Philosophical interpretation

October 01, 2014 10:56 pm | Updated May 23, 2016 04:34 pm IST

In the Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that he should be unattached to the fruits of his action. Often, a worldly interpretation is given to this advice. People talk of failure in mundane things and the acceptance of such failure as being related to this advice of the Lord’s. But the Lord is not talking about worldly matters here. He is talking about the atma and about knowledge of the atma, said Valayapet Ramachariar, in a discourse.

When we do our duties, we must do it with the thought that it is God who is making us do them. We should not think we are resorting to karma yoga, and that therefore we will get moksha.

It is the Supreme One who makes us do our karma, and He alone can give the results for karma yoga. When the Lord tells us to do our karma, we must not give the word ‘karma’ a worldly interpretation. It means much more than merely performing ordinary duties.

The Gita assures that he who surrenders to the Lord will be liberated from births and deaths. But it is His mercy that actually ensures moksha for us.

Arjuna refused to do his duty, which in his case was fighting the enemy, because he lacked atma gnana. If he had realised that it was God who was making him fight and that the result too was in God’s hands and that no matter what the outcome, he must do his duty and fight, then he would not have thought of succeeding or losing, or of sin or merit.

Atma gnana enables us to realise that He is in control, and that is what Krishna means when He talks of detachment towards the fruits of one’s actions.

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