Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter2

[Guest guest]

50.budDhiyuktho jahaathi iha ubhe sukrtha dhushkrthe

thamaath yogaaya yujyasva yogaH karmasu kouSalam

 

One who is established in yoga casts off both good and evil here and now. Therefore endeavour for yoga. The skill in action is called yoga.

 

..When one does all actions as karmayoga, without attachment to the result , it means that his mind is free from desires and his actions are not desire motivated. Thus he attains the evenness of mind, buddhiyukthaH, . as described earlier. Then he does not accumulate fresh karma by his actions. His past karma which has not yet started giving result is demolished by his shedding off his ego as a result of evenness of mind. He does not consider himself as the actor or the enjoyer, offering all his actions to the Lord. Only the karma which has started to give result already causing this particular birth continues but the yogi is not affected by it

 

Hence it is said that he casts off, jahaathi, here itself, iha, both good and evil, ubhe sukrtha dhushkrthe, meaning, both good and bad effects of his karma become null and void as he is doing it as his duty only and acts as an instrument of the Lord. Therefore Krishna asks Arjuna to be a yogi when the merit and demerit of his actions will not adhere to him. This is what is meant by yogaaya yujuyasva..

 

Yogah karmasu kousalam, has a very important implication. If one is not attached to the result of the action he may end up by giving up the action altogether or if he has to, may do it indifferently.. Krishna says that by karmayoga not mere giving up of attachment to result is indicated but doing the action to the best of one's ability and with full concentration. Then only it is called karmayoga. This is what is implied by yogaH karmasu kouSalam.

 

51.karmajam budDhiyukthaahi phalam thyakthvaa maneeshinah

janmabanDhavinirmukthaaH padham gacChanthi anaamayam

 

Those, who are evolved, being established in karmayoga, by giving up the result of their karma, become free from the bondage that causes birth and reach the supreme state of eternal bliss,

 

As explained in the previous sloka, by karmayoga one gets freed from karma and there is no more birth for him. There are three kinds of karma, sanchitha, praarabdha and aagaami. Sanchitha karma is that which has been accumulated over the past lives and results in the future lives. Praarabdha is that part of karma which has already started giving result and has caused this particular birth. Agaami karma is that which is done now and will start giving result in future. Now by karmayoga, present karma ceases to give result. PrarabDha karma lasts only till this body lasts. Sanchitha karma is destroyed like the seed which is scorched and is not capable of sprouting due to the removal of ego-centric desires.

 

Hence it is said that those who are established in karmayoga, budDhiyukthaah, by giving up the result of karma, karmajam phalam thyalthvaa, become free from the bondage of karma causing birth, janmabanDha vinirmuktaaH, and reach the state beyond all evil, padham gacChanthi anaamayam, meaning the eternal abode or mukhi. Theses are called maneeshiNaH, wise.