Five Factors of Action

Success or failure in any activity we perform is determined by various factors. It is a known fact that no matter what we do, being at the right place at the right time more or less ensures a good chance for success.

Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita that there are five factors that affect any kind of action and it is due to the interaction of these five factors that any action or activity is completed. Let us look at the following verse from the Bhagavad Gita

Verse 18.14

adhiṣṭhānaḿ tathā kartā

karaṇaḿ ca pṛthag-vidham

vividhāś ca pṛthak ceṣṭā

daivaḿ caivātra pañcamam

TRANSLATION

The place of action [the body], the performer, the various senses, the many different kinds of endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul — these are the five factors of action.

Now, right place at the right time does not necessarily mean being at right job interview at the most desired company although that is also something all of us seek to achieve. As we can see from the above translation the place of action is our body and the performer, the soul, which engages in various activities induced by the various senses and the different endeavors. Of these five factors the one factor that is the super cause of everything else is the Supreme Will. The following verse from the Brahma Samhita authenticates that.

Verse 5.1(Brahma Samhita)

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

TRANSLATION

Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.

Although the place of action here refers to the body and the performer the soul, these 5 factors jointly contribute toward the success or the so called failure of any activity. Let us look at a practical example of how this is true in this material world. Let us say we are in a job. First and foremost, we have to be in the right job, but just landing in a right job is not enough. What the individual does with the given opportunity of being in the right job thru his/her various endeavors, by appropriately engaging both their perceptive as well as working senses, is entirely up to the individual. Having done all of this correctly, success is still not guaranteed as there is something beyond our control and that is the Supreme Will. According to the authority of Vedas, not a blade of grass can move without the supreme sanction .

But we must not mistake this as a given, because the Supreme Will is the ultimate deciding factor no matter what we do. Sometimes we feel it is better to do nothing at all! Well, that is not an option as we have already seen in our earlier articles that a living entity cannot remain inactive even for a moment. Therefore in order to achieve success in anything, the first four factors in which the living entity has a minute independence, must be considered with utmost sincerity in order to obtain the Supreme sanction.

Now looking at the spiritual aspect of this verse, the performer which is us – the tiny spirit soul has been awarded a human body as the place of action in this lifetime. So let us begin by looking at the first of the five factors of action. And every action one performs whether right or wrong is influenced by these 5 factors.

Place of action- Lord Krishna refers to our body as the place of action. Among the 8,400,000 species in the Lord’s creation, we are very fortunate and blessed to have been awarded this human body. We could have been awarded any other body among the lower species. Therefore it is absolutely imperative that we do not lose this very precious opportunity. If we simply use this body to eat, sleep, mate and work toward improving our material lifestyle, then to what avail is this great opportunity??. Therefore just being at the right place of action is not enough, what we do there makes all the difference.  And this is the only minute independence we possess.

The performer – This refers to the spirit soul without whom the body cannot function. This spirit soul which is nothing but the part of the Lord’s  superior energy acts in various ways according to the modes of nature it has acquired.  But remember just the right performer being at the right place is not enough, we have to be very cautious not to fall prey to the relentless opposition from the team of 5+1.  Keep reading.

Our senses – Have you ever wondered – ‘who is the boss?’ – our unruly senses or our superior intelligence. More often than not, unfortunately, it is the senses that determine our actions whether good or bad. Therefore now we have the performer (spirit soul) residing in a desirable place of action, the human body, with the senses as the working partners with an untrustworthy boss, OUR MIND. 

The different  endeavours- Having all the right raw material and tools is not going to get things done if the proper attempts are not made at the right time.In essence, the outcome of our efforts depend on whether we are doing it for Krishna or not. When the action is not meant for pleasing Krishna then the living entity is under the grip of maya in the form of the modes of material nature. Depending on which mode influences us the most - the outcome will be different - eg in the mode of goodness the outcome although still material will try to consider the needs of others before oneself. It is still material action because it is done out of forgetfulness of Krishna.

When the action is influenced by the mode of passion, there will be attachment to the results. Such action causes bondage and keeps us trapped in the material world.

When the action is is influenced by the mode of ignorance, the action is generally not beneficial to anyone, both materially and spiritually.

 Remember what Krishna said in 2.47- we only have the right to perform  our duty as best as we can without worrying about the results because the results depend on the ,

Supreme Will -  Yes, now we are talking business. No matter how good one may be in doing their job, if it is done with an attitude of ‘Isvaroham aham bhogi –verse – BG 16.13-15 ‘ then, even though it might seem like we are temporarily successful, it will only lead to our downfall in the long run. There is only one proper way to do any activity just as Lord Krishna states in verse  9.27 and that will guarantee the crossing this ocean of material miseries – verse 7.14 – mameva ye prapadyante, mayam etam taranti te. Therefore when we occasionally do get unfavourable results to our actions, we have to ask ourselves a couple of questions-

1 Did I perform this action the way Krishna recommended?

2. Has the temporary so called failure contributed to my long term goal of understanding my true position as being the part and parcel of the Supreme?

If the answer to the above questions is ‘yes’, then it is good news. Continue your efforts and you will be rewarded appropriately at the right time.  And if the answer to the above questions is ‘No’ , then it is time to make a change……………… a change in the attitude in which an action is performed.

Hare Krishna

Tongue, friend or enemy

In our previous topic we saw how anger takes over our intelligence when we become victims of this very dangerous emotion. One of our senses which does the work of a job aid in worsening our anger is our tongue because it can make an already precarious situation better or worse. In fact, tongue has been stated as one of the most difficult senses to control in the following verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam:

Verse 11.8.21

tāvaj jitendriyo na syād

vijitānyendriyaḥ pumān

na jayed rasanaḿ yāvaj

jitaḿ sarvaḿ jite rase

Translation

Although one may conquer all of the other senses, as long as the tongue is not conquered it cannot be said that one has controlled his senses. However, if one is able to control the tongue, then one is understood to be in full control of all the senses.

Our tongue has 2 functions-taste and speech. We will take a look at them one by one again by referring to Krishna’s rule book.

Let us look at speech first as I believe that this makes or breaks any relationship, creates or sorts a problem and, is a very important underlying factor for success or failure.

According to Krishna austerity of speech has five components. Here is the verse from the Bhagavad Gita:

Verse 17.15

anudvega-karaḿ vākyaḿ

satyaḿ priya-hitaḿ ca yat

svādhyāyābhyasanaḿ caiva

vāń-mayaḿ tapa ucyate

Translation

Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature.

Each of these 5 must be practiced individually yet simultaneously, well at least the first 4 of them.   Krishna has demonstrated its application throughout the Bhagavad Gita

Satyam/Truth –Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of ISKCON, explains that truthfulness is presenting facts as they are, for the benefit of others. Facts should not be misrepresented. According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in a straightforward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others. That is the definition of truth.

Anudvega karam/non agitating - Krishna has spoken the Absolute truth throughout the Gita. Even though some of the teachings were not exactly what Arjuna might have wanted to hear as they were quite contrary  to Arjuna’s views, Krishna still gave the true knowledge to Arjuna and did not deviate from the truth. One of the interesting things we must take note of here is that at certain times Krishna was quite assertive and firm when Arjuna raised certain doubts.

Priyam/Pleasing – It is noticeable throughout the Gita that even during giving instructions to Arjuna on matters he was not very comfortable with, Krishna has maintained a pleasing demeanour which is of course one of HIS qualities. We have to remember that Arjuna did not want to fight the war, and Krishna through his instructions had to explain the Supreme Truth to Arjuna and the reasons why he must fight the war. In this material world this can be a very challenging situation for all of us. We often have to convince a friend or family to do something that they do not want to do and which we know is the right thing for them to do. We can follow Krishna on how this can be done.   

Hitam/Beneficial- Krishna has spoken only that which will be beneficial to his devotee and friend Arjuna and of course all of us. Krishna is the only true friend of all the living entities as can be seen in verse 5.29 of the Bhagavad Gita – ‘Suhrdam sarva bhutanam’. A true friend is one who will speak nothing but the truth which will be beneficial to his friend and Krishna has shown us how this can be achieved. Now that clearly takes GOSSIP out of the agenda!!

Svadhyaya abhyasanam - This includes doing our Nitya karma and chanting our vedic literature. This helps to keep our senses under control and discipline our mind.

So we don’t have to look far to learn various aspects of austerity of speech. We only have to turn to Krishna who has shown how we can practice it by being an example himself and just as Lord Chaitanya said –one way to cleanse our tongue is to cleanse our within by chanting the Lord’s Holy name as we have no other go other than this ultimate option in this Kali yuga. This is also confirmed in the following verse from the Brhan Naradiya Purana.

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

P.S: For specific verses on where these qualities have been demonstrated by the Lord, feel free to drop me a line or even better still read the Bhagavad Gita as it is published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust(BBT) to learn more on how you can do it.

Hare Krishna

Our Duty

Duties may be described as a set of actions that one must perform according to certain rules and regulations mostly on a daily basis and some of them on an occasional basis. Krishna has divided the society into four classes according to the qualities one is born with and the work associated with those qualities, as stated in verse 4.13 of the Bhagavad Gita. Lord Krishna says – ‘cāturvar nyaḿ mayā srstaḿ guna-karma-vibhāgaśah’-‘ according to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me’

We already know that we are given a certain type of body by the Supreme according to the debits and credits we have accumulated over many births. And depending on our birth in a particular environment we have certain natural tendencies whether it be in the mode of goodness-Sattva, mode of passion-Rajas, mode of ignorance-Tamas or a mixture of more than one quality. Therefore each one of us has certain duties allocated to us by Krishna according to our basic personalities. And that can be termed as Prescribed Duties. More details of the said classification and the associated duties thereof are detailed in the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.

Now, Krishna says when it comes to performing those duties we must keep the following in mind:

Verse 2.47

karmany evādhikāras te

mā phalesu kadācana

mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr

mā te sańgo'stvakarmani

Translation

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.

 Since this sounds like a very difficult proposition for all of us materially oriented people, let us try to understand how this can be achieved. The result of every action we perform is influenced by two factors - our efforts and the Supreme sanction as no effort can be completed without the Supreme Will.  The efforts that we put into any activity should not be motivated by the results as that is not in our control. This may force some of us to think-given that the result, whether desirable or undesirable, no matter what I do, is out of my control, I may as well put in a little effort or no effort towards the completion of that activity.  But the point is, without activity nothing can be achieved and we cannot remain inactive even for a moment. Krishna states in verse 3.5 of the Bhagavad Gita -‘na hi kaścit ksanam api jātu tisthaty akarma-krt’ – no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment. The same is also confirmed in verse 6.1.53 of the Srimad Bhagavatam - na hi kaścit ksanam api jātu tisthaty akarma-krt.

Let us look at an example – if you walk into a job interview without any preparation thinking that there is no use preparing as I may not get the job, then very likely you will not get  the job. We usually don’t do that right? We prepare really well regardless of whether the job is going to be awarded to us or not. Another example on a material plane could be getting a bonus at our workplace. Being awarded a bonus is a combination of our efforts and the Manager’s sanction. Whilst being awarded a bonus is entirely up to the manager, doing our duty with 100% efficiency is up to the individual. The manager might provide the facilities in which one can work well but the responsibility of working efficiently with those facilities lies with the employee.

Likewise, Krishna is the Supreme maintainer of all living entities and he has provided all the necessary facilities in which to do our duties properly. And by doing so, we will suitably be rewarded as we surrender everything we do unto the Lord as stated in Verse 4.11 - ye yathā māḿ prapadyante tāḿs tathaiva bhajāmy aham - As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. We have to do it and do it well without expectation or attachment to the results thereof. Krishna explains this further in the following verse.

Verse 3.9

yajñārthāt karmano 'nyatra

loko'yaḿ karma-bandhanaḥ

tad-arthaḿ karma kaunteya

mukta-sańgah samācara

Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu 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.

Lord Krishna reiterates this fact yet again in verse 9.27

yat karosi yad aśnāsi

yaj juhosi dadāsi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

tat kurusva mad-arpanam

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform — do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me.

                                                                                                                                                          

A duty therefore, must be performed by giving up all sense of proprietorship and without attachment to its results and most important of all surrendering all works to Krishna – Bhagavad Gita verse 3.30. Krishna also warns us not to stray away from doing our duty in order to escape the consequences, because it is a general human tendency to avoid an action if the result is not going to be desirable. Therefore, not performing our duty is not an option at all.

Therefore let us just do our duty the way the Supreme Master has instructed us to do for doing so will free us from this material bondage. All living entities are doing their duty in some way or the other but we who have been awarded this very special human body have an opportunity to do our duty as an offering to the Lord and that will get us out of this material cycle.

 Hare Krishna

  

ANGER MANAGEMENT - PART II

Consequences

Verse 2.63

krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ

sammohāt smrti-vibhramaḥ

smrti-bhraḿśād buddhi-nāśo

buddhi-nāśāt pranaśyati

Translation

From anger arises delusion, and from delusion, bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost, one falls down again into the material pool.

This is also a four step process as illustrated below:

1.      When anger takes over the better side of us, we are in total delusion.

2.      We feel disoriented, completely confused and unsure as to what is going through our minds.

3.      We lose our capacity to use our intelligence diligently and end up doing things we shouldn’t do.

4.      This results in our final fall down to a point of no recovery.

Solution

Each of us might have our own way of controlling anger like going for a walk, reading a book, listening to music or just remaining silent.  Each of these techniques might be working very well for us. But do they work all the time? That is something known only to the individual exercising those techniques.

Although these options may work at times, they are not foolproof. This is because we are trying to exercise the techniques after anger has taken over our intelligence, basically to suppress the emotion rather than stopping it from arising in the first place. The reason that these options are not faultless is because we try to fight our senses singlehandedly.

We pretty much underestimate the power of our senses. Krishna says that the senses are so strong and impetuous that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them – verse 2.60. And that even one roaming sense is enough to sway our intelligence – verse 2.67.

Our senses are responsible for our incessant flow of desires and we have to remain undisturbed, just as an ocean, which is ever still even when the rivers flow into it.

In fact, Arjuna asks this very same question to Krishna,

‘Why do we still commit sinful acts as if engaged by force?’

Krishna answers that the root cause of this problem is lust or desire alone, which when unsatisfied, turns into anger. This is stated beautifully in the following verse:

Verse 3.37

kāma esa krodha esa

rajo-guna-samudbhavaḥ

mahāśano mahā-pāpmā

viddhy enam iha vairinam

Translation

It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material modes of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.

Lust is our eternal enemy that can never be satisfied. Our senses are responsible for our incessant flow of desires. This being the cause of wrath, we have to understand where lust actually resides within this human body and then how to curb it. 

Verse 3.40 of the Bhagavad Gita explains that the residential quarters of lust are our senses, mind and intelligence.

Now that we have identified our true enemy, we have to look at ways to conquer this very powerful enemy in the form of lust, and the good news is that we don’t have to do it all alone.

Verse 6.35

asamsayam maha-baho
mano durnigraham calam
abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena ca grhyate

Translation

O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant practice and by detachment.

Krishna advises us to do that by-

Ø  Regulating our senses by engaging them in the service of the Lord. Or at least withdraw our senses when they should not be used – remember the example of the tortoise we spoke about in the introduction? Withdrawing our senses can be very difficult, given our mind does the job of all our senses singlehandedly - at times by imagining and concocting things. Therefore,

Ø  We must endeavour to steady our minds by deliberate spiritual intelligence – Verse 3.43 - evaḿ buddhehparaḿ buddhvā saḿstabhyātmānam ātmanā.

Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to material senses, mind and intelligence, one should control the lower self by the higher self and thus--by spiritual strength, conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.

Ø  Spiritual strength is the only way to conquer this eternal enemy. Therefore it is absolutely essential that each and every one of us look at ways to develop this strength which lies dormant within us.

And unless we curb lust, it is next to impossible to conquer anger which is simply a manifestation of unsatisfied desires.

In the posts to come, we will talk about how we can develop our spiritual strength by developing a higher taste.