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KARMA YOGA IN ARUN JOSHIS THE FOREIGNER

Vitthal P. Patel
Abstract:
Arun Joshi (1939 1993) is an outstanding Indian English novelist. Joshi wrote five novels
The Foreigner (1968), The Strange Case of Billy Biswas (1971), The Apprentice (1974), The
Last Labyrinth (1981) and The City and The River (1990). Along with his novels he gave the
reader a collection of short stories The Survivir and a biography Sri Ram. In his novels Joshi
has focused not on socio-economic or existing political issues at all but, he has carefully
touched deep and very sensitive layers of human being. The novel reflects the principles of
Karmyoga described by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the battle of Kurukshetra in order to
resolve his confusion. The Foreigner is a story of state of mind of the people facing human
predicaments. The protagonist of the novel Sindi Oberoi cuts his life between attachment and
detachment to do or not to do He seems to follow principle of Karma throughout the
story. He is against the actions performed merely to attain Bhautik Shukh in life. In his
opinion, the life of those who run behind material happiness throughout their life like Mr.
Khemka is meaningless. He falls in love with June, the central female character of the novel
but his strange behavior confuses her. He denies strong desire of June to get married with
him. June marries Babu. Sindi advices Babu but he does not listen to him. Due to some
conflicts with June, Babu commits suicide. At the time of Babus Death June carries his baby
in her womb. She decides to get free from it and dies in attempted abortion. Sindi feels
despair and leaves America. He comes to India, meets Mr. Khemka and accepts the job
offered by him in his firm. Due to some indifference with Mr. Khemka he decides to leave
Delhi and finds a job in Mumbai. But a sincere effort of Muthu, the ordinary clerk of Mr.
Khemkas office makes him change his mind. He takes over the management of Mr. Khemka
during Khemkas imprisonment. Everywhere in the story we find Karma Yoga and Karmic
Pricipals of Life.
Key Words: Karma Yoga, Detachment, Attachment
_________________________________________________________________________
Arun Joshi (1939 1993) is an outstanding Indian English novelist who has outlined human
predicament caused by inner crises of man living in present world. In his novels Joshi has
focused not on socio-economic or existing political issues at all but, he has carefully touched
deep and very sensitive layers of human being. Joshis works reflect strong influence of
Indian spiritual ideology. He is one of those Indian fiction writers who have effectively tried
to reflect eternal metaphysics and ethos by their protagonists. The Foreigner is the first novel
by Arun Joshi published in 1968. Eighteen chapters of the story are divided in to three parts,
further these parts are divided into chapters, four, six and eight respectively. Joshi has used
the first person narrative technique in his novels where the protagonist himself narrates the
story; The Foreigner is one of them. Through the foreigner Joshi has attempted to reveal
unexplored mysterious and dark realm of soul with some confusing questions of human
being.
1
The novel deals with the human predicaments for attaining inner peace. The novel
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reflects the principles of Karmyoga described by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the battle of
Kurukshetra in order to resolve his confusion. O. P. Mathur rightly observes;
The Foreigner underlines the importance of non-involvement with the self but a
sympathetic involvement with the world as a step towards the achievement of
Karmyoga or non-attached actions. Sindis career seems to illustrate truth of
following verse of Gita;
Na karmanamanarambhannaishkarmyam purushoshnute
Na cha samnyasanadeva siddhim samadhigacchati
+ T||| +"
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(Chapter III, Verse 4)
(Not by abstention from work does a man attains freedom from action; nor by mere
renunciation does he attain to his perfection).
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The Foreigner is a story of state of mind of the people facing human predicaments. The
whole story of the novel revolves around detachment (inaction) and attachment (action) of
the hero, Sindi Oberoi, with the present world. Detachment (inaction) is the central theme of
the novel. Sindi experiences detachment from his childhood. Parents, affectionate mother
and protective father inculcate social feeling in a child. Sindis parents were died in air crash
in his infancy. It deprives him of the opportunity to become social, to establish interpersonal
relations with the people in the society.
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He was brought up in Kenya by his uncle, he studies
in England and America in an engineering field and later on he decided to settle down in
India. Ideological difference among the characters like Sindi, June, Babu, Mr. Khemka gives
lots of ups and downs in the story. Sindi, the young man finds himself strange and confused
everywhere he goes. He is seemed confused with to do or not to do. Arjuna in the battle of
Kurukshetra finds the same confusion and seeks advice from Lord Krishna in Bhagvad Gita.
Arjuna asks Should I perform Kriya or should I abide in the par avastha of Kriya. (Chapter
III: Verse II) In one of the conversations with Mr. Khemka, unknowingly Sindi reflects
strong influence of Karma Yoga when he says I want to do something meaningful. (14)
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This unconscious thinking of Sindi Lord Krishnas teaching of Karma to Arjuna;
Yastvindriyani mansa niyamyarabhteharjuna
Karmendriyaih karmyoga mashaktah sa vishishyate
"||"|T | ""|
+ |" : + "+: "
(Chapter III, Verse 7)
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Here, Lord Krishana preaches Arjuna, All actions being performed by the organs of the
action but not doing anything with attachment. By the phrase something meaningful Sindi
means to say actions without attachment: actions with inactions. On the contrary actions and
thoughts of the people like Mr. Khemka seems meaningless to Sindi, he remarks; ..they
talked of money and how to more of it. They left the impression that they could buy up any
body they wanted. Perhaps they could, but it all sounded meaningless to me. (16) Mr.
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Khemka and his sort of people are busy running behind money and all sort of materialistic
richness. They always think of physical happiness which is for the short period if life. He
further remarks;
Mr. Khemka and his daughter lived in a strange world through which I wondered
occasionally like a sleepwalker without grasping what it was all about. The reason
they attended so many gigantic parties and threw so many of their own, first I thought,
was because they were occupied with making more money. Gradually, it dawned on
me that they were also afraid of being alone. This was perhaps natural since they had
always lived in a crowd and women especially had little or nothing to do. (42)
Actions (Karma) performed to attain Bhautik Sukh (physical happiness) is no more than
desire or lust. Lord Krishna says;
Dhumenavriyate nahniryathadarsho malena cha
Yatholvenavrito garbhstatha tenedamarvitam
|" |" |
" | | |
(Chapter III, Verse 38)
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Desire is like a fire covered by smoke; anger is like a mirror covered by dust with infusion
of little wind they powerfully revealed by themselves.
In America Sindi does his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering where he meets Babu Rao
Khemka, a new student, in the foreign students party and they become friends. He also
comes in contact with June Blyth, the central female character of the story at the International
Student Association. The relation between them is gradually grown up. But, June cannot
understand strange behavior of Sindi. She makes a comment on Sindis behavior to him and
says; There is something strange about you, you know. Something distant. Id guess that
when people are with you they dont feel like theyre with a human being. May be its an
Indian characteristics, but I have a feeling youd be a foreigner anywhere. (29) This
comment itself focuses on the detached action of Sindi. He is really a foreigner even on his
own land so as we all are. Even he himself considers him a foreigner, I was a foreigner
in America. But then what difference would it have made if I had lived in Kenya or India or
any other place for that matter! It seemed to me that I would steel be a foreigner. (55) On
this universe nobody knows where to go and how to go, everybody relies on the guide; their
own fate, decided by the theory of Karma. In Bhagavad Gita, while teaching Atman, the soul,
Lord Krishna explains Arjuna, the birth and death are recurring and existence in any form is
not permanent. The universe exists only on illusion or Maya
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People wear masks; they are
mere puppets of the show driven by the law of Karma. Sindi eventually goes for a long drive
with June; she unknowingly possesses some affection for him. Sindi too starts thinking of
June and her affection for him and they fall in love with each other. Though, Sindi doesnt
want to be involved with he finds his attachment with June. Sindis unwanted involvement
with June teaches us the lesson that nothing is in our control, we are the only reason, actions
occur according to our Karma,
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na hi kashchit kshanamapi jatu tisthatyakarmakrit
karyate hyavashah karma sarvah prakritijairgunaih
+|T | "+ +
+|" : + : + T :
(Chapter III, Verse 5)
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No one remains even for a moment without karma, the root cause of Karma is the soul. It is
the soul or purusha that induces the mind through the sensory organs to perform Karma. It is
to be understood that whatever actions we are supposed to do is always the will of God. We
are merely an instrument in carrying out orders of God.
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Passionate desires between Sindi
and June become stronger. Sindi narrates the incident; desire rose within me like water
behind broken dam. I nearly cried with the burden of my lust. (71) They crossed all limits
and united physically with one another. They begin to live together and continue their
passionate affairs for long time. June had affection to Sindi and wanted to be married with
him. One day she asks Sindi; Several times we lay in bed June had suggested that we get
married. She said we were both growing old and she wanted my children (75) They have
discussion with argument on the topic. But, he doesnt want to be possessed by anybody.
Sindis love to June was his attachment with her but, it was his Karma performed in par
avastha of Kriya. In Bhagvad Gita it is taught by Lord Krishna that in the par avastha of
Kriya, even dutiful Karma doesnt remain, abiding with par avastha of Kriya is good to
look or looking with attachment is death;
Yastvatmaratirevasyadatmatripatshcha manavah
Atmnyeva cha santusthastasya karyam na vidyate
"| "|| |:
" " +|"
(Chapter III, Verse 17)
Shreyan svadharmo vigunah paradharmatsvanushthitat
Svadharme nidhanam shreyam pardharmo bhayavahah
"| T: ||
": "|:
(Chapter III, Verse 35)
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Sindi believes marriage a painful action; Karma with craving. For Sindi marriage is bondage
a possession from both the sides. He remarks; I was afraid of possessing anybody and I
was afraid of being possessed and marriage meant both. (91) And rejects her proposal of
marriage. He considers marriage a big illusion, illusion accepted by the society, nothing real,
nothing important. It was not even the detachment. On his arguments on marriage June gets
excited and asks him whether he was in love with her ever. Here a clear juxtapose is seen in
Sindis and Junes thinking. June thinks it worthwhile to love somebody, make somebody
happy, bring up children who contribute to society where as Sindi feels it unreal, momentary
(92) and his ideology separates him from June.
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On the other side Babu faces lots of troubles in his study in America, he loses his spirit. Babu
was asked to leave university due to his constant failure. June and Sindi made all possible
efforts to bring out Babu from sullen mood. Sindi tries to boost his confidence up. According
to Sindis opinion, June was one of those rare persons who have a capacity to forget
themselves in somebodys trouble. In the mean time Sindi goes to New York for his project.
June stays beside Babu in his troubles. June and Babu spend their time together which brings
Babu out from his melancholies. Babu feels a need of woman in his life in America One day
Sindi gets a letter from June where she remark,
I have been seeing Babu frequently since you left. He seems to be in
such a low spirits most of the time that my heart aches for him. He is usually
depressed because he is not doing well in his studies. I go with him every night
because I think he needs me. I want to be use to him. (101)
June has experienced that Babu is expecting much from her, so much more than she could
possibly give him. (106) But, she is not in a state to deny Babu because in her opinion Babu
is sensitive sort of boy and it will hurt him. It can break him in despair again. Babu gets
physical affection for June, June loves Babu and finally decided to get married with him.
Babu likes June and marries with her without informing his family in India. Babu was a
person possessing rajoguna, as he was fond of sensual enjoyment and pleasure. Rajoguna
creates agitations in the mind. Due to these mental agitations, objectively we act in the world
and subjectively we experience desires, passions, lust and consequently, joys and sorrows.
Our association with objects and beings creates more and more attachment. In Bhagavad
Gita, Lord Krishana says; It is being experienced via kutasth: desire and anger, which arise
from Rajoguna these are enemies and great sinners.
Kama esha krodha esha rajogunasamudbhavah
Mahashano mahapapra vidhyenamiha vairinam
+| T :
| ||| " T
(Chapter III, Verse 37)
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Due to his rajoguna nature Babu turns into jealous and irritable, he starts suspecting June of
going to bed with anybody who asks her. (138) his suspecting nature, full of desires, passions
and lust leads him to commit suicide. Babus death affected Sindi a lot. He always thinks of
Babu. In his opinion Babus death had drained something from him and it was his confidence
in the world. Babu had had kicked all his beliefs and all disapproved all his theories. (149) At
the time of Babus death June was carrying his baby in her womb. She writes Sindi, a
kind of courage that comes with despair and I suppose this is what is happening to me. Sindi I
am carrying Babus child and I dont know what to do. It is nearly four months now. (153)
Later on June meets with the death in an attempted abortion. Sindi blames on his own self for
both the death. He says that he had learnt to be detached from the world but, not from his
own self and he considers it a fetal error which causes for Babus death and then for Junes
death. O. P. Mathur rightly explains;
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..the confused approach of Sindi to the concept of detachment has cost him two
lives, both dear to him. The detachment of the Gita does not mean inaction as Sindi
takes it to mean, Lord Krishana had warned Arjuna in action and deaths of two
persons closest to Sindi are a warning to him.
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Sindi admits; detachment at that time had meant inaction. Now I had begun to see the fallacy
in it. Detachment consisted of right action and not escape from it. The gods had set a heavy
price to teach me just that. (162) For Babus death, June and Sindi both were equally
responsible though they were not aware about. Sindi remarks in his narration that ignorance
of sin, like ignorance of law is no excuse. God certainly made a distinction between one who
sinned in ignorance, and another who sinned in defiance. But that distinction was not between
innocence and guilt, but between different kinds of guilt. He thinks Babu would be still living
if he had not had sex with June on the night they went for drive and if Babu had not
committed suicide June would still be living.
In the later part of his life Sindi comes to India, land of his forefathers. He left America with
the same circumstances and reasoning he left England earlier. He was fed up with America
He runs away from the battle field. Leaving America was an escape for him as he wants to go
to the land where nobody recognizes him and he can start his life again. (150) On the way to
Mr. Khemkas house he finds himself uncomfortable with the situation to come, I
had no idea what they were going to say. And what mask was I put on if they knew? The
thought made me uncomfortable and I wished again I hadnt come (10) In the house he
meets Sheila, Babus sister and Mr. Khemka, Babus father. Mr. Khemka offers Sindi a job in
his firm in Delhi. Sindi joins Mr. Khemkas office as a personal assistant to him. In the
beginning he tries set him fit for the office environment. When he finds Mr. khemka indulged
in doing fraud in his income tax, he becomes indifferent to him and decides to leave the
office. He finds another job in Mumbai. Mr. Khemka is arrested and the office gets disturbed.
Sindi decides to leave Delhi and makes his mind to go to Mumbai to join his new job. He
finishes his packing and gets his ticket reserved. But, a labyrinth of thoughts is following him
which forces him to surrender to the situation. In his narration he remarks:
Before I went to sleep that night I took a general stock of myself. In many ways the
past had been a waste, but it had not been without its lessons. I had started adult life as
a confused adolescent, engrossed with myself, searching for wisdom and the peace
that comes with it. The journey had been long and tedious and still was not over
And the future? In an ultimate sense I knew, it would be as meaningless as past. But,
in a narrower sense, there would perhaps be useful tasks to be done; perhaps if I were
lucky, even a chance to redeem the past (185)
This reminds us the verse in Srimad Bhagavad Gita where Lord Krishana preaches Arjuna,
relinquishing all concerns of mind you will attain liberation by being on which means
gradually, through the continuous practice of Kriya, accomplishing dharma, dhyana and
Samadhi and thus being lodged in Atman the par avastha of Kriya. As the mind by itself
will not go in any other direction then, like the sky, itself the human shaped supreme Lord
of the world is able to see with continuous forces in the atom of Brahman.
7

Abhyasayogayuktena chetsa nanyagamina
Paramam purusham divyam yati parthanuchintayan
"|"" | |"|||
" "| || "
(Chapter VIII, Verse 8)
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At last, Sindi decides to meet Muthu, one of the clerks of the office. He goes to Muthus
place to meet him. Muthu requests Sindi to take over the management of the office. As
Arjuna in Gita, having lost his confidence Sindi says he is afraid of attachment and doesnt
wish to get involved in. Here Muthu plays a role of Lord Krishna and convinces Sindi to take
the responsibility to run the office not for Mr. Khemka but for the sake of workers. Muhtu
makes Sindi aware of philosophy of Vairagya in Srimad Bhagavad Gita as Lord Krishna
advices Arjuna, Oh! Dhanajaya! Perform all your actions concentrating on Yoga, forgetting
attachments.
3
Muthu asks Sindi, But it is not involvement, Sir, he said. Sometimes
detachment lies in actually getting involved. (188)
After meeting Muthu Sindis vision of life changed, he turns to attachment and here it is seen
in the form of real Karma Yoga. Karm Yoga can be explained as actions that are performed
without expecting anything in return. There is no beginning or end to this Yoga. Determined
mind is the basic requirement of Karma Yoga. As I entered the room I had a strange
sensation, something I had never before felt in life. I felt as if I had been dropped on a sinking
and charged with the impossible task of taking it ashore. (189) Sindi changes his mind;
he looks at the workers without caring for his self interest. He accepts the demand of the
workers and takes over the management of Mr. Khemkas firm.
Ultimately The Foreigner becomes a medium which reflects Karma Yoga of Indian
philosophy through Sindis behavior of attachment and detachment (action and inaction),
Junes suffering after her marriage with Babu, Babus suicide, Mr. Khemkas imprisonment
ect. The whole story of the novel illustrates the following verses of Bhagavad Gita:
yastvatmaratireva syadatmatriptashcha manavah
atmanyeva cha santushtastasya karyam na vidyate
naiva tasya kritenartho nakriteneha kashchan
na chasya sarvabhuteshu kashchidarthavyapashrayah
"| "|| |:
" " +|"
" + | |+ +
|" +| "|":
(Chapter III, Verse 17 & 18)
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Swami Sriyukteswar Giri Maharaj rightly comments on the above verse;
Those who have renounced the thirst for all things and upon attaining the Bliss of
Atman- experience have become satisfied; those whose passion and pleasure is in
Atman alone, and who are content in Atman Itself -- they do not need to perform any
action. It means that there is nothing to do or gain. And it is written in the Patanjal
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philosophical treatises that "vyadhi," meaning physical incapability, "styan," meaning
mental incapability, "pramad," meaning intoxication, "alasya," meaning laziness,
"avirati," meaning lust, "bhrantidarshan," meaning delusionary knowledge,
"alabdhabhumikatva," meaning incapability of getting results, and
"anavasthitachittatva," meaning restlessness -- the Bliss of Brahman is prevented by
these scattering the mind.
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References:
1. Lokesh Kumar, Arun Joshis novels: His vision of life (New Delhi: Sarup & Sons,
2004), pp 25
2. O. P. Mathur, New Critical Approaches to Indian English Fiction (New Delhi: Sarup &
Sons, 2001), pp 29-30
3. K. Ratna Shiela Mani, Detachment and its Meaning in Arun Joshis The foreigner,
Critical Essays on Indian writing in English (New Delhi: Sarup & Sons, 2006), pp 41
4. Arun Joshi, The Foreigner (New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks, rpt 2010) p. 14. All
subsequent references to this book have been absorbed in the text without repeating the
title.
5. Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyamcharan Lahiri Mahasaya, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, English
Translation by Yoga Niketan, Portland, Maine, USA, 2004
6. Ibid.,
7. Manblunder, Bhagavad Gita Vol.i, Manblunder E-book Series
8. Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyamcharan Lahiri Mahasaya, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, English
Translation by Yoga Niketan, Portland, Maine, USA, 2004
9. Manblunder, Bhagavad Gita Vol.i, Manblunder E-book Series
10. Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyamcharan Lahiri Mahasaya, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, English
Translation by Yoga Niketan, Portland, Maine, USA, 2004
11. Ibid.,
12. O. P. Mathur, New Critical Approaches to Indian English Fiction (New Delhi: Sarup &
Sons, 2001), pp 27-28
13. Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyamcharan Lahiri Mahasaya, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, English
Translation by Yoga Niketan, Portland, Maine, USA, 2004
14. Ibid.,
15. Swami Sri Yukteshvar Giri, Srimad Bhagavad Gita: Spiritual Commentary, English
Translation by Yoga Niketan, Portland, Maine, USA, 2004