(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

Do Your Duty Without Any Expectations & Treat Equally joy & Sorrow

सुखदु:खे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ |
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि || 2.38||

sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau
tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi|| 2.38||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 2- Ver. 38:

Fight for the sake of duty, treating joy and sorrow, loss and gain, success and defeat in the same way. You will never sin if you carry out your responsibilities in this manner.

Explanation

Shree Krishna now dives further into the science of work, having motivated Arjun on a more commonplace level. Arjuna had stated his concern about sinning by killing his enemies. This fear is addressed by Shree Krishna. He tells Arjuna to do his duty and not be concerned with the results of his deeds. With this attitude towards duty/work, he will be free of any wicked reactions.

We create karmas when we operate for selfish reasons, and these karmas have karmic consequences. However, if we abandon selfish motives, our activities will no longer result in karmic consequences. Shree Krishna instructs Arjuna to become unconcerned about the outcome and concentrate solely on his duties. When he battles with equanimity, treating victory and defeat, pleasure and suffering equally, he will never sin, even if he kills his opponents.

Act. Refrain from reacting. When your intellect is in command of your personality, this is achievable. It is the mind that becomes captivated, involved, and unbalanced. Develop your mental faculties. This is what gives rise to human life. If the mind has the upper hand, you will lead an animalistic existence. Learn how to derive satisfaction from the act of doing something. The fruit is then yours. You don’t have to beg for attention from the rest of the world. The best people simply performed what needed to be done, with no regard for the outcome. Many people were only compensated after they died.

Worship is doing what you should do to the best of your ability without being polluted by previous desires or future anxiety. Then life becomes thrilling and fascinating. While the mind is at ease, the body is working hard. Vasanas are reduced as a result of this. The majority of individuals do the exact opposite their minds are upset, and their bodies are fatigued and lethargic. Vasanas increase in number.

Unfulfilled desire causes mental restlessness. Unfulfilled desire causes mental turbulence, which is referred to as stress. You make matters worse by attributing the source of your problem to someone external. As a result, assess the situation. Accept the fact that the disease is internal. There are no exterior modifications that will make the pain go away. Then seek the appropriate treatment. Otherwise, you will continue to grumble about the world for the rest of your life.

One of the most essential shlokas in the second chapter, if not the entire Gita, is this one. In essence, Shri Krishna advised Arjuna to maintain equanimity, or an “even keel” mindset, in all situations in life, not only in battle. We experience joy, grief, success, defeat, gain, and loss daily, if not multiple times a day. And each time we come across one of these circumstances, we are affected emotionally and occasionally physically. He just lays forth the ultimate objective for us here equanimity or handling every situation in life equally and without becoming irritated.

Verse & what we can learn

Fulfilling one’s duties and responsibilities without expecting the outcome and maintaining a balanced state of mind while experiencing profit and loss, joy and sorrow, success and failure, acting and not reacting, is the mantra to lead a peaceful life and this is possible only through practicing meditation daily.

Meditation helps us evolve beyond dualities and helps us achieve a balanced state of mind and do duties without any expectations. There are many types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There are also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

From the next verse, Lord Shri Krishna takes Arjuna to the next level from knowledge to action.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…