Swami Dhayanandaji's Gita Home-study Discussion Notes on Karma Yoga - Part I

[Guest guest]

Greetings Advaitins:

 

The next series of slokas in Chapter 2 are quite important and it is possible

to absorb the entire essence of Gita if we pay attention. We had discussion

regarding the role of Guru in understanding the scriptures and its

implications to self-realization. Swami Dhyanandaji explains one of the most

popular verse of Gita forcefully and completely. This is a long essay and it

did take a while for me to develop the draft. I thoroughly enjoyed the time

spend and I am able to appreciate the relevance and importance of Karma Yoga.

I plan to post them into three segments because it is very long. I strongly

recommend the members to take some time to listen to Swamiji;s words with full

attention. Everything that we need to know about Karma is presented using

great scholarship and compelling language.

 

I believe that for the rest of the Gita Satsang, it is very important that you

become familiar with the terminology that Swamiji introduced in this essay.

After finished your reading, I request you to forward this useful essay (you

are welcome to select sections that you find most useful) to your friends and

foes! Swamiji will be greatly pleased if more people read and understand the

essence of Karma Yoga as explained by Dhyanandaji. Those who are very

serious, can obtain the entire discussion notes (over 1200 pages) and they are

available at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam.

 

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank Swamiji for his permission

to post his Discussion Notes to the benefit of the list members.

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

Swami Dhayanandaji's Gita Home-study Discussion Notes on Karma Yoga - Part I

 

Transliteration: Gita Chapter 2, Verse 47:

 

karmany eva adhikAraste maa phalesu kadaacana

maa karmaphalahetur bhur maa te sango'stvakarmani (47)

 

Word Meaning

 

-karmani - in action; eva - only; te - your; adhikAraraste - choice; maa

kadaacana - never;

 

phalesu -in the results, karma-phala-hetuh the cause of the results; mkbhuh-do

not be; akarmani- in inaction; te-your; sangah - attachment; maa astu-let it

not be

 

English Translation

 

Your choice is in action only, never in the results thereof. Do not be the

author of the results of action. Let your attachment not be to inaction. (47)

 

Sankara took the karma mentioned in this verse as purely scripturally enjoined

(vaidika-karma) because that was what was under discussion. We shall look at

it as simply karma, rather than strictly vaidika-karma, since karma-yoga

allows for it and Sankara said nothing to rule out the propriety of this

approach.

 

The word adhikara means choice here-your right, something you have power over.

This choice is only with reference to karma, the actions you perform. At no

time (maa kadacit), however, is there a choice with reference to the results

of action (phalesu). Thus, with reference to all actions, you have a choice,

but with reference to the results thereof, you have no choice whatsoever. This

is a very simple statement of fact. Even for vaidika-karma there is a choice:

you can do it, you need not do it, and you can do it differently. This

capacity to do, not to do, and to do it differently makes you a

karma-adhikari. An animal, on the other hand, is not a karma-adhikari because

it does not have a choice in its actions, but is motivated only by its

instincts.

 

When Krsna told Arjuna that he did not have any choice over the results of

action, he was not giving him a piece of advice; it was a statement of fact. A

statement of fact is not advice; it is teaching. That water boils at 100

degrees centigrade is a statement of fact. Here, also, with reference to

actions and their results, "Your choice is only in action, never in the

results thereof (karmani eva adhikarah te Maa phalesu kadaacana)," is a

statement of fact.

 

(To be continued)