The Gita gives paramount importance to action-performance of duty-; Lord Krishna, the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, makes it mandatory for everyone; so much so, that He even warns us of punishment for its non-performance. No doubt, action, discharge of duty enjoined upon us, as it is meant, assures one progress and happiness, but it also binds one to the material world by the operation of the universally accepted law of action which is invariably followed by reaction of equal proportion; and it is diametrically opposite to the very purpose of human life, which, as every religion of the world says, is to seek release from the world and not to get entangled in it. Lord Krishna recommends the same thing-action-, but with a difference, for the release from the world; action performed without expectation for its results (nishkama karma) leads one from the bondage, He says.
As a matter of fact, God, the All Loving, the All Caring Lord of the Universe wants everyone to lead a happy life while on the material plane, and therefore mandates performance of duty. He also wants everyone to attain the state of eternal bliss at His Lotus Feet, for which, He recommends nishkama karma; He says one who conscientiously discharges the duty enjoined upon him, with no sense of doer ship and with no expectation for result (nishkama karma), and offers the duty thus performed to the Lord, one is led to the path of liberation. The Lord also recommends acquirement of divine knowledge, and of devotion to Him. In other words, the Lord recommends Jnana yoga, karma yoga and bhakti yoga for the attainment of liberation.
Different scholars and saints have recommended different yogas for the attainment of liberation, although they agree on the importance of performance of nishkama karma. While some have recommended jnana yoga, others have recommended karma yoga and bhaktiyoga. Saints in particular rely heavily upon bhakti yoga; they recommend the simplest method of the recitation of God’s name, which, they say, gets strengthened, if continued, and transforms itself into total devotion to God, with the passage of time, and ultimately leads one to God Himself.
Shri Madhwacharya presents fusion of all three approaches; all the yogas are interdependent, he says. Karma yoga (nishkama karma) leads to jnana yoga and jnana yoga to bhakti yoga; nishkama karma paves the way to jnana which leads one to bhakti; and total devotion to the lord ultimately leads one to God-realization or enlightenment that promises liberation.
Shri Madhwacharya fully commends the exhortation of Lord Krishna, and says that nishkama karma is the very basis of liberation process. The term Nishkama karma is not merely confined to the performance of the duty enjoined upon one or to the allotted one, but it encompasses the entire spectrum of positive life; such nishkama karma is param dharma which, if observed, entitles one to the Lord’s prasada and the ultimate moksha; and one is able to lead the life of param dharma only with the integrated approach of all the three yogas, says Shri Madhwacharya.
There are, however, some people who assign every action, every piece of work, howsoever insignificant, to God; man acts as per the wish of the Lord and has no freedom to act on his own, and, therefore, the question of one making conscious efforts to engage oneself innishkama karma is superfluous, they say. However, Shri Madhwacharya says that God has given everyone a little freedom (datta-swatantrya) to act on his own; it is called jeeva kartutwa.
Poojya Shri Vidyasimhacharya elucidated the integrated approach, the synthesis of the Gita, and said that one should make conscious efforts to take to the path of param dharma which begins with shravana.
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