158 - Renouncing the Fruits of Actions | Swami Tattwamayananda

5th verse: “The three virtues of Yajna, dana and tapah should not be given up. These three virtues become natural to the enlightened and become the means to those aspiring to be enlightened.”6th verse: “Yajna, dana and tapah should be performed giving up our attachment to the results and our selfish desire to enjoy the results of the work.”Yajna refers to any noble, unselfish deed that is done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others, and as an offering to God. Dana refers to any act of compassion, kindness and charity meant to help others. Tapah means austerity, activities that we do with the mind and senses focused on a single purpose.The panchamahayajna should be performed by everyone. These five yajnas are:Brahma Yajna – We perform this yajna when we discuss great ideas and spread the noble idea of spiritual universalism. This is the way we pay back to ancient sages.Pitri Yajna – We perform this yajna when we do rituals to preserve the sacred memory of our ancestors. When we are grateful to our ancestors, we will be able to transmit their values to the next generation. This is the way we pay back to our ancestors.Deva yajna – We perform this yajna when we preserve the memory of divine beings (devas).Bhuta yajna – We perform this yajna when we take care of other living beings (such as animals), nature and earth. We should look upon ourselves as guests of earth, not masters of earth. We should be kind and compassionate to other beings.Nara Yajna - We perform this yajna when we show hospitality to fellow human beings.The panchamahayajna should be practiced by everyone. They are natural to the enlightened. For others, it is a means to get enlightenment.The 4th, 7th, 8th, and 9th verses describe the three forms of tyagas. Of these three, only one is ideal (verse 9) – the other two are not desirable.4th verse: “Relinquishment is of three types – sattvik, rajasik and tamasik.”The 8th verse describes the worst form of tyaga, which is rajasik. “There are a set of people who find work difficult or painful. They provide false justifications for not taking up the tasks that they are expected to do. Then they boast in front of others that they have relinquished.”The 7th verse explains tamasik tyaga. “Those who give up because they are under the wrong notion, who imagine that they can live in peace and meditative mood by running away from their duties and obligations, their relinquishment is tamasik.”The 9th verse describes the ideal way of tyaga. “Those who do not give up work, who perform the actions enjoined by the scriptures, but who mentally renounce the fruits of the work, their tyaga is sattvik.”Our focus should not be on karma-tyaga. Instead, it should be on karma-phala-tyaga. We do not give up work; we transcend work.Giving up work is easy – a lazy person can do it. It is more difficult to do all our duties with full efficiency but without any selfish desire and attachment to the results. Selfish attachment is the most difficult to renounce. Mystics and great spiritual men were always active but had no selfish attachment to results.We can never run away from our core duties and responsibilities. They will follow us. Even if we are physically lazy, the mind will not stay inactive. In fact, people may feel more tired sitting quiet. The best way is to change our perspective towards work, as a sattvik person does. Then work won’t bother us.There is an earlier verse in the Gita which compares two brothers. Both work with equal efficiency and are successful. However, one is not attached to success while the other is attached. The former practices the ideal of renunciation and is contented. The other sways between happiness and unhappiness.When we carry a heavy weight on our head, we feel it. However, if a...