How can we constantly remember that we are not the doers?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So when we understand that we are not the doers, then how can we keep this awareness constantly while we are functioning in the world? See, it’s important to, in philosophy, get the subtleties right. It is not that we are not the doers.
It is that we are not the sole doers. Because the Bhagavad Gita ultimately tells Arjuna to do something, isn’t it? Vimrishchit Vasheshena Yathechasi Tatha Kuru Deliberate and then as per your desire, do. So do something.
Do as per your desire. To do means to be a doer. So Arjuna is a doer.
And Arjuna himself says, this is 18.63, Krishna is telling Arjuna, do as per your desire. And in 18.73, ten verses later, Arjuna says, I will do your will. Again, it’s do.
So we are definitely doers. The illusion is to think that we are the sole doers. Tattralvam sati kartaram atmanam kevalam tuya Pashyatya akutbuddhitvan nasa pashyati durmatihi That one who thinks that atmanam kevalam tuya, one who thinks I am the only doer, such a person is nasa pashyati durmatihi.
Such a person is not seeing. So for example, right now I am giving a class. So I am definitely a doer.
I am speaking. But am I the only doer? I am speaking right now. But suppose I get a cough attack.
Although I want to speak, I will not be able to speak. Suppose suddenly I get a blackout. I forget what I want to speak.
I will not be able to speak. So there is my desire is there to speak. So we are the doers at least in the sense that we are the desirers.
So we have to do in the sense that we have to desire to do something. But after I desire to do something, then there are factors beyond me which are also important. So basically there are three levels of doership that are involved in any action.
So the jiva desires, the Ishwara sanctions and the prakriti executes. So for example, when I want to speak right now, I desire to speak. Now actually if we go scientifically, how we produce speech is extraordinary.
How the vocal cords, they can move in such a way that there are various sounds at various modulations with various precise phases of pause in between. All this is very complicated. Even with the best of machines, we can have sound synthesizers, we can have music synthesizers.
But to get speech synthesizers is extremely difficult. So the point which I am making here is first when I desire, I have a particular thought which has come in my mind. But to convert that thought into speech, there is a lot involved in that.
And I don’t even know how the sound box operates, how the voice cords operate, and how they convert my thought into speech. So we are the doers in the sense that we are desirers. And then Krishna sanctions.
When Krishna sanctions, then material nature executes. So material nature executes by producing the appropriate sounds so that meaningful speech is conveyed through those sounds. So all these three are involved.
So when one thinks, the Bhagavad Gita when it says, somebody is a food, prakriti, kriyamanani, gunai, karma, sarvasya, ahankara, vimudhatma, kartahanti, manyati, 3.27 it says, one who thinks I am the doer, that person is mudha. But what is the mudha? It is ahankara. It is ego.
It is ego to think that I am the doer. Because I am not the sole doer. I may think I am a great speaker, but the next moment I may get a cough attack and I cannot speak at all.
I can just produce pathetic sounds of coughing. I can’t do anything more. So I am not the sole doer.
But we are definitely doers. Scripture can tell us so many places, do this, don’t do this. If we were not doers, what would be the point of scripture saying, do this and don’t do this.
The essential point is, don’t think that you are the sole doer. Because when we think we are the sole doer, then we cut ourselves from the connectedness of the cosmos. We take credit where credit is not due for us.
And when we understand that we are part of an interconnected cosmos and whatever we are doing, it is a part of, it is going to be done in the mood of service to Krishna. When I understand that I cannot do anything without Krishna’s sanction, then I think, okay, if Krishna has to sanction it, then let me do that which is called Krishna’s will. Because Krishna is in charge of the universe.
And then we harmonize ourselves with Krishna. So thinking that I am the sole doer is the way to illusion. And we come out of illusion by understanding that I am meant to be a doer in the service of the supreme doer, Krishna.