Self-Dedication to the Divine Through Work

The ego-personality almost always interprets external activity, work, by an arbitrary measure of value, in many cases, monetary, but in some cases, based on the benefits provided to the society. Religious and spiritual institutions frequently take up work that is considered to be charitable in nature, such as feeding large numbers of people, or treating people for their health conditions, founding hospitals, and providing refuge to people who are suffering. These things are then seen as a representation of selfless work, a form of karma yoga.

While it is true these things may actually be a form of conscious karma yoga, these outward activities are not, in and of themselves, definitive. What appears to be selfless work benfiting others may actually be undertaken as a form of vanity, a seeking for approval of self by others, etc.

At the same time, people who carry out seemingly small or humble functions are frequently looked down upon and devalued both as to their existence and their spiritual potential.

Both of these approaches miss the essential nature of spiritual development; namely, that it takes place inwardly, unseen, unheard, unannounced and without fanfare.

In his book, The Mother, Sri Aurobindo describes the qualities of one who aspires to be a true doer of divine works. At no point does he refer to the actual external function or work product of the individual. All the descriptions are related to the inner attitude, the dedication, the aspiration, the consecration of the individual, the non-attachment to the results or fruits of the effort, in whatever form of work they are doing.

Sri Krishna makes similar statements in answer to the questions of Arjuna that arose in the Bhagavad Gita. One cannot necessarily discern the liberated man from his outward actions. The outward appearance does not always, nor completely, reflect the inner status.

There was a sadhak at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram during the early 1970’s who worked in the dining hall back area drying and polishing the stainless steel plates upon which meals were served to the sadhaks. It was unassuming work, and he quietly went about this activity with a calm and happy demeanor. Prior to joining the Sri Aurobindo Ashram he was an arden spiritual seeker and as a result of his deep sense of peace and inner ease, he had attracted a number of devoted followers and friends. He could have become a teacher and leader of a spiritual community in his own right, yet he chose to dry plates at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in pursuit of his spiritual sadhana. Someone trying to judge him by his outward activity and simple and unassuming manor would be very much misled, and it turned out that he became a beacon and light for many who chanced to come into his aura.

Sri Aurobindo writes: “Self-dedication does not depend on the particular work you do, but on the spirit in which all work, of whatever kind it may be, is done. Any work done well and carefully as a sacrifice to the Divine, without desire or egoism, with equality of mind and calm tranquility in good or bad fortune, for the sake of the Divine and not for the sake of any personal gain, reward or result, with the consciousness that it is the Divine Power to which all work belongs, is a means of self-dedication through Karma.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 3, Action and Work, pg. 63