11. Beauty Of Purposelessness

Life is to enjoy living in completion and acting with authenticity in action; not to chase goals. There is no real purpose to life; Life in fact is purposeless. Once we create goals to reach, we create sorrow to follow. Coming to terms with the reality of life is Completion.

arjuna uvāca jyāyasī cetkarmaṇaste matā buddhirjanārdana I tatkiṁ karmaṇi ghore māṁ niyojayasi keśava II 3.1

3.1 Arjuna says: O Janārdana, O Keśava, Why do You make me engage in this terrible war if You think that knowledge is superior to action?

vyāmiśreṇeva vākyena buddhiṁ mohayasīva me I tadekaṁ vada niścitya yena śreyo'hamāpnuyām II 3.2

3.2 My intelligence is confused by Your conflicting words. Tell me clearly what is best for me.

śrībhagavānuvāca loke'smindvividhā niṣṭhā purā proktā mayānagha I jñānayogena sāṁkhyānāṁ karmayogena yoginām II 3.3

3.3 The Lord says, 'O sinless Arjuna, as I said before, in this world there are two paths; Self knowledge for the intellectual and the path of action of the knowing.

na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣkarmyaṁ puruṣo'śnute I na ca sannyasanādeva siddhiṁ samadhigacchati II 3.4

3.4 A person does not attain freedom from action by abstaining from work, nor does he attain fulfillment by giving up action.

na hi kaścitkṣaṇamapi jātu tiṣṭhatyakarmakṛt I kāryate hyavaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛtijairguṇaiḥ II 3.5

3.5 Surely, not even for a moment can anyone stand without doing something. He is always in action, despite himself, as this is his very nature.

karmendriyāṇi saṁyamya ya āste manasā smaran I indriyārthān vimūḍhātmā mithyācāraḥ sa ucyate II 3.6

3.6 He who restrains the sense organs, but who still thinks of the objects of the senses is deluded and is called a hypocrite.

yastvindriyāṇi manasā niyamyārabhate 'rjuna I karmendriyaiḥ karmayogam asaktaḥ sa viśiṣyate II 3.7

3.7 He who begins controlling the senses by the mind and performs selfless work through the sense organs is superior, O Arjuna.

niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥ I śarīrayātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ II 3.8

3.8 Do your prescribed work, as doing work is better than being

idle. Even your own body cannot be maintained without work.

yajñārthātkarmaṇo'nyatra loko'yam karmabandhanaḥ I tadarthaṁ karma kaunteya mukta saṅgaḥ samācara II 3.9

3.9 Work has to be performed selflessly; otherwise, work binds one to this world. O son of Kuntī, perform your work for Me and you will do it authentically, liberated and without attachment.

sahayajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā puro'vāca prajāpatiḥ I anena prasaviṣyadhvam eṣa vo'stviṣṭakāmadhuk II 3.10

3.10 Brahma, the lord of creation before creating human kind as selfless sacrifice said, 'By this selfless enriching, be more and more prosperous and let it bestow all the desired gifts.'

devān bhāvayatā'nena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ I parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ śreyaḥ paramavāpsyatha II 3.11

3.11 The celestial beings, being pleased by this sacrifice, will also nourish you; with this mutual nourishing of one another, you will achieve supreme prosperity.

iṣṭānbhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajñabhāvitāḥ I tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ II 3.12

3.12 Satisfied with the selfless enriching service, the celestial beings certainly award you the desired necessities of life. He who enjoys the things given by them without offering to the celestial beings is certainly a thief.

yajñaśiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarvakilbiṣaiḥ I bhuñjate te tvaghaṁ pāpā ye pacantyātmakāraṇāt II 3.13

3.13 Those who eat food after selfless enriching service are free of all sins. Those who prepare food for sense enjoyment do grievous sin.

annādbhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-saṁbhavaḥ I yajñādbhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ II 3.14

3.14 All beings grow from food grains, from rains the food grains become possible, the rains become possible from selfless sacrifice of enriching.

karma brahmodbhavaṁ viddhi brahmākṣara-samudbhavam I tasmātsarvagataṁ brahma nityaṁ yajñe pratiṣṭhitam II 3.15

3.15 Know that work is born of the Creator and He is born of the Supreme. The all-pervading Supreme is eternally situated in sacrifice of enriching.

evaṁ pravartitaṁ cakraṁ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ I aghāyurindriyārāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati II 3.16

3.16 O Pārtha, he who does not adopt the prescribed, established cycle lives a life full of sins. Rejoicing in sense gratification, he lives a useless life.

yastvātmaratireva syād ātmatṛptaśca mānavaḥ I ātmanyeva ca santuṣṭas tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate II 3.17

3.17 One who takes pleasure in the Self, who is satisfied in the Self and who is content in one's Self, for him certainly, no work exists.

naiva tasya kṛtenārtho nākṛteneha kaścana I na cāsya sarvabhūteṣu kaścid artha-vyapāśrayaḥ II 3.18

3.18 Certainly, he never has any purpose for doing his duty or for not doing his duty in this world. He does not depend on any living being.

tasmādasaktaḥ satataṁ kāryaṁ karma samācara I asakto hyācaran karma paramāpnoti pūruṣaḥ II 3.19

3.19 Therefore, one should work always without attachment. Performing work without attachment, certainly, man achieves the Supreme.

karmaṇaiva hi saṁsiddhim āsthitā janakādayaḥ I lokasaṁgraham evāpi sampaśyan kartumarhasi II 3.20

3.20 King Janaka and others attained perfection by selfless enriching. To guide others you too must act selflessly.

yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ I sa yatpramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tadanuvartate II 3.21

3.21 Whatever action is performed by a great person, others

follow. They follow the example set by him.

na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana I nānavāptamavāptavyaṁ varta eva ca karmaṇi II 3.22

3.22 O Pārtha, there is nothing that I must do in the three worlds. Neither am I in want of anything nor do I have anything to gain. Yet, I am always in action.

yadi hyahaṁ na varteyaṁ jātu karmaṇyatandritaḥ I mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ II 3.23

3.23 If I did not engage in work with care, O Pārtha, certainly, people would follow My path in all respects.

utsīdeyurime lokā na kuryāṁ karma cedaham I sakarasya ca kartā syām upahanyāmimāḥ prajāḥ II 3.24

3.24 If I do not work, then these worlds would be ruined. I would be the cause of creating confusion and destruction.

saktāḥ karmaṇyavidvāṁso yathā kurvanti bhārata I kuryād vidvāṁs tathāsaktaś cikīrṣur lokasaṁgraham II 3.25

3.25 As the ignorant do their work with attachment to the results, O Bhārata, the wise do so without attachment, for the enrichment (welfare) of people.

na buddhi bhedaṁ janayed ajñānāṁ karmasaginām I joṣayetsarvakarmāṇi vidvānyuktaḥ samācaran II 3.26

3.26 Let not the wise disturb the minds of the ignorant who are attached to the results of work. They should encourage them to act without attachment.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ I ahakāravimūdhātmā kartāhamiti manyate II 3.27

3.27 People, confused by ego, think they are the doers of all kinds of work while it is being done by the energy of nature.

tattvavittu mahābāho guṇakarmavibhāgayoḥ I guṇā guṇeṣu vartanta iti matvā na sajjate II 3.28

3.28 One who knows the Truth, O mighty-armed one, knows the differences between the attributes of nature and work. Knowing well about the attributes and sense gratification, he never becomes attached.

prakṛterguṇasaṁmūḍhāḥ sajjante guṇa karmasu I tānakṛtsnavido mandān kṛtsnavinna vicālayet II 3.29

3.29 Fooled by the attributes of nature, those people with less wisdom or who are lazy become engaged in actions driven by these attributes. But, the wise should not unsettle them.

mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā I nirāśīrnirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigatajvaraḥ II 3.30

3.30 Dedicating all actions to Me, with consciousness filled with spiritual knowledge of Self, without desire for gain and without sense of ownership, without being lazy, fight.

ye me matamidaṁ nityam anutiṣṭhanti mānavāḥ I śraddhāvanto 'nasūyanto mucyante tepi karmabhiḥ II 3.31

3.31 Those persons who execute their duties according to My teaching and who follow these teachings faithfully with authenticity, without envy, become free from the bondage of fruitive actions.

ye tvetad abhyasūyanto nānutiṣṭhanti me matam I sarvajñānavimūḍhāṁs tān viddhi naṣṭānacetasaḥ II 3.32

3.32 But those who do not regularly perform their duty according to My teaching, are ignorant, senseless and ruined.

sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛterjñānavānapi I prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati II 3.33

3.33 Even the wise person tries to act according to the modes of his own nature, for all living beings go through their nature. What can restraint of the senses do?

indriyasyendriyasyārthe rāgadveṣau vyavasthitau I tayorna vaśamāgacchet tau hyasya paripanthinau II 3.34

3.34 Attachment and repulsion of the senses for sense objects should be put under control. One should never come under their control as they certainly are the stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization.

śreyānsvadharmo viguṇah paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt I svadharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ paradharmo bhayāvahaḥ II 3.35

3.35 Better it is to do one's own responsibility, even if it is in a faultily, than to do someone else's responsibility perfectly. Death in the course of performing one's own responsibility is better than doing another's responsibility, as this can be dangerous.

arjuna uvāca atha kena prayukto'yaṁ pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ I anicchannapi vārṣṇeya balādiva niyojitaḥ II 3.36

3.36 Arjuna says, 'O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, then, by what is man forced to sinful acts, even without desiring, as if impelled by force?'

śrībhagavānuvāca kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajoguṇasamudbhavaḥ I mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhyenamiha vairiṇam II 3.37

3.37 The Lord says, 'It is lust and anger born of the attribute of passion, alldevouring and sinful, which is one's greatest enemy in this world.'

dhūmenāvriyate vanhir yathādarśo malena ca I yatholbenāvṛto garbhas tathā tenedamāvṛtam II 3.38

3.38 As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the e bryo is covered by the womb, so also, the living being is covered by lust.

āvṛtaṁ jñānametena jñānino nityavairiṇā I kāmarūpeṇa kaunteya duṣpūreṇānalena ca II 3.39

3.39 The knowledge of the knower is covered by this eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and burns like fire, O son of Kuntī

indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣṭhānam ucyate I etairvimohayatyeṣa jñānam āvṛtya dehinam II 3.40

3.40 The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the locations of this lust, which confuses the embodied being and covers the knowledge.

tasmāttvamindriyāṇyādau niyamya bharatarṣabha I pāpmānaṁ prajahi hyenaṁ jñānavijñānanāśanam II 3.41

3.41 Therefore, O Bharataṛṣabha, chief amongst the descendants of Bhārata, in the very beginning, control the senses and curb the symbol of sin, which is certainly the destroyer of knowledge and consciousness.

indriyāṇi parāṇyāhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ I manasastu parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratastu saḥ II 3.42

3.42 It is said that the senses are superior to the body. The mind is superior to the senses. The intelligence is still higher than the mind and the consciousness is even higher than intelligence.

evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā I jahi śatruṁ māhābāho kāmarūpaṁ durāsadam II 3.43

3.43 Knowing the Self to be superior to mind and intelligence, by steadying the mind by intelligence, conquer the insatiable enemy in the form of lust, O Mahābāho, mighty-armed one.

iti śrī mad bhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyām yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjuna saṁvāde karmayogo nāma tṛtīyo'dhyāyaḥ II

In the Upaniṣad of Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Arjuna, this is third chapter named, Karma Yogaḥ**,** 'The Yoga of Action.'

The whole of Existence, the whole Universe, is purposeless. It just is. It exists. A river runs towards the ocean because it is its nature to run downhill; not because it has a purpose to meet the ocean. Our life too, has no purpose.

The more you run towards the goal, the more you miss Life itself! When the present moment is taken care of with completion, the future gets resolved on its own. The right path defines its own destination. However, we postpone happiness, constantly worring about the future, and past. Happiness is where we are, not where we think we should be. We do not understand what it is to relax.