YOGA

KARMA
STRESS &
NAMASMARAN

DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR
One of the enigmas of Geeta (Gita) philosophy is
NISHKAMA KARMA, which means action without
expectation of a particular result. This is interpreted
differently and as per one’s convenience; but due to this
there is wide spread confusion and of course; STRESS!

How can you perhaps do anything without expectation of

a result, when you see that everything is associated with
result?

Excepting perhaps involuntary actions and activities during

sleep, every action and its planning are associated with
expectation and anticipation or projection of its result.

It is understandable that if you focus on; or get obsessed by

a particular result or start day dreaming about it; then it can
distract you from the procedural skills and concentration.
Hence one can do away with the obsession.

It is also true that you should not get involved in the result,
because it can disappoint you if you don’t get the expected
result.
This is also fair and pragmatic. It can protect you from
imminent reactive depression or psychiatric maniacal
elation.

But how can you completely forget or get rid of the

thought or idea of the result and its nature? How can you
totally dissociate your vision about the result; from the
action, which is its cause?

While thinking about these questions; suddenly I realized

that even as most actions are associated with results, all the
actions and their results i.e. cause and effect relationship; do
not follow the same logic. This is especially true of subtle
actions; for example, the thinking, feelings and motivations
of different people, which are not describable in terms of
their physicochemical details. Hence the nature of their role;
or their influence, their effects, and their interrelationship/s
can not be defined!

It is true that actions are roughly; and in general; associated

with successes and failures. But the human civilization is
evolution of actions (including the thoughts and feelings and
the vision). As they evolve further; they become subtler and
cosmic.
Their nature and results; can not be qualified or quantified
by routine gauging and assessment. Further, neither the
actions nor the results remain personal or subjective and
hence their “Ownership” or “Credit” ceases completely! So
we no longer remain attached to it. This is NISHKAMA
KARMA!

Geeta (Gita) inspires us for evolution of our actions; from

crudity, tight attachment to or insistence on cause and effect
relationships, arbitrariness and subjectivity; to; subtlety
where subjectivity becomes objective and the procedure
becomes the results. In other words; totally selfless action; is
uniformly enlightened in its conceptualization, beginning,
and end! This is what makes it free of any reactivity to
results!

From yet another angle; when our subjectivity dissolves into

objectivity, the cosmic wisdom flows through us; and hence
we do not do anything or perform any action as individuals.
Hence neither do we claim patent right, or credit for the
action and their success; nor do we get disturbed or hurt by
the failures. One such absolutely evolved action is
NAMASMARAN! NAMASMARAN, which is
remembering one’s true self; (the core of TOTAL STRESS
MANAGEMENT or SUPERLIVING) is an incoming thing!
It is a UNIVERSAL NISHKAMA KARMA; a global
activity inseparably inbuilt with the blossoming of one and
all; through holistic perspective, policies, planning, laws,
rules, conventions; and programs and their execution at all
levels.

From yet another angle, the “soul” or the very purpose of

the actions is ISHWAR (God) and the result is MAYA
(subjective perceptions)! Hence it is taught by most saints
to remember God during every action or rather
remembering God (NAMASMARAN) is the most
important action and the other actions are secondary and
tertiary! Thinking about result is forgetting God and
losing the very purpose or the very core of the actions!

Total Stress Management is like being a king; and it

is NOT merely discussing and gossiping about the
kings, their politics and bravery; or enacting the
role of kings in a drama or movie!

We need not believe or disbelieve in any of this

blindly and impatiently! It is better to accept to
begin with; only provisionally; think over, study
and give TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (the
core of which is NAMASMARAN) a fair trial, if and
when we feel the urge!