Karman Eva Adhikaraste

Sri Bhagawat Geeta is indeed the Song of the Divine - Where else can we listen to the Lord of the Universe speaking to us in clear words?Seers (Rishis) listen to the Words of the God and pass it on to us. These are what we got as Vedas. Since the source of Vedas is not human, they are often referred to as 'Apaurusheya' (not originating from humans)

But, Bhagawat Geeta is a special Song where the Lord directly talks to us(Jeevas).

It is indeed laid out by Great Satguru Lahiri Mahasaya and Unfathomably great Mahavatar Babaji that all people practising Kriya Yoga should atleast read a few passages from Sri Bhagawat Geeta DAILY.

Each Verse of the Song bursts with power to provide Salvation. Each Verse has the capacity to take us to the Infinite. There are some that provide solace to me when I am lonely, some cheer me up, some direct my thoughts back to the Divine. Whenever I am sane and I am sad, I look forward to the Voice of the Lord to Guide me.

A word that provides me solace and advise whenever I try too hard anddo not succeed is this:

"Karmanyeva adhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana
Ma karmaphalahetur bhurma te sangostvakarmani."

The Great Lord says, "Karman Eva Adhikarasthe" - You have control only over your actions. This does indicate, the God was kind enough to offer us free will. There is no point doing evil and claiming Goda sked me to do it. Sri Krishna Paramatma says that we have control only over the actions and NOT over the results. IMO, He does not say, do things without expectation. An action done without a goal will not yield good results. The action should proceed towards a goal or a cause, and we have complete control over our actions. (conditioned by our own Vasanas acquired over many many births)But, we cannot control the results. The Lord grants us the results based on many factors (infinitely large) that are not under ourcontrol.

God does not give results randomly. He only says the outcome of an action is not under our control (sounds like Quantum Physics to me!) . Does that mean we can give up action? The answer is a thundering NO - Arjuna did not toss his Kanteepam (his bow) and retire to Sanyasa after listening to Bhagawat Geeta. He took his bow and fought themost valiant battle.Lord does not discourage us. If we put in the effort, the most Merciful One will grant the fruits.We should do our duties with utmost sincerity, hard word and devotion. If we do not attempt we will not get any result. Not doing duty is not what the Lord preaches.

Do what you can do your best - But, Do not have the results of the action as your motive. Dedicate all the results to Lord. By dedicating the results of all actions to the Lord, we will be purified. This is the end result of Karma Yoga.

May Sri Krishna, Lord of Infinite Mercy, The Most Beautiful One, Charmer of the Gopis and Radhas, The Charming Kid who Danced on Kalinga, The Upholder of Dharma in the Universe Grant us theUniversal vision to see Him in All and All in Him. Sarvam Sri Krishnarpanamasthu! Hare Krishna!

Sri Nataraja's Grace...

[I posted this earlier in my YahooGroup - I thought I could share it with a wider audience]

As I was meditating over Lord Nataraja, esp moved by His Grace in recent times (which extends even to this mundane world), the poem(?)below sprang into my mind. I thought I should share it with you.

Sri Nataraja - The Lord of Dance

Who can understand the Grace of The Lord,
The Lord of Dancers, Sri Nataraja,
Whom even the greatest Gods and Immortals adore,
Admiring the Lord who seems very close, yet so far in comprehension,
Blessing even the forgetful, Apasmara
Who forgot His Presence,
Whose right hand asserts to His devotee, Abhaya, 'Fear not!'
And, whose left hand points to the essense of all Knowledge,
The purpose, The means, The Fate, The Abode of All - His Left Leg,
Which has been raised,
To offer salvation to all miseries,

Him I praise,
Who conferred Bliss to Sri Patanjali and Vyagrapadhar,
In Chidambaram, The reflection of Kailash, on Earth,
The Lord, who captured my heart with His endearing smile
Protecting me always, Though I have done
Naught to earn His Grace,
Who supports me, the most undeserving one.

He asserts, 'Why Fear, when I am Here?' ,

His Dance, pervades the entire universe,And Transcends it.
Dear Devotee,Forget not the Father,
Who will never Forget you,

When millions of years of penance,
Of Greatest Sages, have not exposed
A Glimpse of His Glory,
A tear, A cry, For Help,
From a person, even the most undeserving,
Brings Him running for Help.

Fools talk if the Lord is the Greatest,
Doing petty comparisons.He Blesses even them.
People say He is revealed only by Vedas,
While the Vedas themselves stand,Awed,
By His Glory,
Ashamed of not being able to portray

A ray of His Grace.

There is no need for Mantras
Nor Tantras, Nor Yantras.
All that is needed,I assert,
Is a heart that yearns for His Grace.
Fear Not.
Call Him once.
And make Him yours.

Sri Subrahmanyoham
Sriram V Iyer

PS:- Image Attribution: Copyrighted to Himalayan Academy Publications, Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii.