THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOR
W
hen Krishna instructed Arjuna that we have a
right to our labor but not to the fruits of our
labor, he was counseling the warrior to act territorially,
not hierarchically. We must do our work for its own
sake, not for fortune or attention or applause.
Then there's the third way proffered by the Lord of
Discipline, which is beyond both hierarchy and territory.
That is to do the work and give it to Him. Do it as an
offering to God.
Give the act to me.
Purged of hope and ego,
Fix your attention on the soul.
Act and do for me.The work comes from heaven anyway. Why not give
it back?
To labor in this way, The Bhagavad-Gita tells us, is a form
of meditation and a supreme species of spiritual devotion. It
also, I believe, conforms most closely to Higher Reality. In
fact, we are servants of the Mystery. We were put here on
STEVEN PRESSFIELD l6l