STRESS_AND_NISHKAMA_KARMA_DR._SHRINIWAS_KASHALIKAR

STRESS & NISHKAMA KARMA

DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

One of the enigmas of Geeta (Gita) philosophy is NISHKAMA KARMA, which means action without expectation of a particular result. This concept has caused wide spread confusion and stress!

How can we perhaps do anything without expectation of a result, when we see that everything is associated with a result; excepting perhaps involuntary actions and activities during sleep?

The following are some explanations.

1.

If we focus on; or get obsessed by a particular result; or start “day dreaming” about it; then it can mar the procedural skills and concentration. Hence we have to do away with such obsession.

2. It is also true that we should not get involved in the result, because it can disappoint us if we don’t get the expected result.

This is also fair and pragmatic and can protect us from imminent reactive depression or psychiatric maniacal elation.

3. The successes and failures; and the joy and grief respectively; are hallmarks of our subjectivity. Geeta teaches us to grow from subjectivity to be objectivity, where our actions and results cease to remain personal or subjective. Their credit or discredit are NOT ours! This is what happens when rise above the subjectivity completely. This is NISHKAMA KARMA!

4. Most actions are associated with results, their cause and effect relationship; do not follow a subjective logic. This is especially true of thinking, feelings, motivations, and missions etc, which are inexplicable in terms of their nature (physicochemical details), interactions, influence and effects. Their nature and results; can not be qualified or quantified by routine gauging and assessment.

5. In short; Geeta (Gita) inspires us to evolve our actions; from crudity, subjectivity and insistence on certain cause and effect relationships; to precision, skills and most importantly; quality of feelings involved viz. objectivity (total selflessness or complete merger of purpose with that of nature or God. In other words; to enlighten our action uniformly in its conceptualization, beginning, and end! This is what makes it free of any subjective reactivity to results!

6. From yet another angle; when our subjectivity dissolves into objectivity, the cosmic wisdom flows through our actions; hence as said earlier; we don’t own any patent right or credit or the onus of failures of such really evolved actions. One such absolutely evolved action is NAMASMARAN (remembering one’s true self).

It is a UNIVERSALLY BENEVOLENT NISHKAMA KARMA! 7. From yet another angle; the “soul” or the very purpose of the actions is ISHWAR (God) and the result is MAYA (subjective perceptions)! Dwelling on result is forgetting the soul, the very purpose or ISHVAR (God) of action; and getting lost into MAYA.