07 Feb 2005
The word karma in the case of a human being means the work done to earn money, which is essential for his food and offering the food to the guest. Money required for the self and his family is called ‘Sharira Yatra’ in the Gita. Money required to prepare food to offer to the guest is called ‘Yajna Karma’. The word karma in the Gita was used in these two meanings in the context of a human being (Sharira Yatra Pichate, Yajnah Karma Samudbhavah). Therefore the fruit of the work means only money. The first mantra of the first Upanishad speaks about enjoyment and sacrifice of money (Kasyasvit Dhanam). The mantra says that the entire creation is the wealth of the Lord and one should store the money for his minimum use and the rest should be sacrificed to the Lord who comes in the human form for His mission to uplift this world. The second mantra says that one should continuously work and earn. Vashista said that money is the root of all this worldly family bonds (Dhanamulamidam Jagat). In the absence of money all the family members will leave you. All the family members and relatives approach you only due to money just like the frogs are present in the tank when it is full of water. The ‘Srichakram’ means the wheel that surrounds the money. Therefore when the sacrifice of money comes into the picture, all the fraud devotees will run away because in their hearts the attraction to the family bonds exists as solidified darkness. Only the true devotees will stand, in whose hearts the darkness is removed and the light of divine knowledge exists. The Lord came in human form and tested Saktuprasta in the sacrifice of the food, which is another form of money. In draught he could secure a little flour and he was fasting for the past ten days. He was not tested in any other way of words and mind (japa, parayana, dhyana etc.). A real devotee will stand in this root test and this is the real fire test. If the bond with the money is cut, all the worldly bonds are cut, since money is the root of this whole ‘samsara’ [family]. The fraud devotees want to escape this test and therefore interpreted the ‘karmaphala’ as the fruit of prayers, japa, parayana, dhyana etc. The eyes in this world not at all see such fruit. Therefore such fruit of work done by words and mind is unreal. There is no difficulty to sacrifice such unreal fruit. Therefore they misinterpreted the ‘karmaphalatyaga’ as leaving a spoon of water in the plate after doing such work by words and mind. Some people have fooled the ignorant people by doing such works and get the ‘Gurudakshina’. They are selling the unreal fruit for the real money, by promising that the fruits of their sins will be removed and results of good deeds, which were not done, will be attained.