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Importance Of Working With An Even Mind

Bhagavan Sri Krishna tells Arjuna (Bhagavad Gita 2:50): yogahkarmasukousalam – yoga is the very dexterity of work – and that working with an even mind, one does not become a slave to work. Hence, one should devote oneself to this kind of yoga.

Dexterity refers to skill at doing things, usually with your hands: for example, like the carpenter carving fine detail so that the flowers and leaves look realistic, or picking up the right blend of spices, typing text or even folding clothes properly. Dexterity does not come just like that. It has to be developed from childhood.

A game that is often played with small children is mixing up rice and dal and letting the child separating the two. Do you realize that it requires the coordination of so many tiny muscles of the fingers and the synchronization of the fingers and hands with the eye? The sense of touch is involved here as well. Encouraging building of these motor skills even at a young age not only helps in working with hands but also enables growth of intelligence. It builds curiosity – about shapes, sizes, colours, materials. As the child grows, the way she looks at the world is different. She learns to work at things, not mechanically, but with interest and thus does not become a slave to work. Work is done, not carelessly, but with delightful concentration which will achieve the required quality result. Thus, one learns of the importance of quality in every aspect of life, something that becomes automatic in anything we do.

A family elder used to often tell me about a renowned singer. It did not matter whether she was singing in a small village temple or a big city sabha. Her music remained the same, soulful and of the highest quality, for it was focused on the divine. Just like that, doing our best in whatever work we are doing will help us to be true to the saying ‘work is worship’, yoga is skill, yoga is dexterity in work: yoghakarmasukousalam.

Source – June 2021 Sapthagiri magazine published by TTD – article titled Yogah Karmasu Kousalam by Smt D K Ahana Lakshmi