Dharma

What is more free than a bee

To karma yoga devoted

It only performs its duty

Where no reward is promoted

Only in this can one be liberated

Freedom comes through action

Its outcome should not be deliberated

Doing nothing is a maneuver in abstraction

If expectation forms the basis of happieness

What follows, when not met, is anger and disappointment

better to give up all desires to possess

By this, one can reach enlightenment

Reviews

[DIVYA]

Karma and Dharma are the basic tenets of the Hindu sacred text, the most revered Bhagvad Gita. Lord Krishna spoke about it at length to Arjuna before they stepped into the battlefield at Kurukshetra for the Legendary Mahabharata War. Karma is doing one's duty without the expectation of reward and that is our Dharma or religion. So the two are intertwined. Arjuna needed to hear that as he was weighed down with sorrow and grief as he was about to plunge into battle with his own loved ones. Lord Krishna then reminded him of his duty to do the right thing and serve his Dharma. Though I'm a Christian yet I absolutely appreciate these divine texts and their truth.

Thank you so much for this poem, dear Soren. You made me proud of my country, my culture and its great legacy once again. Many kudos to you!


P.s.: Speaking about it in poetry terms...writing poetry is a reward in itself and also our Dharma.

[Soren]

Thank you so much Divya for your support and wonderful comment. Yes I had just read this part of the Bhagvad Gita which spawned this poem. I was born and raised Christian but have found so much wisdom in the writings of other religions.

[DIVYA]

It was a pleasure to read, dear Soren.

[Fabian G. Franklin]

Desire is usually mere physical or material lust. It can be a need though. We desire to breathe, etc. Expectation is the devil in the details...people can just go bonkers when things don't go the way they expected or others don't react the way they had expected. Our needs are generally not very demanding, food, clothing, shelter, clean water, fresh air etc. But I'm constantly surprised by the things people think they need to be happy. They start talking about a "standard" of living...which is mostly consumed by greed and excess indulgence. Some people are driven to keep producing more and more and never have time to enjoy anything they work for. I see it all the time. I guess it can boil down to what you think is important in life but I've yet to see a headstone that read; If I'd only worked harder or If I'd only bought more stuff. I enjoyed the read, Soren.

[Soren]

Thank you Fabian for taking so much time to address the issues of this piece. It is so true that our wants exceed our needs and our western view is one of reward for our efforts but it does not have to be so.

[willweb]

Kind of like writing and posting poetry I think...
This one had me thinking my friend.

[Soren]

Thinks Will you are so right. Thanks for the review and on point comment.