Though Krishna acknowledges here that this way of sannyasa can lead to the goal, he recommends the path of selfless action or selfless service as the better way. He contrasts the way of Sankhya – which in this context means knowledge of the Self in a general way – to the way of yoga, which here means the way of action. This term yoga presents difficulties in the Gita because it means different things at different times, and many definitions are given of this all-purpose term. But for several chapters the topic under discussion has been the active spiritual life, or karma yoga, and that is clearly what is meant in this context. Sankhya and yoga might also be translated as “theory and practice.”
It would seem that at the time of the Gita the path of wisdom was regarded very highly, while the path of action may have been looked upon as an adulteration of the spiritual life. It is even possible that the Gita was the first Hindu scripture to introduce the novel idea of combining karma yoga with the pursuit of Self-knowledge. Krishna says that only immature, inexperienced people look upon the paths of knowledge and action as different. The true goal of action is knowledge of the Self. Following either path faithfully will lead to the complete spiritual vision.
It is essential in karma yoga that the selfish ego not expect gratification from the work. When there is no selfish involvement in work, the worker does not come to spiritual harm. The example is the lotus: it spends its life floating in water, yet the drops of water roll off its leaves without ever wetting them. Similarly, as long as the karma yogis do not expect reward or recognition, any evil that might stain them has nowhere to cling. Such yogis are said to be detached from the outcome or fruits of their actions (karma phala).
Krishna warns Arjuna that a life of work, even successful work, cannot be fulfilling without Self-knowledge. Ultimately, the true Self within him is not affected by what he does, whether good or bad. Only knowledge of the Self, which rises like the sun at dawn, can fulfill the purpose of his life and lead him beyond rebirth.
This knowledge of the Self or Atman is, by its very nature, also knowledge of Brahman, the all-pervading, immanent and transcendent Godhead. Krishna says that the illumined person sees this divine essence in all beings. He or she has “equal vision” and sees the divine Self in all, regardless of the outer aspect.
The last three verses of the chapter describe a state of profound meditation called samadhi. When meditation becomes very deep, breathing becomes slow, steady, and even, and the windows of the senses close to all outward sensations. Next the faculties of the mind quiet down, resting from their usually frantic activity; even the primal emotions of desire, fear, and anger subside. When all these sensory and emotional tides have ceased to flow, then the spirit is free, mukta – at least for the time being. It has entered the state called samadhi.
Samadhi can come and go; generally it can be entered only in a long period of meditation and after many years of ardent endeavor. But one verse (5:28) adds the significant word sada, “always.” Once this state of deep concentration becomes established, the person lives in spiritual freedom, or moksha, permanently. This is extremely rare. Mystics of the West as well as the East have attained brief glimpses of unity, but very few can be said to have dwelt in it permanently, as if it were their natural habitat. In the West the most prominent figures are Meister Eckhart, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross, though there have been others. In the Hindu tradition there is a long line of saints and mystics who have tried to communicate something of the nature of this union with Reality or God, from the unknown recorders of the Upanishads through the Buddha, Shankara, and Meera, to Ramakrishna and Ramana Maharshi. –D.M.
5: Renounce & Rejoice
ARJUNA
1 O Krishna, you have recommended both the path of selfless action and sannyasa, the path of renunciation of action. Tell me definitely which is better.
KRISHNA
2 Both renunciation of action and the selfless performance of actionlead to the supreme goal. But the path of action is better than renunciation.
3 Those who have attained perfect renunciation are free from anysense of duality; they are unaffected by likes and dislikes, Arjuna, and are free from the bondage of self-will.
4 The immature think that knowledge and action are different, but the wise see them as the same. The person who is established in one path will attain the rewards of both.
5 The goal of knowledge and the goal of service are the same; those who fail to see this are blind.
6 Perfect renunciation is difficult to attain without performing action. But the wise, following the path of selfless service, quickly reach Brahman.
7 Those who follow the path of service, who have completelypurified themselves and conquered their senses and self-will, see the Self in all creatures and are untouched by any action they perform.
8 Those who know this truth, whose consciousness is unified, thinkalways, “I am not the doer.” While seeing or hearing, touching or smelling; eating, moving about, or sleeping; breathing
9 or speaking, letting go or holding on, even opening or closing the eyes, they understand that these are only the movements of the senses among sense objects.
10 Those who surrender to Brahman all selfish attachments are like the leaf of a lotus floating clean and dry in water. Sin cannot touch them.
11 Renouncing their selfish attachments, those who follow the path of service work with body, senses, and mind for the sake of self-purification.
12 Those whose consciousness is unified abandon all attachment tothe results of action and attain supreme peace. But those whose desires are fragmented, who are selfishly attached to the results of their work, are bound in everything they do.
13 Those who renounce attachment in all their deeds live content inthe “city of nine gates,” the body, as its master. They are not driven to act, nor do they involve others in action.
14 Neither the sense of acting, nor actions, nor the connection ofcause and effect comes from the Lord of this world. These three arise from nature.
15 The Lord does not partake in the good and evil deeds of anyperson; judgment is clouded when wisdom is obscured by ignorance.
16 But ignorance is destroyed by knowledge of the Self within. The light of this knowledge shines like the sun, revealing the supreme Brahman.
17 Those who cast off sin through this knowledge, absorbed in the Lord and established in him as their one goal and refuge, are not reborn as separate creatures.
18 Those who possess this wisdom have equal regard for all. They see the same Self in a spiritual aspirant and an outcaste, in an elephant, a cow, and a dog.
19 Such people have mastered life. With even mind they rest in Brahman, who is perfect and is everywhere the same.
20 They are not elated by good fortune nor depressed by bad. With mind established in Brahman, they are free from delusion.
21 Not dependent on any external support, they realize the joy of spiritual awareness. With consciousness unified through meditation, they live in abiding joy.
22 Pleasures conceived in the world of the senses have a beginning and an end and give birth to misery, Arjuna. The wise do not look for happiness in them.
23 But those who overcome the impulses of lust and anger which arise in the body are made whole and live in joy.
24 They find their joy, their rest, and their light completely within themselves. United with the Lord, they attain nirvana in Brahman.
25 Healed of their sins and conflicts, working for the good of all beings, the holy sages attain nirvana in Brahman. 26 Free from anger and selfish desire, unified in mind, those who follow the path of yoga and realize the Self are established forever in that supreme state.
27 Closing their eyes, steadying their breathing, and focusing their attention on the center of spiritual consciousness, 28 the wise master their senses, mind, and intellect through meditation. Self-realization is their only goal. Freed from selfish desire, fear, and anger, they live in freedom always. 29 Knowing me as the friend of all creatures, the Lord of the universe, the end of all offerings and all spiritual disciplines, they attain eternal peace.
Chapter Six, The Practice of Meditation
This is surely one of the most intriguing chapters of the Gita, for here we are given a detailed explanation of meditation addressed to the layperson. The same meditation techniques are given in more esoteric writings, such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, but the Gita does it more simply, without any unnecessary mystery or complexity.
This chapter also explores the question, “Who is the true yogi?” This word yogi, if it has any associations for the Western reader, is likely to bring up images of rather far-out types who do strange contortions with their bodies. Yogis are still thought of as standing on their heads or reclining on a bed of nails. It is true that there are many practitioners
