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Chapter 3
An Important Fact
When a striver has God-realization as the only goal of his life, all his possessions and things, whether superior or inferior, are surrendered to God. Having surrendered his actions and objects, he surrenders his desire, the sense of mineness and grief, which appear in him, to God. Thus, he becomes a staunch devotee with exclusive devotion.
For a sage who wishes to attain Yoga, action is said to be the means (Gita 6/3), because, while performing action he comes to know his defects, (desire, the sense of mineness etc.).[1] Therefore, (in the twelfth verse of the twelfth chapter) the renunciation of the fruit of action, has been considered to be better than meditation. The reason is, that in meditation a striver pays attention so that the mind is not volatile. When his mind is fixed, he regards it, as his success and does not pay heed to other defects, such as desire and sense of mineness etc. Therefore, the Lord in this verse orders Arjuna to perform his duty of fighting, so that he may come to know his defects also.
As the Lord (in the forty-eighth verse of the second chapter) instructs Arjuna to perform his duty while being equanimous in success and failure, here, He asks him to fight being free from desire, the sense of mineness and grief. When even such a savage deed as fighting, can be performed with equanimity, what other action is there which cannot be performed with equanimity? Equanimity can be attained by believing, "I am neither my body, nor the body is mine nor is it for me," which is also, a fact.
It is possible to do an act worth doing, only when a striver 's aim is focussed on God, and not on the world. As the striver advances gradually, on the path of God-realization, his vices, like desire, myness and attachment etc., diminish automatically and he experiences his Self to be positioned in equanimity. As soon as the practice of equanimity gets perfect, the doership is vanished completely and identification with the aim is established. As a rule, the ego perishes when there remains no desire to do anything, for one's own good gain.
Arjuna wants to attain salvation, without performing his duty, of fighting. When Arjuna asks for a way to salvation, the Lord orders him to fight, as it is his duty. According to the Lord, salvation can be attained, through the path of action or knowledge or devotion.
Appendix:-By now the Lord answered Arjuna's question (why do you urge me to perform such a dreadful deed?) in several ways. Now in this verse the Lord tells him the method to perform actions through the path of devotion to God. 'Surrender all actions to Me'—By this expression the Lord means to say, "Without regarding actions and objects as yours and for you, regard them as Mine and for Me." The reason is that God is entire (complete) and all actions and objects (Adhibhuta) (matter) are within the entire form of the Lord (Gita 7/29-30). Here the term 'mayi' (Me) has been used for the entire form of the Lord. In this verse by the expression, `mayi sarvani karmani sannyasya' Bhaktiyoga (the path of devotion); by the expression,adhyatmacetasa' Jnanayoga (the path of knowledge); and by the expression, `nirasrirniramo bhutva yudhyasva vigatajvarah' Karmayoga (the path of action) have been mentioned.
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