Calling in Today's World by Cahalan Kathleen A.;Schuurman Douglas J.;

Author:Cahalan, Kathleen A.;Schuurman, Douglas J.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Published: 2016-06-27T15:18:16+00:00

Living Out a Calling: The Unity of Life and Callings as Worship

With its emphasis on the interdependent character of existence and the fulfillment of obligations, it is no surprise that the Hindu tradition likens the universe to a cosmic person. The Puruṣasūkta hymn of the Ṛg Veda (10:90) describes the universe as emerging from the body of the cosmic person and equates various elements in nature (sun, moon, air, earth) with specific parts of the cosmic body.24 The underlying purpose of the metaphor is to highlight the unity and interdependent functioning of the world. A healthy human body is one in which each organ serves the whole in accordance with its unique character. The proper functioning of the whole, in turn, nourishes each organ.25 If an organ does not contribute to the functioning of the body, like a thief in the example of the Bhagavadgītā (3:12), the body is hurt, but also the organ. The human body is a model of the harmony of svabhāva and svadharma, since each organ serves the body (svadharma) through the expression of its uniqueness (svabhāva). The realization of our individual potential is important not only for our personal fulfillment but also for the common good. The community is diminished when, for whatever reason, a human being fails to realize her worth and potential. It is imperative, therefore, that communities promote values and opportunities that enable human self-­fulfillment in terms of both svabhāva and svadharma.

Although a concern for the common good does not have to be connected with a religious worldview, the Bhagavadgītā and most Hindu traditions certainly assume this connection. Svabhāva and svadharma have religious meaning, and this meaning informs how these are lived out in various contexts and roles.

At the heart of this religious meaning is a theology of all work as worship, enunciated throughout the Bhagavadgītā. According to the Bhagavadgītā (18:46), “A human being attains life’s highest purpose by worshipping with his own work (svakarmaṇā), the One from whom all beings originate and who exists in all.”26 The text (9:27) commends the offering of all actions to God in worship. “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in worship, whatever you give, do it as an offering to me.”27 In each phrase the word yat (whatever) is repeated. The intent of the text here is to unify human life by including all actions and activities and commending the performance of these as worship. Worshipful actions, it is important to remember, are not only the heroic actions of Arjuna in the Bhagavadgītā or Mahatma Gandhi leading a freedom movement. Worshipful actions are also not limited to what is usually described as work. All actions are included and the value of every action is enhanced and sanctified when it is performed as an offering to God.

In the Bhagavadgītā, the essence of worship is an offering or an undertaking motivated by the love (bhakti) of God. In the verse (9:26) preceding the one cited above, Krishna identifies love of God as the affection that makes an action one of worship.

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