Philosophy KV

Gita : The 5 Factors of Any Endeavour / Undertaking / Project

Gita 18.14

अधिष्ठानं तथा कर्ता करणं च पृथग्विधम्।

विविधाश्च पृथक्चेष्टा दैवं चैवात्र पञ्चमम्।।18.14।।

Any action and the result of that action is a function of 5 factors 

There are 5 Factors

Body : अधिष्ठान (शरीर)

Agent : कर्ता

Instruments : विविध करण (इन्द्रियादि) ; e.g, Hand, Feet, Intellect , The machines tools devices 

Process : The  various ways of doing things – विविध और पृथक्-पृथक् चेष्टाएं

Daiv: पाँचवा हेतु दैव

So often we keep saying 

I have done , I have done : Putting the whole claim on ourselves 

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1)( शरीर)  We have got a body and if body itself is gone , we can’t act out. 

2) (  कर्ता)  Then there is some Will power – that Says I will do this etc.

3) (  करण)  Then I apply the body to take control of various instruments – Input and out to act

( Sensory and motor organs ) ..The Mic, Speakers  , Telescope , Cars are simply increasing powers of those instruments 

4) चेष्टाएं Then we apply a method , a process to full will our objective  , what I have willed. The methods can be various . ( e.g. Edison “ I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ) 

5) दैव There is a factor of Destiny. Some call that किस्मत other call Luck , Some call “acts of God” some call as chance factor .. Gita calls that कर्मफल  . 

It denies the powers of stars and planets on our destiny but puts all responsibility on us 

– Our Karma in past of past lives is responsible for that. 

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So to succeed in our endeavours – the way is this 

a) A Body suitable for the purpose ; So take care of body . General Health and well being 

b) Strengthen the Will Power – Listen to Self Who says I will do this  . So increase self awareness through introspection, mediation, detached view about self – what it is and what it is not , how it behaves , how we feel it should behave etc 

c) Use Proper tools : A monk once told this to me. I was trying to open a pack of Microphone I have got delivered to him through amazon. When I met him later, he had carried this with him. He asked me to explain how to use it. I started tearing the package with bare hands , lots of struggle . Then I brought out a pen trying to use it’s tips to tear apart the outer cellphone 

He then told this : Use Proper Tools 

For 10-15 minutes we tried to procure some tool and he procured the cutting knife and only then he proceeded with opining the pack 

I was wondering why the fuss over so little a matter. My nails or pen would have just been adequate . 

But over the years  – I have realised that failure to observe this 

USE PROPER Tools is one of the greatest reasons we struggle in our work . It costs us time, energy and needless frustrations 

In Bihari there is phrase कुथना ,  कुथ रहा है  ; When someone struggles and is overly laboriously trying to do something that you feel could be done with little effort 

d) Learn some process or alternative ways  “ That works “ 

e.g. The lid of A a glass Bottle of jam . Suppose difficult to open in cold weather. Some one pointed to me – Put the glass container upside down dipped in an inch of hot water.for a minute 

The metal lid expanded under heat from water. 

And It was easily removed by gentle twist by two fingers. 

e) Despite Healthy body , Fit for the purpose of work , Strong will power, best use of all available tools for the purpose , and applying some of the methods that usually work – We might fail to achieve our objective or purpose and we lose peace of mind, fret and fume, get frustrated 

These are things beyond out control at the moment. 

Let’s acknowledge this – There are factors beyond our control that have effect on the results 

For this : I guess the best we can do is to Pray .. and leave rest to Luck , Chance kismet etc and let -go of results .. We can take the attitude – I tried – to the best of my abilities – body , minds, senses, intellection emotions etc – and even then if Things turn out adverse – Well I will take that sportingly 

Also I will be have less chance of Puffed Up Egos – knowing well that Not I alone but other factors make for my success 

I guess  – Capitalist Economies succeed on this strength 

For what is capital  – The cumulative  effect of past actions – 

– It takes shape in form of :

      –  Accumulated wealth  ( Financial Capital  ) Accumulated over Savings over years 

      – Accumulated Knowledge ( Knowledge Capital ) : e.g, 20 years of Work Experience 

     –  Capital Equipments : ( The Machinery made with huge investment of time , money energy know-how)

e.g. 

When we are able to raise a car on screw-jack or hydraulic-jack we are using a  proper tool – we can;t lift by bare hands alone  

But we are also beneficiary of the capital investment ( past karma ) of humanity in form of development of that kind of device 

When we are able to fly from USA to India within hours 

We are using Proper Tools like Aircraft 

But then 

The aircraft is also a Capital ( Accumulated Karma ) of Human Knowledge, Money, Efforts etc 

So 

What we call as material advancement can as well be seen from this angle – we are accumulating certain Karma and reaping the KARMA PHALA in form of iPhones, Laptops, Aeroplanes, Drones, Cars, Heaters AC 

We are trying to take greater and grater control over Nature – External and Internal 

And That is What Is called प्रभुत्व  mastery or  domination 

And the Highest form  of that   प्रभुता  or स्वामित्व  that we can conceive of is in GOD 

( स्वामी , प्रभु or ईश्वर ) 

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We are already that  ईश्वर in seed form  but we are increasingly manifesting that trait as we develop 

The more one manifests those traits 

– The more successful one is called 

We are trying to express our ईश्वर bhav through various means 

– The power, wealth , knowledge, love , beauty all are manifestations of that 

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