Bhagavad gita &

Art of Work
Based on the teaching of
His Divine Grace
A.C.Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada
ART OF
WORK
 Art of performing Holy Work
karmaëy evädhikäras te
mä phaleñu kadäcana
mä karma-phala-hetur bhür
mä te saìgo 'stv akarmaëi

You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but

you are not entitled to the fruits of action.
Never consider yourself the cause of the results of
your activities,
and never be attached to not doing your duty.
(Bhagavad gita 2.47)
 How to perform Work ?

1. Work with knowledge that,

“Everything belongs to God”.

2. Work dutifully, without Greed,

Do your best, leave the rest to God.

3. Work with knowledge of Goal of Life.

4. Give up Unholy professions.

 How to perform Work ?

5. Try to Remember God by Chanting

Hare Krishna.

6. Dovetail your talents and profession

and offer them in Lord’s service.

Hare Krishna ! Thank you very much !

 Art of performing Holy Work

You have a right to perform your

prescribed duty, but
you are not entitled to the
fruits of action.

(example) CARPENTER

Lesson 1 : Everything is owned and controlled by God. Thank Him by

Offering the results of your work to God - Food, Time, Money, Energy.
 No one can manufacture anything. All eatables
include grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, sugar, etc.
Everything is supplied by God.
 The necessities of life –
Heat, sunlight, moonlight, air, rainfall, etc.,
—none of them can be manufactured
by the human society.
 Art of performing Holy Work

Never consider yourself the cause

of the results of your activities.

(example) FARMER & GOD

Lesson 2 : Everything is NOT in our hands.

We can endeavor, but God has to give the results.
So DO YOUR BEST & LEAVE THE REST TO GOD.
Do your best & Leave the rest

We are not in control of things in this world. God is in control.

Who helps our body to grow in mother’s womb?
Who replaced our milk teeth by strong ones without making them
all fall at the same time, but one by one ?
 Art of performing Holy Work
‘çreyän dravya-mayäd yajïäj
jïäna-yajïaù parantapa’
‘the sacrifice performed in knowledge
is better than the mere sacrifice of
material possessions.’ [BG 4.33]

(example) Good News & Bad News from a Pilot

3. Work with knowledge of Goal of Life –

To gain release from miseries and
to return back home back to Godhead.
This material world is a Hospital, not a Hotel.
 Spiritual world

na tad bhäsayate süryo na çaçäìko na pävakaù

yad gatvä na nivartante tad dhäma paramaà mama
TRANSLATION
That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon,
nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this
material world.
 Paradise Lost….Paradise will be gained
by your Holy Work

JAIL

Due to desire to enjoy

independent of God,
the soul is sent
to this material world,
which is like
a prison house.
Just as the fish can be happy only inWhere the Does
Where waters,
Doesthe
theSoul similarly
SoulCome
Come from? the soul
from?

can be happy only in the spiritual world, not in the material world
With any amount The
of luxuries
soul
The soul originally and comforts.
originally
belongs to the Spiritual
belongs to the Spiritual
Individual Quiz : world. There are
world. There are
infinite souls who are
infinite souls who are
Fill up the blank eternal servants of the
eternal servants of the
Supreme Lord in the
Supreme Lord in the
Spiritual world.
with appropriate Spiritual world.

words based on the

analogy of material
world and jail :
Due to envy and the desire to enjoy
Due to envy and the desire to enjoy
independent of the Supreme Lord, the soul
independent of the Supreme Lord, the soul
is sent to this material world, which is like a
is sent to this material world, which is like a
prison house.
prison house.

1. Jail = ___________
6. Whips = _____________
2. Jail keeper = Ans: Mayadevi 7. Release = ____________
3. Food = ___________ 8. Stay in state = ________________
4. Medicine = ____________ 9. Laws of state = _______________
5. Checked shirt = ________ 10. Prime minister of state = ______
 How can we become happy ?

All the senses are All the parts of the

nourished by feeding tree are nourished by
the stomach watering the root
The part (finger) can become happy only by
serving the whole (stomach).
The soul can become happy only by serving the Supreme Lord.
 WE ARE LIKE THE LOST SON OF
A MILLIONAIRE FATHER

WE HAVE TO REVIVE OUR ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP

WITH THE FATHER-GOD TO BECOME TRULY HAPPY.
 SPIRITUAL WORLD vs.
MATERIAL WORLD
The spiritual world is like a real mango tree on the bank of a river.
The material world is like the perverted shadow reflection of the mango tree
(upside down) in the river waters.

OUR MATERIAL BODY IS A BAD COPY OF OUR

SPIRITUAL BODY
Art of performing Holy Work

Refrain from STRESSORS harmful to

your body, mind and wellbeing

Non - Veg. Intoxication Gambling Illicit Sex

Meat Alcohol Horse Race Extramarital Sex

Fish Drugs Casino Obscene Films

Eggs Tobacco Lotteries Vulgar talks

4. Give up unholy professions

 TYPES OF KARMA
vikarma
Breaking Laws of God

karma
Good Work on material platform
that brings good reactions

akarma
Devotional Activity for which one
suffers no reactions – Non-Action
 Mantra
Meditation
Chant
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

5. Remember the Lord by Chanting Hare Krishna.

 Yoga: What it actually is -

Yoga literally means union in love

between the soul and God.

Yogi is a person whose life and activities

are oriented towards reestablishing his
relationship with God.

Yogi could be anybody – Doctor, Engineer,

Professor, Housewife etc.
Mind management by mantra

MAN + TRA

MIND
DELIVER
 Hyperactive zone
18
Brain Wave Frequency
(cycles/sec) Active zone
13
Mantra Meditator in Alpha zone
Relaxed Alert zone
8
Drowziness zone
3
Sleepy zone

Mantra Meditation leads to Relaxed Alertness

 “Chanting Hare
Krishna has helped
Hrishikesh
me face all
Mafatlalthe ups
and downs in my
CEO
life - Mafatlal
with a great
Fabrics and
confidence
peace of mind.”
6. Dovetail your talents and profession and
offer them in Lord’s service.
 The Most
Joyful Yoga
BHAKTI YOGA
How to perform Karma Yoga ?
• Everybody in this world is doing some
work or other; nobody can remain without
doing any work.
• How to work, skillfully and efficiently,
while remaining cheerful and stress-free?
• How can work become a means for
upliftment and happiness?
• What is Karma Yoga?
• What is Bhakti Yoga?
 Art of relaxed & efficient working

CONCENTRATION
– Attention, Awareness, Absorption
• Attention - No mater how trivial, routine work you
may do, pay attention to DETAILS, ‘put heart’
• Awareness – Be aware of the total picture as well
as each and every step involved; Don’t do
mechanically; be CONSCIOUS
• Absorb – completely; be oblivious of anything
else in the world. ‘Live in the present’; don’t drift
to past/future.
DETACHMENT from WORK
• Forget this activity completely, after job is over
• Don’t have any lingering thoughts in mind
• Be fresh and wide awake for the next activity.
• Don’t fear/worry about tasks done or yet to be done.
• Be ‘Goal oriented’ not ‘Grab credit’ oriented.
• Avoid Aimless Work (kicking football without
aiming at Goal of the other party); make short-term
and long-term, personal and professional goals,
with the ultimate aim of Self-realisation.
WHO IS A KARMA YOGI?

• Considers all Work as God’s work.

• Mood - I am servant of God.
• Works with complete sincerity and dedication as
best as he can, to fulfil his role as a servant of God.
• After completion, hands over these works to God in
all humility.
• A karma yogi does intense work but leaves all
results thereof to God.
 Art of relaxed & efficient working

Shift your attitude from Doership to Divine

• Eliminate feeling of ‘I did it’ ‘I only can do it’.
• Harsh truth is that in reality you can’t do anything
on your own without God’s sanction.
• There are many uncertainties in this world.
• Eliminate false ego and Doership feeling while
doing work. As as a faithful servant of God.
• Don’t take any credit for the work done.
• Humbly surrender the reward to God.
(Eg) Hanuman never took any credit; gave it all to Rama
 Art of relaxed & efficient working
What should be the MOTIVATION for Work ?
• PURIFICATION OF HEART : World is self-
sufficient and will continue to operate forever even
without us. We require to do good work basically
for helping ourselves, to purify our hearts, to
elevate us and revive our Krishna consciousness.
• EVERYTHING IS ULTIMATELY DONE BY LORD
ONLY : Krishna is not depending on me and you
for running or helping this world. We are simply
given the opportunities to help others by Him to
improve ourselves. Otherwise all help is done by
Krishna only.
 Art of relaxed & efficient working
What should be the MOTIVATION for Work ?
• I AM NOT INDISPENSABLE : We simply
become the instruments of help because of our
willingness to do so. Even if we are not willing
to become the instrument, Krishna has
thousands of other means to provide help to
somebody, if He so desires.
• I AM ONLY AN INSTRUMENT IN LORD’s
HANDS : Hence any egocentric feeling of
helping others should be totally eliminated. In
fact, any help done by us should be forgotten
as soon as possible.
 Mantra
Meditation
Chant
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare