The Genesis of Action

This is one of the articles in a book I have written on spirituality. The book is available on Amazon.com.


The Spirit Of Spirituality

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It is obvious to anyone that all of us do some action at every moment of our life, obviously some voluntary and some involuntary. I would like to discuss aspects of voluntary action here from a spiritual perspective.

What drives action? Why do I go to a cinema hall? I go to a cinema hall because I want to see a movie. Hence the driver of an action is a desire to acquire an object. The object could be physical, emotional or intellectual. My desire to satisfy my desire to see a lovely heroine makes me do the action of going to a cinema hall.  My desire to satisfy my intellectual craving to know more about something makes me do the action of reading a book. So, every voluntary action is preceded by a desire for an object.

Now, where does desire arise from? Does desire arise in a vacuum? Well, we may argue that desires can be instinctual. I have no arguments against that. But then what causes even that instinctual desire to be triggered? Why is it that someone may feel the urge to buy a particular dress whereas someone else with him may not? Why do I not get an urge to drink beer whereas someone else does? Lurking under the desire is the “thought” of the object. So it is “thought” that gives rise to a desire. This may be slightly difficult to understand. But it is to be noted that “thought” is the most powerful thing we know. The first thought that arises when I get up is the thought that I exist and then everything else starts. There was no thought in deep sleep and hence no desire and no action.

Now, the next question is what brings about thoughts? Why don’t all of us start becoming smokers or drunkards? Why did the thought of smoking not even strike me whereas it struck several others? The thoughts arise from what are called “vasanas”. The vasanas are the accumulated impressions, desires over several births that shape the personality of an individual. It could have happened that in previous birth, a person could have had a deep love for music and was totally devoted to it and felt like achieving more and more. With such a deep desire, in the next birth, the person is very likely to be born as a child prodigy. Without this explanation, there is absolutely no way to explain child prodigies. Rational thinkers may call it chance because there is no other “seemingly logical” explanation. But this thing, which they call as “chance” is the working of the law of Karma, based on which unfulfilled desires lead to bodies/environment in subsequent births which help to fulfillment of such desires.

Now where do vasanas come from? The previous paragraph spoke about that. Our actions in this birth lead to new desires, which when unfulfilled, go into a “storehouse” of desires which have to be fulfilled in subsequent births. This storehouse of desires are the vasanas.

So it is easy to see this loop. Our actions lead to fresh desires which when unfulfilled add to “vasanas”, which create relevant “thoughts”, which create “Desires” which create “actions” and we are back in this endless loop. Is there a way out? 

Whatever we have accumulated as the portion of vasanas to be fulfilled in this body has to be completed. We can take care that our actions from now on are done in such a way that they do not create new unfulfilled desires. The only way this can happen is by ensuring that we perform every action with a focus on doing the action as an obligatory act without an expectation for results. This is the crux of Karmayoga as enunciated by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.



As readers may be aware, 3 of my books on spirituality are available on Amazon.com.

I invite readers of my blog to try any of the books and give me feedback so that I can make changes in the next edition.


1. My Humble Understanding  Of Spirituality


My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality

2. Attain Infinite Bliss

Attain Infinite Bliss - A Spiritual Guide

3. The Spirit Of Spirituality

The Spirit Of Spirituality