Bhagavad Gita (5)

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CHAPTER 5 CONTEMPLATING THE GOAL(Sanyasa

Yoga)"Knowing this, you come to the place where all paths meet,and you achieve lasting peace of mind."1.

Arjuna blurts out : "I've been listening carefully Krishna, but one

moment you recommend the path of knowledge or contemplation (a sort of sanyasa yoga), and the next moment, the path of desireless action (karma yoga). These seem to conflict. Which one is definitely better for me?"2. Krishna replies, "Both paths lead to the same goal, which is liberation (moksha). But karma yoga, the action path, is better for you, Arjuna, and for most people. Many spiritual seekers assume they should withdraw like a sanyasi (renunciate), and they may for a time be blessed with tranquility, but most often it is merely the ego masquerading as quietism.3. "The person of selfless action (karma-yogi)

who feels neither desire nor aversion and does not yearn for one thing

or loathe another is the true 'renunciate'. What matters is not what

you call yourself, but whether you escape your self-will (ego). With no

ego you break free of karma.4. "The uninformed think these two paths - renunciation (sanyasa yoga) and action (karma yoga) - lead to different results, but that is not true. They are essentially the same; compare them.5. "Right knowing (jnana yoga) leads to right doing. Right doing (karma yoga)

gives rise to right knowing. Take either path to the very end and they

meet. At that place the contemplative seeker of knowledge greets the

person of action, and they are both equally free from the cycle of

birth and death. The person who knows this oneness of paths really

knows the Truth."THE ROLE OF ACTION (KARMA)6-7. "As I mentioned earlier, Arjuna, you cannot renounce action without first performing it. The karma-yogi

comes to realize through the direct experience of selfless action in

the world that life beyond the pull of worldly desire is better than

life entangled in it. Without direct experience one has to rely on

theory and concepts. Theorizing and make-believe have no place in one's

spiritual career."The mind absorbed in the Divine even while

engaging in earthly activities gets purified. Purifying your mind means

that your sense of doership vanishes and God becomes the doer. It also

means that you realize your Self as the Atma

in all beings. This purity of mind and heart leads to higher spiritual

discipline and thus to true oneness with the Godhead. It is at this

highest of high places where the paths of renunciation and action

converge.8-9. "The enlightened person always think, 'I (the

Real I) do nothing; I (this body 'I') am but the instrument.' He or she

is constantly aware of this while seeing or hearing, touching or

smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping, breathing, speaking, letting

go or holding on, or even when opening or closing the eyes - aware that

all these activities are but interactions among bodily senses and

worldly objects. The activities may seem real but it is not the Self,

it is merely nature at work. All actions pertaining to bodily existence

take place in the worldly self, which is not the real Self. Atma, as you have learned, is beyond all worldly matters.10.

"As the lotus floating on the surface of muddy water stays untouched by

the water, when you offer all actions to the Divine and surrender any

yearning for the results, you cannot be tainted.11. "Purity of action, mind, and heart is absolutely essential for further spiritual growth. To a karma-yogi

who has turned his or her whole life toward Divinity, the body, senses,

and intellect are just instruments for self-purification. Any work this

karma-yogi performs is done dispassionately, and this enhances spiritual unfolding.12. "The karma-yogi

offers all works and all desires for the fruits of works to the Divine

- and thus wins eternal peace in the Divine. But the person impelled by

selfish desire gets entangled in agitations and anxieties of the mind.13. "The true yogi,

being a self-controlled person who has mentally cut free from worldly

actions, lives content as the indweller, a mere resident in a body.

These yogis do not incessantly drive themselves to act, nor do they involve others in action.14.

"It is mysterious, Arjuna. God established this system but does not

operate it. Divinity does not determine the worldly doings of humanity,

nor does It instill the sense of doership (ego) into humanity - nor

even does It link actions to the consequences of actions. Nature does

all this. All actions, all works, all karma, belong to nature, not the Divine. It is humanity that determines its earthly destiny. People seal their own fate.15.

"Further, God is neither responsible for nor takes note of anyone's bad

or even good deeds. Both bad and good karma are the result of actions

performed by people who mistakenly think that their True Self (Atma) is

connected to the worldly - which it is not. This is an elusive but

important point. The Divine is absolute perfection, poise, and bliss.

Worldly acts have no place in this blessed purity. Thinking otherwise

is what I mean by ignorance and delusion. I repeat : God, the True Self

in each living being, is no way a part of the goings on in worldly

nature.THE LIGHT OF WISDOM16.

"As the darkness of night vanishes when the sun rises, so too the

darkness of ignorance and delusion is dispelled when you gain knowledge

of your True Self.17. "Jnana-yogis, persons of wisdom (whom I previously referred to as Sthithaprajnas,

Illumined Ones), cast out this ignorance of mind and thus erase past

impurities. They ever fix their purified minds on Divinity and stay

completely absorbed in the Divine, their one and only goal. In this way

they merge into God and are freed from the birth-death cycle, never to

be born again.18. "They know that sunlight falls equally on all

creatures. Those who possess this wisdom of Self look with a unified

vision upon all beings and have equal love for all, whether those

beings are spiritually advanced or the least in the ranks - or even a

cow or a dog. The real knower of Brahman sees only Divinity everywhere, in every being and every thing.19. "Even while in a body, these enlightened beings (jnana-yogis or jnanis)

transcend any notion of an existence separate from God. They

continually focus their minds on the absolute oneness of Divinity, and

on their own unity with That. Since the Divine is flawless, they are

likewise without blemish or bias, reflecting God's utter perfection.

This perfection is the same in all; it is called Atma - and yet, only the wise perceive it."ATTAINING THE BLISS OF BRAHMAN20.

"The wise ones, Arjuna, are totally free from delusion. They know the

Supreme Godhead (Brahman), and directly experience their own identity

in That. They are neither elated by good fortune nor depressed by what

is painful; they neither rejoice nor grieve. They know that the

sensation called pleasure appears and disappears like a flash of

lightning, and know that the cost of pleasure is inevitably misery and

pain, which is indeed a dear price.21. "These undeluded persons

need no external supports whatsoever. Through intense meditation on the

Divine, fully absorbed in God, they have realized the eternal bliss

that comes with living in the Self (Atma).

With this spiritual awareness they rise above desire for sensory

attractions and experience constant bliss. God intoxicated, they revel

in Divinity and in nothing else.22. "The wise recognize the

transient nature of worldly gratification and thus do not look for

happiness in the realm of the senses. Sensual delights are the wombs of

misery. Earthly pleasures, though they seem enjoyable, are fleeting and

ultimately painful. Wise ones know that misery inevitably, without

fail, marches in lockstep with worldly pleasure.23. "Desire and

anger are counterparts, Arjuna. Anger is your response to the

frustrations of unfilled desires. When you can control or transcend

desire and anger (which arise in your body, not your Atma) you will have found true, lasting happiness.24.

"Those who find joy and peace completely within are the truly happy

ones. Their bliss is in direct proportion to their disentanglement from

worldly attractions. Eventually, they actually become one with

Divinity, the very Source of the bliss that resides inside.25.

"These wise ones' sins (errors) have been washed away. Their desires,

and the anger and greed that always accompanies desires, have vanished.

Their ignorance has disappeared, cast out by knowledge of the Atma.

Their minds and hearts are firmly resident in the Divine, always

seeking to contribute to the welfare of all. Those who attain the

eternal bliss of Divinity are the real holy ones.26. "Those who

actually experience Divinity have severed the chains of selfish desire.

Through constant, intense effort they have taken charge of their minds

and bodies and are actually above desire, anger, and greed. They now

dwell in their True Self experiencing eternal bliss everywhere!27-28.

"The process for vanquishing the mind and senses consists of shutting

out the eternal world, focusing one's gaze on the center of spiritual

consciousness between the eyebrows, and gradually equalizing the

in-going and out-going breath. Then, when the body, mind, senses, and

intellect are under control (without desire, fear, and anger),

realization of the constant freedom and bliss within the Godhead comes.29.

"Ceaselessly think only of Me, Arjuna. Know that I, the Godhead

(Brahman), am the object of all worship and the receiver of all

offerings. Know that I am the source of all and the friend of all

beings everywhere. Knowing this, you come to the place where all paths

meet, and you achieve lasting peace of mind."(From : The Bhagavad Gita (A Walkthrough for Westerners) by Jack Hawley)Copyright reserved by author Visit : Sai Divine Inspirations : http://saidivineinspirations.blogspot.com/ Sai Messages : http://saimessages.blogspot.com/ Love Is My Form : http://loveismyform.blogspot.com/