Nishkaam Karma (selfless action)

Story: Mitali Handique  |  Sketch: Poonam Munshi

Yogah Karmasu Kausalam – these words stood with me from the many words that my father said during his yoga classes at our small recreational club in the campus, where he taught Yoga for free to whoever showed up at 5 in the morning. It means - Yoga is dexterity in action. The dexterity is bound to keep one ready for action in a relaxed attitude and efficiency is the outcome of all such actions performed. It talks about complete focus and dedication to action without thinking about the results – something that is the principal message of the Bhagawad Gita. Even in our day-to-day lives, we often find ourselves questioning our self-worth because we are too worried about the outcomes- what will people say or think and even before trying out any idea, we just abandon it. The Bhagawad Gita is based on the conversation between Arjun, the great archer and leader of the Pandavas and Lord Krishna. Arjun’s mind is overcome by fear and self-doubt when he faces relatives, brothers and kin in the battlefield. He turns to Lord Krishna for answers, who also happens to be the driver of his chariot.

The teachings of the Bhagawad Gita have impacted many great lives, one of the best examples being Mahatma Gandhi. I had read that an unwavering devotion to the Bhagavad Gita, helped transform him into one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. He later went on to translate the teachings into his own book during the Satyagraha movement and decided to put the lessons into practice by living by its precepts in real life. Many a times in life, we are faced with delusions and dilemmas that tend to crush our spirit. During exams, when I ran around the house trying to eat, shower and sleep in between the hundreds of lessons left to study to pass the test, my father would say – you worry too much about the results which deter you from putting your best efforts. True, I was always worried about the hard time my mother would give me on result day or about friends who would mock me. In our daily lives, we need to create an inner voice that tells us that inspite of all the ups and downs of life, we should keep focusing on doing the job as perfectly as we can instead of worrying about success or failure. If this does not work, something else will but it will never stop. And so, we shouldn’t either.