Find a Higher Purpose to Life and Work: Guidance from Bhagavad Gita
Introduction
On Friday, October 10, we had a very interesting session by Mr Gokulmuthu Narayanaswamy. He shared key insights and nuggets of wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most cited and referred books in religion and philosophy. Mr Gokulmuthu’s talk focused on how professionals in their 40s and 50s can apply the principles of Bhagavad Gita in their daily life.
About Mr Gokulmuthu Narayanaswamy
Mr Gokulmuthu Narayanaswamy has more than 25 years of experience in the software industry. He has worked in several areas like software development tools, voice over IP, IoT, and smart metering. He is currently working as Director of Product Development at Itron India and heads the Bengaluru centre. Itron is a world leader that provides technology to more than 8000 utility companies and cities in more than 100 countries to manage electricity, water, gas, and streetlights. Mr Gokulmuthu gives keynote addresses and conducts workshops on Smart Grid and application of Data Science in Smart Grid. He also conducts classes on Bhagavad Gita, Swami Vivekananda, Spiritual Life, Leadership Development and Life Skills to students and professionals. Mr Gokulmuthu holds seven patents. He is a Senior Member of IEEE.
Mr Gokulmuthu has completed his B.Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from IIT Madras, M.Sc (Engg) in Computer Science from IISc Bangalore, and M.A in Philosophy, Religion and Culture from Annamalai University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Biopsychology and Medical Electronics at IIT Kharagpur.
The setting
The setting of the Bhagavad Gita is the Kurukshetra war. Arjuna is facing a great dilemma: Should he or not fight the war? He appeals to Krishna to help him resolve this dilemma.
Krishna and Arjuna
Both Krishna and Arjuna had achieved success and fame. They were at the top of their game.
Krishna was the prince of the Yadava aristocracy. He was a fierce, undefeatable warrior. Krishna was a master strategist, diplomat and statesman respected throughout the Bharatavarsha. He was the last resort for the kings, princes, princesses, and common people of all kingdoms to solve problems which no one could solve. Krishna had helped the Pandavas to establish their kingdom in Indraprastha.
Arjuna was the greatest archer of his time. He was invincible on the battlefield. He had obtained several divine weapons by severe penance. Arjuna even spent time as the prince in Indraloka ruled by his father Indra. He helped build Indraprastha from scratch. Arjuna led a campaign all over Bharatavarsha from Himalayas to the Southern Ocean to get all the kings to accept Yudhisthira as the independent king of Indraprastha. He once fought the mighty Kaurava army singlehandedly. His name Dhananjaya means someone who had amassed a lot of wealth.
The dilemma
Initially, Arjuna was clear in his mind about the need for the war. The Kauravas had committed serious crimes which according to the law of the land, deserved capital punishment. If the crimes had been committed by ordinary subjects, they could have been punished by the rulers. But since the rulers themselves had committed these crimes, war was necessary to overthrow them and establish dharma.
However, just as the war was about to begin, Arjuna developed self-doubt after seeing the relatives in front of him. He asked himself: What will be the cost of this war? Would victory in the war be worth the cost?
Krishna reminded Arjuna that the war was not a personal affair. He was not fighting the Kauravas for himself: to win the kingdom and enjoy. He was just doing his duty. But Arjuna was not fully convinced. That is where Krishna gives a deeper explanation.
This kind of dilemma Arjuna faced, applies to most of us in our 40s and 50s. We call it a midlife crisis. After a certain level of success in life in terms of achievements and pleasures, we wonder: “What next? Why should we continue to work now? What should we aim for next?”
When this mid-life crisis hits, there needs to be a new reason to work. A new perspective and purpose are needed rather than making money and whiling away the time. Arjuna was in this state. He wanted to retire. Krishna provided various reasons for Arjuna to continue with his duties.
Peace and happiness
The Gita explains to us how we can find happiness and peace amidst the ups and downs of life.
Krishna’s teaching starts with 2-11: This sloka states:
"The wise lament neither for the gone nor the staying".
There will be failures in life. But we can be free from sorrow. We can be internally at peace and address the situations with cheer and enthusiasm. True wisdom lies in understanding the transient nature of the world. Therefore, grieving for people, objects, and situations that are either gone or staying is foolish.
Krishna’s teaching ends with the sloka 18-66 saying:
“Don’t worry.”
In short, the Bhagavad Gita inspires us to lead a life of duty and service without worrying about the short-term outcomes.
Sloka 2-71 says:
The person who has abandoned all (selfish and sensory) desires, lives doing his duties – yagna, serving the world – dāna, and following self-discipline – tapas, without getting attached, is free from sense of “mine” and sense of “I”, attains peace.
Sloka 6-21:
This sloka describes the state of yoga where one experiences infinite, transcendental joy that is grasped by the intellect and transcends the senses. In this state, we are not moved by external circumstances, even great sorrow. This ultimate happiness is the result of a calm, focused mind in meditation, leading to complete satisfaction and stability.
Sloka 6.27:
This sloka describes the state when we have achieved the highest perfection, attaining supreme happiness through a tranquil mind, subdued passions, and freedom from sin. Our mind is fixed on the divine and becomes peaceful. We are freed from the influence of passion (rajas), and we attain a state of liberation.
Source of happiness
Consider a sweet. It can give us pleasure. But everyone is not equally happy consuming a sweet. So, an object can cause happiness to one, and sorrow to another. It can cause happiness at one time and sorrow at another time. The happiness may also decrease after some time as the Law of diminishing returns sets in. So, joy does not come from the object. Mr Gokulmuthu narrated an important story in this context.
An important story from the Vedanta
A dog finds an old, dry, splintered bone and begins to chew it vigorously. As it chews, the sharp edges of the bone cut its gums, causing them to bleed. The dog, tasting its own blood, thinks the flavour and satisfaction are coming from the dry bone itself. The dog represents the unenlightened human mind. It is attached to external objects and experiences, desperately seeking happiness in the world. The dry bone represents the insentient (lifeless) objects of the world. These objects are incapable of producing lasting happiness because they have no intrinsic bliss. The dog's bleeding gums represent the Inner Self (Atma).
The bliss that the person feels is not coming from the external object but from a momentary stillness of the mind. This stillness allows for a brief, fleeting glimpse of the inherent, eternal bliss of the Atma.
The dog's mistaken belief represents ignorance (maya). The dog wrongly attributes the taste of its own blood to the bone. Similarly, people falsely believe that their happiness is dependent on worldly possessions and fleeting sensual pleasures.
Managing desire
Desire is the absence of happiness. Jealousy, anger, fear, and anxiety are manifestations of desire. It follows that absence of desire is true happiness.
There are various ways to handle a desire:
- Fulfil: This is not sustainable as the law of diminishing returns will start applying. Also, there will always be someone else who has more. This will cause dissatisfaction to us. As nothing comes for free, we need to struggle hard to gain the resources to fulfil the desire. This will cause pain.
- Suppress: This is also difficult. It is like a ticking time bomb. It will fire back at us.
- Give up the desire: We can do this by a deep understanding of who we are and the purpose of life. This is the only sustainable way to handle a desire.
Sloka 2.51 says:
The person who has abandoned all desires, moves around without getting attached, free from sense of “mine”, free from sense of “I”, attains peace.
Peace is attained when we are free from dependence on 3Ps for happiness:
- Possessions - Seeking security in the world by sense of “mine”
- Pleasure - Seeking pleasure in the world in the form of sensory experiences
- Position - Seeking name, fame and recognition
When we are not attached to these, we can live as a jivanmukta, one who is free when living. We can live in peace. This is the goal. This is called Moksha.
With a balanced and equanimous intellect when we perform actions without attachment to the results, we attain a state beyond suffering here and now, when living in the midst of all activity.
It should be noted that we don’t need to reject possessions, pleasure, and positions. They can help us to serve the society better. But we should not tie our happiness and motivation to them. Doing so will rob us of our happiness and motivation.
Sloka 12.6-7:
This sloka describes devotees who perform all their actions as offerings to God and worship Him with single-minded devotion, constant meditation, and love. This verse highlights a path of devotion called Bhakti Yoga, where all actions are done for God and meditation is done on God with pure love without any worldly objective. God takes responsibility for the devotees, swiftly freeing them from all sorrow, as explained in the following verse.
Sloka 12.13-14:
This sloka describes the qualities of a devotee who is dear to Krishna: they are steady, self-controlled, and forgiving. They are free from hatred, egoism, and envy, and are friendly and compassionate towards all beings. They are balanced in happiness and sorrow, always content, and have surrendered their mind and intellect to the Divine.
Sloka 5.7:
The three steps to attaining freedom (Moksha) are presented clearly in this sloka:
- Karma Yoga –doing work without attachment to results, to purify the mind from likes and dislikes, and become free from seeking security in situations.
- Dhyāna Yoga –doing meditation to gain mastery over the mind, to gain victory over the sense organs and become free from seeking pleasure in the sense objects.
- Jnāna Yoga –understanding one’s true Self as not different from the Self of all living beings – to become free from the false idea of limited individual identity
Why we should work if not for possessions, pleasure or positions
Yagna: We work with a sense of duty and give back to the world.
Sloka 3.13 states:
The noble people who consume food, etc. that is got after contributing to the world are freed from all sins. They who only cook and eat for themselves eat only sin. Those who consume without contributing are thieves.
We should deserve the food on our plate.
Dāna : We work with a sense of service to society:
Sloka 17.20 says:
Charity that is given with a sense of duty, without expecting anything in return, to the right person, at the right time and place is considered as the most noble one.
We should contribute more than we consume. We should not think “what is in it for me?” Instead, we should think “how can I help?”
Tapas: We work for self-improvement. We try to become free from desire, anger, greed, delusion, arrogance, jealousy. Self-improvement is possible through different types of austerities: Physical, Verbal, Mental.
Sloka 17.14 covers physical austerities:
Bowing down to deities, educated people, teachers and wise people, purity, straight-forwardness, chastity, and non-violence are the austerities of the body.
Sloka 17.15 covers verbal austerities:
Speaking softly, only that which is true, pleasant and beneficial, study (of good books) and chanting are austerities of speech.
Sloka 17.16 covers mental austerities:
Having an attitude of gratitude, pleasantness, calmness, self-control and purity of intention are austerities of the mind.
Pramana: If the successful people stop working, it will confuse the rest of the society. So, to set a good example, the accomplished people should continue to work and be role models to society.
Sloka 3-21 says:
Whatever is done by successful people, is imitated by common people. Taking what they do as a demonstration, other people follow the same.
Sloka 3-23 states:
Lord Krishna shows himself as an example, saying, if he were to stop performing his duties, all of humanity would follow his inaction, leading to chaos. He must continue to act diligently to set a positive example for the world and maintain social order and spiritual progress.
Archana: Work is worship. Ishvara is that Supreme Being who identifies Himself as the entire Universe and all the living beings in it. So, Ishvara is the real beneficiary of all actions. Hence, working in the world is worship. Everything we do is an offering to the Lord.
Sloka 18. 46 says:
From whom this world and all the living beings have arisen, By whom all these here are pervaded, By worshipping Him by doing one’s duty, The person attains the goal.
Summary
We should not work for happiness. Happiness does not come from possessions, pleasures, or positions. Happiness is an attitude. Work should be an expression of our joy and fulfilment.
Q&A
The teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita are ultimately common sense. Terms like “purpose” provide a label, a vocabulary, and a structure. They are useful for communication and diving deeper into these important topics. We are essentially talking about doing good things, maintaining good relations and creating win-win situations.
How convinced are we? Intellectual conviction is the first step. We should think deeply, be clear about why it is important and then take practical steps.
We should be convinced. We should realize it is important. Are we prepared to pay the price? We should have clarity. Do we want to do it now or later? So, it is also about prioritization.
In B Schools there is an emphasis on what is in it for me? This kind of a self-centred mindset is the core of the problem. Such an approach is no different from that of a beggar at a traffic signal. The beggar has only one thought. Will I get something from this person? We should stop having this grabbing attitude.
We should not just be consumers. We should also be contributors. Nature has a balance. We should respect it. Things will be taken care of.
Parents should be role models in this regard. They should be givers. They should not ask their children to take care of them in their old age. That is an expression of a “grab” mindset. They should serve the children selflessly with love. During their birthdays, parents should tell their children, “Let us donate to a temple” and do the donation along with them. Children will imbibe these values.
Mr Gokulmuthu was very happy when his daughter donated part of her first salary for annadhanam at a local temple. She came home only after making the donation.
We should have a systematic donation plan. A certain percentage of our salary should be given towards charity. Charity should be an integral part of our life. We should give charity and tell our children about the charitable work we are doing.
Nepotism is a good example. It is common in corporate life: someone seeking a favour. We should stick to the process and core values, come what may.
Suppose a student is caught stealing a pencil in the school. The principal calls the father to the school. His father comes and tells his son: “Why did you do this? I would have brought a pencil from the office for you.” What signal would that convey?
Net worth is the amount that will make us tell a lie. It is the breaking point on the moral scale. If a person would tell a lie for a gain of ten rupees, that is his net worth. If another person would tell a lie for one lakh rupees, that is his net worth. The money needed to “buy” a person is his net worth.
There is nothing wrong in working hard and striving for results. In fact, it is only by the existence of wealthy citizens, the country and the society can be rich. But we should not just work for the immediate results. Moreover, we should work without compromising our values.
For example, we could be running the business for achieving various objectives: to make money, to serve society, for self-development. If we focus only on making money, we are deviating from the spirit of nishkama karma. We should work for our overall development and not just the immediate results. (serving society, becoming a better person).
Consider a student. If her focus is only on doing well in the exam, it is not correct. She may even be tempted to copy to increase her marks. Instead, she should study for acquiring knowledge.
When we look beyond the immediate results, we are following the spirit of karma yoga. We should work for long term development and the interest of society rather than short term results.
The Gita need not be viewed as abstract philosophy. It is eminently practical.
Nature is much smarter than us. There is a balance in nature which we should respect. Dishonesty, arrogance and shortcuts will not take us far.
Like other religions, the Gita emphasises three things.
Satya: We should be honest and truthful.
Ahimsa: We should be kind and loving towards people. We should create win-win situations. We should not exploit people. We should give credit to others. We should maintain good human relationships.
Brahmacharya: We should have self-discipline. We should work hard. There is no short cut.
Positions may be needed to get things done. It is ok to strive for positions. However, we should look at positions as opportunities not for self-aggrandisement but to serve society and do good to others by multiplying our influence. Our happiness should not depend on positions. We should not allow positions to overpower us. Positions are only tools to serve society.
As a matter of fact, Indraprastha was a startup venture. It was built from scratch out of Khandavaprastha. Krishna was the advisor. The Pandavas created an environment of trust and faith to promote trade.
In startups, we should build the right culture based on satya, ahimsa and brahmacharya. Honesty, dignity and respect for/recognition of hard work should be the core values. We should practise this with customers as well and create win-win situations. We should work hard and provide value to customers.