Knower Of The Field – In Gita Verse 13.27 O chief of the Bhāratas, know that whatever you see in existence, both the moving and the nonmoving, is only a combination of the field of activities and the knower of the field.
Understanding the Art of Action and the Restlessness of Activity
In the serene wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita Verse 13.27, Krishna imparts a profound distinction between action and activity. I’ve come to realise that action is the pure expression emerging from a silent mind – it is the dance of divinity in the world. It is the most beautiful thing. By contrast, activity is born from restlessness, a mind churning with turmoil – it is noise masquerading as motion, and it tends toward chaos.
Understanding the nature of our ceaseless activity is essential. Without this insight, true relaxation remains a distant dream. Many of us long for respite, yet find it elusive. We can’t force relaxation any more than we can command a flower to bloom. The roots of our compulsion toward endless activity must be examined, for they stifle our natural grace.
Consider the words: action and activity. Though often used interchangeably, their essences couldn’t be more opposed. Action is the response of the situation at hand – it’s spontaneous, relevant, and harmonious. In contrast, activity is the knee-jerk of the restless mind, scrambling for an excuse to discharge energy, regardless of the relevance to circumstance.
Act more out of silence, letting needless activity fall away. Transformation isn’t instantaneous; it steeps like tea, gaining flavour and strength over time. And yet, there is no rush to this process. It unfolds in its own time.
Relaxation, then, is not a forced stillness, nor a façade of tranquillity. It’s the absence of a compulsion to act. It’s not mere inaction or laziness but a profound peace and contentment with being. When every situation is met with this equanimity, every action becomes pure and right.
Relaxation transcends physical or mental states; it is a harmony that permeates your very being.
Our lives are cluttered with frantic doings – a whirlwind of “musts” and “shoulds.” An undercurrent of agitation propels us into feverish productivity, leaving us exhausted and disconnected. We must temper this frenzy if we are to taste the nectar of peace.
Ironically, scores of books preach the gospel of relaxation; yet, they rarely offer the oasis they promise. They can’t grant us the tranquillity they describe, for they fail to address the underlying turmoil. Relaxation isn’t conjured from the pages of an instruction manual; it is the blossoming of understanding within.
Relaxation is the absence of restless activity, not the cessation of action.
The discipline we need is not of the body but of understanding. With this, suddenly, waving goodbye to a needless activity becomes simple. If you are mindful of the underpinnings of your actions, they transform. This cessation is the relaxation that Tilopa speaks of, a pure being in the here and now.
Life is not to be lived in extremes. Like Gautama Buddha, we find balance in alternating movement with rest, active meditation with contemplation. Visit the sacred grounds of Bodhgaya, and you will see the rhythm of his day etched in the path by the Bodhi tree – one hour of meditative sitting, one hour of contemplative walk.
Life requires both – the stillness and the stride.
Krishna teaches us that it is the harmony between rest and movement that guides us to the core of our existence. This centre is our constant companion, in wakefulness and in sleep, in repose and in motion. Its discovery is beyond the written word, for it must be lived, breathed – an internal experience that colours all else.
When you touch this centre, when you operate from this space of understood relaxation, then action and action alone defines your being. Every deed is an expression of your Buddha nature, effortless and true.
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