Each breath is a reminder of the gift of God.

Karma Yoga 

Chapter 3, Verse 20

 

karmaṇaiva hi saṁsiddhim 

āsthitā janakādayaḥ 

loka saṅgraham-evāpi 

saṁpaśyan kartum arhasi

 

Verily, by Karma Yoga alone did Janaka and others reach perfection. Indeed, you should act, bearing in mind the welfare of the world.

 

Krishna says, “There were great souls, great personalities in this world who did their duty without being attached to it. Take for example King Janaka, the father of Sita. He was doing his kingly duty, but he was not attached to his actions and aims. He didn’t have any personal goals. Take Prahlad Maharaj! He was always doing his duty in remembrance of the Lord Himself. Awake, My dear! You must continue performing your duty, like all these great personages. These great heroes, and great saints, reached perfection during their lifetimes. You don’t need ten lifetimes to do that. You only need one lifetime. You just need complete surrender. The willingness to surrender has to be there! If these people achieved this state of perfection in one lifetime, it is possible for you to also achieve it!”

 

“Indeed, you should act, bearing in mind the welfare of the world.” Krishna says to Arjuna, “Know that what you are doing, by following in the footsteps of these realised souls, will be a great blessing to the world. Whatever you are doing now, know that a man of knowledge has no goal of his own. Whatever he does, he does it for the maintenance of the world.” He who is established in the Divine Consciousness works to create balance in the world. He doesn’t receive any personal gain from it. He is free from selfishness. Krishna tells Arjuna, “Don’t seek any personal gratification. Take up your arms and do your action! Do your dharma, but be without attachment.”.

 

Krishna is saying this to the devotee, to the bhakta, to each person who is on the spiritual path. This is a reminder that you are on the spiritual path for a reason. God has made you spiritual! God has brought you to the spiritual path saying, “Awake and realise your Self!” Mahavatar Babaji has given Atma Kriya Yoga to humanity for Self-Realisation and for you to move from the state of just being human to the Divine state.

 

Krishna is bearing in mind the welfare of the world. He says, “Arjuna, you are still looking at the difference between you and the Divine. You are still seeing that God is separate from you. I don’t want you to see that God is separate from you! I want you to realise, not just to see, but to realise, that in every action of yours, it is Me doing it. It’s Narayana, Krishna Himself who is doing this action! Bear this in mind! Make your mind see it! Remind your mind!” This is your sadhana: remind yourself continuously that God is doing everything through you. Until your mind has transformed itself, until your mind has completely changed, keep reminding yourself of this! Make the mind focus on the Divine, continuously, by doing your japa, so that each breath that you take – you breathe 21,600 times a day – each breath is a reminder of the gift of God. Remember that He is the purpose of life. Remind yourself of this, every moment of your existence. Remind yourself of this as long as you still have an ego identity. Remind your mind of this continuously.

Bhagavad Gita