The Mind is the Performer of Action-Part 1

(Synopsis of a lecture given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on November 17, 2009, in Bhatinda, India)

In India and in the world, a lot of religious activity and fervor are seen nowadays. There are so many temples, mosques, gurudwaras, and every other kind of place of worship, and although people go to these every day, and practice devotion according to their religion, still we find that sinful tendencies are increasing everywhere.

So much has changed in the last 100 years – what will happen in the future? So much spiritual practice wasn’t seen in the past as is seen nowadays. When so many things are being done in the name of religion, why are there so many wrong things happening in the world?

This question is asked by those who don’t believe in any religion and their question is correct. Why do people follow a religion when so many contrary results are seen everywhere? You may say that you are doing this to receive a benefit after your death. But you will receive after death only what you received when you were still alive. Nothing is added or subtracted from this.

For example, whatever a student writes in an exam book during a test is what he will be graded on. No test scorer will pull a good grade out of his pocket for a student just like that. If in the present our ideas and character are not good, then what miracle will occur after our death? God will only give us the consequence that corresponds to our present actions.

The answer to this question is straightforward. The ones who are our religious guides or spiritual teachers nowadays are wrong. What today’s gurus have taught us about dharma and action is wrong. What is the very first teaching of dharma? Pay special attention to this point. There is something wrong in this very first teaching. What is it? We have been wrongly taught who is the performer of action.

Our gurus made a mistake by not telling us at the very beginning who is the performer of action. There are only two kinds of devotion – devotion to God or devotion to the world. Apart from the individual souls, there are only two entities, God and Maya (the world). There is no third entity whose devotion we could do. The one who practices devotion to God is called a believer (dharmatma). The one who worships the world is called an atheist (nastik).

So the practioner of dharma and the performer of action is the mind. Remember this always. This is where we are making a mistake. Action doesn’t refer to your senses. God does not regard the activity of our senses as ‘action’.

In the battle of the Mahabharat, Arjuna killed millions, but these actions were not noted by Lord Krishna. Hanuman Ji killed millions in Lanka, but none of these action were noted by Lord Ram. Even our worldly government won’t charge a person with a crime if he is not at fault for what happened. If a driver accidentally hit and killed a person who unexpectedly threw himself in front of his car, the court wouldn’t give the driver a fine of even ten rupees. It wasn’t the driver’s fault. He wasn’t judged according to his physical actions, rather on his mental intention. It was just an accident.

A riot is happening in a city. The magistrate orders the police to open fire. They open fire and one hundred people die. The court asks, “Who fired the bullets?” The police answer, “We did.” The court says, “You will get the death sentence.” The police respond, “No, we won’t. Go to the magistrate and ask him why he gave us this order.” The court goes to the magistrate and asks him. He says, “Your honor, if I had not given this order, then instead of one hundred dying, thousands would have died.” He is not convicted of any crime.

You all play jokes on each other on April Fools Day. If someone decided to take you to court for some foolishness you did, if you say, “But your honor, it was April Fools Day,” the judge will say, “Oh, I see. Case dismissed!” No charge would be filed because there was no mental motivation to commit a crime.

Action refers to your mental motivation, your intention. Because of this, it is the mind that is the cause of your liberation from Maya or your bondage in Maya.

(Continued in Part 2)

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009
Reproduced with courtesy from www.bhaktibliss.wordpress.com