Remuneration (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
remunate |remunerated |remuneration |remunerations

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

So karma and karma-yoga, there is gulf of difference. Karma means ordinary work. I work whole day; I get some remuneration and enjoy for my sense gratification.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966: So karma and karma-yoga, there is gulf of difference. Karma means ordinary work. I work whole day; I get some remuneration and enjoy for my sense gratification. That is called karma, in this life or that life or next life. Somebody, they make charities and other pious acts so that in their next life they get good parentage, good education, opulence, so that they can also enjoy life. There are others also who make more advanced karma to get himself promoted in other planetary system. Just like moon planet, or Svargaloka, heavenly planet. There are many planets in which the standard of life is far, far comfortable than here. So these are not required. To get yourself promoted in higher standard of life, from C-class prisoner to become A-class prisoner, that is not required. Bhagavad-gītā does not teach us that you improve your life in the respect that you are now C-class prisoner; you become A-class prisoner. No. You should not remain a prisoner.

So Kṛṣṇa says that "Pārtha, My dear Arjuna, I have nothing to give. Don't think that I am here in the battlefield to assist you just for some remuneration or for some gain because I can have anything and everything at My will only."

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966: So He says that "Pārtha, My dear Arjuna, I have nothing to give. Don't think that I am here in the battlefield to assist you just for some remuneration or for some gain because I can have anything and everything at My will only." Na me pārthāsti kartavyam: "Therefore I have no fixed duty." In the Upaniṣad you will find the definition of Brahman. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: "The Supreme Brahman has nothing to do." That is the distinction. We have got everything to do. Suppose we want spiritual perfection. So we have to do something. We have to perform something. We have to act practically. We have to go, accept penance, we have to accept... Just like we are trying to chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

So the idea is that "I may be elevated to the perfect position." So anything, if we desire, we have to do something. But the definition of Brahman and God is that He has nothing to do. The Veda, Upaniṣad, say. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: "He has nothing to do." Still, He is God.

Just like here immediately you see the father is taking his son in a perambulator. It is rendering service. But there is no remuneration. It is duty. Because the father is expected to serve. Otherwise, the son will not survive. So this is a service of love.

Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966: Just like mother. There are some good examples in the material world, world, like the father and mother render service to the son. Just like here immediately you see the father is taking his son in a perambulator. It is rendering service. But there is no remuneration. It is duty. Because the father is expected to serve. Otherwise, the son will not survive. So this is a service of love. Similarly, even in this material, this service of love, there is a question of gain. Because sometimes the father thinks that "When the son will be grown up, I'll be happy, I'll get some remuneration," like that... There is some prospect. But actually, when we render service to the Supreme, there is not a single idea like that, "I shall be rewarded by..."

Karma... Nobody is going to work without any remuneration. Everyone is working for getting some profit. But that ordinary karma and karma-yoga is different.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966: That we have got experience, that these people in New York City, they are working day and night. And karma means work and get some profit. That is called karma. Karma... Nobody is going to work without any remuneration. Everyone is working for getting some profit. That is called karma. But that ordinary karma and karma-yoga is different. You can engage yourself in ordinary work, but, at the same time, you can become a yogi. How that is possible? When your consciousness is changed. Your consciousness... Now I am thinking that I am working for my maintenance or for my family maintenance or for my society's maintenance or for my country's maintenance. You can go on, widening. Even if you work for international maintenization, maintenance, still, it is not perfect. Even if you work for the whole planetary system, that is imperfect. But when you work for Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the most perfect work. So we have to work with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the perfection of life.