Srimad Bhagavadgita -Ramsukhdas 197

Srimad Bhagavadgita Sadhaka Sanjivani -Swami Ramsukhdas

Chapter 3 Link:-The Lord, in the next three (third, fourth and fifth) verses, answers the complex words said, in the first two verses. sribhagavanuvdca loke'smindvividha nistha pura prokth mayanagha jnanayogena sankhyanam karmayogena yoginam The blessed Lord said:- 0 sinless Arjuna, in this world to achieve equanimity a twofold path has been enunciated by Me before, the path of Knowledge, for men of renunciation (Sankhyayogi), and the path of Action, for men of action (Karmayogi). 3 Comment:- [Arjuna did not want to fight. So he misunderstood the term 'Buddhi' (intellect), which stands for equanimity but he took it to mean knowledge. But the Lord had already used the terms 'Buddhi' and 'Buddhiyoga' for equanimity (2/39, 49 etc.) Therefore, here also Lord Krona is describing equanimity which can be acquired by both the Disciplines of Knowledge and Action.) 'Anagha':-The question put by Arjuna, how to attain on the highest good or bliss, shows his freedom from sin, because the keen desire to attain bliss, destroys all the sins of a striver. Loke'smindvividha nistha pura prokta maya:-Here, the term 'loke' denotes human body, because both the Disciplines of Knowledge and Action can be practised, only in human life. The tern 'Nistha stands for equanimity, which can be attained either through the Discipline of Knowledge or the Discipline of Action. In order to distinguish the two, the Lord, in the thirty-ninth verse of the second chapter, declared, "This is equanimity concerning Sahkhya, which has been taught to you (from the eleventh to the thirtieth verses). Now listen about equanimity conceming Yoga (Discipline of Action) (from the thirty-ninth to the fifty-third verses)." The term 'pura also denotes "time immemorial", as well as, the immediate past. Here it has been used in the latter sense i.e., i n the preceding chapter, when doubt arose in Arjuna's mind. In both the disciplines which have already been described in the preceding chapter, there is no mention of the renunciation of actions. Something Remarkable Here, Lord Krsna has mentioned two disciplines—the Discipline of Sankhya (Knowledge) and the Discipline of Yoga (Action). Corresponding to the two types of Disciplines there are two types of 'purusas', in this world (GIG 15/16). These are, the perishable (mortal world) and the imperishable (immortal self). To remain equanimous in success and failure, gain and loss of the perishable is known as the Discipline of Action, while having a disinclination for the perishable and being established in the imperishable is the Discipline of Knowledge. But above these two there is the Supreme Person who is beyond the perishable, and is superior to the imperishable, as described in the scriptures, and the Veda (15/18). Thus a wholehearted surrender to the Lord, is called the Discipline of Devotion. Therefore, in the Discipline of Action there is predominance of the perishable, in the Discipline of Knowledge there is predominance of the imperishable, while in the Discipline of Devotion there is predominance of God (Supreme Person). The state of'nistha' (equanimity), can be attained by strivers, either through knowledge or through Action, but identification wim the Lord, is not their own (nistha). In Sankhya state strivers experience distinctly, the existence of their own selves, as well as, that of the world and try to cut asunder the affinity for the world. A Karmayogi offers to the world, everything (including even his body), that he has derived from it and removes affinity from the world. In this way, both of them get established in their true form—the Self. But in the state of wholehearted surrender to God, a striver in the beginning, does not feel the existence of God, but he believes that there exists something unique (God) which is above and apart from the Self, as well as, the world. Thus he accepts God with a firm belief and faith and dedicates himself to Him. Therefore, in Sankhya and Yoga, there is predominance of 'knowing' whereas, 'accepting' (Faith) is of much import in Bhagavannistha.