Geethartha Chinthane 42: Work for Pleasure, Pleasure in Work

All instincts of living beings arise from hunger. However, Lord Krishna declares that he is not hungry. Despite this, he performs more work than others. He has nothing to gain from it, yet he continues to work. For us, work is primarily to satisfy our hunger, but Krishna teaches that work should not be driven by the desire for personal gain or fulfillment of needs. In the Gita, it is stated that one should not work with the expectation of rewards, as the nature of God’s work exemplifies.

The principle is to work for the experience of joy, not just to fulfill hunger. God’s actions are driven by bliss, a form of joyful karma. Just like when we play kabaddi, cricket, or any sport – why do we play, even though it may be physically demanding? It is because of the joy and excitement we derive from participating. Similarly, all of God’s actions are expressions of joy.

Any work that is not done with joy is not truly meaningful. When we are happy, even difficult tasks do not feel burdensome, and we are filled with energy and enthusiasm. This is an expression of inner happiness. There are two types of actions: those filled with joy and those that are not. Our karma should always be an expression of joy, blissful in nature.

~ Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji of Paryaya Sri Puthige Sri Krishna Matha

State