ANASAKTHI YOGA

ANASAKTHI YOGA

The Bhagavat Gita, or the Lord’s Song, is one of the most important
portions of the Hindu scriptures. The most outstanding and unique precept that the Gita advocates is what is popularly known as “Anasakthi Yoga” or “Nishkama Karma”. This tenet, which perhaps, does not find place in any of the other major religions of the world, was revealed by the Lord, to Arjuna, on the battle field of Kurukshetra, to impart to him the philosophy of unattached action
The popular version of this doctrine, as understood by the common man, is that, what the Lord has prescribed in his immortal song, is that one should perform one’s allotted duties, without EXPECTATION of any result thereof.
This is a concept which appears to militate, prima facie, against the commonly adopted method wherein we perform actions, big or small, only with a specific end in view, and all our efforts, during the execution of such action, are directed towards the achievement of that objective. In fact, this system of working is so deeply ingrained in us, that we cannot conceive for a moment, the performance of any action without expectation of an appropriate result. To give an example, when one performs the action of eating one expects one’s hunger to be sated. When we board a train or a plane, we expect to reach a specific destination. Such examples can be multiplied ad infinitum.
What could the Lord have meant then, when He advised Arjuna on the battlefield to practice the doctrine of anasakthi yoga? The following is an attempt to elucidate this dilemma, by an explanation that is more meaningful, and more in line with our day to day activities, while taking care at the same time to see that one does not stray, from the essential import of the Lord’s teaching.
The word asakthi, forming part of the word anasakthi, or the word kama, which forms part of the word, nishkama karma, perhaps refers to ATTACHMENT to the results of action and not so much to the EXPECTATION of the results of action. If this is found acceptable, then the dichotomy we faced earlier will cease to exist.
In the light of this new understanding of the above doctrine, one begins to appreciate that what the Lord meant was that, not only can one perform one’s actions with the expectation of a specific and appropriate result, but one should also exert oneself to the limit of ones’ capacity to achieve that result. Anything less, will detract from one’s sincerity and devotion to the duty allotted to one by the inexorable law of Karma. The Lord has said, that, one has only a right to perform an action, but the giver of the result is the Lord Himself. (Karmnyeva adhikarasthe, ma phaleshu kadachana). So what one is exhorted to do, is to perform the action with total devotion to the expected result, but without attachment to it and be prepared, at the same time, for any outcome of the action, whether it is what one expected or the opposite. All sorrow and disappointment in life has its root cause in our attempting to make a comparison of the expected and achieved results of one’s action. In fact it will not be incorrect to say that the greater the disparity between the expected and the achieved results, the greater is one’s sorrow. And the greatest joy is experienced when there is total congruence between the expected and achieved results. The conclusion is that when the achieved result does not correlate to the expected result, one should stop making comparisons, and learn to accept the achieved result, with gratitude and humility, as a gift, that has been sanctified by the touch of the Lord’s feet. If this precept can be practiced, then all sorrow will cease instantly and one will be able to say with true conviction that “GOD IS IN HIS HEAVEN AND ALL IS WELL WITH WORLD”