- 6th chapter: verses 1, 2 and 3
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 25, 2020.
- In the first five chapters, Lord Krishna infuses in Arjuna a sense of duty and righteousness of action. He then explains Advaita philosophy, karma yoga, and how to perform duties with a sense of sanctity and scaredness, and without desire.
- In the 5th chapter, Lord Krishna describes two types of renunciation. (1) Renunciation of the identification of oneself as the agency of action and (2) Renunciation of the strong desire to enjoy the fruits of one’s actions. To achieve this, one must make his mind ready by undertaking spiritual practices and by transcending obsessive attachment and aversion.
- 1st verse: “The one who performs his duties without attachment to the fruits of his action – he is the ideal man of renunciation, not the one who physically gives up his duties.”
- Renunciation is both for monks and householders. It is a symbol of our spiritual wisdom that there is something higher that we should aspire for, and that we should go beyond the realm of worldly enjoyments.
- Lord Krishna implies through this verse that just by giving up external vedic rituals, one does not become a man of renunciation. He needs to transcend them. A beginner should perform rituals with desire for worldly comforts. As he evolves, he should perform the rituals with a higher perspective of purifying his mind – this allows him to transcend rituals.
-Know that devotion to karma yoga and renunciation are the same in actual practice. They constitute an integral part of our spiritual life. One cannot achieve this without giving up our thoughts and concerns about the results of actions.
- A real man of renunciation performs all his duties with full attention, but without anxiety about what he is doing and what the results will be.
- There are two types of karmas; (1) Kaamya karma – karmas performed with an objective and (2) Nitya karma – our everyday obligations. One should not give up these karmas. Rather, one should perform them with a sense of prayer, mentally offering to God and for the good of humanity. Then these karmas have a purifying effect on our mind and lead to Chitta-shuddhi.
- A person who has attained Chitta-shuddhi can practice meditation naturally. When a beginner meditates, he may feel restless due to negative samskaras. These samskaras can be removed through the practice of unselfishness in daily duties.
- One should not suddenly sit for meditation, as it can create conflicts. He should slowly lift his mind to higher levels by reading good books or listening to bhajans. Practice of selfless duties also prepares the mind. Meditation is the seventh stage in Patanajali’s Ashtanga Yoga – Yamas, Niyama, Aasana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhayna and Samadhi.
- 3rd verse: “For a spiritual seeker who is still evolving, duties themself become the path that will take him to a stage that transcends duties. For the sage who has attained he highest state of Yoga, inaction becomes natural – he withdraws himself from worldly pursuits and bondages.”
- Swami Vivekananda said: “The world is a gym for us to work out our karmas, climb the ladder of spiritual life, and transcend action and inaction.”
- For a beginner, whatever work he does – that work offers an opportunity for him to work out his karmas, purify his mind and get to the next stage.
- This evolution is demonstrated in the life of Sri Ramakrishna. When he came to Dakshineswar, he performed all rituals with meticulous care. After a few years, he was completely identified with Brahman and could not even pluck a flower - he saw it as non-distinct from Brahman.
- At the highest state, one does not have to perform rituals. The whole life is spiritualized. Every thought becomes a meditation, every word becomes a mantra, every action becomes an act of worship.