Attentive awareness – The Economic Times

Five farm workers were given the job of planting seeds. One of them dug holes in the earth. Another put fertiliser in the holes. A third watered the ground. Another man covered the holes with soil. Days went by but none of the seeds sprouted. The farmer examined the soil to find out what was wrong, and discovered that the worker entrusted with putting the seeds in the holes hadn’t done his job! So, this is what action without attentive awareness is like; it won’t yield the desired result.

The aim of every action we perform in life is to bring us closer to God. We should perform our actions selflessly, without the feeling of ‘I’. We should understand that we are able to act only because of God’s grace and power. This is jnana, knowledge, in the context of karma, action. An action performed with such knowledge and attentive awareness is karma yog, the yog of selfless action.

When we practice attentive awareness while performing an action, we forget ourselves. The mind becomes one-pointed. We experience bliss. This is how devotion is born. When we make an effort with attentive awareness and devotion, our effort bears fruit; when we get the fruit of that action, our faith becomes firm.

Most of the texts of Sanatan Dharma are written in the form of discussions. They contain the Self-realised master’s answers to the disciple’s questions. The disciple has the freedom to ask any question until his doubts are completely cleared. This develops attentive awareness in the disciple.