The Unified Path of Knowledge and Action

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

[Shri J.S.R. Prasad (Professor of Sanskrit, Central University, Hyderabad) asked: In the Yoga Vashishtham (preaching of Vashishtha to Shri Rama), it is told that both knowledge (Jnaanamaarga) and action (Karma maarga) are like the two wings of bird to fly to the spiritual goal. But, Shankara condemned the karma maarga of Mandana Mishra. How to correlate Vashishtha and Shankara?]

Swami replied: Just like Vashishtha, Kumarila Bhatta also told that both Jnaana and Karma are needed side by side in the spiritual effort and this theory is called ‘Jnaana-karma-Samucchaya-vaada. His disciple, Mandana Mishra, took the path of karma maarga only, which is called ‘Puurvamiimaamsaa,’ which is stressing on karma (work done with aspiration for worldly fruits) only. If you take Shankara, He stressed on Jnaana (theoretical enquiry and theoretical devotion to God) only. Hence, Shankara and Mandana Mishra are exactly opposite to each other whereas, Vashishtha and Kumarila Bhatta are in the intermediate state accepting both Jnaana and Karma. This is the conflict that comes to our mind.

The whole confusion is created because the word Karma has two meanings:- 1) Action (may be worldly work or God’s practical worship) related to aspiration of worldly fruits and 2) Action related to the service of God without aspiring any fruit in return. The meaning of the word karma as taken by Mandana Mishra is the first one (worldly work). The meaning taken by Vashishtha and Kumarila Bhatta is second one (God’s service without aspiration for any fruit in return). Therefore, the meaning of the word karma in the second sense is not against the path of Shankara (Jnaana). Hence, the action involved in the path of Shankara is related to God and not related to the world. The action done (karma) in the second sense is a part of Jnaanamaarga of Shankara only. If you take the worldly work (aspiring worldly fruits), such Karma is against the Jnaanamaarga of Shankara. If the service to God (karma in the second sense) is absent, Jnaanamaarga is incomplete and useless like a human body without life. If you show theoretical love only to your wife praising her beauty and good qualities always, will she love you if your practical love (like purchasing some flowers for her for decoration of hair) is totally absent? Similarly, if you know all the theoretical details with perfect analysis about God (Jnaanamaarga) using your intelligence and if you confine to prayers to God through mind (theoretical devotion) only, the spiritual effort is useless since the practical proof (Karma Yoga) is absent, which (karma yoga) is of two sub-divisions (1. Karma Samnyaasa or service and 2. Karmaphala Tyaaga or sacrifice of fruit earned by hard work). The theoretical devotion is cheating God only since it is called prostitution-devotion or Veshyaa Bhakti. In this, only theoretical devotion aspiring practical fruits, is expressed by the devotee without a trace of practical devotion. A prostitute also is expressing theoretical love to the customer aspiring money from his pocket without giving a single rupee to the customer. Due to the absence of practical proof, which is action or karma, this devotion is the worst devotion. Theoretical knowledge (knowing the correct details of God with the help of analysis) and theoretical devotion (praising God through prayers) become invalid in the absence of the practical proof or karma. Even the Karma Yoga (practical service done to God) becomes useless if it is done for worldly fruits and such devotion is Vaishyaa bhakti (business done with God aspiring for practical worldly fruits in exchange of practical devotion of the devotee). The Jnaanamaarga of Shankara includes theoretical knowledge (Jnaana), theoretical devotion (Bhakti) and practical proof or action (Karma). Shankara wrote commentaries (Jnaana) and several devotional prayers (Bhakti). Along with these two, Shankara performed the third step called Karma Yoga by wandering throughout the country doing God’s work. Apart from service, He also did sacrifice of fruit of work (by getting the golden fruits rained from sky due to His prayer called Kanakadhaaraa and by donating all the fruits to a poor devotee). Hence, Shankara did both service and sacrifice (which are the two parts of Karma Yoga) while staying in the path of Jnaana. The service work done by Shankara is not worldly work, but God’s work (matkarma paramo bhava – Gita).

Therefore, if you keep the two meanings of the word karma in your view, this confusion disappears. The karma followed by Mandana Mishra is worldly work (first sense) in which the rituals (God’s worship) are done by Yajna or action (karma) with the worldly aspirations like heavenly pleasures. This karma followed by Mandana Mishra is not the work related to God as divine service without aspiration for any fruit. The work of divine service is called Karma Yoga and the worldly work is called karma for convenience and clarification to avoid this confusion. The word Yoga always denotes association with God. Hence, God recommended for the path of Jnaana (Saamkhya) denying sacrifice of total work (karma yogovishishyate, na karmanaamanaarambhaat etc... - Gita). If one does the God’s work only, the worldly actions and the worldly fruits will not bind him since he is not doing the worldly work (kurvannapi na lipyate – Gita, na karma lipyate...– Veda). When God told that total work shall not be left, the word Karma Samnyaasa is used (tayostu karma samnyaasaat). We have taken the meaning of the word Samnyaasa in the sense of attachment and have used this word (Karma Samnyaasa) in the sense of attachment to God’s work. God Krishna has used the word Samnyaasa in the sense of detachment. Both attachment and detachment can be the meanings of the word Samnyaasa, which means attachment to God and detachment from world.

Both service and sacrifice are achieved by doing either of them! If a person does service to God, he has also done the sacrifice of fruit of work because, in that time he might have done worldly work and might have earned worldly fruit. Since by God’s work, such worldly fruit is sacrificed, by such God’s work sacrifice of worldly fruit is done for God in the effective sense. Similarly, if a person sacrifices now the fruit of his past worldly work (done in the time of ignorance) for God’s service, it means his past worldly work is treated as God’s work (karmajam buddhi yukata hi, phalamtyaktvaa...– Gita) in the effective sense. This is one shot-two birds! We have favoured the word Karma Samnyaasa for God’s work because a saint can do only service and not sacrifice of fruit of work. The word Samnyaasa indicates the saint, who can do service only, not sacrifice of fruit of work. Hence, such usage of the word by us shall not be mistaken as the opposition to the usage of the word (Samnyaasa) by God Krishna. The worldly work done by devotee to maintain his or her life and the lives of his or her devoted family members shall be included under God’s work only (shariirayatraapi cha…, Niyatasya tu samnyaasah… Gita). The devotee shall not marry an atheist, who will hinder the spiritual progress of the devotee. The devotee shall always try to improve the devotion of his or her family members to get cooperation from the family. God’s work (or worship) done aspiring worldly fruits is worldly work only and not God’s work. Similarly, worldly work (niyata karma) done for maintaining the body (including family) for the sake of God’s work is God’s work only and not the worldly work (karmanyakarma... - Gita).

We must understand clearly the philosophy of Kumarila Bhatta in which both Jnaana and Karma are recommended in the spiritual effort. There is no contradiction in this philosophy if you take the meaning of the word karma in the second sense (God’s work), in which case karma becomes final part of Jnaanamaarga. If you take the meaning of the karma in the first sense (as worldly work), then only contradiction comes. There is a path of the same philosophy in which the word karma is taken in the sense of worldly work and at the same time, the same worldly work is made as the earlier part of spiritual effort. This is done in this way – every soul is attracted to God by projecting God as the giver of worldly fruits. This attraction to worldly fruits is exploited to attract the human being to God in the early stage. Later on, the soul is gradually detached from the worldly fruits feeling that the worldly fruits are illusory and then slowly comes to God’s worship without aspiring worldly fruit (naastyakrutah kruteneti– Veda). Based on this policy only, the Veda speaks about God’s worship for attaining worldly fruits (kaamya yajna). Such type of initial defect is allowed by saying that the fire is covered with smoke in the beginning stage (sarvaarambhaa hi... – Gita). This is like a worldly example –the child going to LKG class is attracted by a chocolate given to attend the school every day since the child can’t be attracted by the knowledge of teaching in school in such early stage. When the child becomes a PG student, the student is very much attracted to knowledge and hence, chocolate is dropped. This path is followed by the Veda in introducing worship of God for worldly boons in the beginning and later on, introducing worship of God without aspiration for any fruit while dealing with the Upanishats in the final stage. Actually, this path is utter failure as we can observe today. Today, the PG student is also demanding for chocolate. Even in the oldest age, the soul is bothered about worldly fruits only (vruddhastaavatchintaasaktah). Hence, if you take Jnaana-Karma Samucchaya Vaada as following both Jnana and Karma (karma as God’s service), this theory is perfectly correct. Shankara condemned this theory also because the word karma in this theory is taken in the first sense, which is that karma means worldly work. Even if it is God’s service done aspiring the worldly fruits, such God’s service also becomes worldly work. The word karma is complicated having different senses related to different contexts (gahanaa karmano gatih– Gita). When God told that devotees like King Janaka got salvation by karma only (karmanaiva hi samsiddhim, aasthitaajanakaadayah– Gita). King Janaka was always involved in spiritual debates and once he told that if his city is burnt, he is not bothered at all (mithiliyaam pradagdhaayaam na me kimchana dahyate). If he is in the worldly work (if you take karma as worldly work), which is doing the administration of kingdom, he would not have told like this!

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