How Gita Works At the Workplace

All that Krishna says to Arjuna is: Be efficient at work. How to be efficient at work is what the Gita is all about for it is the science of action. So the workplace is where it is most relevant.

You have many roles in life, and one of them is as worker. You can act only one role at a time. Do never go at two or more roles at a time. Give your full to the role you act at the time. That way you give maximum justice to the role you act at the time. That is vyavasaya buddhi, which is Gita’s term for dedication. When you act one role, whatever role, bring your vyavasaya buddhi to samadhi, concentration, and that is efficiency.

The role of Arjuna in the war field is just to fight—giving his full to it, giving maximum justice to his role. When he acts the role of the fighter he should not share the concerns of his other roles—father, brother, son, son-in-law, nephew or any other. If he does, it is like splitting himself into many roles at a time and thus diluting his vyavasaya buddhi. Diluted dedication is inefficiency. When you act the role of the fighter, be just the fighter and not the father, brother or any other. When you act the role of the worker, be just the worker and not the father, mother, husband, wife or any other.

The weak-minded cannot dedicate himself to the role he plays at the time and concentrate. He gets distracted. That is Arjuna’s problem. So to be efficient at work, cultivate strong-mindedness.

Unconcern for the fruits of action is not an unearthly ideal; it is just part of efficiency at work. When the fruits of action weigh heavy upon you, you are distracted and your dedication is unsteady. You do not do justice to your role. Thoughts of returns should not burden your actions. A mother who doubts that her children, when grown up, might not reciprocate her love and care cannot love and care them with motherly vyavasaya buddhi. A farmer who doubts that he might not reap profit from his crops cannot farm with complete dedication and do justice to his role.  An employee who bellyaches over his pay cannot give his full to his work and do justice to his role.

Only those who work unconcerned with fruits can work with complete dedication and do justice to their roles. So cultivated this attitude. Do not look at the returns. Just love your work and do it lovingly, just for the pleasure of doing. Even when working for wages, don’t equate yourself with the wages. Stand above wages. Let not thought of wages weigh you down.

Think plenty before plunging. Once plunged, swim come what may. Let not the thought of gain or loss or success or failure distract you. It is important that you play the game well. Give no care to win or defeat. Keep your spirits high. Don’t trade it off for the fruits of work.

If you act just for the boss in the workplace, you cannot act your role with dedication. Act not for the boss in the cabin but for the Great Boss within—the Spectator-I. Krishna says, act always with me in mind. And when you act with Him in mind, He will take care of the fruits—

yogakshemam vahamyaham.

 By: K M Gupta