this did not influence me, as I had no intention of earning either position or money by lying.

My principle was put to the test many a time in South Africa. Often I knew that my opponents had tutored their witnesses, and if I only encouraged my client or his witnesses to lie, we could win the case. But I always resisted the temptation. I remember only one occasion when, after having won a case, I suspected that my client had deceived me. In my heart of hearts I always wished that I should win only if my client's case was right. In fixing my fees I do not recall ever having made them conditional on my winning the case. Whether my client won or lost, I expected nothing more nor less than my fees.

I warned every new client at the outset that he should not expect me to take up a false case or to coach the witnesses, with the result that I built up such a reputation that no false cases used to come to me. Indeed some of my clients would keep their clean cases for me, and take the doubtful ones elsewhere.”

It would be a good head-start if people start contributing to the society at an early stage. During student years a person can participate in programs such as NSS (National Service Scheme), NCC (National Cadet Corpse), blood donation camps, relief camps during natural calamities, tree plantation and other volunteer services. Such programs provide a person with valuable experiences in communication skills, leadership skills and personality development and empower self-esteem.

Once a man asked Gandhiji “How can we serve God when we do not know God?” Gandhiji answered as under.

But we must each of us understand our own limitations. Our capacity for service is automatically limited by our knowledge of the world in which we live. But let me put it in the simplest possible language. Let us think less of ourselves than of our next-door neighbour. Dumping the refuse of our courtyard into that of our neighbour is no service of humanity, but disservice. Let us start with the service of our neighbours.”

Karma yoga can be started with small acts such as participating in an 'annadana (serving food to the poor) program. Volunteer to be the first to serve food in every one's plate and be the last to eat and fill your own stomach. While travelling in a bus, offer your seat to a fellow passenger. Such small acts lead to bigger acts.

Also try a number of things which you think you are good at. Some people may pull you down, not knowing that you have not yet fully developed in that area yet. Some will judge you and ridicule you, but listen to your inner voice.

Every person has a set of unique strengths, gifts and talents. At times you may need to go to school for training, and take time to sharpen yourself. For the time being ignore what you are not good at. Find your strengths and talents, and develop them! Once you discover your field of action, your life takes on a whole new meaning and you can't wait to wake up each day!