Acting Without Attachment🔗

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

3.18 Certainly, he never has any reason for doing his duty or not doing his duty in this world.

He does not depend on any living being.

3.19 Therefore, one should work always without attachment.

Performing work without attachment, certainly, man achieves the Supreme.

3.20 King Janaka and others attained perfection by selfless service.

To guide others, you too must act selflessly.

Our Eastern masters have declared again and again, 'You are bliss. You are love. You are eternal bliss itself.' When you are bliss itself, what more can you ask for? When you understand and experience this truth, you are enough unto yourself; you are completely satisfied and enjoying yourself. Then nothing exists for you to achieve because you are already the ultimate thing you can achieve!

As of now, you are running behind something out of greed, thinking that when you achieve that, when you possess that, it will give you bliss. Either you are running behind something out of greed or you are running away from something out of fear. You are afraid that something will take away your joy, your life.

Both these, running towards something and away from something, become irrelevant when you understand that you are a part of this loving Existence which is taking care of you every moment.

Existence is taking care of you every moment. Do you think you can be alive even for one moment if Existence does not want you to be alive? The very fact that you are alive proves that Existence wants you here, now, in this form, in this place. This is the ultimate cause for celebration! What more do you want?

Existence has provided, is providing and will provide for each and every one of your needs. Your suffering and struggle is only because you don't trust that you are being provided all that you need, because you consider yourself separate from Existence, who you think is your enemy.

People often look at my feet and tell me that I have such smooth and soft feet. They do not know that I have wandered thousands of miles with no footwear in all possible types of terrain, from the Himalayas in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, from Dwaraka in the west to Ganga Sagar in the east. Understand, when you walk upon mother earth with great respect and love, She will simply cherish you.

I have never worn footwear in my early years of life. Even now when I enter Tiruvannamalai, where I was born and where I grew up, I don't wear footwear. From childhood I never wore footwear in that town. When I used to go to college by bus, I used to put on the shoes only after the bus left the Tiruvannamalai town, and would take them off when it entered the town again. It is a holy land that one must fall in tune with. Many of our followers take off their shoes when they are in this town.

Once I was on an elephant safari on a jungle path. The guide showed me a path, which was used by humans, alongside the one on which the elephant was walking. The guide's path had no grass on it. The guide said that where man walks, no grass grows, but where the elephant walks, the grass does not die!

As humans we have lost touch with nature, with Existence. We have fallen out of tune with ourselves and with nature. That is why we experience nature unpleasantly. Even in our prayers there is no gratitude, there is only asking. We have become beggars.

Also, you are not satisfied with how Existence chooses to take care of your needs. You look at others and have a big list of wants based on what others have.

You fail to understand that each of us is unique and each of us has been provided with exactly what we need. Instead, you start looking at what others have and want that also. Greed sets in.

This is how you waste your entire life running behind desires and running away from reality. We are focused only on the outer world. Our joys and sorrows are a result of this. As long as the outer world is responsible for your happiness, there can be no permanent happiness.

The person who is centered does not depend on external causes for enjoyment. He does not depend on other people to feel blissful. He does not need some particular event to happen to feel joyful. Constantly, the fountain of bliss is happening within him. He is enjoying within himself. He is enjoyment itself!

Actually, the fountain of bliss is happening spontaneously in each and every one of us. When I say it is spontaneously happening, I mean that it is happening without any reason.

We always think that joy or happiness can happen only for some reason. On the other hand, we feel we can be sad for no reason! Just like that, for no reason, you can be morose, sad, thinking, 'What is this life all about?' But you always feel you need some reason to be happy.

It is you who is making all the effort to stop the fountain of bliss that is happening in your being every moment. The first level meditation program, Ananda Spurana Program, (Life Bliss Program Level 1) which deals with the seven cakras, the seven energy centers in our body, is all about 'stopping the stopping' of the fountain of bliss. The second level program, Nithyananda Spurana Program (LBP Level 2) reinforces this and shows you how to keep this fountain of bliss happening eternally in you.

Here Krishna says a beautiful thing:

King Janaka was a beautiful example of a true karma yogi, a man of continuous and selfless action. He was a king. He ruled a kingdom and yet was unattached, liberated. Just like Krishna who ruled a kingdom and yet was a sanyāsi in the truest sense of the word, Janaka was a model king who was untouched by the external world.

Once, an ascetic went to the court of King Janaka and saw how Janaka was neck-deep in the activities of his kingdom, living like a king. He then thought to himself, 'Janaka seems to be a materialistic person. He is entrapped in so many worldly matters.'

Janaka understood what the ascetic was thinking. Janaka called him and asked him, 'What kind of an ascetic are you? Instead of being happy and content within yourself you are trying to find fault with others? This is a grave sin especially for an ascetic, a person who is supposed to know about these things. For this, I have to give you the most severe punishment. You will be hanged to death next week.'

Now, the ascetic was terrified. He could not sit in peace. He spent sleepless nights thinking of the gallows. He dreamt daily that his neck was being tied to a rope. He became very thin and pale.

Janaka sent a servant to call him on the day of the execution. The ascetic was unable to stand before the king. He trembled and fell on the ground. Janaka offered him some fruits and a cup of milk. He ate the food, but his mind was on the gallows.

Janaka asked him, 'How do you like the taste of the milk now? Is it good? Did you relish your food these past seven days?'

The ascetic replied, 'Oh king! I did not feel any taste in the food or milk that you offered me just now. My mind is only on the gallows all the time. I see only gallows everywhere.'

Janaka said, 'Just as your mind is always on the gallows, so also my mind is always fixed on the Divine, though I am involved in worldly activities discharging my duties as a king. Though I am in this world, I am out of the world. Work for the world, unattached like myself.'

Janaka, though neck-deep in the activities related to the administration of his kingdom, was completely unattached, liberated.

Once, Janaka was brought news that there was a fire in the city. Ordinarily, a king would have been agitated that part of his kingdom was in flames, and in danger.

But Janaka said, 'My wealth is unlimited and yet I have nothing. Even if the whole of my capital Mithila is burnt, nothing is lost to me.'

It is not that Janaka was not bothered that there was a fire in his kingdom. He was completely involved in what he had to do, but at the same time was completely detached from the incident. He was centered on his being, not on the world. And I tell you, only when you are completely detached can you be completely involved. Otherwise, your very sense of ownership and emotional attachment will be a hindrance to plunging headlong into the task. Only when you remain without internalizing the incident can you perform the task in the best way, without expectation and without being concerned about the results.

Q: Swamiji, whenever I am in your presence, all questions disappear and everything seems possible. But when I am away from you, all the familiar doubts creep in. Why does this happen and what can I do about it?

If a question disappears on its own in my presence, then it is time to realize that it was not a true question at all. It was merely a play of the mind.

When you are with me, mind is no more in control - you simply flow into meditation. You become a loving, serene silence. In this state, only a question that is truly your question, one that is completely relevant to you, will still remain with you.

In my presence, you become so intensely aware, so completely present that there is no space for questions to arise. When you leave my presence, the mind is free to impose the past and the future upon your present - for what else are your questions but the play of the past and the future upon your present?

Just like the ego, there is no point in fighting with or condemning the mind. It is a pointless struggle that you will be sure to lose. Instead, it is enough to be aware that this is the very nature of the mind. It can be expected to behave in no other way. It is bound to bring in anxiety, confusion and doubt.

Just to be conscious of this is enough. Do not pass judgment on the mind. Even to be angry with your mind is to lose your energy to it.

As you witness the workings of the mind, you will slowly become aware that you are not the mind - you are more than the mind, you are the watcher. Slowly, in place of the chaos of thoughts that you call your mind, a clear, intense consciousness arises. At that moment, all questions dissolve and the mind is no more. This is the experience you find yourself having in my presence. And what I have just told you is the way to make it stay with you always - even when you are not with me! It is a slow process; give it time. It will happen.