by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 50
April : 2005

UNDERSTANDING DEATHLESSNESS OR AMRITATTVA- Part3
( The importance of karma in GOD consciousness)

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

To recapitulate what we discussed last time, the purpose of all life is to reach out to that state of highest gnosis – the full consciousness of Brahman. As we discussed earlier also, many philosophical debates amongst the intellectuals center around discovering the very purpose of life, the ‘why’ of our coming to exist. The sanatan philosophy on the other hand harbours no such doubts. Thousands of years back the thinkers and seers have conclusively arrived that the ultimate of aim of life is to reach the perfectness of total knowledge, to be one with Brahman, that only source of all knowledge, the satchidananda, the truth, its realization and the ensuing bliss. The aim is settled. The question is of the means to achieve that end. That is what justifies the emphasis of yoga in life

When the purpose of all life is to reach out to that state of highest gnosis- the consciousness of Brahman-, then if you are not striving to know Brahman, then you are simply uselessly alive

This striving for knowledge then becomes the way of life. And as we move nearer and nearer to this perfect knowledge consciousness, all activities of life, all karma that we are engaged in, get metamorphosed.

As we agreed, unless ‘knowledge’ or ‘jnana’ finds its reflection in all activities that we undertake, moulds and transforms the very karma of ours, it becomes a mere vision, almost an academic and purposeless vision. A vision and action are complimentary to each other. Somebody put it very nicely which I read the other day: ‘Vision without action is a dream and action without vision is simply passing the time.’

Many of us, in the name of knowledge gathering, (shastrAdhyAyAna) merely pass time. Think about it.

Therefore our scriptures never separate knowledge from action. Knowledge must govern all actions and all actions must be for raising the level of knowledge. Jnanayoga and karmayoga are invariably integrated.

We also said that the true state of amrtattva or deathlessness is the true state of gnosis- the knowledge consciousness. As Sri Aurobindo says, ascension towards this greater consciousness is the outstanding object of the Yoga.

So how can one make jnana and karma exclusive to each other? The stress on this point in sanatan philosophy is quite obvious. Karma or action (and by that we mean right action) has ben uplifted to a level of full fledged path for God realization and given the name of karmayoga. Many later-on philosophies have endorsed this concept

But action for the purpose of acquiring knowledge is only possible in the human life form. No other life form has this potential.

That indeed is what differentiates the uniqueness of human life from lower lives. It is only and only the human life form which is capable of consciously engaging itself for knowledge gathering. No other life form has the same power and potential as the human life form has.

Our scriptures give a very imaginative explanation of this. All other life forms are described as bhogayonis. They are predominantly driven by bhoga or indulgence in basic desires, such as physical self preservation and self procreation. They have very little self propulsion to take them out of this world of inferior existence. (Reflect here on the description of lower worlds and higher worlds in Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri). Any growth of consciousness in the lower state of darkness and ignorance is highly laboured, slow, and acquired through the base experiences only and as much as the nature can help them.

On the other hand, the human life is described as karmayoni and jnanayoni. It is the only form, which can rise to knowledge by its own motivation to action and by action, can gain knowledge

It is said: ‘only through man God fulfils Himself’
That is why they say ‘narajanma durlabhatama’. Rare is this human birth. If wasted away, who knows, after how many thousand births and deaths one will get this opportunity again?

And what type of karma or action one should keep on doing? Is it just being busy all the while? Being active does not necessarily means doing karma. The word karma in our scriptures has always been differentiated. There is karma- the right actions, as different from vikarma, the wrong actions and akarma or the state of being actionless.

Karmanah hi api boddhavyam boddhavyam cha vikarmanah;
Akarmanashcha boddhavyam gahanA karmano gatih

It is necessary to discriminate between the correct action (as enjoined by the scriptures), forbidden (or unlawful) action, and also about inaction. It is indeed difficult to understand the nature of action.

Again in another place The Bhagavad Gita says:

SaktAh karmany avidwAnsah yathA kurvanti bhArata;
KuryAt vidwAn tathA asaktah chikirshuh lokasangraham

The ignorants act out of attachment. They remain simply busy. But the enlightened ones, engage in work which is aimed at the common good or welfare of all.

The ‘good’ or ‘welfare’ can not come by blind action, not by akarmah or vikarmah, but by karmah or conscious action, dictated by the intellect with right end and means of action. So the correct action or karma is differentiated by enlightenment. Enlightenment or knowledge is the characteristic of karma and therefore, the life itself.

So the simple instruction is that, be ever engaged in action that will lead to higher knowledge of Brahman- not once in while, but all the time, atandritah.

This is not an empty instruction, which one may or may not follow as per his sweet will. It is imperative. Even The Lord himself does this, himself setting the right example before us, lest in our foolishness we may quickly take the easy way out.

Yadi hi aham na varteyam jAtu karmani atandritah
Mama vartma anuvartante manushyAh pArtha sarvashah

I put even myself into relentless action all the time, so that men will not shirk away from action by citing my example.

The moot question is, ‘are we in action?’ And if we are in action, are we in right action?

If we are, then we are already on our way to realize immortality, the satchidAnanda. We are already on our way to truth, its realization and the everlasting bliss that flows from this realization.

But then, why the majority of us can not do so? Why we are unable to lift ourselves from this world of perpetual darkness?

The Kaivalya Upanishad gives some answer

Na karmanA na prajayA dhanena tyAgena eke amrtattvam Anasuh
Parena nAkam nihitam guhAyAm vibhrAjate yat yatyah visanti

This sloka from The Kaivalya Upanishad not only reiterates the importance of knowledge as life’s goal, but also gives some guidelines to all those who have understood and seek this goal.

It says: None can seek to attain this state of gnosis by just any activity or endevour- (na karmanA). The greatest of all social workers or Samaritans are not necessarily possessor of this knowledge. It is also not obtained as a hereditary gift-( na prajayA). Children of sages and seers are not necessarily knowledge conscious. You can not buy this knowledge with wealth- (na dhanena). This only is achievable by practice of renunciation in true sense- (tyAgena eke). This state which the real practitioners of penance (yatyah), attain, is higher than the concept of the heavenly bliss- (parena nAkam). It shines as the most profound realization within them (nihitam guhAyAm vibhrAjate).