Action is Inevitable
Human existence is fundamentally defined by one core principle - action is inevitable. As long as you are alive, you are compelled to act. Inaction is a path to self-destruction. The law of life declares that none can remain without performing activity.
"Action is the insignia of life. The law of life proclaims that none can remain without performing activity. Everyone is made to act helplessly according to one's own inner temperament."
Just as a stagnant pool becomes filthy, while a running brook remains clear and pure, so too must you adopt the principle of active progression in life. Like the unstoppable river that reaches the ocean, you must persistently pursue the path of action until you attain the ultimate Truth.
The Bhagavad Gita highlights this gospel of karma, the importance of fulfilling your obligatory functions in life. It warns that even maintaining your physical body requires constant activity and exercise. Neglecting this will lead to the deterioration of your health and vitality.
People often detest the idea of physical exercise, preferring instead to indulge in sensual pleasures. They fail to realize that even the enjoyment of sensual pleasures necessitates the proper maintenance of the physical body through regular activity.
Vedanta is unequivocal in its insistence on work, work, and more work. At the same time, it also glorifies the principle of renunciation. This apparent contradiction is resolved when one understands the deeper significance of the gospel of work.
Step 1
True work is founded on the renunciation of the ego. It is the performance of action without the egoistic feeling of "I am the doer." When the body plunges into action while the mind is attuned to a higher ideal, that is the spirit of renunciation in action.
Step 2
A true worker is one who pours out his efforts for a cause beyond his selfish interests. And he does so without any arrogation of personal doership. Such work commands both success and prosperity, as well as peace and bliss. This principle can be practiced in every sphere of life, from the home to the workplace to society at large. There is no need to retreat to the forests to live a life of renunciation.
The idea of working in a spirit of renunciation has often confused people. They either become attached and entangled in their work, or they cowardly escape from it. But you must realize that action is inevitable. You cannot avoid your obligatory functions in life.
The key is to adopt the right attitude towards work. Your motto should be to strive and struggle, not to succeed. Work well accomplished is the joy of life. Success or failure is immaterial. What truly matters is your ability to align your actions with your obligations. The anxiety for enjoying the fruits of your labor must not disturb the course of your action.
"Your business lies in action alone, not in the reward accruing from it. Let not the anxiety for enjoying the fruit disturb the course of your action."
Just be in the struggle. That becomes your bounden duty. Work for work's sake. Learn to be indifferent towards pleasure or pain, joy or sorrow, honor or dishonor that may arise from your actions. Your life is enriched by the accomplishment of right action, rather than by outward success or failure.
So embrace the beauty and grandeur of true work. Shed your worldly motives and desires. Let your actions flow freely, without attachment to their fruits. When you work in this spirit of renunciation, the world will return your courtesy.