What does the term "Nishkaam Karma" signify? How would you explain the term in simple language ?
Lord Shri Hari Vishnu’s teaching of Nishkaam Karma (Work without any attachments) has a very very deep meaning and it cannot be understand directly, it can be felt and experienced. It’s really 100 % truth, though looks like that its false because we all wonder that how can I be not attached to my works ? This is only because we all have avidya as main in us. Now let’s try to understand this more accurately.
Lord Vishnu says in Bhagwad Gita :-
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि
Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,
Ma Karmaphalaheturbhurma Te Sangostvakarmani
Your right is to perform your work, but never to the results. Never be motivated by the results of your actions, nor should you be attached to not performing your prescribed duties.
:- Bhagwad Gita, Chapter 2, verse 47
By this line, my Lord Krishna is trying to tell about “Nishkaam Karma” i.e work without any attachments. Now people take it in a very wrong way They think that Lord Krishna is asking here not to work without any aims. How is that possible ? So the answer is simple, its not about the aims of your work, its about the attachment you get from it. Attachment only comes with happiness but remember, it also brings sadness, If that work is wrongly performed, you become too much demotivated that you now don’t want to do anything from now.
Let us take a simple example of it :-
There were 2 persons who aimed for clearing Boards and JEE Exams (Mains and Advance). One was a bhakta who being simple did his work regularly. But firstly in tests, he got less marks, but being a Bhakta, he took it as “Krishna might have known about some mistakes I have done in my work, so I need to improve” without getting any sadness, he again did his regular job. Another one got high merits, he was so much in joy that no one can imagine too. He started to think “I knew I am an intelligent person, I did hard work even but now as I know I am intelligent, I should celebrate this success”. This fellow got attached to his work.
Next time when the tests occurred, the Bhakta got good merits but again he didn't attached to it, “He just thought, I did a fine work and my Narayana is pleased with me, now I must again go on my regular job”. See, no attachments again but that fellow when got less marks started to think “How’s this possible, how can such a person like me can get such a low marks, this must be the fault of teacher only, he/she purposely failed me or this might be a fault of Gods/Goddesses that I didn’t did their puja or this might be fault of my luck only. Oh no, now I cannot do anything”. See this fellow is again got high attachments with his work but this time in negative.
Actually this teaching of Bhagwaan Shri Hari Vishnu is very complex to know in small amount of time. Its a very effective teaching of him which can be only felt and experienced in a long run of time.
Not only here, but Shriman Narayana tells these types of line having the message of Nishkaam Karma many times in Bhagwad Gita.
ब्रह्मण्ये आधाय कर्माणि संगम त्यक्त्वा करोति यः
लिप्यते न स पापेण पद्मा पत्रं वाम्भसां
brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ
lipyate na sa pāpena padma-patram ivāmbhasā
One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water.
:- Bhagwad Gita 5.10
कायेण मनसा बुद्धया केवलैर इन्द्रियैर अपि
योगिनः कर्मा कुर्वन्ति संगम त्यक्त्वा शुद्धये
kāyena manasā buddhyā kevalair indriyair api
yoginaḥ karma kurvanti saṅgaṁ tyaktvātma-śuddhaye
The yogīs, abandoning attachment, act with body, mind, intelligence and even with the senses, only for the purpose of purification.
:- Bhagwad Gita 5.11
श्रेयो हि ज्ञानम् अभ्यासाज ज्ञानाद ध्यानं विशिष्य्ते
ध्यानात कर्मफलत्यागस्य त्यागस शान्तिर अन्तरं
śreyo hi jñānam abhyāsāj jñānād dhyānaṁ viśiṣyate
dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas tyāgās shāntir anantaram
If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.
:- Bhagwad Gita 12.12
So you can see here how beautifully Lord Krishna explains that its the best thing could we do to have peacefulness in our life is to have 0 attachment to our work. Neither in good way, nor in bad way. We must learnt from our mistakes and just have a vision of it but never we should struck to it.
A very great Adwaitin and my ideal Shri Swami Sivananda ji Maharaj says this about Nishkaam Karma :-
Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity. "Your duty is to work incessantly but not to expect the fruits thereof." This is the central teaching of the Gita.
Repeat your Ishta-mantra mentally even when you work in office. God is the Inner Ruler. He directs the body, mind and senses to work. Become an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Do not expect thanks or appreciation for your work. Do actions as your duty and offer them and their fruits to the Lord. You will be freed from the bonds of Karma. It is not the Karma but the selfish motive that binds the man.
“Never, never say, "I have helped that man." Feel and think, "That man gave me an opportunity to serve. This piece of service has helped me to purify my mind. I am extremely grateful to him." If you see a poor man clad in rags standing in front of your door, feel that the Lord is before you in the form of a poor man. Serve him with Narayana Bhava.
Never grumble when you do service to others. Take delight in service. Watch for opportunities, to serve. Never miss even a single opportunity. Work is worship of the Lord.
A Karma Yogi should have an amiable, loving, social nature. He should have sympathy, adaptability, self-restraint, tolerance, love and mercy. He should adjust himself to the ways and habits of others. He should be able to bear insult, harsh words, criticism, pleasure and pain, heat and cold.”
Now let us see what Upanishad say about Nishkaam Karma :-
Being attached, he, together with the work, attains that result to which his subtle body or mind is attached. Exhausting the results of whatever work he did in this life, he returns from that world to this for (fresh) work.' Thus does the man who desires (transmigrate). But the man who does not desire (never transmigrates). Of him who is without desires, who is free from desires, the objects of whose desire have been attained, and to whom all objects of desire are but the Self-the organs do not depart. Being but Brahman, he is merged in Brahman.
:- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Nishkam Karma Yoga (the Yoga of Selfless Action) as the ideal path to realize the Truth. Allocated work done without expectations, motives, or thinking about its outcomes tends to purify one's mind and gradually makes an individual fit to see the value of reason and the benefits of renouncing the work itself.
Hence Lord Vishnu’s this teaching is very very important because each and every word of him is Bramha-Satya !!!!!!!!! He is himself Brahman !!!!!!!
Hope it helps !!!!!!
Dhanyawaadam !!!!!!!
Jay Lakshmi Narayana !!!!!!!!!
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