Bhagavatgita a detailed study chapter 18-Liberation through renunciation

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49.asakthabuddhiH

sarvathra jithaathmaa vigathasprhaH

 

Naishkarmyasiddhim paramaam sannyaasena

aDhigacChathi

 

He, who is detached in all respects, who

has conquered himself, who is free from desires, attains perfection that

transcends all activity by renunciation.

Dhyana or contemplation is the

consummation of jnanayoga consisting of cessation of all activities.

 

 

 

Then Krishna

gives a description of the one who has attained perfection.

 

 

50.sidDhim

praaptho yaThaa brahma thaThaapnothi

niboDha me

 

samasenaiva kountheya nishTaa jnanasya yaa

paraa

 

Know from Me, Arjuna, in brief, how one has reached the state of perfection attains

Brahman, which is the Supreme knowledge.

 

51.budDhyaa

viSudDhaayaa yukthaH Dhrthyaa aathmaanam

Niyamya cha

 

Sabdhaadheen vishyaan thyakthvaa

raagadhveshou

Vyudhasya

cha

Endowed with pure intellect, controlling himself

with fortitude, giving up the sense objects like sound etc., turning away from

likes and disikes,

 

52.vivikthasevee

laghvaaSee yathavaakkaayamaanasaH

 

Dhyaanayogaparo nithyam vairaagyam

samupaaSrithaH

 

Retiring to a lonely place, eating very little,

restraining his speech, body and mind, engrossed in meditation always, with

detachment,

 

53.ahamkaaram

balam dharpam kaamam kroDham parigraham

 

Vimuchya nirmamaH SaanthaH brahmabhooyaaya

kalpathe

 

 

Renouncing ego, power, pride, desire anger and

possessions, devoid of the concept of `I' and `mine,' being peaceful he attains

brahmanhood.

 

He is endowed with purified understanding

that the Self is the reality. He makes his mind ready for meditation by turning

it away from the sense objects and casting aside love or hate of them.

He resorts to a lonely place away from

hindrances to meditation and eats a little just to keep himself alive,

restrains the activities of body, mind and intellect, engaged fully in

meditation, with detachment from all other objects not conducive to meditation.

 

He abandons ego, that is considering non-self

as self, which causes pride, desire, anger and possessiveness. Free from

the notion of `I' and `mine,' he becomes

worthy of the state of Brahman.

 

Next Krishna

refers to the bhakthiyoga

 

54.brahmabhoothah prasannaathmaa na Sochathi na

kaamkshathi

 

samaH sarveshu

bhootheshu madhbhakthim labhathe

paraam

 

This refers to the fourth class of

devotees outlined in the seventh adhyaya, 16th sloka, namely jnani.

 

He who resorts to the Lord, acquires

jnana as a result of his devotion as it was said `dhadhAmi buddhiyogam tham,'

in adhyaya10, sloka 10. Such a jnani, who is brahmabhootha, realized the state

of Brahman, is tranquil, prasannAthmA, who has neither grief or longing,

regarding everything to be equal. He is the one who has parA bhakthi.

 

He sees the Lord everywhere and does all his actions as an offering to Him

and attains the eternal abode of peace and bliss due to the grace of the Lord.

 

55.bhakthyaa maam abhijaanaathi yaavaanyaSchaasmi

thatthvathaH

 

thatho mam thatthvatho

jnaathvaa viSathe

thadhanantharam

 

He understands Me as what I am and who I

am in reality and knowing thus enters into Me.

 

Even though the devotion is mentioned as

the means of knowing the truth, this end denoted in this sloka is the

culmination of jnana, karma and bhakthi. The previous sloka refers to the

state of perfection through jnana as

described in the second chapter. As bhakthi is the Dhruvasmrthi, as

defined by Ramanuja it is non-different from dhyanayoga which is the

consequence of jnana, the knowledge of reality through learning of sastras and

meditation on the Absolute. Through jnana coupled with bhakthi which makes

one get engrossed in the dhruvasmrthi,

uninterrupted though of the Lord with love.

 

viSathe thadhanantharam means entering into the Supreme Being

after the knowledge of the Lord in reality, but the two , namely the realization of the Absolute

Reality and the entering into it are simultaneous. viSathe thadhanantharam

means entering into the Supreme Being after the knowledge of the Lord in

reality, but the two , namely the

realization of the Absolute Reality and the entering into it are simultaneous.

When one is searching for a necklace which was all the time on his neck, or for

the spectacles on his forehead, the seeing and realization is simultaneous. The

knowledge from the sastras and the spiritual discipline only leads to the realization.

When the petals of a flower is pierced with a needle it enters into the second

after piercing the first but there is no interval between the two in reality.

When the chimney is covered with soot is cleaned the light shines through but

it was there all the time.

 

 

56.sarvakarmaaNyapi sadhaa kurvaaNo madhvyapaaSrayaH

 

Madhprasaadhaath

avaapnothi Saasvathama padham

Avyayam

 

Performing all actions always taking

refuge in Me, he attains the eternal and imperishable state through My grace.

 

A devotee

who acquired the wisdom of reality through knowledge and experience, performs

all actions as offering to the Lord, in a spirit of total surrender, and thus

he attains the state of mukthi on attainng which there is no return to samsara

and the bliss attained thus is imperishable.

 

 

57.chethasaa sarvakarmaaNi mayi sannyasya mathparaH

budDhiyogam upaaSrithya

macchitthaH sathatham bhava

 

Mentally renouncing all actions to Me, with

your thought engrossed in Me, resorting to the yoga of equanimity, let your

mind rest in Me always.

 

Now in relevance to the context, Krishna starts advising Arjuna about the course of action to be taken by him.

 

Mentally renouncing all actions to the

Lord means doing all actions without the concept of `I' and `mine' and working

as the instrument of the Lord.

 

budDhiyoga is the

equanimity of mind considering sukha, duhkha etc, equally and not being

affected by the result of action.

 

mayi sannyasya mathparaH is to have no other thought but of the

Lord, and resorting to Him only as the sole refuge.

 

macchitthaH means having no other desire except to attain the

feet of the Lord. For a devotee only duhkha is not to remember the Lord even for

moment and the sukha is His service.

 

58.macchitthaH sarvadhurgaaNi madhprasaadhaath

Tharishyasi

 

aTha cheth thavam

ahamkaaraath na Sroshyasi

vinankshyasi

 

With your mine engaged in Me you will

cross over all difficulties with My grace. If you do not listen to my words due

to egoism you will perish.

 

This is not a foreboding to Arjuna as it

appears to be but only a gentle reminder that he should understand the words of

Krishna and act accordingly as otherwise he

will perish due to failing from his svadharma. The next sloka makes it clear.

 

 

 

59. yadhahamkaaram aaSrithya na yothsya ithi manyase

 

miThyaa eva

vyavasaayaH the prakrthiH thvaam

niyokshyasi

 

Your thinking that you will not fight is

due to ego and this decision of yours is

only a myth. Your nature will persuade you to fight.

 

What Krishna

means here is that Arjuna will have propensities according to his gunas as a

result of previous births. If he decides not to fight it could only be due to

the misunderstanding of his duty and the ego that he is the agent of action. Hence

it is delusion, miThyaa, and even if he ceases to fight his nature will overpower

him.

 

 

60.svabhaavajena kountheya nibadDhaH svena karmaNaa

 

Karthum necChasi

yanmohaath karishyasi avaSo api thath

 

Oh son of Kunthi, bound by your nature

and actions you will do without your will the very action which you do not want

to do out of delusion.

 

 

Hence Krishna

tells Arjuna to relinquish all sense of agency and surrender to the Lord,

mentally offering all the actions to Him.

Then, the Lord will steer His devotee through all difficulties. As the

nature is stronger no resolve to give up action, as in the case of Arjuna who

said that he will not fight, will be fruitful because the natural instinct will

overpower him soon and when that happens he will find that the circumstances

are not as favourable as they are at the moment. This refers to the sloka 32 of

adhyaya 2 where Krishna told Arjuna that the

battle which he finds himself in is not of his own making and is according to

dharma and he is fortunate to get such an opportunity to discharge his duty as

a kshathriya whose main role is to protect dharma.