| Discourses On Gita By Acharya Vinoba Bhave |
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| Discourses On Gita |
| THE TEACHING IN BRIEF : SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND EQUANIMITY |
| 14.
"Don't hanker after the fruit," says the Gita. But it also
insists that you should act with full energy and skill. The action
of the person who acts without desire should be much better than
that of the person who acts with desire. The later is attracted to
the fruit, and a part, much or little, of his time and attention
will, of course, be spent on thought and dreams of the fruit. But
all the time and all the strength of the man who has no desire for
the fruit is devoted to the action. The river takes no rest, the
wind knows no fatigue, and the sun can only shine and shine forever.
The disinterested doer, too, cannot but render unremitting service.
What action then can equal that of
the man who thus always rejoices in action? Also, balance of mind is
itself a noble quality, and this, one might say, comes to the
disinterested doer in his own right. If, in a work of art, besides
dexterity and skill of hand, there is also mental poise, we see in
it a greater beauty expressed. " Because of this, it does not
appear to him a moral lapse if his attention strays a little from
the work. At most, it seems to him an error in execution. But the
worker without desire for the fruit feels in relation to his work a
sense of moral duty. So with concentration, he takes care that there
is no shortcoming in his work. His work is more flawless. However
you look at it, renunciation of fruit is the most effective and
noble principle. And so, we may say that renunciation of fruit is yaga,
the art of living. |
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