CH 5, Verses 1 & 2

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Chapter 5

 

Sa.nnyaasa Yogah

 

The Yoga of Renunciation

 

Verse 1

 

Arjuna uvaacha .

 

Sa.nnyaasam karmanaa.n Krishhna punar yoga.n cha

sha.nsasi /

yach chhreya etayor ekam tan me bruuhi sunishchitam.

//

 

Arjuna said:

 

Renunciation of actions, O Krishna, and again their

performance, you praise. Of these two, which is

better? That one tell me decisively.

 

Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha .

 

Sa.nnyaasah karma-yogash cha nihshreyasa-karaav ubhau

/

tayos tu karmasa.nnyaasaat karma-yogo vishishhyate //

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

Both renunciation and Karma Yoga (performance of

action) lead to supreme good; of these, performance of

action is superior to the renunciation of action.

 

LESSONS FROM BHAGAVAD GITA – 45

As taught by Parama Pujya Sri Swamiji

Compiled by: Swami Dattananda

Bhakti Mala, September 1996

 

Now we are going to deal with the fifth chapter of the

Bhagavad Gita. This chapter is named Sanyasa Yoga

(the Yoga of renunciation.) Renunciation of action

has already been described in detail in previous

chapters. It does not mean giving up of all actions.

On the other hand, it means the performance of actions

without the feeling of doership and with detachment to

the fruit.

 

Now in this chapter how the state of equipoise and

perfection is reached by Karma Yoga is described. And

the principle that how the Self remains the non-doer

or actionless in the midst of actions is also

explained.

 

The Atman is only the uninvolved witness in whose

presence the body and mind function giving a false

sense of involvement to the Atman. Body and mind are

the products of nature (Prakriti.) When they perform

actions the Atman is not actually involved. It

remains ever actionless and pristine in purity. As a

man realizes this truth he gains real knowledge and

gives up his identification with the movements of his

body and mind. He becomes unegoistic and is filled

with peace and bliss.

 

In the beginning of this chapter a doubt arises in the

mind of Arjuna and he asks Sri Krishna:

 

“Renunciation of actions, O Krishna, and again their

performance, you praise. Of these two, which is

better? That one tell me decisively” (Chapter 5,

Verse 1).

 

In the last verse of the fourth chapter, Sri Krishna

exhorted Arjuna to eat all his doubts about the self

and arise and resort to yoga of action. From this it

is clear that Sri Krishna wanted Arjuna to take the

path of action (Karma Yoga.) But in earlier verses

Sri Krishna has said that the fire of knowledge

reduces all actions to ashes. Again he remarked that

all actions culminate in knowledge. The path of

knowledge evidently means the path of renunciation.

Arjuna thought that he should resort to the path of

renunciation alone. For, if all actions are to

culminate into just renunciation, why not resort to

that renunciation from the beginning? So, Arjuna is

in confusion. He does not know whether he should take

to the path of renunciation of action or the path of

performing disinterested action. Therefore he

requests the Lord to instruct him as to which path

will enable him to win Bliss.

 

In reply to this, the Lord says as follows:

 

“Both renunciation and Karma Yoga (performance of

action) lead to supreme good; of these, performance of

action is superior to the renunciation of action”

(Chapter 5, Verse 2).

 

Both the paths of renunciation of action and

performance of action bring about the highest good

since they generate knowledge. Though both lead to

the highest good, still, of these two, Karma Yoga is

superior to mere renunciation of action that is not

based on knowledge and purity of mind. So the Lord

extols Karma Yoga.

 

 

 

 

 

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