Swami ji’s Sandesh… “जब भी हम कोई कार्य अपनी ‘आत्मा’ से करते हैं तब हमें दिव्य आनंद का एहसास होता है…”

Swami ji said …

What makes any man act? What makes him do anything at all? Why does he do what he does? What motivates him? What inspires him? What is it that he seeks? What fruits does he hope to obtain from his actions? These are indeed important and highly consequential questions in the life of anyone— and even more so from the perspective of one who seeks spiritual upliftment and joy.

If one observes children, one might notice how they seem to enjoy certain things—drawing, reading, solving puzzles, or something else altogether. It is not that they are masterful at them. Rather, they simply seem to enjoy doing them- and it appears as though- it is the ‘soul’ that is partaking in this action of theirs- making them experience pure, divine joy- as they giggle with delight and radiate happiness.

No matter how much they struggle, or ‘fail’, they do not judge themselves for it. They simply keep at it. They are merely enjoying ‘doing’ whatever it is that piques their curiosity. They have little inkling of ‘gain’ or ‘loss’, of reward or failure.

Yes, the first thought that comes to one’s mind on hearing this is that life is not as simple as that. And that is true. Life can seem complicated, with all its shades of grey. Reward and failure can have very real consequences. But, then, life is also not meant to be an enslavement to ‘results’.

One cannot live today only for tomorrow. Of course, the future must be considered. But, one who walks while looking only further ahead is bound to stumble on the path beneath his feet.

And that is the essence of the question that stands before us: Can we do something simply because we like doing it? Simply because it gives us joy?

The spiritual seeker must ask this question repeatedly. And, more often than not, answering it can be difficult. Not all days in the office can be great for us. Not all days in business bring a profit. Not all days spent taking care of a child or an elder seem rewarding or joyful. Not all days spent studying at school feel equally satisfying.
There are just as many bad days as good ones, just as many losses as wins— if not more. The fruits of our actions, whether in the short term or the long term, cannot always be- what we would like them to be.

That is simply not how life works. It is important for us to awaken the mind— to rid it of its obsession with ‘results’.
Yes, one needs an aim; that is certain. But attachment to that aim is fatal and must be avoided at all costs. True joy comes when one realises that an unwavering commitment to one’s cause, and anchoring one’s happiness to the fulfilment of that cause- are two completely distinct perspectives— and two completely different ways of life.

Take the story of Eklavya and Arjun. Eklavya’s devotion was centred upon the act of learning itself. Without Dronacharya physically present to teach him, he practised with such dedication that he attained extraordinary mastery. His commitment was so complete that, when Dronacharya asked for his right thumb as ‘guru dakshina’, he gave it without hesitation.

Arjun’s path was different. He had been promised by Dronacharya that he would become the greatest archer of his time and the fulfilment of that promise naturally became important to him. Thus, in the same story, we see two very different relationships with an aim: one in which fulfilment lay largely in devotion to the pursuit itself, and, another in which the attainment of a particular result had assumed great importance.

History remembers Arjun as one of its great heroes. Yet it also remembers Eklavya. Perhaps that itself tells us something. Achievement may determine who wins, but, devotion to one’s pursuit can leave behind a greatness of an entirely different kind.

But the reality of life is that we cannot truly control what happens tomorrow, nor can we ever know with certainty what results our actions today- will bear tomorrow or in the future. We can only take joy in knowing that we did our best today. That we left no stone unturned in the pursuit of the path we chose. And that, in fact, is all the joy that we are allowed. Joy in the action itself.

That is when our actions become our prayer and our praise to God. Every moment we live, we are grateful for having lived it and for having done the best we could. Every day of our lives then becomes an ode to God and His mysterious ways.