<p>Among the well-known statements of the Bhagavad Geeta is the one which exhorts man to do his duty without any expectations. The crux of the advice is that work done without any desire for the results, purely with a sense of duty and dedication cleanses one’s mind from the worldly ills of greed and selfishness, which in turn enables man to achieve higher and better ideals in life.</p>.<p>On this point regarding doing one’s duty without an eye on the fruits, the explanation offered by the great Swami Chinmayananda is noteworthy. “The past is dead and gone. The future is yet to come. Man has only the present moment available to do his work. What you do now manifests as the result in the future. So the future is contained in the present.</p>.<p>The farmer has to do his preparatory work of ploughing, de-weeding and sowing to get a good crop later. Instead of doing this, if he starts thinking about the possible adversities that may come up, like pest attack and so on, his future will be in peril. Similarly, do not allow your future to be affected by thoughts about the past and the future possibilities. What you do now comes back to you as the future result.</p>.<p>The future is not something that is thrust upon you by someone from somewhere. You are the architect of your destiny. So use the present efficiently and smartly. As long as you do your duty honestly, as an offering to the divine, the future will take care of itself. Do not misinterpret this as advice to be complacent and shirk your responsibilities. The secret is to work hard, work smart. When you work like this, inspiration automatically dawns upon you so that you live better, work better. The four points to remember are be fully involved in your work, do not worry about the outcome, do not expect any particular result or gain from your work, do not resort to the twisted logic of thinking “anyhow I have been advised not to aspire for the results. So why take the trouble of trying in the first place?”</p>.<p>He who understands this and lives accordingly is a true ‘KARMA YOGI’. When you work like this, your inner self evolves to higher and higher levels of awareness. </p>
<p>Among the well-known statements of the Bhagavad Geeta is the one which exhorts man to do his duty without any expectations. The crux of the advice is that work done without any desire for the results, purely with a sense of duty and dedication cleanses one’s mind from the worldly ills of greed and selfishness, which in turn enables man to achieve higher and better ideals in life.</p>.<p>On this point regarding doing one’s duty without an eye on the fruits, the explanation offered by the great Swami Chinmayananda is noteworthy. “The past is dead and gone. The future is yet to come. Man has only the present moment available to do his work. What you do now manifests as the result in the future. So the future is contained in the present.</p>.<p>The farmer has to do his preparatory work of ploughing, de-weeding and sowing to get a good crop later. Instead of doing this, if he starts thinking about the possible adversities that may come up, like pest attack and so on, his future will be in peril. Similarly, do not allow your future to be affected by thoughts about the past and the future possibilities. What you do now comes back to you as the future result.</p>.<p>The future is not something that is thrust upon you by someone from somewhere. You are the architect of your destiny. So use the present efficiently and smartly. As long as you do your duty honestly, as an offering to the divine, the future will take care of itself. Do not misinterpret this as advice to be complacent and shirk your responsibilities. The secret is to work hard, work smart. When you work like this, inspiration automatically dawns upon you so that you live better, work better. The four points to remember are be fully involved in your work, do not worry about the outcome, do not expect any particular result or gain from your work, do not resort to the twisted logic of thinking “anyhow I have been advised not to aspire for the results. So why take the trouble of trying in the first place?”</p>.<p>He who understands this and lives accordingly is a true ‘KARMA YOGI’. When you work like this, your inner self evolves to higher and higher levels of awareness. </p>