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The Fifth Chapter of Gita is called ‘Karma-Sanyas
Yoga’ - the Yoga of transcending karmas. The Chapter has 29 shlokas and is
a continuation of the topic, which was started in the third chapter. The
uniqueness of Gita is to reveal an Art of Action because of which we learn
to live dynamically & efficiently, yet remain unaffected with the
vicissitudes of life. While the earlier chapters of this section revealed
to us the extreme necessity of karma in life, and then emulating the action
done by Lord Krishna himself to get the best out of our life, this chapter
reveals a subtler & subjective dimension of this process of transcending
the process of karma.
The chapter starts with a question of Arjuna, that ‘O
Lord! On one hand you glorify the sanyas of karma and on the other you
glorify doing of action too. I am not able to reconcile both these
apparently contradictory statements, so I request you to kindly enlighten
me as to which of the two is good & right for me.’
While a similar question was asked by Arjuna in the
third chapter, the difference here is that Arjuna likes to be clear on this
as to how far action takes one to the portals of the truth. Lord Krishna
starts his discourse by telling Arjuna that both Sanyas & Karma Yoga
are parts of the package to awaken to the truth within, but one should be
very clear that for a person who is yet to be fully ready, resorting to Karma
Yoga is far better. The essence of sanyas is to attain a state wherein one
neither has any aversion for things outside nor does he arrogates too great
an importance to extraneous things. This ability alone is aimed to be
developed and polished by Karma Yoga. So both these sadhanas aim at one
goal alone. Whoever sees both these to be for different ends – sees not.
Having said this Lord goes about to tell that a Karma
Yogi should ultimately ‘see’ that while doing our duties intensely &
lovingly we stand apart even while acting. This is something to be
experienced, and is easily possible for one who has an equanimous mind of a
Karma Yogi. An action is an interaction between our senses & objects,
and in this process we are conscious of the whole game. To the extent our
attachments are reduced & eliminated to that extent this experience is
possible. He says that a Yogi is basically motivated by the possibility of
getting the ability to experience the state of ‘standing apart’. He acts
dynamically, lovingly & in an integrated way. It is very necessary to
learn the art of acting in this way, and then alone the above experience is
possible.
Such a person offers all his karmas to Lord, not with
the notion that these are taken by the Lord, but because this attitude
cleanses him of all attachments & arrogance of doership – thus
facilitating the flowering up of the above ability. Such a person is at
peace with himself, inspite of any intense action. He alone discovers that
I – the Atma never does any actions, nor makes anyone do. It is the nature
of various things including the desire to keep the act going. It was the
ignorance of the true nature of ones Self that we limit ourself as a doer
and then suffer endlessly. A person who realizes the truth of oneself has done
all one needs to be really done. Rest is all a play. Nothing ever affects
him. There are no stresses in his life. He is ever at peace with himself.
So real sing this one should work to act with a
different motivation, and not by ego-centric likes & dislikes. One
should realize that attachments to the so-called extraneous joys &
pleasures, deny the vistas of discoveries within. The beginning & end
of seeking any pleasures reveals the existence of a limited person, and
thus inspite of pleasures our limitations remain as they are, and so does
the seeking. So one should rather work with a different motivation, and go
out in the world not with a sense of seeking but to polish the ability to
act dynamically lovingly so as to open the vistas of awakening within.
Thus ends the fifth chapter of Bhagwad Gita.
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