Equanimity of mind, key to spiritual progress

CHENNAI, SEPT. 12. It is common knowledge that man cannot desist from action. Even a person who is unable to physically act will not be able to keep his mind free of thoughts. It is clear that the body and the mind are dynamic in nature and are instruments given to human beings for engaging in action. This leads to the question ``What is the objective of performing action?'' and one has to take recourse to the scriptures to get insight into this fundamental query. While the majority of the scriptural texts are the articulation of the spiritual experiences of the sages, the Bhagavad Gita is the gospel of the Lord when He incarnated as Krishna, which focusses on the inevitability of action in human life.

The Lord told Arjuna when he threw away his arms just when the war was about to commence, ``Perform your prescribed duties. For, action is superior to inaction. If you are totally inactive, even the survival of the body would become impossible.'' The duties of every individual were clearly spelt out according to the norms of ``Varnashrama'' during the time when the Gita was written and it is necessary to interpret them to suit the modern context. One's duties must be understood to refer to those which did not oppose one's inborn nature (Svabhava) or the tenets of Dharma, said Swami Nishtatmananda in his discourse.

While this is the rule of thumb that can be applied when in doubt, specifically one must know how this can be translated in one's personal life. Duties vary from those related to profession, to those done by way of discharging debt to parents or those a person does to realise his cherished goals in life. All these are important and hence have to be included under duties. Whatever action manifests one's spiritual nature must be considered as duty. By discharging his duties man elevates himself.

Next comes the consideration of how a person should perform his duties. While every act of a person is called Karma, only that which manifests his spiritual nature is termed Karma Yoga. So when every act is yoked to the Self all actions get transformed into Yoga. Understanding that every individual is a spark of God, and is blissful and infinite, and uniting it with the Supreme Being is known as Yoga. Another important quality a spiritual aspirant must develop is equanimity of mind both in success and failure. The Gita says, ``Engage yourself in action with the mind steadfast in Yoga. Abandon attachments and be unperturbed in success and failure. This equilibrium of mind is Yoga.''

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