अथाष्टादशोऽध्यायः । मोक्षसंन्यासयोगः
18. Moksha Sanyash Yoga
The yoga of liberation by renunciation

Enunciated already are recapitulated for clarification.The early part of this chapter therefore, deals with the harmonization of all the yogas.It is possible to present the same principle in different forms, in a different setting.It may even seem a new theme because of the variation of the context.Truth permit itself to be presented in a variety of patterns, and each pattern provides an appeal of its own.Each limb of an elephant leaves its special impress on the observer's mind.This majestic animal again, creates a comprehensive impress on its beholder. The position of the Bhagavad Gita is very much like this.Each chapter in it is designated as a particular yoga. While the book as a whole is considered as Yoga Sastra, the eighteenth chapter is regarded as its synopsis.

ॐ

शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशम् ।
विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् ।
लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यम् ।
वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु
ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे
मोक्षसंन्यासयोगो नाम अष्टादशोऽध्यायः ॥ १८॥
In Sri Mahabharata consisting of a lakh of stanzas composed by Vyasa, in the section called Bhishma Parva, in the Upanishad of the Bhagavad Gita, the knowledge of Brahman, the Supreme, the science of Yoga and the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, this is the eighteenth discourse designated :
THE YOGA OF LIBERATION BY RENUNCIATION

Sanjaya's Conclusive Statement: 18-74 to 18-78

18-74.mp3

सञ्जय उवाच ।
इत्यहं वासुदेवस्य पार्थस्य च महात्मनः ।
संवादमिममश्रौषमद्भुतं रोमहर्षणम् ॥ १८-७४॥
Sanjaya Said:
18-74 Thus have I heard this wonderful dialogue between Vasudeva and the high souled Partha, causing my hair to stand on end.

Excitements such as fear, joy and astonishment create horripilation.
Men who are perfect in body and mind are proof against fear and such negative excitements.
Hair standing on end due to religious fervour augurs well for the sadhaka.
Sri Krishna the speaker, Arjuna the spoken to and the matter like the Gita are bound to rouse up wonder many intelligent hearer.
It is no wonder that this rare spectacle made Sanjaya's hair stand on end.
But history bears evidence to the fact that Dhrtarashtra remained unaffected by all these divine happenings.
By mentioning Arjuna as Mahatma, the great souled one, Sanjaya makes it plain that he and his comrades are all of the same noble calibre.
A question arises as to how was it possible for Sanjaya to know of this dialogue that took place in the far off battle-field.
The answer to this question emanates from Sanjaya himself:-

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व्यासप्रसादाच्छ्रुतवानेतद्गुह्यमहं परम् ।
योगं योगेश्वरात्कृष्णात्साक्षात्कथयतः स्वयम् ॥ १८-७५॥
18-75 Through the grace of Vyasa have I heard the supreme and most profound yoga direct from Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, Himself declaring it.

The sage Vyasa blessed Sanjaya with the divine eye. The powers of clairvoyance and clairaudience came upon him as a result of this divine gift.
It was therefore, possible for him to intuit all that transpired there, including the vision of the cosmic form of Iswara, that was revealed to Arjuna.
That it was a rare privilege bestowed on him is further reverently declared :-

18-76.mp3

राजन्संस्मृत्य संस्मृत्य संवादमिममद्भुतम् ।
केशवार्जुनयोः पुण्यं हृष्यामि च मुहुर्मुहुः ॥ १८-७६॥
18-76 0 king, as I recall again and again this wonderful and holy, dialogue between Kesava and Arjuna I rejoice again and again.

The delight that Sanjaya enjoys indicates the sublimity of this scripture.
The act of the good and the holy people getting absorbed in the study of the sacred books leads them to an ethereal bliss, which is not given to the ordinary.

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तच्च संस्मृत्य संस्मृत्य रूपमत्यद्भुतं हरेः ।
विस्मयो मे महान् राजन्हृष्यामि च पुनः पुनः ॥ १८-७७॥
18-77 And as often as recall that most wonderous form of Hari, great is my astonishment, 0 king, and I rejoice again and again.

1. It was by chance that Sanjaya was blessed with the vision of the cosmic form of the Lord, which is rare to be had even by yogis and devotees.
2. Incidental though this vision was, it was a rare gift inducing him to the path of yoga.
3. In fact all the Jivatmas are having at all times an infinitesimal aspect of the vision of the cosmic form of Iswara.
4. But they do not know how to avail themselves of that ray of vision for further spiritual progress.
5. Every individual can recapitulate a sublime vision of Nature, a sublime experience or a sublime state of mind, that came by him in the course of his life on earth.
6. That divine contact is a speck of the vision of the cosmic form.
7. By meditating on that exalted state, he can make rapid progress in his sadhana. The exalted vision that Sanjaya had on a macrocosmic scale is provided on a microcosmic scale to all the discerning sadhakas.

Availing themselves of it, cogitating on it, rejoicing at it and being absorbed in it is a means of growing in yoga.

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यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः ।
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥ १८-७८॥
18-78 Wherever is Krishna the Lord of Yoga, wherever is Partha, the wielder of the bow, there are prosperity, victory, expansion, and sound policy; such is my conviction.

Though this statement belongs to Sanjaya as it ought to be, it is one of the governing principles of the Bhagavad Gita. Since Sri Krishna is the Lord of Yoga, all the four Purusharthas -dharma, artha, kama and moksha- emanate from Him. Of these four, whichever comes in plenty to the Jivatman may be viewed as a form of yoga. But moksha in particular is held as the goal of yoga, and it is to be obtained by the grace of the Lord. Arjuna presented in the first chapter the spectacle of having renounced his bow and arrows. And it was a mark of effortlessness or of a feeble effort in life. But in this chapter he presents himself as the wielder of the bow Gandiva. The yoga power of Sri Krishna combined with the excellent manliness of Arjuna would make the impossible, possible. It is at least after hearing this inevitable fact, that Dhrtarashtra ought to have changed his stubborn attitude. It is certain that his sons would not be victorious in the war. Loss of lives and properly would be on a colossal scale. That catastrophe could be warded off by a change of attitude and a stroke of compromise. But no such wise course dawns in the mind of the unimaginative and undiscerning king. The direct action of God Himself is not understood by him.
All human endeavours ought to be in tune with the Will of the Divine, or in accordance with the Cosmic Plan. In that case the attempts would all be ethical and conducive to the progress of man. Subordinating the human will to the Divine does not mean drifting into pacifism and quietism. Activity depending on the Almighty is the right approach to life. And that is what the Pandavas did from the start to the finish. In contrast with it the Kaurava approach to life had its defects. It was all totalitarianism and defiance of the Lord Himself, not to speak of His grace. This way of life seems all prosperity at the beginning, but it ends in a tragic crash. A sound social life provides for enormous human endeavours based on dharma and faith in the Cosmic Integrity which is the vibhuti- glory of Iswara.
Sri is prosperity or Rajya Lakshmi. A vegetating earthly life unbecomes individuals as well as nations. Thriving and flourishing at all levels are the signs of robust living.
Leading the weak and helpless into captivity is no victory. It is the despotism of the demoniac. Vanquishing the wicked and taming them on the virtuous path is victory. When the undertakings of man are all inconformity with the Divine Plan and Purpose, they are bound to be victorious.
Expansion is life and contraction is death. To them who live and active, industrious and virtuous life, every thing good and useful is bound to be on the increase. An abundant life is ensured to them, causing at the same time no hindrance to the welfare of others.
A sound policy is necessarily theirs who strive for progress in tune with a universal welfare. They hold fast to dharma much more than they do to life.
Yoga is union between the Divine and the human. The former is ever active and intent on reclaiming the letter as Its own. This benign purpose is known as the grace of the Most High. Sri Krishna, the lord of Yoga embodies the redeeming principle. Arjuna represents the human being to the Jivatman, the inheritor of the Divine Grace. But he proves himself alien to It when he recoils from dharma. Faithfully discharging one's duty and the same time being ardently devoted to and dependent on the Lord are the unfailing means to gain His Grace. Parth, the wielder of the bow symbolizes the human effort. Yoga of Divine Grace and the human effort leads to the fulfilment of the life here and the attainment of liberation in Brahama jnana.
This is the message of the Bhagvad Gita.

The sunlight falls uniformly and equally on all objects. But it is not reveled in its original grandeur by all things. Water glass and polished metals receive and reflect it brilliantly. Such is also the case with the brilliance of the Divine Grace. It is available to all equally and without partiality. Still It gets best reflected in the hearts of the good and the holy and best availed of by those blessed ones.
The Lord incarnates on earth for the guidance of the good, the devoted and the virtuous ones. Those apostles that accompany an Incarnation of the Divine are either the already perfected ones or those that are born for the last time before their liberation. -Sri Ramakrishna

It is but natural for the teacher to enquire of the taught if he has grasped the teaching properly. In tune with this usage, the Lord now asks Arjuna as to how he has received this immortal message :-
The Dawn of Knowledge 18-72 & 18-73

18-72.mp3

कच्चिदेतच्छ्रुतं पार्थ त्वयैकाग्रेण चेतसा ।
कच्चिदज्ञानसम्मोहः प्रनष्टस्ते धनञ्जय ॥ १८-७२॥
18-72 Has this been heard by you, 0 Partha, with an attentive mind? Has the delusion of your ignorance been destroyed, 0 Dhananjaya?

1. The concentration of the mind is the criterion for a comprehensive reception of any message delivered.
2. A distracted or an inattentive mind may or may not grasp all the implications of a sublime statement.
3. A brief and pointed pronouncement कथन is sufficient to drive home the point to a keen and attentive listener.
4. Here, the deliverer of the message is concerned with the welfare of the taught शिक्षित.
5. Hence this enquiry about the state of mind of the person.

1. Enlightenment is possible to that mind only which is fixed in concentration.
2. The sunbeams gain in intensity as they get converged એકકેન્દ્રિત.
3. A concentrated light is at once highly self-expressive and capable of revealing things in their native જન્મજાત/નૈસર્ગિક perspective.
4. A concentrated mind understands the Atman and the Prakriti just as they are.
5. Knowledge and ignorance do not co-exist. The former reveals things as they are while the latter distorts them in divergent विभिन्न ways.
6. A figure in dim light is viewed variously by people of various dispositions.
7. A thief passing by it doubts whether it is not a policeman, who in his turn takes it for a thief.
6. A timid ડરપોક man gets frightened thinking it to be a ghost.
7. But a fourth man who has already seen it in broad daylight understands the figure to be a stump of wood.

With the dawn of true knowledge all apparitions of ignorance vanish of their own accord.
The Lord enquires of Arjuna if he has been blessed with a true understanding of the import अर्थ of life.

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When an ardent disciple is taught by a worthy master, true enlightenment is bound to ensue from it. Arjuna's answer bears evidence to this fact.
Arjuna said :
अर्जुन उवाच ।
नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत्प्रसादान्मयाच्युत ।
स्थितोऽस्मि गतसन्देहः करिष्ये वचनं तव ॥ १८-७३॥
18-73 My delusion is destroyed. I have regained my memory through Your grace, 0 Achyuta. I am firm; I am free from doubt. I shall act according to Your word.

1. At the start Arjuna declined to fight and sat dejected on the seat of the chariot.
2. But the man was thoroughly transformed after hearing the life-invigorating message of the Lord.
3. He made himself over entirely to the Maker, which is the last and the best act of the Jivatman.
4. The fuel consigned to fire becomes fire as it should.
5. In that manner Arjuna became an instrument of the Lord.
6. He surrendered his individuality and regained identity with the Cosmic Personality.

1. The message of the Bhagavad Gita was delivered for the immediate benefit of Arjuna.
2. But it has become the ambrosia infusing life to all the way worn aspirants.
3. The passage of time does not merits freshness.
3. It provides the guidance for an abundant life.
4. It cures man of the evil of birth and death.
5. What is prepared for the benefit of one individual often happens to be of no use to him but of immense use to some other person.
6. The rain-bearing clouds for example gather in one place and pour down in another place.
7. Any accident of this kind has not taken place to the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita.
8. The worthy man for whom it was imparted made the best use of it and derived the maximum benefit from it.
9. Indications of that blessedness are in evidence in the very utterance of Arjuna.
10. Every part of it is pregnant with profound ideas. They may be profitably looked into:-
Achyuta is the term applied here by Arjuna to his Master. He who does not deviate from His Supreme State, is the literal meaning of this word; and Sri Krishna is verily the embodiment of that Supreme State. Whoever gives himself over to that Divinity gains It in return. Arjuna has undoubtedly surrendered himself to that Great Being, thereby making himself the inheritor of Divinity.
Mohah nashtah is his next statement. "My delusion is destroyed" is the meaning of this utterance. A man in delusion sees stars in the sky in the day-time. A dwarf appears as a giant to him. Arjuna was besieged with a delusion of this kind on his initial survey of the battle-field. Earthly life was beset with problems to him. Life seemed an unbearable burden; he could neither carry it nor rid himself of it. He would have preferred non-existence to existence. He who was in such a plight is now completely free from delusion. The self created problems have all melted away as an empty dream. Life and death, duty and its termination, bondage and freedom- questions pertaining to these dualities are all resolved along with the destruction of delusion.
Smrtih maya labdhah means ' I have regained my memory.' A man in epilepsy forgets himself completely. He does not know how he acts and what he utters. He is obliged to learn from others about his behaviour in that abnormal state. People attached to earthly life suffer from a delirium of their own. Their view of life is based on things impermanent and on false premise. Arjuna has now awakened to reality. Memory of himself and of his relationship with the Maker has come back to him. In a purified mind atmabodha or uncontaminated Awareness dawns of its own accord. That experience is here delineated as regaining one's own memory. That the Jivatman is not a mere creature of circumstances, that he has his part to play in the functioning of the Cosmos and that he is part and parcel of the Paramatman are all realized in the regaining of one's memory.
Tvat prasadat means 'through Your grace.' The Lord's grace is indispensable to the reawakening of the Jivatman to his original state. A man in swoon is brought back to his normal wakefulness by his face being washed with cold water and by fanning cool air to him. This service rendered to him is not to be discounted as trifling. It is a great act when its effect is taken into consideration. Arjuna did not regain memory of his Supreme State solely through his self-effort. Sri Krishna had His part to play in this respect; and Arjunn is fully aware of it. He gives expression to his indebtedness. Rather the grace of the Lord is unparalleled. It is impossible to repay that divine act. Arjuna is fully aware of what he was before the grace descended on him and of what he is now after its benign descent. The only thing that he is capable of doing is meekly to admit that he owes his everything to the divine intervention of the Lord. The littleness of the human effort and the greatness of the grace of the Lord are lucid in the mind of Arjuna. He humbly submits that it is the grace of Sri Krishna that has made him what he is now.
Sthitah asmi- 'I am firm.' This is the third excellence come upon him by the mercy of the Lord. When a tempest and a torrential ram set in simultaneously, all trees, plants and creepers are in commotion. They are either uprooted or broken. The loss caused to them is incalculable. Even the soil that sustained them is all eroded and washed away. But a mountain remains unaffected by this catastrophe. It is firm in its place. Brahma jnana makes a man firm as a rock. The one fixed in it is a sthitaprajna a man of steady wisdom. Arjuna has attained that state now. Nothing on earth or in heaven can disturb his understanding. Having gained this jnana once. The man of wisdom never loses it again.
Gata sandehah- 'I am free from doubt.' This is the fourth boon come to Arjuna. No doubt rises in the mind of the one who intuits the Atman. Just as no one doubts one's existence on earth, the Brahma jnani does not doubt the Self which he is. His Awareness is self-evident.
Tava vacanam karishye- 'I shall act according to your word.' This is Arjuna's concluding statement. What he declined to do at the start, that he chooses to do subsequently. And this is the result of right understanding. The teachings of the scriptures, the injunction that comes from the enlightened master and the spiritual realization of the sadhaka- all these three never come into conflict with one another; they simply corroborate one another.
The dialogue ends here. Its link with the rest o

The tadpole can live both in water and on land after it sheds its tail. The tail of ignorance drops off from man when he gets enlightened in Brahma jnana. He then becomes a Jivanmukta liberated soul. He simultaneously lives in the world and rests in Brahman. -Sri Ramakrishna

The yoga aspect of the spiritual message of the Bhagavad Gita is over here. A question may arise as to who are the persons that are fit to study and practise this teaching, universal though it is. The answer comes :-

Competency for Following the Gita 18-67 to 18-71

18-67.mp3

इदं ते नातपस्काय नाभक्ताय कदाचन ।
न चाशुश्रूषवे वाच्यं न च मां योऽभ्यसूयति ॥ १८-६७॥
18-67 This is never to be spoken by you to one who is devoid of austerities, nor to one who is not devoted, nor to one who does not do service, nor to one who speaks ill of Me.

1. The Bhagavad Gita is a symposium of all the principles governing the ethical and spiritual life of man.
2. The Lord's supreme motive is to make these teachings available to all the aspirants.
3. The life of man would rise in stature to the extent these principles are imbibed and put into practice.
4. Still, there are flippant people among whom this sacred science should not be made a cheap affair, serving no useful purpose whatsoever.
5. As an album of beautiful pictures and drawings is of no avail to the blind, the teachings of the Gita do no good to those who are devoid of austerity and disciplined life.
6. Again, a thoroughly disciplined life is not an end in itself any more than merely owning a perfectly made musical instrument is.
7. As music ought to be brought out of the instrument, a perfect life of man ought to be directed to the cultivation of devotion to the Lord.
8. It is Bhakti that sanctifies the human life and renders austerity purposeful.
9. The nature of Bhakti is ever to give unconditionally and never to grab.
10. The devotee expresses his love in the form of service.
11. He delights in serving and not in being served.
12. The best utility to which the human body can be put is a whole-hearted service to others.
13. Finally all these merits must be dominated by the feeling that it is Divinity that is manifesting Itself in all these forms.
14. Any attitude short of it is likely to beget evil and sow the seed of sorrow in its train. That man who slights may do to people.
He who is, devoid of austerity, devotion, service and faith in the inherent Divinity of man derives no benefit from the pursuit of the Bhagavad Gita.
The word asusrushavah has two meanings. He who does not render service, is one meaning, and he who does not care to listen and follow is another meaning.
Out of conceit, bigotry or fanaticism if one refuses to pay heed to this message, it need not be imposed on such a one.

Rain water does not accumulate on an elevated place. It flows away to a low region. Even so, the grace of the Lord does not descend in the hearts of the haughty and the vainglorious. It dawns in the hearts of the low and the meek. -Sri Ramakrishna

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What is the benefit derived by the one who propagates the teachings of the Gita as an act of service to the Lord ? The answer comes :-
य इदं परमं गुह्यं मद्भक्तेष्वभिधास्यति ।
भक्तिं मयि परां कृत्वा मामेवैष्यत्यसंशयः ॥ १८-६८॥
18-68 He who with supreme devotion to Me will teach this immensely profound philosophy to My devotees, shall doubtless come to Me alone.

1. The good and the beneficial in one increase as and when they are shared with others.
2. Food for example is indispensable and most beneficial to all beings; and it is sought and procured for personal benefit only.
3. But on experiment and observation it may be found that he who procures food for common use prospers better than he who grabs it exclusively for himself.
4. He who eats in company or he who shares his food with others keeps better health and strength than he who eats all by himself.
5. Fostering other lives is the sure means to enrich one's own life.
6. And this principle is as efficacious at the ethical and spiritual levels as it is at the physical level.
7. By imparting knowledge and wisdom to others one gets ingrained in intellectual clarity.
8. He who teaches others learns better than he who studies for himself.
9. The more one teaches the more that one learns.
10. By devotedly carrying the spiritual treasures contained in the Bhagavad Gita for the benefit of other ardent souls, the preceptor gets a better grasp.
11. The one who expounds the Gita ought not to assume the role of a master.
12. One ought to feel oneself an instrument of the Lord, in spreading His spiritual message.
13. The role of the master engenders egoism while that of a servant of the Lord promotes devotion to Him.
14. The delight in the propagation of the spiritual matters among the good and the virtuous increases the steadfastness in the sadhana.
15. Bhakti and Jnana are on the increase in such an ardent soul.
16. Spiritual service is therefore another means to gain access to Divinity.

Bhagavan, Bhagavata (the scriptures) and Bhaktas are all identical. -Sri Ramakrishna

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How does the Lord hold the devotee who carries this spiritual message among righteous and the spiritually inclined people? The answer comes :-
न च तस्मान्मनुष्येषु कश्चिन्मे प्रियकृत्तमः ।
भविता न च मे तस्मादन्यः प्रियतरो भुवि ॥ १८-६९॥
18-69 Nor is there any among men who renders dearer service to Me than he; nor shall there be another on earth dearer to Me than he.

1. All the happenings, great and small, magnificent and minute, taking place in the universe are verily the doings of Iswara.
2. The universe itself is the revelation of the glory of Iswara.
3. Among all these manifestations and revelations, the Bhagavad Gita occupies a unique position.
4. It explains the working of the universe and the divinity inherent in it.
5. It expounds the laws governing human life.
6. The Substratum which is the source of the universe and the beings in it, is lucidly presented by it.
7. Knowledge pertaining to the Divine and the mundane is all contained in it.
8. To put it in another way, the ways and the means of attaining Godhood and also of making earthly life prosperous and fruitful, are all convincingly conveyed through it.
9. The follower of the Gita would very soon become a yogi.
10. For all these reasons the carrying of the message of this great book to the prospective sadhakas is a benign work.
11. No other service is equal to this spiritual mission.
12. The doer of this soul-emancipating service is indeed dear to the Lord, he being instrumental in this solemn act.

The drain pipes on the roof of the house are fixed with open mouths of tigers and lions. The rain water coming from the sky therefore seems to jet out from the mouths of these beasts. Similar to this, the utterances of the holy men appear to be their own, while actually they all descend from the Most High. - Sri Ramakrishna

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It is not given to all to do the noble service of expounding the Gita. Still they have a duty by this benign book. That duty is explained as follows:-
अध्येष्यते च य इमं धर्म्यं संवादमावयोः ।
ज्ञानयज्ञेन तेनाहमिष्टः स्यामिति मे मतिः ॥ १८-७०॥
18-70 And he who will study this sacred dialogue of ours, by him I shall have been worshiped by Jnana Yajna; such is My conviction.

1. Devotedly hearing the exposition of the Bhagavad Gita is one way of learning it; a personal pious study of it is another way of making it one's own.
2. Earnest perusal and pondering provide the means to make spiritual matters one's own.
3. A clear understanding of the spiritual matters is an effective means for the adoration of the Lord.
4. The very purpose of human life is to adore the Almighty through right understanding and right relationship with Him.
5. He who adheres in life to the teachings of the Gita makes an unconscious but very effective propaganda of it.
6. For, the best way to preach Vedanta is to live Vedanta.
7. Practice is always superior to precept; a relined living is superior to a refined exposition of the law of life.
8. Preachers may be had in plenty; but those who practise the precept are but few.
9. Those who study the Gila and try to live up to its teachings are performing jnana yajna, which is very much pleasing to the Lord.
10. It is again a superior form of the worship of the Maker.

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There is another man who is unable to study the Gita. What is the course he should adopt for his emancipation? The path is shown as follows:-
श्रद्धावाननसूयश्च शृणुयादपि यो नरः ।
सोऽपि मुक्तः शुभाँल्लोकान्प्राप्नुयात्पुण्यकर्मणाम् ॥ १८-७१॥
18-71 And the man who hears this, full of faith and free from scoff- even he, liberated from evil, shall attain the auspicious regions or the righteous.

1. The man who is heedless of food is consequently heedless of his bodily fitness.
2. There is a man who is well informed of the nutritive value of the food he consumes and of the digestion and assimilation of it in his system.
3. There is another man who eats with gusto but does not know how that food gets absorbed in him.
5. The one that knows and the ignorant man derive the same benefit from the food consumed.
6. The clear exponent of the Gita and the one who earnestly practises it from mere hearsay obtain the same benefit.
7. The clarity of understanding is possible both through earnest expounding and through ardent hearing.
6. The impress produced on the mind is the same in either case.
7.An earnest practice is all important irrespective of the way in which the principles of the Gita are assimilated.

The culmination of all human endeavours is enunciated in the following three stanzas :-
The Category of Self surrender 18-64 to
18-66

18-64.mp3

सर्वगुह्यतमं भूयः शृणु मे परमं वचः ।
इष्टोऽसि मे दृढमिति ततो वक्ष्यामि ते हितम् ॥ १८-६४॥
18-64 Listen again to My Supreme word, the profoundest of all. You are beloved of Me and steadfast of heart; therefore I shall tell what is for your good.

1. It is not possible for all to dive deep into the sea; a few experts alone can do it.
2. Among the principles governing human life, the ordinary ones can be grasped by almost all; but the profound ones elude the understanding of the common man.
3. A good deal of mental preparation is required for their comprehension.
4. Being dazed with the knotty problems of life, Arjuna appealed to the Lord at the outset for Sreyas to be taught to him.
5. The compassionate Lord guides His constant companion just now converted into a devout disciple, into the core of the Sreyas.
6. Paramam vachah -the supreme word is the apt term used in this respect.
7. Maha vakyam the great assertion- is another rare term equivalent to it.
8. The Maha vakyas in the Upanishads are the great utterances of the Rishis.
9. This Parama vacha is on a par with the Maha vakyas in the Upanishads.
10. The Lord Himself makes this conclusive statement.
Just as the subtle workings of Nature are beyond the ken of the ordinary people, the subtle spiritual truths concealed in the human heart are also incomprehensible, except to a few advanced souls. The Lord residing in the hearts of all is their fastest Friend. His grace is ever at work to redeem beings. All the happenings in the world outside are also directed towards that one end. The grace of the Lord is the greatest spiritual alchemy. It converts a base man into a sterling man, into a divinity and ultimately absorbs him into Godhood. Nature is the great divine factory where this spiritual reclamation is eternally carried out.
What the divine touch is capable of, is presented in two different ways by Sri Krishna. He takes a trifling reed and makes a flute with it, which, if trampled on, becomes useless rubbish. But in the hands of the Lord, it fulfill a cosmic function. The melody that He produces with it enchants all beings and draws them in union with Him. An inert reed becoming an instrument in the hands of the Lord can animate the universe. This is the first aspect of the divine touch. Secondly, what the Lord is capable of doing with the human material is pronounced in the following stanza.

How does the devotee behold the Lord? He beholds Him as his own, even as the Gopis of Brindavan beheld Sri Krishna. Those milkmaids cared not for the cosmic powers of that Great Being. Krishna was their darling and they were satisfied with that. To the Bhakta, the Lord is his innermost Self and be is absorbed in that feeling. - Sri Ramakrishna

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What is the Sreyas expounded by the Lord? The elucidation comes:-
मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु ।
मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे ॥ १८-६५॥
18-65 Fix your mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice to Me; prostrate before Me; so shall yon come to Me. This is My pledge to you, for you are dear to Me.

1. Truth and God are identical.
2. Whatever comes from Him must be Truth, even as what emanates from the sun must be sunny.
3. The gifts of the sun are light and heat, both being indispensable to life on earth. This is the bare truth about the sun.
Similarly
1. The Lord declares the bare Truth about Himself and His relationship with the Jivatman.
2. The sole object of His being embodied is to tell this Truth to the world.
3. The lives of the great ones bear testimony to the fact that whoever follows this teaching emerges as an extraordinary being.
4. The Truth in the Lord's statement is amplified by them as well.
The Lord's statement, 'You are dear to Me' is pregnant with meaning. In fact, all beings are dear to Iswara.
When the required purification is effected the all-absorbing love is made evident.
The Dvaita, the Visishtadvaita and the Advaita systems are the three typical modes of establishing relationship between the Jivatman and the Paramatman. Love expresses itself in and through all of these patterns. It asserts the Truth that the Jivatman and the Paramatman are ever linked. It is the greatest unifying force. Progress culminates in perfect union. Love leads the Jivatman to the pinnacle of eternal union with the Paramatman.
We make use of a vehicle when we want to go from one place to another. The vehicle is the means and reaching the place is the end.
But in our pilgrimage towards the Paramatman, the means and the end are the same. It is by the grace of the Lord that we get at the Lord. By His grace only we make endeavours to get at Him. The grace of the Lord is the one boon that is ever available to man; but man is not prepared to avail himself of it. His base mind drags him away from the Divine. This earth bound mind is very useful to him to procure those things only that are detrimental to spiritual growth. Its vagrant behaviour continues through several births before discrimination dawns on it.
When right understanding develops, the mind submits itself to be directed Godward.
It is then weaned from the world and dedicated to the Lord. The mind that had erstwhile been the den of base tendencies is converted into the sanctuary of the Divine. And this is a sublime and soul-redeeming turning point in man's life.
As the devotion to the Lord increases, the devotee imbues the divine qualities of the Lord. In her excessive love of Sri Krishna, each Gopi thought she was herself Sri Krishna. And this is the goal to which pure devotion leads the devotee. While in the process of getting fixed in it a divine madness over- takes the devotee; the Lord in his turn becomes mad for His devotee.
When the love for a person overshadows the love of wealth, all the wealth is willingly sacrificed for that person, even as parents do for their children. To a devotee nothing in the world is dearer than his Lord. His offering therefore as sacrifice all his possessions and ultimately himself too, is but a matter of course.
Prostration is a mark of subordinating one's individuality to the greatness of another. The devotee delights in prostrating himself before his Lord, because in doing so he posits the truth about God. The more the prostration before the Adorable Being, the greater is the bliss enjoyed by the devotee.
In chapter nine, stanza thirty one, the Lord induced Arjuna to proclaim that the devotee never meets with destruction for any reason whatsoever. But at the conclusion, the Lord Himself undertakes to fulfill that solemn mission.
He pledges that His devotee is well protected.

A man immersed in water struggles hard for air to breathe. A seeker of Gad ought to evince a similar restlessness for His realization. - Sri Ramakrishna

18-66.mp3

What is the eternal and life-redeeming message that comes forth from the Lord? It is as follows:-
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज ।
अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥ १८-६६॥
18-66 Renounce all dharmas and take refuge in Me alone. I shall liberate yon from all sins; grieve not.

1. An embodied being is also an embodiment of karma.
2. That karma is called dharma which proves helpful to the Jivatman in his Godward progress.
3. On attainment of Godhood that helpful dharma itself has to be renounced, its purpose being fully served.
4. Surrendering himself to the Lord is the culmination of all the endeavours of the Jivatman.
5. The import of self-surrender requires to be truly understood.
6. It is not the confession of one's inability to discharge one's duty oneself.
7. It is not a supplication for an additional help from the Lord, after the mode of a troop being replenished.
8. But self-surrender is like a stream joining a rivulet, a rivulet having its confluence with a river, and a river making itself over to the ocean.
10. Self-surrender is verily self-fulfilment. The will of the Jivatman merges in the Will of the Lord.
11. The will and the doings of the Jivatman are in reality infinitesimal sparks of the Will of the Lord.
12. Karma yoga raises the sadhaka to the realization of this benign position; it results in self-surrender.

A Bhakta on the other hand is ever depending on his Lord. The good and the evil that befall him are all viewed by him as the Will of the Lord. Therefore he makes no distinction between the good and the evil.
He does not contrast dharma with adharma. From the beginning to the end, the Bhakta feels himself as non-separate from the Lord.
Rather he loses his individuality in the absorbing love of the Maker. If a man walks in the middle of a busy street through absent-mindedness, he runs the risk of meeting with some accident.
But the Bhakta's case is different.
In his God-intoxicated state, he is not aware of the earthly happenings. And Providence mysteriously protects him even in places exposed to dangers and mishaps. Like a baby in the bosom of its mother, the devotee is under the kind care of the Maker.
All the same, the good work that is to be done through that devotee is turned out unawares. Intense thought of God is the self-surrender of the Bhakta.
The dawn of knowledge in the Jnani is also a form of self-surrender or an act of taking refuge in the Lord. The reflections of the good and the bad things may be seen in a mirror. For this reason, the mirror undergoes no modification.
The actions known as dharma and adharma belong to the Prakriti. They do not in the least affect the Pure Consciousness, which is the background of the individual.
He who identifies himself with the Pure Consciousness renounces all Upadhis or the limiting adjuncts.
What persists in him is the great Awareness, which knows no distinctions such as the internal and the external.
The attainment of this Supreme State is the act of taking refuge in the Lord.
The state of self-surrender or the act of taking refuge in the Lord achieved by the yogi, the Bhakta and the Jnani is one and the same.
Lord, the one Reality is defined in three different ways, governed by the characteristics of the paths.
The yogi merges himself in the Sat aspect of the Reality; the Jnani waxes as the Chit and the Bhakta blooms in the ananda aspect of It.
A babe seated on the lap of its mother wields the unconscious power to attract all men and women to its taintless sweetness. This is due to the babe's mind still remaining in its original divine state. It has not yet assumed the artificial modifications and biases known as the nationality, the colour, the language and the social habits and usages. Its inborn tendencies are also still lying dormant. While in this state, the babe is, for the time being, equivalent to the Jnani.
It is therefore attracting all beings to its august presence.
It is hard to find one, quite immune to the benign influence of the baby.
The Jnani is on a par with the baby in the excellence of his mind. It is held that the renunciation of mind is the greatest of all renunciations. Various tendencies and dispositions are clinging on to the mind of the unenlightened. And these tendencies are termed as svadharma.
To work out one's svadharma is the only means to outgrow one's svadharma. The best cure that can be effected for a disease is to allow it to run its course; and that is the natural course. But if it be suppressed instead, it reappears in some other worse form. The svadharma of an individual is in this manner clinging to him.
To work without attachment and liquidate the karma is the goal of life.
When the rain-bearing clouds exhaust themselves with a downpour, the clear sky remains as ever by itself. When all karma is worked out with detachment, Atman as Pure Consciousness remains by Itself.
A thing is said to be pure while it is in its original state.
That very thing is said- to have become impure when it comes into contact with and affected by another thing.
The impure state of the Jivatman is termed as his having incurred sin.
To put it in another way, the Jivatman is a sinner; for, he has assumed on himself what is not his own.
Karma which seems inherent in him is actually alien to him.
When the Jivatman identifies himself with the Paramatman, he is purged of all sin.
It is moksha or liberation when the Jivatman is rid of the Jivahood.
He is freed from individualized consciousness and fixed in Cosmic Consciousness, which is without beginning and without end.
He is Immortal.
He is Bliss and Beatitude.
Grief has no place in that State of Blessedness.
When a baby is born into the world, it cries. Only a still-born one does not cry.
In one form or another crying and grieving continue all through the nullmundane life.
It is in the attainment of Brahma jnana that grief comes to an end once for all.
The Lord assures that Divine.
Felicity to Arjuna who started his enquiry into yoga with despondency.
Brahma jnana is all Enlightenment.
So there is no place in it for the darkness of ignorance. Brahman is Sat-chit-anandam. On renouncing the mind, what remains of the Jivatman is Brahman.
Arjuna is the immediate recipient of the message

What is the state of complete self surrender?
It is like lounging and taking rest after the day's hard toil. It is free from care and grief. Undefinable Bliss emanates from it. ---Sri Ramakrishna

Arjuna is the immediate recipient of the message of the Lord, which is eternal and universal.
It applies to all the souls wending their way Godward.
"Cast off weakness; wake up with manliness; discharge your dharma"-with such a commandment the Lord commenced His message.

"Renounce all dharma and be in eternal union with Me" is again His conclusion. The intervening teachings are all the means to cross over from karma to the Beatitude which is beyond karma.

His teachings become lucid to all the aspirants who take refuge in Him and seek enlightenment from Him.

Self-surrender ultimately leads to the union of the Jivatman and the Paramatman.

Freedom of Enquiry into Truth 18-63

18-63.mp3

इति ते ज्ञानमाख्यातं गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं मया ।
विमृश्यैतदशेषेण यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥ १८-६३॥
18-63 Thus has wisdom more profound than all profundities been declared to you by Me. Reflect upon it fully and act as you choose.

1. That truth is said to be profound which is hard to grasp.
2. That other truth is said to be a secret which is kept hidden from others.
3. The laws of Nature are both profound and secret.
4. We know of some of them while the others still remain hidden from us.
5. Many of the secrets of Nature now known to us, had remained unknown for ages. Electricity may be, cited as an example.
6. Modern man has learnt to harness this great power.
7. Science deals elaborately with this phenomenon in Nature.
8. Science brings to light many other features and possibilities of Nature.
9. It has made tremendous strides in modern days and is continuing to make further progress.
10. But all these are classified as secular knowledge, pertaining to the mundane.
Sacred knowledge is that which deals with the Divine. This knowledge is known as Brahma Vidya, and it is the oldest and the most perfect one among the sciences. Its sole purpose is to lead man from the impermanent to the Permanent, from ignorance to Enlightenment, from sorrow to Beatitude and finally from death to Immortality. In its practical aspect, it comes down as injunctions -what to do and what to refrain from. In this Supreme Science, there is no place for sophistry and dogmatic fiat. The governing principles are presented systematically and logically. Superstition and baseless belief have no place in Vedanta. All tenets, commandments and systems of yoga are presented coherently and convincingly . Man is given the freedom to investigate into the validity of this science. It is no sin, no libel to doubt the very existence of God. Nihilism, atheism and agnosticism have their due places in man's honest search into the Reality. When consistently pursued, even these seemingly derogatory paths wean man from darkness to Light. Freedom is the first condition of growth -physical, mental, intellectual, ethical and spiritual. The Lord encourages Arjuna and through him all aspirants to exercise their power of understanding, enquire into yoga as daringly and inquisitively as they can and accept and practise those principles only which they are convinced are beneficial to them. Laws pertaining to the ethical and spiritual life of man are inviolable; they are facets of Truth. They require no defenders, no patrons and protectors. Sri Krishna Himself gets His status as Yogeswara because of His being the embodiment of the principles of Yoga. A personality becomes great to the extent he adheres to principles. A seeker after Truth must be more a votary of principles than of personality; and that is what Sri Krishna asks Arjuna to do.

How is the force of karma to be handled? The clue is given :-
All karma belongs to Ishwara 18-61 & 18-62

18-61.mp3

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ १८-६१॥
18-61 The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, 0 Arjuna, and by His Maya causes all beings to revolve as though mounted on a machine.

1. This truth is made evident by the way in which Sri Krishna and Arjuna made their appearance on the battle-field.
2. Arjuna representing the Jivatman was mounted on the chariot, which was analogous to the human body.
3. The chariot moved and the warrior waged the war.
4. The former was unconscious of its movements, while the latter was conscious of the part he played in the war.
5. That hero who first felt that he was the author of his karma was later obliged to learn that all karma actually belonged to Iswara.
6. Sri Krishna drove the chariot, but He took no weapon and waged no war.
7. In other words, while the presence of the Lord causes all work to take place systematically, He remains actionless.
8. He, the Lord who resides as witness in the hearts of all, does no work; but His presence propels the beings do their duties.

1. The meaning of the word Arjuna is he who is white in colour or pure in nature.
2. He who is pure at heart is competent to know the truth.
3. In the presence of the Paramatman, Maya sakti assumes the power of action.
4. Not only does it do karma constantly, but it also compels beings under its control to work in obedience to its law and regime.
5. Like dolls tethered to a revolving wheel, they are engaged in action.
6. Ignorant as the beings are, they imagine that they are themselves self-initiated workers.
7. They entertain the notion that the choice of doing or not doing a thing is all in their hands.
8. Because of this notion they get increasingly entangled in Maya.
9. He is a sadhaka who changes his attitude and holds on to the conviction that he is not the doer, but that he is only an instrument in the hands of the Lord.
10. All the jivatmans ranging from the high to the low are only tools of lswara in His cosmic activity.
11. It is with this attitude that the sadhaka should work out the karma inherent in him.
12. Instead of claiming agency, he ought to submit to be a willing vehicle.

Poison within the teeth of a snake cause no harm to it. But that poison injected into others causes death to them. Similarly Maya that as in Iswara causes Him no harm. Rather, It is an adorable attribute of His. And this Maya keeps all beings in bondage --Sri Ramakrishna

18-62.mp3

The statement is now made of the benefit ensuing from the feeling that the Lord gets His work done through all beings :-
तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत ।
तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम् ॥ १८-६२॥
18-62 Seek refuge in Him alone with all your heart, 0 Bharata. By His grace you will gain Supreme Peace and the Eternal Abode.

1. The most propitious and consequential act that the Jivatman can do for himself is to take refuge in the Lord.
2. To claim the body as his own, to consider himself as the agent of all of his activities, to conceive of himself as a person of consequence in the world all these attitudes contribute to foster the impermanent Jivahood of the Jivatman.
3. They run counter to taking refuge in the Lord.
4. The relationship between the Jivatman and the Paramatman is the same as that between the wave and the ocean.
5. The wave has no water of its own.
6. The Jivatman has no body of his own.
7. The forms of both are impermanent; they are always in a state of flux.
8. The activities of the wave are actually those of the ocean.
9. The wave can never have an existence independent of the ocean.
10. All activities of the individual souls are in reality the sport of the Lord.
11. They have neither individuality nor existence independent of the Lord.
12. Knowing this truth and attuning one's life to this truth is the act of taking refuge in the Lord.
The Pandava brothers, Vidura, Draupati, Kuchela and others had taken refuge in Sri Krishna.
The brothers of Sri Rama had taken refuge in Him. So also Guha, Sugreeva, Vibheeshana and others had taken refuge in Sri Rama.
All those who had taken refuge derived immediate peace of mind.
Kaikeyi, Vali, Ravana, Kamsa and others of their type revolted against the Lord instead of taking refuge in Him. And there was no end to the excited troubles they had brought on themselves.
The setting of Nature is ever - congenial to the spiritual growth of the Jivatman.
This favourable situation is termed as the grace of the Lord.
Poetically stated, the wind of the grace of God is constantly blowing. Those among the aspirants who dedicate themselves to the Lord are like the prudent sailors who avail of that wind to navigate the ship to her destination. The seamen who take advantage of the wind need not have to toil much in oaring the ship.
Similarly, the devotees who take refuge in God do not suffer from their worldly life. Though heavily engaged in karma, they are not bound by karma. Supreme Peace and the Eternal Abode in God are verily theirs.

Srimathi Radha was commissioned to fetch water for Sri Krishna with a pitcher full of holes. Not a drop of water leaked out when she discharged that duty for the sake of the Lord. When the assembled Gopis and others extolled her greatness, she exclaimed that whatever had taken place was the glory of Sri Krishna and that she was in merely an instrument in His hands. - Sri Ramakrishna

Sanyasa and Tyaga Explained 18-01 to
18-06

18-01.mp3

Arjuna said :
संन्यासस्य महाबाहो तत्त्वमिच्छामि वेदितुम् ।
त्यागस्य च हृषीकेश पृथक्केशिनिषूदन ॥ १८-१॥
18-01 I desire to know severally, 0 mighty-armed, the truth of Sanyasa, 0 Hrishikesa, as also of Tyaga, 0 slayer of Kesi.

These truths have not been left unexplained, what have been enunciated already are recapitulated for clarification. The early part of this chapter therefore, deals with the harmonization of all the yogas. It is possible to present the same principle in different forms, in a different setting. It may even seem a new theme because of the variation of the context. Truth permit itself to be presented in a variety of patterns, and each pattern provides an appeal of its own. Each limb of an elephant leaves its special impress on the observer's mind. This majestic animal again, creates a comprehensive impress on its beholder. The position of the Bhagavad Gita is very much like this. Each chapter in it is designated as a particular yoga. While the book as a whole is considered as Yoga Sastra, the eighteenth chapter is regarded as its synopsis.
Kesi was an Asura who assumed the form of a horse and encountered Sri Krishna, intent on swallowing Him up. But this Superhuman Being thrust His arm into the stomach of the demon, squeezed his bowels into a paste and did away with him Because of this deed of valour He is extolled as Kesinishudana. His arms being the sinews of war, He is esteemed as Mahabahuh or the mighty armed. In the midst of these deeds of valour, He was ever the master of the senses. He is therefore praised as Hrishikesa
There is an implied purpose in Arjuna's addressing Him as the lord of the senses, as the mighty -armed and as the slayer of Kesi. The process of the evolution of beings from the low to the high is all contained in these three significant epithets. Encountering and vanquishing of the demon is a cosmic function and so a necessity. Every creature in the universe has enemies to encounter, dangers to life and evils to conquer; and all of them are compelled to undergo training for their conquest. Acquisition of strength is the reward for living earthly life with a purpose. The strong ones thrive while the weaklings are exterminated. Man is to make him self strong physically and also to avail himself of all the weapons of offence and defense that can be got from Nature. This is the message contained in Sri Krishna being the slayer of Kesi and in His being the mighty-armed. Finally man has to conquer his senses and the mind. This is the greatest of all conquests. It is by subduing the senses and the mind that man evolves from the human to the divine. The Lord delivers this message, Himself being Hrishikesa - the lord of the senses. He embodies the perfection attainable to the aspirant.
In chapter five stanza thirteen and in chapter nine stanza twenty eight the Lord made reference to Sanyasa.
In chapter four stanza twenty and in chapter twelve stanza eleven He made mention of Tyaga.
These two spiritual practices require to be clarified and differentiated. This is the purport of the question raised by Arjuna. The Lord of yoga can authoritatively answer this question.

18-02.mp3

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
काम्यानां कर्मणां न्यासं संन्यासं कवयो विदुः ।
सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं प्राहुस्त्यागं विचक्षणाः ॥ १८-२॥
The Blessed Lord said
18-02 The renunciation of kamya karma, the sages understand as Sanyasa; the wise declare the abandonment of the fruits of all works as Tyaga.

Kamya karma requires to be clarified:-
1. Hankering after health, wealth, long life, progeny, name, fame, title and social status- all these come under kamya karma.
2. Under this category comes also the hope for various heavenly enjoyments after death.
3. That it is Sanyasa to renounce all these desires, is the view of some sages.
4. There are others who acclaim that it is Tyaga to abandon the fruits of all actions such as nitya or obligatory ones, naimitya or the occasional specific ones and kamya or the optional work.
5. Kamya karmas are those that create new bondages leading to rebirths for the fulfilment of desires that prompted those actions.
6. Seeds for further transmigrations should not be sown by those aspirants who are intent on gaining liberation.
7. When the fruits of the various works are not cared for, that attitude is Tyaga, which prepares the sadhaka for emancipation.
This is the view of a second set of sages.

The aspirants endowed with sattva guna need not do any karma. In fact, all activities drop off from them, of their own accord. Any endeavour on their part to retain karma proves itself futile. The Lord Himself releases them from all duties. The domestic activities of a pregnant young woman are reduced as her pregnancy advances. After delivery she has no work except looking after the babe. Such is the case with those imbued with sattva. But the others who are not sattvikas should necessarily engage themselves in their allotted duties. As the servant of a rich man does the work assigned to him, the devotees of the Lord should discharge their duties, holding them all as the Maker's mandate. The Lord's name ought to be repeated mentally while the activities are going on at the physical level. At the appointed times meditation on the Lord may also be carried on. This is the gist of the Karma yoga. -Sri Ramakrishna

18-03.mp3

त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः ।
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे ॥ १८-३॥
18-03 Some sages declare that all action should be relinquished as evil, while others say that Yajna, gift and austerity should not be relinquished.

Cause and effect are contained in karma in all of its forms. The effect is inevitable when the cause is set in motion. When it rains, the farm and a house under construction alike get wet. The effect is good to the former and bad to the latter. Cause here in the form of rain has both good and bad effects on two different things. The burning of a lamp which is the cause, produces a good effect for a reader of the Bhagavad Gita and a bad effect on the insects that fall in the flame and perish. In man's maintaining his life, there is the good effect of his dedicating it to the adoration of God and the bad effect of his consuming other lives as food. Evil is thus inherent in all actions. A third set of sages who take note of the evils contained in karma, advocate its complete abandonment. They are for liquidating mundane life as quickly as possible. Some go to the extent of enforcing slow suicide with the noble intention of not adding to the existing evil.
A fourth group of sages is in favour of persisting in the performance of Yajna, dana and tapas even though they are fraught with evil. The plea of these wise men is that the evil of mundane life cannot be eradicated completely. Let life be accepted therefore for what it is worth. As much good as possible may be derived even from this defective existence. The rose is amid of thorns; but on that ground the raising of roses should not be suspended. Poison is bad no doubt; but a beneficial medicine may be extracted even from that deadly stuff. Karma is undoubtedly an evil. It binds man in bondage to Prakriti and to the wheel of birth and death. Still, by converting karma into the acts of Yajna, dana and tapas, maximum good may be extracted from it. These meritorious acts ought not to be abandoned, is the view of these great ones.

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But what is the view of the Lord in this respect? The elucidation comes:-
निश्चयं शृणु मे तत्र त्यागे भरतसत्तम ।
त्यागो हि पुरुषव्याघ्र त्रिविधः सम्प्रकीर्तितः ॥ १८-४॥
18-04 Learn from Me the truth about this abandonment, 0 best of the Bharatas; abandonment, verily, 0 best of men, has been declared to be of three kinds.

The words Sanyasa and Tyaga are synonyms. Both the words mean abandonment, renunciation and the act of giving up. It is not a negative process born of frustration and failure in life, as some would have it. In renunciation there is fulfillment as well as acceptance. It is an act of giving up the lower after one's concern with it is successfully over and embracing the higher with greater responsibility and keener application. All good and purposeful acts in Nature are the acts of renunciation. We shall presently see how they are so.
Renunciation is both the key and the basis for higher life. This principle is evinced by Nature at all levels of existence. The sun is constantly giving up its heat and light, facilitating thereby the life process of beings in planets where they have made their appearance. A ripe fruit renounces the parent tree that has been sustaining it, so that it may fulfill itself elsewhere by its intrinsic worth. A mother fosters a babe in her womb as part and parcel of herself. But she delivers it in time lest a delay in that act should prove dangerous both to herself and the babe. This is an act of renunciation though we do not call it so. A pupil has to renounce in time the school that has been educating him. While availing himself of the benefits of that school, his aim is to get out of it successfully. The aim of the Jivatmam is to get himself educated in the school of Nature and then to renounce it so that he may fulfill himself by union with the Paramatman. And this is the acme of renunciation towards which beings are knowingly or unknowingly wending their way. It is the yogi who hastens the progress while the others are lingering in the wilderness of the Prakriti. The goal of the Jivatman is to be emancipated from Prakriti which expresses itself in the form of karma. But he cannot and should not violently snatch himself away from karma. There is a natural and delightful way of transcending karma; the process is presented as follows:-

18-05.mp3

यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत् ।
यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम् ॥ १८-५॥
18-05 Acts of Yajna, gift and austerity should not be given up, but should be performed; Yajna, gift and austerity are purifying to the wise.

The silkworm builds a cocoon for its further development and evolution. But it gets itself engaged in the cocoon in order to bring about the required change. In the seeming imprisonment it transforms itself from the larva into a beautiful butterfly. At this stage it has to come out to enjoy light, air and open freedom. For this purpose it has to break open the cocoon built by itself. The act of breaking open the cocoon is as important as that of building it. Man's position in the world is exactly like that of the silkworm in the cocoon. The varieties of kamya karma that he performs are for his self-education and self-preparation. By experience he comes to know at last of the limitations of the mundane life. An attitude of detachment from earthly existence develops in him as a matter of course. He gets fixed in the truth that his Home is in the Divine and that he is here in the mundane for mere schooling. The karma that he does after gaining in this conviction, transforms itself into Yagna, dana and tapas. As the butterfly breaks through the cocoon it built, the sadhaka breaks through the shackles of the earthly life by his performance of sacrifice, gift and austerity. The world stands to gain thereby. The performer of these holy acts maintains his purity. Maximum good to all concerned emanates from these meritorious acts.

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How do the wise men maintain their purity by performing these noble acts? The clarification comes:-
एतान्यपि तु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलानि च ।
कर्तव्यानीति मे पार्थ निश्चितं मतमुत्तमम् ॥ १८-६॥
18-06 But even these actions should be performed giving up attachment and the fruits, 0 Partha; this is My certain and best belief.

1. The mother produces milk in her breast and suckles the baby.
2. She willingly abandons sleep and rest to serve her baby.
3. The cow produces milk in her udder and yields it to the calf and to people.
4. These acts of the mother and the cow are selfless as well as sacred.
5. Rudiments of sacrifice, gift and austerity are found in them.
6. The wise among men are expected to develop on these lines their acts of Yajna, dana and tapas.
7. They are boons to the giver as well as to the one who receives.
8. That mind which grabs, shrinks.
9. The other mind that gives, grows in plenitude.
10. Life at the base level thrives by grabbing; life at the divine level fulfills itself by giving.
11. The mother maintains her motherhood by ever giving to her child and never seeking anything from it.
12. The cow is held sacred because of her gift.
13. Man's height of glory is in the contribution that he makes and not in the wealth that he amasses.
14. The wise men maintain their purity by their constant contribution in the form of Yagna, dana and tapas.
15. These benign activities are as natural with them as subsisting is with lesser beings.
16. These sacred acts emanating from the holy ones have a purifying effect on givers and those who receive alike.
17. And these are the means to maintain the sanctity of the world.
This is the Law that governs life at the spiritual level. Therefore, the Lord says that this is His certain and best belief.

Those who want to make progress in spirituality and those who want to realize Iswara have to protect themselves first from base desires. Attainment of perfection is impossible without purity of mind. -Sri Ramakrishna

The blessedness born of Bhakti is as follows :-
Egoism is Harmful 18-58 - 18-60

18-58.mp3

मच्चित्तः सर्वदुर्गाणि मत्प्रसादात्तरिष्यसि ।
अथ चेत्त्वमहङ्कारान्न श्रोष्यसि विनङ्क्ष्यसि ॥ १८-५८॥
18-58 Fixing your mind on Me, you will by My grace, overcome all obstacles; but if from egoism not bear Me, you will perish.

1. The subjective and the objective or the internal and the external are the two aspects of the phenomenal existence.
2. Impediments to smooth and harmonious living have their sources both in the subjective and the objective aspects.
3. Man pays all attention to redress the obstacles caused by the external world.
4. The unhealthy places are improved and made healthy.
5. Copious supply of water is provided to places utterly dry.
6. Hot regions are made comparatively cool by harnessing nature.
7. These are instances of conquering the environment.
8. Modern science pursues these endeavours with remarkable success.
9. But the gaining of happiness does not lie in the subjugation of the external world.
10. Undue extroverted attempt often aggravates pain instead of alleviating it.
11. Introverted attempt is more consequential in this respect.
12. A beneficent world is not beneficent to him who has not conquered his mind.
13. All evils are more subjective than objective.
14. A wicked mind projects wickedness upon the world outside and creates friction and suffering.
15. There is no Satan other than the uncontrolled mind.
16. But that mind which is dedicated to the Lord recognizes His beneficial doings alone everywhere.
17. In the eyes of an ardent devotee, God's helpful hands are constantly at work aiding his onward march.
18. Prahlada's frame of mind may he cited as an example.
19. All the trials and tribulations that came upon
him were willingly accepted by Prahlada as the kindly acts of God in order to increase his Bhakti.
20 Prahlada's view is the view of every devotee who has effaced the ego.

However much you may try you will not achieve anything if you do not get the grace of the Lord. That grace again, is not easily obtained. All egoism ought to be wiped out as a prelude to it. If the egoistic feeling, "I am the doer," takes possession of your heart, that attitude would alienate you from Iswara. The Lord remains hidden in that heart which is tainted by egoism. - Sri Ramakrishna

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यदहङ्कारमाश्रित्य न योत्स्य इति मन्यसे ।
मिथ्यैष व्यवसायस्ते प्रकृतिस्त्वां नियोक्ष्यति ॥ १८-५९॥
18-59 If filled with egoism, you think "I will not fight," vain is this, your resolve; your nature will compel you.

Let it be supposed that a murder takes place in the presence of a babe. It is possible that the babe simply laughs at that ghastly happening. This is due to the utter absence of ego in it. Not only the ego but the inherent tendencies also are lying latent in that nurseling. The question cannot be raised as to why the infant does not oppose the murder taking place before It.
This is so because agency is not where ego is not. No karma good or bad can be attributed to one who is free from ego.
But the duty is different of the man who cognises evil society. He ought not to pretend the attitude of a baby. The Lord's exhortation to Arjuna is as follows :-
'You have been nurtured to this day to the duty of a Kshatriya. Your attainments and aptitudes are such that you vehemently oppose evil. wherever you find it is all possible for you to practise quietism when Wickedness is let loose in your presence? Your hand unconsciously resists a mosquito bite even in sound sleep, that is how your nature works in spite of yourself. That very nature will drag you on to resist evil in the pending war. Any decision on your part contrary to it, amounts to a conflict in your personality. There is no greater harm to you than your make up being split up.'
The feeling is surging to you that evil must be eliminated. But physically you want to desist from war, marring your valour. And this is due to egoism born of Rajas. Do not yield to it and disgrace Yourself.'

Jnana and mukti cannot be had as long as egoism persists. Birth and death also do not come to an end to him who is given to egoism. -Sri Ramakrishna.

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Moreover :-
स्वभावजेन कौन्तेय निबद्धः स्वेन कर्मणा ।
कर्तुं नेच्छसि यन्मोहात्करिष्यस्यवशोऽपि तत् ॥ १८-६०॥
18-60 Bound by your own karma born of your nature, that which from delusion you wish not to do, even that you shall do helplessly against your will, 0 Kaunteya.

1. A man is not different from his nature.
2. He and his innate tendencies are identical.
3. A few examples are required to clarify this point.
4. A new cyclist often drives his cycle into a ditch much against his wish.
5. This is due to his frightened nature having sway over him at that moment.
6. A man is an adept in several languages so much so that it is difficult to find out which among them is his mother-tongue.
7. But when an overwhelming joy or sorrow takes possession of him, he blurts out his feelings in his native language which is on a par with his own nature.
8. Dreams of one and all are in tune with their nature.
9. In other words, dreams are the indicators of the mental male up of people.
10. Nobody enjoys any freedom to dream according to plan.
11. Everybody is a victim of his dream.
12. He is to experience whatever dream falls to his lot.
13. In the midst of these vagaries, one thing is certain.
14. The dream of an individual is not different from the disposition of that individual.
15. It is but normal that a good man enjoys good dreams and a bad man enjoys bad ones.
16. As dreams cannot be avoided nature also cannot be ignored.
17. Man is obliged to act in conformity with his nature.
18. Heaven and hell are the projections of the mental make up of people.
19. As shadow follows a substance, man's nature clings on to him.
20. To act therefore in tune with one's nature is the only way to work out and to exhaust one's karma.

The vessel in which garlic juice is kept takes in that strong smell. However much the vessel may be washed the pungent smell would not disappear. Egoism is very much like the smelt of garlic. It is adamant and would not easily be obliterated. - Sri Ramakrishna

How his act becomes an adoration is further explained:-
Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 18-49 to 18-57

18-49.mp3

असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृहः ।
नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां संन्यासेनाधिगच्छति ॥ १८-४९॥
18-49 He whose intellect is unattached everywhere, who has subdued his self, from whom desire has disappeared, he by renunciation attains the supreme state of freedom from action.

A karma yogi is engaged in intense activities. One form of activity succeeds another even as the hour of the clock succeeds one the other. He seems to know of no rest. This is the spectacle he presents to an onlooker. But what actually he is at the core of his heart requires to be studied. He does not identify himself with any place or residence. Wherever he happens to be placed, is accepted by him as his residence. Or to view it in another way, he does not get attached to any place anywhere. Again, things are being handled in abundance by him. As they come in profusely, even so are they disbursed. No modification of any kind do they produce in the mind of the yogi. Water flows in on one side of a bridge and it flows out on the other side. The bridge is neither the recipient of water nor its distributor; it is unaffected by the flow of the river. The yogi, in that fashion, keeps his mind unaffected by the things of the world. He takes no note of the people drawn to him, of the people indifferent to him and of the people opposed to him. This is the state of the intellect that is unattached everywhere. Thoughts and feelings rise in the minds of the ordinary people even as waves do on the sea. But the mind of the yogi maintains a different state. It is like a wave less sea. This placid state is due to his mastery over the self. Objects of sense-pleasure may be displayed in plenty before an innocent child; but the child does not cast a covetous look at them, because it has not yet developed a desire for them. A yogi also does not behold those objects with any wistful eyes, because he has outgrown all desire for sense-enjoyment. This man who is obviously the doer of great activities is in reality a Sanyasin as his mind is completely unattached, his individuality subdued and his desires utterly annihilated. The state of acttonlessness and Brahmaavasta are one and the same.

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सिद्धिं प्राप्तो यथा ब्रह्म तथाप्नोति निबोध मे ।
समासेनैव कौन्तेय निष्ठा ज्ञानस्य या परा ॥ १८-५०॥
18-50 Learn from Me in brief, 0 Kaunteya, how reaching such perfection, he attains to Brahman, that supreme consummation of knowledge.

Siddhi or perfection is the state to attain which everything in Nature is incessantly struggling. The very plan and purpose of Nature tend towards this end. The sentient and the insentient are all shaping themselves only for perfection. Carbon that remains buried under earth for ages turns into diamond, a most precious gem. That this great possibility is potent in a piece of charcoal cannot ordinarily be thought of. Time and environment are the factors that contribute themselves for this great miracle to take place. Man delights in helping himself to a luscious apple. The perfection that this fruit has undergone is the cause of the delight of man. But he does not ponder over the process that the apple plant has undergone to bring about this perfection. Sun, rain, dew, fog, water, frost, soil, manure, air- all these have contributed their quota to the apple and have aided its progress towards perfection. All lives are struggling in their own way to reach perfection in their respective spheres.
But of all the attempts of all beings for perfection, that of man enjoys a special merit. The siddhi of the other things and beings is confined to the material plane. Therefore, it is prone to nullification. A diamond for example may again be reduced to a bit of carbon, Honey, nectar and ambrosia turn again into dirt. But the siddhi that is open to man leads him to immortality, to immutation and to Beatitude. And this perfection of man is not of the body but of the mind. The mind of one man is not like that of another. There are as many moulds of mind as there are human beings. In the course of countless rebirths, these minds are undergoing modifications influenced by internal promptings and external situations.
It is the practice of yoga that chisels the mind of all of its angularities and shapes it into perfection. He is a siddha whose mind is cured of all of its defects. A pure mind is fit for Brahama jnana. That yogi who gains in Brahama jnana, becomes himself Brahman. There is no perfection higher than this to be attained. This unique attainment is open to the human alone.

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बुद्ध्या विशुद्धया युक्तो धृत्यात्मानं नियम्य च ।
शब्दादीन्विषयांस्त्यक्त्वा रागद्वेषौ व्युदस्य च ॥ १८-५१॥
18-51 Endowed with pure understanding, restraining the self with firmness, turning away from sound and other objects, and abandoning attraction and aversion;

1. A thing is said to be pure when it is unaffected by extraneous objects.
2. The distilled water is pure because it contains nothing else.
3. The nature of a pure understanding requires to be looked into.
4. It may be compared to a pure and even glass.
5. But, seen through a blue glass, a yellow object appears green. Here, the peculiarity of the instrument of seeing gets itself imposed on the object seen.
6. When seen through a pure colourless glass, yellow remains yellow.
7. The intellect is the instrument of seeing of the Jivatman.
8. The defects in the intellect distort the vision obtained by the seer.
9. Purifying the intellect is, therefore, the foremost factor in self-perfection.
10. Dispositions in the forms of attachment and aversion have all to be eliminated.
11. A serene and equipoised intellect fixed on Pure Consciousness is here designated as a pure understanding.
12. Restraining the self results in transcending the body-consciousness.
13. Thought of the body rarely ever crosses the mind of a perfect sadhaka.
14. The body clings to him just as the shadow clings to all.
15. Firmness in the attainment of this perfection leads him to Brahmavastha.
16. The external indication of this firmness is the absence of the craving for the bodily requirements such as food and clothing.
17. Further, he is free from attraction and aversion to those few things even, with which be is providentially provided.
18. Simplicity and self mastery get themselves explained through the life of this sadhaka.

18-52.mp3

Moreover :-
विविक्तसेवी लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानसः ।
ध्यानयोगपरो नित्यं वैराग्यं समुपाश्रितः ॥ १८-५२॥
18-52 Dwelling in solitude, eating but little, speech, body and mind subdued, always engaged in meditation and concentration, endued with dispassion;

1. Man is a gregarious being.
2. Solitary confinement is a punishment inflicted on him; he may go mad if kept long in segregation.
3. He needs company.
4. Society is the training ground for him to pick up civility. Moving amicably with people is his first and foremost lesson in life.
5. But the yogi turns over a new leaf in life by resorting to solitude.
6. He is to change over from extrovert to introvert.
7. His spiritual growth is all subjective.
8. His delight and relaxation are all in the Self.
9. Company of people is a hindrance to him.
10. He feels out of sorts when pestered by people.
11. The sign of his advancing in yoga is that he chooses to be in solitude.
12. By experience he comes to learn that solitude is to the mind what diet is to the body.
13. Man comes alone into the world and he quits it alone.
14. He is a yogi who learns to be alone while in the world.
15 Both over-eating and under-eating are harmful at the initial stage.
16. But as one advances in age and becomes advanced in yoga, one finds that under-eating is advantageous both to body and mind.
17. Lightness of the former and clarity of the latter are the advantages.
18. The spiritual fervour in the sadhaka contributes much to the sustenance of the body and the vigour of the mind.
19. Physical food therefore gets automatically reduced.
20. The yogi commands a perfect mastery over his speech, body and mind.
21. He speaks but sparingly.
22. No vain words come out from his tongue.
23. Measured speech which is ever to the point, marks him out.
24. The yogi involuntarily reveals an elegance in his demeanour.
25. He is a stranger to doing things by fits and starts.
26. His bodily movements are all purposeful and spare.
27. Above all, the mind of the yogi is ever given to communion with the Self.
28. Vagaries therefore can have no access to it.
29. Calmness and serenity mark it for their own.
30. He is in his element when absorbed in the thought of God.
31. If any other thought happens to cross his mind, it causes him acute pain.
32. Being engaged in meditation on the Paramatman, is the norm with him.
33. A novice tries to cultivate vairagya or dispassion to the world.
34. He reflects on the evils of sense pleasure whenever a passing thought of indulgence makes its appearance in his unwary mind. But a past master of yoga has no such struggle.
35. As a ripe fruit that has severed its connection with the tree no more goes back to it, the yogi no more gives any thought to worldly enjoyment.
36. His dispassion is superb.

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अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं परिग्रहम् ।
विमुच्य निर्ममः शान्तो ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥ १८-५३॥
18-53 Having abandoned egoism, violence, arrogance, desire, enmity, property, free from the notion of mine and peaceful, be is fit for becoming Brahman.

Egoism:
1. Man is different from the clothing be puts on.
2. But there are those who identify themselves.
3. With their clothes and feel happy or miserable due to the remarks made on their dress.
4. This identification is egoism of a crude kind.
5. Identification with the body is the egoism kept up all through the soul's transmigrations.
6. Renouncing the body-consciousness and being established in the Self is the abandonment of egoism.
Violence:
1. Thinking of the individuals as physical entities and one individual trying to have an upper hand over the others is violence.
2. He who outgrows this evil is a yogi.
Arrogance:
1. While exercising violence, that individual who succeeds in subduing the others, thinks very highly of himself and lightly of the others. This attitude that he develops is arrogance.
2. The yogi does not run the risk of falling victim to this evil.
Kama:
q.Kama or desire is the hankering after sense pleasure. He who cherishes the senses is a bhogin and he who curbs the senses is a yogin.
2. The latter has nothing to do with any base desire.
Enmity :
1. An obstructed fondness transforms itself into enmity.
2. The yogi who sees divinity in all is given neither to fondness nor to enmity.
Ownership:
1. Bodily sustenance is not possible without property.
2. The ownership of the body leads to the ownership of the property too.
3. While in the body, the yogi is not of the body; while in possession of the bare necessities of the body, the thought of possession is not in the mind. That trifling property is handled with the same indifference and detachment shown to the body.
4. Free as the yogi is from ownership of any kind, he is necessarily free from the notion of "mine."
Peacefulness:
When all the disturbing factors are eliminated from the mind, its resting in peacefulness is a matter of course. The yogi imbued with these excellence is fit for becoming Brahman.

18-54.mp3

ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।
समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ॥ १८-५४॥
18-54 Becoming Brahman, serene-minded, be neither grieves nor desires; the same to all beings, be obtains supreme devotion to Me.

1. There are those who see difference between Bhakti and Jnana.
2. Prompted by bias and predisposition, one school of thought holds Jnana as superior and the finale of attainment while another school gives that status and rarity to Bhakti.
3. But the Lord makes no such artificial difference between the two.
4. Some preliminary distinctions may seem to exist between these two paths; whereas they become one and the same at their culmination.
5. A baby and its mother evince inordinate love for each other, revealing thereby elements of Bhakti. Where is the scope here for Jnana, may be a point pertinently raised.

1.The Jnana that the baby belongs to that mother and that it is she who has become the baby, is implied in that sweet love.
2. Jnana and Bhakti are the obverse and reverse of the same coin of a perfected personality.

An incident clarifies this point further. A benefactor was liberally doling out to all the poor who resorted to him, without even scrutinizing into their merits. But one day he was involuntarily drawn to a lad of fifteen who was found in the midst of a few holy nomads. The boy's physical feature with a scar on his cheek roused the rich man's earnest curiosity. The nomads responded to his enquiry with the information that about twelve years before they picked up that boy lying unconscious on the river bank somewhere in that locality. The benefactor concluded that this in fact was the child of three that he lost in a boat tragedy those twelve years before! The apparently lost son was reclaimed with joy and filial love. Knowing and loving are interrelated, one augmenting the other.
Bhakti being involved in Jnana and Jnana being involved in Bhakti are but natural. A Brahma jnani is simultaneously a bhakta of Iswara. He beholds all beings with reverence, they being the veritable manifestation of Iswara. Cognizing God everywhere in all beings, he grieves not that any loss has occurred to him in any manner. No desire crops up in his mind for anything that he has not obtained. The Bhakti eulogized in chapter seven, stanza seventeen is recapitulated here again.

18-55.mp3

भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः ।
ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् ॥ १८-५५॥
18-55 By devotion he knows Me in truth, what and who I am; then having known Me in truth, be forthwith enters into Me.

1. Love makes way to the inaccessible.
2. It opens the door to the impossible.
3. The unknown and the unknowable become known to the true lover.
4. More than diagnosing the disease, if the doctor truly loves the patient and identifies himself with the sufferings to which the man is subjected, his diagnosis would be accurate and treatment very efficacious.
5. What is known through love is the true knowledge and what is done through love is the true service.

1. The Bhakta understands the Lord well because he sees with the eye of love.
2. The more he understand the Lord, the more he loves Him.
3. What the two wings are to a bird, Bhakti and Jnana are to the sadhaka.
4. He understands that his Lord is both the Saguna Brahman and the Nirguna Brahman.
5. The universe and the beings have all come from Him.
6. After knowing his own relationship with the Lord, he gives himself over entirely to Him.
7. The Lord accepts him as His own self.
8. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman.

It is possible for the Jivatman to merge in the Paramatman. He can then state "I and my Lord are one." A devoted servant of a master may in the long run be treated by him as a member of his family. Being quite pleased with his earnest service, the master may also install the servant in his place and empower biro to execute the domestic concerns in his stead. But the installed man declines that high office with compunction. Still the master insists on his assuming that status. It is in this wise that Iswara claims the ardent devotee as His own. He first reveals His attributes and glories to the Bhakta and then absorbs him in union. - Sri Ramakrishna

18-56.mp3

सर्वकर्माण्यपि सदा कुर्वाणो मद्व्यपाश्रयः ।
मत्प्रसादादवाप्नोति शाश्वतं पदमव्ययम् ॥ १८-५६॥
18-56 Doing continually all actions whatsoever, taking refuge in Me, by My grace be reaches the eternal undecaying Abode.

1. As Jnana and Bhakti are the same in their supreme state, Jnana and karma are the same in their climax.
2. The sadhaka established in Sattva does not renounce karma, he only renounces his agency to karma.
3. Along with his liquidation of agency his Jivahood is also abnegated.
4. Intense activity creates no weariness in him who renounces agency.
5. The feeling that I am the doer brings in exhaustion and frustration in its trail.
6. A trifling attempt of his own would then seem enormous in its estimate.
7. His attitude of agency is responsible for that magnified feeling.
8. On the other hand, he who serves the Lord thinks of Him and none else.
9. The thought of his own self goes into obliteration.
10. That state of self abnegation is verily the state of self-surrender.
11. A river maintains its individuality until it reaches the sea.
12. It has an activity too, of its own.
13. But on reaching the sea that river loses its individuality.
14. It may further get commingled with an under-current in the sea.
15. That activity belongs to the sea and not to the river.
16. Such is also the case with a devotee who dedicates himself to Iswara.
17. He seems bodily an entity, but mentally he is absorbed in Iswara.
18. Whatever takes place in and through that individual is actually the doing of the Lord.
19. The patterns of that action may be variegated.
20. A world devastating warfare also has its place in the sport of the Lord.
21. He who submits himself to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord, is no actor, no agent, no reaper of the fruit of the karma taking place through his instrumentality, His ego is surrendered, Brahman, the Pure Consciousness alone persists, Instead.

To be ever engaged in karma is not the goal of life; it is only a means to attain Godhood. Work done without attachment lead the sadhaka Godward. Do not mistake the means for the end. The road to a town is not itself that town. --Sri Ramakrishna

18-57.mp3

How are you therefore to conduct yourself in life? The injunction comes:-
चेतसा सर्वकर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्परः ।
बुद्धियोगमुपाश्रित्य मच्चित्तः सततं भव ॥ १८-५७॥
18-57 Mentally resigning all deeds to Me, having Me as the highest goal, resorting to Buddhi-yoga, do you ever fix your mind on Me.

1. An aspect of the powers of a government comes to that man who is an office-bearer in it.
2. When he discharges his duty faithfully, more power and responsibility are entrusted with him.
3. In the midst of his exercising authority, he is to hold himself as a limb of that government and that whatever power he wields is actually the power of the administrative system.
4. When he does this, he is said to be endowed with Buddhi-yoga pertaining to the government and his position in it.
5. But if he fancies that that power is his own, it is a mark of lack of understanding.

Similar to this,
1. when the Jivatman comes to know the truth about himself and his relationship with the Paramatman, he is said to have obtained Buddhi yoga.
2. He is to inquire and find out if there is any category to which the appellation "I" can be pertinently applied.
3. The next inquiry ought to be in regard to the question whether there is anything to which man can lay permanent claim as "mine."
4. Thirdly what exactly man's own karma is, has to be analysed.
5. An accurate study would lead the aspirant to the conclusion that the ego designated as "I", that the ownership fancied as "mine" and that the agency to karma of the Jivatman- that all these three factors are merely in one's imagination.
6. There is no reality whatsoever responding to the Jivahood of the Jivatman.

1. That aspirant who is endowed with Buddhi-yoga would earnestly carry out the injunctions laid down here by the Lord.
2. He would not secede from the performance of the duty fallen to his lot.
3. Mentally he would hold that the karma taking place through him belongs to the Lord; he would therefore have no attachment to that work.
4. All the happenings that are going on all over the universe are actually the work of the Lord.
5. His planned activity and purpose suffer neither setback nor stagnation due to any Jivatman failing to discharge his duty.
6. It is Sanyasa to have no personal concern but to do the Lord's work for the sake of the Lord only.
7. The only concern of the Jivatman is and ought to be to get himself merged in the Paramatman.
8. With this great end in view, the Jivatman ought to get his mind ever fixed on the Lord.

If you happen to be blessed with a vision of the Lord, what would you ask of Him? Would you appeal to Him to provide you with facilities to build hospitals, schools, water tanks and alms houses? All these philanthropic activities seem great to us as long as we are removed far away from God. But when we are in communion with Him, all these fade away into insignificance. We ought to pray to the Lord, therefore, not for doing good to the world but for reunion with Him. We ought to beseech Him for devotion, dispassion and discrimination. By loving the Lord we rise from the human to the Divine. Through devotion to the Lord, we get fixed in the conviction that we are the children of His, who is all immortality, all blessedness, all love and all wisdom. --Sri Ramakrishna

Tamasika and Rajasika Tyagas are Purposeless 18-07 & 18-08

18-07.mp3

नियतस्य तु संन्यासः कर्मणो नोपपद्यते ।
मोहात्तस्य परित्यागस्तामसः परिकीर्तितः ॥ १८-७॥
18-07 Verily, the abandonment or any obligatory duty is not proper, such abandonment out of ignorance is declared to be Tamasika.

1.To flower and fruit is the obligatory duty of a tree.
2. And it lets off a fully matured fruit of its own accord.
3. It is a natural abandonment.
4. Contrary to this course, if an ignorant person plucks off an immature fruit, its purposes are foiled.
5. Forced Sanyasa from ignorance is as derogatory and destructive as this act.

1. Nitya karma or the obligatory duty varies in scale according to the attainments of man.
2. Bathing, eating and earning wealth are acts of nitya karma to an ordinary man.
3. Yajna, dana and tapas are the obligatory duties of a spiritually advanced man.
4. These sacred duties are to be discharged as long as the body lasts; for, the body and the duties done with it are inseparably connected.
5. A rigid following of this principle adds to the purity of a pure man.

1. Abandoning the obligatory duty through ignorance brings in deterioration.
2. It enshrouds the man in greater ignorance.
This unwise act is born of a Tamasika disposition.

A devotee ought to continue to utter the name of the Lord and to discharge his worldly duties until his mind gets merged in Sat-chit-ananda.
-Sri Ramakrishna

18-08.mp3

दुःखमित्येव यत्कर्म कायक्लेशभयात्त्यजेत् ।
स कृत्वा राजसं त्यागं नैव त्यागफलं लभेत् ॥ १८-८॥
18-08 He who from fear of bodily trouble abandons action, because it is painful, thus performing a Rajasika abandonment, obtains not the fruit thereof.

1. Earthly existence cannot be freed from bodily trouble.
2. Nothing great here can be obtained without taking pains.
3. If a pupil abandons his schooling on the ground it is painful, he does not derive the intellectual benefit obtained by one who subjects oneself to the taxing discipline imposed on one by that school.
4. The shirker would never become fit for higher education.
5. There are people who view worldly life as full of troubles and difficulties, and they are not prepared to face those ordeals.
5. Governed by an escape-mentality, they choose to embrace Sanyasa and live a life of ease and comfort at the cost of the credulous people.
6. They do not obtain the supreme benefit of renunciation.

1. Arjuna who came to the battle-field to wage a war of righteousness, was overwhelmed by a fit of Rajasika renunciation.
2. He thought it was not proper to incur the sin and the pain of killing his kith and kin.
3. His obligatory duty was to defend the cause of dharma and not that of his wicked relatives.
4. The thought of abandoning the righteous war which crossed his mind was not born of true discrimination.
5. When Rajas overtakes a man, his understanding undergoes a corresponding distortion.
6. A person of Arjuna's calibre bare evidence to this fact.
7. It therefore fell to the lot of the Lord to cure him of this purposeless spirit of renunciation.

Tyaga of Sattvika Nature is Indispensable 18-09 to 18-12

18-09.mp3

कार्यमित्येव यत्कर्म नियतं क्रियतेऽर्जुन ।
सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलं चैव स त्यागः सात्त्विको मतः ॥ १८-९॥
18-09 Whatever obligatory work is done, 0 Arjuna, merely because it ought to be done, abandoning attachment and also fruit, that abandonment is deemed to be Sattvika.

1. The very performance of karma is abandoned both in the Tamasika Tyaga and Rajasika Tyaga.
2. But such a suspension of work does not take place in the Stittvika Tyaga.
3. The execution of duty goes on unabated. All karmas, including the nitya karma, are fruit-bearing in their nature.
4. But the Sattvika Tyagi is not concerned with the fruit, he does his duty to the best of his ability though he is unattached to it.
5. He does not renounce karma, be only renounces the agency.
6. Calmness and purity are born of this frame of mind.
The in-patient in the hospital has no intention to be there permanently, neither does he want to be treated all through his life. Still he willingly undergoes treatment with an attitude of detachment. Such a man as he is the one who truly renounces ailment. The Sattvika Tyagi renounces the fruit of his action after the fashion of a sensible patient who seeks to get rid of his disease.
The patient, however, abhors his disease. The Sattvika Tyagi is devoted to his obligatory duty. Breathing is the obligatory duty of all living beings. The yogi resorts to pranayama or the scientific way of breathing which yields great benefits. Still, the yogi does not do this great act with any attachment, he does it as disinterestedly as the others do their normal breathing. He is verily a healthy man who is free from body-consciousness while being in the body. He is verily a yogi who is free from the sense of agency while engaging himself in work intensively. Adoring the Lord, serving the society, meditating on the Supreme- all these spiritual activities go on vehemently. But the sadhaka is not conscious that he is the doer of these benign duties. He is steadily fixed in atma bodha. His renunciation verily is Sattvika Tyaga.

18-10.mp3

How can it be known that this sadhaka is perfectly attuned to the right path of renunciation? The clarification comes :-
न द्वेष्ट्यकुशलं कर्म कुशले नानुषज्जते ।
त्यागी सत्त्वसमाविष्टो मेधावी छिन्नसंशयः ॥ १८-१०॥
18-10 The relinquisher imbued with Sattva and a steady understanding and with his doubts dispelled, hates not a disagreeable work nor is be attached to an agreeable one.

1. The sadhaka fixed in Sattva has a clear mind. He sees things in their true perspective. Therefore he is one of a steady understanding- medhavi.
2. He sees Purusha and Prakriti just as they are.
3. Karma and akarma do not create confusion in his mind. Refer 4.18
4. Akarma is characteristic of Atman or Purusha, who occupies the position of a clear mirror.
5. No change whatsoever takes place in a mirror while reflecting objects or when ceasing to do so.
6. The position of the Atman is akin to it.
7. He is ever himself, both while karma has its course in His presence and when it is in suspense.
8. The mirror acquires no merit by reflecting beautiful objects, nor demerit by reflecting ugly and dirty objects.
9. The position of atmachaitanya is the same.
10. The activities of the Prakriti are reflected in the Purusha.
11. On that ground the Purusha is not affected in any way.
12. Sthitaprajna or the man of steady understanding knows this truth. So he remains his doubts dispelled.

1. The duty of every one is to work hard and to contribute to the cause of prosperous living.
2. Man's growth and expansion of life consist in the endeavours that he makes.
3. Those who understand this fundamental have no problems and doubts pertaining to life on the earth.
4. They apply themselves deliberately to whatever work they have undertaken.
5. But there are those who view all work as painful.
6. Their aim is to drift on to an easy-going life and get out of it as much pleasure and happiness as possible.
7. They have no compunction to live like drones at the cost of others.
8. They shrink from troublesome toil and seek quietism.
9. The cloak of religiosity proves very handy to bide their hypocrisy.
10. But the gems of society are they who are heroic in their endeavours, in their contribution to the common weal and in their bearing with equanimity the odds of life.
And that is their conformity to renunciation.

18-11.mp3

Why should not one simplify things by renouncing all work instead of doing it in a detached way? The analysis comes :-
न हि देहभृता शक्यं त्यक्तुं कर्माण्यशेषतः ।
यस्तु कर्मफलत्यागी स त्यागीत्यभिधीयते ॥ १८-११॥
18-11 It is indeed impossible for an embodied being- to renounce action entirely. But he who renounces the fruit of action is regarded as one who has renounced.

There are several points of similarity between the bodily existence and a flight in an aeroplane. One is called a Jivatman as long as one is embodied; this one-is a God ward pilgrim. Another is called a passenger as long as he is flying. Bodily existence is renounced permanently by the Jivataman on the attainment of Godhood. The plane is vacated only on reaching the destination. Conditions while in the body are all alike those while in the aeroplane, which flies over plains, hills, dales, mountains and boisterous seas. Bodily existence has its pleasant and unpleasant aspects and its ups and downs. The aeroplane does not stop its work while in flight lest it should crash. Bodily activities also cannot be suspended by the embodied.
Karma takes place as long as the body lasts.. Breathing, eating, sleeping-all these are bodily activities going on ceaselessly. Obligatory duties also have to be executed relentlessly. The prudent man has his profitable way of getting his work done. While in the plane if the passenger gets worried over the possible dangers and risks of the flight, he defeats himself and his purpose. He does in no way improve matters by worrying himself; rather he loses his stamina thereby. Instead, if he resigns those eventualities to the crew and to Providence and if he engages himself in his higher pursuits, he stands to gain. His conducting himself in this wise amounts to renouncing the fruit of the flight, but not the flight itself. Man should engage himself in the earthly duties that fall to his lot. He ought not to be concerned with the consequences of his duties. While doing his duties, if he keeps his mind fixed on the Maker, his gain is immense and he is one who has truly renounced.
A man's body gets hurt accidentally. He neither weeps over it nor neglects it. He bandages the wound and gives all attention to it. If need be, money is spent for the cure. But in the midst of all of these activities, there is no attachment whatsoever to the wound that has come about. It is attended to so that it may be healed. That man who gets the wound treated is the one who has renounced it but not he who neglects it to the point of its becoming septic. Bodily activities are like the wound. They cannot be neglected. They ought to be carried on with complete detachment. He who does so has really renounced karma and everything worldly.

18-12.mp3

And how about the man who is attached to life and karma? The answer comes:-
अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम् ।
भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां क्वचित् ॥ १८-१२॥
18-12 The threefold fruit of action- evil, good and mixed -accrues after death to one who does not relinquish but there is none ever for the one who renounces.

1. Being hurled into hell and being born as a beast is the fruit of evil action.
2. Gaining heaven and being born as a celestial is the fruit of good action.
3. Obtaining the earthly existence and being born as man is the fruit of mixed action.
In the mixed action there are the elements of both good and evil actions. Transmigration is inevitable to those who are attached to karma. They are also subjected to happiness and misery.
But the worldly weal and woe are not to those who are not attached to karma. They are also not entangled in the wheel of birth and death. They are blessed with Mukti.
There are marks to indicate that a man has reached perfection and that
1. he no more needs to be born again.
2. Such a man is ever contented in the Self.
3. The body is hanging on him like a shadow.
4. The activities of that body take place meticulously in spite of his having withdrawn the mind from it.
5. While actively in the world, he is not of the world.

The immediate future birth of a man attached to karma may also be inferred now and here. Death and rebirth are like sleep and reawakening. The man who goes to sleep gets up in the same body and the man who dies wakes up in another body. A bad man going to sleep wakes up a bad man and so is the case with a good man too. There are people who wallow in hell even here on earth. There are the others who behave like brutes. Yet others walk the earth as celestials and they make a heaven of this world. Still others exhibit all human traits only. All these varying characteristics go along with them when they relinquish the existing bodies and choose to build new bodies. Their rebirths are according to their traits. The sequence is maintained.

The fruit of action is his who thinks of himself as the author of karma. Happiness and misery come to him as a result of this thought. But is man in reality the originator of karma ? The exposition comes:-
The Components of Karma 18-13 to 18-16

18-13.mp3

पञ्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे ।
साङ्ख्ये कृतान्ते प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम् ॥ १८-१३॥
18-13 Learn from Me, 0 mighty-armed, these live factors in the accomplishment of all action, as taught in the Samkhya which is the end of action.

As in chapter two, here also the Samkhya refers to the philosophy of Vedanta and not to that of the sage Kapila, which deals with the cosmology. According to Vedanta, the undertaking of all karma is to transcend it ultimately. He who does karma imperfectly and he who shuns karma for any reason whatsoever cannot get to that state which is beyond karma. Prakriti which is characterized as composed of karma is the training ground of the Jivatman. As children go to school to learn, the Jivatman comes into the world to learn his lesson. The children apply themselves diligently to their studies. They are not to waste time. The required attainments have to be reached within the prescribed time. Then they have to pass out successfully. They are not to get stuck to the school permanently. These points are clearly borne in mind by the pupils. All these points apply to the Jivatman as well. He is to learn his lessons from Prakriti. He has to know of the nature of karma even when he is involved in it, and to get himself beyond it, is the goal set for him.

18-14.mp3

The five factors are expounded as follows:-
अधिष्ठानं तथा कर्ता करणं च पृथग्विधम् ।
विविधाश्च पृथक्चेष्टा दैवं चैवात्र पञ्चमम् ॥ १८-१४॥
18-14 The body, the agent, the various senses, the different functions of various sorts, and the presiding deity also, the fifth.

A parallel requires to be drawn here between a motor car and the human being. An automobile moves. The various things that contribute to its motion have to be taken into consideration. Heaps of bolts, nuts, bars, plates and other parts are found in the factory before a car is assembled. The raw rubber juice is in the tree, the petrol is in the womb of earth and water on its surface, air is in the space above earth. All these elements are made use of to fabricate a car. The factory is the body or the place where it exists. The proprietor is the agent. The wheels, the steering wheel, the brake, the clutch and the gear box are its various senses. Petrol is its prana or life energy. The driver is the manipulating deity.
The human being has parts parallel to all these. The body is the centre from where attachment and aversion, joy and misery, the faculty of understanding- all these experiences express themselves. Ego is the agent that records these experiences. The senses of knowledge and the senses of action are his various senses. Prana or the life energy functions in various ways. The Jivatman is the presiding deity manipulating all these instruments.

18-15.mp3

शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म प्रारभते नरः ।
न्याय्यं वा विपरीतं वा पञ्चैते तस्य हेतवः ॥ १८-१५॥
18-15 Whatever action a man performs with his body, speech or mind, whether right or wrong- these five are its causes.

The motor car assembled of innumerable parts may be made use of for various purposes. Some may make use of it for murder and theft. Some others may avail themselves of it to rescue people involved in dangers and accidents. Yet others may utilize it for quick medical aid. Pleasure hunters put it to use in their own way. Educational tourists commission it for their purpose.
The human body may be used in all the ways mentioned herein. It is aptly called the dharma kshetra. The human tabernacle made of the five components, can be utilized for noble purposes. It may be sublimated into a temple and Divinity invoked into it. And these are verily acts of dharma. They are therefore right doings. This body which comes into being from the five causes enumerated above also allows itself to be converted into a den of demoniacal doings. All possible wrong may be perpetrated with it. It is as much useful for bad acts as for good ones. All the activities earned on by man are brought under the triple heading-thought, word and deed. The subtlest of the karma takes place in the mind in the forms of thoughts and feelings. Not a moment passes without mind doing karma of one kind or another. The gross manifestations of it are words and deeds.

18-16.mp3

How is Atman connected with these activities going on in body, speech and mind? The answer comes:-
तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः ।
पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः ॥ १८-१६॥
18-16 That being so, the man of perverse mind, who, on account of his imperfect understanding looks upon the Self, the Absolute, as the agent he does not see at all.

The example of the motor car may again be taken to clarify the great teaching contained in this stanza. Earth, water, fire and air are the four elements out of five, that are utilized for the manufacture and functioning of this vehicle. Its components have all been mainly procured from the earth which flirt her serves as the support on which the car runs. The supply of the parts comes from the earth and the activity of the car called movement takes place on the earth. Though supplying the resources and facilities for the activities of the car, the earth remains actionless in its relationship with the vehicle. It plays no part in the fivefold activity of the car. It shall not be called either the agent or the presiding deity of the automobile.
The author of a karma is that which actually performs it. The categories of Prakriti are given to the ceaseless execution of it. All the five causes of action mentioned in stanza fourteen belong to Prakriti. A doubt may arise whether the fifth cause designated as daiva or the presiding deity, is a category of Prakriti or a facet of Brahman. The truth of it is to be arrived at through an analogy. akasa and vayu (ether and air) are almost alike. Subtlety is common to both of them. But while akasa is all-pervading and immovable vayu is limited in space and movable. Similarly the daiva referred to here is like Atman but not actually Atman. He is chidabhasa or reflected Atman. This daiva is the Jivatman and not the Paramatman. A reflected consciousness not the original. Consciousness any more than a reflected sun on a wave can ever be the original sun Jivatman works while the Paramatman does no work. There is modification in the former while the latter is free from it. atman chaitanya reflected in Prakriti is the Jivatman, so he works as a category of the Prakriti. The Jiva and the Jagat make their appearance on Paramatman or the Chidakasa, sport on it and merge back into it. All these activities are karma belonging to Praktiti. The Chidakasa or the Paramatman is ever constant, immovable, full and perfect in itself. The play of the Prakriti does not affect It in any manner. The Jivatman understands this truth when his antah- karana or mental faculty gets clarified. But the dullard takes the Atman as the agent.

Atman is Inaction 18-17

18-17.mp3

यस्य नाहङ्कृतो भावो बुद्धिर्यस्य न लिप्यते ।
हत्वाऽपि स इमाँल्लोकान्न हन्ति न निबध्यते ॥ १८-१७॥
18-17 He who is free from the notion of egoism and whose understanding is not tainted though he kills these people, be kills not, nor is he bound.

Modifications such as agency and egoism create difference between man and man. But as man evolves high, he is able to outgrow all modifications and be established in Pure Consciousness. Let us take cases of men being affected by modifications and those not being affected by them. Men act on the stage as murdering and as being murdered. These acts being mere pretence, agency and egoism are absent in them. The actors are not affected by the staged modifications. But where an actual murder takes place, the concerned men are affected by the modifications of agency and egoism. Whereas to a spiritually evolved man stage act and life act are one and the same. Because of the absence of egoism, no modification of any kind takes place in his mind. There are instances of this in the Mahabharata war itself. Arjuna vanquished his grand father Bhishma in the encounter. But he did not harbour the egoistic feeling that he caused the death of the grandsire. His mind was free from that modification. While waiting to give up the body in the auspicious northern passage of the sun, Bhishma did not feel that he was vanquished. Non-ego was the cause of it. As a man casts off a worn out clothing, Bhishma cast off his old body, unattached as he was to it.
The reflection of a moving body is seen in a mirror. That mirror is not the creator of the reflection and its movement. The reflection leaves no impression either in the mirror. While reflecting the things as they are, the mirror is ever itself, unattached, unaffected and unmodified. Like the mirror is Atman, the Pure Consciousness. It reveals the activities of the Prakriti. But Atman is no doer of karma. It is not bound in spite of its being the lord, ruler and regulator of the Prakriti. That Jivatman who traces his original state to this Pure Consciousness regains his taintless understanding. Freed that he is from egoism he is not affected by the actions of the body and the senses. Happenings such as killing and being killed are all modifications of the Prakriti. As Atman is supremely above karma, the knower of Atman also rises above the turmoils of karma.

Purusha is free from karma. No vibration of any kind takes place in him. Prakriti is the doer of all karma. while Purusha is merely the witness to it. But for the presence of the Purusha, no action is possible for the Prakriti. So say the scriptures. --Sri Ramakrishna

The Three Gunas give Impetus to Karma 18-18 to 18- 40

18-18.mp3

ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं परिज्ञाता त्रिविधा कर्मचोदना ।
करणं कर्म कर्तेति त्रिविधः कर्मसङ्ग्रहः ॥ १८-१८॥
18-18 Knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knower form the threefold incitement to action; and the instrument, the object and the agent are the threefold constituents of action.

Knowledge mentioned herein refers to the knowledge obtained through the senses. The object of knowledge is that which is perceived by the senses and interpreted by the intellect. The knower is the Jivatman burdened with and impeded by all of his inclinations and dispositions. These three put together form the triputi or the triad of knowledge. Of these three, where the one is, the other two are bound to be, like the three sides of a triangle. The action, the instrument and the obJect or agent contribute to make the triad of karma. Induced by this triad, the mind, the speech and the body discharge their respective functions. The desirable and the undesirable aspects of karma are made evident by this triad.
The instruments are twofold, internal and external. The manas, buddhi, chitta and ahankara are the internal instruments. The body, the tongue, the eye, the nose and the ear are the external instruments. They divide themselves again as the instruments of knowledge and the instruments of action. The Jivatma himself functions as the agent to all these activities. He is the knower as well as the doer. Both janana and karma are indispensable to the self-culture that he is undergoing. A schoolboy requires both play and study for his progress. He is to build the body and enrich the mind. This two-sided growth becomes more pronounced in the Jivatman. As he adds to his knowledge he grows in the efficiency of work. As he applies himself to a variety of endeavours, his experience and knowledge are on the increase. Therefore, he stands in need of the triad of jnana and the triad of karma mentioned in the above stanza.

The manas, buddhi, chitta and ahankara are the internal instruments = the instruments of knowledge

The body, the tongue, the eye, the nose and the ear are the external instruments = the instruments of action.

18-19.mp3

We see in the Jivatman gradation both in the knowledge and the capacity to work. What is it that brings about this differentiation? The explanation follows :-
ज्ञानं कर्म च कर्ता च त्रिधैव गुणभेदतः ।
प्रोच्यते गुणसङ्ख्याने यथावच्छृणु तान्यपि ॥ १८-१९॥
18-19 Knowledge, action and actor are declared in the science of Gunas to be of three kinds only, according to the distinction of Gunas; bear of them also as they are.

Among the six systems of philosophy Samkhya is the fourth, and the sage Kapila is the author of it. This system is the authority in regard to Cosmology. So, the functionings of the three Gunas have to be learnt from it. The Purushas are many in number according to this school of thought. The existence of the Paramatman supremely above them all, is not accepted by the Samkhya. It is not therefore an authority in regard to the Supreme Reality. The Vedanta philosophy is the authority in this respect. But the Samkhya alone has to be relied on, to know all about the Prakriti; and the Lord attests to this fact. In the statement, "Hear of them also as they are," the Lord further makes it clear that the teachings of the Samkhya about Nature and its working are in tune with reason and experience.
The competence of the taught is a factor that demands deep scrutiny. The disciples are graded as the intelligent, the mediocre and the dull. The first rate aspirant grasps the means and the end at the very first teaching, the mediocre one requires to be a little more painstaking; and the backward student requires long drilling and preparation. Even he can be pulled up appreciably with constant application.

18-20.mp3

सर्वभूतेषु येनैकं भावमव्ययमीक्षते ।
अविभक्तं विभक्तेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि सात्त्विकम् ॥ १८-२०॥
18-20 The knowledge by which the one Imperishable Being is seen in all existences, undivided in the divided, know that that knowledge is Sattvika.

1. The categories of the Prakriti have divided themselves into the multitudinous.
2. The movable and the Immovable, the sentient and the insentient all these are the modifications of Nature or Maya.
3. The Imperishable Being is the Substratum behind the many.
4. It is the One without a second.
5. It is undivided like the akasa.
6. It undergoes no modification even though Prakriti emanates from It.
7. Infinite as It is, no change is possible in It.
8. Nothing can be added to It and nothing can be subtracted from It; for, It is Imperishable.
9. It does not divide Itself into different Atmas in different beings.
To know this Great Being as It is, is Sattvika knowledge.

Though the air carries fragrance and foul smell alike, it is not affected by them. Such is even the case with the Paramatman, the Basis of the varying universe. --Sri Ramakrishna

18-21.mp3

पृथक्त्वेन तु यज्ज्ञानं नानाभावान्पृथग्विधान् ।
वेत्ति सर्वेषु भूतेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि राजसम् ॥ १८-२१॥
18-21 But that knowledge by which one sees in all beings manifold entities of different kinds as varying from one another know that that knowledge is Rajasika.

1. The Rajasika knowledge holds that there are Atmas of varying traits residing in the bodies of various types and grades of evolution.
2. The Atman itself has to undergo evolution as the body does, is the view entertained by this school of thought. Gold ore may be procured from different continents and they may all have different kinds of dross pertaining to the nature of the earth. While there is difference in the dross, pure gold is the same independent of the sediment and the soil.
3. Similarly the Atmas seem one different from another because of the limiting adjuncts- Upadhis. It is even believed that Atmas belong to different species, castes, colours and nationalities.
4. Attaching importance to these upadhis is the way of the Rajasika knowledge.
But these limiting adjuncts are born of ignorance. When they are all eliminated Pure Consciousness alone remains.
In unselfish love, there is no such thing as the oriental love and the occidental love.
In its pure form love is a universal factor governing and guiding life. But for it, existence is not worth having.
There is another category in life, which is worth studying.
In dreamless sound sleep all differentiations get dissolved. The high and the low, the learned and the ignorant, the virtuous and the sinful, the happy and the miserable-all these inequalities vanish in that state.
An indeterminate universal existence alone remains then as vague consciousness.
All these phases of the underlying unity are not cognized by the Rajasika knowledge.
It sees nothing but diversity.

Seeing unity is knowledge. seeing diversity is Ignorance. -Sri Ramakrishna

18-22.mp3

यत्तु कृत्स्नवदेकस्मिन्कार्ये सक्तमहैतुकम् ।
अतत्त्वार्थवदल्पं च तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ १८-२२॥
18-22 And the knowledge that clings to one single effect as if it were the whole, and is without reason, without foundation in truth, and trivial that knowledge is declared to be Tamasika.

1. There are people who believe that their individuality is confined to the physical frame made of the five elements.
2. The perishing matter is mistaken for the persisting principle.
3. An image is merely an aid for the worship of God, just as a map is an aid for the study of a country. But the ignorant man thinks that the image itself made of a metal or of wood or of clay to be God.
4. If the image be mutilated he feels God has been despoiled. This attitude is an evidence to the fact that he clings to one single effect as if it were the whole.
5. That he is an entity more than the body and that God is above form are truths incomprehensible to him.
1. God as Truth is Indestructible.
2. God as an All-powerful and All merciful Reality has provided various paths and beliefs to suit the different types of men.
6. The ignorant man does not take note of these facts and he refuses to do so.
7. He imagines himself a self appointed champion of God and a defender of faith.
8. In the name of serving God and religion he does havoc to society and prevents its harmonious growth.
9. The so-called proselytizer plays the part of the blind leading the blind.
These are all specimens of the Tamasika knowledge.
On scrutiny they are found to be not in tune with reason. Rather, they come into conflict with reason.
They are so, because they are not founded in truth.
Whims and fancies as they are, they have to be treated as trivial.
Nothing good comes out of such baseless understanding.

18-23.mp3

नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम् ।
अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते ॥ १८-२३॥
18-23 An action which is ordained, which is free from attachment, which is done without love or hatred by one not desirous of the fruit, that action is declared to be Sattvika.

1. Breathing is indispensable to life; and it is done without love or hatred.
2. An ordained duty also ought to be executed in that manner.
3. The obligatory duty of a man varies with his attainments.
4. The working out of a sum in arithmetic by a pupil differs according to the standard in which he is placed.
5. Similarly the duties of men vary according to their station in life.
7. The duties of Arjuna's station were to wage a righteous war, to protect the weak and to punish the wicked.
8. Every individual in society has his duty to discharge.
9. It has to be executed faithfully and as incessantly as breathing.
10. No selfish consideration should dominate that work.
11. Duty for duty's sake is the motto of the yogi.
12. When the duty is discharged with a sterling attitude, the man grows both in knowledge and efficiency.
Action of this calibre is upheld as Sattvika.

A man of Sattvika nature makes no show of his spiritual practices. As far as possible he keeps his holy doings concealed from public gaze. While the others are asleep at midnight, he sits up within the mosquito curtain and meditates. -Sri Ramakrishna

18-24.mp3

यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म साहङ्कारेण वा पुनः ।
क्रियते बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम् ॥ १८-२४॥
18-24 But that action which is done by one craving for desires, or again with egoism, or with much effort, that is declared to be Rajasika.

Desire is of two kinds.
1. What promotes man's ethical progress, what induces spiritual anguish, what aids service to beings-a desire of this kind is wholesome and fit to be fostered.
2. But that desire which entangles man more in worldliness ought to be scrupulously eschewed.
Earning money by honest means and expending it on good causes is dravya yajna, which ought to be performed.
Money should not be earned by unfair means, even though it may be for a good cause. Foul habits deprive man of manliness.

The very fact that man own a body is a mark of egoism.
In addition to it, if the body be used for indulgence, if it be decorated and if it be unduly fattened-these undesirable acts lead to worse forms of egoism.
The boon of the human body ought not to be used for base purposes. A pompous body centered life is the sign of egoism born of Rajas.
This base nature may be overcome by holding the body as the temple of God.
Nothing can be achieved without effort.
And a reasonable effort is sanctioned for all undertakings.
But that for which man has not yet made himself worthy, does not come to him, try however much he may.
Making meaningless efforts in such cases is verily a Rajasika action.

How does a wicked egoism assert itself?
"Don't you know who I am? I am so much moneyed.
Is there anybody superior to me?"
In this fashion it (Rajasika) makes itself felt. --Sri Ramakrishna

18-25.mp3

अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् ।
मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते ॥ १८-२५॥
18-25 That action which is undertaken from delusion, without heed to the consequence, loss, injury and ability, that is declared to be Tamasika.

1. The man immersed in Tamas is not able to discern whether his undertaking is good or bad, much less the consequence of it.
2. Loss of energy, loss of property and money, loss of time- these reverses do not occur to him as bad.
3. His endeavours are harmful both to him and to the others.
4. It is not within his ken that his resources fall too short of the project into which he launches.
The doings of such a man are born of Tamas.

It is only after the practice of intense tapas that men are freed of guile and stinginess. God vision comes to them who are free from crookedness and cunning. But to the name of simplicity man should not become a simpleton. It is good to be a devotee, but bad to be a dullard.
Know what is right and do what is good. - Sri Ramakrishna

18-26.mp3

After dilating on knowledge and action, the Lord now dilates on the agent :-
मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वितः ।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्विकारः कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥ १८-२६॥
18-26 An agent who is free from attachment, non-egoistic, endued with firmness and zeal and unaffected by success or failure, is called Sattvika.

The sadhaka gets fixed in the conviction that
1. it is Iswara who sports assuming the forms of beings and it is His work that is being done by all the beings.
2. And it is this attitude of his that relieves him of all attachment.
3. Instead of claiming the body as his, he views it as the temple of the Lord.
4. Whatever karma takes place with that body as the instrument is the doing of Iswara and none else.
5. This frame of mind helps him erase egoism.
6. The belief that he is a faithful servant of the Lord induces him to do his duty with zeal and firmness.
7. Nobody in the world has turned out so much beneficial work as the devotees of the Lord.

That sort soil alone which is free from pebbles and stones is favourable for the seeds to sprout. Similarly, the mind of that devotee alone untainted by perversion and conceit, is best suited for the Lord to reveal Himself in. -Sri Ramakrishna

1. He who is attached to the fruit of his work gets elated in success and dejected in failure.
2. But that other man who does his duty as the command from the High, appears as the agent while he is actually the instrument.
3. When the archer misses the target, it is no fault of the arrow; when be shoots it successfully on the target, the credit does not go to the arrow.
4. He who is a genuine instrument in the hands of the Lord behaves as if he were an arrow.
5. Success and failure are not his.
6. An unaffected and unperturbed mind is his.
Such an agent is endued with Sattvika.

18-27.mp3

रागी कर्मफलप्रेप्सुर्लुब्धो हिंसात्मकोऽशुचिः ।
हर्षशोकान्वितः कर्ता राजसः परिकीर्तितः ॥ १८-२७॥
18-27 Passionate, desiring to obtain the fruit of action, greedy, cruel, impure, moved by joy and sorrow such an agent is said to be Rajasika.

1. A greedy person is he who tries by fair or foul means to appropriate the properties of others to himself.
2. He does not hesitate to cause injury to others while giving effect to his base design.
3. Because of his mean decision he is not pure in thought, word and deed.
4. When his plot succeeds he is beside himself with joy, when it fails sorrow overtakes him.
These are the traits of an agent who is Rajasika by nature.

Cunning is no virtue. Nobody is more cunning than a crow. It steals artfully. It is ever alert lest it should be caught. It exploits the helplessness of little children. All the same, it is ever out to eat filth. There are people of the nature of the crow. They are deceitful calculative and cunning. But their one concern day and night is to grab low and vulgar things. Such people are incapable of taking to the path of spirituality. -Sri Ramakrishna

18-28.mp3

अयुक्तः प्राकृतः स्तब्धः शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलसः ।
विषादी दीर्घसूत्री च कर्ता तामस उच्यते ॥ १८-२८॥
18-28 Unsteady, vulgar, stubborn, deceitful, malicious, indolent, despondent, procrastinating - such an agent is called Tamasika.

1. That man who practises self-control, self-discipline and self-dedication grows in steadfastness.
2. That other man who is alien to these benign habits would be unsteady in all of his undertakings.
3. Wallowing in low physical life, lacking in intellectual development, evincing childishness in all dealings-these are the signs of vulgarity.
4. Stubborn is that man who refuses to pay homage to great ones worthy of reverence.
5. The shirker who does not harness his talents for any good cause, but allows them all to rust away is deceitful.
6. That man who willfully creates hatred and enmity among people is said to be malicious.
7. An indolent man is he who does not engage himself in the work in which he is expected to take part.
8. Despondency is a disease of the mind warranting a radical cure.
9. For, he who is a victim of depression and dejection is good for nothing.
10. All manliness dwindles away from him. The passing despondency that came by Arjuna was vehemently reprimanded by the Lord.
11. The teachings known as The Bhagavad Gita came about to cure Arjuna of that disease.
12. When an undertaking that is to be completed in a day is dragged on for days together, this procrastination.
13. Achievements of life get lost because of this evil.
The Tamasika agent suffers from all these evils.

A fisherman cast his net and caught fish in a river. Many among the catch lay quiet within the net, making no effort to escape. Some of them made unsuccessful attempts. But a few somehow managed to jump out of the net. Likewise, men of the world are of three sorts
(1) those who make no effort for emancipation
(2) the aspirants who seek deliverance
(3) the liberated souls. -Sri Ramakrishna

18-29.mp3

The gradations of understanding and of firmness are being explained now:-
बुद्धेर्भेदं धृतेश्चैव गुणतस्त्रिविधं शृणु ।
प्रोच्यमानमशेषेण पृथक्त्वेन धनञ्जय ॥ १८-२९॥
18-29 Hear the threefold distinction of understanding and firmness, according to the Gunas, as I explain them exhaustively and severally, 0 Dhananjaya.

When Arjuna was itinerating in heaven and on earth, he demanded and took away fabulous wealth from the celestials and from earthly kings. So he is called Dhananjaya or the conqueror of wealth. Money is not intended to be hoarded and kept idle. It has to circulate and be useful to a large section of people. When that public purpose is not served, the ruling king has got the right to take possession of the property and utilize it properly. And Arjuna discharged that kingly duty very effectively.
Buddhi or understanding is the faculty of distinguishing between the good and the bad, between the right action and the wrong. There are three grades of the grasping power. Dhrti denotes firmness of mind that does not slacken or waver in the execution of a work. In this fixity of purpose also there are three forms.

Dolls may be made of sugar, cloth and stone. The sugar doll soaked in water dissolves away. The cloth-doll absorbs plenty of water, but does not lose its individuality. The stone-doll docs not allow water to percolate. Men who are prepared to merge their individuality in Paramatman are like the sugardoll. Devotees that imbibe bliss and wisdom from the Lord are like the cloth-doll. The hard baked worldly man who is proof against godliness is like the stone-doll. -Sri Ramakrishna.

18-30.mp3

प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च कार्याकार्ये भयाभये ।
बन्धं मोक्षं च या वेत्ति बुद्धिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी ॥ १८-३०॥
18-30 The intellect which knows the paths of work and renunciation, right and wrong action, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation- that intellect, 0 Partha, is Sattvika.

1. Pravrtti is the path of interested work or the path of entanglement in earthly life.
2. It involves the Jivatman in the wheel of birth and death.
3. Nivrtti is the path of renunciation or the path of emancipation from earthly life.
4. This term applies to Akarma and Sanyasa too.
5. It aids transcendence into the Beyond.
6. The right action is that which is helpful to the spiritual progress of man.
7. This sanctioned action may be so modified as to suit the different times, places and circumstances.
8. But the wrong action is that which is detrimental to man's progress.
9. Man must fear to do bad action.
10. The word fear here is used in the sense that man should refrain from doing bad action.
11. To the man of right understanding there is nothing to fear here or in the hereafter.
12. Man ought to keep aloof from the venomous snake and tiger.
13. There is nothing to fear of death that comes of its own accord.
14. Fear of devils and ghosts is a superstition based on imagination.
15. Pravritti, wrong action and fear lead man into bondage.
16. Nivrtti, right action and fearlessness lead man to moksha.
The Sattvika buddhi is able to discriminate between the good deeds and the bad ones.

Is this world unreal? It is unreal as long as you have not realized Iswara. For, you do not recognize His presence in the things worldly. The feeling of "I and mine" has gone deep into you. Therefore you have become bound to the world. You are drowning yourself increasingly in the ocean of Samsara. Though the path of liberation is easy and straight, delusion has covered your eyes and so you knock about here and there like a blind man. You know that Samsara is impermanent. Ponder over the house you live in. How many have been born and how many have died in it! Worldly things appear in a trice before you and they disappear too, in a trice. Those whom you hold as your kith and kin are not so after you die. Still, how deep is man's attachment to the world ! Though nobody at home is dependent on an old man, be finds no time to go to Banaras. He gets no leisure for devotional practices. "What will become of my dear grandson, Harisa if I do not look after him ?" says he and gets attached to the child. This is the deplorable way of the worldly man. - Sri Ramakrishna

18-31.mp3

यया धर्ममधर्मं च कार्यं चाकार्यमेव च ।
अयथावत्प्रजानाति बुद्धिः सा पार्थ राजसी ॥ १८-३१॥
18-31 The intellect that makes a distorted grasp of dharma and adharma, of what ought to be done, and what ought not to be done- that, 0 Partha is Rajasika.

1. The reflection of a thing in a disturbed water is not even, it gets distorted.
2. Similarly the acts of dharma and good and conducive undertakings prescribed in the Sastras do not appear in their true light to a man of Rajasika disposition.
3. His intellect makes a distorted reading of good and holy acts.
4. Duryodhana challenged and enticed.
5. Yudhishthira into gambling which is an evil practice.
6. He usurped the kingdom and drove his cousins to the necessity of waging a war.
7. Duryodhana felt that his doings were all acts of dharma while they were actually acts of adharma.

1. A man endowed with the Rajasika intellect is capable of turning out enormous work.
2. But his evil genius taints all his doings.
3. Let it be supposed that two neighbours enter into a joint effort in agriculture or trade or industry and that one of the two is imbued with a Rajasika nature. No doubt, the endeavours of the Rajasika man would be more than those of the other, his partner.
4. But his evil understanding would be ever working at exploiting the partner.
5. He may go to the extent of running the other.
6. In litigation nobody can equal him.
7. He is an adept in trying to convert truth into falsehood and vice versa.
8. He delights in foul ways.
9. Righteous men are objects of ridicule to him.
10. He scrupulously avoids associating with good people.
11. Any talk on spiritual matters would be distasteful to him.
12. He would bold spiritual men as unfit for life and mock at them.
13. His wicked earnings would be all spent on evil projects.
14. For no good cause would be part with a pie.
This is how the Rajasika intellect works.

18-32.mp3

अधर्मं धर्ममिति या मन्यते तमसावृता ।
सर्वार्थान्विपरीतांश्च बुद्धिः सा पार्थ तामसी ॥ १८-३२॥
18-32 That which, enveloped in darkness, regards adharma as dharma and views all things in a perverted way, that intellect, 0 Partha, is Tamasika.

1. A perverted intelligence is that which regards the good as bad and the bad as good.
2. A patient refuses to take a prescribed medicine stating that it is not to his taste and insists on helping himself to a dish palatable to him though it would aggravate his disease.
3. Going to school appears troublesome and purposeless to the immature understanding of a boy of Tamasika nature.
4. Playing truant and joining the vagrant seems to him the best thing that he can do.
5. There are grown up people who think that industry is purposeless and that a life of ease and repose is prudential.
6. They hold that the hard working ones do not know of the joy of quietism.
7. Enquiry into the spiritual aspect of life is distasteful to them.
8. It appears to them that the study of Vedanta and the practice of it may take place in the evening of life; and early thought bestowed on them is premature and purposeless, is their view.
9. They delight in derogatory talks about others and waste their time in slander.
10. The virtuous appear bad and the vicious vicious good in their eyes.
11. Virile body-building games and exercises do not appeal to them, instead, a slothful sedentary pastime like a play at cards engages them day and night.
12. Without the least compunction, they present themselves uninvited at parties and entertainments.
The Tamasika intellect guides people in all these irregular ways.

18-33.mp3

The grades in the firmness of mind are being described now:-
धृत्या यया धारयते मनःप्राणेन्द्रियक्रियाः ।
योगेनाव्यभिचारिण्या धृतिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी ॥ १८-३३॥
18-33 The unswerving firmness by which, through yoga, the functions of the mind, the Prana and the senses are regulated, that firmness, 0 Partha, is Sattvika.

1. Dhrti means firmness. It also means fortitude or resolve.
2. This virtue is indispensable to him who has chosen to live a spiritual life. Again, as one advances in the ethical and spiritual life Dhrti in that one becomes pronounced in its details.
3. The diverging sunbeams may be made to converge again. That gathered up brilliance directed on anything, is capable of providing greater revelation of that thing. Dhrti is akin to this.
4. Knowledge and action converged into one and increased in the capacity is termed as firmness.
5. Yoga fosters Dhrti.
6. As one advances in yoga, fortitude develops in that one as a matter of course.
7. The mind, the Prana and the senses of the yogi become increasingly acute तीव्र and efficacious.
8. The benign part of this great potentiality is that these sharpened faculties are all utilized in the service of the Paramatman.
9. That is to say, all the feelings and cogitations of the mind are devoted to the adoration of the Almighty.
11. The Prana is the life-energy.
12. The aspirant has no other motive in life than directing it to the glory of the Lord.
13. The functions of the senses are all dedicated to His worship in as many ways as possible.

1. A thread is made up of innumerable fibres. Even so dhrti is the outcome of the combined sublimated activities of the mind, the Prana and the senses.
2. The fibres at the end of a thread ought to be twisted to convergence in order to pass it through the eye of a needle. But if that eye be blocked with dirt, the pointed thread would bend instead of passing through it. And this is due to lack of stiffness in the thread.
3. But the dhrti of the yogi is as pointed as the end of a thread and as stiff and penetrating as a sharp needle.
4. Such a carefully cultured dhrti is dedicated by the yogi for the benign invocation of Iswara.
5. It is in no way prostituted for any other purpose.
6. As the needle of a compass always points to the north, the resolve of the yogi is ever directed to the Lord.
7. It is therefore unswerving.
This dhrti is Sattvika in its make. It leads the sadhaka to the Supreme.

18-34.mp3

यया तु धर्मकामार्थान्धृत्या धारयतेऽर्जुन ।
प्रसङ्गेन फलाकाङ्क्षी धृतिः सा पार्थ राजसी ॥ १८-३४॥
18-34 But the firmness, 0 Arjuna, by which one holds fast to Dharma, Kama and Artha, desirous of the fruit of each from attachment, that firmness, 0 Partha, is Rajasika.

1. Purushartha or the ideal in life is four-phased.
2. The phases are dharma, artha, kama and moksha.
1. Conforming to the law of life is dharma. Practical training in this respect is imparted in the Brahmacharya Asrama or the period of tutelage.
2. The mature man learns to earn wealth and enjoy the pleasure that life provides.
These two phases are artha and kama respectively.
Preyas comprises of all the first three phases.
Dhrti mentioned in the previous stanza leads the aspirant to Sreyas culminating in moksha or liberation.
The Sattvika man alone is competent for it.
The Rajasika man has scope in dharma, artha and kama to have all his earthly desires fulfilled.
The attachment to dharma is the best of all, if man cannot help being attached. Nobody was so much drawn to it as the king Yudhishthira was; therefore his case is the model for all. His clinging to dharma had no ulterior motive. He practised dharma for its own sake. And dharma in its turn protected him all through.
To the Rajasika man the practice of dharma is a safe and sure investment. He expects that the good he does is returned to him with compound interest both here and in the hereafter. He is firm in that belief. Therefore with pleasure he goes on doing a good turn here and a good turn there.
All the worldly attachments may be brought under two broad headings-love of property and love of pleasure. With what firmness man holds on to money may be noticed all over the world. Renouncing food and sleep, comfort and rest, man toils for money day and night. Parting with kith and kin, he goes on to distant lands of there are prospects of adding to his wealth. If the hard-earned fortune be lost somehow, it is worse than death to the grabber thereof.
The Rajasika man's attachment to Kama or pleasure is equally vehement. In fact, an beings are in search of joy and pleasure. Clinging to life on earth is all due to the enjoyment derived from it. The resolute attempts made are all for the enjoyment of pleasure. The modes of obtaining the pleasures provided by Nature may vary with beings, but the end is the same to one and all. It is no exaggeration to state that many a man stales life itself in his quest for enjoyment. The firmness with which the Rajasika man seeks property and pleasure is to be admired, because it is his way of making life a fulfillment. In course of time he is bound to learn the lesson that this quest has to be made for the imperishable and not the perishable.

If drinking water and nice eatables be kept in the room occupied by, patient suffering from malignant fever, would he refrain from partaking of those things? Will a sensuous man contain himself when he finds himself in the midst of several objects of senses left at his disposal? He is sure to deviate from the path of devotion and indulge in sense pleasure. - Sri Ramkrishna

18-35.mp3

यया स्वप्नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदमेव च ।
न विमुञ्चति दुर्मेधा धृतिः सा पार्थ तामसी ॥ १८-३५॥
18-35 That by which a stupid man does not give up sleep, fear, grief, despair and also conceit, that firmness, 0 Partha, is Tamasika.

1. Tamas and ignorance are interrelated.
2. Sleep and insentience are alike.
3. A dream being vague, it is ignored as a part of sleep. Day-dreamers are not uncommon in society, given as they are to Tamas.
4. In their case, there is hardly any difference between their wakeful engagements and dreamy visions, as there is no firmness at all in any of their doings.
5. Neither does the world derive any benefit from their undertakings.

i.e. The blind king Dhrtarashtra is a typical example of a man of Tamasika firmness. His blindness was the physical symbol of the lack of discrimination and forethought. And his sons, Duryodhana and others, befitted his make up. For, evils are all born of ignorance. This blind king was inordinately attached to the empire though he was physically unfit to reign. The fear lest the empire should slip out of the hands of his sons, lurked in his heart. Hearing of the atrocities perpetrated by his unscrupulous sons, he was very much grieved. Still, he took no stern action against his unworthy sons. Pondering aver the ill-fame to which he was exposed, he became overwhelmed with despair. Still, he was not prepared to be guided by the counsel of Bhishma, Drona and Sri Krishna; for the conceit that he was the monarch over all of them lay concealed in his heart. The firmness of king Dhrtarashtra was verily steeped in Tamas and therefore producing nothing good.
There are in this world at all times innumerable people who are of the mould of Dhrtarashtra. What their ancestors have bequeathed to them is their sole property. They are incapable of adding to it. Neither discrimination nor right understanding is found in them. Endeavour is unknown to them. They are blind of mind if not of body. Their chief occupation is to eat and sleep away their time. The fear is there in them that their moneys are all expended and nothing earned. After exhausting the whole of their resources they come to grief in their helplessness. They who wallowed once in money now wallow in the mud of despondency. Chewing the cud of their past opulence, they cherish themselves with nothing but conceit. Stupid as they are, this is the wretched life that they carry on.
The firmness of these people is all born of Tamas.

18-36.mp3

सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं शृणु मे भरतर्षभ ।
अभ्यासाद्रमते यत्र दुःखान्तं च निगच्छति ॥ १८-३६॥
18-36 And now bear from Me, 0 chief of the Bharatas, the three kinds of happiness. That in which a man comes to rejoice by long practice and in which be reaches the end of his sorrow;

1. It is the search for happiness that gives impetus to life.
2. There is no being in any region, that does not want happiness.
3. Immeasurable is the effort exerted by beings in this direction.
4. Still it is not the same measure of happiness that all obtain.
5. Like a flash of lightning it appears before a few, but before they behold it all, it disappears.
6. Still the search does not stop and cannot be stopped.
7. It goes on endlessly.
8. There are the others to whom the enjoyment of happiness is like pouring water into a leaky pot, which knows no filling up.
9. As it is being sought after from the world, it vanishes away into oblivion.
10. Still the attempt to enjoy happiness goes on endlessly.
11. Hope of success somehow sustains life.
12. But there are a rare few whose experience of happiness is a unique phenomenon.
13. Like the waxing moon, their joy is ever on the increase.
14. They become heirs to unobstructed delight bordering on blessedness.
15. The cause behind the variation in the enjoyment of happiness is worth a study.

Abhyasa or practice is a powerful weapon to modify man's mode of life. The utility of the physical exercise is self-evident. The culture of the mind, however, is more consequential. What is called an inherent trait is nothing other than persistent practice. A change of individuality ensues a change of practice. It holds true even in the case of animals. But practice brief and sporadic does not succeed. Prolongation of it has a far reaching effect.
Elimination of sorrow and attainment of abiding happiness are possible by long practice.

18-37.mp3

यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम् ।
तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम् ॥ १८-३७॥
18-37 That which is like poison at first, but like nectar at the end; that happiness is said to be Sattvika, born of the translucence of intellect due to Self-realization.

1. To a beginner swimming seems as dreadful as death, but the same becomes delightful to him after he picks it up.
2. Strangers and strange places do not create favorable impression at first sight; but with continued acquaintance they become congenial.
The Jivatman has been used to the life in the body and the senses in his previous births.
His switching on now to the control of the senses, detachment from the body and meditation on the glory of Atman - all these practices seem to him strange and painful.
But as he perseveres in them he comes to know that his plenitude is in the Self and not in the mundane.
He was a fish out of water when he lived in the senses.
He is now a fish got back into water due to his taking to spiritual life.

He who desires to live a spiritual life may easily come to know of its merits by observing the life of a yogi and that of another given to sensuality. How the one makes and the other mars life stand self-revealed. Though hard to practise, self-control alone is the path to happiness.
Man gets purified in body and mind as he progresses in the path of spirituality.
Purification of the mind is more important than the purification of the body.
A purified heart is like a translucent पारदर्शी glass, revealing a fundamental truth in regard to life.
Happiness or bliss is actually in the Self and not in the non-Self.
The realization of this truth sends the sadhaka into raptures.
His bliss becomes abiding.
The sadhana that started as a hard task culminates in supreme happiness.
And this is possible to the Sattvika man alone.
It is the sense-control that, like the waxing moon, fosters steady happiness. The man who masters his senses is slave to none in any region.
He blooms in immortal bliss.

In the old days the priests of the temple of Govinda at Jayapuri were celibates and therefore spiritually very powerful. The Raja of the place once sent for those priests; but they refused to respond to the summons. They suggested instead that the Raja might go to them. Subsequently the priests got married and became family men each with a few children. Then they would repair to the Raja every now and then on one plea or another. For, the favour and patronage of the Raja was required for their family affairs. Poor priests, what else could they do with their wives and children to look after! When a man becomes a slave to lust, he falls and becomes a slave to man also, losing his happiness thereby. --Sri Ramakrishna

18-38.mp3

विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम् ।
परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥ १८-३८॥
18-38 That happiness which arises from the contact of the senses and their objects and which like nectar at first but like poison at the end- it is held to be Rajasika.

1. The happiness that is obtained from the contact of the senses with their objects, gets converted into poison and eats into the personality of the enjoyer.
2. Consequently the strength and stamina of the man wane away.
3. He is not able to discharge his duties efficiently.
4. The body loses its comeliness.
5. Senility sets in all too early.
6. Instead of growth, there takes place a deterioration of the intellectual capacity of the man.
7. Spiritual sagacity in him fades away.
8. Dharma unconsciously gives place to adharma.
9. The man's career gets corrupted.
10. Like water poured into a leaky pot, his happiness slips away as quickly as it is sought.
11. Hellishness haunts him instead.
Mythology has it that the Devas and the Asuras churned the ocean of life, allegorically presented as the ocean of milk. The blessings and the amenities such as education (Saraswati), wealth (Lakshmi), means of transport (Airavata), ornaments (Kaustubha), wholesome food and the gifts from Nature (Kamadhenu)- all these were obtained in plenty. These boons are all clothed in theological language as Saraswati, Lakshmi, Airavata, Kaustubha and Kamadhenu. The participants in this great project enjoyed in full measure the happy results of their ardent endeavours.
But every enjoyment has its retribution.
It comes as action and reaction.
None can resist it.
Death is the recompense for life.
The love of life reacts as the dread of death.
The former is liked as nectar and the latter hated as poison.
As the ultimate result of embracing life, its counterpart death made its appearance as a dreadful poison before the Devas and Asuras.
Not being prepared for this consequence they ran in despair to the regions above and below to escape; but escape was impossible.
Life that seemed inviting not long ago took a turn and appeared bitterly painful. In sorrow and dismay they repaired to the Lord Siva and sought refuge in Him. And He is compassion consumed the devastating poison and saved the beings that surrendered themselves to Him. The great God Siva is renowned as Tyagaraja or the Lord of renunciation.
He is the embodiment of self-control.
Death is not where Siva is.
Therefore they who took refuge to Him were saved from death.
The principle is that self-control and renunciation are the means to immortality.
Renouncing the Rajasika happiness, the sadhaka should go to the Sattvika happiness.
He should finally transcend it too and merge in the Bliss Beyond.

18-39.mp3

यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः ।
निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ १८-३९॥
18-39 That happiness which deludes the self both at the beginning and at the end and which arises from sleep, sloth and miscomprehension - that is declared to be Tamasika.

A man derives happiness from intoxicants that make him forget the miseries of the world temporarily. But this happiness is wrought with misery in the procurement of the stuff, in the consumption of it in privacy, in being exposed to ridicule when tipsy and in getting sunk in spirit after its effect is over. The lazy man who seeks to maintain himself with borrowed money meets with the same fate. His happiness is marred while borrowing, while expending and while trying to clear the debt with great effort. Sleep and repose are necessary to all embodied beings. There is immense happiness too in indulging in them. But the Sattvika and Rajasika men shake off sleep and sloth at the call of duty. Whereas the Tamasika man delights in prolonged sleep and in dozing for hours together. But this happiness is nullified by the neglect of duty, by the pricks of conscience and by the derision of the active people. The Tamasika man suffers from miscomprehension in regard to the means of the procurement of happiness. Like a flash of lightning his happiness comes and goes.

The hemp smoker believes that his inebriation is a form of spiritual ecstasy. But it is nothing of the kind. He deludes himself in his indolence into such a belief. --Sri Ramakrishna

18-40.mp3

न तदस्ति पृथिव्यां वा दिवि देवेषु वा पुनः ।
सत्त्वं प्रकृतिजैर्मुक्तं यदेभिः स्यात्त्रिभिर्गुणैः ॥ १८-४०॥
18-40 There is no being on earth, or again in heaven among the Devas, that is liberated from the three Gunas, born of Prakriti.

The three Gun as and Prakriti are identical. The former are taken into account when distinction is to be made among the attainments of the Jivatmans. But as the aggregate substance, the Gunas and Prakriti are one and the same. From a blade of grass up to Brahma the Creator, all the Jivatmans are bound by the Gunas of Prakriti. Be they the human beings or the celestial beings, they are all in bondage until they transcend the three Gunas. The continuity of births and deaths is inevitable to them when they are in the fetters of Prakriti. Their rebirths range high and low conforming to the predominance in them of the varying Gunas. Brahma, the Creator is the foremost among the Jivatmans. His functional status is the greatest; but he is not a liberated soul. In other words, he is also involved in the Gunas. Creation by him is impossible except with the Gunas as the material. The greatest power that he is endowed with is called the Prakriti laya or the identification with the Cosmos. And his distinction is that he is not bound to be born again. He is having his final reincarnation. At the close of the prevailing kalpa or eon, he enters the krama mukti or the gradual liberation. Then he gets beyond the Gunas.

The Sadhaka has to struggle hard against the base nature. It is after a prolonged endeavour that he gets into samadhi, in which no trace of ego is left. The attainment of samadhi is not as easy as one would have it. The ego born of the three Gunas does not disappear easily. We are born in the world repeatedly because of the persistence of ego. ----Sri Ramakrishna

The ways and means of liberation are now expounded:-
The Fourfold Caste Explained 18-41 to 18-48

18-41.mp3

ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परन्तप ।
कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः ॥ १८-४१॥
18-41 The duties of Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaisyas, as also of Sudras, 0 scorcher of foes, are distributed according to the Gunas born of their own nature.

1. Svabhava is another name attributed to Prakriti or the Maya Sakti inherent in Iswara.
2. This cosmic reality is constituted of the three Gunas, Variation in karma is based on the variation of the Gunas.
3. Karma in its turn leaves its samskara or impress on the mind.
4. As the samskaras get themselves refined, they go to modify the nature or svabhava of the individual.
5. That karma and svabhava are inseparable is a fact ever to be borne in mind.
6. The varna or the grade of evolution of a Jivatman is based on his svabhava or nature.
7. So it is possible to know of the varna of an individual from his svabhava and his karma.
8. Of the two, the svabhava is subtle and hard to be observed.
9. A man of intuition alone can see into it just as we all cognize the contents of a glass case.
10. Karma, on the other hand, is gross.
11. It is possible for us to get at the varna of a man from the karma to which he is given.
12. The way in which a man makes use of his life is a sure indicator of the varna of that man.

Why has God made some great and others small? -is a stock question.
1. But this question is meaningless to the knower of the fundamental.
2. Creation is impossible without differentiation.
3. No two things or beings are alike in the Cosmos.
4. Going back to sameness is going back to destruction, a state unwanted by beings.
5. Creation proceeds on the basis of differentiating one from another.
6. Limbs in the body vary with their functional differences.
7. Bodies vary; species vary; attempts vary; attainments vary.
8. There is a grandeur in the infinite varieties exhibited by Nature.
9. The omnipotence of the Lord stands self-explained in this way.
10. Infinite scope is provided in Nature for the low to evolve into the high.
11. Life fulfills itself by attempting and attaining the high, stage by stage.
12. Varna dharma is nothing other than a reading of this plan of Nature at all levels in general and at the human level in particular.

18-42.mp3

The distinctiveness of each varna as evinced by its svadharma is delineated as follows :-
शमो दमस्तपः शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च ।
ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् ॥ १८-४२॥
18-42 Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness, and also uprightness, knowledge, realization, belief in a hereafter - these are the duties of the Brahmanas, born of their own nature.

He is a Brahma; a who is imbued with qualities all conducive to a spiritual life.
1. Self-control and self discipline are as natural and agreeable to him as water is to a duckling.
2. His mind being turned to sublime and supramundane concerns, serenity is the norm with him.
3. He cannot afford to be flippant with trifles.
4. Sense-control is a moral warfare to the ordinary man; but to the Brahmana it is a matter of course.
5. Sublimation of the body, mind and speech is austerity. This merit finds its full expression in this spiritual man.
6. A thing that retains its original state is said to preserve its purity.
7. The spiritual man is fixed in the feeling that he is Atman.
8. His body and the senses behave in tune with this divine feeling.
9. Therefore purity and the Brahmana are one and the same.
10. The even tenor of the spiritual life of a god-man is bound to be affected once in a way at least by the intrusion of the worldly people.
11. But he is never affected thereby nor does he ever think of retaliating or resisting.
12. Calm forgiveness is his way.
13. His thought, word and deed being ever directed to the welfare of all, there is uprightness in every bit of his action.
14. He is as trustworthy to people as the mother is-to her baby.
15. The Brahmana begins his life with scriptural knowledge in regard to God and His creation; and he fulfils it with intuitive knowledge or God-realization.
16. Any amount of scriptural knowledge without God-realization avails nothing.
17. Astikya is more than a formal belief in God and in the hereafter.
18. It is a burning faith in the divine aspect of life and in its eternity.
19. A Brahmana holds himself as a pilgrim on earth and not as one belonging to it.
20. His treasure is not of the mundane but of the divine.
21. A simple living with a bare earthly possession distinguishes him from the others.
22. To decorate the body is not in his way.
23. While living in the body he is not of the body.
24. He loves all beings alike and claims a universal kinship.
24. And these are the marks of a Brahmana.
As the Brahmanas increase in number, the ethical and spiritual standards of the society go up.

The life of renunciation and self-dedication that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa lived is the model of and an ideal for a Brahmana.

18-43.mp3

शौर्यं तेजो धृतिर्दाक्ष्यं युद्धे चाप्यपलायनम् ।
दानमीश्वरभावश्च क्षात्रं कर्म स्वभावजम् ॥ १८-४३॥
18-43 Heroism, vigour, firmness,- resourcefulness, not flying from battle, generosity and lordliness are the duties of the Kshatriyas born of their own nature.

In the scale of spiritual evolution the Kshatriya comes next to the Brahmana. While the topmost man is the embodiment of divinity, the second best man is the embodiment of dharma.
1. While the Brahma rishi gives all attention to the godliness in man,
2. the Raja rishi pays all attention to the manliness in man.
3. It is only after being an ideal man that one becomes a god-man.
4. The ideal man is found in the Kshatriya, who is devoted to putting the earthly life of man in perfect order.
5. The literal meaning of the word Kshatriya is he who always protects others from hurt and injury ksatat trayate.
6. The Kshatriya has dedicated his body for the good of the world.
7. While in that noble endeavour his body may be hurt or may even be destroyed.
8. The destruction of the body is no loss to him; but reconciliation with adharma is the worst loss that he sustains.
9. Bhishma's life illustrates the relative value that a Kshatriya gives to his bodily existence and to his frame of mind.
10. While his body was being hurt to the core, his mind remained pinned to the ideal.
11. All the spiritually evolving souls require to be processed in the Kshatriya mould before they can aspire to the Brahmana mould.
12. The intensity of the training may vary but the process cannot be avoided.
Just as the farmer is obliged to eradicate the pest that attacks his crop,
1. the Kshatriya is in duty bound to oppose the evils in society.
2. Callousness and pacifism are no marks of a champion of dharma.
3. A hero is he who knows no fear of opposing an enemy decidedly stronger than he.
4. Tejas or vigour is his who is ever jubilant in the discharge of his duty.
5. Dhrti is the frame of mind which is firm and dominant even when overpowered by the enemy.
6. Dakshyam or resourcefulness is the ingenuity of the mind which hits upon the right place, right time and right strategy in war and peace as quick reaction to the changing situations.
7. A sudden crisis causes no confusion in the mind of a man gifted with this virtue.
8. Sometimes a strategic retreat is prudent for a later decisive offensive.
9. But on no account should a Kshatriya fly from battle for fear.
10. Death is any day better than a vegetating life of slavery.
11. Dana or generosity is the art of administration allowing the maximum facilities and prosperity to people.
12. With a parental attitude the Kshatriya should be ever intent on providing for public weal rather than on extorting for private ends.
13. Isvara bhava is lordliness.
14. Preventing people from lawlessness and guiding them to be law-abiding are the outcome of this gift in a Kshatriya.
15. Leadership of this kind comes automatically to one resolved to serve the people.
16. The spirit of renunciation is the guiding factor in this respect.
17. The Kshatriya is the protector of society.
18. By self-discipline and self-dedication he rises equal to this divine duty.
19. The spiritual culture of the Brahmana and the earthly resources of the Vaisya get themselves harmoniously commingled in the Kshatriya who harnesses and utilizes them all for the public welfare.

18-44.mp3

कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् ।
परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म शूद्रस्यापि स्वभावजम् ॥ १८-४४॥
18-44 Agriculture, cattle-rearing and trade are the duties of the Vaisyas, born of their own nature; and action consisting of service is the duty of the Sudras born of their own nature.

1. Wealth and material resources are also the glories of God in their own way.
2. Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth being the spouse of the Lord is pregnant with meaning.
3. Life at the physical level is impossible without the material resources.
4. Man's life takes its start in that plane only to soar into the higher regions.
5. But the bodily sustenance and prosperity are to be maintained, and wealth is a necessity for this purpose.
6. The Vaisya is he who creates and distributes the material wealth of the society.
7. The time-honoured means for this are agriculture, cattle-rearing and trade.
8. But in course of time, tapping the resources of nature has developed marvelously; industry has grown to the point of perplexing its progenitor. And these are all the occupations of the Vaisya.
All craftsmen, artisans, job-workers, and technicians are classified as Vaisyas. The modern practitioners such as the lawyers and the doctors are also to be treated as Vaisyas. The dharma of these people is to serve society through their calling; but if they exploit people they become offenders morally, if not legally. The preparation and the sale of intoxicants are not sanctioned by dharma unless they are handled as medicines.

1. The Sudra is he who can only render physical labour, but who is incapable of setting up a calling of his own.
2. Whoever gets himself employed as a paid lower subordinate to somebody, is a Sudra, dependent on others for his livelihood.
3. A clerk who merely does an intellectual work as directed, is also a Sudra.
4. The labour class people come under this classification.
5. But all the paid men are not Sudras.
6. A school master with the right frame of mind is a Brahmana.
7. A government officer is a Kshatriya.
8. The rank and file in the army are all Kshatriyas.
9. People who sell their labour and independence and those who take bribes and tips are all Sudras.
10. He whose life is centered in the body and who has no other higher outlook in life is a Sudra.
The four varnas or grades are all based on the quality of the mind. In all societies and countries these natural classifications can be found. Among four brothers it is possible to find these four varnas. It is also possible to find a group, a clan or a tribe to be given predominantly to any one of the four varnas.
Just as there are the lower classes and the higher classes in a school, the existence of the four varnas in a society is but natural. The plan is for the lower class man to evolve into the higher class. Any artificial obstruction to this natural scheme is injurious. A pupil of the higher class knows the lessons of the lower class. This principle applies to the varnas in society. A Brahmana is he who can discharge the dharmas of all the four varnas. A Kshatriya can discharge the dharmas of three varnas. A Vaisya can carry out the duties of two varnas while the Sudra can only do his own dharma.
Though there is difference in the attainments of the four varnas, there is no differentiation among their respective dharmas. The dharma of the one is as sacred and conducive to enlightenment as that of the other. A Sudra is as much competent for the practice of yoga as the others are. Almost all the Acharyas have had among their disciples, men who were of mere Sudra caliber to begin with, but who through their devotion rose to the pinnacle of realization. In the human body, the brain does the Brahmana dharma, the heart the Kshatriya dharma, the stomach the Vaisya dharma and the hands and feet, the Sudra dharma. The dharmas of all these limbs are of equal importance and necessity. The same is the case with society too.
Among the four great Yogas, the Karma Yoga has the characteristics of the Sudra dharma. The Raja Yoga contributes to the sadhaka what the Vaisya contributes to the society. The functions of the Bhakti Yoga and the Kshstriya are alike. The Jnana Yoga provides to the aspirant what the Brahmana does to society. As the Lord equates all the four Yogas, He equates all the four Varnas also, they being the component of his Cosmic form. An ideal sadhaka is he who embraces all the four Yogas putting them all on a par. An ideal society is that in which the citizens are given training in the duties of all the four varnas and they discharge their duties to the best of their ability.
The varna dharma is the last word on an ideal social order. India has evolved this system to its perfection. It cuts at the root of the cruel competition with its attendant evils. It offers instead, an attitude of self-dedication crowned with renunciation. Every time India was faithful to this philosophical basis of her social order, she emerged as a heaven on earth. But every time she deviated from this benign principle, she met with a deplorable set back. Her latest fall was due to casteism with its privileges masquerading as Varna Dharma. But this chimera is shattered and a new spiritual India is at the point of emerging.

18-45.mp3

स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः ।
स्वकर्मनिरतः सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति तच्छृणु ॥ १८-४५॥
18-45 Devoted each to his own duty, man attains the highest perfection. How engaged in his own duty, he attains perfection, that do you hear.

1. To whatever station in life man has made himself competent, that is verily his svadharma.
2. He who discharges his svadharma jubilantly and efficiently turns out to be a good sadhaka.
3. The temporary disgust that Arjuna harboured for his svadharma was not born of mature understanding. It was the outcome of a momentary delusion.
4. He who abhors his duty can never become great.
5. A model student is he who applies himself diligently and delightfully to his studies.
6. He is loyal to the class in which he is placed, so that he may step into a higher class when the time for it comes.
7. It is his svadharma to go steadily into the higher classes.
8. This principle however, does not apply to one's position in life.
9. If a scavenger thinks of changing his occupation for a better one, he may thereby prove himself worldly-wise.
10. But that attitude is definitely a hindrance to his spiritual growth.
11. Through his seeming humble svadharma he can rise to be a perfect yogi. For, no work is ugly to a sadhaka.
11. Any and every work becomes worship when the attitude is sound. The how of it is explained below:-

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यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।
स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः ॥ १८-४६॥
18-46 He from whom is the evolution of all beings, by whom all this is pervaded, worshiping Him with his own duty, man attains perfection.

1. It is because of the proximity of Iswara that the universe functions uniformly and intelligently.
2. No being is superfluous or useless in this Cosmic setting.
3. By doing his duty properly, every man is contributing his quota to the phenomenal whole.
4. This being the plan, an intelligent man ought to perform his duty as an act of worship of the Lord.
5. When the right attitude is assumed, it aids the purification of the mind.
6. One's svadharma proves thereby the means for the gaining of wisdom and for the attainment of Godhood.

The common notion of man is that the worship of the Lord is one thing and that the discharge of one's worldly duty is another thing. Such a man betrays his ignorance of the worship of the Almighty. It is evident that every physical exertion is an aid to the build of the body. A bodily exertion can serve simultaneously both for the build of the body and for the earning of one's livelihood. The same endeavour can next be made to serve three purposes by holding it as an act of the worship of God. The Mahabharata has it that a butcher treated his profession as an outlet for self-expression, for his livelihood, for his service to society and for his adoration of the Lord. Through the discharge of his duty that man matured fully in wisdom. His teachings to an ascetic form a scripture known as the Vyadha Gita-the Butcher's Gita.
The idea of eking out an earthly existence is a wretched one, unbecoming a man. This negative attitude should be elevated to the positive one of adoring the Lord with the life that one lives; and that life should be worthy of the Maker. Whatever duty falls to the lot of one is sacred in itself and it should be directed to the glory of the Lord. This attitude would pull him up Godward. He is a yogi who converts his earthly life into the worship of the Lord.
A coconut contains the fibrous sheath outside, the shell inside and the kernel within. The sheath has to be peeled off and the shell broken in order to get at the kernel. Similar to this, doing one's duty in the spirit of adoring the Almighty is the means to get at the kernel which is God in the heart of man.

18-47.mp3

श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् ।
स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ॥ १८-४७॥
18-47 Better is one's own dharma, though imperfect, than the dharma of another well performed. He who does the duty ordained by his own nature incurs no sin.

1. The karma that is in tune with a man's disposition is his Svadharma. Arjuna's case clarifies the issue raised herein.
2. He is ordained નિયુક્ત by his nature for warfare.
3. Events have driven him to the necessity of waging a righteous war.
4. His duty is to pursue it even if it proves itself disadvantageous to him.
5. If the odds turn against him, even then he is to fight to the finish.
6. It is possible for him to retreat from the battle-field and resort to severe austerity સાદાઈ in the forest.
7. Imperfect war is better for him than a perfect penance પ્રાયશ્ચિત તપ.
8. Death due to opposing the wicked is better for him than life seeking the hereafter.

1. A man trained for medicine should not choose to become a lawyer on the ground he can plead a case very fluently.
2. It is injurious if one change one's calling prompted by likes and dislikes, by opportunism and careerist mentality.
3. One's personality gets dissipated thereby.
4. The training that one has received and the time devoted to it are all wasted away.
5. On the other hand, there is a twofold advantage in a man confining himself to his svadharma.
Firstly, it is as natural to him as water is to fish. He need not unduly strain himself in picking up and in discharging his inherited duty. He executes it almost involuntarily.
Secondly, there is the release of consciousness to be directed Godward.
6. He is a yogi who achieves the maximum benefit with the minimum of effort.
7. To make his worldly life a fulfilment and to reach Godhood- these are the ideals set by a yogi for himself.
8. Devotion to svadharma is the sure means to the achievement of these objects.
9. All activities are unfailing means to reach Godhood.
10. And that man who swerves not from his svadharma gains in constancy.
11. No yoga is possible without constancy.

18-48.mp3

But should not an aspirant renounce the world and all worldly activities when dispassion and desire for liberation dawn in his mind? This question is answered:-
सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् ।
सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः ॥ १८-४८॥
18-48 One should not abandon, 0 Kaunteya, the duty to which one is born, though it is attended with evil; for, all undertakings are enveloped by evil, as fire by smoke.

A truth reveals itself to him who desists from likes and dislikes and who enquires into karma with an equanimity of mind. There is no karma whatsoever in Nature, which is completely free from evil. We cannot breathe without hurting millions of microbes in the atmosphere. When we eat we deprive another of food or life. An ascetic suspends all bodily activities and practises austerity in a mountain cave. His body fostered by others vegetates thereby, without being useful in its turn. There is no karma completely free from evil. Why should there be then the distinction between vice and virtue ? The great ones have advocated virtue and denounced vice. Which among the acts of man, is to be accepted as virtue and which rejected as vice? Among the fuels, that winch smokes too much is bad and that which smokes less is good. Among the karmas that which is attendant with more evil than good, is vice, and that other in which there is more good than evil, is virtue. It is in accordance with place, time and circumstance, that a karma becomes good or bad. The knowing ones ought to discern and do the good karma only.
But the yogi has his own criterion. He discharges his duty as an act of worship of the Lord. A pilgrim who halts at a way side rest house, cooks his food there with the fuel available and proceeds further. He does not delay on the way for want of good fuel. The attitude of the yogi is very much like this. He performs for the sake of the Lord, that karma to which his body is found fit. And he acts with the sole motive of reaching the state of inaction or Atman. The embodied one is obliged to act in a good and useful manner. The yogi therefore discharges his svadharma as an adoration of the Almighty.

अथाष्टादशोऽध्यायः । मोक्षसंन्यासयोगः18. Moksha Sanyash Yoga The yoga of liberation by renunciation

Sanjaya's Conclusive Statement: 18-74 to 18-78

It is but natural for the teacher to enquire of the taught if he has grasped the teaching properly. In tune with this usage, the Lord now asks Arjuna as to how he has received this immortal message :-The Dawn of Knowledge 18-72 & 18-73

The yoga aspect of the spiritual message of the Bhagavad Gita is over here. A question may arise as to who are the persons that are fit to study and practise this teaching, universal though it is. The answer comes :-Competency for Following the Gita 18-67 to 18-71

The culmination of all human endeavours is enunciated in the following three stanzas :-The Category of Self surrender 18-64 to 18-66

Freedom of Enquiry into Truth 18-63

How is the force of karma to be handled? The clue is given :-All karma belongs to Ishwara 18-61 & 18-62

Sanyasa and Tyaga Explained 18-01 to 18-06

The blessedness born of Bhakti is as follows :-Egoism is Harmful 18-58 - 18-60

How his act becomes an adoration is further explained:- Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 18-49 to 18-57