The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Offering a definition of the principle of karma yoga

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Offering a definition of the principle of karma yoga

Special Correspondent

The `management guru' has authored a second book `Karma Yoga — the Inner Alchemy of Action' refers to a simple principle laid down in the Gita — learn how to renounce and how to rejoice

Swami Sukhabodhananda

Bangalore: Swami Sukhabodhananda, popularly known as the "management guru," has authored another book. His first, "Oh, Mind Relax please!" has been widely translated and gone into regular reprints.

In "Karma Yoga — the Inner Alchemy of Action," the Swami refers to a simple principle lid down in the Bhagavad Gita — learn how to renounce and how to rejoice. The two `Rs' of philosophy.

"We have to learn the art of living and the art of dying — we have to learn both. We have to learn to die to our past and learn how to be present to the present. The message of the Gita is how to rejoice and how to renounce,'' he says. Many thinkers in the West too have now come to propagate the "present-moment consciousness," where what you do now is the focus and not what you felt an hour ago or what you fear may happen tomorrow, he says in the book.

The Swami never tires of telling corporate heads who come to listen to him "wherever you go, the world exists... even if you go the Himalayas."

"Therefore you cannot really renounce the world. What you can renounce is your addiction, your infatuation, your ignorance, your misnomers with reference to the world. You need to renounce your negativity,'' he says.

According to him, the mind can be both a friend and an enemy - "atmana eva atmanaha bandhuhu, atma eva atmanaha ripuhu." You are what your thoughts are as psychotherapists never tire of telling their patients, he adds.

Lecture series

From April 6 to 9, Swami Sukhabodhanada will be delivering a series of lectures on "Personal Excellence through the Bhagvad Gita" at Malleswaram Grounds.

He firmly believes that what Lord Krishna taught Arjuna ages ago does carries a meaning for our times.

"Ultimately, in our working lives, we need to become Karma Yogis, not to expect too much and not to get too disappointed if the results are not exactly what you wanted to see. Even a negative result may teach you to do better next time," he says.

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