23 saknoti 'hai 'va yah sohum
prak sariravimoksanat
kamakrodhodbhavam vegam
sa yuktah sa sukhi narah
(23) He who is able to resist the rush of desire and anger, even here before he gives up his body, he is a yogin, he is the happy man The non-attachment from which inner peace, freedom and joy arise is capable of realization even here on earth, even when we lead embodied lives. In the midst of human life, peace within can be attained.
Peace from Within
24, yo 'ntahsukho 'ntaramas
tathã 'ntarjyotir eva yah sa
yogi brahmanirvcnath
brahrnabhitto 'dhigacchati
(24) He who finds his happiness within, his joy within and likewise his light only within, that yogin becomes divine and attains to the beatitude of God (brahmanirvana)
The yogin becomes unified in consciousness with the Eternal in him. The next verse indicates that this nirvana is not mere annihilation. It is a positive state full of knowledge and self-possession.
25. labhante brahrnanirvanam
rsayah ksinakalmasah
chinnadvaidhã yatãtmãnai
sarvabhütcihüe ratan
(25) The holy men whose sins are destroyed, whose doubts (dualities) are cut asunder, whose minds are disciplined and who rejoice in (doing) good to all creatures, attain to the beatitude of God.
sarvabhütahite ratan; the soul which has acquired wisdom and peace is also the soul of love and compassion. He who sees all existence in the Supreme, sees the Divine even in the fallen and the criminal, and goes out to them in deep love and sympathy.
To do good to others is not to give them physical comforts or raise their standard of living. It is to help others to find their true nature, to attain true happiness. The contemplation of the Eternal Reality in whom we all dwell gives warmth and support to the sense of the service of fellow-creatures. All work is for the sake of the Supreme j9agad hitãyc krsnaya. To overcome the world is not to become other-worldly. It is not to evade the social responsibilities.
The two sides of religion, the personal and the social, are emphasized by the Gita. Personally, we should discover the Divine in us and let it penetrate the human; socially, society must be subdued to the image of the Divine. The individual should grow in his freedom and uniqueness and he should recognize the dignity of every man, even the most insignificant. Man has not only to ascend to the world of spirit but also to descend to the world of creatures.[1]
