The Secret of Work - Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda

The Secret of Work

A. Answer the following questions in about 100 words each.

1. What is the most direct method of curing the miseries of the world, according to Swami Vivekananda?

According to Swami Vivekananda, physical help alone cannot cure the miseries of the world. Even if we convert every house in the country into a charitable asylum and fill the land with hospitals, we cannot eradicate human misery. Ignorance is the cause of human misery and evil. Man has to change his character and become pure. He has to be enlightened, educated and become spiritually strong to get relief from the miseries of the world. Otherwise, his needs will go on increasing, which leads to more miseries. Man must work incessantly without attachment. (93 words)

2. What is the nature of work? How should work be performed?

The Bhagavad-Gita says that we must all work incessantly. The nature of work is such that every work must necessarily be a combination of good and evil. Good and evil actions will have their consequences. Good actions bring good and bad actions lead to bad. We have to work continuously without any attachments. Then only, our soul can be free of bondage. Every work we do leaves an impression on the subconscious region of the mind. The sum total of such impressions makes our character. We have do good work without expecting result to build a good character. (98 words)

3. Explain ‘Samskara’. How good and bad actions influence one’s ‘Samskara’?

The rippling effect of the work done by us is called ‘Samskara’. Good and evil actions will have their consequences. Good actions bring good and bad actions lead to bad. We have to work continuously without any attachments. Then only, our soul can be free of bondage. Every work we do leaves an impression on the subconscious region of the mind. The sum total of such impressions makes our character. We have do good work without expecting result to build a good character. If our ‘Samskara’ is good our character will be good. (93 words)

4. How is good character said to be established?

The rippling effect of the work done by us is called ‘Samskara’. Good and evil actions will have their consequences. Good actions bring good and bad actions lead to bad. We have to work continuously without any attachments. Then only, our soul can be free of bondage. Every work we do leaves an impression on the subconscious region of the mind. The sum total of such impressions makes our character. We have do good work without expecting result to build a good character. Thus, according to Swami Vivekananda good character can be established. (93 words)

5.  In paragraph 4, Swami Vivekananda explains the idea of ‘un-attachment’. How have you understood it? Discuss Swami Vivekananda’s idea of ‘attachment’.

By continuous good thought and good deeds, good impressions will be made on subconscious mind. Then we are inclined to do good deeds only. Thus, we will be able to control our sense-organs and build character. Then, we have to aim for liberation, full freedom. We mush counter bad deeds with good deeds till no evil is left in us. We must be ‘attached’ to doing good in this phase. We have to nullify impressions of bad deeds with good deeds. We have to detach ourselves from good deeds also to achieve total liberation. This is the idea of ‘attachment’ of Swami Vivekananda. (103 words)

6. Explain what is meant by working ‘like a master’ and not as a slave.      

We have to work continuously without being ‘attached’ to it. Our work should not affect our mind. When we work like stranger to the land without bonding ourselves to it. If we are able to work like that, we are working like masters. If we are bound by our work, we are doing our work as slaves. We have to work with love and without attachment. We must not be selfish while working. Selfish work is slave’s work. Every act of love brings happiness, peace and blessedness. Real love makes us ‘unattached’. We have to look upon work as ‘worship’, dedicating the result of our work to God. (108 words)

B. Answer the following questions in about 200 words each.

1. Explain the idea of work as worship, according to Swami Vivekananda.

Man has to change his character and become pure. He has to be educated and become spiritually strong to get relief from the miseries of the world. The Bhagavad-Gita says that we must all work incessantly. The nature of work is such that every work must necessarily be a combination of good and evil. Good and evil actions will have their consequences. Good actions bring good and bad actions lead to bad. We have to work continuously without any attachments.  By continuous good thought and good deeds, good impressions will be made on subconscious mind. Then we are inclined to do good deeds only. Thus, we will be able to control our sense-organs and build character. 

       

Our work should not affect our mind. When we work like stranger to the land without bonding ourselves to it. If we are able to work like that, we are working like masters. If we are bound by our work, we are doing our work as slaves. We have to work with love and without attachment. We must not be selfish while working. Selfish work is slave’s work. Every act of love brings happiness, peace and blessedness. Real love makes us ‘unattached’. We have to look upon work as ‘worship’, dedicating the result of our work to God. (214 words)

2. What is true liberation? How can this be achieved? Trace the course of Swami Vivekananda’s argument to prove the truth of this statement.

By continuous good thought and good deeds, good impressions will be made on subconscious mind. Then we are inclined to do good deeds only. Thus, we will be able to control our sense-organs and build character. After attaining good character, we have to aim for liberation, full freedom. We mush counter bad deeds with good deeds till no evil is left in us. We must be ‘attached’ to doing good in this phase. Just as we remove a thorn with another thorn, we have to nullify impressions of bad deeds with good deeds. Then we have to detach ourselves from good deeds also to achieve total liberation. This is the idea of true liberation.

Our work should not affect our mind. When we work like stranger to the land without bonding ourselves to it. If we are able to work like that, we are working like masters. If we are bound by our work, we are doing our work as slaves. We have to work with love and without attachment. We must not be selfish while working. Selfish work is slave’s work. Every act of love brings happiness, peace and blessedness. Real love makes us ‘unattached’. We have to look upon work as ‘worship’, dedicating the result of our work to God. (212 words)

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Brief Summery

According to Swami Vivekananda, physical help alone cannot cure the miseries of the world. Man has to be educated and become spiritually strong to get relief from the miseries of the world. The Bhagavad-Gita says that we must all work incessantly.The nature of work is such that every work must necessarily be a combination of good and evil. Good and evil actions will have their consequences.The rippling effect of the work done by us is called ‘Samskara’. Every work we do leaves an impression on the subconscious region of the mind. The sum total of such impressions makes our character.Real love makes us ‘unattached’. We have to look upon work as ‘worship’, dedicating the result of our work to God. (120 words)