Nishkama Karma (Self–less Action)
Nishkama Karma - Action performed without the taint of personal desire for results or reward.
A teacher had learnt about a wise-man who lived uphill. One day he decided to visit this man with his two students. On their way they had to pass through a meadow, where they found a shepherd with a flock of sheep. The shepherd seemed very angry and was seen time and again beating a sheep, which was limping slowly because of a wounded foreleg and was often left behind. At the same time there appeared an old man who was walking with a stick and was passing by the same flock. After some time the old man picked up the limping sheep, put it on his shoulders and kept walking. On the way he dropped the sheep at shepherds house and walked away calmly. Throughout the way this old man was seen to be walking patiently. The two students kept watching all this and started talking to each other.
Student I: Why should this old man carry the sheep? It is difficult for him to walk.
Student II: May be the sheep belong to him.
Student I: But he is not talking to anyone. I don't think he knows the shepherd or the sheep.
Student II: But even the shepherd could carry the sheep. He is quite young.
Student I: He must be making fool of this old man. He is not bothered.
Student II: (when the sheep was dropped) But the sheep seems to be thankful.
Student I: What about the old-man, he does not look tired, even he does not seems to be expecting any thanks from the shepherd.
Student II: Oh! The shepherd is a thankless person.
Student I: But why could not you or I pick up the sheep.
Student I: Come on, at least I am not interested in all this charity.
Soon the teacher and the student were climbing the hill and they reached the place where, they were to see the wise man. To their astonishment, this wise man was none else but the same old man. The old man welcomed them and offered them seats. They asked him: 'Sir we saw you on our way. You were carrying a sheep. But we wondered why were you carrying the sheep all the way when we could see, it is difficult for you to walk? Even the shepherd could pick it. He even did not have any feeling of thankfulness.' The old man did not reply and was quite and calm. The teacher took the students back.
On their way he told them that the wise man was above all these small things to expect gratitude or something else in return. He showed you what Nishkama Karma is. It is the Sattva Gunas like compassion and care which prompted him to pick-up the poor sheep. Even you or I could do that. We did feel concern for the sheep but did not have courage to carry it. This shows the wise man's ego-less state. He was not bothered what others might be feeling about him. Whatever job came his way he did it with full enrichment and thereafter just forget. Great men do not remember the good done by them. They just enjoy it. This state can be reached only when one performs his job as an offering to the divine.
Thus whatever work we do, we should offer it to the supreme - yat karosi, yat asnAsi yat juhosi dadAsi yat. Yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurusva madArpanam
This is a real mind enrichment formula in Nishkama Karma.
Nishkama Karma - Action performed without the taint of personal desire for results or reward.
A teacher had learnt about a wise-man who lived uphill. One day he decided to visit this man with his two students. On their way they had to pass through a meadow, where they found a shepherd with a flock of sheep. The shepherd seemed very angry and was seen time and again beating a sheep, which was limping slowly because of a wounded foreleg and was often left behind. At the same time there appeared an old man who was walking with a stick and was passing by the same flock. After some time the old man picked up the limping sheep, put it on his shoulders and kept walking. On the way he dropped the sheep at shepherds house and walked away calmly. Throughout the way this old man was seen to be walking patiently. The two students kept watching all this and started talking to each other.
Student I: Why should this old man carry the sheep? It is difficult for him to walk.
Student II: May be the sheep belong to him.
Student I: But he is not talking to anyone. I don't think he knows the shepherd or the sheep.
Student II: But even the shepherd could carry the sheep. He is quite young.
Student I: He must be making fool of this old man. He is not bothered.
Student II: (when the sheep was dropped) But the sheep seems to be thankful.
Student I: What about the old-man, he does not look tired, even he does not seems to be expecting any thanks from the shepherd.
Student II: Oh! The shepherd is a thankless person.
Student I: But why could not you or I pick up the sheep.
Student I: Come on, at least I am not interested in all this charity.
Soon the teacher and the student were climbing the hill and they reached the place where, they were to see the wise man. To their astonishment, this wise man was none else but the same old man. The old man welcomed them and offered them seats. They asked him: 'Sir we saw you on our way. You were carrying a sheep. But we wondered why were you carrying the sheep all the way when we could see, it is difficult for you to walk? Even the shepherd could pick it. He even did not have any feeling of thankfulness.' The old man did not reply and was quite and calm. The teacher took the students back.
On their way he told them that the wise man was above all these small things to expect gratitude or something else in return. He showed you what Nishkama Karma is. It is the Sattva Gunas like compassion and care which prompted him to pick-up the poor sheep. Even you or I could do that. We did feel concern for the sheep but did not have courage to carry it. This shows the wise man's ego-less state. He was not bothered what others might be feeling about him. Whatever job came his way he did it with full enrichment and thereafter just forget. Great men do not remember the good done by them. They just enjoy it. This state can be reached only when one performs his job as an offering to the divine.
Thus whatever work we do, we should offer it to the supreme - yat karosi, yat asnAsi yat juhosi dadAsi yat. Yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurusva madArpanam
This is a real mind enrichment formula in Nishkama Karma.
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