Unique individual and this self is the center of his interest.

A man may long to act

virtually or he may be covered with lust. Either path is his Karma.
Desiring to act on the world weaves man into a net of cause and effect and this
binds him tight. Man is caught on the wheel, and the endless revolution of cause and
effect, because he believes in the power of his separate illusory which wants various
things. But this lower self is an illusion precisely because it is changed by various wants.
It is never the same but is in constant state of flux. Such flux is suffering. We must go
beyond Karma and free our selves from the wheel of life by right action and thought—
what is known in Buddhism as the Noble Eight-fold path.
Upanishads: The core of Sanskrit gospels is the idea that the goal of man’s religious quest
lies in identifying his self, or atman with Brahman, the supreme source of all things. The
core of the individual is now joined to the essence of the universe. It is a state of
heightened self of being consciousness.
Our suffering comes from selfishness, which is a form of ignorance. The self, however, is
an illusion when seen as something separate from God, Upanishads, therefore, emphasis
a moral code and practice which guide men away from selfish ignorance and back to their
true end.
Bhagavad-Gita: The Bhagavad - Gita forms an integral part of Vedantism. It is a book
containing the highest esoteric doctrines. It is the essence of the Vedas. It represents the
unity of the forms of inner culture in ancient India. Its philosophy is synthetic for it pays
due regard to all forms of discipline then in vogue and sees their practicability and fitness
as methods of illumination. Thus the Gita in its texture contains the germs of the
1) Path of service,
2) Path of Contemplation,
3) Path of controlling vital forces,
4) Path of moving the shining forces of nature,
5) Path of devotions and,
6) Path of transcendental illumination.
In the Gita, the doctrine of Karma (action) has been enunciated at some length. The
traditional doctrine of Karma, which is closely connected with that of metempsychosis,
teaches that every deed done by man, whether good or bad must produce its
correspondent result, and by necessitating rebirth in this world is an obstacle to the self in
its search for liberation. The Gita
THIRD CONCEPT, OCTOBER 2004
Accepts this doctrine with certain modifications. Lord Krishna repudiates on the
one hand, those who act and desire for such rewards as heaven or victory or material
wealth and disapproves, on the other of those philosophers who propound the theory
release (Mukti). Which can only be attained by complete cessation from activity. The
state of worklessness (Naiskarmya) is one reached through work. Worklessness is not
inaction but action regardless of fruit. The wise man desires no fruit of action. The
selfless action (Niskama Karma) is far superior to Worklessness.
These ancient philosophies are founded on Worklessness or theory of Niskama Karma
and they propagate unworldly or ethereal state of being. In modern age, the man is not
bound by any philosophical ideas. He is running after material wealth and he cares for his
welfare. Looking to his attitude the modern Philosophers like, Gandhiji, Rabindranath
Tagore, Karl Marx and others gave an equation to console the troubled mind to the
modern man.
In such a chaotic situation of globalization of philosophy, the unique philosophies
that come to our aid are - Basava Philosophy, Tagore’s and Mahatma Gandhi’s
philosophies.
Basava Philosophy: Basava was the financial secretary to a king named Bijjal (1137-
1167) who ruled Kalyana, a city in Bidar district of Karnataka State, in India. He was a
visionary of revolution. He was the first and foremost spiritual guide, a social reformer,
the promoter of novel economic path, and then maker of Vachanas (sayings). The
Vachanas were the media for his realized spiritual truths, the experience of life,
philosophical thoughts and their manifestations.
Basaveshwara was ahead of Martin Luther in clearing off the dirt of the society. He was
ahead of the time in eradicating the very roots of untouchability.
Concept of Kayaka: His unique contribution to the world is the concept of
Käyaka. He advocated the dignity of labour and the divinity of work. He was convinced
that it was not only to religion and action, but also for all the activities and to values of
man. It is a means for spiritual and a pancea for all the ills of society. He declared ‘work
is worship’:
“0 Lord, I swear by you, I would not ask the devotee as to what his occupation is. One
becomes Blacksmith by heating the iron, washer man by washing, by testing gold-a
goldsmith, by reading Veda a -Brahmin