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Verse 45 Lord Krishna in this verse asks Arjuna to rise
above the three attributes-gunas. This can be achieved by making
himself free from the pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain, heat and
cold etc. This will result in Sattwa that is, remaining in goodness at all
times. The Lord advises Arjuna to become free from the thoughts of
acquisition and preservation-yoga-ksema and always be
established in the Self-atman. Asking Arjuna to develop forbearance towards the
dualities in life such as
joy and sorrow, success and failure, the Lord exhorts Arjuna to
show tolerance towards these pairs of opposites. The three gunas namely Sattwa-un-activity, Rajas-desire prompted activity and
Tamas-inactivity are
inseparable. Present in
varying quantities, these gunas
are present in all living creatures and are reflected in their
temperaments. It is the play
of these gunas that resuls in
individuality or the ego-ahankar. By abiding in selfless activity-nishkama karma one can go past the
play of these gunas. The Lord asks Arjuna to rise above
the mind and the intellect and to go beyond these gunas, and in so doing rediscover
his Self as God. Sattwa is
the subtlest of all three gunas.
Time and again it gets contaminated with Rajas and Tamas, dominating our personality
and thereby dragging us down with attachments and agitations. Lord Krishna instructs Arjuna to
always be in sattwa, forever
pure-Nitya-sattwa and thereby
be less agitated and deluded. Finally, asking Arjuna to free himself from the
ego-centric urges of acquiring objects and then focusing on the efforts to
preserve what has been acquired-yoga-ksema, Bhagawan requests
Arjuna to renounce these two traits as they bring extreme restlessness and
sorrow in life.
When established in the Self-Atma, the individual is ever pure
and free from anxieties. He
finds himself beyond the experiences of the world. He is beyond the Gunas. Such an individual is an Atmawan. Br. Prabodh Chaitanya narrates a short story to
illustrate how these gunas reflect our personality. There was a rich man traveling from one village to
another. On his journey
through a forest he encountered three thieves. The first thief suggested robbing
the rich man and cutting his lips.
The second thief suggested robbing the rich man and tying him down
to a tree and the third thief suggested robbing the man and letting him go
asking the rich man never to come back that way
again. The first thief represents Tamo guna. If we encounter Tamo guna in our lives disaster is
inevitable. The second thief
represents Rajo guna. Desire prompted activities will
bind us. The third thief represents Sattva guna. Goodness will eventually free us
and ask us to never come back again.
The rich man represents the Jeeva. Verse 46 In this verse Bhagawan criticizes those
individuals who perform rituals that bring finite joy, and contrasts them
with the seekers of true knowledge who have realized the
Infinite-Self. To explain the
above, the Lord uses an example of a well or reservoir (Vedas) having merged in an area
which is flooded with water (Infinite Bliss). The Vedas have become useless (here
Veda is used in reference to religious and ritualistic actions performed
for seeking finite joys). In
the same way for men of Knowledge who have realized the Infinite Self, the
limited, finite joys by the performance of rituals of the Vedas have become worthless. Pure Knowledge is the nature of the Self. The ego-ahankar craves the blessing of the Vedas; but when the ego has dissolved and the individuality has melted away, the realized Self in its infinite divinity is able to bless the Vedas. Verse 47 This stanza is one of the most famous in the
Bhagawad Geeta. Here the Lord
imparts the path of knowledge by which the Supreme Goal-moksha can be attained. Describing how a man should act,
Bhagawan tells Arjuna that an individual’s privilege is to work only, by
no means to the results.
Actions carried out should not entertain a motive of gaining a
desired fruit. Nor should one
sit in inaction. The Lord tells Arjuna that his right-adhikar is to the performance of
action only. Having anxieties
for the result of an action performed is futile as it is beyond his
control. While performing the action he should have an understanding that
he is not the doer-Karta of an
action but a mere instrument-karana of God. Whatever fruits the action may
reap he should accept it as His gift-Prasad and not consider himself as
an enjoyer-Bhokta. An action
performed with an expectation of a result makes an individual nervous and
wastes his mental energy. All
actions must be inspired activities. By undertaking noble endeavors,
putting in his best efforts and seeking joy in the actions themselves, a
person is acting in the true spirit of yagna. This method of surrendering to the Supreme while
performing action-karma yoga
and by offering the fruits to the Supreme will result in purification of
the mind-chitta shudhi. Such a pure mind will facilitate
the seeker in attaining knowledge-jnana prapti, a requirement to spiritual
awakening and attainment of liberation-moksha. Verse 48 Addressing Arjuna as Dhananjaya-one who has
procured a lot of wealth, Lord Krishna, in this verse gives a complete
technique on how one can live an inspired life. This verse begins and ends with
the word “Yoga”. The
precise meaning of the word Yoga is an evenness of
mind and a calm mental composure under all circumstances. To be established in equipoise and
equanimity within - is the highest spiritual Yoga. Renouncing attachment-sangha tyaga, keeping in
balance-samatvam both in
success and failure and acting diligently in all fields–such composure in
action is Yoga. Being detached to actions, fruits of actions, doership, enjoyership and having sameness of mind in success and failure amidst the changes in the world one will attain buddhi yoga. This buddhi yoga will unite the individual with the Total.
Verse 49 In this verse Bhagawan emphasizes on the importance of Buddhi Yoga. Bhagawan ranks individuals whose actions are selfless and work with their mind undisturbed by the anxieties of the result to be higher than those self-indulgent individuals whose actions are desire prompted and work with mind ever worrying over the results. The Lord calls such selfish, profit-oriented seekers as pitiable-karpanya. On the other hand, those who have a discriminative intellect, where the mind is in perfect control are superior to the above two. They are established in Buddhi Yoga. Bhagwan asks Arjuna to take refuge in this Buddhi Yoga as it will help in the purgation of existing desires-vasan,s and thus purify the mind to discover eternal Godhood. Verse 50 In the earlier verses Bhagawan asks Arjuna to take
refuge in Buddhi Yoga. The Lord
refers to individuals who abide in Buddhi Yoga to be Buddhi Yukta. These individuals are
endowed with wisdom achieved through equanimity of temper-they go beyond
the qualities of good and bad, merit and demerit. Yoga means evenness in mind and a calm mental composure under all circumstances. Giving a broader meaning to the term, Lord Krishna says that Yoga is dexterity in action. Humans are slaves of their desires-vasanas. Agility in action comes when one works without desires. Such actions preformed are a skill-kausalam; they cause no bondage. With such devotion in action, individuals become free from all the existing vasanas, both good and bad. Thus the mind-antah karan,a becomes peaceful and serene - a quality which is a pre-requisite for meditation. Verse 51 Concluding Karma Buddhi Yoga in this chapter, the
Lord says a sincere man devoted to work, acts with perfect evenness of
mind abandoning all anxieties for the fruits of the actions. Such an individual having acted
renouncing ego and ego-motivated desire goes beyond all evil. Bhagawan refers to such
individuals as Atma-Manisinah. These individuals having listened
to the Scriptures and Maha
vakyas from wise men have understood that they are beyond the body,
mind and intellect. Such
individuals are ever free-vinirmuktah, from the bondage of
birth. Having attained this
Karma Buddhi Yoga, they reach
the abode where there is no disease-anamayam. There are three levels of disease indicated here: physical disease or vyadhi, mental disease or aadhi, and intellectual disease, meaning conditionings called upadhi. Verse 52 In this verse the Lord assures Arjuna that when an
individual’s intellect crosses over the sludge of delusion through steady
work, he attains purity of mind-chitta shudhi. Such a Karma Yogi is disinterested
in the remembrance of sensuous joys it has lived in the past and also
fails to notice the experiences that have yet to be had. Such a pure mind results in
dispassion and indifference-nirvedam to the finite sense world
of objects and heavenly joys.
Thus this pure intellect comes to live its own real nature of Bliss
Infinite. Verse 53 Acknowledging Arjuna’s doubts and deliberations-vipratipanna that have arisen by what is heard so far, the Lord says, firmness-niscala and resolve in the teachings of the Vedas will come with constant reflections on these Vedic teachings-mananam and contemplation-nidhihyasana. Once the intellect is steady, knowing that I am Atma, one is liberated. Verse 54 In the previous verses a perfect picture of a
karma buddhi yogi has been portrayed. Such a Yogi, having gained the
ultimate goal with evenness of mind is a sage of steady wisdom-sthita-prajna. After having heard of such sages of steady wisdom Arjuna had uncertainties as to how such masters would act in the world outside. Would they be misfits to live in the ‘real’ world? He wonders how these wise men, while in Samadhi would sit, talk or even walk. What would be the state of mind of such a realized individual? Arjuna poses all these questions to the Lord, asking for clarification. Verse 55 In this stanza Bhagawan sums up in vibrant terms,
the mental condition of a man of pure awareness. From this verse onwards to the end
of the chapter the Lord gives a thorough description of the inner
experience and the outer conduct of a man of steady wisdom-sthita-prajna. All desires arise in the mind-mano-gatan. They are the root cause of
unhappiness. Due to
ignorance, the individual thinks that joy lies in sense objects. Through right thinking, when the
correct knowledge is acquired, an individual realizes that all happiness lies within
him and not in the temporary sense objects outside. He knows that
happiness is not in the object but in the subject-Atma. The Lord says that having experienced this
knowledge, all desires-kaman,
vasana drop off by themselves -prajahati. A desire is a feeling
of incompleteness in the absence of objects. This awakened man, having realized his self-atmana, is now content and
satisfied-tustah in the Self- atman, and has no longing for the
objects of the body, mind and intellect. The knower of this truth
experiences true bliss. He is
a man of wisdom-sthita-prajna.
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