Vedanta - Act, Minus Motives

ALOK CHOPRA





Despite the many achievements in various fields today , peace and happiness continue to elude mankind. We have started relying more and more on external factors to solve our internal problems. If a person wants to be peaceful and happy , he must uplift himself.Which, in turn, comes with the right value systems she incorporates within herself, enabling her to relate positively with the rest of the world.

To remain active is one of the basic values a person must inculcate within herself. Activity is the insignia of life. Those who give in to inertia, vegetate and, ultimately , lead themselves to destruction. But actions undertaken with selfish motives become monoto nous and cau se fatigue.

True happi ness does not lie in results achieved but in the per formance of actions that ought to be done. “Why have motives?“ asked Swami Rama Tirtha, when action itself is most enriching, rewarding and ennobling.

Action burdened by the craving of fruits loses its effectiveness. A batsman obsessed with achieving a century is likely to make a series of mistakes that prevent him from realising his goal. The right approach is to concentrate on the action and dismiss the thought of the result from the mind.Then actions lead to success and ensure the peace of mind.A values-conscious person maintains an inner cheer. As Oliver Wendell Holmes said of such a person in his poem, `The Old Player', “For him in vain the envious seasons roll who bears eternal summer in his soul.“