Now, to keep myself fixed up in that conviction, we require to work for it. Otherwise, as I was explaining to you, just like a child, a boy, he is, I mean to say, very much addicted to play. But if you want to give him . . . if you want to stop his mischievous activities and if you want to stop him, then you must give him some good engagement. If you simply stop the child that "Don't play," by threatening or by some other way, you can stop him artificially for some time. But as soon as he gets opportunity he will again play. So you must engage him with some good task so that he may have attraction and he may be engaged in that good task so that he may not spoil or waste his time by playing or by mischievous activity.
Similarly, consciousness is active. So to be in the consciousness plane, if you do not give engagement to the consciousness, then naturally consciousness will act through this body. We have to act in such a way that . . . at the present moment I am within this body. So we have to make utilization of a bad bargain. I don't require this body. Somehow or other, I am now entrapped or encaged in this material body, and all my sufferings are due to this body. Therefore the whole aim of human life is to get away from this material body and to be situated in the spiritual life.
Now, in order to achieve that end of life, we have to begin a professional spiritual life. Professional spiritual life. That professional spiritual life is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- karmaṇy evādhikāras te
- mā phaleṣu kadācana
- mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr
- mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi
- (BG 2.47)
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." Mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi (BG 2.47).