Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani.
From the perspective of a lost corporate:
The shloka says that I must passionately pursue my job to the level that's in my hands. It means I must deliver my project to the best of my capability, not for the joy of appreciation or promotion, but for the 'pleasure of doing and achieving'. It suggests that the appreciation/promotion should not be my motive to work and that the detachment from the results should not make me any less committed than I should be.
It may sound very impractical, but has great applicability. Einstein or Vinci did not struggle all their lives to win a place in the history. They could not have reached that stage of enlightenment by chasing fame. They succeeded because they discovered their joy in what they did. They became great by falling in love with their work.
Of course, long term success, if at all, can be attained only by dedicating oneself to work. The learning, experience and growth follow from there. Also, practising detachment from positive or negative results, while maintaining the perseverance takes us to the highest levels of mind-control. Wouldn't that be victory in true sense!
I seriously believe that Gita is an ocean of wisdom. Successfully digesting even a drop of it changes my attitude naturally. Worth a try people!!
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani.
(Your right is only over the actions; never over the results. Don't let the results of the action be your motive; neither let there be any attachment to inaction.)
Inarguably, one of the most well-known shloka from Bhagavad Gita! Very few people understand its depth and the weight though. Some say it's wierd; some believe it's meaningless. I feel that it's the essence of life.From the perspective of a lost corporate:
The shloka says that I must passionately pursue my job to the level that's in my hands. It means I must deliver my project to the best of my capability, not for the joy of appreciation or promotion, but for the 'pleasure of doing and achieving'. It suggests that the appreciation/promotion should not be my motive to work and that the detachment from the results should not make me any less committed than I should be.
It may sound very impractical, but has great applicability. Einstein or Vinci did not struggle all their lives to win a place in the history. They could not have reached that stage of enlightenment by chasing fame. They succeeded because they discovered their joy in what they did. They became great by falling in love with their work.
Of course, long term success, if at all, can be attained only by dedicating oneself to work. The learning, experience and growth follow from there. Also, practising detachment from positive or negative results, while maintaining the perseverance takes us to the highest levels of mind-control. Wouldn't that be victory in true sense!
I seriously believe that Gita is an ocean of wisdom. Successfully digesting even a drop of it changes my attitude naturally. Worth a try people!!
Truly this shloka is very profound.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this shloka for the first time in the Sanskrit Class at school, I thought it was non sense.
But later when preparing for IIT JEE, I used to get very tense, thinking about what rank I will get, whether I will make it through or not. It was then the words of this shloka became clear to me. My control was only on the amount of effort I put in, not in the ranks or whether I would make it through or not. And that soothed my nerves and made my mind calm and focussed.
Even today, while chasing some high aspirations, the wisdom of this shloka comes in handy.