What is my purpose in life? I asked the void (my conscience).

“What if I told you that you fulfilled it when you took an extra hour to talk to that kid about his life?” said the voice of my conscience.

“Or when you saved that dog in traffic? Or when you tied your father’s shoes for him?” “Your smile of cheer brightened the faces of an aged couple early in the morning”.

 

“But your problem is that you equate purpose with goal-based achievement. The Universe isn’t interested in your achievements……just the heart. When you choose to act out of      kindness, compassion and love, you are already aligned with your true purpose.

This is explained beautifully in the central message of the Bhagavad Gita which is Nishkama karma which implies self-less or desireless action, it is an action performed without any expectation of fruits or results. So that is the purpose of our life.

No need to look any further!” and remember

So my dear friends please do share your views or your own real life experience of doing a Nishkama karma to inspire our readers.

Bye for now and be very well and safe 😊👍

 

Posted by on September 1, 2020 in My guest writers! and tagged , , .

97 Comments

About Dilip

An open mind! Love to share my thoughts and a keenness to learn. An engineer and a MBA I had a wonderful innings in the Army and later moved to consultancy and teaching. My current interests are music and growing culinary herbs. Love to play golf and do yoga regularly. I am serious on "Living life less seriously". A warm welcome to you be well and be cheerful always.

97 responses »

  1. (Mrs.)Tara Pant says:
    September 11, 2021 at 5:03 pm

    🙏Yes!

    Like

    Reply
  2. V K Vijayaraghavan says:
    February 11, 2021 at 9:06 am

    Actions done with happiness is yoga and for happiness is selfish and bondage ! My small observation

    Liked by 2 people

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  3. alexsmithstar says:
    January 20, 2021 at 7:32 am

    You made various good points there. I had never heard of the life laws and the law of cause and effect. I’m going to use this information to create good karma for myself. I read another blog articles there also some good points. https://predictmyfuture.com/law-of-cause-and-effect/

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. da-AL says:
    November 22, 2020 at 6:19 am

    lovely post. I find that if I do something nice for someone, there’s the instant karma of feeling better about myself 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  5. Oh, where to start? – Chasing Simple Dreams says:
    November 13, 2020 at 8:35 pm

    […] When I sat down to write this post today, I discovered a comment someone had left on m blog back in June. IN JUNE! When I went to their site today to check them out, I saw this post and it sums up some thoughts I have had so many times and which for some reason are so hard for me to articulate clearly. It is Karma: The Purpose of Life. […]

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  6. Terri says:
    November 13, 2020 at 7:47 pm

    It has been a long time since I updated my blog. Today, I am sitting down to write a post and this one of yours is spot on to what I am trying to put into words. I found your blog by the very sweet comment you left on my blog, oh, back in June!! I hope you don’t mind if I link to this blog post of yours as I feel like it puts into words what I am trying so hard to write and failing at miserably so far.

    Liked by 3 people

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    • Dilip says:
      November 15, 2020 at 11:17 am

      Hi Terri I am delighted you liked this post and you are most welcome to link it to yours. Your blog is very interesting and I look forward to a more purposeful visit.
      Regards and thanks 😊

      Like

      Reply
  7. Ankur Mithal says:
    November 13, 2020 at 5:24 pm

    Indeed, this is the essence of life, captured in a few simple words. Could not agree more. We should not even taint them by giving them a religious colour. These are just the most sensible words about life.

    Liked by 3 people

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  8. Rachana says:
    November 6, 2020 at 11:08 am

    Really a great blog 😊🙏🎉

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  9. heyRGhere says:
    October 31, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    Lines compressed with truthfulness, it’s so inspiring! Thanks for sharing. I really needed an upliftment.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  10. Amy says:
    October 30, 2020 at 6:25 pm

    Thank you for this inspiring post, Dilip. “When you choose to act out of kindness, compassion and love,…” –Thank you for the reminder.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  11. Simona says:
    October 25, 2020 at 6:41 am

    Buona domenica 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  12. Simona says:
    October 24, 2020 at 7:13 am

    Happy Weekend 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  13. nadiiag says:
    October 22, 2020 at 5:31 pm

    I really like this post, I agree, people get what they deserve, of you are a good person, happiness will come, if not good- you know…When I was a child, my mom always said “do not wish bad to someone, it might return to you and hit you twice hard”

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  14. Harini Kannan says:
    October 8, 2020 at 3:40 pm

    I too believe in karma, beautiful post~♥~

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  15. Aradhana Singh says:
    October 8, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    Sir will you please subscribe my baby’s you tube channel?the channel name is kanha jee’s fun please subscribe 🙏

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  16. Divya says:
    October 8, 2020 at 4:10 am

    Very thoughtful post. Great work👏🏼

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  17. Poetry,Love and Tell a Tale says:
    October 2, 2020 at 5:34 pm

    I am a firm believer of “Karma”. Whenever I look at my own life, I feel and understand, everything happening in result of something was done before, in most cases. Well, it’s totally my perception about life and I have been trying to do things in a better way.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  18. Soni Cool😎 says:
    October 2, 2020 at 4:16 am

    Well written 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  19. Markus + Micah says:
    September 29, 2020 at 6:52 am

    Love the lightness of this post. Normally, life purpose is such a big exploration but you simplified it and it does make sense!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
  20. Lakshmi Bhat says:
    September 24, 2020 at 2:23 pm

    We can try to do what The Gita says can be done. It is possible. Thank you for sharing.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  21. Iqra Aqib says:
    September 22, 2020 at 2:17 am

    This post really is accurate! You do get what you give. I think nowadays it’s hard to expect someone to do something for you without expecting something in return, but there are people like that out there, and I am glad to know someone like that. They will always be very dear to me

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
  22. Maria Cristina Gino Baroso says:
    September 20, 2020 at 6:33 am

    I love this post about life’s purpose and agree about sharing kindness without expecting anything in return. 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
    • Dilip says:
      September 20, 2020 at 7:50 am

      The quest to find our life’s purpose is not easy because when we help others it’s quite natural for us to believe ‘it’s me or I’ who helped. But really it’s the Supreme power who made it happen. When our life’s purpose is to live without expectations we remain healthy and youthful.
      Thank you for the visit Maria. 😊

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  23. Esse says:
    September 19, 2020 at 5:20 am

    Happy Weekend 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  24. CoachKanika findingabetteryou says:
    September 18, 2020 at 8:07 am

    I totally agree with your words and experience the same in my everyday life, thank you for sharing as this is the ultimate truth of life we experience
    Stay wealthy healthy safe and happy

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  25. Esse says:
    September 17, 2020 at 6:15 am

    Ciao, buona giornata 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  26. Maniparna Sengupta Majumder says:
    September 12, 2020 at 9:26 pm

    Though it has been said in the Bhagavad Gita, but I think nishkama karma is not an attainable thing for mundane people for us. Whenever we do anything, however hard we tray, we do have some expectations in our mind.

    Liked by 4 people

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    • Dilip says:
      September 13, 2020 at 7:26 am

      You are right Nishkama Karma is not easy at all – it is not for a layperson. And for a seeker to learn and practice such a Karma will surely need a spiritual guide.
      Thanks and regards.

      Like

      Reply
  27. bowmanauthor/bowmaneditor says:
    September 10, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    This is so wonderful! I am so interested in the topics you share.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  28. Hemalatha Ramesh says:
    September 10, 2020 at 5:31 am

    Very well said Sir!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  29. Sue Dreamwalker says:
    September 8, 2020 at 10:08 pm

    Wonderful perspective Dilip… It is the smallest things that means the most…

    Or what really sticks in my mind was a young man outside our supermarket last year on a cold December morning he was obviously freezing and he was asking for change from people coming out of the shop..
    I stopped and asked him how he had become homeless and how long… He looked nervous and was almost in tears I would say he was around 18 or 20 years old… He said he had been staying at a friends as his family had kicked him out, but now he said his friend said he had to find somewhere else… It was the first night he had spent outside… You could just tell,..
    I chatted to him and asked him did he know of the shelter up the road, he said yes but he hadn’t been.. I told him to go and they would help him… And gave him a £5 note… His eyes filled with tears again as his voice broke… And he couldn’t stop saying thank you.. He headed straight to McDonald’s across from the store where I hope he got warm and breakfast…

    So folks, don’t look the other way when someone holds out there hand asking for change.. have the courage to stop talk to them, you never know what their stories are, not all are drug addicts wanting their next fix… and you never know but for the grace of God, you too could have been walking in their shoes needing help…

    Much love dear Dilip…. Great Post my friend… I hope we all go little things to make Great Things happen… And we all right now need to be sending love and unity into the world not Fear and separation.. ❤ ❤ ❤

    Sue ❤

    Liked by 4 people

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  30. Barbara Franken says:
    September 8, 2020 at 8:25 pm

    It’s all about living each moment preciously❤️ Enjoying the journey🥰 It took me years to realise this though. Thanks for a wonderful post , love Barbara x

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  31. RecoveryWise says:
    September 7, 2020 at 9:29 pm

    I typically will give homeless people a few dollars if they are sleeping. The abundance ends up making us both a little richer.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  32. loujen haxm'Yor says:
    September 7, 2020 at 12:23 am

    Life… time– together, fascinating jewels composed of More Than Everything.
    Art

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  33. Renu Rastogi says:
    September 5, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    Purpose of life.. it has been going on in my mind now a days and I haven’t been able to find any satisfactory response.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
    • Dilip says:
      September 6, 2020 at 7:52 am

      Yes most of us think about this. Having read Eckhart Tolle’s the Power of Now I do believe that we pursue goals and targets which are the Secondary Purpose and are dependent on the changeability of time. Whereas the Inner purpose is the ‘Now’ which is deep within us and anchored to our soul. If we focus our mind be in present moment we become stable and calm and we get the clarity needed to achieve our secondary goal/purpose.
      Thank you and regards. 🙏😳

      Like

      Reply
  34. Rajagopal says:
    September 3, 2020 at 10:32 am

    Nice to see your take, Dilip, on such a vast subject. The process of action and reaction on all levels, physical, mental and spiritual, is karma, which is the result of a person’s actions as well as the actions themselves. It denotes the cycle of cause and effect. Karma lays it down that what happens to a person, happens because they caused it with their actions; it anticipates Newton’s third law of action and reaction where every action of any kind including words, thoughts, feelings, the totality of our existence, will eventually have a reaction, same type of energy coming back to the one that caused it. In spiritual development, Karma is about all that a person has done, is doing and will do. It is not about punishment or reward. Karma makes a person responsible for their own life, and how they treat other people. Dharma, referring to the power which upholds the universe and to one’s lifelong duties, and Karma, referring to one’s everyday actions and the negative or positive obligations these actions bring about, and Moksha, referring to ultimate liberation from worldly life, are the foundational values on which all Indian religions are based. Dharma is universal and ‘Sanatana’, meaning ‘for all time or eternal’; which is why it is described as ‘Sanatana Dharma’. The dogmatic concept of God as defined by many organised religions may be rubbished as cultural mumbo jumbo. In today’s strife-ridden world further shattered by C-19, the only shining essence is the increasing relevance of Dharma or the order that sustains, structured by the cumulative of good Karma. Hence one’s life purpose is the pursuit of karmic goodness.

    Liked by 4 people

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    • Dilip says:
      September 4, 2020 at 1:32 pm

      As always Raj you words have have amplified the Karmic approach beautifully. And the explanation of Dharma and Sanatana is clarified beautifully in simple words. However your last line on the pursuit of karmic goodness perhaps implies not allowing the I to creep in unknowingly as it may not then remain Nishkama Karma.
      Thank you so much for your wisdom. Kindest regards 🙏

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      Reply
  35. Val Boyko says:
    September 2, 2020 at 11:37 am

    Beautifully written Dilip. Thank you for sharing this wisdom 💛

    Liked by 4 people

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    • Dilip says:
      September 2, 2020 at 11:56 am

      Thanks Val your appreciation means a lot. Your thoughts on yogic practices and spirituality are always a learning for me. And I look forward to your posts.
      Kind regards 🧘‍♂️🙏

      Like

      Reply
  36. Sang says:
    September 2, 2020 at 10:44 am

    Nice post Dilip.

    You would find more on Karma and Jnana Yoga

    Go to You tube and go to Param Vedanta Channel..

    Bhagavad Gita by Team of Doctors.

    Liked by 4 people

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  37. marina kanavaki says:
    September 2, 2020 at 8:47 am

    Beautiful and very insightful post, my dear Dilip! 🙏🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  38. ssbonsor says:
    September 2, 2020 at 6:16 am

    Nishkama Karma is the essence of Karma Yoga (A gateway to Self-realization)

    ________________________________

    Liked by 4 people

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    • Dilip says:
      September 2, 2020 at 7:47 am

      Indeed so sir Nishkama Karma sure is a gateway to liberation. A thought discussed in spiritual circles is “How can one believes he is doing nishkama karma when the doer is someone else. To believe ‘I am doing nishkama karma is itself bondage’!

      Thank you Surinder sir 🙏

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  39. Binky says:
    September 2, 2020 at 2:56 am

    The world certainly could use more selfless acts from the heart these days.

    Liked by 3 people

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  40. Aushi says:
    September 1, 2020 at 6:07 pm

    Indeed, these are very true word, ones selfless actions do fulfill the purpose of life and brings a great sense of satisfaction 👍😇😇

    Liked by 4 people

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  41. Bon Repos Gites says:
    September 1, 2020 at 5:28 pm

    Great words!!

    Liked by 4 people

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