हरि सर्वोत्तम । वायु जीवोत्तम | श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः
All activity is possible only by the grace of Lord Hari, the Supreme Director of the Universe. As mere actors on the world stage, our part is to play our assigned roles with devotion, accepting Him as the Independent Activator, and then offer our actions back unto Him.
नाहं कर्ता हरिः कर्ता तत्पूजा कर्म चाखिलम् ।
तथापि मत्कृता पूजा तत्प्रसादेन नान्यथा ॥
तद्भक्तिस्तत्फलं मह्यं तत्प्रसादः पुनः पुनः ।
कर्मन्यासो हरावेवं विष्णोस्तृप्तिकरः सदा ॥ ब्रह्मतर्के । -गी.ता.(3/27)
I (अहम्) am not (न) the doer (कर्ता); Hari (हरिः) is the doer (कर्ता); and all action (कर्म च अखिलम्) is worship of Him (तत्-पूजा). Even so (तथा अपि), the worship (पूजा) done by me (मत्-कृता) happens only by His grace (तत्-प्रसादेन), and not otherwise (न-अन्यथा). Devotion to Him (तत्-भक्तिः) and its fruit (तत्-फलम्), that blessing (तत्-प्रसादः), comes to me (मह्यम्) again and again (पुनः पुनः). Thus (एवम्), offering action to Hari (कर्म-न्यासः हरौ) always (सदा) pleases Vishnu (विष्णोः-तृप्ति-करः).
These famous lines are from Brahma Tarka as quoted in Shree Madhvaachaarya’s Bhagavadgeetaa-Taatparya (3.27). In the next verse, Acharya explains the reason:
यस्मात्स्वतन्त्रकर्तृत्वं विष्णोरेव न चान्यगम् ।
तदधीनं स्वतन्त्रत्वं स्वावरापेक्षयैव तु ।
जीवस्य विकृतिर्नाम कर्तृत्वं जडसंश्रयम् ।
पुमान्दोग्धा च गौर्दोग्ध्री स्तनो दोग्धेतिवत्क्रमात् ॥
Because (यस्मात्), only Vishnu (विष्णोः एव) has the power to act on His own (स्वतन्त्र-कर्तृत्वम्); no one else does (न च अन्य-गम्). Everyone else acts by His power (तत्-अधीनम्); each acts according to their own place and ability (स्व-अवर-अपेक्षया एव तु). The jeeva’s power to act (जीवस्य कर्तृत्वम्) is known to be dependent and modified (विकृतिः नाम), based on material entities (जड-संश्रयम्). It is like this (इति-वत्-क्रमात्): the milkman is the Master (पुमान्-दोग्धा), the cow is the instrument (गौः-), giving milk from its udder (-दोग्ध्री स्तनः) [Activator, Actor and Act].
The analogy does not deny the Jeeva’s participation in action; it clarifies dependence upon the Lord’s independent agency. Jayateertharu, the commentator extraordinaire (Teekaachaarya), explains this in his Nyaaya-Deepikaa as giving up the sense of possessive, independent doership, and surrendering the work done to Hari.
So we actors should remain eternally grateful to Lord Hari for the opportunity, granted by His grace, to perform good actions. May we play our part with devotion, offer them to Him, and fulfill the purpose for which He has given us this life.
/Raghunath Rao/ “Do your Best … and leave the Rest … “
(All mistakes mine – all credit to Gurus and Acharyas )
|| sarvaṁ śrī kṛṣṇārpanamastu ||
