Prince Arjuna has not experienced Self-Knowledge. This is despite Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s elaborate discourse on the nature of the Self. From Chapter 2, Verse 39 onward, Śrī Kṛṣṇa began explaining the means for one to experience Self-knowledge through karma yoga (buddhi yoga).
He explains that, firstly, the mind needs to be purified. The purity of mind is measured by its nobility. An ignoble mind is an impure mind with ignoble thoughts like jealousy, greed, etc. Impurity of mind can also come from a lack of studying.
In the next verses, Śrī Kṛṣṇa continues to explain the techniques for purifying the mind.
Chapter 2, Verse 45
त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन ।
निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान् ॥२.४५॥
traiguṇyaviṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna,
nirdvāndvo nityasattvastho niryogakṣema ātmavān. (2.45)
2.45. The Vedas deal with the three states (guṇas), O Arjuna. Rise above the three guṇas to a state of pure spiritual consciousness. Freeing yourself from dualities, eternally fixed in Truth, and freed from all thoughts of material gain and preservation, be established in the Self.
Any action will take you only to three modes of state – tāmasic, rājasic, and sāttvic. Śrī Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna to go beyond these three states – to transcend the three guṇas (the mind).
Tips to become nistraiguṇya (a state above the three guṇas – desireless)
- Let your mind not be occupied with the dualities. Neither happiness nor joy is your goal. Neither loss nor gain is your goal. These dualities represent all the experiences that one has in life.
- Be ever established in purity so that there is the least delusion in terms of our perceptions. This can be practiced by performing all actions as worship to the Lord. Be firmly established in karma yoga.
- Yoga is to acquire what you don’t have. Kṣema is protecting what you have acquired. Don’t be occupied with these two goals.
- One can be free from this natural greed of yoga and kṣema by being firmly established in the Self.
The urge to acquire and the anxiety to own arise from the perceived existence of duality. They occur when the Self identifies with a body, mind, and intellect, and the ego is formed. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is guiding us to detach our identification with the body, mind, and intellect. He is urging us to be established in the real nature of the Self. This Self is free from anxieties and beyond the experiences of this world.
Chapter 2, Verse 46
यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके ।
तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः ॥२.४६॥
yāvānartha udapāne sarvataḥ samplutodake,
tāvānsarveṣu vedeṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ. (2.46)
2.46. Vedas are as much of use as the small well of water when there is a flood everywhere, for one who realizes the Absolute Truth.
Here Vedas are referring to the ritualistic portion of the Vedas, which promises the fulfillment of various desires. These can be useful only as long as the mind is filled with desires for sensory satisfaction. To a sincere seeker who has come to experience the Self, these ritualistic portions are not useful. The limited satisfaction from the ritualistic portion of the Vedas loses its charm to the one who is Self-realized. The realized person comprehends the perfection of living in the infinite bliss of the Self.
Chapter 2, Verse 47
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥२.४७॥
karmaṇyevādhikāraste mā phaleṣu kadācana,
mā karmaphalaheturbhūrmā te saṅgo’stvakarmaṇi. (2.47)
2.47. You have a right to work only, but you are not entitled to its fruits. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.
Acting without expectation of results may seem impossible. This is especially true for someone who is not practicing and only understanding it mentally. But when you practice this in life, you will realize that this is the secret to all real achievements. Arjuna is at this time not ready for the knowledge to become his experience. Śrī Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna to purify his mind. His mind is sullied with impurities. This guidance prepares him to live an inspired life and ultimately achieve Self-realization.
Work with your best efforts and dedicate yourself to the noble cause. Do not worry about the results. This way, you can avoid the mental dissipation of energy. Such work always succeeds; that is the law of activity in the world. In short, Śrī Kṛṣṇa advises not to waste the present moment with anxieties about the rewards of action. Do not live in a future moment that is not yet there. The idea is that the future will take care of itself with great achievements when work is performed in the above-stated attitude.
This verse gives four points for a true worker:
- He should be concerned with action alone
- He should not be concerned with the results
- He should not entertain a motive for the fruits of the action
- The above ideas do not mean he should sit back without performing any action.
Do your action because it’s the right action not because of the results of the action. The work itself is the reward.
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