नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन |
न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रय: || 18||
naiva tasya kṛitenārtho nākṛiteneha kaśhchana
na chāsya sarva-bhūteṣhu kaśhchid artha-vyapāśhrayaḥ
na—not; eva—indeed; tasya—his; kṛitena—by discharge of duty; arthaḥ—gain; na—not; akṛitena—without discharge of duty; iha—here; kaśhchana—whatsoever; na—never; cha—and; asya—of that person; sarva-bhūteṣhu—among all living beings; kaśhchit—any; artha—necessity; vyapāśhrayaḥ—to depend upon
Translation:
For him, there is in this world no interest whatsoever by work done or not done. He does not depend upon any being for any object.
Commentary:
It is said that the Jivanmukta may work or may not work. In both, he has nothing to gain or lose. He is constantly rooted in the Self and is perfectly satisfied in the Self. And so. with work done or not done he has no concern whatsoever. There is nothing for him to achieve beyond the realisation of Self. So the law of Karma Yoga does not apply to him. But we find that some of the realised sages engage themselves in work to illuminate mankind with true knowledge.
The jivanmukta has nothing to seek from any being in the world. All pleasures, delights, and joys are in the Self, and he lives and moves and has his being in the Self. So, what would he need and to which of the Devas should he offer sacrifice? Why and what for? He has arrived at the central station of all Bliss and blessedness, the source from which all joy emanates expressing itself through the mind, the senses, and the body. All material benefits are included in Brahmananda according to the law – Satey Panchasat (Fifty is included in hundred). They have nothing to gain from anyone.
It should be understood that the Lord has spoken of the Jivanmukta. But the ordinary seeker has still to go a long way before reaching the goal. He should perform work with detachment and devotion to God. Of course, we see that men having completed their period of service qualify themselves for pension and live a free life. This does not apply to young men who are still students and workers. They should do their work and complete the term of work, and then only they qualify themselves to gain pension and be free from work. Otherwise, they lose their job and their livelihood. So the seeker should work with devotion and detachment, till by the grace of God, he is emancipated from the cycle of birth and death. This is the law for all common men.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
Both happiness and misery are chains, the one golden, the other iron; but both are equally strong to bind us and hold us back from realising our true nature. The Atman knows neither happiness nor misery. These are mere “states”, and states must ever change. The nature of the soul is bliss and peace unchanging. We have not to get it; we have it; let us wash away the dross from our eyes and see it. We must stand ever on the Self and look with perfect calmness upon all the panorama of the world. It is but baby’s play and ought never to disturb us. If the mind is pleased by praise, it will be pained by blame. All pleasures of the senses or even of the mind are evanescent, but within ourselves is the one true unrelated pleasure, dependent on nothing outside. “The pleasure of the Self is what the world calls religion.” The more our bliss is within, the more spiritual we are. Let us not depend upon the world for pleasure.
Some poor fishwives, overtaken by a violent storm, found refuge in the garden of a rich man. He received them kindly, fed them, and left them to rest in a summer-house, surrounded by exquisite flowers which filled all the air with their rich perfume. The women lay down in this sweet-smelling paradise, but could not sleep. They missed something out of their lives and could not be happy without it. At last one of the women arose and went to the place where they had left their fish baskets, brought them to the summer-house, and then once more happy in the familiar smell, they were all soon sound asleep.
Let not the world be our “fish basket” which we have to depend upon for enjoyment. This is Tâmasika, or being bound by the lowest of the three qualities (or Gunas). Next higher come the egotistical who talk always about “I”, “I”. Sometimes they do good work and may become spiritual. These are Râjasika or active. Highest come the introspective nature (Sâttvika), those who live only in the Self. These three qualities are in every human being in varying proportions, and different ones predominate at different times. We must strive to overcome Tamas with Rajas and then to submerge both in Sattva.[Source]
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
“It is by no means necessary for a man always to be engaged in his duties. Actions drop away when one realizes, God, as the flower drops of itself when the fruit appears.
“He who has realized God no longer performs religious duties such as the sandhya. In his case the sandhya merges in the Gayatri. When that happens, it is enough for a person to repeat just the Gayatri mantra. Then the Gayatri merges in Om. After that one no longer chants even the Gayatri; it is enough then to chant simply Om. How long should a man practise such devotions as the sandhya? As long as he does not feel a thrill in his body and shed tears of joy while repeating the name of Rama or of Hari.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—–
MASTER (to M.): “What need of the sandhya has a man who thinks of God day and night?
What need of rituals has a man, what need of devotions any more,
If he repeats the Mother’s name at the three holy hours?
Rituals may pursue him close, but never can they overtake him.
Charity, vows, and giving of gifts do not appeal to Madan’s mind;
The Blissful Mother’s Lotus Feet are his whole prayer and sacrifice.
“The sandhya merges in the Gayatri, the Gayatri in Om. A man is firmly established in spiritual life when he goes into samadhi on uttering ‘Om’ only once. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AND JAPA
The childlike saint, Sri Ramakrishna, born in a Brāhmaṇa family, was accustomed to rituals performed as part of a traditional life. But, after his God-realisation, Sri Ramakrishna could not perform any rituals or even the śrāddha-ceremony. Due to his deep-rooted traditional saṃskāras, he tried to offer water to his forefathers, but he could not hold the water in his palms. All karmas had dropped off for him. Nor could he do any more sādhanā as all sādhanās were over for him. He was ever immersed in bliss.
One of his relatives, Pratap Chandra Hasra, who got attached to him just to earn some money and stayed with him in Dakshineswar, used to trouble him sometimes. Once, he said, “O Ramakrishna, you are not doing any japa or practices, but you are advising them to others. Why don’t you try to do at least mantra japa with a mālā?” Hearing this, the childlike saint felt pricked. He tried holding a mālā to do japa, but the mālā fell from his fingers. His lips refused to do japa. His mind was dancing in bliss and refused to repeat the mantra mechanically. He heard the inner voice of the Divine Mother whispering from his heart, ‘You are beyond all this. Do not try to go back to any sādhanā. It is impossible for you.’ (Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Elixir of Eternal Wisdom | Vol 1)
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 3 🔻 (43 Verses)
