Our Attitude Towards Work
Dr. Jayadeva in Parisamvada
Yoga and Total Health, March 2016
Work is not a very likeable thing for us. We take it as an imposition; something that is forced upon us; something that we don't like and yet we have to do. This is unfortunately the present trend. We are very selective, choosy. I have been told that earlier when one took up a job, he did it for a long time, for 20 years, 30 years. Now people take up jobs and every 2 years, there is a new one. The dedication, devotion is lacking. We are looking for some more money, other facilities, and even while working we are continuously searching. So the concept of Karma Yoga i.e. total devotion, dedication to whatever we are doing, is somehow not getting into our system. We want work to be to our liking, we want to always select, always change. This is not the right attitude.
In life there are certain laws, and things happen according to those laws. The sun rises at a certain time, the seasons come and go at their appropriate times, the human being grows to some set pattern; our wishing does not help, so let us not have this wishing. Participation in what is there is the answer. Whatever comes before you in its natural sequence is important. We must not give in to dreaming and imagining because there is someone larger than us that is governing this whole universe. We have no place in this governance.
If you are hungry; the plate of food is there; eat it. Don't go into various details that it should have been cooked like that or it should have been a different dish. All this has no meaning. You are hungry; it is time for food; the food is there; eat it. If we start exerting choices there is no end to it. Then we would like to change everything around us which cannot happen. How can we change this whole world? We have to fit into that world. We are too small, insignificant creatures. We have our set time to work. In fact if we don't do our work we are hurting others and we are affecting the entire arrangement. We have a responsibility, we are not the masters. This unfortunately we cannot take. We want to organize the world, we want things that we like; we get easily bored; our mind functions very fast; more money is available in another job or some more facilities. You can keep on changing jobs but in the end you don't feel very happy. Then you start looking for some other opportunity.
Settling down and devoting ourselves is something we don't do in our job and in marriage as well. We are continuously looking for someone better, good looking, etc., and the one that is there we are disenchanted with. That deep devotion, faithfulness, is lacking. So this is a very sad thing. Life has its own logic and it is going on according to its own pattern. We have to understand that logic and fall in that pattern and not demand. Our demands have no meaning. We have to understand the arrangement.
So this Karma Yoga idea is a very important idea. It was given out at a very crucial time. A big battle is beginning and the commander of the army is nervous and collapses. He argues that if I kill, my relations will be killed. What will happen to their families, wives and children? It will create chaos in society. So I should not kill. He is the commander of the army and the entire army is standing behind him. And the war has already begun. The bugles are sounded and the drums are beating and suddenly this man collapses. A very dramatic situation! This argument applies to us also, in all our situations. The moment we have to face things, we get nervous. Many appear for interviews but there are some who are so nervous that they can't appear for an interview. They have been waiting for the interview, their future depends on it, but when the opportunity comes, they cannot face it.
A surgeon operates the abdomen of a lady for some problem and he removes a kidney of the lady. The lady unfortunately had only one kidney. Today that lady is in a terrible condition. The surgeon was not concentrating on the job. If he had taken a little time to understand he would have easily found out.
In all areas, sincerity and devotion is not there. Karma Yoga is lacking. We are always looking for something in the future, something great, while in reality that moment that we are facing is the future. That is the reality. We cannot think in this fashion. We are thinking of the unknown.
I AM SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY VOICE WITH BOTH RAISED, WHY ARE YOU NOT CARRYING OUT YOUR NATURAL DUTIES? YOU ARE BOUND TO GET EVERYTHING IN LIFE BY DOING YOUR NATURAL DUTIES - WEALTH, PLEASURE & ALAS! NONE SEEMS TO BE LISTENING TO ME.”
So said Vyasa at the end of the Mahabharata.