|
Chapter 3
The self, possesses competence to establish a relation or otherwise; but on its own it is incompetent to act. Only kaleidoscopic agents can have the capability of taking action. The Self is by nature, changeless whereas prakrti, changes every moment. In other words, activeness is innate in prakrti. Therefore, by establishing affinity, with prakrti, the 'Self' supposes itself to be the doer (Gita 3/27).
It is a merit, rather than a demerit, of the soul that It undergoes no change. It ever remains the same and is uniform. It cannot change, in the same way, as ice cannot be hot. But it is free and so it depends upon it, whether it accepts its affinity for nature or not, though really it has no affinity with nature.
When the soul identifies itself with the body, it has attraction for nature and then It performs actions and has to reap the fruit in the form of pleasure and pain. In fact, pleasure and pain have no separate existence. Therefore, the Lord urges men to renounce their assumed affinity for nature, by considering that it is the modes, which are acting on the modes, while the (soul or self) is, quite detached frorn them.
As a matter of fact, disassociation is already there and association is wrongly assumed. Therefore, it is necessary to give up this assumed relation and to realise the fact, that it is only modes that are reacting on modes.
Iti matva na sajjate:- Here, the term 'matva' has been used for 'knowing'. An enlightened soul, distinguishes the soul from nature, and so he is not attached to the modes of nature.
By using the term 'matva, the Lord seems to direct striver, not to be attached to the modes of nature, hy regarding these, as different from the self.
An Important Fact
The methods followed by a Karmayogi, (man of Action) and a Jnanayogi (man of knowledge) are different. The former, tries to wipe out his assumed identity with the body etc. In the Bhagavata, it is mentioned, "Persons with desires, deserve to follow the path of action" (1120/7). Lord Krsna in the Gita, has also laid emphasis on the performance of duty, when He declares, "Not by non-performance of action does a man attain actionlessness" (Gita 3/4). "For a sage, who wishes to attain to Yoga, action is said to be the means" (Gita 6/3). A Karmayogi, performs action for others, not for himself; therefore, he does not become an enjoyer. When he does not become an enjoyer, his sense of doership, automatically perishes. He becomes doer, only in order to reap the fruit of action. He does not remain a doer, if he does not desire the fruit of action. Therefore, in fact a Karmayogi also does not become, a doer.
In Saiilchyayoga (Discipline of Knowledge) there is predominance of discrimination. Such a striver holds, 'It is the modes which are acting on the modes'. By thinking so he does not become a doer of actions. The same fact, has been pointed out by the Lord (in the twenty-ninth verse of the thirteenth chapter) when He declares, "He who sees, that all actions are performed by nature alone, and that the self is not the doer, he verily sees." When he does not remain a doer, there does not arise any question of his being, an enjoyer.
In this chapter, the Lord has laid great emphasis on the performance of action; as "It was by action alone that Janaka and others attained perfection" (320); "I engage Myself in action" (3/22); "A wise man also performs actions, for the welfare of the world without attachment, as an ignorant man acts from attachment" (3/25-26). It proves that performance of actions, is good in everyway.
|
|