Mandalam Musings Day 37- Work - Work and Worship - Work as Worship - Work is Worship-

Mandalam Musings Day 37-

Work - Work and Worship - Work as Worship - Work is Worship-

As a devotee embarks on a spiritual pursuit asking himself the question “who am I?”, he elevates himself with the practice of righteous work, and worship of the higher, simultaneously. Here he balances his work and spiritual pursuits. He may face many tests during this period and he faces them courageously. Until he gets to know the Ayyappa Principle – i.e., That thou Art – "You are That" he keeps searching for liberation, knowingly or unknowingly. This may last one lifetime or several lifetimes for that matter. A sincere seeker is one who does his day to day work in a righteous way, never deviating from Dharma.

Once he establishes in the balancing act of work and worship, he gets better at both and gets in the ‘flow’ of things where his work is no longer a toil, but a natural thing to do. He has no complaints about the work he must do as he sees each step of the work, an opportunity for worshipping the higher.

Once he gets matured in the ‘flow’ of carrying out his work as worship, he gets to the stage where his work and worship merges. Thus every action he undertakes becomes worship to the divine. Here the work is worship and that is the essence of Karma Yoga. He is not concerned about the results of the work as he knows that the results are not in his control. However, he does his work with utmost sincerity and dexterity because that is the only thing, he needs to do willingly. Doing his karma best of his ability is his dharma and he does not stray from it.   

People are confused about this idea of “nishkama karma” literally meaning ‘doing our duty without expecting results’. This does not mean that you work without expecting or accepting the wages for the work done. You work and get your wages, but you leave the results to the natural outcome. The effects of work accomplished, even after getting paid for it, may not be to our liking and you must be open-minded about it without any regrets or complaints. During an action, maintaining a mind anxious about the results will interfere with the quality of work (and results) and hence the importance of the nishkama karma. For example, if you are an office worker, you should serve the office with full sincerity, and get paid the regular salary. But the result of your work despite your sincere effort may not be favorable to you. There are many other factors at work, affecting the result and the message is that one must not be worried about the outcomes. In businesses, an accountant maintains a 'profit and loss' statement as he knows not all transactions are going to be profitable.

The Mandala Vratham takes a seeker through Karma Yoga and at the end of the pilgrimage he is inspired towards the union of Jeevatma (Microcosm) with the Paramatma (Macrocosm). Knowing the essence of ‘me’ as an individual, is the essence of the Lord – That Tvam Asi is the spirit of Jnana Yoga.  It is also important for the seeker to get a grand idea of 'self' at an early stage in life, that he is not a limited entity of ego, but a universal Self with infinite potential. So, parents must take their children to Ayyappa Pooja celebrations locally in their home towns and to Sabarimala Sannidhanam to part take in the experience at a young age. The concept of Tat Tvam Asi must be imparted to the children early so that when they get older the Ayyappa culture will get rooted in them naturally.