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As
Remembered by His Disciple Swami Kriyananda
from
Chapter Twelve:
The Nature of Right Action
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(2:40)
In this path (of yoga action) there is no danger of "unfinished
business," nor are there latent within it the opposite,
canceling effects of duality. Even a little practice of this
religion will free one from dire fears and colossal sufferings
(which are inherent in the unceasing cycles of death and rebirth).
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It
is important to realize that in yoga practice as well, of course,
as in any sincere search for God (the one Self, beyond all duality),
there is no wasted effort, and no karmic rebound. There is, in other
words, no "catch" to seeking God. With any other effort,
no matter how glorious the consequences, it is always legitimate
to ask, "What's wrong with it?" Only with the divine search
is the answer a resounding, "Nothing's wrong!" Even to
fail in this quest brings only good karma.
Think
of other fulfillments in life. Fame? One famous man said, "I
enjoyed fame at first, but it wasn't long before it turned to ashes.
Now, it means nothing to me."
Money?
Howard Hughes, the wealthiest man in the world at the time he lived,
was asked if he'd found happiness. Hughes responded in bitter tones,
"No, I can't say I've found happiness."
Human
love? What a compromise is the most beautiful love story with
infinite, divine love, which the soul experiences at the end of
its search for God!
Power?
Joseph Stalin, the all-powerful dictator of Russia's Soviet Union,
was virtually mad toward the end of his life, fearing that everyone
around him wanted to encompass his destruction.
Knowledge?
Look at the dry faces, the furrowed brows, the bent shoulders of
people who have pursued intellectual knowledge all their lives.
Hear the brittleness in their voices!
No,
nothing on earth brings lasting fulfillment. And even if a few people
seem to have found fulfillment for a time, none would say that what
they've attained is the summum bonum of life. In only one field
does perfect unanimity exist: in the search for God, and especially
in those who have found Him. In every religion, in every country,
in every people, those who have found God are in complete agreement:
This is the goal of all human striving. Without exception, those
who have found Him have willingly accepted any persecution-even
painful death-to bring this realization to their fellowman. God,
they know, is the only worthwhile goal in life.
Yet, how
often those who seek Him are ridiculed-and worse than ridiculed!
Later
on in the Gita, Krishna answers beautifully, in words full of hope,
the question put to him by Arjuna: "What happens to those who
fail?" Already in the present stanza Krishna is saying, "No
effort on the path to God is ever wasted." This is not to say
that there cannot be wrong practices in the service of God. When
people practice yoga (or other forms of religion) with wrong or
self-serving motives-whether to develop spiritual powers, or to
obtain control over others-they must pay the karmic price, for they
have devoted their energies to dualistic ends, and must accept the
consequences of pitting their own energies against the energies
of others. When there is pure longing for truth and God, however,
this stanza of the Gita offers a shining reassurance for everyone.
To
desire salvation sincerely, even once, is to enter upon the path
to eventual freedom. For all desires must be fulfilled. Even so,
this one desire, once entrenched in the heart, cannot but lead eventually
to liberation.
Thus,
this passage contains one of the most deeply inspired and inspiring
passages in all scripture.
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