अथ द्वितीयोऽध्यायः । साङ्ख्ययोगः
2. Samkhya Yoga
The Yoga of Self- Knowledge.
The attainment of perfection is its supreme object.
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ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु
ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे
साङ्ख्ययोगो नाम द्वितीयोऽध्यायः ॥ २॥
In the Upanishad of the Bhagavad Gita, the knowledge of Brahman, the Supreme, the science of Yoga and the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, this is the second discourse designated:

THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE

2- 54 to 72. The Enlightened Defined

2-54.mp3

Arjuna now gets an opportunity to raise a question. He submit before the Lord:-
अर्जुन उवाच ।
स्थितप्रज्ञस्य का भाषा समाधिस्थस्य केशव ।
स्थितधीः किं प्रभाषेत किमासीत व्रजेत किम् ॥ २-५४॥
Arjuna said:
2-54 . What O Keshava, is the mark of man of stead-fast wisdom, steeped in Samadhi? How does the man firm in wisdom speak, how sit, how walk?

The concluding eighteen stanzas in this chapter are devoted to the definition of a Brahma-Jnani. Those who want to improve their handwriting choose to copy of the model letters and alphabets. And this method is inevitably adopted in all fields. In picking up the language, painting and singing the perfect ones are imitated; there is no other way of acquiring knowledge and art. Brahma-Jnanam is no exception to this. While the illumined one established in perfection is being defined, the method and the means to attain that state are also contained in the definition. The goal and the paths thereof are simultaneously presented. A diligent inquiry into them and an ardent practice are wanted to achieve the Ideal.

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श्रीभगवानुवाच ।

प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् ।
आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्टः स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते ॥ २-५५॥
The Blessed Lord said:
2-55. When a man abandons, O partha, all the desires of the heart and is satisfied in the self by the self, then he said to be one stable in wisdom.

This answer is the first part of Arjuna's question.
What is the mark of man of stead-fast wisdom?
Fire is hot; it need not go anywhere in search of warmth. Even so Atman is Bliss. It imposes the bliss within on objects outside and goes in search of those objects believing that with their acquisition happiness can be gained. This search outside for happiness is kama. The grabbing modification of the mind is kama. The waves and ripples on the surface of water obscure the sight of the sand bed below. The ripples of kama in the mind obstruct the vision of Atman, the basis. All the same, the changeless bliss within reveals itself as the happiness coming from the sense-objects outside. When the mind is pacified by relinquishing all the kamas, the blissful Atman is realized in Its original glory. He is a Brahma-Jnani who intuits that the happiness he sought for in the world outside, is in its entirety in himself. He remains Self-satisfied. The aspirant who seeks to wipe out all desires and to pacify the mind is the one who practices yoga.

He who is dead as it where when alive, that is to say, as desireless as a corpse, become competent for Brahma-Jnanam ---Sri Ramkrishna

2-56.mp3

Pacification of mind is being explained now:-
दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः ।
वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते ॥ २-५६॥
2-56. He whose mind is not perturbed by adversity, who does not crave for happiness, who is free from fondness, fear and anger, is the Muni of constant wisdom.

There is no end to events in this world, which come as trials and tribulations to man. The way of the ordinary is to be afflicted by them. But the man of Wisdom remains unperturbed, viewing them as unavoidable but effect less to the extent ignored. By adding, fuel to fire its volume and intensity increase. Desire for happiness increases similarly in a worldly man but never in a Jnani. In the midst of an ever increasing number of objects of happiness, he lives entirely unconcerned with them. He is further free from fondness, fear and anger. These three traits tarnish the mind. Fondness is attachment which robs the aspirant of discrimination. Man fails to see defects in those he is fond of. Detached love is what is wanted. Man is not fond of a poisonous snake, but he fears it. Fear is born of ignorance; it deprives man of manliness; it is worse than death. Fearlessness is the message of the Upanishads. The Jnani fears nothing including death. Practice of fearlessness is imperative for not only the seeker of wisdom, but also for all who want to thrive in life. Bhima the brother immediately elder to Arjuna is one not at all attached to the Kauravas and in no way afraid of them; but he was bitterly angry with them. Anger unbecomes an ethically and spiritually evolving one. It robs one of discrimination. The mind that is free from attachment, fear and anger evolves in excellence. The Brahma-Jnani is necessarily established in these virtues.
Muni is he whose mind delights in the Self as steadily and uninterruptedly as the unbroken flow of oil poured from its container.

The Man given to envy, anger and timidity never grows in spiritual stature. ---- Sri Ramkrishna

2-57.mp3

How does the man of wisdom connect the external world? The answer comes:-
यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम् ।
नाभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥ २-५७॥
2- 57. He who is unattached everywhere, who is not delighted at receiving good nor dejected at coming by evil, is poised in wisdom.

This world is mixture of good and evil. People who are attached to it are bound to have joy and sorrow. They oscillate helplessly between weal and woe. But the Jnani remains supremely above these turmoils. He is no creature of circumstances. From his mouth come neither word or praise nor those of censure. This is the implied answer to the question as to how he speaks.

For the man who sees from the peak of a hill, the tall tree, the grass, the ups and downs and everything on the plain below seem alike. The Brahma-Jnani sees divinity alone in everything. He makes no distance between the good and the bad and between the superior and the inferior. ----Sri Ramkrishna

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The self mastery of the Jnani is now explained as follow:-
यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः ।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥ २-५८॥
2-58. When also, like a tortoise its limb, he can withdraw the sense from sense -object his wisdom is then set firm.

The tortoise withdraws its limbs into the shell with ease and spontaneity to protect itself against possible dangers. It then rests satisfied with the self provided security. It is as natural as this for a man of perfection to be introvert. This process is technically known as pratyahara. As a man bolts (pass (flour, powder, or other material) through a sieve) from within and sits indoors undisturbed, the Jnani delights in self; and this is norm with him. Just as a fish put back into the water., the knower of Brahman derives bliss from the core of his being. Complete mastery over the senses is characteristic of illumined.

Poisonous snakes fatally hurt people. But the snake charmer handles them as if they are no creatures of consequence. More than that, he has quite a few of them coil, creep and writhe about his body. The senses, like wise, are undependable and treacherous too, in the case of ordinary man. But they are ever tame and subservient to the knower of Atman. ---Sri Ramkrishna

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The following 3 stanzas contain the answer to how the enlightened One Sits:
विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः ।
रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते ॥ २-५९॥
2-59. Senses objects drop out for the abstinent man, though not the longing for them. His longing also ceases when he intuits the Supreme.

The senses of those fallen sick become unfit for indulgence; but the craving in them for sense enjoyment persists. They harbour the hope of being able to enjoy after recovery. A convict in prison is forced to abstain from sense enjoyments; but the hankering for them dwells in his heart. While the body and the senses are under restraint, the mind wanders. The mental make up of the beginner in austerity is not far removed from that of the patient or the prisoner. Subtle tendencies hover about in him.
Seeds that are burnt do not sprout any further. Similarly the vagrant mind gets vanquished once for all with the dawn of the Knowledge Supreme. A Jnani is he in whom mentation has lost its vehemence. An aspirant is he who tries to sublimate the senses by associating them always with the Sublime.

A brother and sister were playing in a dense and bushy garden. All on a sudden brother was missing. While other was anxiously searching for him, a bear came out of a bush. The girl became stunned with fear. Finding the joke too severe for her, the brother threw off the mask of bear and presented himself in his true form. The terrified girl came then to her senses and wondered that it was all play of her own brother. In this manner Brahman puts on mask of the phenomenon and allures or frightens the ignorant. But the enlightened One is no more frightened or enticed. He transcends the senses. ---- Sri Ramkrishna

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The nature of uncontrolled senses:-
यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चितः ।
इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मनः ॥ २-६०॥
2-60. The exited senses, O son of Kunti, impetuously, carry away the mind of even a wise man, striving for perfection.

Treacherous are the senses. They are as impetuous as wild horses newly harnessed. Riding on them is risky to life. The major portion of the spiritual discipline to which an aspirant subjects himself is actually the warfare that he carries on with the wayward senses. Innumerable are the defeats that he suffers at their hands at the initial stage. Repentance so much spoken of by a section of theologians as a means to win the mercy of the Maker is none other than the moral man chewing the cud of the rebuffs and reverses that he has had from the restive senses.
Conquest of the senses is the means for the attainment of excellence here and hereafter. The refinement of an individual or a society is measured by the yardstick of sense-control.

People who live in localities infested with venomous creatures should always be alert and mindful of the danger. Even so, people intent on spiritual growth should guard themselves against indulgent senses tainted with lust and greed. --Sri Ramakrishna

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The means to subdue senses:-
तानि सर्वाणि संयम्य युक्त आसीत मत्परः ।
वशे हि यस्येन्द्रियाणि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥ २-६१॥
2-61. The yogi having controlled them all, sits focused on Me as supreme goal. His wisdom is constant whose senses are under subjugation .

Mind cannot occupy itself at the same time with two conflicting thoughts. In the auto-suggestion, "I shall efface sense pleasures," the idea of those pleasures is involved. It gets deep-rooted in the mind. In a favorable future situation this hidden idea sprouts and puts forth branches. By nipping the tender branches on the surface, the stalk and the roots below are not destroyed. On the other hand, the stem gathers strength below. The unwanted idea thrives in the sub-conscious region of the mind; it is negatively fostered. The process has therefore to be reversed by substituting a positive idea such as, "I shall delight in the glory of the Lord." When this wholesome idea gains in strength the other gets purged away. Healthy ideas wipe out the unhealthy ones. As devotion to the Lord increases, the wild vehemence, of the mind gets tamed down.

No thought of any sense-indulgence crops up in the mind while one is bitterly bereaved of a dearly loved relative. Similarly no vulgar thought crops up in the mind of the one devoted to Divine. The turbulent senses in him become subdued soon. ---- Sri Ramkrishna

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ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते ।
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥ २-६२॥
2-62. Brooding on the objects of senses, man develops attachment to them; from attachment comes desire; from desire anger sprouts forth.

2-63.mp3

क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः ।
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥ २-६३॥
2-63 From anger proceeds delusion, from delusion, confused memory; from confused memory the ruin of reason; due to the ruin of reason he perishes.

What is enunciated here may be explained through a concrete example as follows:-
A man goes to his office every day seeing on the road many people, but not taking note of them. Like mere phantoms they appear and disappear. An attractive figure one day left a faint impression in his mind. On the following day the same figure drew a little more of his attention. Subsequent sights of that lovely figure made him cogitate; it was a pretty young woman that took possession of his mind. He developed attachment to, and picked up acquaintance with her, which steadily grew into friendship. Then came in him the desire to make the charming woman his own. Rivalry now ensued between him and another young man courting her. Competition between the two changed into bitter anger.
What else is anger if it is not an obstructed desire? From the sort of anger provoked in one, the nature of the desire lurking in one can easily be detected. Anger is temporary insanity. When the mind is occasionally upset it is anger, when permanently, it is lunacy. In effect both are the same; delusion ensues in either case.
In the woodlands the trees, creepers and plants are all easily discernible. But when there is a dust laden tempest the trees are tossed so much that one cannot be distinguished from another. It is a mass of confusion. Akin to this is the state of mind given to anger. It gets deluded; next comes the loss of memory of things good and bad. A violence is resorted to indiscriminately, paving the way for self destruction.
The prolonged bitter anger in the two wooers of the woman burst one day into a rage. A scuffle ensued in which one tried to do away with the other. They forgot in the excitement about the severe punishment that the law of the land metes out for attempted murder. Both were jailed and the woman had her own lover to marry. Loss of discrimination paves the way for self-destruction.
A minute peepal seed gets into a crack in a wall, sprouts, grows and rents the wall asunder. Similarly an evil thought germinates in the mind, develops in its own way and wrecks the man ultimately. Thought can make or mar man. Good thought mends and makes man while the evil one ends him.

2-64.mp3

On what should mind, weaned from the senses, be placed? The answer comes:-
रागद्वेषविमुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् ।
आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति ॥ २-६४॥
2-64. But disciplined yogi, moving among objects with the senses under control, and free from attraction and aversion, gains in tranquility .

The senses are extrovert by nature. They ramble in fields external. Those objects that are pleasing to them are hugged while those others that are displeasing, shunned. A closer study reveals that these senses are themselves instruments in the hands of the mind. As goaded on by the mind they indulge in attraction and aversion.
He is a yogi who has conquered his mind. He makes it revel in Atman. If it ever goes outward, it does so being untainted by attraction and aversion. There is purity as well as innocence in its contacting the external objects, with the result that the tranquility of the mind is not disturbed. On the other hand calmness and clarity increase. It is a form of Samadhi for the mind to be fixed in purity and calmness, while making benign use of the senses.

Sri Ramakrishna's life exemplifies this fact. The sight of an extensive verdure below and dense black clouds above with a group of snow white cranes in flight in between, took him into the Beyond. While the make-up of Siva was going on on his person, the sense of touch with the holy ash all over the body transported him into the Infinite. Hearing of the divine name of the Lord was a sure means to put him in Samadhi. The aroma of the incense used in worship roused the divine consciousness in him. The taste of the sacramental food invoked his devotion to God. Thus all the five senses served him as gateways to the Noumenon. Instead of their being impediments they became instruments for the transcendental flights of the perfected mind of this disciplined yogi.

2-65.mp3

Now come the answer to the question as to how the man of steady wisdom walks:-
प्रसादे सर्वदुःखानां हानिरस्योपजायते ।
प्रसन्नचेतसो ह्याशु बुद्धिः पर्यवतिष्ठते ॥ २-६५॥
2-65. In tranquility, all his sorrow is destroyed. For the intellect of the tranquil-minded is soon anchored in equilibrium.

This world is a mixture of good and evil. But the majority of people see more of evil than good in it. Some among them hope that when the world gets rectified there is the possibility of their enjoying more of peace of mind. Cognizing evil in the world and mind being given to restlessness are interrelated. Evils seen outside are all, in fact, the projections of the mind; they have no external reality. As the mind gets purified, seeing of evil gets minimized. Grounds for becoming a prey to sorrow are accordingly cut down. When the mind becomes perfectly pure all evils and all sorrow automatically vanish. Keeping the mind even under all circumstances is the means to gain in purity.
What appears as the world is verily the Divinity. Creating relationship with It on this basis leads to the purification of mind. Poise and placidity are the characteristics of the purified mind. Atman, the Reality, gets reflected best in it. Ultimately the pure mind itself gets merged in Atman.

After curdling, the milk is to be kept undisturbed in one place only so that it may coagulate into good curds. Change of place will have adverse effect likewise mind is to be fixed on the Lord only for it to become calm and divine. ---Sri Ramakrishna

2-66.mp3

What is the harm accruing from allowing the mind to dissipate? The answer comes :-
नास्ति बुद्धिरयुक्तस्य न चायुक्तस्य भावना ।
न चाभावयतः शान्तिरशान्तस्य कुतः सुखम् ॥ २-६६॥
2-66. There is no wisdom in the fickle minded; nor is there meditation in him. To the unmeditative there is no peace. And how can the peaceless enjoy happiness?

Yoga is the science of self-culture. He who devoutly practises it is called a yukta; but he who is indifferent to it is an ayukta. It is by the practice of self-culture buddhi or right understanding is developed. It makes the mind profound, which state being known as bhavana. The one devoid of profundity does not get at santi - the serenity of mind. How can there be happiness to one with a disturbed mind?
Excellencies such as deep discrimination, benign mentation, solemn bearing and unbroken joy emanate from the practice of yoga. He who is indifferent to this soul-elevating science paves the way for self-annihilation.

Clay allows itself to be moulded into any fine form; but baked clay is of no use for this purpose. Mind burnt by profane desires is incapable of taking divine moulds. -Sri Ramakrishna

2-67.mp3

Why does the one with undisciplined mind get illuminated? The answer comes:-
इन्द्रियाणां हि चरतां यन्मनोऽनुविधीयते ।
तदस्य हरति प्रज्ञां वायुर्नावमिवाम्भसि ॥ २-६७॥
2-67. Just as a gale pushes away a ship on the waters, the mind that yields to the roving senses carries away his discrimination.

A ship without a rudder is at the mercy of a strong wind. Nothing can be predicted as to where it will be shoved. Senses are involuntarily drawn to the sense-objects. Mind that follows in the wake of the senses is naturally led astray by them. As a rudderless ship does not reach its destination, so the misdirected mind does not contact Atman. The wick that contacts a flame gets lit; similarly the mind that communes with Atman gets illumined.

Sense Pleasure are like itching eczema. There is pleasure in violently scratching it. But disease gets aggravated there by. By yielding to sense pleasures mind gets more entangled in them. --- Sri Ramkrishna

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How shall senses are handled then? The answer comes:-
तस्माद्यस्य महाबाहो निगृहीतानि सर्वशः ।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥ २-६८॥
2-68. Therefore O mighty-armed, his cognition is well poised, whose senses are completely restrained from their object.

The very purpose of being blessed with the senses is defeated if they are not allowed to contact the objects. That they should be rendered defunct is not the teaching of the Lord. The deciding factor between good and evil is the attitude with which the senses are directed on the sense-objects. Perceiving them with covetousness is sin, while viewing them as objects of adoration is virtue. Gluttony and slavery to the tongue is sin; eating to keep the body fit for a noble purpose is virtue. Beholding the body of a person with a lustful eye is sin; viewing it as the temple of God is virtue. All the five senses can be sublimated and the sense-objects sanctified in such a way that the divinity alone is contacted in and through all of them. Sri Ramakrishna perfected his, sense of sight so well that all womenfolk including the street-walker were to him veritable embodiments of the Divine Mother. Sublimation of the senses was at its zenith in him. Mastery over the senses in this manner makes one competent to gain intuitive knowledge of the Imperishable. This knowledge once obtained persists for ever.

Blinkers have to be used in order to break horse to the rein. Otherwise it will not be tamed. Vulgar desires have to be done away with in order to obtain divine. Purity of mind, complete sense-control, desirelessness - the divine qualities make one complete to gain Godhood. ---Sri Ramkrishna

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What is the transformation in the aspirant that the sublimation of the senses bring in its train? Here comes the answer:-
या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी ।
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः ॥ २-६९॥
2-69. That which is night to all beings, in that the disciplined man wakes; that in which all beings wake, is night to the Atman-cognizing Muni.

The faculty of seeing varies with beings in the physical plane. While man is able to see distinctly in broad daylight, owls and tigers are not able to do so. Day is therefore virtually night to them; and what is night to man actually serves as day to them. For, they then discern well. Day and night as physical facts are one thing and as of practical value quite another for beings differently constituted.
Men are not all wakeful to the same thing. A thief is well posted with particulars in his field, while the rest are all hidden in darkness to him. To a gambler his game is as bright as day, other concerns being enshrouded as if in darkness. The learned see well into the literary world, unmindful of everything else. The same world opens up different vistas to different people in accordance with their dispositions.
To people who are sense-bound things earthly are all real and they are immersed in them; they are wakeful to the mundane. To the Brahma-Jnani, on the other hand, who has conquered the senses and who has awakened to divine consciousness, the spectacle is different. His intuition, his concepts, his precepts are all filled in with Divinity. Whatever is, is Brahman to him. He colonizes existence as Brahman and not as the mundane. According to the attainment, beings are attuned to different planes of Existence. The Enlightened one is in the finale of It.

With the realization of God everything undergoes transformation to the Jnani. It is God Himself that has become the phenomenal universe and all the beings in it. The son is then perceived as the boy Krishna. Father and mother undergo metamorphosis as the Divinity. The wife is no more his mate; be sees the Cosmic Mother in her. Recognizing God in all, adoration to Him takes place through the worshipful service of all. ---Sri Ramakrishna

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The Plenitude ensuing from Brahma-jnanam is as follow:-
आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं
समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् ।
तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे
स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी ॥ २-७०॥
2-70. Not the desirer of desires, but that man attains Peace, in whom all desires merge even as rivers flow into the ocean which is full and unmoving.

It is not possible for any one to add to, or subtract the volume of the ocean. Though all the rivers of the world continue to empty themselves into it, its magnitude remains ever the same. If the rivers ceased to flow in and evaporation went on as usual, even then the expanse of the ocean will be the same. It is ever full. The mind of the Muni is like the ocean. The sensations brought in by the sense-organs get themselves dissolved the ocean of consciousness. No modifications of the mind such as desires, aversions, longings, feelings and thoughts take shape. The question of the mind getting muddled does not arise there. It is a vast wave less ocean of consciousness. Not a speck of mentation may be noticed in that infinitude. He who is in this blessed state is a Jivan mukta- a free soul, even though embodied. The very presence of an emancipated soul is a boon to the society. In his presence the minds of aspirants automatically become pacified.

There is mountains, hills, dales, valleys and plains at the bottom of the ocean. But they are not discernible on the surface. Akin to it the Jnani in samadhi experience Infinite-existence-knowledge bliss. Modification such as I and mine get merged in that beatitude.

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What should the aspirant do so that he may gain access to this state (beatitude)? The answer comes :-
विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान्पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः ।
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः स शान्तिमधिगच्छति ॥ २-७१॥
2-71. That man attains peace who lives devoid of longing, freed from all desires and with out the feeling of "I" and "Mine".

As long as man is given to worldly desires he will not have peace of mind. Calmness comes to the extent craving is quelled. The feeling of "I" and "mine" leads man into bondage to karma. Agency and ownership are the modifications of mind that ensue from this feeling. Waves and billows rise up on the surface of the sea and put on appearances of separate volumes of water. It seems as if the sea is split up into many bits. But in fact it is one undivided mass of water. The ego, in this way, makes man feel he is a separate entity. And desire is the root cause of this apparent individuality. With the cessation of desire the ego assuming "I " and "mine " disappears. What remains is the unmodified super consciousness bathed in bliss. All ethical and spiritual life is directed to the elimination of the ego.

When the goat is slaughtered its body shakes for a while as if imbued with life. Similarly the ego of the Jnani undergoes slaughter when he attains illumination. But a trace of the ego lingers just to carry on the bodily sustenance. But it has no power to bind him again to worldliness. -- Sri Ramkrishana

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The consummation that comes along with spiritual illumination is as follows:-
एषा ब्राह्मी स्थितिः पार्थ नैनां प्राप्य विमुह्यति ।
स्थित्वास्यामन्तकालेऽपि ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृच्छति ॥ २-७२॥
2-72. This, O Parth, is the Brahman state. Attaining this, none is bewildered. Being established in it even at the death hour, a man gets into oneness with the Brahman.

Objects seen in dream have their value as long as that dream lasts. Pleasure and pain experienced in it have also their importance. But on coming to wakefulness, the dream world is rejected as delusion. Brahma nirvanam is the highest state of existence, getting into which the ordinary wakefulness itself is equated with dream and set aside as valueless, Mundane existence no more deludes the Brahma- jnani.
Brahma-nirvanam is also designated as Aparoksha-anubhuti. It transcends the mind and the intellect. An individual short of this illumination is called a Jivatman. If he holds on to the body after intuiting it, he is classified as Jivan-mukta - freed while in the body. As all rivers re-enter the ocean and become one with it, all Jivas re-enter Brahman and get identified with that Absolute State. And this is the goal of life. If this state be attained even at the last moment when the body is about to drop, the man enters Brahma-nirvanam. He no more embodies.

The newly married daughter in law is given plenty of domestic work by the mother in-law. But as she advances in pregnancy her work is reduced. After the birth of the child she is permitted to be busy all the while caressing the baby. Attainment of Brahma-jnanam is analogous to this. Through the devout discharge of one's duty one's mind gets purified and comes to know of the presence of the Lord in one's heart. Then work is steadily abandoned and constant communion resorted to until at-one-ment is reached. --Sri Ramakrishna

What ought to be ideal in life? The answer comes :-

2- 45 to 53 The Key to Yoga.

2-45.mp3

त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन ।
निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान् ॥ २-४५॥
2-45. The Vedas enumerates three Gunas. You transcend the three Gunas, O Arjuna.
1. Be free from the pairs of opposites,
2. Ever balanced,
3. Unconcerned with getting and keeping and centered in the self.

Prakruti or the phenomenal universe is here designated as the Vedas; and this is correct definition. The compiled literary works, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva are also called vedas, because they deal with the working of the universe. They help the aspirant to understand intellectually, the function of Prakruti. So far, they are indispensable. When the vedas are said to be imperishable, it refers to Prakruti which is eternal and not to the books which run the risk of being destroyed or neglected. More than this, it is Prakruti that is constituted of three Gunas - Sattava, Rajas, and Tamas.
To be Prakruti-bound is not the goal of the enlightened human life. While the life here is entangled, what is beyond is unfettered. The means to get into it is also present herein. Heat and cold, Pain and pleasure, gain and loss, victory and defeat- duals such as these are called the pairs of opposites. They are inevitable in the phenomenal existence. When a person refuses to be affected favourably or adversely by these happenings and when he maintain even-mindedness, he is said to be making progress in self-culture. The term Yoga-kshema requires to be clarified. Yoga is the act of seeking for the needful earthly things and kshema the act of keeping carefully, such of things procured. But the spiritual aspirant ought to be unconcerned with getting and keeping them. As all beings get, as a matter of course, the air they require for breathing, the spiritual aspirant gets his bare bodily requirements without effort. Such is law of spiritual life. The aspirant deviates from the path when he gives undue attention to getting and keeping them. As he gets his being centered in the self, he transcend the phenomenal existence.
Gita Gita Gita -Tyagi = Renunciation of the phenomenal existence is the gist of Gita.

If the word Gita' be rapidly repeated it would sound, 'Tagi, Tagi... ' And Tagi is a modification of Tyagi- the man of renunciation. Renunciation of the phenomenal existence is the gist of the Gita. ---Sri Ramakrishna

2-46.mp3

What ever a man wants for his earthly life can be procured here and he can live a happy life. Instead, what is it that one gets by transcending the three gunas? The answer comes:-
यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके ।
तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः ॥ २-४६॥
2-46 To an enlightened Brahmana all the vedas are as useful as a tank when there is a flood everywhere.

It is evident that a tank containing water is very useful in a place where water cannot be had from any other source. But nobody ever pays any attention to such a tank in a locality submerged everywhere with pure water. Likewise the Vedas and the scriptures are of use to those who are still in ignorance. By faithfully following the sacred books happiness can be obtained on earth and in heaven which are both in the region of the phenomenon. But the various spheres of relative existence become meaningless to the one illumined with Brahma-jnanam. It is infinite beatitude. All earthly and heavenly happinesses are mere rays of that endless brilliance. The food consumed in dream does not nourish the body; whereas what is consumed in the wakeful state gives succour both in the wakeful state and in sleep. Likewise Brahma-jnanam which leads to the absolute existence enriches the Prakriti-bound relative existence also abundantly.

The courtesan of a prince heeds not the courting of a beggar on the road. The one enjoying the supreme bliss of communion with the Maker cares not for all earthly joys and enticements. ----Sri Ramakrishna

2-47.mp3

A man in a locality where there is only a tank of water to content himself with it. Similarly the man who blessed with Brahma-jnanam has to be contented with mundane happiness only. A contention to this effect is likely to be advanced. No reconcile not yourself with vulgar existence, but prepare yourself as follow:-
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
2-47. Seek to perform your duty; but lay not claim to its fruits. Be you not the producer of the fruits of Karma; neither shall you lean towards inaction.

There seems to be an anomaly and defeat of purpose in this injunction of the lord. Not an atom moves without a motive. Being are all busy either to gain something or toward off something unwanted. In the absence of such a motive no action needs be performed. But the lord induces Arjuna not to be motivated and at the same time to be intensely active. Yes, herein lies the turning point in life from Preyas to Sreyas. Good accrues from detachment and never from attachment. Karma in itself is no evil; but it becomes so when mixed up with desire. Desire tainted karma gives continuity to the wheel of birth and death. The seeker after heavenly enjoyments are also slaves to desire. conquerors of desire are they who care not for the fruits of Karma. Freedom from desire is real freedom. When duty is discharged untarnished by desire, clarity of understanding ensues. In addition to it, efficiency increases. Karma therefore has to be performed perfectly by the aspirant unmindful of fruits thereof.

A boat may be floating on water, but no water should be allowed to get into it. Man may live in the world, but no worldly desire ought to take possession of him. ----Sri Ramkrishna

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How the desire less one works and lives in the world is being explained now:-
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय ।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥ २-४८॥
2-48 Perform action, O Dhananjaya,
1. being fixed in yoga,
2. renouncing attachments, and
3. even-minded in success and failure;
equilibrium is verily yoga.

The yogi holds all the activities taking place in him as the doing of the Lord. He places himself in the position of a willing servant, ever ready to execute orders. An attitude of this kind eliminates attachment. The master orders his servant to go to the next village and bring a particular person. The servant goes on the errand accordingly, but finds the person absent. There is no disappointment in him for this failure. He is commissioned to go to another on which he is able to find the required person. There is no special elation over the success now. The servant is simply satisfied with carrying out orders effectively. It is in this manner that the yogi holds the success and failure in his endeavors free from attachment and aversion.
The nature of the mind is to be elated in success and dejected in failure. But by remaining unperturbed by either, the mind gains in clarity સ્પષ્ટતા and firmness. It is like the surface of water that has become placid and fit to reflect object clearly. This even-mindedness is equilibrium. He is a yogi who keeps the mind in his poised state under all circumstances. Spiritual growth is possible to him only who keeps mind ever poised.

Be in the world even as a maid-servant in a rich man's house. For all intents and purposes she claims her master's children and property as her own. But at the core of her heart she knows that they do not belong to her and she remains firm in that attitude. Seemingly own worldly things; but have no attachment to them. As the maid-servant can with ease relinquish here assumed ownership of his master's property, be prepared for separation from earthly possession. ----Sri Ramkrishna

2-49.mp3

The frame of mind that unbecomes a yogi is now dilated upon:-
दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय ।
बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः ॥ २-४९॥
2-49. Motivated Karma is, O Dhanajaya, far inferior to that performed in the equanimity of mind; take refuge in the evenness of the mind; wretched are the result seekers.

A porter carries the luggage of a railway passenger from one platform to another. A co-passenger also carries for him one or two bundles of his, with a helpful attitude. Though the action is same for the porter and the co-passenger their attitudes differ widely. The one work for a wage and the other for love. The wage earner remains a cooly while the other evolves in mind. The majority in the world works like the wage earner and make themselves wretched. But few work for duty's shake expecting nothing in return. They ever assume role of a giver and never that of a grabber. The more the water from a well is bailed out, the more fresh water sprout in it. The more a man acts for duty's sake seeking nothing in return, the more he grow in yoga.

2-50.mp3

Does the equilibrium of mind add to its efficiency? The answer comes:-
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते ।
तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥ २-५०॥
2-50. The one fixed in equanimity of mind frees oneself in his life from vice and virtue alike; therefore devote yourself to yoga; work done to perfection is verily yoga.

Karma is classified a good or bad based on the result it produces. Good karma is as much the cause as the bad one, for continuity of the wheel of birth and death. But Karma Yogi is not affected by karma of any kind. This is due to his being fixed in equanimity - the state free from likes and dislikes, attachment and aversion. A surgeon cuts and operates on the body of a patient. The sick man's surviving the surgery or succumbing to it, does not make the doctor virtuous or vicious. He does his duty very well for duty's sake. If patient dies while being operated on , the doctor does not feel guilty of murder. He goes to series of operations calmly because of his equanimity of mind. But this very doctor dare not operate on his own ailing son; he seeks the help of another surgeon. This diffidence is born of attachment leading to in-equanimity of mind. Detached performance of duty adds to efficiency and the required equilibrium is maintained perfectly.
This principle applies to all activities in life. It is yoga to maintain equilibrium in the midst of all of them. Work is executed very efficiently in poise only. Attachment and aversion takes away the efficiency from man. Bhisma fought for the wicked to the best of his ability, but because of his complete detachment he was not tainted by his action. As the Mahabharata has it, a women that served her husband dispassionately rose in yoga superior to an ascetic who gain by austerity, the psychic power to burn an intruding bird to ashes. A butcher also, in his turn became a greater yogi than his ascetic by discharging his seemingly ugly duty without attachment and aversion.
Equanimity of mind comes to one free from likes and dislikes, attachment and aversion. He is a yogi. No new karma accrues to him. The momentum of the old karma wanes away. He gains in perfecting mind.

A yogi seated in a Himalayan caves allows his mind to wander on unwanted things. A cobbler in a corner at the crossing of several busy roads of a city, is absorbed in mending a shoe, as an act of service. Of this two, the latter is a better yogi than former. --- Swami Vivekanand

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A question may arise as to which among the duties that fall to man's lot may be considered preferable. The answer comes:-
कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः ।
जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम् ॥ २-५१॥
2-51 The wise, imbued with evenness of mind, renouncing the fruits of their actions, freed from the fetters of births, verily go to the stainless state.

The yogi views all forms of karma alike, imbued as they are with misery in varying degrees. He converts the misery laden karma into misery-freed one. It is characteristic of karma into to perpetuate the wheel of birth and death. But the yogi in his wisdom renders it effect less in this respect. converting evil into good is the best of all dexterities. Lord Siva converts the world destroying poison into the world saving nectar. The yogi walks the way of Siva. He handles the bondage the bondage-producing karma in such a way that it becomes the freedom-yielding one; yoga is the panacea of all evils in the world.

With the aid of the perishable phenomenon gets at the Imperishable noumenon. --- Sri Ramkrishna

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The attention of the Imperishable is indicated in the following manner:-
यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति ।
तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च ॥ २-५२॥
2-52. When Your understanding transcends the taint of delusion, then shall you gain indifference to things heard and those yet to be heard.

After transcending the taint of delusion, the yogi is able to to understand and distinguish between Atman and Prakruti, the real and unreal, the being and becoming. The truth in itself is released. The phenomenal existence is then evaluated for what it is worth. The inquirer evaluates the dream that has heard of already and waits to attributes another value to the one that remains to be related to him. A Brahma-jnani hears of the scientific discoveries that have been so far made. He classifies them all as the various modifications of the phenomenal as cognised by the intellect which is itself a phase of fleeting phenomenon. The new discoveries that remains to be recounted to him will also be brushed aside with the same remark. Events like Mahabharat War present themselves as great and consequential to ordinary people. But the Brahma-jnani views them with utter indifference. The evolution and involution of the universe itself are meaningless to him.

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As aspirant may wonder as to when such an exalted state would come to him. The assurance comes:-
श्रुतिविप्रतिपन्ना ते यदा स्थास्यति निश्चला ।
समाधावचला बुद्धिस्तदा योगमवाप्स्यसि ॥ २-५३॥
2-53. When your intellect, tossed about by the conflict of opinions, has become poised and firmly fixed in equilibrium, then you shall get into yoga.

It is but natural for man to pay heed to conflicting views and to get confused over them. But nobody raised the query "Am I alive or dead?" And nobody's opinion sought in this manner. Man's existence is self-evident to him. When mentation ceases in equilibrium, it is called Samadhi or Spiritual Illumination. Atman in Its original Splendor is then released. Yoga reaches its culmination here. This state of pure-Conscious is the goal of life.

First attain godhood and then pursue the worldly things. Do not proceed in the reverse order. If you enter the life in the world after spiritual enlightenment, you will not have anxieties of the mind. ---Sri Ramkrishna

The ways of the infirm-in-mind

2- 42 to 44 The way of the worldly

2-42.mp3

यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः ।
वेदवादरताः पार्थ नान्यदस्तीति वादिनः ॥ २-४२॥
2-42 The unwise who delight in the flowery words disputing the Vedas says that there is nothing other than this.

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कामात्मानः स्वर्गपरा जन्मकर्मफलप्रदाम् ।
क्रियाविशेषबहुलां भोगैश्वर्यगतिं प्रति ॥ २-४३॥
2-43 Who are desire-ridden, who hold the attainment of heaven as the goal of birth and its activities, whose word are laden with specific rites bringing in pleasure and lordship.

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भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम् ।
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते ॥ २-४४॥
2-44. There is no fixity of mind for them who cling
to pleasure and power and whose discrimination is stolen away.

The desire-ridden are those who have not risen to ethical and spiritual levels; they are the unrefined among the human. Their sole aim in life is to hunt after vulgar enjoyments here and hereafter. Their learning, inquiry and power of speech are all directed to this base end. The ritualistic portions in the Vedas pander merely to the low tastes of the crude happiness-hunters. Rites of this kind in the Vedas are useful to only those who seek to prolong the wheel of birth for the sake of several enjoyments. Though the Vedas are the oldest literature in the world, all that they contain are not sublime and elevating. The needs of the vulgar are also met in them.
Enjoyment of pleasure and happiness is not the goal of the human life. The attainment of perfection is its supreme object. The means for it is to be absorbed in Samkhya and yoga. Rituals simply distract the mind. Samadhi cannot be had from them.

The vulture soars high up in the sky. But its eyes are always on the carrion and carcass below on earth. However much one may be learned in vedas, as long as one's eye are fixed on sense-pleasure one acts like a vulture. Spiritual enlightenment is not to the one given to lust and greed. ........ Sri Ramkrishna

Viewed from the worldy standpoint Arjuna has no grounds for grieving and for beating a retreat. After making this position clear, the Yogeswara now seeks to introduce yoga into the otherwise earthly life, in the following manner:-

2- 38 & 41 Transform Karma into Karma Yoga:

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सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ ।
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥ २-३८॥
2-38 Treating alike pain and pleasure, gain and loss, victory and defeat, engage yourself in the battle. Thus you will incur no sin.

It is the way of the world to view gain and victory with pleasure and loss and defeat with pain. But different from that should be the frame of mind of those who take to self-culture. They are to disentangle the mind from likes and dislikes. All earthly events are fought with consequences which are agreeable and disagreeable. By being favorably affected by the one and unfavorably by the other, the mind loses its stamina. By refusing to be tossed about by pain and pleasure the mind becomes steady and strong. That karma is called sin which brings in misery in its trail. But a man of strong and balanced mind takes no note of any misery that comes to him. He is in that way free from sin.
The very karma done by the man of world is also done by the karma yogi. But there is a world of difference between the two in their attitudes. The one is attached and the other detached. Both attachment and detachment are solely in the mind.
To the strong in body and mind problems are but few.

A weakling totters while carrying a small load to a short distance. But a strong man coming from a long distance with a heavy load of two maunds on his head stands by and sees a wrestling match, unmindful of the burden on his head. To the strong in body and mind problems are but few. ---Sri Ramakrishna

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एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु ।
बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि ॥ २-३९॥
2-39. The ideal of self knowledge has been presented (11-30) to you. Hearken now to the practice thereof (40,41,45-53). Endowed with it, O parth, you will break through the bonds of Karma.

The principles of Self-knowledge have been enumerated in the verses 11 to 30. Yoga or the practice thereof will now be taught in the verses 40, 41, 45 to 53.
Samkhya is one of the six systems of philosophy pertaining to Hinduism. Its origin is attributed to the sage Kapila. The literal meaning of the word Samkhya is enumeration. According to this system Prakriti is constituted of twenty-four categories and Purusha or Atman is the twentyfifth. Purushas again are infinite in number. But Sri Krishna uses the word Samkhya to indicate Self-knowledge. His concept of yoga is comprehensive of all the forms of Sadhanas though the path of karma predominates among them.

Theory and practice are the two aspects of every branch of knowledge. Of these two, the former pertains to the intellectual grasp and clarification while the latter to the translation of it into action. One is the pure science and the other, the applied science. An architect conceives of an edifice. At that stage it is an ideal. He explains it clearly to others; then it is theory. When he actually builds it he gives it a practical shape. Samkhya and yoga are the theory and practice of religion. They do not come into conflict one with the other. They augment each other. Rare indeed it is to know of the glory of Atman. And life gets enriched as Atman is known. Yoga is none other than living the life abundantly. By the practice of yoga mind grows in purity. To the purified mind the concept of Atman becomes progressively lucid. This is how Jnana and yoga mutually aid.
Truths pertaining to Atman have to be inquired into. What is known thereby has to be put into practice. Some simply inquire about Atman without connecting that inquiry with life. Others plunge in life without caring to know the principles that govern it. But harmonizing both is what is wanted.

2-40.mp3

Does not the yoga that is not carried on to its conclusion prove itself a sheer waste? The following is the answer to this question:-
नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते ।
स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात् ॥ २-४०॥
2-40 In this there is no loss of attempt; nor is there any adverse effect. Practice of even a little of this dharma protects one from great fear.

If the construction of a house be not completed with roofing, all that is so far done goes to waste. If the raising of a crop be not gone through with harvesting, the endeavors so far made become fruitless. But the partial practice of yoga does not suffer from any disadvantages of these kinds. Even a fragmentary application of it has its corresponding benefit just as a day's food has its own nourishment. If a wrong medicine be administered to a patient, instead of its healing the disease, it may lead to the decease of the person. The practice of yoga is not fraught with any danger of this kind. Any little practice of it, gives to that extent a glimpse into the nature of Atman. The fear of death is the greatest of all. As Atman is being understood this fear ceases.

If construction of a house be not completed with roofing, all that is so far done goes to waste. But partial practice of yoga does not suffer from any disadvantage of these kind. Even a fragmentary application of it has its corresponding benefit just as day's food has its own nourishment. Any little practice of it, gives to that extent a glimpse into the nature of Atman. The fear of death is the greatest of all. As Atamn is being understood this fear is ceases.

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The way of right understanding and application thereof is as follow:
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन ।
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम् ॥ २-४१॥
2-41. To the firm in mind, O joy of the kurus, there is in this but one decision; many-branches and endless are the decision of the infirm-in-mind.

A number of students work at a problem in mathematics. Wrong answers they get are numberless and they are constantly shifting. But when the right answer is arrived at by a smart student, he no more deviates from it. Earthly hankerings are innumerable and people go on changing constantly from one to another. But to the seeker of the Divine the purpose is one and all endeavors are concentrated on it.
Firmness in mind comes to the one who learns concentration, which is serviceable both to the sacred and the secular. When the divergent sunbeams are focused with the aid of a lens to one point, their powers of heat and light get intensified. Ignition of a combustible thing then becomes possible. Even so, the mind trained in concentration can both know and do a thing to perfection.
It was possible for Arjuna alone, among the disciples of Drona, to shoot his arrow successfully at a target within a grove. His success was entirely due to concentration.
When Swami Vivekananda was in America, he had an occasion to watch a few students practicing shooting. Their target was three or four egg shells tethered to float and dance on a rustling brook. The failure of all of them in their attempts brought a smile on the lips of the Swami. The provoked youths challenged the ability of this strange observer. Handling a gun for the first time in life, the Swami shot and smashed the shell that he aimed at. "The secret of success lies in concentration," said he when the others wondered how he could achieve it at the very first attempt, as claimed by him.
Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, the famous scientist, demonstrated to the world that all the feelings and sensations found in man are in the plants as well. When questioned as to how he could probe into that mystery, he replied, "To know all about the plants I myself became a plant mentally." He meant to say that the unknown becomes known through concentration and attention.
Reaching Godhood, the hardest of all, is possible to none but the firm-in-mind. The one-pointed devotion of the Gopi, Srimati Radha to Sri Krishna illustrates this fact. Her mind and sense organs function exclusively for the communion with Sri Krishna. All her mentations are directed to Him. Whatever her eyes see are all associated with Him. The ears ever bring to her messages pertaining to her Darling. The food she eats comes from Him. His grace is her life. Another extraordinary phenomenon presents itself through this milk-maid. When the mind gets fully concentrated the sense organs assume new powers. They are able to function one for the other. The melody emanates from Sri Krishna's flute; it comes floating in the air until it contacts Radha's ears. Instantaneously her mind becomes the receiving as well as the broadcasting instrument of that sound. The within and the without become one symphony. According to her experience as the all-pervading Nada-brahmam, Sri Krishna alone is contacted at all levels. There is nothing strange in her ears sensing the Sound-Reality; the olfactory sense experiences the fragrance in It; consistent with its capacity the sense of touch feels the presence of the Sound-Reality; and the tongue tastes the Sound-Reality in its own way. All the five senses together pay homage in their respective ways to the Sound-Reality which is Sri Krishna. A concentrated mind opens realms of the Reality unknown to the ordinary. Through
one-pointedness, realization of the Reality and
at-one-ment with It is possible. This exalted state can be attained by means of Samkhya and yoga merging into one. The one who is firm-in-mind is therefore the best among men.

In whatever direction a ship may be sailing, the compass needle in it always points to the north. Even so amidst all eventualities in life the mind of the knowing is always fixed on the Ideal. -Sri Ramakrishna

2-01.mp3

सञ्जय उवाच ।
तं तथा कृपयाविष्टमश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम् ।
विषीदन्तमिदं वाक्यमुवाच मधुसूदनः ॥ २-१॥
Sanjaya said,
2.1 Madhusudana spoke these words to him who was thus overwhelmed with compassion and drowned in distress, and whose eyes were drenched in tears of despondency.

Though the word krpa is translated as compassion, Arjuna is not really endowed with this divine quality. He alone who is the master of his mind can extend compassion to the distressed and seek to allay their sorrows. But now Arjuna himself is in dire need of redemption from distress; the question, therefore, of his showing mercy to others does not arise.

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यते
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
“He (Cosmic Consciousness) is perfect and complete, and because He (Cosmic Consciousness) is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes.”

Press = on right side to see details.

"Om. The Invisible is the Whole, the Visible is the Whole. From the Whole, the visible universe has come out. The Whole remains ever Itself even though the infinite universe has come out of It." This is the fundamental in the Upanishads. Nothing but the elaboration of this truism is found in all of them. The Lord's teachings are also after this pattern.

The Message of Strength 2-2 & 2-3

2-02.mp3

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।

कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् ।
अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन ॥ २-२॥
The Blessed Lord said:
2- 02 . Whence has this unmanly, heaven-barring and shameful dejection come upon you, at this juncture, 0 Arjuna ?

The Lord who was silent all this while now deigns to speak. The Gita proper, therefore, commences here. In the very first utterance in these two stanzas, the core of the everlasting message is delivered.

The term drya in our sacred book does not refer to any race or stock. It only refers to highly evolved and cultured man. It connotes much more than referring to somebody as a perfect gentleman. An Aryan is one who scrupulously adheres to dharma. Manu Smriti has it that children born of parents imbued with self-control and austerity are Aryans; and those others born of lust are non ­Aryans. The function of the Vedanta philosophy is to induce man to become Aryan in all respects. Arjuna in whom manliness was writ large all along, has now suddenly and unexpectedly sunk into unmanliness. The Lord rouses him up from this set-back.

When the defect in a balance is pointed out the weights taken in it get themselves automatically annulled. A confused mind is very much like a defective balance. It is incapable of inquiring into truth. Sri Krishna classifies Arjuna's mind as confused. Consequently his utterances are all meaningless. Anyone devoid of discrimination is not an Aryan.
There is neither this world nor the next to the confused and dejected in mind. Kirti or fame attends on one given to a laudable life on earth, but Arjuna's way is unfortunately shameful. For him who is shamefully incompetent for this world, the question of the attainment of heaven does not arise. He is, no Aryan who fads to face a juncture; and he is unfit for the here and the hereafter.

2-03.mp3

क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते ।
क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ॥ २-३॥
2- 3 Yield not, 0 Partha, to feebleness. It does not befit you. Cast off this petty faint-heartedness. Wake up, 0 vanquisher of foes!

The man who fails to face a crisis, speaking and acting irrelevantly, is denounced as dolt. But Arjun is not made of that inferior stuff; the training that he has received is superb. He is literally a vanquisher of foes. Poles apart are the feebleness of a coward and the boldness of Arjuna who successfully combated Siva, the great God. The lord simply chides (reproach) him for the momentary weakness that has come upon his comrade and seeks to make him whole again.
The manifest world is comprised of two categories- Purusha and Prakriti, the noumenon प्रकृत तत्व (a thing as it is in itself, as distinct from a thing as it is knowable by the senses through phenomenal attributes.) and the phenomenon. One becomes feeble to the extent one depends on the phenomenon; one becomes manly and courageous to the extent one identifies oneself with the noumenon. This identification is Atmabodham. Strength and Atmabodham are identical. Weakness is condemned downright by the Lord. नायमात्मा बलहीनेन लभ्यः This Atman cannot be attained by the weak - is the Upanishadic pronouncement. And the message of Sri Krishna is based on this fundamental principle. To Be firm of body, formidable of mind, constant of character - excellence like these are all born of strength. This world and the next one too are for the strong alone. Right conduct originates from strength; straightforwardness comes from it; enjoyment traces itself to it; practice of yoga is possible because of it; attainment of Moksha is enabled by it; reaching Godhood is impossible with out it; all divine traits have their source in it. In strength lie the key and clue to all the teachings of the lord. Strength is life; weakness is death.

He who is soft and weak-minded like the puffed rice soaked in milk, is good for nothing. He cannot achieve anything great. But the strong and virile one is heroic. He is the accomplisher of everything in life. -Sri Ramakrishna

Arjuna Declines to Fight against the Revered Ones- 2-4 to 2-6

2-04.mp3

अर्जुन उवाच ।
कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन ।
इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥ २-४॥
Arjun said:
2-4 0 slayer of Madhu, 0 slayer of foes, how shall I with arrows counter-attack Bhishma and Drona; who are worthy of worship?

0 Krishna, it befits one like you being adored as Madhusudana and as Arisudana; for, your doing away with a demon and a sworn enemy is justifiable. But my position is quite different. I dare not even debate with the venerable elders I behold here. How then shall I give battle to them, with weapons in hand? Will I not be condemned as one who waged war with the worshipful grandsire and with the adorable preceptor?

2-05.mp3

गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान्
श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके ।
हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव
भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥ २-५॥
2-5 To eat the beggar's bread even is far better in this world than to slay these great-souled masters. But if I kill them, my enjoyment of wealth and desires in this world itself will be stained with blood.

Bhishma is verily the embodiment of continence. Chastity gets itself defined in this exemplary person. The boon that he has obtained is that death would not overtake him against his consent. Self-denial is his life-long austerity. The Preceptor Drona is a versatile genius, a man of right conduct. Arjuna owes his skill in archery to this teacher. Kripa is another eminent person on the other side. Arjuna has always been holding these men of merit in high veneration. To treat them as enemies now all on a sudden is well-nigh impossible to the noble minded Arjuna. And if he should happen to kill them, this earthly life itself would become hell to him.

2-06.mp3

न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो
यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।
यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामस्-
तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥ २-६॥
2-6 Whether we should conquer them, or they conquer us- I do not know which would be better. These very sons of Dhrtarashtra stand before us, after slaying whom we should not care to live.

Spiritual Anguish 2-07 & 2-08

2-07.mp3

कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः ।
यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ॥ २-७॥
2- 07 My nature is weighed down with the taint of feeble­ mindedness; my understanding is confused as to duty. I entreat you, say definitely what is good for me. I am your disciple. Do instruct me who have taken refuge in you.

Arjuna confesses that this crisis has driven him on to the position of a Kripana. It means that he is inclined to grieve; he has become feeble and an object of pity; it also indicates niggardliness. The Upanishad says that he who does not strive for spiritual enlightenment is a Kripana. The man's confession is correct.

Referring to man's strivings the Upanishad declares:
"अन्यच्छ्रेयोऽन्यदुतैव प्रेयस्ते उभे नानार्थे पुरुषं सिनीतः।
तयोः श्रेय आददानस्य साधुर्भवति हीयतेऽर्थाद्य उ प्रेयो वृणीते ॥ "
"One thing is the good and quite another, the pleasant; being of different requisitions, they both bind man. Holy becomes he who pursues the good, but falls the man from the goal, who chose the pleasant."

Arjuna finds himself now at the cross-roads between the pleasant and the good. It is Preyas ­ the pleasant, that he has been blessed with in plenty all along. Learning and culture, wealth, wives, progeny, kingdom- gifts of this kind add to enjoyment. They come under the category of Preyas. Arjuna comes to know now of the fact that they are of no avail to allay the agony caused by a catastrophe. He who was all along the kinsman and comrade of Sri Krishna, now becomes a disciple and supplicates for the gift of Sreyas- the good. He surrenders himself to the Lord. This frame of mind is the prerequisite to the attainment of spiritual enlightenment. It is a turning point in life. The Lord takes note of it, sympathizes with him and infuses courage into him which is the dire need of the hour. The grace of the Lord is unfailing in its descent on the devotees in the hour of need. What came as Preyas to Arjuna till this critical juncture now chooses to come as Sreyas.
He who seeks to make a sacred study of the Bhagavad Gita and he who desires to translate its tenets into action will do well to chant this verse every time and to evoke in himself the attitude of self-surrender seen here in Arjuna. It is a prayer complete in itself.

2-08.mp3

न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्
यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् ।
अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं
राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ॥ २-८॥
2-08 I do not find any remedy to the grief that parches my senses, though I were to gain unrivalled and prosperous monarchy on earth or even sovereignty over the celestials.

At the outset Arjuna put forth the argument that the living and the departed would be adversely affected if the impending war were waged. But it was only a cloak to hide the depression within him­self. When the Lord sympathetically diagnosed his mind, the bare truth came out.
A young woman in agony hesitates to divulge it to her husband, but hastens to unburden it to her mother. In this act she gets a relief which is enhanced by the sympathy of the parent. It is but natural for one to open one's distressed mind to another who is full of compassion. Arjuna is here found in the position of the young woman in agony. The relationship between Sri Knshna and Arjuna is unique. The mother's love, the father's care, the master's discipline, the king's protection and God's grace - a sweet combination of all these is found in the attitude of Sri Krishna towards Arjuna. Therefore, the latter freely opens his heart and pours out his pitiable case to the benign protector.

2-09.mp3

सञ्जय उवाच ।
एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप ।
न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दमुक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह ॥ २-९॥
Sanjaya said :
2-9. After addressing the Lord of the senses thus, Gudakesa, the terror to the foes, submitted to Govinda, 'I shall not fight,' and held silence.

The descriptive names which the sagacious. Sanjaya chooses to use here are all pregnant with meaning. Arjuna is fittingly called Gudakesa -"the conqueror of sleep, All beings fall victim to sleep when it overtakes them. Such is the power of this factor in life, But this 'bull among men' has disciplined himself in such a way that sleep would come to him only when he made a decision to sleep. When, where and how long to sleep were all at his will. In addition to the self-mastery of this type, he is always a terror to the foes ; he is the subduer (overcomer) of baseness within and without. A man of this caliber is not likely to beat a retreat.
The charioteer to this distinguished hero is none other than Hrishikesa-the Lord of the senses and the mind. He is moreover Govinda- the knower of the destiny of beings. The knowing one never goes wrong in handling things and events.
Against this background, chances are very remote, of the war being called off, as is fondly hoped by Dhrtarashtra. Sanjaya throws a hint to this effect.

The Harbinger of Grace 2-10

2-10.mp3

तमुवाच हृषीकेशः प्रहसन्निव भारत ।
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये विषीदन्तमिदं वचः ॥ २-१०॥
2-10 0 Bharata, then smiling, as it were, Hrishikesa spoke these words to the desponding one placed between the two armies.

Significant is the smile beaming on the lips of Hrishikesa. As the dawn is the harbinger of daybreak, the Lord's smile forecasts the yoga and the spiritual enlightenment that are to come on Arjuna. It was Preyas( The Pleasant) that he had been receiving till now. What he is going to receive forthwith is Sreyas, the sovereign remedy for all the evils of the mundane existence. It is the inviolable means for the attainment of Beatitude. There is nothing greater than Sreyas (The Good) for man to seek. Existence finds fulfilment in it. Arjuna is going to be initiated into It. Hence this divine smile on the lips of the Lord.

Consistency is Yoga 2-11

2-11.mp3

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे ।
गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिताः ॥ २-११॥
The Blessed Lord said:
2- 11. You grieved for those who should not be grieved for; yet you spell words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for living nor for the dead.

Arjuna's utterances contained in the verses thirty-five to forty-four of the first chapter are commented upon here. The Lord puts it to him that while his arguments appear as words of wisdom, actually they are not.
The way of the world is to classify a man of learning as Pandita; but the Lord does not do so. He holds that the one who truly knows the plan and purpose of the universe is a Pandita. Such a one grieves not over the death of his kin any more than one grieves over the sunset. Grief is meaningless to the knowing one. Keeping the mind constant in all eventualities is the way of the wise. While speaking like an enlightened one, Arjuna sorrows like an ignorant one. This inconsistency in him is pointed out by the Lord.
Bhishma and Drona are sages who have probed into the mystery of life and death. They are not ruffled over the end that is to come to them forthwith. Forced by circumstances they have taken sides with the wicked in a true sportsman's spirit. Bhishma in particular plays his part best, remaining unaffected by the consequences. But Arjuna grieves for these very persons who should not be grieved for.
He is a Yogeeswara who practices yoga and becomes an adept in it. But Sri Krishna is more than that; he is Yogeswara. It is yoga in all of its forms that ever emanates from Him. As light and heat constantly come from the sun, yoga comes from this Great Entity. He is therefore Yogeswara.
The Lord of Yoga points out to Arjuna that he is devoid of the very first step in yoga. He who harmonizes his thought, word and deed verily gets into yoga; but that is the very thing that Arjuna does not do. He thinks one way, speaks in another way and acts in yet another way. The personality thereby gets split, integrity shattered and character lost. Such a man falls from yoga. Arjuna is warned against this fall.

Speak out that only which is in your mind. Do not create conflict between word and deed. Nothing good comes from the disharmony of the thought, word and deed in oneself. Sri Ramakrishna

Atman is Immortal 2 - 12

2-12.mp3

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः ।
न चैव न भविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम् ॥ २-१२॥
2-12 Nor I, nor you, nor any of these ruling princes was ever non-existent before; nor is it that we shall cease to be in the future.

Bodies appear and disappear, but not so the Atman which ever Is. A question may be raised as to how the Atman persists while the body perishes. The answer comes:-

Nature of Death 2-13.

2-13.mp3

देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।
तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ॥ २-१३॥
2-13 As the indweller in the body experience childhood, youth and old age in the body, he also passes on to another body (Retains his individuality). The serene one is not affected thereby.

The born one passes through babyhood, youth and old age. It is the same entity that experiences all these changes. It should not be held that the individual that is the baby is quite different from the individual that is the youth Likewise, the individual that transmigrates from one body into another retains his individuality. The enlightened one sees into this truth and remains unperturbed over death. Conversely, he who disciplines himself to remain unperturbed under all situations prepares himself thereby for enlightenment. Changes pertain to body and changelessness to Atman. The knower of this fact is truly enlightened.

Though Atman is imperishable, does he not subject himself to heat and cold, pleasure and pain and such like experiences? The explanation comes:-

Feelings pertain to body 2- 14 & 2-15

2-14.mp3

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः ।
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥ २-१४॥
2- 14. The contacts of the senses with their objects create, 0 son of Kunti, feelings of heat and cold, of pain and pleasure. They come and go and are impermanent. Bear them patiently, 0 Bharata.

The sense organs such as the eye and the ear contact their objects which are form, sound etc. The sensations caused this way are both favorable and unfavorable. The former feelings lead to pleasure and the latter to pain. These feelings come along with sense contacts and disappear when the senses do not function. A sense object that gives pleasure at one time gives pain at another time. Heat and cold may be Cited as examples. The food that is delicious and inviting while one is in health turns loathsome when in sickness. Pleasure and pain are therefore transitory. He who remains unaffected by them becomes firm in life. Practice of Titiksha or forbearance is a sure means to healthy-mindedness. The practiser thereof is not affected by pleasure and pain, he becomes competent for enlightenment.

2-15.mp3

But then, how does such a one become fit for enlightenment? The answer comes:-
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ ।
समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥ २-१५॥
2- 15 That man, O the best of men, is fitted for immortality, whom these do not torment, who is balanced in pain and pleasure and steadfast.

The indweller in the Puri-in the body looked upon as a city-is called Purusha. Pleasure and pain occur inevitably in the body because of the contact of the senses with their objects. He who identifies himself with the body is bound to be grieved. But his mind does not waver who gets fixed in the self; he is all calmness. Remaining unruffled by the evanescent events, reveals the clarity of his understanding. He therefore becomes the man of steady wisdom. He is thus fit for immortality.
We have come into this world to avail ourselves of all the happenings here and thereby discipline ourselves for enlightenment. Cessation of misery corresponds to the removal of ignorance.

An inquiry into the nature of the Real and the Unreal ensues now:-

2- 16 to 20 The real and unreal:

2-16.mp3

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥ २-१६॥
16. The unreal has no existence; the real never ceases to be. The truth about both has been realised by the seers.

Tattva-darsana is seeing into the reality of things. Beings are seeking to have a correct understanding of things about them. To the extent their understanding of things is perfect their adjustment too becomes perfect. Life is a series of experiments to get at the permanent in preference to the impermanent. A man is attracted by a panoramic plot of land on a river bank and he decides to put up a beautiful house there. But on investigation he finds out that the land is liable to inundation during the rains. Though the plot happens to be ideally situated it has to be rejected for valid reasons. Many things in nature are unreal and unreliable while seeming to be real and reliable.
The seers of truth behold the body and the pleasure and pain associated with it as unreal. Our bodies were not existent in the distant past, they will not be in the distant future. Though they are now, their existence is equivalent to non-existence ­ abhavam. The pleasure of wealth enjoyed in dream is unreal even while enjoying it.
The body is devoid of bhava and therefore unreal. It was not in the past, it has come into being now, it will not be in the future. What seems to be real now is only a modification of the elements. It is therefore to be discounted as non existent. The man of understanding should not be affected by pleasure and pain which are all born of identification with the body.
Atman is Existence; it is Real, it is bhava which means awareness or pure consciousness. Awareness remains untouched by time, space and causation. States of mind such as wakefulness, dream and sound sleep do not affect Atman. Modifications which are characteristics of things phenomenal do not take place in Atman. It is ever Itself. Prajnanam Brahman -Awareness is Reality. This is the finale of the definition of the Absolute Reality. It is sought to be explained further as follows:-

The ocean of Infinite - Existence - Knowledge - Bliss is ever Itself, unaffected by the phenomenal.
-Sri Ramakrishna

2-17.mp3

अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।
विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति ॥ २-१७॥
2-17. Know that to be verily indestructible by which all this is pervaded. None can effect the destruction of the immutable.

Space is all pervasive and infinite. Clouds appear all on a sudden in it; but their presence does not cause division in space. It is possible for clouds to change in magnitude. But Akasa or space remains ever itself. Akin to akasa, awareness is the substratum of the manifested universe, which appears and disappears. It is eternal witness.

While instructing the disciples the Guru first pointed out two fingers indicating thereby that there are in the relative existence two realities- Brahman and Maya. Then he folded in one finger to suggest that Brahman is ever constant while Maya appears and disappears. --- Sri Ramaknshna

2-18.mp3

2- 18 The phenomenal is explained:
अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ताः शरीरिणः ।
अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत ॥ २-१८॥
These bodies of the Indweller, who is eternal, indestructible, are said to have an end. Fight therefore, O Bharata.

The ocean is ever Itself. A portion of the water in it changes place forming waves on the surface and currents below. Elsewhere it freezes as icebergs. Changes of this kind take place in nature, but Atman does not undergo any change whatsoever, It being eternal. All the water in a pond evaporates and disappears. Even so, the body of an individual disintegrates and disappears. But Atman is not exposed to this kind of destruction; it is therefore indestructible. Body can be cognized and described; but Atman is beyond the domain of the mind and speech; so it is immeasurable.
Because of delusion over earthly relationship and over things earthly, Arjuna chooses to recoil from the righteous war. It ill-behaves him to abandon his duty. So the Lord exhorts him, 'Fight therefore, 0 Bharata.' This exhortation can be found again and again, as the burden of the Gita.

2-19.mp3

य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम् ।
उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते ॥ २-१९॥
2-19. He who holds Atman as slayer and who considers it as the slain, both of them are ignorant. It slays not, nor It slain.

'I am ruined', laments the man who suddenly loses his very much loved fortune. Though he is different from his wealth, identification with it drives him on to this deluded position. Attachment to the body makes one feel that physical death is death to the Atman. But the immortal Self remains unaffected by all bodily changes. As the sky is ever itself in the midst of clouds coming and going, the Atman is changeless while the bodies change.

Attachment to the body makes one feel that physical death is death to the Atman. But immortal self remains unaffected by all bodily changes. As the sky is ever itself in the midst of clouds coming and going, the Atman is changeless while the bodies change.

2-20.mp3

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्
नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः ।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥ २-२०॥
2-20. The Atman is neither born nor does it die. Coming into being and ceasing to be do not take place in it. Unborn, eternal, constant and ancient, It is not killed when body is slain.

To be born, to exist, to grow, to change, to decay, to perish - these six kinds of modification undergone by the body constituted of elements. But Atman remains unaffected by these changes.

Be not Attached to Karma 2- 21

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वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम् ।
कथं स पुरुषः पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम् ॥ २-२१॥
2- 21 He who cognises the Atman as indestructible, eternal, unborn and changeless, how can he slay, O Parth, or cause another to slay?

Atman is actionless. The knower of Atman is free from egoism; therefore the feeling of agency is not in him. Slaying and causing to slay are apparently terrible actions. But because of the absence of egoism in an enlightened person, even such evil actions do not tarnish him. An aspirant tries to be free from egoism while discharging his duty.

Absorbed as a saint was, he was passing along a crowded street. Then by chance he trampled upon the foot of a wicked man. That ruffian became enraged and recklessly assaulted the holy man, until he fainted and fell down. He was forthwith earned to the Ashrama and tenderly nursed by his disciples. When he regained consciousness he was asked if he could recognize the one attending on him. "The hand that beat up this body is now nursing it", came the reply. The knower of Brahman distinguishes not the assaulter from the assaulted. -Sri Ramakrishna

Rebirth of the Embodied 2 - 22

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वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय
नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि ।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा-
न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ॥ २-२२॥
2-22 As a man casting off worn-out garment puts on new ones, so the embodied, casting off worn-out bodies enter into others that are new.

It is only after the procurement of new clothings that man rejects the old worn-out ones. The snake develops new skin from within and then casts off the slough. Even so the Jivatman mentally assumes a new form before dissociating himself from the old body. In other words his mental make up does not die along with the gross body. It is called the subtle body and it persists with its innate tendencies and dispositions. This is the core of the Jivatman and he survives the death of the physical frame. He then chooses to develop another gross body in a womb suited to his attainments.

The snake and its slough are not one and the same. Even so the Atman and the body are different, one from the other. ----Sri Ramakrishna

2- 23 to 25 Atman is super-mundane

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नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः ।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥ २-२३॥
2-23. Weapons do not cleave the Atman fire burns it not, water wets It not, wind dries it not.

Among the five elements Akasa is one that is actionless. So no reference to it is made here. The actions of the other four elements do not affect the Atman. Weapons are made of the stuff which the earth is. Atman being indivisible, weapons cannot hurt it. All the four active elements are incapable of acting on Akasa which is inert. How then can they act on Atman which is Chit-akasa which transcends the inert Akasa itself?

The Atman remains unaffected by mundane things. Pleasure and pain, virtue and vice - dual states such as these do not have sway on It. But they affect the person identified with the body. Smoke tarnishes the walls, but not the space within them. --- Sri Ramakrishna

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अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च ।
नित्यः सर्वगतः स्थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातनः ॥ २-२४॥
2-24. This self is uncleavable, incombustible and neither wetted nor dried. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable and everlasting.

Atman cannot be cleaved; therefore It is eternal. That which exists in one place and not in another cannot be called eternal, because of its absence in one place. Being eternal It is all-pervading. Like Akasa, Atman is everywhere; so It is stable. That which changes places is mobile; but Atman being present everywhere, It is immovable. Time gains no access to Atman; It is for this reason held as everlasting.
The indescribable Atman is sought to be described in innumerable ways. Through varieties of definitions and explanations some vague concept of Him is formed in the mind. But to the extent the mind gets purified cognition of Him becomes lucid. And the cessation of misery is ever in direct proportion to one's being anchored in the Self. Misery is an unwanted state of mind got into through ignorance. Sreyas (The Good) is not where misery is. The Lord throws light on the glory of Atman in order to cure Arjuna of the despondency meaninglessly assumed by him.

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अव्यक्तोऽयमचिन्त्योऽयमविकार्योऽयमुच्यते ।
तस्मादेवं विदित्वैनं नानुशोचितुमर्हसि ॥ २-२५॥
2-25. This Atman is said to be unmanifested, unthinkable and immutable. Therefore, knowing it as such, you should not grieve.

Atman cannot be perceived by any of the senses, and whatever does not come within the ken of the senses is necessarily unmanifested. It is very hard to conceive of a thing that cannot be perceived. Atman is therefore said to be unthinkable. The four elements- air, fire, water and earth- can be sensed. They are seen to be undergoing modifications, as such they are mutable. But the element Akasa undergoes no modification. It is ever in its original state. Like Akasa, Atman is ever in Its original state. It is therefore said to be Immutable. Elemental Akasa is insentient and Atman or Chit-akasa is sentient, in every other respect they are identical. Both being partless they remain immutable. It ill-becomes one to grieve over the immutable.

What is Brahman like? It cannot be defined with words. One may be called upon to explain what the ocean is like, to a person who has never seen it. The expounder can at best say, 'It is a vast sheet of water'. Defining Brahman is much more difficult. ---Sri Ramakrishna

2-26 to 28 Materialistic Standpoint

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अथ चैनं नित्यजातं नित्यं वा मन्यसे मृतम् ।
तथापि त्वं महाबाहो नैवं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥ २-२६॥
2-26. Or, If you conceive of Atman as given to constant births and deaths, even then, O mighty armed, you should not sorrow.

That there is nothing permanent, is the view of the materialists. The lord now take stand point for inquiry. Granting that the view is true, even then there is no ground for grieving. A man being given to theism, agnosticism, materialism or any other belief is not much consequence. Irrespective of creed, he must be free from sorrowing. It is despondency that takes away all manliness from man.

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जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च ।
तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥ २-२७॥
2-27 Death is certain of that which is born; birth is certain of that which is dead. You should not therefore lament over inevitable.

When a body falls to function properly it disintegrates and undergoes the modification called death. But other bodies crop up from the same modified matter. They contain inherent propelling force called desire, which drives them on to activities of life. Birth and death are thus a matter of course.
A school of nihilism believes in an individual retaining his individuality as long as the motive power of karma lasts. His individuality continues through births and deaths. The exhausting of his karma is like the end of oil in a burning lamp. The flame then becomes extinct. Even so a man ceases to be when his karma comes to an end.
Another school of atheism holds on to the view that a man's assuming a body and then annihilating it is a matter of course in nature, even as a lump of clay in a river continues to change its form and shape. Changes of form are called births and deaths. Mourning over this modification is meaningless, according to this school of thought.

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अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत ।
अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना ॥ २-२८॥
2-28 Beings are all, o Bharata, unmanifested in their origin, manifested again in their end. What is the point then for anguish?

Beings claimed as kith and kin are those that have come into being now. Persons contacted in dream had not been in existence before; they would not be after the dream breaks. Though existing in the mid-state, actually they are not. According to materialism, the so-called relatives have assumed forms in conformity with the law of nature; they will again cease to be; lamenting therefore over the temporarily appearing individuals serves no purpose.

According to materialism, the so called relatives have assumed forms in conformity with the law of nature; they will again cease to be; lamenting therefore over the temporarily appearing individuals serve no purpose.

The heterodox points of view are wound up here. The Lord now returns to the orthodox ways of enquiry :-

2- 29 to 30 Atman transcend Mind and speech

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आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन-
माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः ।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् ॥ २-२९॥
2-29 One beholds the self as wonderful; another mentions of It marvellous; another again hears of It as strange; though hearing yet another knows It not at all.

The Atman cannot be classified with the phenomenal things. Hardly ever anybody thinks of inquiring into what is beyond the phenomenal universe. Explorers into the realm of Atman are therefore rare. This field remains incomprehensible to those not yet fully evolved in mind. Light passes imperfectly through tainted and heterogeneous glass. Even so matters pertaining to Atman remain hazy to the imperfect in mind. One feels amazed fancying that he has grasped It either while meditating or while inquiring of It. It is but natural for one to be wonder-struck while reading, hearing or reflecting on the Alman. Reflecting on It is as good as mentally seeing It. Through all these apperceptions the Atman remains but partially comprehended or not comprehended at all. Mind is the screen that hides Its view.

The Vedas, the Agamas, the Puranas and all other scriptures in the world may be compared with the spittle-defiled food, Ucchistam, because of their being tongue-touched. But the Infinite Brahman has never become spittle-defiled. Nobody has yet ever succeeded in defining It in words. ---Sri Ramakrishna

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देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत ।
तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥ २-३०॥
2-30. This, the indweller in the bodies of all is ever invulnerable, O Bharata. Therefore you should not grieve for any being.

The views of the materialists are herein set aside as baseless. Further, the fact about Atman is conclusively presented. It is incumbent on man to be poised above despondency and thereby pave the way for spiritual enlightenment. And this is verily the path of Sreyas (The Good).

A man suffer from a midnight dream that somebody comes with a sword in hand to butcher him in pieces. Being frightened beyond wit, he screams and wake up. He finds in the dim lamp light the door bolted within and present none in the room. Still his heart continues to palpitate rapidly for sometime. This is the sign of one's identification with one's body. --Sri Ramkrishna

Not only the spiritual standpoint, but the worldly standpoint also is now taken into consideration:-

2-31 to 37 Swerve not from duty

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स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि ।
धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते ॥ २-३१॥
2-31 Again look at your duty as well, you should not waver, for, there is nothing more welcome to a Kshatriya than righteous war.

A Kshatriya holds righteousness superior to mere living. By waging the war of the kind that has come about, righteousness is upheld; but by beating a retreat from it, unrighteousness is allowed to thrive. He is no Kshatriya who suffers unrighteousness to prosper. And the man who takes to evil ways in preference to the good, estranges himself from Sreyas; he falls further. Holding on to one's Swadharma is a sure means for the gaining of Sreyas. One's Swadharma is that duty which is best suited to one's attainments and temperament.

Holding on to one's Swadharma is a sure means for the gaining of Sreyas. One's Swadharma is that duty which is best suited to one's attainment and temperament.

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How shall a man avail himself of the tide of fortune that sets in but rarely? The reply ensues:-
यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं स्वर्गद्वारमपावृतम् ।
सुखिनः क्षत्रियाः पार्थ लभन्ते युद्धमीदृशम् ॥ २-३२॥
2-32. Happy are the Kshatriyas, O Parth, who obtain such a warfare that comes unsought as an open gateway to heaven.

At one time or another the tide of fortune rises for every one. All that a man ought to do is to discharge his duty as best he can. It is like taking the boat up the river, overcoming the downward flow of water. While steadfastly and devotedly doing his duty , a favorable time comes to bless the man with all prosperity. It is like ebb of the tide. Then water rushes up against the river, providing facilities to row the boat easily. The wind also begins to blow favorably then. By unfurling the sail the passage is quickened. A little effort at the appropriate time leads to great results. That is called opportune moment. Arjuna is face to face with it now. The trials and tribulation of the exile in the forest are over. He has to execute his duty now as a matter of course. The attainment of the earth and heaven, of victory and fame, and of enjoyment and blessedness are waiting to attend on him. Diffidence and despondency are therefore out of place at this juncture.
The tide of fortune and opportune time come to one and all, consistent with the law of growth and evolution. Blessed are they who utilized these advantages to get fixed in Sreyas.

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What are the adverse consequences of not uti­ lizing these advantages that come but rarely ever in a life time ? The answer comes :-
अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं सङ्ग्रामं न करिष्यसि ।
ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥ २-३३॥
2-33.But if you will not wage this righteous warfare, then forfeiting your own duty and honour, you will incur sin.

Self annihilation is the wage of sin. Greater than that is the fall of the man who fails to do in time his duty that is based on righteousness. Omission of doing the right thing is more potent for evil than the commission of bad thing.
Fame and honour attend on the person who lives the life on earth well. Conversely, ill-fame and dishonour come and choke the evil career. The how of it is as follows:-

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अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम् ।
सम्भावितस्य चाकीर्तिर्मरणादतिरिच्यते ॥ २-३४॥
2-34. People will ever recount your infamy. To the honoured, infamy is surely worse than death.

The characteristic of ordinary man is to preserve life somehow. But different is the way of the hero. He knows well to safeguard life as well as sacrifice it for a great cause. By willingly surrendering life to an ideal, his glory increases and fame spreads. It is bad enough for a warrior to cringe before enemy and beg to be spared when being trampled to death by him; it is much worse for a hero to cling life after losing honour and fame.
People who indulge in slander and calumny will choose to do so on any and every flimsy ground projected by their imagination for example:-

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भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः ।
येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम् ॥ २-३५॥
2-35. The great chariot-warrior will view you as one fled from the war out of fear; you that were highly esteemed by them will be highly held.

To sworn enemies of Arjuna such as Duryodhana and others were compelled, unwillingly though, to admire his valour. They had to concede, with concealed envy of course, that Arjun was one who engaged the lord Siva Himself in an encounter and won Him for prize, the divine weapon, Pashupata. All the same they had design to vanquish this man of mighty velour somehow. In a situation like this, they would not construe that Arjuna has withdrawn from the war front out of love consideration for his kith and kin. They would slight him as one who has fled from fear. Regard for the hero will at once transform him into ridicule. That infamy can in no way be remedied. Fear does not become a hero. A man given to fear cannot achieve any thing in this word. The deed done today from fear will be the cause for repentance tomorrow.

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Ridicule of the hero will assume other forms such as:-
अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः ।
निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ २-३६॥
2-36. Your enemies will also slander your strength and speak many unseemly words. What could be more painful than that?

When a man is well off in life, all his doings will be extolled as exemplary, but If there be a setback in his life, those very doings of his will suddenly become exposed to uncharitable, criticism and slander. People who have been all along admiring Arjuna for his deeds of valour will not hesitate to belittle him and his deeds. The reputation that he has so far gained is well-grounded, indeed. But irreparable will be the ignominy that is bound to come if he failed in doing his duty. The very thought of Arjuna used to create a shudder in the hearts of his enemies. His very martial appearance on the battle-field has damped the war-zeal of his enemies. But if he happens to beat a retreat now, those trembling enemies will surely come to them selves again. More than that, their fear for Arjuna will immediately turn into ridicule of him. Their indulgence in insolent jokes would become unbearable. There is no alternative therefore, to waging the war that has been declared.
The grief stricken Arjuna contends that war is beset with plenty of evils But what does the Lord say in the matter? Here comes His say -

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हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम् ।
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः ॥ २-३७॥
2-37. Slain you will gain heaven; victorious you will enjoy the earth. Therefore rose up O son of Kunti, resolved to fight.

As foreign matter in the body has to be eliminated through disease, the wicked in the world have to be eliminated through the righteous war. After recounting the evils that would befall the society if this war was not waged, the good that would ensue are now enumerated. A righteous warfare abounds with welfare both here and hereafter. It is the only panacea against the incorrigible. Would a zealous defender of righteousness ever let go such a golden opportunity?