WORK/KARMA NOT HAVING ANY INTRINSIC VALUE IN INDIAN CULTURE !!????

This is a letter written to our Prof, who had been leading the MBA Dept. in a Reputed Univ. in India during our studies there :

Dear Sir,

I had been thinking about work/management, and  the Indian perspective about the same.

Seems like work was viewed negatively by all cultures. The people in all cultures were resistant to change. Change represents new movement/action/work.(Karma also includes thinking). They felt that each small change to their life-style, is moving farther away from the ideal. The advent of Christianity and the Industrial revolution changed all that. Now in the modern age work is given a higher value which it does not actually deserve. This observation in relation to modern context, is  based on empirical negative evidence, like climate change and wars, the result of human activity/karma. (The latest eg  is the ‘man-made’ Uttarakhand disaster.) Work is considered virtuous now, which by all accounts is a false value.

The ancient Indians were the ONLY people , who had the COMPLETE knowledge or who tried to understand work COMPLETELY. This understanding of work , by our ancestors , could be garnered from the Gita.

Indians knew that work is not having any intrinsic value. As per our rishis, Work is in the realm of inert matter. And in contrast to Consciousness or Chaitanya, from which the Universe appears, matter which is inert  cannot give one happiness, which is considered emanating from that consciousness. (In fact consciousness(bodham) is happiness).The cause is not fully present in the effect(all matter) because of Maya. (MAYA is a  very important in our explanation of ‘names & forms’ that we see around us) Therefore matter is not having the intrinsic happiness/bliss of the cause and  is only an appearance and is caused by karma. The aim of  Indian civilization was to enable all to realize the reality behind the appearance and thus be happy/blissful permanently. This state corresponds to Naishkarmayam  = No karma !

Indians also were aware that it is impossible for a embodied life to remain without action/karma/work/movement. Karma  is done by body, mind and sound.(vak). The embodied life form is forced to do karma. Whereas karma-lessness  (One should not mistake this state as corresponding to lifelessness/death) is the only state whereas one enjoys unconditional  and constant happiness. Conditional happiness through any material means is temporary/fleeting and always followed by its opposite.

Thus the search for permanent peace and happiness, ended in accepting the inevitability of work and performing work to ‘rub-off’ work, the ultimate aim being worklessness. While doing work, as per one’s innate nature, a mental stillness is aimed at, without any likes or dislikes in the action. Though compelled to do work because of the innate nature of oneself, the motions has to be gone through with detachment. No likes or dislikes, and no anxiety for the result, at the same time doing the actions in the most sincere way considering it as worship of the supreme principle. While doing work, one should consider himself as just an instrument contributing for a greater cause, and the action performed  should be  selfish,-only to the extent of sustaining the instrument. (body). The other greater part of work is for the whole, considered as God.(Ishwar). One should not do action, motivated by fruits , that action may bring forth.

Considering the whole picture, work is not having any intrinsic value in Indian culture. Work/karma and its management for profit, is not the ‘be-all’, expected to be ‘by-all’, and had never been part of our national life.

Indian attitude towards work as not having any intrinsic value, eased the pressure on work performance, which freed the mind of the artisan and handicraftsmen helping them to bring forth great products in art and other utilities.(with meager resources like capital, plant and machinery) .Likewise farmers and husbandmen were  able to contribute significantly feeding the entire population. Work for them was worship, to wear away the karma-vasanas, conforming with the ultimate aim of life, ie. moksha. This was  quite unlike the modern/Western attitude towards work and profits.

Regds

Radhakrishnan.M.S