Talks on the Gita -Vinoba 37

Chapter 5 TWO-FOLD STATE OF AKARMA: YOGA AND SANNYASA 18. The Nature Of The State Of Akarma 11. This is what a karma means. Actions become so much a part of one’s being and nature that one is not even aware of their happening. The sense-organs are then naturally disposed to what they should be doing; right action flows from them on its own accord. ‘सहज बोलणें हित उपदेश’—Counsel of wisdom flows out without any self-conscious deliberation and effort. When this happens, karma becomes akarma. For a man of wisdom, performance of good actions becomes as natural and effortless as singing is to the birds. Just as a child thinks of his mother naturally, the saints think of God. Another example of such a natural action is the crowing of a cock in the early morning. Panini has given this example while explaining swaras (musical notes). The cocks have always been crowing every morning. But has anybody presented them scrolls of honour? Crowing is a cock’s natural action. Similarly, it is natural for a sage to speak the truth, to have compassion for all the living beings, not to find fault in others, to serve everybody. He cannot, in fact, live without this karma. Do we honour anybody for having taken his food? Just as eating, drinking, sleeping are normal and natural actions for worldly persons, serving others is natural to a man of wisdom. Helping others is his second nature. Even if he were to decide not to help others, it is impossible for him to do so. Karma of such a sage can be said to have become akarma. Such a state has also been given the sacred term ‘Sannyasa’. Sannyasa is nothing but the blessed state of akarma. It can also be called karmayoga. It is karmayoga since the man of wisdom goes on acting; and it is sannyasa since there is no feeling of doing anything even while actions are done. The man of wisdom acts with such ingenuity that the actions do not bind; hence it is yoga; and as nothing is done even after doing everything, it is sannyasa.