Posted on: 23 Feb 2020
[Reply to a question by Shri Phani] Rāja yoga is a type of spiritual path. The word rāja is related to one of the three fundamental qualities called rajas. Rajas is the quality of dynamism and is the basis of work (Rajaḥ karmaṇi...). Yoga means the attainment of the grace of God by pleasing Him. So, rāja yoga means the attainment of God’s grace through work. Work is of two types: (1) worldly work and (2) God’s work. You have to identify, which work is worldly work and which is God’s work. You can attain the grace of God only by doing God’s work. Why should God give you His grace, if you are only doing worldly work and not God’s work? So, you have to clearly differentiate between worldly work and God’s work.
The case of king Janaka, who was administering his kingdom is not very different from the case of an ordinary employee earning his livelihood by doing his professional work. Administering the kingdom was unavoidable for king Janaka. Earning his own livelihood is similarly unavoidable for the employee. The employee might not have sufficient ancestral wealth to meet his livelihood requirements. So, even if such an employee is highly devoted to God, he cannot leave his job, in order to do God’s work. For him, the job is essential for his very survival; to maintain life in his body. If he does not earn and feed himself, life will leave his body! Then, he will not be able to do God’s work, at all! God’s work is the propagation of spiritual knowledge to bring peace in the world. This work pleases God immensely. Hence, in his case, doing the job also becomes part of doing God’s work. In fact, we can directly say that his job is also God’s work. Another employee has sufficient financial support due to a lot of ancestral wealth. If he is still doing a job, it shows that he has a lot of desire to earn more wealth. Mentally, he is not fixed in God completely. Nevertheless, he is doing God’s work in his leisure time. This employee is clearly divided between the world and God. So, his job cannot be considered to be God’s work. He is still attached to the worldly bonds of money and family since he is doing the job to become richer and to make his family richer.
Now let us say that both the employees have got the opportunity to earn some more money by doing some extra worldly work. If they leave God’s work and take up that extra worldly work for earning more, it shows that, for them, the world is greater than God. Such extra worldly work is not rāja yoga. Of course, in the case of the second employee, not only the extra work, but even his regular job is not rāja yoga. If both refuse the extra worldly work, so that God’s work of propagating spiritual knowledge is not affected, the first employee is 100% in God’s work, while the second employee is 50% in God’s work. There is also a third employee, who never cares about God’s work and always craves to do some extra worldly work to become richer and richer and to make even his family richer. Such a person is totally materialistic. He is 100% in worldly work and 0% in God’s work.
A very careful analysis of all parameters is necessary to decide, which work is God’s work and which work is worldly work. Sometimes, a devotee might appear to be very special since he or she is 100% involved in God’s work, by propagating spiritual knowledge, full-time. But looking from outside, you cannot say for certain that he or she is 100% involved in doing God’s work. He might be doing God’s work to earn more money and fame. In that case, all the work he or she is doing for God, actually becomes just worldly work. The external work done by a person cannot simply be classified into God’s work or worldly work, unless the devotee’s mind is internally analysed. What looks like worldly work might actually be God’s work and what looks like God’s work might actually be worldly work. Only the internal intention of the person decides whether the work done by the person is worldly or divine.
King Janaka continued as the king even in his old age because he had no sons and he could not find a proper person to succeed him as king. Moreover, the public was very insistent that only king Janaka should continue as their king. So, the worldly work of administering his kingdom became unavoidable for him. He was forced by the public to continue governing the kingdom. But, as much as possible, he would try to participate in spiritual debates and discussions, in the company of sages. His mind was completely absorbed in God alone. He was totally detached from the administration of the kingdom and with the blessings of God, he was able to rule the kingdom excellently! He was totally detached from the throne and lived like the lotus which grows in a lake without being wetted by the water (Padma patramivāmbhasā—Gita). The sages even tested his detachment. Once when he was participating in a spiritual debate, he was informed that his capital city, Mithilā, had caught fire. Without hesitating, he replied “Let it burn; nothing of mine is burnt” (Mithilāyāṃ pradagdhāyāṃ...). Such kingship of Janaka was treated to be God’s work itself. It was not worldly work. His kingship was in the interest of the good administration of the kingdom, so that sin would remain under control and meritorious deeds would be encouraged. Maintaining justice in this manner gives pleasure to God. His kingship was thus for the pleasure of God. It was not a matter of his personal interest. Doing unavoidable good work in order to bring peace in society is also God’s work. Such unavoidable work should not be given up and it should be treated as part of the propagation of spiritual knowledge (Niyataṃ kuru karma tvaṃ...—Gita).
It is the intention in the mind that decides the true colour of the work. Unless the mind is free of the aspiration for any selfish-fruit in return, the word yoga cannot be used. A person with aspiration in the mind can never be called a yogī (Nahyasaṃnyasta saṅkalpo, yogī bhavati kaścana...—Gita). If a person is not a yogī, he cannot be called a rāja yogi either. It is just as a person who is not a human being, cannot be called a preacher or a Guru! This means that unless your work is directly or indirectly related to God, it cannot be called rāja yoga. Also, even if you are earning your livelihood in order to do God’s work, it is rāja yoga because survival is essential to do God’s work. Finally, if you are doing God’s work, but with the aspiration for some worldly fruit in return, such God’s work is not rāja yoga.
| Shri Dattaswami | Raaja Yoga Rajah karmani Rajayoga Padmapatramivaambhasaa mithilaayaam pradagdhaayaam niyatam kuru karma tvam Nahyasamnyastasamkalpo yogi bhavati kashchana