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The ideal of inaction

CHENNAI : In the Bhagavad Gita two different paths are revealed to the spiritual aspirant seeking enlightenment — the way of knowledge for the man of contemplation and the way of selfless work for the man of action. Though the normal tendency is to identify the Atma with the body because of the mind's contact with the Atma, the key to the path of selfless action is to see the Atma as independent of the senses and bodily attachments, for this places the proper accent on the spirit and attitude to work, said Sri N. Veezhinathan in a discourse.

The simple analogy of the (illusory) movement of the trees on the shore that one senses when moving in a boat, illustrates the manner in which the mind can easily see action when in reality there is no action. There is action in the boat and no action in the trees. Yet it appears that there is action in the trees.

Lord Krishna Himself states that there seems to be much bewilderment regarding the full import of the terms "action" and "inaction" even amongst the wise. Normally one views "action" and "inaction" as performance and non-performance of some activity.

For instance, when one sits quietly one does not perform any action and when one gets involved in physical activity it is termed action. But in reality, even when remaining still, if one's mind is active, one is occupied in action. Moreover, by merely abstaining from physical action while the mind is not free from desires is not inaction either.

Conversely, even when one is engaged in action, it can be claimed of him that he is not performing action, if such a person is able to dissociate the Atma from the body that performs actions. "Inaction" in the ideal sense refers to the renunciation of the feeling of "I act" and "I enjoy the fruits of action". Such an attitude confers the quality of inaction to acts.

If one is able to see no action while fully involved in action, then it is implied that even when engaged in worldly actions, one works in a detached spirit without desires. Such a person is able to discriminate with proper understanding about what kind of work to do, what kind of work to avoid and is able to preserve inner tranquillity. Such men are examples of how to reach a state of calm detachment from one's work and are considered truly enlightened by the Jnanis.

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