I've been tuning in to Swami Sarvapriyananda's talks on the "Vedanta Society of New York" for some time. In one of Swami Vivekananda's discussions about Karma Yoga, I came across a phrase that's been around for ages and is quite familiar to us: "Work is worship."
Even Steve Jobs in his famous speech said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
To take this forward, I heard a precursor to saying, “Work is Worship”. It goes like this… “Work and Worship. Work as Worship. Work is Worship”. I made a poster for this.
Here is my personal interpretation of this.
Work and worship
When you are attached to the result; the fruits of your work - Do both. Work for the results. Worship to practice detachment. Worship might give you a glimpse into something that is not in your control. It could be, grace or a blessing or simply your past Karma.
Work as worship
With steady and ongoing practice, you will start valuing everything around. You might be able to see that, despite all your hard work and efforts, things don’t happen the way you want. Practicing worship will help you mange the frustration and make you realise that there are forces that are beyond your control. It brings humility and reverence. This humility will become part of your nature.
Work is worship
This is very difficult to explain; one has to experience to witness it. In this state, you will truly work without any attachment. Work will eventually become a form of worship; completely unattached to the results. Similar to Arjuna, who becomes completely dispassionate amidst the war and still did his duty of fighting. It may sound scary and unworldly, but you will not want salary, materialistic pleasures, promotions & appraisals. Here you work for work sake with complete detachment. This is truly “Work is Worship”.
This is the one central idea in the Gita: work incessantly, but be not attached to it.
Swami Vivekananda’s explanation on “secret of work”
The highest man cannot work, for there is no binding element, no attachment, no ignorance in him. A ship is said to have passed over a mountain of magnet ore, and all the bolts and bars were drawn out, and it went to pieces. It is in ignorance that struggle remains, because we are all really atheists. Real theists cannot work. We are atheists more or less. We do not see God or believe in Him. He is G-O-D to us, and nothing more. There are moments when we think He is near, but then we fall down again.
When you see Him, who struggles for whom? Help the Lord! There is a proverb in our language, "Shall we teach the Architect of the universe how to build?" So those are the highest of mankind who do not work. The next time you see these silly phrases about the world and how we must all help God and do this or that for Him, remember this. Do not think such thoughts; they are too selfish.
All the work you do is subjective, is done for your own benefit. God has not fallen into a ditch for you and me to help Him out by building a hospital or something of that sort. He allows you to work. He allows you to exercise your muscles in this great gymnasium, not in order to help Him but that you may help yourself. Do you think even an ant will die for want of your help? Most arrant blasphemy! The world does not need you at all.
The world goes on you are like a drop in the ocean. A leaf does not move, the wind does not blow without Him. Blessed are we that we are given the privilege of working for Him, not of helping Him. Cut out this word "help" from your mind. You cannot help; it is blaspheming. You are here yourself at His pleasure. Do you mean to say, you help Him? You worship.
When you give a morsel of food to the dog, you worship the dog as God. God is in that dog. He is the dog. He is all and in all. We are allowed to worship Him. Stand in that reverent attitude to the whole universe, and then will come perfect non-attachment. This should be your duty. This is the proper attitude of work. This is the secret taught by Karma-Yoga. (more in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Karma-Yoga/The Secret of Work)
Do give it a thought. Maria Popova in The Marginalian explains this beautifully.