Vedanta - Work from a Distance

PARMARTHI RAINA





Why do we work? We work to provide for our family and contribute to society . And the purpose of human life? The Vedas tell us that it is to ultimately attain moksha, or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The Gita recommends four yogas -karma (action), raja (meditation), jnana (knowledge) and bhakti (devotion) -as paths to achieve this goal.Of these, karma yoga is the most practical. All occupations are equally good, be that of a sweeper or a sanyasi, a householder or a judge. When performed to the best of one's ability and without attachment, this work will help in advancing one on the spiritual path.
We usually work for personal gain or satisfaction. Karma yoga is a system of ethics fo m of ethics fo cused on un selfish action.
Selfishness comes from attachment with people, things, to the results of one's work. It arises from a sense of possession that, in turn, comes from an identification with things as `mine'. Non-attachment, vairagya, is a state of mind. A rich man and a poor man may both live in nonattachment. Both may be very attached to their -vast or meagre -possessions.
We are not the architects of the fruits of our labour. Krishna tells Arjuna (Gita 2.47-50), “You have the right to perform your prescribed duty , but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty . Perform your duty with equipoise.“