Study of the Bhagavadgita : Chapter - 5.8. Post- 21. - Swami Krishnananda.
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Saturday, April 24, 2021. 09:38.AM.
Chapter 5: The Karma Yoga Principle of the Bhagavadgita-8.
Post-21.
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Srimad Bhagavad-Gita :
Chapter-2. ( Sankya-yogam )
Slokam-48. ( Krishna tells Arjuna that he should act in yoga ) :
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Slokam-48 :
"Yogasthah kuru karmmaani samgam tyaktva dhananjaya,
siddhyasiddhyoh samo bhutva samatvam yoga ucyate."
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Translation :
dhananjaya! = hey Arjuna!
yogasthah samgam tyaktva = steadfast in yogam and having abandoned attachment;
siddhyasiddhyoh samah bhutva = keeping the balanced ( equal ) pose ( mind ) in success and failure;
karmmaani kuru = do your karmam (work );
samatvam yoga ucyate = evenness of mind ( Balanced mind ) is called yogam.
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Commentary :
The previous slokam-47 is further clarified here. Yogam, equanimity is the methodology encouraged. Relinquishing desire and attachment to the rewards of actions while steadfastly remaining equipoised in either success or failure. This verily is what is meant by equanimity. ( Yogam )
The meaning of the word sangam is attachment. Attachment to what? The rewards of one's fruitive actions.
Be steadfast in yogam, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called yoga.
What should one do? Lord Krishna states here to remain balanced and equipoise. Discard the mentality of being attached. Be balanced in either victory or defeat and perform your duties. Karmmanni refers to duties the plural usage of duties indicates various obligatory and occasional duties; but the optional duty is not to be included among these as they are not required. Otherwise there would be contradiction between the former and the latter statements. Yoga is explained by Lord Krishna Himself as being in the state of equanimity.
The fundamental question which might be raised is what then is factually to be done? This is now being answered in this verse. Established in the science of yoga perform all activities. Yoga is the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the Ultimate Consciousness. Being established by this yoga perform actions relinquishing attachment, motivation for rewards and depend solely upon the mercy of the Supreme Lord in all one's activities. Totally unconcerned about success or failure, attainment or non-attainment resultant surrender in righteousness all actions as an offering unto the Supreme Lord. This is the eternal path called yoga by the wise as it consists of fixed concentration of the mind.
Krishna tells Arjuna that he should act in yogam. And what is that yogam? Yogam means to concentrate the mind upon the Supreme by controlling the ever-disturbing senses. And who is the Supreme? The Supreme is the Lord. And because He Himself is telling Arjuna to fight, Arjuna has nothing to do with the results of the fight. Gain or victory are Krishna's concern; Arjuna is simply advised to act according to the dictation of Krishna. The following of Krishna's dictation is real yogam, and this is practiced in the process called Krishna consciousness ( balancing evenness of mind ). By Krishna consciousness only can one give up the sense of proprietorship. One has to become the servant of Krishna, or the servant of the servant of Krishna. That is the right way to discharge duty in Krishna consciousness, which alone can help one to act in yoga.
Arjuna is a kshatriya, and as such he is participating in the varnasramam-dharmam institution. It is said in the Viishnu Puranam that in the varnasramam-dharmam, the whole aim is to satisfy Vishnu. No one should satisfy himself, as is the rule in the material world, but one should satisfy Krishna. So, unless one satisfies Krishna, one cannot correctly observe the principles of varnasramam-dharmam. Indirectly, Arjuna was advised to act as Kriashna told him.
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Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Chapter-2.
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Slokam-50 :
"buddhi-yukto jahatiha ubhe sukrita-dushkrite
tasmad yogaya yujyasva yogah karmasu kaushalam"
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Translation of Slokam :
BG 2.50 : One who prudently practices the science of work without attachment can get rid of both good and bad reactions in this life itself. Therefore, strive for Yog, which is the art of working skillfully (in proper consciousness).
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Translation by words :
buddhi-yuktaḥ—endowed with wisdom;
jahāti—get rid of;
iha—in this life;
ubhe—both;
sukṛita-duṣhkṛite—good and bad deeds;
tasmāt—therefore;
yogāya—for Yoga;
yujyasva—strive for;
yogaḥ—yog is;
karmasu kauśhalam—the art of working skillfully
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Commentary :
Upon hearing the science of karm-yog, people often wonder that if they give up attachment to results, will their performance go down? Shree Krishna explains that working without personal motivation does not reduce the quality of our work; instead we become even more skillful than before. Consider the example of a sincere surgeon who cuts people with his knife while operating upon them. He performs his duty with equanimity, and is undisturbed irrespective of whether the patient survives or dies. This is because he is merely doing his duty unselfishly, to the best of his ability, and is not attached to the results. Hence, even if the patient dies while being operated upon, the surgeon does not feel guilty of murder. However, if the same surgeon’s only child needs to be operated, he does not have the courage to do so. Because of attachment to the results, he fears he will not be able to perform the operation skillfully, and so he seeks the help of another surgeon. This shows that attachment to results does not make us more skillful; rather, the attachment affects our performance adversely. Instead, if we work without attachment, we can do so at our maximum skill level, without feeling nervous, jittery, scared, tense, or excited.
Likewise, Arjun’s personal example also illustrates the point that giving up attachment to the fruits does not adversely affect performance. Before hearing the Bhagavad Gita, he intended to engage in war with the desire of winning a kingdom. After hearing the Bhagavad Gita from Shree Krishna, he was fighting because it was his duty to God, and Shree Krishna would be pleased by it. He was still a warrior; however, his internal motivation had changed. The fact that he did his duty without attachment did not make him any less competent than before. In fact, he fought with greater inspiration because his work was directly in service of God.
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#Samatvam yoga ucyate (Gita 2.48) : Equilibrium is Yoga, harmony is Yoga, adjustment is Yoga, adaptability is Yoga, unity is Yoga, the blending of the subject and the object in harmony is Yoga.
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In everything that you do, you must be in a state of harmony. You should not come in conflict with anybody – neither with nature nor with people. The moment you set up an atmosphere of conflict and you are not able to adjust your personality with the object, the adhibhuta, there you have failed in Yoga.
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yogah karmasu kaushalam (Gita 2.50) is another great dictum.
Yoga is harmony, and it is also expertness in action. Expertness means the ability to see unity in everything that you do, and in every position in which you are placed.
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Here is a brief outline of the Karma Yoga principle of the Bhagavadgita. Therefore, Arjuna is asked to take a particular step under the prevailing circumstances, out of which he could not extricate himself. He is bound to do whatever is expected of him. Even if you think you will not do, you will actually be ruminating over that, and your ‘not doing’ is also a kind of action. Do not be attached to doing, and do not be attached to not doing. When you are doing some work, you may feel you are getting attached to it, and so you may desist from action under the impression that you are not going to be attached. But you are going to be attached to the other, negative aspect of it, namely, cessation from action. Your consciousness of action may be attachment, but your consciousness of non-action is also attachment. M? karmaphalahetur bh?r m? te sa?go 'stv akarma?i (Gita 2.47): Do not cling to your duties and works as if it is your performance. It is not yours; it is a universal action. Also, do not cling to non-action. You are caught from both sides. Neither can you have the so-called independent privilege of doing what you like, nor the option of not doing, under some circumstances.
But how will you adjust yourself to this condition? This is exactly the difficulty. It was not easy for even Bishma to decide what was proper under the given conditions. Even Drona, the great master, slipped under conditions which were very critical. Arjuna was a lesser man. His mind was reeling in a state of confusion.
No saint can be a saint all the time. There are a few moments when he comes down; he has difficulties and is unable to decide what is to be done. It is difficult to maintain God-consciousness all twenty-four hours of the day. Not even the greatest of saints can do that. Sometimes they act like human beings; but they rise up to God-consciousness afterwards, of course. Incarnations also do not always behave in a universal, uniform manner. There are ups and downs in their behaviour, whatever the reason be.
So with spiritual freedom, moksha, being the ultimate aim of existence, it becomes necessary on your part to be cautious. Yoga is not merely harmony, samattva, and it is not merely expertness in action. It is also caution. Vigilant is the Yogi. Apramattas tad? bhavati (Katha 2.3.2), says the Katha Upanishad. Heedfulness is the watchword of the Yoga student. If you are heedless and not able to catch the situation that is presented before you, you become mistaken in your attitude. Caution is the watchword. What is the caution? You must never forget that your particular behaviour and action that you perform is not disconnected from the consciousness of unity of purpose. This is the caution. You have to be vigilant to see that your behaviour and action at any given moment of time is not out of context with the unity of purpose that is to be at the back of it. Otherwise, it will be a drab, desultory work which will please nobody – neither you, nor anyone else.
To be continued ...
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