Contents
Gita Madhurya -Swami Ramsukhdas
Chapter III
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The Lord for the first time has used the term intellect in the thirty-ninth verse of the second chapter where the topic of Discipline of Action begins. lie ends with the sentence 'The same ancient Yoga has been imparted to you today by Me' in the third verse of the fourth chapter. In this context the Lord has laid special emphasis on the performance of duty. in the Discipline of Action the resolute intellect is single [1]. When a man firmly resolves that he has to attain salvation, favourable or unfavourable circumstances cause no obstacle and thus he attains equanimity without making any efforts. When a man resolves to attain God-realization, his attachment and attraction to the world begins to disappear. Attachment to pleasures and prosperity is the main obstacle to the attainment of the resolute intellect [2]. Having laid emphasis on the resolute intellect in the Discipline of Action, the Lord asks Arjuna specially to perform his duty with equanimity. He declares, "You have a right to action alone but never at all to its fruit" [3]; "Perform your duty being steadfast in Yoga" [4] viz., equanimity. The Lord also declares "Far lower than the Yoga of wisdom is action" [5] i.e., action performed for its fruit is far inferior to the Yoga of wisdom (equanimity). He further declares, "Seek thou refuge in wisdom." Then He declares, "Endowed with wisdom (evenness of mind), one casts off during this life both good and evil deeds, therefore devote thyself to Yoga; Yoga is skill in the action." [6]. Arjuna had already made up his mind not to fight. So in the thirty-first verse of the first chapter he said, "I do not foresee any good in slaying my kith and kin." Then in the forty-fifth verse he says, "What a great sin have we resolved to commit in striving to slay our own people!" In the fifth verse of the second chapter Arjuna says. "It is better to live by begging than to slay these honoured teachers (elders)." In the third verse of the second chapter Lord Krsna ordered Arjuna to arise shaking off this petty faint-heartedness while Arjuna declared his determination not to fight in the ninth verse of the second chapter. It is a fact that a bearer can't understand what a preacher preaches, if he is already full of prejudices. That is why Arjuna could not have a thorough grasp of the topic explained to him by Lord Krsna. lie meant to say that an action performed for its fruit was far inferior to the Yoga of wisdom, therefore, a man should perform actions without thinking of their fruit. Arjuna could not make out the real meaning of Lord Krsna's words. They appeared to him to be ambiguous and confusing. So Arjuna puts the question to Lord Krsna in the next two verses in order to get his doubt cleared. |
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