In his third term as the Prime Minister of India, will Narendra Modi walk the path of a Karma Yogi and perform, oblivious of rewards and irrespective of results?
It is only natural that residents of Ayodhya expressed their utter disappointment with Faizabad electing an opposition candidate over BJP's candidate. It was an unexpected anti-climax to the epic saga of the Return of Shri Ram to Ayodhya after centuries of waiting. That Ayodhya could deliver such a verdict on BJP after Modi presided over the inauguration of Ram Mandir just months before elections 2024, defied logic indeed.
In managerial parlance, performance should lead to rewards. When key performance indicators are met, rewards should be forthcoming. "BJP delivers Ram Mandir - Ayodhya should choose BJP"; pretty straight forward equation!
No so much about life is as straight forward as such a simple equation, though. With performance, comes challenges. When key performance indicators are met, challenges galore - it's as if fine performance is deliberately rewarded with fiery punishments.
If you are true to your intentions, you would perform - your performance is your effort. Rewards - or results - do not automatically follow your efforts, as if by default. Dogmas that dictate performance to tantalise performers with potential rewards are nothing but shams.
Dharma does not promise rewards - it only demands performance. Karma Yogis actively renounce rewards - to them, performance is the be-all and end-all of life. Rewards belong to the realms of Karma - and Karma Yogis see Karma as distinct from the Yogis themselves. Modi, who had once renounced worldly affairs and sought Sanyasa, only to be directed by his Guru to serve humanity instead, would be aware of this distinction. My first post on Modi assuming office for the first time, in May 2014, questioned his ability to deliver amidst potential conflicting interests.
Five years later, the international media had already started casting aspersions on his governance - neutrality has never been the hallmark of media, especially when it comes to international perspectives on India. My second post on Modi's re-election in May 2019, countered the popular narrative of Modi being a divisive force, uniting a majority that had been kept divided by design, with centuries of foreign onslaught. Modi was rewarded with a resounding success in the elections of 2019.
To expect the two-time Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, to be rewarded with an overwhelming, absolute majority during his third bid for the top post in Indian elections 2024, powered by his vision for development and progress, and celebrated by his presiding over the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, was very much in line with what the exit polls predicted. However, this goes against the tenet of Karma and Yoga. That Shri Ram was to re-enter Ayodhya on the 22nd of January 2024 is destiny - just as Lord Rama's birth, His life, His war with Ravana and His ascendence to Sri Vaikuntam after the purpose of His Avatar was realised, were all already destined.
And it was Narendra Modi's destiny that He could preside over the Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya - a feat that so many ardent devotees would have yearned for, but only he was blessed with. His selfless service to the Nation in the capacity of being the prime minister was his Dharma. His dedication to the cause was his Karma. Should any of these - Ram Mandir or his performance that reflected in India's global image, its economy, or his schemes meant for the upliftment of the poor - translate into rewards?
In Dharmic terms, Narendra Modi has been rewarded with a challenge, instead - after two terms of absolute majority, he now has to perform as part of a coalition, restrained with its compulsions and constraints. To have a 400-plus seat majority in the Indian Parliament and to enact laws at whim, is child's play; to perform within constraints is the task assigned. Whatever it is that Narendra Modi desired with his "ab ki bar, char sau paar' slogan, he has been aptly rewarded with the next level challenge in his political game.
The life of a Karma Yogi is hardly straight forward; nor is it for the faint hearted. To renounce and resolve to walk the path of surrender, comes with its fair share of obstacles, hindrances, and challenges. Life's modus operandi is to teach with tests, to temper with fire. The Yogi's task is to merely walk the path - the results are already destined!
In his third term as the Prime Minister of India, will Narendra Modi walk the path of a Karma Yogi and perform, oblivious of rewards and irrespective of results?
Related:
No comments:
Post a Comment