In verse 13 the Sankhya philosophy is again mentioned. Scholars believe that at the time the Gita was composed the Sankhya school was at an early stage of development, yet even here we see the characteristic method of thorough categorizing. Using the Sankhya categories of the three gunas, the Gita goes on to give more detail about work, which is of three kinds – sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Similarly, the doer of the work is shown to be dominated by one of these all-pervasive qualities. In a very interesting passage Krishna talks of three kinds of happiness – a practical application of the abstract theories of Sankhya (18:36–39).
Pursuing the world of work, and how it contributes to spiritual growth, the Gita gives a short explanation of caste in this chapter. The Gita is not especially interested in caste – the social hierarchy of Hindu society – but we do find a short explanation here. The sannyasi, the renouncing monk, has left society and therefore belongs to no caste, but Krishna does not point out that course to Arjuna. Rather, he wants Arjuna to lead an active life. Krishna tells him that devotion to his own duty is best. It is better to do one’s own work, even if imperfectly, than to try to take on some other work. The work proper to each of the four castes is then described. In general, the Gita takes a liberal view of caste, and it would be wrong to interpret this chapter as supporting a rigid caste system.
The final part of this chapter, verses 50 and following, give a picture of the person who has attained siddhi– success or perfection – in the spiritual life and who goes on to union with Brahman.
In verse 61 Krishna returns to a favorite topic – the Lord dwelling in the hearts of all beings. But here he adds a startling revelation: the Lord dwells in all, yet he “whirls them around” through maya as if they were toys mounted on a machine. Having jarred Arjuna with this amazing image, Krishna reassures him that he can escape from the machine, the wheel of time, through devotion to God. If he wholeheartedly takes refuge in the Lord within, then through Krishna’s grace he will find peace.
As his all but final word, Krishna reminds Arjuna that he holds him very dear. Through devotion, Arjuna will be able to find his way, and he should not forget that Krishna feels deep love for him.
The relationship between the teacher and student is given a parting word, partially of warning. Krishna does not want these profound truths told to anyone who is not ready. Anyone lacking devotion or self-control, who does not want to hear spiritual instruction or who scoffs at it, should not be accepted as a student. The sacred act of giving spiritual instruction cannot be undertaken lightly. It is the highest work, and the man or woman who does it is most dear to Krishna.
Finally, Krishna asks Arjuna if he has understood. Arjuna says yes, his conflicts are over; he is ready to follow Krishna’s instructions. This concludes the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna and the instruction of the Gita proper. Sanjaya, who has been narrating the poem to blind king Dhritarashtra, adds a few final verses of benediction. He has “seen” this dialogue through his mystic vision, granted by the grace of Vyasa. Just recalling this wonderful conversation makes his hair stand on end in ecstasy, and when he remembers Krishna’s wonderful beauty, his joy is boundless. –D.M.
18: Freedom & Renunciation
ARJUNA
1 O Krishna, destroyer of evil, please explain to me sannyasa and tyaga and how one kind of renunciation differs from another.
KRISHNA
2 To refrain from selfish acts is one kind of renunciation, calledsannyasa; to renounce the fruit of action is another, called tyaga.
3 Among the wise, some say that all action should be renounced asevil. Others say that certain kinds of action – self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline – should be continued.
4 Listen, Arjuna, and I will explain three kinds of tyaga and my conclusions concerning them.
5 Self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline should not be renounced, for they purify the thoughtful.
6 Yet even these, Arjuna, should be performed without desire for selfish rewards. This is essential.
7 To renounce one’s responsibilities is not fitting. The wise call such deluded renunciation tamasic.
8 To avoid action from fear of difficulty or physical discomfort is rajasic. There is no reward in such renunciation.
9 But to fulfill your responsibilities knowing that they are obligatory, while at the same time desiring nothing for yourself – this is sattvic renunciation.
10 Those endowed with sattva clearly understand the meaning of renunciation and do not waver. They are not intimidated by unpleasant work, nor do they seek a job because it is pleasant.
11 As long as one has a body, one cannot renounce action altogether.
True renunciation is giving up all desire for personal reward.
12 Those who are attached to personal reward will reap the consequences of their actions: some pleasant, some unpleasant, some mixed. But those who renounce every desire for personal reward go beyond the reach of karma.
13 Listen, Arjuna, and I will explain the five elements necessary for the accomplishment of every action, as taught by the wisdom of Sankhya.
14 The body, the means, the ego, the performance of the act, and the divine will:
15 these are the five factors in all actions, right or wrong, in thought, word, or deed.
16 Those who do not understand this think of themselves as separate agents. With their crude intellects they fail to see the truth.
17 The person who is free from ego, who has attained purity of heart, though he slays these people, he does not slay and is not bound by his action.
18 Knowledge, the thing to be known, and the knower: these three promote action. The means, the act itself, and the doer: these three are the totality of action.
19 Knowledge, action, and the doer can be described according to the gunas. Listen, and I will explain their distinctions to you.
20 Sattvic knowledge sees the one indestructible Being in all beings, the unity underlying the multiplicity of creation.
21 Rajasic knowledge sees all things and creatures as separate and distinct.
22 Tamasic knowledge, lacking any sense of perspective, sees one small part and mistakes it for the whole.
23 Work performed to fulfill one’s obligations, without thought of personal reward or of whether the job is pleasant or unpleasant, is sattvic.
24 Work prompted by selfish desire or self-will, full of stress, is rajasic.
25 Work that is undertaken blindly, without any consideration of consequences, waste, injury to others, or one’s own capacities, is tamasic.
26 Sattvic workers are free from egotism and selfish attachments, full of enthusiasm and fortitude in success and failure alike.
27 Rajasic workers have strong personal desires and crave rewards for their actions. Covetous, impure, and destructive, they are easily swept away by fortune, good or bad.
28 Tamasic workers are undisciplined, vulgar, stubborn, deceitful, dishonest, and lazy. They are easily depressed and prone to procrastination.
29 Listen, Arjuna, as I describe the three types of understanding andwill.
30 To know when to act and when to refrain from action, what isright action and what is wrong, what brings security and what insecurity, what brings freedom and what bondage: these are the signs of a sattvic intellect.
31 The rajasic intellect confuses right and wrong actions, and cannot distinguish what is to be done from what should not be done.
32 The tamasic intellect is shrouded in darkness, utterly reversing right and wrong wherever it turns.
33 The sattvic will, developed through meditation, keeps prana, mind, and senses in vital harmony.
34 The rajasic will, conditioned by selfish desire, pursues wealth, pleasure, and respectability.
35 The tamasic will shows itself in obstinate ignorance, sloth, fear, grief, depression, and conceit.
36 Now listen, Arjuna: there are also three kinds of happiness. By sustained effort, one comes to the end of sorrow.
37 That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end – this is the joy of sattva, born of a mind at peace with itself.
38 Pleasure from the senses seems like nectar at first, but it is bitter as poison in the end. This is the kind of happiness that comes to the rajasic.
39 Those who are tamasic draw their pleasures from sleep, indolence, and intoxication. Both in the beginning and in the end, this happiness is a delusion.
40 No creature, whether born on earth or among the gods in heaven, is free from the conditioning of the three gunas.
41 The different responsibilities found in the social order – distinguishing brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra – have their roots in this conditioning.
42 The responsibilities to which brahmins are born, based on theirnature, are self-control, tranquility, purity of heart, patience, humility, learning, austerity, wisdom, and faith.
43 The qualities of kshatriyas, based on their nature, are courage,strength, fortitude, dexterity, generosity, leadership, and the firm resolve never to retreat from battle.
44 The occupations suitable for a vaishya are agriculture, dairying, and trade. The proper work of a shudra is service.
45 By devotion to one’s own particular duty, everyone can attain perfection. Let me tell you how.
46 By performing one’s own work, one worships the Creator who dwells in every creature. Such worship brings that person to fulfillment.
47 It is
