WORK THAT LIBERATES

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

99. WORK THAT LIBERATES
Of the millions and billions of people in this world, most are engaged in work of some sort.
Most are driven by the necessity to work; they have a wife, children, sick mother. Some engage in
activity because they obtain great satisfaction; they are contributing something to the forward
movement of the world. Still others work compulsively; their nature is full of restlessness. Some,

like Mother Teresa, work tirelessly because they are moved by the pain and suffering of others. And
a rare few, like Ananda Mai Ma, are constantly on the move but with only one intent, to share their
joy with others, to make all happy.
But some work as a means of spiritual evolution. They know that they need to round off
their angularities, polish up their personality, eliminate defects and drawbacks, correct their errors,
generate right motivation and gradually go beyond desire and selfishness by engaging in the field of
practical, evolutionary karma yoga. In all their work, their ultimate desire and intention is only
God, not self nor anything in this world. Their work does not have a direct connection with
something in this world of things and enjoyment. Their work is invisibly connected with the
Supreme Reality.
Their work is of a different quality. It is not worldly; it is not mundane. There is no desire
behind it, but there is aspiration behind it. It is part of their evolutionary effort. It is a part of their
sadhana. They are always alert and vigilant that imperfection may not creep into their work, that
something undesirable, unspiritual, that goes in a direction contrary to the Divine, does not come
into their work.
So, they are workers who seek to evolve through work. Therefore, they are also keenly
self-analytical. Such work liberates because it is directed towards God, the highest goal of human
existence. Such work liberates because it is not desire-driven; there is no greed behind it. Such work
liberates because it is done with a spirit of adoration and worshipfulness where the presence of God
is the essence of the matter. They work feeling that God is present here, now, and this is an offering
to Him, another external way in which I adore Him. Thus their work is spiritualised, it is
God-oriented. It is infilled with a certain knowledge and a certain bhava.
In addition, there are certain other activities that are unavoidable: eating to appease hunger,
drinking to allay thirst, working in order to look after the stern, irreducible physical needs of the
body—washing clothes, cooking, bathing. Even the sages who have realised the Self engage in
these. Ramana Maharshi used to help cut vegetables in the kitchen. Gurudev attended to all manner
of office work.
These are all forms of work which do not come under the category of deliberate activity or
desire-driven activity. They are activities that cannot be avoided. The bound soul engages in this
work; the liberated saint, sage, seer, engages in this work, because it is unavoidable. But even these
are transformed into yoga, adoration and worship if you lift them up from the physical, material,
earthly plane and place them upon a higher dimension through your bhava: “When I utter speech, it
is Your praise, O Lord. When I move, it is perambulation around You, O Lord. When I sleep I am
deeply one with You; it is samadhi for me,OLord. And whatever acts I do to satisfy my senses is all
adoration, for it is offered to Thee who art enshrined in my heart, O Lord.”
Thus even these unavoidable physical activities, born out of our very nature, are not allowed
to go to waste, are not allowed to be unproductive or useless. Even they are converted into a creative
process of adding on to your spiritual awareness and spiritual movement towards God. Such should
be the ideal of the karma yogi and the devotee.

Those people, however, who in a state of ignorance engage in activity always have within
them a corresponding psychological or mental flux. Sometimes they are elated, sometimes
depressed. Sometimes they are excited, sometimes placid. Sometimes they are very annoyed or full
of tension and anxiety or compulsive drives, sometimes conflicting moods and emotions. Their
psyche is very much involved in an entangled, intricate manner with outer activities.
This is the antithesis of yoga and karma yoga. For they have no counterbalancing, inner
psychological factor where there is a calm in the midst of the storm, where there is absolutely steady
self-abidance in an inner principle not-withstanding all the activities one may engage in. Within
oneself there is serenity, peace, joy, a steady abidance in the Self. Within there is an unassailable
state of equanimity. Even the most hectic outer activity is not allowed to affect the inner
equanimity. There is balance. One abides in peace and serenity, yet one engages in activity.
In very brief aphoristic statements, Lord Krishna advocates this type of activity:
“Remember Me and do your duty.” “Engage in all activity, but abide in Me; be rooted, firmly
established in Me.” “Let there be inner balance.” Thus in various places He opens our eyes to the
possibility of a state where there is absolute quiescence in the midst of activity. There is no inner
agitation, restlessness or excitement. Mind is under the influence of a higher inner state. There is
serenity amidst activity.
This should be practised by all sadhakas and yogis, never allowing any activity to touch the
inner serenity, never allowing even the most hectic, urgent activity to affect the inner abidance of
the self in the Supreme Reality. This should be grasped and applied in one’s day-to-day activity.
Activity may be unavoidable, but being affected by activity and falling into psychological states
that are both upsetting to oneself and to others is avoidable.
“Do your duty free from inner feverishness.” Let there be santi, peace, coolness, an inner,
unassailable serenity and equanimity. This should be the ideal. Then work becomes yoga and not a
factor that changes your direction. Work is no work when perceived with the right perspective and
vision. It is part of bhakti, jnana, vairagya and yoga. It supports them all.
May the art and science of such activity be acquired—karma-kausalam (skill in action). The
centre point of a rapidly revolving wheel is almost stationary. We must, therefore, know that such is
the nature of the work that is required if our life of sadhana is to move towards the Goal and yield
the fruit of illumination, enlightenment and wisdom.
May we give deep thought to this subject of ourselves, our spiritual life and goal and the
irreducible minimum of unavoidable work which we have to engage in. Giving deep thought, we
shall benefit. Gradually we shall acquire the knowledge of how to live and work. And, in and
through such a life of activity, we shall uniformly progress in our yoga.
God bless us all to see clearly the place of work in our life, the goal of work in our life and
the way we should engage in work in our life!