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Chapter 3
A Vital Fact
Generally, a person does an act promptly and efficiently, only if it serves his selfish motive, but such an action binds him. In order to be free from the bondage, he should perform actions prescribed by the scriptures, disinterestedly.
In the Discipline of Action, all actions are performed for others. Who are others? Not only other beings and things, but the so-called our own bodies—gross, subtle, (senses, mind, intellect and life-breath) and causal (including 'ego') are also, included in the term 'others'[1]. The reason is, that the self (soul) is a fragment of sentient God, while these bodies and things are the fragments of insentient 'prakrti' (matter). All actions are performed through the evolutes of nature such as body etc., and for the body and the world which are also evolutes of nature, while the sentient neither undergoes actions, nor are actions performed for the sentient. So actions can never be performed for the self. But when the self assumes worldly insentient things, such as a body etc., as 'I', 'Mine' and 'for me', he performs actions for himself. By performing actions for others, attachment and the feeling of 'mine' perish easily.
Everybody can realize that the states of the body (childhood, youth etc.,) undergo change; but he remains the same. This unchanging self (soul) has its identity with God, while the changing body, senses, mind and intellect etc., have their identity, with the world. Whatever action is performed by us, is performed with body and senses etc., not by the self. This shows that we have nothing to do for ourselves, we have to do only for the world. When we perform actions for ourselves, we are bound by those actions—"The man is bound by actions, other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice (Yajna)."
The imperishable and unchanging self, has no affinity for the perishable and changing body, senses, mind and intellect etc. Therefore, there is nothing one's own and for one's own self. We can do nothing without the help of the body etc., therefore we have to do nothing for the self. The self can never lack anything. Without want there can arise no desire. Therefore, It needs nothing for Itself. In this way, when a man's affinity for actions and things is severed, if he is inclined towards knowledge, he realizes the self. On the other hand, if he is inclined towards devotion, he attains to the state of exclusive devotion.
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