Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 5 - Karma Sannyaasa Yogah - Yoga Of Renunciation Of Action

 

CONTENTS

• PREAMBLE
• KNOWLEDGE AND ACTION ARE ONE
• HOW TO OBTAIN THE RESULTS OF BOTH BY FOLLOWING ONE PATH?
• RENUNCIATION SUCCEEDS ACTION
• THE ENLIGHTENED SELF
• IDEAS OF ACTION, ACTOR ETC, ARE DUE TO MAYA
• RESULT OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUPREME
• CHARACTERISTICS OF KNOWLEDGE
• CHARACTERISTICS OF A MAN OF PERFECTION OR A KNOWER OF BRAHMAN
• LUST AND ANGER ARE THE GREATEST ENEMIES
• WHAT KIND OF YOGI ATTAINS BRAHMAN?
• CONCEPTS AND ISSUES
• LIVE AS THE GITE TEACHES YOU TO LIVE
• POINTS TO PONDER

Preamble

Arjuna doubts which of the two  ways - whether renunciation of action or participation in action - is the  nobler and the greater. To Arjuna action meant ritualism and renunciation meant  a total retirement from everything and running away to a place of solitude. Sri  Krishna attempts here to give deeper insights to these oft misunderstood terms.  The Lord propounds the theory of self-development in three stages viz. through  desire-prompted activities, through desireless activities and through pure  meditation.

Having practiced the Yajnas prescribed in the preceding  chapter and gained wisdom, a seeker sheds his vasanas / desires and develops a  dispassion for the world. He enters into a state of renunciation, an essential  pre-requisite for practicing meditation. This chapter elucidates this stage of  development preliminary to meditation and realization.

This Chapter answers the questions:  What is the spirit of renunciation? How the Yoga of renunciation of action can  be practiced? What are its effects on the human personality? Thus this Chapter deals  with both Action and Knowledge and is therefore a link between Karma Yoga and  Pure Meditation.

In the opening verse of the chapter Arjuna asks Krishna  to advise him conclusively as to which is better of the two – the path of  action or the path of renunciation. Krishna clarifies the doubt by explaining  the three distinct stages of spiritual growth. A seeker embarking on his  spiritual journey with vasanas / desires is termed Yogi. Through Karma Yoga,  the path of action, he sheds the bulk of his vasanas. As he does so, he becomes  dispassionate towards the world and becomes an ascetic, a Sanyasi. A Sanyasi following  the path of knowledge practices contemplation and meditation until he reaches the  ultimate state of realization to become a Jnani, an enlightened soul. Both Karma  Yogi and Sanyasi reach the supreme goal. Thus, one takes up either the path of  action or the path of renunciation according to one’s basic nature.

The above three types of individuals (Karma Yogi, Sanyasi, Jnani) relate differently to action. The enlightened one, the Jnani,  having merged with the Self, realizes that the Self does not act at all. In and  through all actions, external and internal, the Jnani remains a silent witness  while the senses contact the sense objects. The Sanyasi, in his state of  dispassion, dedicates all his actions to Brahman. He acts without any  attachment. Consequently, his actions are not sinful and do not leave a residue  of vasanas / desires. Such a person, like a lotus leaf in water, remains in the  world, but detached from and unaffected by it. The Karma Yogi, the one at the  beginning of the spiritual journey, detaches himself from worldly entanglements  and directs all his physical, mental and intellectual activities towards his  own self purification.

arjuna uvaacha
    sannyaasam karmanaam krishna punar yogam cha shamsasi
    yacchreya etayorekam tanme broohi sunishchitam // 5.1  //

Arjuna said
    Renunciation of actions, O  Krishna, you praise and again Yoga, performance of actions.  Tell me conclusively that which is better of  the two.

In Chapter IV, verses 18, 19, 21,  22, 24, 32, 33, 37 and 41 The Lord has spoken of the renunciation of all  actions and in the verse 42 He exhorted Arjuna to engage in Yoga, the  performance of action. Owing to the mutual contradiction between these two injunctions,  action or renunciation, as they cannot be followed by the same individual at  the same time, Arjuna  asks Sri Krishna  to indicate decisively that one path which will lead to spiritual welfare. 

sri bhagavaan uvaacha
    sannyaasaah karmayogashcha nihshreyasakaraa vubhau
    tayostu karmasannyaasaat karmayogo vishishyate  // 5.2   //

Sri Bhagavan said
    Renunciation of action and  Yoga of action both lead to the Highest Good; but of the two, performance of  action is superior to the renunciation of action.

Man is essentially prone to be  inert and inactive. He prefers to get the maximum benefit from the outside  world with the minimum exertion. From this stage of utter inactivity he goes to  the first stage where he works because of the promptings of his desires; the  second stage of his evolution is from the desire motivated activities to  dedicated activities in the service of others with the least ego. In this stage  when the ego is subordinated his vasanas get exhausted and mind becomes pure.  With the purity of mind he reaches the third stage where he meditates for realizing  the ultimate goal of joy and peace.

Thus the spiritual path of  self-evolution falls into three stages viz. a) desire prompted activities b)  selfless dedicated activities and c) meditation.

The first - Karma Yoga - was  dealt with in Chapters III and IV while the technique of Meditation will be  taken up in Chapter VI.

This Chapter deals with as to how  one can renounce the desire oriented ego-centric actions and take up selfless  dedicated activities. In this Chapter, Yoga means Karmayoga and Sankhya means  the intellectual way with renunciation of works.

The Lord says renunciation of  action (Karma Sanyas) and performance of action (Karma Yoga) both lead to the  liberation or the highest bliss. Yet of these, performance of action is much  better than renunciation of action without the knowledge of the Self. However,  it will be seen later that renunciation of action with the knowledge of the  Self is decidedly superior to performance of action without such knowledge.

 

    jneyah sa nityasannyaasi yo na dweshti na kaangkshati
         nirdwandwo hi mahaabaaho sukham bandhaat pramuchyate  // 5.3 //

He should be known as a  perpetual Sanyasi (as constantly practicing renunciation) who neither hates nor  desires; for, free from the pairs of opposites, O Mighty Armed, he is easily  set free from bondage.

According to The Lord he is a  true Sanyasi who `neither likes nor dislikes'. Likes and dislikes, gain and  loss, honor and dishonor, praise and censure, success and failure, joy and  sorrow and similar other pairs of opposites are the attitudes of mind by which  it gains life's experiences.

The Karma Yogi, a true worker, is  known as a nitya sanyasi or a true renouncer, for he does his work in a  detached spirit without being influenced by the pairs of opposites. A man does  not become a Sanyasi merely by giving up actions for whatever reason. One need  not take Sanyasa formally; if he has the mental frame of renunciation of egoism  and desires he is a true Sanyasi. Mere physical renunciation of objects is no  renunciation at all.

KNOWLEDGE AND ACTION ARE ONE

 

saankhyayogau prithagbaalaah pravadanti na panditaah
    ekam apyaasthitah samyag ubhayor vindate phalam  //5. 4 //

 

Children, not the wise, speak  of Sankhya (knowledge) and Yoga (Yoga of action) as distinct; he who is truly  established in one obtains the fruits of both.

This verse clarifies that there  is no contradiction between the paths of Sankhya (knowledge) and Yoga (action).

There are two ways of making an  ordinary action into a divine action of dedication and worship viz.
  1. By renouncing the idea of  agency or doership in every action or
  2. By performing actions without  any anxiety for their fruits and maintaining equanimity in success and failure.

The former is called Sankhya method and the latter is Karma Yoga.

The Lord says that only the  ignorant people (here referred to as children) who have no knowledge of the  Self find a contradiction between the two methods.  But the wise who have lived through either of  the paths say that both the paths lead to the same goal viz. liberation or God  consciousness. 

HOW TO OBTAIN THE RESULTS OF BOTH BY FOLLOWING ONE PATH?

 

    yatsaankhyaih praapyate sthaanam tad yogair api gamyate
         ekam saankhyam cha yogam cha yah pashyati sa pashyati  // 5.5 //

The state (of liberation)  reached by the Sankhyas (Gnanis) is reached by the Yogins (Karma Yogins).  He truly `sees', who `sees' Sankhya  (knowledge) and Yoga (performance of action) as one.

Sri Krishna emphasizes that the  goal reached by the Sankhya method is also reached by those who practice Karma  technique. Those who have renounced the world and immersed themselves in the  knowledge are the Sankhyas.  Through Sravana (hearing of Vedantic texts). Manana (reflecting on what is heard) and Nidhidhyasana (profound meditation) they attain liberation directly. The Karma Yogis who  engage in selfless service, who perform their actions as offerings to The Lord,  also reach the same state as is attained by the Sankhyas indirectly through  purification of the heart, renunciation and the consequent realization of the  knowledge of the Self.

He who sees that Sankhya and Yoga  are one and that both lead to the same goal, is the one who really understands  the Truth of the Vedas.

It is to be noted that Karma  Yogins perform actions, surrendering the result to God, attain purity of mind  and thus qualify themselves for the path of knowledge i.e. Sankhya, the path of  knowledge, through which the final experience of Bliss is achieved. Thus both  ultimately produce the same result, viz. liberation through Self-Knowledge. 

RENUNCIATION SUCCEEDS ACTION 

 

sannyaasastu mahaabaaho duhkham aaptumayogatah
    yogayukto munir brahma na chirenaadhigacchati  // 5.6 //

But renunciation of action, O  Mighty Armed, is hard to attain without performance of action (Yoga); the sage  purified by devotion to action, quickly reaches Brahman.

The Lord means that the method of  performance of action is easier for a beginner and qualifies him for the higher  path by purifying his mind.  Hence it is  the proper and therefore the superior course, specifically for such beginners.  Without performing action the renunciation of action is impossible.

Mind gets purified by performing  right actions which enables one to have a deeper meditation leading to  renunciation of all activities. If this process is cut short and activities are  renounced in the beginning itself it will amount to physical inactivity where  the purity of mind and meditative power cannot be gained.

One who is engaged in selfless  and unattached activities develops single pointed meditative power. He is  called a Muni (sage) who will reach the Supreme experience of the Self in him  before long. A sage, purified by the performance of selfless action, soon  attains Brahman.

The true renouncer is not he who  remains completely inactive but he whose work is done in a spirit of  detachment. Renunciation is a mental attitude, the casting off of desire in  work; true work is work with all desire renounced. 

    yogayukto vishuddhaatmaa vijitaatmaa jitendriyah
          sarvabhootaatmabhootaatmaa kurvannapi na lipyate  // 5.7 //

With the mind purified by  devotion to performance of action, and the body conquered and senses subdued, he  who realizes his Self, as the Self of all beings, is not tainted though he is  acting.

Sri Krishna explains the  different stages of development and change that would take place in an  individual through Karma Yoga. One who is established in Karma Yoga gets his  intellect purified which reduces agitations caused by desires or emotions from  within. With the selfless action and no anxiety for the fruits, his intellect  becomes immune from disturbances which are reflected in his mind.

When a man gains inward peace at  intellectual and mental levels, it becomes easy for him to control his sense  organs from their tendency to run after sense objects. A seeker who controls  his body, mind and intellect in this manner is qualified for the highest  meditation because all the stumbling blocks for purposeful meditation arise  from desire-motivation and emotional agitation. If these obstacles are removed,  meditation becomes natural and the rediscovery of the Self is easier to  achieve.

This realization of the Self is  complete and not partial.  He sees the  divinity of the Self as all pervading.   He finds divinity everywhere at all times.  Hence The Lord says `realizes one’s own self  as the Self in all beings'.

When an individual after  achieving the inner change comes to realize the Infinite Divinity and performs  actions in the world, his actions cannot have any reactions on him because no  sense of ego is left in him. This verse highlights that it is the desire motivated  egocentric activities alone that create vasanas in the intellect which block  the discriminative power to experience one's own essential nature of Eternal  Divinity.

naiva kinchit karomeeti yukto manyeta tattwavit
    pashyan shrunvan sprishan jighrann ashnan gacchan swapan shwasan // 5.8  //

pralapan visrijan grihnan nunmishan nimishannapi
    indriyaaneendriyaartheshu vartanta iti dhaarayan  // 5.9   //

The knower of the Truth, being  centered in the Self, thinks `I do nothing at all' - though seeing, hearing,  touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing, speaking, letting go,  seizing, opening and closing the eyes - convinced that it is the senses that  move among the sense objects.

It is explained that a man of  wisdom will not have any egoism even in the common, natural and unavoidable  activities of the world, where he happens to live, like eating, sleeping,  breathing, speaking, closing and opening of eyes etc.

He remains as a witness to all  the activities of the senses, endowed with the knowledge of the actionless  Self, with an `I do nothing at all' feeling. He identifies himself with the  Self and sees inaction in action for he realizes that in all works the senses  occupy themselves with their objects and the Self remains inactive. He may be  said to have renounced action, for he sees no action as performed by himself.

brahmanyaadhaaya karmaani sangam tyaktwaa karoti yah
    lipyate na sa paapena padmapatram ivaambhasaa  // 5.10 //

He who performs actions,  offering them to Brahman, abandoning attachment is not tainted by sin, just as  a lotus leaf remains unaffected by the water on it.

A life of detachment where one  renounces the sense of doership is not easy to attain. This verse instructs us  how to live the Gita way rather than talk about it i.e. how to lead a life of  intelligent detachment. One should be clear that total detachment is impossible  for the human mind.  So long as there is  a mind it has to attach itself with something because that is its nature. The  only practical way of achieving detachment therefore is to disassociate the  mind from the false and attach it to the Real.

The advice given is to surrender  the sense of Agency and do the actions without egoism and attachment to their  fruits, considering all actions as offerings to The Lord.  The more the thoughts on The Lord the less  will be the attention on one's own ego. Once this is realized, the actions of  the body, mind and intellect will not leave any impression on the Self. Such a  yogi has no attachment even for liberation.

Having thus realized the Self the  Yogi lives in the world of objects with perfect detachment like the lotus leaf existing  in the water without getting itself moistened. The sage lives in the world of  objects detaching himself from his own perceptions of the world, likes and  dislikes etc.

kaayena manasaa buddhyaa kevalair indriyairapi
    yoginah karma kurvanti sangam tyaktwaatmashuddhaye  // 5.11 //

Yogis perform actions only  with the body, mind, intellect and the senses without attachment, for  the purification of the heart.

The Karma Yogis always utilize  their organs of action, knowledge, mind and intellect renouncing all  attachments .The sage remains as if he were a mere observer of all that is  happening around him.

The Karma yogis are those who are  devoted to the path of action, free from egoism and selfishness, who work for  the purification of their hearts without any attachment to the results of their  actions and who dedicate all their actions to The Lord as their offering.

yuktah karmaphalam tyaktwaa shaantim aapnoti naishthikeem
    ayuktah kaamakaarena phale sakto nibadhyate  // 5.12 //

    A selfless man who has  renounced the fruit of his action attains Peace, born of steadfastness; but the  one, who is not selfless, led by desire, is attached to the fruit of action and  therefore bound.

The harmonious man who does  actions for the sake of The Lord without expectation of the results and who  considers all his actions as offerings to The Lord only and not for any  personal gain or profit attains peace arising out of steadfastness or devotion.  Steadfastness is achieved through the following four stages of development viz. 

• purity of mind 
• gaining of knowledge 
• renunciation of action 
• steadiness in wisdom.

Peace is not a product of  external origin but it is a mental condition in an individual when he is not  agitated by any kind of disturbing thoughts. Peace is an unbroken feeling of  joy and a symbol of an integrated personality. Sri Bhagavan says that this can  be brought about through selfless actions undertaken in a spirit of Yagna. When  a worker renounces his egocentric sense of agency and desire for the fruits of his actions he immediately becomes an integrated personality and experiences  peace.

The one who is unbalanced or  unharmonised, who is motivated by desire and attachment to the fruits of actions and who is full of egoism and sense of agency gets himself bound and tortured by the reactions of his own actions. 

 

THE ENLIGHTENED SELF

sarvakarmaani manasaa sannyasyaaste  sukham vashee
    navadwaare pure dehee naiva kurvan na kaarayan  // 5.13 //

Mentally  renouncing all actions and fully subduing his senses, the embodied soul dwells  happily in the city of nine-gates, neither acting nor causing others (body and  the senses) to act.

Sanyas  is not a mere physical escapism but a mental withdrawal from things which have  no real significance.  It is a state of  mind and not an external symbol. Therefore one who has brought all his sense  cravings under perfect control and renounced all his egocentric and desire  prompted actions comes to live in peace, joy and contentment in the city of  nine gates. City of nine gates means the body which has nine apertures in its  physical form viz. two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, the genital and  the excretory outlet without which life cannot be sustained. The Self within  this physical structure activates the instruments of action and perception governing  the life of all of them though by itself it does not perform any actions. Krishna says that such an individual, always identifying  with the Self, observes the activities around him unaffected, unattached and  without any agitations. Hence he neither acts nor causes others to act.

All  actions in life (Karma) can be categorized as under.

           

•Nitya Karma - Obligatory duties such as daily prayers.
•Naimittika Karma - Actions to be performed on special occasions such as on birth of a child.
•Kamya Karma - Works intended for securing special ends such as for curing illness etc.
•Nishiddha Karma - Actions forbidden by scriptures like stealing and other crimes.

  The enlightened soul refrains from all these actions  and lives only for the sake of exhausting the prarabdha karma which has caused his present body. He lives happily established in Self-Knowledge. Unlike  the ignorant, he does not identify himself with the body which is termed here  as the city of nine gates. He neither acts nor causes others to act means that  he is totally free from consciousness of ‘I’ ‘me’ or ‘mine’ and is free from  the idea of acting or causing action. After the exhaustion of prarabdha  karma his soul merges in Brahman.

IDEAS OF ACTION, ACTOR ETC, ARE DUE TO MAYA

 

na kartritwam na karmaani lokasya  srijati prabhuh
    na  karmaphala samyogam swabhaavas tu pravartate   // 5.14  //

The  Lord creates neither agency nor actions for the world, nor does He bring about  the union with the fruits of actions; but it is nature that does all this.

This  verse gives a general definition of the concept of God. But the principle  stated here is not that described in the ritualistic portion of the Vedas but a  description of the relationship between the Self and the not-Self, the Atman  and the matter.

The  Supreme Self (Prabhuh) neither creates any sense of agency nor does it  initiate any action.  It does not match  every action with its corresponding fruit.

However  when the Self functions through the equipments - physical, mental and causal  bodies - It becomes a conditioned Self and gathers to itself all the egocentric  attitudes of agency, action and fruits etc.

Thus  the beneficiary of the fruits and the performer of actions in us is the ego and  not the Atman or the Self.  The Self becomes  an actor performing all actions only when it gets conditioned by `Swabhava'-  nature or the Divine Maya made up of the three Gunas. The Self comes under the  control of maya and regards itself as acting and enjoying the fruits of action.  As long as the Self remains identified with maya it is bound. But when it  detaches itself from maya it becomes free. Thus such ideas as those of duty,  work and the result belong to the relative world. They have no relevance from  the standpoint of the Supreme Lord. It is the Prakriti or nature that does  everything.

naadatte kasyachit paapam na chaiva  sukritam vibhuh
    ajnaanenaavritam jnaanam tena muhyanti  jantavah  // 5.15 //

Nor  does the all-pervading Spirit take on the merit or demerit of any. Knowledge is  enveloped in ignorance and hence beings get deluded.

The  Supreme who is all-pervading (Vibhu) and underlying in all of life’s activities  cannot be considered to take note of all the activities that are happening in  the finite world. From the point of view of the Infinite, the finite does not  exist.

When  the sun light passes through a plane glass it comes out clearly but if it  passes through a prism it emerges as seven colors which are part and parcel of  the same sun light. Similarly the Self passing through Knowledge emerges out as  the Self which is all-pervading. But when the same Self passes through  ignorance i.e. body, mind and intellect it gets itself split up into the  unending world of plurality.

As  there is neither day or night from the stand point of the sun, so there is  neither virtue nor vice from the standpoint of the Supreme whose nature is Existence-Knowledge  - Bliss absolute, Sat-Chit-Ananda. Through ignorance man separates  himself from the Lord and comes under the spell of ego. Thus he thinks of himself  as the agent of various works, good or evil and experiences pleasure and pain  accordingly. The law of Karma applies only to the embodied beings in the  relative world. When the aspirant becomes free from ignorance and realizes his  identity with the Lord, he goes beyond virtue and vice and is not affected by  the results of his actions.

Where  there is knowledge there is no place for ignorance and where there is ignorance  knowledge cannot exist. So the statement that knowledge is enveloped by  ignorance means that unveiling of truth is a process of removal of ignorance  and not creation of knowledge and therefore it is only a re-discovery.

jnaanena tu tadajnaanam yeshaam  naashitamaatmanah
    teshaam aadityavajjnaanam prakaashayati  tatparam  // 5.16 //

But  to those whose ignorance is destroyed by the Knowledge of the Self, that knowledge,  like the Sun, reveals the Supreme (Brahman).

In  the case of ordinary mortals the Self is screened of by ignorance or Avidya  whereas the man of realization is the one in whom the ignorance is removed by  Knowledge. Ignorance creates the egocentric concept which thrives in the body,  mind and intellect and is the root cause of all sufferings. When this ignorance  is destroyed by knowledge of the Self, the ego ends and the Self becomes  manifest just as the sun illuminates and reveals all the objects of the  physical universe when the clouds surrounding it move away.

Knowledge  is the very faculty of knowing. So when the ego re-discovers the Self it  becomes the Self. Therefore, the Self is awareness, consciousness or the Atman.

RESULT OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUPREME

 

tadbuddhayas tadaatmaanas tannishthaas  tatparaayanaah
    gacchantyapunaraavrittim jnaana  nirdhoota kalmashaah  // 5.17 //

Fixing  their minds on Him, at one with Him, abiding in Him, realizing Him alone as the  Supreme Goal, they reach a state, from which there is no return, their sins  having been destroyed by their Knowledge.

They  fix their intellect on the Supreme Self.   They feel and realize their identity with the Self.  By constant meditation they get established  in the Self. The whole world of names and forms cease to exist for them. They  live in the Self alone.  They have the  Self alone as their goal.  They rejoice  in the Self alone. They are satisfied in the Self alone.  Such men never return to this world as their  sins or impurities (vasanas) are removed by knowledge.

The  import of this verse is that Self-Realization is the final experience in the  process of evolution whereby the Soul of an illumined person does not return to  the relative world to assume a physical body. He does not come again under the  sway of maya.

CHARACTERISTICS OF KNOWLEDGE

vidyaavinaya sampanne braahmane gavi  hastini
    shuni chaiva shvapaake cha panditaah  samadarshinah  // 5.18 //

The  wise see the same in all - whether it be a Brahmana endowed with learning and  humility, or a cow, or an elephant or a dog or an outcaste.

The  wise see divinities everywhere just like the ocean which does not make any  difference between one wave and the other. He finds no distinction in the world  of names and forms. The liberated sage has equal vision as he recognizes the  Self everywhere.

The  Self is not affected by any limiting factors as it is subtle, pure, formless  and attributeless just as the sun's rays fall on the river Ganga, on the ocean  and on the dirty canal and yet the sun's purity and splendor are not spoilt by  the quality of water on which its rays fall. The limiting adjuncts do not  affect the Supreme Self just as the outer space is not affected by the pot,  cloud etc. The Brahmin is Sattwic, the cow is Rajasic, the elephant, the dog  and the down trodden are Tamasic. But the wise see in all of them one  homogeneous immortal Self that is not affected by any of the three Gunas. This  is the quality of equal mindedness of the wise.

ihaiva tairjitah sargo yeshaam saamye  sthitam manah
    nirdosham hi samam brahma tasmaad  brahmani te sthitaah  // 5.19 //

Even  here (on earth) the created world is overcome by those whose mind is  established in unity. Brahman is flawless and the same in all. Therefore these  persons are indeed established in Brahman.

Created  or relative world means all bondages of birth, death etc. All possibilities of  bondage are destroyed when the mind attains perfect evenness which in other  words means becoming Brahman.

Perfection  is not an idealism that has to be realized in the heavens only after death. Contrary  to this vague expectation, Sri Krishna asserts that the relative existence of  bondage can be ended and the imperfect individual can be made to live in the  Consciousness of God and can come out of one's ego sense in this life itself,  in this very body and among the very same worldly objects.

The  method of achieving this goal is stated in the verse as the one whose mind  rests in evenness and gains the Divine tranquility.  Where the thought flow is arrested there the  mind ends.  Where the mind ends, which is  the instrument through which life expresses itself as ego, the sense of  separate existence also ends and the egocentric slavery of samsar ceases.  The ego, devoid of samsaric sorrows, rediscovers itself to be none other than  the Self Itself.

Such  persons who have conquered their minds and live in perfect harmony in all  conditions of life and its relationships are indeed aware of their identity with  Brahman who is even, ever-perfect and uncontaminated though indwelling in all  pure and impure bodies.

Brahman  is all pervading and homogeneous.   Everything happens in it and nothing happens to it. Thus the Truth is  changeless just as a river-bed remains motionless though water flowing on it is  ever changing. The substratum is changeless and remains the same but the  superimpositions and manifestations will change by their very nature. An  individual with his identification with body, mind and intellect is changing  factor but the Substratum, the Self, remains the same.

The  Lord says that a mortal who can maintain his equanimity under all conditions is  indeed the one who rests in Brahman i.e. aware of Brahman.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A MAN OF PERFECTION OR A KNOWER OF BRAHMAN 

 

na prahrishyet priyam praapya nodwijet  praapya chaapriyam
    sthirabuddhir asammoodho brahmavid  brahmani sthitah  // 5.20 //

Resting  in Brahman, with intellect steady and without delusion, the knower of Brahman  neither rejoices on obtaining what is pleasant nor grieves on obtaining what is  unpleasant.

From  this verse onwards the characteristics of a man of perfection are given.

The  Lord describes him as having always a balanced intellect because of the absence  of egocentric influences. He is never deluded.   He has abandoned all actions as he rests in the Self.

He  is neither exhilarated when he gets pleasant objects nor feels disappointed  when he obtains unpleasant objects. This does not mean that he has no reactions  at all but it means that he remains balanced always with a sense of equipoise  which cannot be shattered easily.

baahyasparsheshwasaktaatmaa  vindatyaatmani yatsukham
    sa brahma yoga yuktaatmaa sukham  akshayamashnute  // 5.21 //

With  the heart unattached to external contacts he discovers happiness in the Self;  with the heart engaged in the meditation of Brahman he attains endless bliss.

The  happiness from the enjoyment of outer objects is transitory while the Bliss of  Brahman is eternal. When the mind is not attached to the external objects of  the senses, when one is deeply and constantly engaged in the contemplation of  the Self, one finds eternal peace within.   If one wishes to enjoy the imperishable happiness of the Self within,  one has to withdraw the senses from their respective objects and enter in deep  meditation on the Self within. It is to be noted that through self-control a  void is created in the mind and heart which will have to be filled in with  bliss through contemplation of Brahman.

ye hi samsparshajaa bhogaa duhkhayonaya  eva te
    aadyantavantah kaunteya na teshu ramate  budhah  // 5.22 //

The  enjoyments that are born of contacts with objects are generators of pain only,  for they have a beginning and an end, O Son of Kunti, and the wise do not find  delight in them.

Man  goes in search of happiness among the external and perishable objects.  He finds no permanent joy in them but  receives a load of sorrows instead. One should, therefore, withdraw the senses  from the sense objects which are not at all a source of permanent joy. One  should fix the mind on the immortal, blissful Self within.  The sense objects have a beginning and an  end. The pleasure out of them is therefore momentary and fleeting during the  interval between the contact of the senses with the objects and their  separation. One who has discrimination or knowledge of the Self will never  rejoice in the objects of the senses.

LUST AND ANGER ARE THE GREATEST ENEMIES

 

shaknoteehaiva yah sodhum praak shareera  vimokshanaat
    kaamakrodhodbhavam vegam sa yuktah sa sukhee  narah  // 5.23 //

He  who is able to withstand the force of lust and anger even before he quits the  body - he is a Yogi, a happy man.

Desire  (lust) and anger are powerful enemies of peace.   It is extremely difficult to annihilate them.  One has to make strong efforts to destroy  these enemies. He who has controlled desire and anger is the happiest man in  the world.

Desire  is longing for a pleasant and agreeable object which gives pleasure when it is  seen, heard or remembered.  Anger is the  feeling one gets when he finds obstacles in the way of getting the desired  objects. The greater the desire for an object the greater will be the anger  against any obstacle that comes between the desirer and the objects desired.  Lust and anger create an agitation of mind accompanied by appropriate physical  symbols.

A  Yogi is the one who controls the impulses of desire and anger, destroys likes  and dislikes and attains equanimity of mind by resting in the Self. He is  always happy because there is neither desire nor hatred in him.  The implication of what Sri Krishna says is  that in this very world and in this very life one can be perfectly happy if one  learns to withstand the avalanche of desire and anger.

WHAT KIND OF YOGI ATTAINS BRAHMAN?

 

 
  yo'ntah sukho'ntaraaraamas  tathaantarjyotireva yah
       sa yogee brahma nirvaanam brahma  bhooto'dhigacchati  // 5.24 //

He  who is happy within, who rejoices within, who is illumined within, such a Yogi attains absolute freedom or Moksha, himself  becoming a Brahman.

It  will be seen from the above three verses that the man of perfection does not  attain joy in the ordinary sensual objects of the world. Renouncing all these  he reaches a state of bliss where there is no place for desire or anger, love  or hatred.  The Lord says such a man alone  can be said to be happy. Such an individual who lives in the Self is the one  who has known Brahman. He becomes a Jivanmukta. The next verse clarifies that  this state is not annihilation but the positive one full of knowledge and  Self-possession.

    labhante brahma nirvaanam rishayah  ksheena kalmashaah
        chinnadwaidhaa yataatmaanah  sarvabhootahite rataah  // 5.25 //

With  sins destroyed, doubts dispelled, senses controlled, and devoting themselves to  the welfare of all beings, the sages attain freedom in Brahman.

When  a man of perfection brings his senses under control, his sinful mental  impressions are cleared which were blocking his vision of the Self behind  several doubts about the Reality. Knowledge of his real nature comes to dawn on  him and he comes to rediscover himself as the Self.

Having  thus reached the goal of all evolution his duties till he leaves his mortal  body will be to engage himself in the good of all beings. Thus loka-seva becomes his obsession. To overcome the world is not to become other-worldly. It  is not to evade social responsibilities. His body, mind and intellect are  offered to the sacred fire of activity for the common welfare while remaining  at rest with himself and living in an unbroken consciousness of the Divine, the  Eternal.

The  two sides of religion viz. personal and social are emphasized here.

kaamakrodha viyuktaanaam yateenaam  yatachetasaam
    abhito brahma nirvaanam vartate  viditaatmanaam  // 5.26 //

Released  from desire and anger, the mind controlled, the Self realized, absolute freedom  exists for such Yogins both here and hereafter.

When  the seeker conquers his lust and anger and can face all the threats coming from  within and without, he knows the Self and gains the Bliss of Perfection both  here and hereafter.

The  import of this verse is that those who renounce all actions and do intense Sravana,  Manana and Nididhyasana, who are established in the Self and who are  steadily devoted to knowledge of the Self, attain liberation instantly (Sankhya  Yoga).  But Karma Yoga in which action is  performed in complete devotion to The Lord and as dedication to Him, leads to  liberation step by step; first  the  purification of the mind, then knowledge, then renunciation of all action and  lastly liberation.

To  enunciate the Dhyana Yoga, which is the nearest and effective means to right  knowledge, The Lord teaches the path of meditation in the following two verses.

 

sparshaan kritwaa bahir baahyaamshchakshus chaivaantare bhruvoh
    praanaapaanau samau kritwaa  naasaabhyantara chaarinau  // 5.27 //

yatendriya manobuddhir munir  mokshaparaayanah
    vigatecchaabhayakrodho yah sadaa mukta  eva sah  // 5.28 //

Shutting  out all external contacts, steadying the gaze of his eyes between the eyebrows,  regulating the outward and inward breaths flowing within his nostrils, the  senses, mind  and intellect controlled,  with Moksha (Liberation) as the supreme goal, freed from desire, fear and anger,  such a man of meditation is verily liberated for ever.

In  these two verses The Lord has given a pre-view of the next Chapter.  Sri Krishna gives a scheme of practice by  which one can gain in himself a complete integration.

The  external world of objects by itself cannot bring any disturbances unless one  remains in contact with them through body, mind or intellect.  But if we shut out external objects - not  physically- but through discreet intellectual detachment at the mental plane,  we shall discover in ourselves the necessary tranquility for starting  meditation.

Then  the gaze should be fixed in between the eye brows so that the eye balls remain  steady. This is followed by rhythmical breathing which makes the mind quiet and  perfect harmony is developed in the system. These instructions relate to  physical adjustments.

The  instructions relating to mental and intellectual adjustments are then given.  The seeker is asked to be free from desire, fear and anger to attain perfect  peace of mind. When the senses, mind and intellect are subjugated by dedicating  all his outer and inner activities to achieve the goal of realizing the Self he  attains liberation. The mind gets restless because of the agitations caused by  desire, fear and anger. When it is desireless, it proceeds towards the Self  spontaneously and Liberation becomes one's highest goal. When an individual  follows these steps he can remain in the contemplation of Truth without any  distractions. Such a man of meditation comes to experience the freedom of the  God-hood before long.

Concepts and Issues

 

 

Sri Krishna earlier explained the greatness of both the paths of renunciation of actions (Sannyaasa or Sankhya  Yoga) and the performance of actions (Karma Yoga). Arjuna had therefore doubts  and asked Him to clarify which is better for him.

Sri Krishna tells that the paths  of renunciation and performance of actions will both lead the man to the same  spiritual goal to provide inner freedom.   But performance of actions for the welfare of all with no selfish motive  is far better than non-performance of action because pure meditation is  impossible to any one who has not offered himself and his belongings in the  service of others.

The ignorant alone thinks that  Karma Yoga and Sankhya Yoga are different. But both are inseparable and lead to  the same goal. A Karma Yogi lives in the world without bondage like a lotus  leaf on water. Without offering selfless service in Yajna spirit, it is  difficult to gain the true spirit of renunciation-Sanyasa. The performer of  selfless actions- Karma Yogi- has the spirit of renunciation in him and  renounces the desire for the rewards of his actions.

A  Sankhya Yogi who is established in the Self, does not identify himself even  with such activities as seeing, hearing, touching, smelling etc., but feels he  is a witness to all the actions of the body, senses, mind and intellect. He  lives in a world untouched by the happenings around. He, who has identified  himself with the Pure Self, stands aside, not contaminated by the effects of  actions and enjoys eternal peace within

Live as the Gita Teaches You to Live

 

  Verse 10 of this Chapter  instructs us how to live the Gita way rather than talk about it i.e. how to  lead a life of intelligent detachment. One should be clear that total  detachment is impossible for the human mind. The practical way of achieving  detachment is to disassociate the mind from the false and attach it to the  Real. Surrender the sense of Agency and do the actions without egoism and  attachment to their fruits, considering all actions as offerings to The  Lord.  The more the thoughts on The Lord  the less will be the attention on one's own ego. Once this is realized, the  actions of the body, mind and intellect will not leave any impression on the  Self. Such a yogi has no attachment even for liberation and he lives in the  world of objects detaching himself from his own perceptions of the world, likes  and dislikes etc.like the lotus leaf existing in the water without getting  itself moistened. 

      This  Chapter teaches that renunciation or the detached spirit is the fundamental  principle of all Yogas. All beings experience joy in renunciation. In deep  sleep all beings feel immense happiness by renouncing all their unnatural  superimpositions of personality, whether he is a king or a beggar, because in  that state intellect, mind and senses cease to function unconsciously and go  towards the Self. When one consciously renounces the activities of the senses,  mind and intellect one will surely merge into one's essential nature of the  Supreme Consciousness. Thus renunciation or loss of personality becomes a means  to supreme perfection. This is the glory of wisdom of renunciation. The action  done with freedom from individuality spontaneously unites one with  Universality. Such wise sages see divinity everywhere just like the ocean has  no difference of feelings between one wave and the other. He finds no  distinction in the world of names and forms.

Points to Ponder

 

  1. How do the paths of renunciation of actions and  performance of actions lead to the same goal?
  2. If both the above mentioned paths lead to the same  goal, how then the Yoga of action is superior?
  3. How one should work so as not to be tainted by sin and  attain Brahman?
  4. How does a Sankhya Yogi remain untainted by even  physical functions?
  5. What is the difference between performing actions with  and without selfishness?

  6. Explain the concepts:
       •The Supreme Self (Prabhuh) neither creates any sense of agency nor does it initiate any action.
       •The all-pervading Spirit does not take on the merit or demerit of any.
       •Knowledge is enveloped in ignorance and hence beings get deluded.
  7. How does one get established in equanimity?
  8. Who attains Brahman?
  9. What are the characteristics of an enlightened  soul?

10. What are the methods to get oneself liberated?
11. Write short notes on:
      •Samadarshan i.e. equal vision
      •Meditation
      •Lotus leaf on water
      •Enjoying sense-objects and enjoying one's own Self

Harih Om