CHAPTER THREE, TEXT 9: Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.
In the purport, Prabhupad writes that "both good and evil work have their reactions, and any reaction binds the performer" (138). I'm stumped by this. I can wrap my mind around evil work having reactions and being binding (hellooooo prison), but good work? How does good work "bind the performer"?
I'm genuinely at a loss. I see no harm in doing good work. Follow the law, take care of myself and my family, contribute something to society - how is this a cause of bondage?
The only equivalent I can draw is that of a prisoner. A prisoner may follow all the rules of prison, be kind and respectful to inmates as well as guards, work out and be healthy, read good books, even learn new subjects or develop friends, but he's still just a prisoner. He may be doing "good work" but he's still in prison.
How happy can a prisoner truly be?
A prisoner is not free.
The nature of the soul is to be free.
And in this material world, we are not free.
The nature of the soul is also to be active, though - "[the soul] is always active and cannot stop even for a moment" (3.5 Purport) - and my actions have a funny way of coming back to bite me or delight me. I often find myself tangled up in webs of bad as well as good consequences that I wish I could just cut away from.
It's well known that dopamine is the "feel good" hormone that is produced whether one is exercising, getting hundreds of Likes on a post on Facebook, or smoking a cigarette. We get addicted to dopamine, for better or for worse.
So instead of sense gratification (read: a hit of dopamine) for myself, I see in this verse that the key is to offer all work and all results to Krishna. Prabhupad writes, "Nothing should be performed for sense gratification, but everything should be done for the satisfaction of Krsna" (138). What's interesting here is that by satisfying Krishna, our senses do get pleasure! If I satisfy Krishna by offering him a cookie, then I eat that cookie, then I am not only getting free from the reactions of work, I'm also experiencing pleasure. I would call that a win/win.
Of course, offering Krishna a cookie just so that I can eat it and enjoy it is not necessarily the highest stage of selfless love and service. Ultimately, "This practice [of offering one's work to Krishna] will not only save one from the reaction of work, but also gradually elevate one to transcendental loving service of the Lord" (138). Prabhupad emphasizes that by learning to offer our work to Krishna, we are "gradually elevated" to a higher consciousness. We all need time to learn to love. And in time, the more we offer our work to God, we become free. Prabhupad writes that "While performing such activities one is in a liberated stage. This is the great art of doing work" (138). The word "liberated" is significant here, because liberated means that one is free.
Free.
We all want to be free, we all want to be free of this prison of this world. Offering one's work to Krishna is the "great art" that opens the door to freedom wide.
In the purport, Prabhupad writes that "both good and evil work have their reactions, and any reaction binds the performer" (138). I'm stumped by this. I can wrap my mind around evil work having reactions and being binding (hellooooo prison), but good work? How does good work "bind the performer"?
I'm genuinely at a loss. I see no harm in doing good work. Follow the law, take care of myself and my family, contribute something to society - how is this a cause of bondage?
The only equivalent I can draw is that of a prisoner. A prisoner may follow all the rules of prison, be kind and respectful to inmates as well as guards, work out and be healthy, read good books, even learn new subjects or develop friends, but he's still just a prisoner. He may be doing "good work" but he's still in prison.
How happy can a prisoner truly be?
A prisoner is not free.
The nature of the soul is to be free.
And in this material world, we are not free.
The nature of the soul is also to be active, though - "[the soul] is always active and cannot stop even for a moment" (3.5 Purport) - and my actions have a funny way of coming back to bite me or delight me. I often find myself tangled up in webs of bad as well as good consequences that I wish I could just cut away from.
It's well known that dopamine is the "feel good" hormone that is produced whether one is exercising, getting hundreds of Likes on a post on Facebook, or smoking a cigarette. We get addicted to dopamine, for better or for worse.
So instead of sense gratification (read: a hit of dopamine) for myself, I see in this verse that the key is to offer all work and all results to Krishna. Prabhupad writes, "Nothing should be performed for sense gratification, but everything should be done for the satisfaction of Krsna" (138). What's interesting here is that by satisfying Krishna, our senses do get pleasure! If I satisfy Krishna by offering him a cookie, then I eat that cookie, then I am not only getting free from the reactions of work, I'm also experiencing pleasure. I would call that a win/win.
Of course, offering Krishna a cookie just so that I can eat it and enjoy it is not necessarily the highest stage of selfless love and service. Ultimately, "This practice [of offering one's work to Krishna] will not only save one from the reaction of work, but also gradually elevate one to transcendental loving service of the Lord" (138). Prabhupad emphasizes that by learning to offer our work to Krishna, we are "gradually elevated" to a higher consciousness. We all need time to learn to love. And in time, the more we offer our work to God, we become free. Prabhupad writes that "While performing such activities one is in a liberated stage. This is the great art of doing work" (138). The word "liberated" is significant here, because liberated means that one is free.
Free.
We all want to be free, we all want to be free of this prison of this world. Offering one's work to Krishna is the "great art" that opens the door to freedom wide.
No comments:
Post a Comment