158 - Renouncing the Fruits of Actions | Swami Tattwamayananda

Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

5th verse: “The three virtues of Yajna, dana and tapah should not be given up. These three virtues become natural to the enlightened and become the means to those aspiring to be enlightened.”
6th verse: “Yajna, dana and tapah should be performed giving up our attachment to the results and our selfish desire to enjoy the results of the work.”
Yajna refers to any noble, unselfish deed that is done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others, and as an offering to God. Dana refers to any act of compassion, kindness and charity meant to help others. Tapah means austerity, activities that we do with the mind and senses focused on a single purpose.
The panchamahayajna should be performed by everyone. These five yajnas are:
Brahma Yajna – We perform this yajna when we discuss great ideas and spread the noble idea of spiritual universalism. This is the way we pay back to ancient sages.
Pitri Yajna – We perform this yajna when we do rituals to preserve the sacred memory of our ancestors. When we are grateful to our ancestors, we will be able to transmit their values to the next generation. This is the way we pay back to our ancestors.
Deva yajna – We perform this yajna when we preserve the memory of divine beings (devas).
Bhuta yajna – We perform this yajna when we take care of other living beings (such as animals), nature and earth. We should look upon ourselves as guests of earth, not masters of earth. We should be kind and compassionate to other beings.
Nara Yajna - We perform this yajna when we show hospitality to fellow human beings.
The panchamahayajna should be practiced by everyone. They are natural to the enlightened. For others, it is a means to get enlightenment.
The 4th, 7th, 8th, and 9th verses describe the three forms of tyagas. Of these three, only one is ideal (verse 9) – the other two are not desirable.
4th verse: “Relinquishment is of three types – sattvik, rajasik and tamasik.”
The 8th verse describes the worst form of tyaga, which is rajasik. “There are a set of people who find work difficult or painful. They provide false justifications for not taking up the tasks that they are expected to do. Then they boast in front of others that they have relinquished.”
The 7th verse explains tamasik tyaga. “Those who give up because they are under the wrong notion, who imagine that they can live in peace and meditative mood by running away from their duties and obligations, their relinquishment is tamasik.”
The 9th verse describes the ideal way of tyaga. “Those who do not give up work, who perform the actions enjoined by the scriptures, but who mentally renounce the fruits of the work, their tyaga is sattvik.”
Our focus should not be on karma-tyaga. Instead, it should be on karma-phala-tyaga. We do not give up work; we transcend work.
Giving up work is easy – a lazy person can do it. It is more difficult to do all our duties with full efficiency but without any selfish desire and attachment to the results. Selfish attachment is the most difficult to renounce. Mystics and great spiritual men were always active but had no selfish attachment to results.
We can never run away from our core duties and responsibilities. They will follow us. Even if we are physically lazy, the mind will not stay inactive. In fact, people may feel more tired sitting quiet. The best way is to change our perspective towards work, as a sattvik person does. Then work won’t bother us.
There is an earlier verse in the Gita which compares two brothers. Both work with equal efficiency and are successful. However, one is not attached to success while the other is attached. The former practices the ideal of renunciation and is contented. The other sways between happiness and unhappiness.
When we carry a heavy weight on our head, we feel it. However, if a one-millimeter gap is created between the head and the weight, we do not feel it at all. When we are detached from results of actions, it is like creating the one-millimeter gap.
10th verse: “A spiritual person endowed with sattva guna is even minded in all forms of action as he has renounced selfish attachment to results. He is free from doubts. He does not blame or praise any form of work, irrespective of whether it leads to temporary happiness or not.”
If we do not practice detachment, we may get temporary happiness but not contentment or everlasting happiness. The happiness that we normally experience is only a temporary absence of unhappiness. They are two sides of the same coin. To get to contentment, we have to stop the pursuit of temporary happiness and detach ourselves from the results of action.
11th verse: “It is impossible for anyone with body consciousness to remain in total inaction at mental and physical level. One should renounce the fruits of action. He should transcend action by being active at the physical and mental level but identifying with the Atman, knowing that the body and senses are in the hands of a higher power.”
In spiritual life, there is a gradual ascent towards transcending action. If someone is lazy, the first stage is to become active with selfish desires. In the next stage, the person can mentally offer the results to God or for the welfare of humanity. This has a healing effect on his mind.
The 18th verse of the 4th chapter says: “One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is a Yogi.” He is (1) Buddhiman – wise person, who understands Swadharma (2) Yuktaha – a Yogi (3) Krtsna-Karmakrt – does everything with a smile, unattached.
If one identifies himself with Atman, he can remain as if he is inactive, seeing inaction in action. He identifies himself beyond action and inaction.
What does action in inaction mean? Inaction in Gita implies withdrawal from action. There is no action for Atman, so there is nothing to withdraw from. One cannot withdraw from action, unless there is action.
12th verse: “For those who have not renounced the results of action, they experience results that are threefold: sometimes agreeable, sometimes disagreeable, and sometimes mixed. Those who have renounced the fruits of action, experience no effect on their mental system from their actions.”
Every action leaves a residual effect (vritti) in our mental system. Many identical vrittis – from similar, repeated actions – solidify a distinct memory block called Samskara. These Samskaras form our character and determine further actions. The existing storehouse of negative samskaras can be nullified with a new storehouse of positive samskaras. Positive samskaras are generated by doing unselfish, noble activities, reading of scriptures and through holy associations.
When we practice attachment towards a higher goal, it helps us practice non-attachment towards the results of our day-to-day actions.