96 Joshi - Bedekar College, Thane / website : www.vpmthane.org Nishkam Karma Prof. Ms. Chhaya Kore Dept. of Philosophy Nishkam Karma is the concept of the Bhagvad Gita. The Bhagavad-Gita emphasizes the performance of duties in life without any desire for fruits and without attachment, aversion and other selfish emotion. “ Duty ought to be performed for the sake of Duty” H$_©Ê`oodm{YH$mañVo _m \$bofw H$XmMZŸ& _m H$_©\$bhoVw^©y_m© Vo g§Jmo@ñËdH$_©{U && One has a right to do one’s duty but has no claim or control over the result. The fruit of work should not be your motive act with an attitude of non-attachment to the result (i.e. fruit of action) It involves activism – Action is better than inaction. Life depends upon action. Performance of duties is better than renunciation of action. Karma yoga – is the discipline of practising detachment while working in the world. Vivekananda says Karmayogi is one who need not run away from this world. Man has to remain in the world, in the midst of good and evil, pain and suffering temptation of beauty, wealth & pleasure., yet remain unattached with them, he has to work. One must learn to control desires – Bad desires, thought and consequently actions can be controlled. Mahatma Gandhi says that it is necessary for an individual to engage himself in eradicating the evils of society for the restoration of an ethical universe. We can do this by controlling our passions, emotions, desires & feelings by rational thinking. Positive values need to be acquired. One must control physical i.e. material pleasure. One ought to know what is enough i.e. one must know where to stop. Exploitative tendencies should be changed. Society should be based on two-way traffic i.e. give & take. According to the Gita one must engage in action but not be concerned about the fruits of action. The word “concern” implies anxiety for the fruits of action i.e. he has set his mind on a particular type of outcome or result to meet his desire. If one thinks of success or failure, profit-loss, fame-obscurity. While performing action, it means that his mind is wavering instead of concentrating on the action. He is worried of the outcome of action. Such an attitude is not the attribute of balanced or peaceful mind. It lacks concentration and is incapable to produce the best result. Thus work (i.e. action) & result are 2 separate realms. Gita is not for elimination or suppression of all desires. It is also not for renunciation or rejection of life. It is for reconstruction or readjustment of life in general with the help of control of desires. National Seminar on Indian Philosophy: It’s Relevance in the 21st Century - 18th & 19th January, 2008.