Bhagavad Gita says:  No one can remain actionless even for a moment; everyone is driven to action by the Gunas of nature.Action is indeed better than inaction”              

Nature’s call is safer to attend when it urges, instead of holding it back. Like-wise everyone’s daily life is filled with work (karma) that is (i) due to a demand by the nature or body, (ii) due to a demand by self or family, (iii) due to a demand by the profession or duty, (iv) due to necessity or urge, (v) due to demand by time or age, and so on.

Some works are routine, some works demand attention or skill and some works demand instant action. In all the above conditions, it is the balance of mind that is more important to perform the work in its true sense. Excess work makes you tired. Excess sleep makes you lazy. Excess free-time spoils your mind. A 24-hour day is cycles of rest - work- relaxation – work - free time – work - relaxation. Several occurrences of work in a day do not essentially allow enough relaxing gaps in between. Sometimes it may be like rest- work-relax- work- work- free time- work- work- relax. In most of the cases, the occurrence of work does not have a prescribed routine. To make it happen in routine, it needs a lot of time-management and self-management. Management needs knowledge, which comes from mind. Mind is most volatile and it may jump in omni-direction. To keep the mind in one direction, it needs concentration and focus.  If the response is only for one work, concentration is easier to attain. If one is performing multi-tasks, then mind has to do time-multiplexing or work-multiplexing. Sometimes, it needs proper diversion of resources or synthesis of resources.

Alas! All the above efforts, deeds, actions, works, duties etc are performed by everyone, knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or unwillingly, with a hope or without it. Whatever it is, it requires proper management. Then, the problem of ego, culture, social status and beliefs comes in the way. Oh!! All these works are to be performed individually? No. No. Bodily you may be alone, but you have a close companion, that is your spirit. Take your spirit along with you, and then you will perform every deed (karma) spiritually. As one bends while traversing a curve, just to have balance, like-wise, the balance in daily life comes from the weight of spirituality. Spirituality is not a thing, not a poem, not a prose, not a song, not a ritual, but it is the imaginary self, closely inherent in everyone, which is inseparable.

As it has been mentioned earlier, everyone will do some work (karma) and doing no work is also a work (akarma). Bhagavadgita says, ‘One whose even- mind is under control and who does the work without any desire for its reward, he is superior. Do your duty (as prescribed by the scriptures), because it is better to work than to remain idle and without work you cannot even take care of your body’.  

In this context, it will be appropriate to quote a prayer by Edward Hays:

May the work that I will soon begin,  
Be a shimmering mirror of Your handiwork
In the excellence of its execution,
In the joy of doing it for its own sake,
In my poverty of ownership over it,
In my openness to failure or success,
In my invitation to others to share in it
And in its bearing fruit for the world.
May I be aware that through this work I draw near You,
I come to You, Beloved, with ready hands.

So, any work you do requires your self-attention and concentration. Mere dedication to your work does not mean that you are spiritual. Spirituality in work means to do the work, for the sake of doing, without worrying about its outcome. First, as human beings, we have two kinds of duties: the duties related to our life in this world, as in our vocation or employment, and the duties of the spirit or soul, in which we nurture our eternal relationship with God. Of the two, the second is more important. What the Gita does, in effect, is to show us how to use the former to accomplish the latter. When the mention of God comes, suddenly the religious factor comes into mind. But there is a distinct variation between religion and spirituality. The outer expression is what we call religion; the inner core and its practice are rightly called spirituality.  

The following table will bring out the distinctive features of religion and spirituality:

RELIGION                                -             SPIRITUALITY

 1)        Created                                    Beginning-less,eternal.
 2)        Divisive                                     Unifying.
 3)        External                                    Internal.
 4)        Requires convincing                    Naturally attractive.
 5)        Demanding respect                  Commanding respect.
 6)        Based on hierarchy                    Based on relationships.
 7)        Impersonal and formal               Personal and natural.
 8)        Narrow-minded                            Broad-minded.
 9)        Sentimental                                 Scientific.
 10)      Common                                    Unique.
 11)      Oppressive                                 Compassionate.
 12)      Dogmatic                                                                                               Reasonable.

Whatever religion we may belong to, our mind is tuned to its teachings. ‘Spirit’, as we are discussing, is defined as that part of a human being that is incorporeal and invisible and is characterized by intelligence, personality, self-consciousness, and will….the immaterial nature or soul of man. Perhaps it is this invisible and immaterial aspect that has kept it apart from the very material world of work. We cannot hold it or touch it or get our hands around it. However, it is always there, even when every cell in our physical body is replaced every few years, the essence of that we are somehow remains.

Religious practices have some limitations, while spiritual thoughts are universal. It has no method except following the intuition. In the Gita (17:  16), we come across the definition of the austerity of mind:

Mental satisfaction, gentleness, silence, self-control,

purification of thoughts -  this is called the austerity of mind.

When a person gives up all the desires in his thoughtful state and when his inner self is satisfied within itself, at that time he is said to be a ‘sthitaprajna’ (a master in the stability of mind).

India is a cosmopolitan society. There are many celebrations and festivities pertaining to different religions. In some work-places, they even celebrate some of the events, for example Vinaya chauthi, Dasahra, Ayudha Puja, Onam, Christmas etc. So, in India, it is more than a requirement to isolate religious practices from regular work processes.

A person with spiritual inclination will not lose his temper that easily and also the concept of universal brotherhood will prevail. A spiritual mind will celebrate on any festive occasion and also keep the work-place atmosphere congenial and peaceful. Spiritual thoughts will make you oblige whatever directions are given to you, for the sake of dedication to work. In all respects, spirituality will certainly enhance the output of the work and also keep the workforce tension-free. Identify the difference between religious, social and work obligations, and equally allocate your energy to all the needs and thus balance your life for better prosperity of yourself and the society.

(The author is a senior officer with the Government of India. Highly spiritual and endowed with an analytical mind, his writings reflect his scientific approach to life. He is also a Life Member of the Aatmic Science Foundation)