Sharing Sanjivani (Sanjivani - Life Saving Herb)

Chapter (54) What is the NIYAT-destined karma?

(54) What is the NIYAT-destined karma?

        ‘’Niyat  kuru karma tvam’’

        Do your ‘Destined karma’ –the order is given to Arjun by Lord Shri Krishna. It is not possible for a person to complete all the karma suggested by Shastras in a single life. But a person can avoid ‘forbidden karma’ in his life as suggested in shastra. Karma full of vices as telling lies, stealing anybody’s land or property cheating and killing anybody for selfish purpose or having lustful desire to snatch away anybody’s wife. When a person tries to avoid all these negative and forbidden karma, he automatically turns to ‘Destined karma’ as ordered by God and he could follow Shastras.

According to Shastra ,whatever ‘Destined karma’ is allotted to a person by his birth is ‘Niyat’ karma. A baby born in a kshytriya dynasty has to perform war and kill enemies to protect and guard his own people and save country and a baby born in a Brahmin family has to learn Vedas, Purans and Shastras and show the world righteous path because it is his Niyat karma by God. When a person avoid ‘forbidden karma’ as guided by Shastra he automatically turns his skills in his ‘Niyat Destined karma’ like doing business, constructing houses or rearing animals. All these Niyat karma are allotted to person according to his caste, creed, nature and situations in which he born. Hence Arjun has to fight because he born in a kshyatriya family. Fighting is a notorious karma and related with violence hence killing or injuring enemies on the battle field is a natural act. But because Arjun born in a kshyatriya family to protect people and save the country from the enemies is his duty and while performing his duty on the battle field he has to be involved in violence. But this ‘violence’ is not a forbidden karma’ for a kshyatriya it is his destined karma-Niyat karma hence he has to do his duty .Niyat karma is the similar word used for Swa-dharma.

Duryodhann was also born in a kshyatiya family and hence to get involved in war was also a Niyat-  destined karma for him by birth. But the intention of Duryodhan is full of malice. He wanted to snatch away land and property of his young brothers and he had bad intentions for the wife of a younger brother and hence his involvement in war is not ‘Sva-Dharma’. He has to get involved in violence only to protect his people and to save the country from the enemies. But here he makes all the relatives and soldiers involve in war for the fulfillment of his own personal greed and lust, jealousy and envy and hence to perform war is not ‘Swa-Dharma’ for him though it is a destined karma for him. For Duryodhan to get involved in war is not lawful karma or religious karma.

Lord Krishna explains Arjun that he should do his ‘Sahaj’ and ‘Niyat’ karma instead of avoiding them because if he does not do his ‘natural’ and destined karma, he would be guilty for the non-performance of his duty as a kshyatriya. Even if Arjun does not perform his duty ,his relation with the karma would remain as it is because he could not abandon his relatives, Gurus, friends or enemies .He could not abandon attachment to the people of his country and he would feel guilty if he could not protect them from the unjust rule of Duryodhan. Hence Lord Krishna advises Arjun to perform his duties instead of abandoning Niyat-destined karma as a kshyatriya.

Lord Krishna advises Arjun to perform his duties and to do his Niyat karma selflessly and without having attachment or anger, jealousy and envy for his opponents. When he could be detached from all the feelings and do his destined karma, he would be free from the worldly physical relations with them. It is essential to do destined karma as it is ordered by God. It is destined by one’s birth and caste, his parents and his past deeds and hence until a person performs his “Niyat karma’ he could not make himself free from the bondage of relations.

        Moreover Lord Krishna explains Arjun that he has to perform his ‘Destined karma’ for his existence and the fulfillment of all the worldly necessities. Every person has to learn and earn, eat and sleep, protect and guard his dependents and his family members. If he does not do his ‘Destined Karma’ he would turn to negative and forbidden karma as stealing and snatching others’ property or he would be lazy and he would waste his time in sleep and non performance of his duties. Hence it is better to be free from all the relation by performing ’Niyat –destined karma instead of avoiding karma and its different forms. Because the relation with the karma is unavoidable and it connects a person with desires and passion, favor and non favor and positive and negative fruits of all the karmas whether he is performing his duties or not performing his duties.

Hence Lord Krishna advises Arjun to abandon desire of winning or fear of losing and just to perform his duties as destined by his birth to be free from the bondage of relations .When a person follows ‘Gyanyoga’ he could make him free because of ‘Awakening of consciousness’ in the same way when a person follows ‘Karmayoga’ he could make him free from the bondage of relations only by performing his karma selflessly and without expecting anything in return for the welfare of all livings.

‘Karmayogi’ thinks his body as an instrument to serve the world and hence he remains detached from his body as his own property and his physical body performs duties but his spiritual body does not get involved in the bondage of any karma. Karma yogi makes unification with spiritual eternity through his spiritual body. A ‘Gyanyogi’ unifies himself with eternal Brahma.

Now let’s understand what distracts us from our destined karma and why do we avoid performing our destined role selflessly?