First work as worship and commitment to fundamental duties; only then academics and Human Rights!
Sunil Kumar is currently member, managing committee, Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi. An engineer and project manager trained at Vickers Armstrong Engineers and Babcox & Wilcox, UK, he is a former general manager of The Projects and Equipment Corporation of India, Ministry of Commerce and Consultant, NIDC, Ministry of Industry. Sunil has been member of a high-power government committee for value orientation in Planning Commission and In-charge of Value Education Programmes of Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi. He has written books on Vedanta, managerial effectiveness – Indian Insights, human values, etc. His passion lies in applying Indian wisdom & Vivekananda's principles to managerial situations. His vision and managerial expertise led to the setting up of a unique PGDBM Management Institute in Delhi, called SriSIM, of which he was a Founder Trustee and Professor and which offered education in Indian ethos based Management. He is currently taking the message of Vedanta-centric human development to public servants through programs on 'Ethics in Governance. LESS ... MORE
A stone falls and we ask why: This question is possible only on the supposition that in this world, nothing happens without a cause. Let's reflect on the learnings from Vivekananda's talks on practical Vedanta and Karma Yoga. The foundation of Indian 'composite culture', is based on the scientific reality that in this vast universe of 'space-time-causality', we're prisoners of the unforgiving law of 'karma', of cause and effect', i.e. 'every action, work, karma (choices-motives-thoughts-actions) has equal and opposite effect, result (also 'karma' or karma-phala). Thus, in this world, we're all slaves to our respective 'karma' and its fruits; as we sow, good or bad', we shall reap 'happiness or miseries'.
How to escape to Freedom from this cycle of slavery to 'karma'? God resides in every being; learn to see and serve God in every being; … this is the core of our civilizational work culture and essence of all education and religions. If we practice this attitude of work as worship of God in man, we will purify our mind and 'know' the truth of truth, ourselves.
2. The basic human problem: – As we're, we somehow never feel adequate, complete, fulfilled! Of course, in many moments we certainly do feel content, satisfied, not needing anything else (and 'sleep' is one such state) but the very next moment, we feel incomplete and once again willy nilly have to 'work' to re-gain (religion) and re-unite (yoga) with a state of 'Completeness! And by work, karma, we mean our actions and its fruits externally and as karma-phala, as impressed in our mind, which then gives rise to all our sukha-dukkha, joys-miseries.
During growing up we must learn, reflect and recognize that all 'work' in life is a struggle to re-gain and re-unite, i.e. be 'Complete', fulfilled, blissful. And, work, when done as 'yoga', (union, re-unite, re-gain, as worship) can lead to being complete, fulfilled.
3. Ideal attitude towards work: Yudhishthira tells his wife, in the epic Mahabharat, which depicts the historical background of ancient India: Behold, my queen, the Himalayas, how grand and beautiful they are; I love them. They do not give me anything, but my nature is to love the grand, the beautiful, therefore I love them. Similarly, I love the Lord. He is the source of all beauty, of all sublimity. He is the only object to be loved; my nature is to love Him, and therefore I love. I do not pray for anything; I do not ask for anything. Let Him place me wherever He likes. I must love Him for love's sake. I cannot trade in love.
And what is his nature? He is everywhere, the pure and formless One, the Almighty and the All merciful. And how to worship, reach out, attain Him? Through love. 'He is to be worshiped as the One beloved, dearer than everything in this and the next life.' A man ought to live in the world — his heart to God and his hands to work – work as a karma yogi, fulfil your duties, work for good of society – work selflessly for love's sake.
4. Unless we are first taught and learn to fulfil our duties, can we expect Fundamental Human Rights in society. Academia must teach, inculcate, evaluate based on both 'Knowledge' and 'Application of Knowledge in Work', i.e. commitment to Fundamental Duties, righteous conduct etc. We are all aware that there is a wide-spread crisis of character, inefficiencies, corruption and selfishness in Work. Who all are responsible for failure?
4.1 Religions and Preachers, for dividing people into 'my religion' versus 'your religion', focusing on rituals etc. that divide, but failing to unite and work together with other religions and academia to produce the 'good' who strive to become good and better towards 'best', working for good of society as a whole.
4.2 Teachers and Academia, for failing to understand that mere Knowing theory isn't good enough without learning how apply it in work. Academia has failed to focus on training, disciplining, and building powers of mind thru' Self-development processes available as Life-skills to be committed to selfless duties and quality and excellence in work.
4.3 Politics and governance, for not creating systems for ensuring that citizens are committed to the Fundamental Duties and to working together for good of society. Instead, they are dividing people into 'my party, my vote-bank' versus 'your party, your vote-bank' and not focusing on bringing people together as parties of 'Cooperation', not parties of 'Opposition'. We have allowed people to rise to their levels of incompetence. We have failed to create systems where the 'Result-producers' have total responsibility for results and payments are linked to results. As education and governance, we've curbed the entrepreneurship spirit of our karma-yogi Result-producers and skilled workforce, who had once made India the sone-ki-chidiya.
5. We must understand that Work can never make us 'Complete': Now that we're talking of public servants as karma yogis, it is necessary that academia must plan how we may ensure that every citizen is educated, preached, taught the idea that as Self, we're all One and only by selflessly working for good of all, can we expand our mind from selfishness to feel one with more and more to experience the truth that as Spirit, Self, we're all One; there's no other! Governance must ensure that we recruit those for professional and leadership positions who have a proven record of commitment and ability to selflessly work for the long-term good of all.
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