Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows?

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Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows
Who opened a widow home at Pune and married a widow in 1893? Free 10 Questions 10 Marks 9 Mins The correct answer is D K Karve, Key Points

Dhondo Keshav Karve, the man who pioneered women empowerment in India,

He was a social reformer and educator who established the widow Marriage Association in 1893, advocated widow remarriage and himself married a widow named Godubai in the same year, He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1955 and the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award by the Government of India, in 1958, Karve wrote two autobiographical works : Atmawrutta (1928) in Marathi, and Looking Back (1936) in English.

​Social Work:-

​ Maharishi Karve even founded an educational institution, Hindu Widows Home, in 1896, in Poona(Pune) to help widows support themselves, in case they were unable to remarry. In 1916, Karve set up India’s first University for women named S.N.D.T. Women’s University with Five students. He also set up Samata Sangh or Association for the Promotion of Human Equality in 1944 to promote adult education,

​ Additional Information

D.K. Karve

He also worked towards abolishing the caste system and established societies for village primary education. The Government of India issued stamps to commemorate Karve’s 100th birth anniversary.

It was the first time a living person’s face appeared on a stamp in post-independence India. Karve also went on a world tour in 1929, to Europe, America, and Japan. He attended the International Education Conference at Elsinore and exchanged views with Einstein in Berlin On 9 November 1962 Dhondo Keshav Karve passed away, after living a full 100 years.

M.G. Ranade

Mahadev Govind Ranade fought against the caste system. He was also a supporter of the small-scale indigenous industry for the development of a stable economy. He was one of the founding members of the Congress Party. He believed in complete constitutional means to achieve the various goals of the reformers and activists. He encouraged English works to be translated into the vernacular and also tried to introduce regional languages as part of the university curriculum. He was instrumental in establishing and promoting the Prarthana Samaj, the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, and the Vaktruttvottejak Sabha.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Founder of the Deccan Education Society (1884) along with his associate Gopal Ganesh Agarkar and others. One of the founders of the Fergusson College (1885) in Pune through the Deccan Education Society.

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Who established Nishkam Karma Math?

On April 18, 1858, Dr. Dhondo Keshav Karve, the man who pioneered women’s empowerment in India, was born. Dhondo Keshav Karve, better known as Anna Karve, was a pioneer in empowering women and promoting widows’ education in pre-independence India. He was born in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. • His wife, unfortunately, died in childbirth in 1891. He was left with a young son named Raghunath Karve, who, like his father, grew up to be a visionary social reformer. He was a math professor who pioneered sex education and birth control in India. • Two years after the death of his first wife, Dhondo Keshav Karve remarried a 23-year-old widow named Godubai, who had been widowed at the age of eight months.

• He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Elphinstone College in Mumbai (then known as Bombay). • Dhondo Keshav Karve taught mathematics at Fergusson College in Pune, Maharashtra, from 1891 to 1914. He was inspired to campaign for women’s empowerment by statesmen such as Pandita Ramabai, Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, and Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar.

• In 1893, he established the ‘Widhawa-Wiwahottejak Mandali,’ which encouraged widow remarriage while also caring for their orphaned children. Widhawa-Wiwaha-Pratibandh-Niwarak Mandali was renamed Widhawa-Wiwaha-Pratibandh-Niwarak Mandali in 1895. (Society to Remove Obstacles to Marriages of Widows).

  1. In 1896, he founded the “Hindu Widow’s Home Association” (also known as Hindu Widows Home or Widows Home Association), a shelter and school for widows in Hingane, Maharashtra.
  2. He chose the remote location because he had been expelled from Pune’s orthodox Brahmin community for supporting widow remarriage and education.

• He struggled to support his social reformatory efforts due to a lack of resources. He walked from Hingane to Pune for many years, both to teach mathematics at Fergusson College and to collect small amounts of money. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows Click Here • In 1907, he founded the Mahila Vidyalaya (Mahila Vidyalaya) (School for Women). He founded the Nishkam Karma Math (Social Service Society) in 1908 to train workers for the widows’ home and Mahila Vidyalaya. • In 1916, he founded India’s first university for women, inspired by the Women’s University in Tokyo, Japan.

With only five students, the university was founded in Pune. • From 1917 to 1918, he founded the Training College for Primary School Teachers and the Kanya Shala, a girls’ school. • A philanthropic industrialist named Vithaldas Thackersey donated 1.5 million Indian rupees to the women’s university in 1920.

The university was renamed ‘Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (S.N.D.T.) Indian Women’s University’ as a mark of respect. • He wrote two autobiographies, ‘Atmawrutta’ in Marathi (1928) and ‘Looking Back’ in English (1936). • In March 1929, he travelled to Malvern, England, to attend the Primary Teachers’ Conference. • He embarked on a yearlong tour of Africa in December 1930, sharing information about his work for women in India in places like Mombasa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, and Zanzibar. •The S.N.D.T. University established its first college in Mumbai in 1931, and later moved its headquarters there.

• He founded the ‘Samata Sangh’ in 1944. (Association for the Promotion of Human Equality). The Government of India recognised S.N.D.T. University as a proper statutory university five years later, in 1949. • In 1955, the Government of India bestowed upon him the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour.

On his centennial birthday in 1958, he received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. • Stamps commemorating his birth centenary were issued by the Indian government in 1958. The stamps featured a living person for the first time in independent India.
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Who founded widows home at pune to provide shelter two widows who had been treated badly by their husband?

Pandita Ramabai criticised the social differences between men and women. She felt that Hinduism was oppressive towards women and wrote a book about the miserable lives of upper caste Hindu women. She founded a widow’s home at Poona to provide shelter to widows who had been treated badly by their husbands’ relatives.
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Who was the chief of the widow Marriage Association?

Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve
Karve on a 1958 stamp of India
Born 18 April 1858 Dapoli, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died 9 November 1962 (aged 104) Pune, Maharashtra, India
Occupation

Professoractivistwritersocial worker

Spouse(s) Radhabai and Godubai
Children 3, including Raghunath Karve
Awards Bharat Ratna (1958) Padma Vibhushan (1955)

Dhondo Keshav Karve (18 April 1858 – 9 November 1962), popularly known as Maharshi Karve, was a social reformer in India in the field of women’s welfare, He advocated widow remarriage and he himself married a widow. Karve was a pioneer in promoting widows’ education.

  • He founded the first women’s university in India – SNDT Women’s University,
  • The Government of India awarded him with the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1958, the year of his 100th birthday.He organized a conference against the practice of devdasi.
  • He started ‘Anath balikashram’ an orphanage for girls.
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His intention was to give education to all women and make them stand on their own feet. Through his efforts, the first women university was set up in 20th century. The appellation Maharshi, which the Indian public often assigned to Karve, means “a great sage”.
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Who founded the Hindu widow home in Poona?

In the same year, he shocked public opinion by himself marrying a widow; his first wife had died in 1891. Karve also founded (1896) an educational institution, Hindu Widows Home, in Poona, to help widows support themselves if they could not remarry.
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What is Sakam Karma and Nishkam Karma?

Sakam Karma and Nishkam Karma There are two aspects to Karma Yoga – Sakam Karma and Nishkam Karma. Sakam Karma is to work with selfish expectations and your own interests in mind. Nishkam Karma on the other hand is working with unselfish/selfless motives.

  1. You have to pay back all Karmas in this life or in future lives, good or bad.
  2. It could be good Karma, but if it is selfish it is a chain that binds you.
  3. Nishkam Karma also still binds you to the Karmic law.
  4. It doesn’t matter if the chain is made of iron or gold, it binds you in same way.
  5. Good and bad, both Karmas will bind you, put you into bondage.

Of course negative Karma is harder, and good Karmas are softer. Nishkam Karma means free or without desire. Karma comes from the root word “kama” which means desires. Karma comes from the root word “kriya” which means to do. In the act of Nishkam Karma you have no selfish expectation, you are only giving.

  1. Give with love, devotion and happiness.
  2. What should we give? Whatever you can! But observe your limitations, don’t overdo it! Nishkam Karma means doing Seva (selfless service), without the expectation of receiving acknowledgement, reward or a word of thanks.
  3. When you have even just one thought that someone should have said “Thank you”, this is not Nishkam Karma.

In Vedic culture there is no tradition of saying ‘Thank you’, only ‘Blessing’. This can be a problem for westerners when they go to India, that whatever you may do, Indians will never say thank you. But with modern education the word thank you has spread everywhere.

However, when you say thank you, it means you don’t accept this Seva and you give back some fruits. Nishkam Karma leads to liberation. Selfless service bears fruit similar to Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Gyana Yoga. The fruits of Sakam Karma will be paid for in this life and the fruit of Nishkam Karma will be returned after this life.

Here you enjoy a life of luxury, but in another life you will have empty hands. What will go with you? Don’t just think of this life, think also of your future lives. Therefore, in Yoga and Indian culture there is less focus on past lives, but more on future lives.

Past is past, you no longer have any control over it. In a past life you were king and now you are a cook. Suddenly you gain knowledge of the past life when you were a king but nobody will give your kingdom back to you, instead you will be taken to a psychiatric hospital. So, what do you get from the past? Do something for your future.

Or do something for a permanent position – immortality. That’s what Mahaprabhuji has spoken in his bhajan: Guruvara Me Calu Sa Una Des. The translation of this Bhajan is :

Gurudev please let me join You in Your highest world.What other people are saying doesn’t matterFull of Vairagya I only want to follow YouIn that world there is neither birth nor deathNor Karma, nor effectsIn that world one becomes Jivanmukta and gains the highest blissIn that world there is everlasting lightThere is neither moon nor sun, nor colours nor formOh Lord, neither a King nor a begger can reach that world without Your mercyThat world is the dwelling place of all Holy peopleMy adoration to themThere is flowing the nectar of your wisdom, Oh GurudevSri Deep Mahaprabhuji saysI am longing to be there where one will never be born again

: Sakam Karma and Nishkam Karma
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When did maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve founded?

Here are 10 inspirational facts about Maharshi Karve: – 1. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows 2. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows 3. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows 4. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows 5. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows 6. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows 7. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows 8. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows 9. Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows 10. WATCH: Convocation at SNDT Women’s University in Pune Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section. To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail to [email protected].
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Who founded widow remarriage movement in India?

Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856
A widow in India (seen in this engraving from 1774–1781) was not allowed to wear a blouse or choli under her sari. The sari was required to be of coarse cloth, preferably white.
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Widow act

Repealed by
THE WIDOWS’ RE-MARRIAGE (REPEAL) ACT, 1983
Status: Repealed

The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act 1856, also Act XV, 1856, passed on 16 July 1856, legalised the remarriage of widows in all jurisdictions of India under East India Company rule,The act was enacted on 26 July 1856. It was drafted by Lord Dalhousie and passed by Lord Canning before the Indian Rebellion of 1857,

  1. It was the first major social reform legislation after the abolition of sati pratha in 1829 by Lord William Bentinck,
  2. To protect what it considered family honour and family property, Hindu society had long disallowed the remarriage of widows, even child and adolescent ones, all of whom were expected to live a life of austerity and abnegation.

The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act of 1856, provided legal safeguards against loss of certain forms of inheritance for remarrying a Hindu widow, though, under the Act, the widow forsook any inheritance due her from her deceased husband. Especially targeted in the act were child widows whose husbands had died before consummation of marriage.

  1. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was the most prominent campaigner.
  2. He petitioned the Legislative council, but there was a counter petition against the proposal with nearly four times more signatures by Radhakanta Deb and the Dharma Sabha,
  3. But Lord Dalhousie personally finalised the bill despite the opposition and it being considered a flagrant breach of customs as prevalent then.

“Second marriages, after the death of the husband first espoused, are wholly unknown to the Law; though in practice, among some communities, nothing is so common.” — William Hay Macnaghten (1862) “The problem of widows—and especially of child widows—was largely a prerogative of the higher Class people among whom child marriage was practised and remarriage prohibited.

  1. Irrevocably, eternally married as a mere child, the death of the husband she had perhaps never known left the wife a widow, an inauspicious being whose sins in a previous life had deprived her of her husband, and her parents-in-law of their son, in this one.
  2. Doomed to a life of prayer, fasting, and drudgery, unwelcome at the celebrations and auspicious occasions that are so much a part of many communities of any religion family and community life, her lot was scarcely to be envied.

On the other hand, particularly Sudra caste and dalits —who represented approximately 80 percent of the Hindu population—neither practised child marriage nor prohibited the remarriage of widows.” — Lucy Carroll (1983)
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Who founded widow remarriage Association in 1856?

In the 1850s, Vishnu Shastri Pandit founded the Widow Remarriage Association.
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Who started the widow remarriage society and when?

Q. Who among the following founded the Widow Remarriage Association in the year 1861? Answer: M.G Ranade Notes: Widow Remarriage Association in the year 1861 was funded by M.G Ranade. The first Widow Remarriage Association was founded by Vishnu Shastri Pandit in the year 1850.5
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Who was the first man to married widow in India?

KOLKATA: On December 7, 1856, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar married off the first widow, much to the disgust and opposition of Hindu conservatives who practised child marriage and Sati. The event was held under strict police protection from fundamental Hindu Brahmins who were against such social reforms.

The widow, Kalimati, the daughter of Palashdanga’s Brahmananda Mukherjee, was married to Shrishchandra Vidyaratna at the house of Raj Krishna Bandyopadhyay on 12, Sukeas Street, now 48, Kailash Bose Street. On Monday, the eve of the event’s 165th anniversary, heritage enthusiasts wondered why the house of such historical importance does not figure on the city’s official list of heritage buildings.

The old building with plaster peeling off now stands divided in three. The rear section with its entrance on Jadunath Sen Lane owned by Sarba Bharatiya Sangeet-O-Sanskriti Parishad. The front now has two addresses — 48A, which is with the descendants of Raj Krishna Bandyopadhyay and 48B, that has changed hands.

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A marble plaque that commemorated the historic event has gone missing, pointed out local history enthusiast Ashok Tarafdar. West Bengal Heritage Commission chairman Suvaprasanna admits a building of such historical significance should have been a graded heritage building worth preservation and promised to check it out.

However, he pointed out that owners often resisted the heritage tag due to the belief that it would hinder maintenance or sale. “People have a misconception that a heritage tag will lead to problems. That is not so,” he said. In 1856, Vidyasagar had invited around 800 people for the occasion, including well-known personalities like Kaliprasanna Singha and Pandit Premchandra Tarkabagish.

The wedding took place barely four months after the Widow Remarriage Act was passed. Vidysagar incurred personal debt to get the marriage institutionalised. To practice what he preached, Vidysagar married off his son Narayanchandra to a widow, Bhava Sundari. Vidyasagar wrote to his brother: “Remarriage of widows is the noblest deed of my life.

I don’t think I shall be able to accomplish a greater one, ever. I have sacrificed everything for this cause and won’t mind even laying down my life for it.” To fight the orthodox society, Vidyasagar beat his adversaries at their own game. In January and October, 1855, he wrote his two famous treatises on the Marriage of Hindu Widows, drawing upon the sutras (literary compositions) and the sastras (scriptures) to establish his logical argument that there was no prohibition on remarriage of widows in the sastras.
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Who started widow remarriage in 1866 in Maharashtra?

On 28 January 1866, Vishnushastri, inspired by Phule’s movement opened an institution to promote widow remarriage.
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Which social reformer fought for widow remarriage?

Social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed widow remarriage Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay (1820-1891), popular as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, was an educationist, philanthropist, social reformer and a leading figure of the Bengal Renaissance who championed women’s education and widow remarriage in an orthodox Hindu society.

Born in poverty in an orthodox Brahmin family, there are many anecdotes about him that are now folklore in Bengal, such as how he learnt the numbers by reading milestones on the way from his village Birsingha (now in West Midnapore district) to Kolkata.He set up three dozen schools for girls, and also supported the famous poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt (1824-1873), who is known for his liberal interpretation of the epic, Ramayana, and pioneered blank verse in Bengali.The college where vandalism took place on Tuesday was established by the educationist in 1872 and became one of the first private colleges financed and run by Indians. “Vidyasagar was one of the founders of Indian nationalism, a true hero of the Indian renaissance, and those who desecrated his bust have no idea how much they have hurt the sentiment and pride of the Bengalis,” said former Union culture secretary Jawhar Sircar.

“Far ahead of his age, Vidyasagar built several schools for girls in four districts of Bengal. He was against child marriage. He took the initiative and got the Widow Remarriage Act passed in 1856 by governor general Dalhousie,” said Raktima Dutta, a Presidency College alumna and retired teacher of South Point High School, who put up a Facebook post on the significance of the man to refresh the memories of her former students.

Since Tuesday’s vandalism, there has been a flurry of posts on social media, mostly in Bengali, recalling the liberal heritage Vidyasagar left behind. “The college set up as Metropolitan Institution was renamed Vidyasagar College in 1917. Vidyasagar asked why students from Presidency College should occupy the first position in English.

Subsequent to his resolve, students of Metropolitan Institution secured top positions in English,” said Left Front chairman Biman Bose, who was associated with a non-government organisation named after Vidyasagar for a number of years. “I don’t have words to condemn the incident.

What depths of degradation are left to be reached?” said poet Shankha Ghosh, a Jnanpith awardee. The institution counts several luminaries among its alumni, including Swami Vivekananda (religious reformer), Ram Manohar Lohia, Jagjivan Ram (both politicians), Prafulla Chandra Ray (scientist), Nandalal Bose (painter), Saradindu Bandyopadhyay (creator of the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi) and Manna Dey (singer).

Even Rabindranath Tagore studied in Metropolitan Institution (school) for a brief period. “The education department will restore the damaged bust of Vidyasagar as well as (repair) the damage to other parts of the college,” said education minister Partha Chatterjee.

Vidyasagar College has three campuses, two in Kolkata and one in Salt Lake. About 3,500 students are on the rolls. More than 100 km away from Kolkata, in the reformer’s native village Birsingha, Dilip Banerjee, the caretaker of Vidyasagar Smriti Mandir, a museum set up at his residence, said, “Every day I offer pronam to the man.

Today, I offered him tears and prayed for forgiveness.” Pronam loosely translates as prayer. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON : Social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed widow remarriage
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What is karma and Akarma?

Kinds of karma September 06, 2018 08:28 pm | Updated 08:28 pm IST A common doubt that persists in all beings is the one about the relationship between karma yoga and chitta suddhi and how one is led to the path of jnana from karma. The Vedas are accepted as the highest authority on secular and spiritual matters; but the mystic quality and depth of their language can be inferred only through study, meditation, and instruction from enlightened preceptors.

  • Sacred texts such as the Bhagavat Gita and the Bhagavata Purana have culled the essence of Vedic teaching for the benefit of humanity.
  • Their teaching on traditional rules of dharma is to be upheld, but it should be understood that they are not an end in themselves and that the final goal is attainment of the Lord, pointed out Sri B.

Kesava Dikshitar in a discourse. Many perform Vedic rituals and yagnas without understanding the real import of their actions as is seen in the case of Prachina Bharhis, the great grandson of Prithu. Narada advises him on the most valuable effect of yagna or any action performed by anyone which is attaining purity of mind or chitta suddhi.

  • In the section on Nava Yogi Upakhyana in the Bhagavata Purana, the terms ‘karma,’ action, ‘vikarma,’ prohibited action and ‘akarma,’ non-performance of ordained action are explained.
  • It is shown that actions are compulsory and have to be aligned to dharma and righteousness.
  • Following the right action is sure to lead to the path to salvation.

This is the meaning of the term “karma.” Then there is “vikarma” which refers to actions not sanctioned by the scriptures. “Akarma” means inaction or refraining from action and the Gita explains this as action in inaction and this is achieved by realised souls alone.
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What is Nishkam Karma Mcq?

Question: What is the concept of Nishkama Karma? Answer: Nishkam Karma self-less or desireless action, is an action performed without any expectation of fruits or results, and the central tenet of Karma Yoga path to Liberation. Its modern advocates press upon achieving success following the principles of Yoga, and stepping beyond personal goals and agendas while pursuing any action over greater good, which has become well known since it is the central message of the Bhagavad Gita.
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What do you mean by nishkam?

In Sanskrit, nishkam means ‘ action without motive,’ ‘work without desire’ or ‘desire-less.’
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Who was the first social reformer to promote widow?

Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar was the first reformer to talk of widow remarriage. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar advocated that widows should be allowed to remarry. He used ancient texts to support widow remarriage. His suggestion was adopted by British officials and a law permitting widow remarriage was passed in 1856.
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Whose autobiography is looking back in India?

Justice Mahajan was an eminent jurist of his times who worked at important administrative positions during Indias independence. Second half of the book provides a glimpse into behind the scenes activities
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Where is the principle of Nishkam Karma first seen?

Nishkama Karma in Bhagavad Gita – Nishkama Karma has an important role in the Bhagavad Gita, the central text of Mahabharata, where Krishna advocates ‘Nishkama Karma Yoga’ (the Yoga of Selfless Action) as the ideal path to realize the Truth. Allocated work done without expectations, motives, or thinking about its outcomes tends to purify one’s mind and gradually makes an individual fit to see the value of reason and the benefits of renouncing the work itself.

  • To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction, — Verse 47, Chapter 2-Samkhya theory and Yoga practise, The Bhagavadgita
  • “Fixed in yoga, do thy work, O Winner of wealth (Arjuna), abandoning attachment, with an even mind in success and failure, for evenness of mind is called yoga” — Verse 2.48
  • “With the body, with the mind, with the intellect, even merely with the senses, the Yogis perform action toward self-purification, having abandoned attachment. He who is disciplined in Yoga, having abandoned the fruit of action, attains steady peace.” — Verse 5.11

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What is Nishkama Karma in philosophy?

Definition – What does Nishkam Karma mean? – Nishkam Karma is a central theme in the Bhagavad Gita. An important philosophical concept in Karma yoga, it means to act unselfishly, or without personal gain in mind. When acting out of Nishkam Karma, an individual is acting without any expectation that good will be returned to him/her.
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Is Nishkam Karma possible?

Reading Time: 5 minutes Written by Kashish Kumar Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord) is truly a work of art. Occupying a central place in Indian philosophy and history, the Gita is part of an epic poem called the Mahabharata which was created around 200 BCE, it has 18 chapters and 700 verses in total.

Bhagavad Gita is set in a narrative framework of a dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Lord Krishna as they discuss issues of human ethics, societal morality and reasoning. According to the Bhagavad Gita, no being can escape from performing karma (action), as even when we’re sleeping or breathing we are doing karma.

However, someone can practise Nishkama Karma (action without desire). If someone is not attached to the consequences of their actions, then they are free from the bondage of karma. According to Lord Krishna, practising Nishkama Karma Yoga is the true path for realising the truth.

  • This yoga is also known as ‘Yoga of Selfless Action’.
  • In the act of Nishkama Karma, one has no selfish expectations; a Nishkama Karmi (someone who performs Nishkama Karma) only gives with love, devotion and happiness.
  • Nishkama Karma refers to doing selfless service (seva), without the expectation of receiving acknowledgement or a reward.

If you perform karma for the sake of being rewarded and appreciated, then this karma cannot be counted as true Nishkama Karma. For instance, if a celebrity was to donate money to charity publicly and make a big deal out of their donation in the newspaper for the sake of raising their social profile, then this would not be performing Nishkama Karma.
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What is the moral merit of Nishkam Karma?

Who Established Home Association To Provide Education To The Widows The choice to detach himself from the consequence of his actions was not easy for Arjun. (Source: Arnab Dutta/Wikimedia Commons) In the great epic Mahabharata, Arjun, one of the five Pandavas, puts down his weapons and refuses to fight in the ongoing war. He is filled with anguish at the sight of his loved ones, the elders in particular, for whom he has great affection. The prospect of fighting the blameless and killing his kinsmen fills him with a strange pity. ‘I shall not fight’, he declares, leaving his charioteer Krishna dumbfounded. Krishna reminds Arjun that, this is no ordinary battlefield (Kurukshetra), it is also a moral field (Dharamkshetra). The war was waged as the last resort when all other alternatives had been exhausted. Arjun is aware that his cause is just and yet he cannot transcend his human emotions. Krishna tries several arguments to persuade Arjun to fight. One of these is a truly novel moral argument based on action. Krishna knows that Arjun is a man of action, so he exhorts him to act for the sake of his duty, without any thought to the consequences. Krishna believes that the moral worth of an action lies in a persons motive rather than in the consequences of the action. He speaks thus, ‘Be intent on the action, not on the fruits of action’. This moral insight is also called ‘nishkama karma’ or disinterested action. Eknath Easwarana translates it as – “You have the right to work, but never to the fruits of work.” Krishna condemns ‘desire’ motivated acts as conducive to rebirth and believes that any action performed in ‘selfless spirit’ is virtuous and will not accumulate karma. This infact is the basic premise of ‘nishkama karma’. Arjun is now caught between his svadharma (his duty as a kshatriya warrior, which is to fight a ‘righteous war’) and sadharana dharma (the duty of his conscience which dissuades him from violence). It is a tragic dilemma (dharma sankat) indeed. Krishna, then reveals his awe inspiring aspect as God, who is the creator and destroyer of the universe. He leaves the choice with Arjun and asks him to make a reasoned decision based on what he has learned. ‘Act as you choose’, says Krishna. The experience of Krishna’s terrifying form, makes Arjun realise that his duty is linked to cosmic power (Krishna’s divinity). And as long as he acts according to his duty, he conforms to cosmic dharma. This makes him an instrument of cosmic will rather than a doer (ego). Arjun reasons that, he can act according to his duty and fulfill his moral commitment of fighting a just war to restore order (response) or he can wallow in emotions and think of his self-interest (reaction). He chooses response over reaction. “I will do your bidding,” says Arjun. The concept of ‘nishkama karma’ has intrigued many a philosophers. They have been trying to interpret ‘nishkama karma’ as a spiritual ideal for centuries. However, the thing to observe here is that ‘nish’ which means ‘without’ in Sanskrit, ‘kama’ which means ‘desire’, ‘phala’ which means ‘fruit’ and ‘karma’ which means ‘action’ or ‘action performed without desire of its fruit’ (nishphala karma) does not accumulate karma. Since it is done in selfless spirit of fulfilling one’s moral commitment rather than personal glory or blame, Krishna says, it will not incur debt. This was Krishna’s promise to Arjun. ” id=”yt-wrapper-box”> The choice to detach himself from the consequence of his actions was not easy for Arjun. But he is able to rise above his ego and be an instrument of divine will (‘Be just my instrument’, says Krishna). Having seen the awe inspiring aspect of God, where, in time grown old, events have already happened according to divine will, Arjun just needs to do his duty. By attending to his duty single-mindedly without any thought to the consequence, Arjun’s action is linked to Krishna’s divinity or cosmic power. Arjun chose moral commitment over self-interest, divinity over humanity, liberation over bondage. When we perform actions with desire for its fruit in mind, we bind ourselves to the cycle of birth and rebirth. The purpose of life is liberation or moksha. Nishkama karma or detaching one’s actions from personal reward helps us to attain this purpose. However, in the final analysis, the choice rests with us. As long as the desire for rewards of our work matter to us, as much as the work, we are reborn for those rewards, but when we perform only those acts that are incumbent on us, we attain liberation.
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