The three R’s that shape your life

By Jaya Row

Whether you are an athlete, entrepreneur, musician, chef, or corporate leader, the urge to excel is universal. To improve performance, people usually acquire more knowledge, sharpen skills, or pursue advanced training. What if perfection lies not in the action but in something beyond the action? It is that elusive thing beyond notes that makes for a thrilling musical performance. Something apart from the stroke of a cricketer, beyond the words in a book, and something other than the ingredients in a dish! We seldom look there. And perfection eludes our grasp.

Gita says it is the attitude backing the action, the intention behind the action, that determines the quality of action. Why you are performing the action is more important than the action itself.

Most people work for salary, promotion, or profit. Work then becomes mechanical, leading to boredom, fatigue, and dissatisfaction. Find a powerful emotional motivation to work, and you are inspired. Andy Murray was motivated to win the Wimbledon title for his coach, Ivan Lendl, who had never won it in his illustrious career. Andy won it in 2013, becoming the 1st British player to win the title in 77 years.

Go a step further. In 1983, Kapil Dev wanted to win the World Cup for the country. He inspired the entire team to rise above personal issues and play for a higher ideal. It was the same team with the same skills and fitness levels. What changed was their attitude and focus. And they brought home the trophy.

Now take that mighty leap into the realm of the Spirit. Olympic champion Eric Liddell could not afford to hire a coach or nutritionist. His strength came from the powerful inner conviction: “God made me to run, and i will run for God.” That made him unstoppable. He won the Olympic Gold in 1924 and created a record in the 400-metre race that stood for years.

Gita speaks of maintaining the thought of Atman through every action. It then becomes worship. Gita prescribes a technique by which every action carries you Godward while worldly activities get accomplished, perfectly. As long as you focus on the action, you remain worldly, bound. Shift your anchorage to that Power which enables every action, and you experience freedom. You break through the glass ceiling of mediocrity and enter the realm of excellence.

The law is – as you think, so you become. But it is not possible for you to worship all the time. You have your obligations and responsibilities. Gita helps you fulfil your duties while your thoughts are fixed on the Divine. It converts every mundane action to worship.

Life consists of three transactions: You receive stimuli through the senses. Your mind and intellect react to them. And you respond to them through the organs of action.

These three R’s – receipts, reactions, and responses – shape your life. In chapter four, they are further divided into 12 yajnas by which you maintain focus on the Divine all the time.

Be rooted in the Divine. Then you will remain unaffected by the world’s turbulence. A bird may sit on the branch of a tree, but it is totally independent of the tree. If the branch breaks, it takes off on its wings. Develop wings of spirituality.