Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya 147

Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya

Chapter-4 Jñāna Vibhāga Yogaḥ

brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma-havir brahm-āgnau brahmaṇā hutam | brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahma karma samādhinā || 24 || 24. Brahman is the instrument, Brahman is the oblation; by Brahman is the oblation offered into the fire of Brahman; Brahman alone is to be reached by one who meditates on Brahman in one's works. Commentary The expression 'Brahma-arpanam' (Brahman is the instrument) is adjectival to 'Brahma-havih' (Brahman is the oblation). That, by which an offering is made, such as a ladle, is an arpana — it is called Brahman because it is an effect of Brahman and Brahman is the material cause of the universe. 'Brahma-arpanam' therefore refers to the instrument of oblation which is Brahman. The oblation, just like the instrument with which it is offered, is also Brahman. It is offered by the agent who is Brahman into the fire of Brahman. One who is thus mindful of all acts being permeated by the Supreme Brahman or in other words as having the Supreme Brahman as its ground is the Brahma-karma-samadhi. One who contemplates on Brahman as the ground of all actions, reaches Brahman alone — because his own Self has the Supreme Brahman as its (Over)-Self. The purport is that the individual Self— which is [called] ‘Brahman’ because of its having Brahman as its Over-Self — has to realise its own true nature. All actions performed by an aspirant for Liberation are wisdom-practice because they are associated with the awareness of the Supreme Brahman as their pervading essence. Actions done in this way are a direct means for Self-realisation without the meditation of Jñana Yoga. Thus, Sri Krishna, after explaining how Karma takes the form of wisdom-practice, now speaks of the various kinds of Karma Yoga.