Dear Sir,
Pranams
I am one of the ardent Rasika of your snippets and such clippings , from the day one I joined Sadgoshti
I refer to
" Be optimistic and expect favourable outcome in every situation "
This statement is a brain child of modern optimists , but does not work. It leads to disappointments and distress and stress.
The word that does the above is "EXPECT"
The book "UPADESA SAARA a small concise book , Ramana Maharishis work and further simplified by Swami Tejomayananda of Chinmaya mission.
I just bring forth the essence
1) All actions are INERT (KARMATA JADAM) . They are confined to Time limit space etc
2) Results of the actions are NOT GOVERNED BY ACTIONS OR THE DOER ( This is where the Expectations are proved wrong). This
applies to the actions done in a best possible way
3) Other problem is Ocean of actions and IMPERMANENT RESULTS ( Best example a person sueing a case in COURT , Alternate swings of judgements at every upper court , and many more in life )
4) CAN WE THEN SIT ALOOF , INACTION
5)
A BIG NOOOOOOOO , It is better to be ignorant of 1/2/3/ and do actions as usual then to be INACTIVE , When we all have BAGS OF DESIRES UNFULFILLED , THIS WILL LEAD TO PUTRIFICATION VERY DANGEROUS
6) The sadhak becomes impatient now , WHAT SHOULD I DO THEN , Now Comes the solution
SOLUTION
A) PERFORM YOUR ACTION , DEDICATING IT TO THE SUPREME LORD ( OR ANY ISHTA DAIVAM ONE HAS ) . DO ACTIONS WITHOUT KARTRUTVA BHAVAM ( That is try to eliminate I am the doer , Notion that comes out of AHAMKARAM Or Ego)
B) UNDERSTAND CLEARLY THAT RESULTS OF ACTIONS EMANATE FROM THAT LORD ONLY
C) DO
NOT BREED EXPECTATIONS EITHER BAD OR GOOD . The reason is , When Man performs actions he has the bad habit of either Brooding over FUTURE ( EXPECTATIONS OR ANXIETY ) or worrying about the PAST . This drinks an enermpus amount of MENTAL ENERGY that is required by the MIND AND INTELLECT in the PRESENT TIME to PERFORM A QUALITY ACTION.
D) WHATEVER ERSULTS EMANATE , TAKE IT WITH A PRASADAM ATTITUDE
GITA CHAPTER 14
KARMANA SUKRUTAM SYAHUH
SATVIKAM NIRMALAM PHALAM
RAJASASTHU PHALAM DHUKAM ( Obviously when EXPECTATION OF A 40% annual INCREMENT is shattered by a TRANSFER TO a place 5000KM From home with a meagre increment of 10% , Just for example )
AGNYANAM THAMASA PHALAM ( This is the gross PROCRASTITAION DELAY ETC , Leads to Ignorance )
TASMAT
Be optmistic , by representing the SUPREME LORD in all your actions , performing them with an attitude of , its my duty as an
instrument to the lord to perform , and accept any outcome as HIS PRASAAD
( In one of the small temples in Bangalore , when I visited as a Bachelor boy working in Larsen and Toubro , every day the Prasadam offered at Random would vary with no pattern . Did not the people accept the VARIOUS PRASADAM LADDU , MURUKKU OR MYSORE PAAK , BHEDA AT Times , that is the attitude Shri Ramana , the GITA Etc recommend us for PRASADAM Of actions also
Thats my humble view.
Regards
Ravi Srinivasan