27 verses
Arjuna said: You praise both giving up action and performing action through karma-yoga. Please tell me definitely, which of the two is better.
The Lord said: Both renunciation of work and karma-yoga produce the highest benefit. But of the two, karma-yoga is better than renunciation of karma.
Karma-yoga is better. Even for the jñānī, performing action is not at all a fault. Rather, by performance of niṣkāma-karma, the heart becomes fixed in purity. From that, jñāna becomes fixed. Sometimes there may arise disturbance in the heart of the sannyāsī. In order to alleviate that disturbance, is it forbidden to engage in karma? Disturbance in the heart certainly obstructs the practice of jñāna, but taking up enjoyment of sense objects (rather than performing niṣkāma-karma) is a real degradation.
O Mighty-armed one, the person engaged in niṣkāma-karma with pure heart, who is without duality, neither hating nor desiring, is known as the constant sannyāsī. Easily he is freed from bondage.
It should not be said that taking sannyāsa (renouncing all duties or karma) gives liberation and not taking sannyāsa does not give liberation. The pure hearted person engaged in action should be known as the constant sannyāsī (nitya-sannyāsī). He is a true warrior who conquers the city of liberation, O Mighty-armed one (mahā-bāho).
The ignorant speak of jñāna and karma-yoga as different, but the wise do not. Performing one of these completely, one attains the results of both.
Your statement about which is the better of the two does not actually apply, because intelligent people do not see any difference between the two. The word sāḍkhya refers to being fixed in jñāna. An aḍga (component) of that practice is sannyāsa. The fools, not the wise, speak of the difference between sannyāsa and karma-yoga. As the previous verse mentioned, “one should know the karma-yogī to be the real sannyāsī.” Thus, performing one of the two gives the result of both.
The goal achieved by jñāna is the goal achieved by karma-yoga. He who sees jñāna-yoga and karma-yoga as one actually sees.
This verse clarifies the issue. What is achieved by sannyāsa (sāḍkhyaiḥ) is achieved by niṣkāma-karma (yogaiḥ). The plural (singular would be sāḍkhyena and karmaṇā) is used to show respect for the processes. He who sees that these two which appear different are actually one by intelligence actually sees. He is a wise man with vision.
Renunciation is difficult to attain without karma-yoga. The jñānī engaged in karma-yoga quickly attains Brahman.
Sannyāsa gives suffering for the jñānī who cannot fix complete purity in his heart. Karma-yoga however gives pleasure. The intended meaning of what was spoken earlier is made clear. Because of not performing karma-yoga which can pacify the disturbance of the heart, sannyāsa may give rise to suffering, if it is accepted without proper qualification. Thus it is said by the writers of the Vārtikā:
pramādino bahiś cittāḥ piśunāḥ kalahotsukāḥ
sannyāsīno ’pi dṛśyante daiva-sandūṣitāśrayāḥ
One sees sannyāsīs who are absorbed in sense gratification, with evil minds, fond of arguing, who are contaminated shelters of spiritual life.
The personified Vedas also says:
yadi na samuddharanti yatayo hṛdi kāma-jaṭā
Members of the renounced order who fail to uproot the last traces of material desire in their hearts remain impure, and thus You do not allow them to understand You. SB 10.87.39
Bhāgavatam also says:
yas tv asaṁyata-ṣaò-vargaḥ pracaṇòendriya-sārathiḥ
jñāna-vairāgya-rahitas tri-daṇòam upajīvati
surān ātmānam ātma-sthaṁ nihnute māṁ ca dharma-hā
avipakva-kaṣāyo ’smād amuṣmāc ca vihīyate
One who has not controlled the six forms of illusion, lust, anger, greed, excitement, false pride and intoxication, whose intelligence, the leader of the senses, is extremely attached to material things, who is bereft of knowledge and detachment, who adopts the sannyāsa order of life to make a living, who denies the worshipable demigods, his own self and the Supreme Lord within himself, thus ruining all religious principles, and who is still infected by material contamination, is deviated and lost both in this life and the next. SB 11.18.40
Therefore, the jñānī (muniḥ) engaging in niṣkāma-karma-yoga (yoga-yuktaḥ) quickly attains Brahman.
One engaged in karma-yoga, having controlled his intelligence, mind and senses, though he is engaged in work, is not contaminated, and is the object of love for all living entities.
The jñānī by performing karma is not contaminated. That is stated in this verse. The jñānīs engaged in karma-yoga are of three types: those who have controlled their intelligence (viśuddhātmā), those who have controlled their minds (vijitātmā), and those who have controlled their senses (jitendriyaḥ). The order of superiority is from last to first: having controlled intelligence is the best. All jīvas are attracted to such a gṛhastha. His body (ātmā) becomes the object of love (ātma-bhūta) for all living entities (sarva-bhūta).
The person engaged in karma-yoga, having knowledge, understanding that the senses alone are interacting with the sense objects while he is seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing, speaking, excreting (through genital or anus), receiving, opening and closing the eyes, thinks, “I am doing nothing at all.”
The Lord teaches the method by which one is not contaminated by actions. Although the karma-yogī (yukta) is engaged in seeing and other actions, by verifying with his intelligence that the senses alone are engaged in the sense objects, he thinks, “I am doing nothing at all.”
He who, giving up attachment, offers his actions to the Supreme Lord, is not contaminated by sin in those actions, just as a lotus leaf is not touched by water.
Moreover, he who, offering all his actions unto Me, the Supreme Lord (brahmaṇi), giving up attachment to actions, giving up false identification of “I am doing it”, performs actions, is not contaminated at all by any actions, of which some could be sinful. Pāpena here represents all actions, not just sinful ones.
The karma-yogīs perform action, giving up attachment to results, for purification of the mind, using voice, mind, intelligence or even the senses alone.
The karma-yogīs perform actions using the body, mind, intelligence and even the senses alone, while giving up attachment, for purification of the mind (ātma-śuddhaye). At the time of making offerings of oblations using the senses, the mind may wander. This is the manner in which only the senses are employed (kevalaiḥ indriyair api).
He who is engaged in karma-yoga while giving up the results attains liberation. One not engaged in karma-yoga, being attached to the results out of lust, becomes bound up.
Performing action with no attachment leads to liberation and performing action with attachment leads to bondage. The performer of karma-yoga (yuktaḥ) attains steady peace (naiṣṭhikīm śāntim). This means he attains liberation. The karmī with desires (ayuktaḥ), who is attached to the results, due to performing actions out of lust (kāma-kāreṇa), becomes bound.
Renouncing the activities by the mind while engaging in them, controlling the senses, he remains comfortable in the body which is a city with nine gates, knowing that he does nothing, nor causes anyone to do anything
If one performs actions without attachment, as previously stated in verse 3, he is the real sannyāsī. If one performs actions with the external body, but renounces in the mind, one resides happily, controlling the senses (vaśī). Where? One resides in the city of nine gates, in the body devoid of the misconception of “this is me.” The dweller in the body, the jīva (dehī), having attained knowledge, does nothing at all, knowing that he is not the cause of happiness through his actions and that he is not the cause of others doing actions.
The Lord does not create doership of the jīva nor does He force the results of action on the jīva. This takes place by the jīva’s nature.
“Well if the jīva is actually not the doer of activities, then, from seeing the jīva doing and enjoying everywhere in the universe created by the Supreme Lord, I think that the Lord has created the jīva’s (illusory) doership and enjoying, forcing it upon the jīva. Therefore, injustice and cruelty must be present in the Lord.”
No, that is not true at all. He does not make the jīva do activities nor does He give the jīva the results of his activities. Rather the nature of the jīva in the form of his beginningless ignorance alone produces this. That ignorance makes the jīva assume the false identification as the doer.
Thus, the Lord does not receive the sinful or pious reaction from those actions. The jīva’s knowledge is covered by ignorance. Because of this, living entities are bewildered.
Since the Lord does not make the jīva do either good or bad actions, he does not experience the results in the form of suffering or enjoyment. He does not accept (na adatte) them. (He is not responsible for them). However, one of His associates, His śakti called ignorance (ajñānena) covers the inherent knowledge of the jīva. Because of this (tena), the jīvas are bewildered (and hence act. and suffer or enjoy their karma).
When the jīva’s vidyā destroys avidyā, that vidyā, like the sun, reveals the spiritual knowledge within the jīva.
As ignorance or avidyā covers the knowledge of the jīva, the Lord’s other energy called vidyā destroys ignorance and reveals knowledge. By the vidyā-sakti (jñānena), avidyā (ajñānam) is destroyed, and knowledge of the jīva is produced. Just as the glow of the sun destroys darkness and reveals objects like pots and cloth, so vidyā destroys avidyā and reveals the spiritual (param) knowledge in which the jīva is convinced of his spiritual nature. Thus, the Lord does not bind anyone nor does He liberate anyone, but vidyā and avidyā which are qualities of prakṛti liberate and bind the jīva. The qualities of prakṛti are the causes of bondage in the form of instigating the jīva to become the doer and the enjoyer, and they are the causes of liberation in the form of such qualities as detachment and peace.
The respective qualities of prakṛti are awakened by the Supreme Lord, functioning in the capacity of Supersoul. He is only the initiator of prakṛti’s functions through this aṁśa or expansion. Thus, He does not show any injustice or cruelty towards the jīva.
Those whose intellect, mind and faith are fixed on Me, Paramātmā, who are absorbed in glorifying and serving Me, being washed of all ignorance by knowledge, never take birth again.
But this vidyā reveals knowledge about the jīvātmā, not knowledge of the Paramātmā.
The Lord says, bhaktyāham ekayā grahyaḥ: I am attainable only by bhakti. Therefore the jñānīs must additionally practice bhakti in order to obtain knowledge of Paramātmā. That is stated in this verse.
The word tat refers to the Supreme Lord previously mentioned as vibhu in verse 15. Those who place their intelligence in the Supreme Lord, who are dedicated to contemplation on the Lord using intellect (tad-buddhayaḥ), who are meditating on the Lord using the mind (tad-ātmānaḥ), who fix their knowledge in the Lord, giving up sattvic knowledge of the soul apart from the body, and becoming fixed only in the Lord (tan-niṣṭhāḥ) (since the Lord says one should surrender that knowledge to Him: jñānam ca mayi sannyaset. (SB 11.19.1); who become absorbed in the processes of hearing and chanting about the Lord (tat-parānayaṇāḥ)—these persons do not attain birth again. It will be said later:
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram
I am to be known in truth only by bhakti. Knowing Me in truth, one attains Me. BG 18.55
Those persons’ ignorance has been previously completely destroyed by vidyā (jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣāḥ).
The wise man sees equally the brāhmaṇa endowed with knowledge and good conduct, the cow, the elephant, the dog and dog-eater.
Those who are beyond the guṇas have no desire to see any object made of the guṇas in comparative terms of better or worse. They have equal vision. They do not see those in the mode of sattva, such as brāhmaṇas and cows, those in the mode of passion such as the elephant, and those in the mode of ignorance, such as dogs and dog-eaters, as superior or inferior. Being learned, they see equally. Equally (sama) means that they are beyond the guṇas, so that they do not see the particular distinctions due to the guṇas. They have the ability to see Brahman which is beyond the guṇas.
Those whose minds are situated in equality conquer over the world of birth and death. They are without fault, seeing equally everything as Brahman. Therefore they are situated in Brahman.
This verse praises the ability to see equally. In this world (iha eva), they have defeated saṁsāra, that which has been created (sargaḥ jitaḥ).
He whose intelligence is fixed, who is free of bewilderment, who has knowledge of Brahman, and who is situated in Brahman, does not rejoice on attaining what is dear, and does not become agitated on attaining what is not favorable.
Such a person is equal in the face of objects both dear and not dear in this world. Attaining dear objects he does not rejoice and attaining unwelcome objects he does not become disturbed. The potential mood of prahṛṣyet and udvijet stands for the indicative present in this verse, or can mean that the person should practice that mood during the stage of sādhana. (Attaining dear objects, he should not rejoice and attaining unwelcome objects he should not become disturbed.) He is not bewildered (asaṁmūòhaḥ), since bewilderment arises only from identification with joy, lamentation and other emotions.
He who has attained the happiness of Paramātmā within the soul and is not attached to the happiness from sense objects, being totally absorbed in Paramātmā, attains permanent happiness.
His mind is not attached (asaktātmā) to the happiness of sense objects (bāhya sparśeṣu), since he experiences in the soul (ātmani) happiness from having attained Paramātmā. He then attains that happiness permanently (akṣayam), since, in constantly relishing the sweetness, he does not relish lower things.
The enjoyments arising from sense objects are causes of suffering, and have a beginning and end. An intelligent person does not enjoy them.
An intelligent person (budhaḥ) does not attach himself to material pleasure.
He who can tolerate in this world the agitation arising from lust and anger before being liberated from the body is a yogī and is happy.
Though fallen in the ocean of saṁsāra, this person alone is the yogī (yuktaḥ), and he alone is happy.
He whose happiness is within, whose enjoyment is within, and whose sight is within, is a yogī, and, having attained the stage of Brahman, attains liberation.
This verse states that one who transcends saṁsāra attains realization of the state of Brahman, which is happiness. He who has happiness in the soul (antara), because he enjoys in the soul (not by external objects), and therefore directs his vision to the soul (antar jyotiḥ), attains the happiness of Brahman.
The sages, devoid of ignorance, devoid of dualities, with controlled mind, engaged in the welfare of all beings, attain liberation.
This verse shows how many persons attain perfection through this practice.
Those who have become free of lust and anger, who sincerely endeavor, and who, having weakened the subtle body, have realized Paramātmā, soon attain brahma-nirvāṇa liberation.
When will those who have realized the soul and then Paramātmā (viditāmanām) attain the happiness of brahma nirvāṇa? This verse explains. Yat-cetasām means those who have reduced the functions of the mind, weakened the subtle body. Being freed from lust and anger, and having weakened the functions of the mind, they attain brahma-nirvāṇa completely, in all ways (abhitaḥ). This means without much delay, they attain brahma-nirvāṇa.
That person, keeping the sense objects outside, focusing the eyes between the brows, equalizing the prāṇa and apāna moving in the nostrils, and thus controlling the senses, mind and intelligence, completely dedicated to liberation, thus freed from desire, fear and anger, is ever liberated.
The heart becomes purified by performance of niṣkāma-karma-yoga offered to the Lord. Then arises jñāna, whose subject is the soul (tvam). Then arises bhakti, for gaining knowledge of the Lord, Paramātmā (tat). By the appearance of that knowledge of the Lord which is beyond the modes, one gains realization of Brahman. This has been stated in this chapter.
Now in three verses (27-29), the Lord speaks in abbreviated form what He will explain in the sixth chapter: that the process of aṣṭāḍga-yoga, practiced after having purified the heart by niṣkāma-karma-yoga, is shown to be superior to the process of jñāna-yoga for producing realization of Brahman.
The word sparśān (touches) stands for all the sense objects--sound, touch, form, taste and smell. Externalizing these from the mind when they enter, that is, withdrawing the mind from the sense objects (pratyāhāra), placing the eyes between the eye brows, with half closed eyes, the yogī should fix his glance between the brows in order to prevent both sleep and wandering eyes. By extinguishing the upward and downward motions of the prāṇa and apāna which move in the nostrils through inhaling and exhaling, one makes them equal. By that means, the senses, mind and intelligence are brought under control.
Knowing Me who am the object of worship of the karmīs and jñānīs who do sacrifice and penance, the object of worship of the yogīs as Paramātmā, and the object of worship of the devotees-- the friend of all living entities by giving instructions on bhakti-- this aṣṭāḍga-yogī attains liberation.
This verse explains that yogīs who act in this way, by obtaining knowledge of Paramātmā through bhakti, like the jñānīs, attain liberation.
I am the guardian (bhoktāram) of the yajña of the karma-yogīs and the austerities (tapasām) of the jñānīs. That means that I am the object of worship of the karma-yogīs and jñānīs. I am the great controller of all people (sarva-loka-maheśvaram), the Paramātmā: the object of worship of the aṣṭāḍga-yogīs. I am the friend of all entities: I am the person who gives benefit to all living entities by instructions about bhakti, through the medium of My devotees, out of My mercy. I am the object of worship for the devotees.
One cannot attain realization of Me, who am beyond the modes, by sattva-guṇa-jñāna. I have said that I am attainable only by bhakti: bhaktyāham ekayā grahyaḥ. In the same way, the yogī, only by bhakti which is beyond the modes, by realizing Me as Paramātmā (jñātvā mām), the object of his worship, attains liberation (śāntim).
This chapter explains that the jñānī and the yogī, by niṣkāma-karma-yoga, attain liberation, after realizing both ātmā and Paramātmā.
Thus ends the commentary on the fifth chapter of the Gītā for the joy of the devotees, through the mercy of the ācāryas.
In the fifth chapter the Lord explains that karma as superior to jñāna, because it strengthens jñāna, and explains knowledge of Paramātmā, along with qualities such as seeing things with equal vision.
Being worried about the contradiction between the two statements at the end of the previous chapter, Arjuna asks a question.
In verse 41 of the last chapter you spoke of renouncing karma by jñāna arising from karma-yoga (yoga-sannyasta-karmāṇam) but in verse 42 You again spoke of taking up karma-yoga (yogam ātiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhārata). It is not possible to perform both renunciation of action and karma-yoga at once because there is essential contradiction between the two, just as there is contradiction between remaining stationary and moving. Therefore the man of knowledge should either renounce karma or perform karma-yoga. Since I do not understand Your intention, I am asking. Among these two, which one is better? Please tell that definitely to me.