What Is God’s Work?

What Is God’s Work?

Once a proud but benevolent king sent for his prime minister and said, “All of us have some definite work or assignment to perform. A king rules, a soldier fights, a trader trades, a teacher teaches and a preacher preaches, though as individuals they do other things also. Then what is the primary function of the Creator? Can you answer my question?”
The minister was puzzled. No one knew, and no book ever explained what God’s work was. After some thought, he said, “I, too, have often wondered about this like you. But my duty here is to advise and assist you on worldly affairs. This involves spiritual matters and the right person to answer you is our bishop.”
When the king repeated his question to the bishop, the bishop asked for a week’s time to reply. At the end of the week, the bishop was sitting under a tree on the outskirts of the town, thinking whether to face the king’s wrath the next morning, or to run away from the kingdom.
A shepherd boy who was passing by enquired about the cause for his worry. The bishop brushed him aside, saying he was deeply worried about a spiritual matter. The boy was quite insistent, and so the bishop related his trouble, without any hope of solution or solace from the boy.
“My dear master,” said the boy, “is that all that worries you so much? Please go in peace to the king. Tell him that the shepherd boy knows the answer.”
The surprised bishop begged the boy to give him the answer, but the boy preferred to meet the king in person. So the bishop went home, and the next morning he was at the court when the king eagerly asked for a reply.
“My dear king!” said the bishop, “i need not have taken so much time or trouble to give you a reply. However, i would request you to call for my shepherd boy who will give you a satisfactory answer.”
The surprised king immediately sent for the boy, who promptly presented himself before the king. His appearance was repulsive to everyone, but the court awaited his words with interest.
“You, shepherd boy,” said the king, “do you know the answer to my question which even learned scholars are not aware of ?”
The boy paused for a while and said, “My dear sir, before i answer your query, may i request that proper protocol is observed. You are a student, as far as this question is concerned, since you want to learn. I am a master as i am to give you the knowledge. Normally the master occupies a higher seat than the student.” After some hesitation the king slowly came down from his throne and let the boy sit on it. So eager was he to know the answer!
But the boy, after ascending the throne, was calmly enjoying the new-found dignity and did not speak for a while. Impatient, the king shouted at the boy, “You fellow! Where is my answer? What is God’s work?” The boy calmly replied, “Here’s the answer, to push down the haughty and to push up the humble – that is God’s work!”
This is one of the 1,50,000 stories found in the ancient puranas, which have relevance even in modern times

It's Better to Work for Krishna.

 It's Better to Work for Krishna.

Working in devotion is better than renunciation of work because the idle mind is the devil's workshop. Since the living entity is active by nature both mentally and physically, to stop acting and stop thinking is an artificial position, which cannot be maintained. Therefore instead of trying to become free from material existence by artificially trying to stop acting and thinking, one can be immediately liberated from material existence simply by engaging in devotional service to Lord Sri Krishna. This is confirmed by Srila Rupa Goswami as follows:

īhā yasya harer dāsye
karmaṇā manasā girā
nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu
jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate

"One who engages in the transcendental service of the Lord in body, mind and word is to be considered liberated in all conditions of material existence."--Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.187

Since even to maintain this material body. work cannot be given up, the best system for both material and spiritual success is to absorb one's life fully in acts of devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna.

By Sankarshan Das Adhikari

The work that can be accomplished by God's grace, can never be accomplished by our wisdom and strength

The work that can be accomplished by God's grace, can never be accomplished by our wisdom and strength. However, until you do not put your complete effort, till then the geniune prayer that takes place within, will not happen. This is because on applying your full strength and effort, when one experiences a feeling of being helpless and without any strength or power, then reliance on one's own strength, capabilities, power, abilities, effort will break off, and once this happens, geniune prayer will take place.

Buddhirvikunthataa Naath Samaaptaa mama yuktayah |

When our intellect feels overwhelmed, when our abilites, our effort fails, at such time, geniune prayer takes place, or else a subtle element of pride of our strength that remains makes one pray superficially. Such false prayer will not do. When people say that we have prayed but nothing whatsoever has happened (no effect whatsoever), then in fact, geniune prayer has not taken place ! Prayer is not something that is done, it happens from within, in other words, it happens by the Self axiomatically and automatically. If the praying is from within, then immediately the work will happen.

When there is reliance of some sort on our own strength, abilities, position, knowledge, wisdom, caste, stage in life, particular group / organization, then neither geniune prayer will take place, nor geniune surrendering to God will happen. Because as long as there is reliance on one's strength, abilities, etc., a subtle egoism persists. As long as there is egoism, geniune prayer or geniune surrendering to God will not happen. And without geniune prayer and surrendering, the work will not happen.

When one experiences a total feeling of helplessness (i.e. feeling of being without any strength or abilities), then geniune prayer and geniune refuge in the Lord will take place - "Sune ri mein ne nirbal ke bal Ram." The meaning of helplessness (without any strength whatsoever) does not mean that our body has turned weak, there is no strength in it, we become ill. Rather it mean that we are feeling a sense of hopelessness with our own strength, there remains not the slightest bit of dependency, reliance or pride of our own strength. There is feeling of complete hopelessness with regards to power of the intellect, the mind, our wealth, our body, our education etc., and there is intense and single-pointed hope in attaining only God, then the prayer will work.

From "Praarthnaa Aur Sharanagati" in Hindi pg 53-55 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

The work that can be accomplished by God's grace, can never be accomplished by our wisdom and strength

The work that can be accomplished by God's grace, can never be accomplished by our wisdom and strength. However, until you do not put your complete effort, till then the geniune prayer that takes place within, will not happen. This is because on applying your full strength and effort, when one experiences a feeling of being helpless and without any strength or power, then reliance on one's own strength, capabilities, power, abilities, effort will break off, and once this happens, geniune prayer will take place.

Buddhirvikunthataa Naath Samaaptaa mama yuktayah |

When our intellect feels overwhelmed, when our abilites, our effort fails, at such time, geniune prayer takes place, or else a subtle element of pride of our strength that remains makes one pray superficially. Such false prayer will not do. When people say that we have prayed but nothing whatsoever has happened (no effect whatsoever), then in fact, geniune prayer has not taken place ! Prayer is not something that is done, it happens from within, in other words, it happens by the Self axiomatically and automatically. If the praying is from within, then immediately the work will happen.

When there is reliance of some sort on our own strength, abilities, position, knowledge, wisdom, caste, stage in life, particular group / organization, then neither geniune prayer will take place, nor geniune surrendering to God will happen. Because as long as there is reliance on one's strength, abilities, etc., a subtle egoism persists. As long as there is egoism, geniune prayer or geniune surrendering to God will not happen. And without geniune prayer and surrendering, the work will not happen.

When one experiences a total feeling of helplessness (i.e. feeling of being without any strength or abilities), then geniune prayer and geniune refuge in the Lord will take place - "Sune ri mein ne nirbal ke bal Ram." The meaning of helplessness (without any strength whatsoever) does not mean that our body has turned weak, there is no strength in it, we become ill. Rather it mean that we are feeling a sense of hopelessness with our own strength, there remains not the slightest bit of dependency, reliance or pride of our own strength. There is feeling of complete hopelessness with regards to power of the intellect, the mind, our wealth, our body, our education etc., and there is intense and single-pointed hope in attaining only God, then the prayer will work.

From "Praarthnaa Aur Sharanagati" in Hindi pg 53-55 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

What is God's Work and How can we perform & accomplish it

Gist: A spiritual aspirant should be determined to do only God's work, not his own work. Therefore he should accept that his house, his work and he himself belong to God. With this feeling, he will be doing God's work, with God's power, to please God. This firm determination
will develop a strong bonding (a feeling of mine-ness) with God and in-turn spontaneous and constant rememberance of Him.

Constant Rememberance of God - How?

God in the Gita says to Arjuna -

"Tasmat sarveshu kaaleshu maamanusmara yudhya che." (Gita 8:7)

Therefore Arjuna, remember Me at all times and fight. Here fight stands for doing one's duty. We can remember God at all times but we can't fight at all times. Arjuna's duty was to fight, just like we have to perform our daily duties. Domestic duties can't be performed at all times. The spiritual aspirant have three options before them -

1. To do the work while remembering God,
2. To remember God while doing the work, and
3. To do the work considering it God's work.

In the first option, remembrance of God is primary, while the work is secondary.
In the second option the work is primary, while remembrance of God is secondary.
In the third option there is undivided devotion for God.

Generally people forget God while working. There are two reasons for it. The important reason is one's negligence. The second reason is lack of attachment (feeling of mine-ness) with God. If there is attachment for anyone, he is reminded spontaneously of that one.
People have attachment to their domestic affairs, not to God. They are therefore likely to forget God. As long as we accept and see the house, the work, and Self as our own, we are likely to forget God.
Therefore we should be determined that we have to do only God's work, not our own work. What is the use of work which makes one forget God?
Therefore a spiritual aspirant should accept that his house, his work and he himself belong to God. They are not his own. He should feel that he is doing God's work, with His power in order to please Him. this firm determination will develop a strong bonding (a feeling of mine-ness) with God and in-turn spontaneous and constant rememberance of Him.

Ram Ram