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Goswami 108 Shri SharnamKumarji Mahodayshri

Why do we need to do Karma?

Arjun's question and all people today also ask the same question - what is the need for Karma? "Na Yudhse" - " I cannot go into battle" declares Arjuna to the Lord. There is no reason for Arjuna to declare that he is disobeying the Lord's command. He is just revealing the confusion in his mind that if there is no benefit in war, then why make the effort to enter into such action? He sought the refuge of Lord Sri Krishna and prayed to Him seeking the Lordsguidance.

With Bhagavad Gita as the medium of guidance and as long as Arjun's doubts are not resolved, then there is no purpose to fight. Today every person, if you are like Arjun and have Sri Krushna as your minds charioteer, than we can also find every solution to our confusions through the Bhagvad Gita.

When the Kauravs and Pandavs battalions all respectively gathered at the battlefield of Kurukshetra for this great war they all blew their conches. The injustices done by Duryodhan to the Pandavs and the suffering inflicted upon them, such as by banishment to the forests and countless other injustices against the Pandav's, was the backdrop to Arjun requesting Lord Krishna to join him as his charioteer and to place his chariot between the two armies.

Before him Arjuna saw his close relatives, friends and comrades and became bewildered and despondent whence his limbs buckled, mouth became parched and body quivered. The Gandiva bow slipped from his hands. This brave warrior no longer had the power to fight and wondered in his mind why this war? Sure, the Pandav's will get victory from this war, will get back the throne and all royal comforts but at what huge cost and sacrifice? What is the purpose and need for such action or efforts then? If there is no excitement for a work in your mind, then we won't understand the purpose and need for such works or actions. Without purpose we cannot bring forth the full potential of our energies and determination to these actions.

Henceforth, in spite of his great ability, skills and proven strengths, as Arjun did not see the real purpose of this war, he became less motivated and felt faint at heart to fight. Such types of situations also face us in our own lives. Just as a child is playing outside and mother is repeatedly calling the child for his meal, but the youth does not pay attention as he is so engrossed in his play that he has no eagerness to go for his meal. Though hungry, but what is the need for the meal. For an upcoming exam, how can one pass without study and practice? What is the purpose of passing? Because we need a degree and even after a degree we do not get a good job, then what need is the degree?

dishonest or unscrupulous means will not give good and right results. Just doing work as a mental burdenful task, as though forced, then that person tires and quickly becomes drab and stale.

In life, merely by changing our outlook and attitude, and through actions discovering our own innate abilities, one can also realize the purpose of our actions through this journey. Then we can channelize our own innate strengths in the right direction and use them for the right works we are sure to get proven results. Every man, and even all creatures, at all times make efforts to bring forth happiness and keep away sorrowful situations. When man gets his desired actions, then he remains happy, but if he does actions against his desires, then he experiences unhappiness. This is human nature.

In these current times where we place materialism in the forefront - objects (arth) prestige (prathitsa), wealth (dhan) power (sattaa) and ahoda we give these aspects more importance. Actions have become the means to obtain wealth. Without looking at intent and effort in the means of our actions to obtain wealth, our true value of our lives rather become limited and we have become more selfish and become more competitive, addictive, contentious, unrighteous in our behavior. That has now become part of the nature of modern man. With our nature teetering towards demoniac qualities we see more differences, grief, violence, anger, immoral and unwise behavior.

In the Bhagvat Gita Bhagavan - Lord Sri Krishna says: "niyatam kuru karma tvam". Niyat karma means prescribed and responsible-filed actions and every action requires us to be responsible. Sure there a different ways to do a task - sometimes with cooperation of the relations we have or sometimes by giving them things, or sometimes with difficulty and at times with ease, with a happy mind or with an unhappy mind. What is our responsibility in that situation, is essentially important for us to deeply analyze and practice at all times.

"Dear Arjun only YOU can make this decision for this particular situation. Discover and realize your noble qualities, know and fulfill your responsibilities and pick up your Gandiv (weapon-bow) and do your Karmas (actions) for Satya (truth) for Dharma (righteousness) and for the nation. Let all those actions that come to you be your means of realization (Sadhana) with labor and toil and fulfill them completely. That is your swadharma - your own self duty and responsibility!