Fruits of activities (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
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Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

There are activities, which is called karma. These activities are being done from time immemorial and we are suffering or enjoying the fruits of our activities.

Introduction to Gitopanisad (Earliest Recording of Srila Prabhupada in the Bhaktivedanta Archives):

So this prakṛti, the constitution of this prakṛti is constituted by three qualities: the mode of goodness, the mode of passion, and mode of ignorance. And above these modes, three different kinds of modes, goodness, passion, and, I mean to say, ignorance, there is eternal time. There is eternal time. And by combination of these modes of nature and under the control, under the purview of this eternal time, there are activities. There are activities, which is called karma. These activities are being done from time immemorial and we are suffering or enjoying the fruits of our activities. Just like in the present life also, we enjoy the activities, the fruits of our activities. Suppose I am a businessman and I have worked very hard with intelligence and I have amassed a vast amount of bank balance. Now I am the enjoyer. Similarly, suppose I started my business with a vast amount of money, but I failed to make a successful..., I lost all the money. So I am sufferer. So similarly, in every field of our life we enjoy, we enjoy the result of our work. This is called karma.

You should not desire to enjoy the fruit of activity.

Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:

Karma. Karma means work. Karma means work. One should not think that "Because I am not this body, so I shall cease to work." No. You cannot cease to work. If you cease to work, then idle brain will be a devil's workshop. No. We have to work. So therefore the Lord says, "The technique of acting on the spiritual platform is that you have your right to act. You have your right to act according to your position." But, karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana: "But you should not desire to enjoy the fruit of your activity." That is the technique. You should not desire to enjoy the fruit of activity. Then, if I want to enjoy the fruit of my activity, then what it will be? Suppose I am a businessman. I have made a profit of ten million dollars in this year. So do you mean to say that I shall not enjoy this huge amount of money? I shall throw it away? Oh. Yes. The Bhagavad-gītā says that mā phaleṣu kadācana: "You cannot take the fruitive result of your work." Then if I do it, then what it will be? Now, he said, mā karma-phala-hetur bhūḥ: "Don't be cause of your activities. Then you will be bound by the interaction of your activity. Don't be cause of your activity. Then you shall be bound up by the effects of your activity. You don't be cause; then effect will not touch you."

"We are not going to make any huge business this year because if we do business, the profit is more. The whole thing will be taken by government by income tax. So we are stopping to work, to have more business." This is the position because our mind is so inclined that if I cannot enjoy the fruit of my activities, then I am disinclined.

Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:

Then if you say, "Better I shall not do anything," no, that also will not be permitted. You cannot stop acting; at the same time, you cannot take the fruitive result of your activities. And if you think that "Oh, I am not going to..." Just like in India one business friend, he was selling my books. He was telling, "We are not going to make any huge business this year because if we do business, the profit is more. The whole thing will be taken by government by income tax. So we are stopping to work, to have more business." This is the position because our mind is so inclined that if I cannot enjoy the fruit of my activities, then I am disinclined. Perhaps you know. There is a proverb in English that "Proprietorship turns sand into gold." A person working on his own account, oh, he can turn sand into gold, but a person working for others' account, oh, that is not possible. He will be slow. He will be slow because the purpose is that "Why shall I work so hard? It will be enjoyed..." Just like our business friend was speaking to me that "Why shall we work so hard and make huge profit that...? The whole thing will be taken by the government." But here the Lord says that "You cannot stop your work, neither you can enjoy the activities, the fruit of your activities." That is the work on spiritual plane.

Sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not distinguish between ātmā and Paramātmā. But here it is distinctly explained by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that one puruṣa is enjoying the fruits of his activities, prakṛti-sthaḥ.

Lecture on BG 13.23 -- Bombay, October 22, 1973:

So there are two puruṣas. One puruṣa is already explained. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi... (aside:) You can go. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān (BG 13.22). So one puruṣa, the living entity, ātmā, and another puruṣa is Paramātmā. Sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not distinguish between ātmā and Paramātmā. But here it is distinctly explained by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that one puruṣa is enjoying the fruits of his activities, prakṛti-sthaḥ. Being influenced by the quality of the prakṛti, material nature, he is sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu, he is taking birth in different types and species of life. And another puruṣa is there who is upadraṣṭā. Upadraṣṭā means he is overseer. He is simply seeing how the other puruṣa is working. And according to his karma, work, he is giving the result. He is the witness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

One who is working without any desire to enjoy the fruits of his activity. These sannyāsīs, they are working for Kṛṣṇa. They have no desire to make any profit out of it. Other sannyāsīs, they are making any profit. They want mukti, mokṣa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18-19 -- Bombay, April 9, 1971:

It is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā: sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ (BG 6.1). One who is working, anāśritaḥ karma-phalam, without any desire to enjoy the fruits of his activity. These sannyāsīs, they are working for Kṛṣṇa. They have no desire to make any profit out of it. Other sannyāsīs, they are making any profit. They want mukti, mokṣa. But these sannyāsīs, they do not want even mokṣa. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the ideal sannyāsī. He says, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). He never claimed that "I may not have any more birth." Mokṣa means one who hasn't got to take birth of this material body. That is called mokṣa. So a Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī, they do not want even mokṣa. Therefore they have no demand. So that sannyāsī is different from the ordinary sannyāsī. Ordinary sannyāsī, he has demand. He wants mukti. But Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī, either he is in sannyāsī dress or in not sannyāsī dress, simply because his aim and object is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa; therefore he is sannyāsa.

One who is not desirous to enjoy the fruits of his activities, fruitive activities, but does it as a matter of duty... "Kṛṣṇa wants it. Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied by doing this."

Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970:

Real vairāgya. Real vairāgya means one who can sacrifice everything for Kṛṣṇa. That is vairāgya. Karma-phala-tyāga—that is karma-yoga. One should give up the result of his fruitive activities to Kṛṣṇa. That is karma-yoga. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ (BG 6.1). Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ. One who is not desirous to enjoy the fruits of his activities, fruitive activities, anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ, but does it as a matter of duty... "Kṛṣṇa wants it. Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied by doing this." Kāryam: "It must be done." Just like Arjuna. Arjuna, for his personal interest, he was not willing to fight. But when he understood that "Kṛṣṇa wants this fighting," then he took it as kāryam: "It must be done. It doesn't matter whether I like it or not, but Kṛṣṇa wants it. Therefore I must do it." That is called anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ, sa sannyāsī. He is sannyāsī.