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The Bhagavad Gita – the Karma Yogi

1/20/2019

The Bhagavad Gita – the Karma Yogi
॥ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ ॥ ॐ श्री परमात्मने नमः ॥ ॥ अथ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥

The enlightened Karma yogi has no sense of agency, evenness of mind in favourable or unfavourable conditions and offer fruits of actions to almighty. Such yogi is free from bondages.

Initially, he shall have the feeling of agency, so he should offer all the fruits of action to the Brahman. Later, the sense of agency is destroyed. Dedicated and detached actions are brought by Bhakti element.

Real sanyasi and real karma yogi are not so different. Both should abandon all passions and attachments, hope and expectations. The only difference is that one who is early stages of the discipline, struggling to gain the non-attached conditions.

The detailed explanations, chapter wise and verse-wise are as under (the relevant Sanskrit verses of Bhagavad Gita are mentioned at the bottom):

Evenness of mind:

The Karmayogi, who is contented with whatever is got unsought, is free from jealousy and has transcended all pairs of opposites like joy and grief, and is balanced in success and failure, is not bound by his action (4.22).
The Karma yogi who neither hates nor desires should ever be considered as an ever Sanyasi. He who is free from the pairs of opposites is easily liberated from bondage. Renunciation of egoism and desires, not the physical renunciation of objects liberates from bondage (5.3).

Absence of sense of agency:

All actions of karma yogi get dissolved entirely, when he is free from attachment and have no identification with the body and free from the feeling of mine, his mind is established in the knowledge of Self and he works merely for the sake of sacrifice (4.23).
The Karma yogi is one who has fully conquered his mind and mastered his senses, whose heart is pure, and who has identified himself with the Self of all beings (viz., God), remains untainted, even though performing action (5.7).
The Karma yogis perform action only with their senses, mind, and intellect and body as well, without the feeling of mine in respect of them and shaking off attachment, simply for the sake of self-purification (5.11).

Karma as duty:

Some offer as sacrifice their senses of hearing etc., into the fires of self-discipline. Other Yogis without attachment & aversions offer sound and other objects of perception into the fires of the senses (4.26).

Self-Surrender:

Karma yogi, who keeps his mind fixed on God, reaches Brahman in no time (5.6).
One, who acts offering all actions to God, and shaking off attachment, remains untouched by sin, as the lotus leaf by water (5.10).
Offering the fruit of actions to God, the Karma yogi attains everlasting peace in the form of God-realization; whereas, he who works with a selfish motive, being attached to the fruit of actions through desire, gets tied down (5.12).
The Karma yogi depends on Me (Brahman, Almighty, Shree Krishna), attains by My grace the eternal, imperishable state, even though performing all actions (18.56).

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The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita – Varnas or Caste-System

1/4/2019

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The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita – Varnas or Caste-System
॥ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ ॥ ॐ श्री परमात्मने नमः ॥ ॥ अथ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥

There is great deal of misconception about the varna-system (caste system) in Hinduism. It is important to recognize, Varna is not genealogical or by birth or hereditary but by profession. The four Varnas are not lineages, but categories. The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita describes the professions, duties and qualities of members of different varnas. Shree Krishna has clearly explained in chapters 14 and 18 of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita about distribution of duties and Varna-system (caste system).

In Shrimad Bhagavad Gita (chapter 15, verse 1 & 2 of Purushottam Yoga), Shree Krishna advised that the Supreme Being, indestructible, permanent and eternal is root and main trunk is Brahma and universe is its branches. All human beings are created formerly by Brahma. Hence, there is no distinction of Varnas. This whole universe is Brahman.

The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita thereafter recites a behavioural model for Varna based on attributes (gunas) of the persons. These attributes arise from Prakriti (Nature). Prakriti is the conceiving Mother, of which, three gunas viz. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are arise and tie down the imperishable soul to the body (chapter 14, verse 5). There is no entity on earth, or again in heaven among the Devas, that is devoid of these three Gunas, born of Prakriti. The pre-dominance of the particular gunas say sattvika are to be of category Brahmanas irrespective of birth.

The work or duties should be adopted according to in-born Gunas of the persons and the categories of work are described as Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras.

With the evolution of societies in human beings, the work distribution also developed for the better synergy and ease of life. All societies, organisations and countries are marked by work distribution based on the capabilities and aptitudes.

The duties of the Person according to the nature are defined (chapter wise and verse-wise of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita) as under (the relevant Sanskrit verses of Bhagavad Gita are mentioned at the bottom):

Natural attributes of Prakriti:
1. Out of Prakriti, three gunas viz. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are arise and tie down the imperishable soul to the body (14.5).
2. The Sattva being clean, is illuminating and flawless, it binds through attachment to happiness and knowledge (14.6).
3. The Rajas is of the nature of passion, as born of desire and attachment. It binds the soul through attachment to actions and their fruit (14.7).
4. The Tamas , the deceiver of all those who look upon the body as their own self, as born of ignorance. It binds the soul through carelessness/madness, laziness and sleep (14.8).
5. Sattva draws one to pleasure and Rajas to action; and Tamas, covers knowledge and impels one to madness (14.9).
6. Overpowering Rajas and Tamas, Sattva prevails; overpowering Sattva and Tamas, Rajas prevails; even so, overpowering Sattva and Rajas, Tamas prevails (14.10).
7. When wisdom and discernment emerges in this body, as well as in the mind and senses, then one should know that Sattva is predominant (14.11).
8. With the dominance of Rajas, greed, activity, undertaking of action with an interested motive, restlessness and a thirst for enjoyment make their appearance (14.12).
9. With the growth of Tamas, dullness of the mind and senses, disinclination to perform one’s obligatory duties, frivolity, triviality, inertness and delusion etc. appear (14.13).
10. The duties of the Brahmanas, the Ksatriyas the Vaisyas and the sudras have been assigned according to their innate modes of Prakriti (Gunas) of the persons (18.41).

Natural attributes of different Varna:
1. Brahmanas: Of the control of the mind and the senses, austerity, purity, forbearance, and also uprightness, knowledge, realisation, enduring hardships for the discharge of one’s sacred obligations, external and internal purity, forgiving the faults of others, straightness of mind, senses and behaviour, belief in the Vedas and other scriptures, God and life after death etc., study and teaching of the Vedas and other scriptures and realization of the truth relating to God-all – these are the natural duties of the Brahmanas, born of (their own) nature (18.42).
2. Kshatriyas: Heroism, majesty, firmness, diligence, Prowess, boldness, fortitude, generosity, sovereignty, dexterity and dauntlessness in battle, bestowing gifts, and lordliness-all these constitute the natural duty of a Kshatriya born of (their own) nature (18.43).
3. Vaisyas: Agriculture, cattle rearing and honest exchange of merchandise-these constitute the natural duty of a Vaisya (a member of the trading class) born of (their own) nature.
4. Sudras: Service of the other classes is the natural duty even of a Sudra (a member of the labouring class) (18.44).
For Liberation:
1. Keenly devoted to his own natural duty, man attains the highest perfection in the form of God realization. Hear the mode of performance whereby the man engaged in his inborn duty reaches that highest consummation (18.45).
2. From whom all beings come into being and by whom the whole universe is pervaded, by worshipping Him through the performance of his own natural duties, man attains the highest perfection (18.46). Prakriti (Nature) together with the Guna-even though performing his duties in every way is not born again (13.23).
3. Performing the duty ordained by his own nature, man does not incur sin (18.47).

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shri Krishna & Shrimad bhagavad gita

The Bhagavad Gita – the Karma Yogi

The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita – Varnas or Caste-System

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