ARJUNA-VIṢĀDA-YOGAḤ

The Bhagavat Gītā is set up in a battle field which is raging to war between blood of the same family/ clan i.e. the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas (cousins amongst themselves). The battle field is chosen probably to signify that humans realize their truths when the end is near and when all they strived for is now going to be left behind Indicating the distressed state of Arjuna. It is then man surrenders to the powers of the Divine (Kṛṣṇa, here). This follows the great wisdom and in order to understand it, one has to go through certain phases in life. These could be

1. It is said that one does not seek a cure until he/she realises the disease, so is the case with the world (samsāra).
2. Then comes the longing for freedom. Freedom from this world can alone lead to a committed and fruitful pursuit.
3. Thirdly one can visit and revisit the problem but cannot solve it alone. If it could be so, one would never have any problem at all.
4. This leads to self-realisation of being a student (śiṣya) and surrendering to a Guru (teacher).

The first chapter and the first part of the second chapter are devoted to the same.

The problem as shown in the first chapter pertains to attachment (rāga), grief ( śoka or viṣāda) and disillusion (moha) of basic fantasies.

When one is unhappy inside, he seeks external help. Again, this leads to attachment and dependence. The factors of dependence are however very unpredictable; they tend to disturb the mental peace of the person. A disturbed mind can make only faulty judgements complicating matters further. Thus, it creates the vicious cycle of samsāra.

The first twenty verses contain a vivid description of the armies arrayed for battle.

After a brief instruction of Duryodhana to his commanders, Bhīṣma, Lord Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, and others blow their conches, signalling the commencement of the battle.

At this fateful moment, Arjuna commands Lord Kṛṣṇa, his charioteer, to place the chariot in the middle of the army to scrutinize the enemy-forces. The reverend Lord brings the chariot in front of Bhīṣma and Droṇa and asks Arjuna to survey the army.

(Till now Arjuna was convinced that his cousins are unrighteous and he, as a kṣatriya, has to fight the battle to establish righteousness.)

Then dawns the moment of weakness, when Arjun slips from reason to relation. Instead of visualising the sinners, he saw in them his beloved kith and kin. Overpowered by attachment Arjuna is dejected. Then follow grief and delusion. Arjuna, completely shaken, then expresses his intense grief.

Thus, veiled by attachment, his discriminative power becomes inoperative and he commits a series of false judgements. To support his stand, he even quotes the scriptures. Arjun thus gets caught up in delusion (verses 36 to 47).

Thus, Arjuna finds himself in the deep sea of attachment, sorrow and delusion (rāga, śoka, moha). The only solution that Arjun sees is to drop the battle. At the same time, he is also not mentally convinced. He didn’t realize that the problem was too deep to be solved independently. Dejected, he sits back on his chariot in sorrow and has not even surrendered to Kṛṣṇa.

This chapter is aptly called Arjunaviṣāda-yoga, since Arjuna’s grief is the main topic here.

SĀṄKHYA YOGAḤ

The first chapter was dedicated to Arjuna’s state of mind i.e., a state of depression and dejection caused by grief ( śoka), attachment (moha) and delusion (rāga). And he concluded that withdrawal from the war was the only solution. The second chapter begins with the transformation seen in Arjuna after being chastised by Kṛṣṇa. He discovered two important points viz.

1. His attachment towards kith and kin is only a worldly problem and has to be overcome with the help of wisdom and the right guidance of a teacher (Guru).
2. He has to surrender completely to a guru to get out of this problem.

Lord Kṛṣṇa thus becomes a guru (teacher) to Arjuna who surrenders to the Lord with all his dilemma and confusions. Thus, begins the sermon of enlightenment between the guru and his śiṣya (student).

When one becomes a seeker there shall always be a Guru in front to show the path and enlightenment.

As per the vedas, vedāntic teaching (knowledge of the scriptures) can take place only between a Guru and his śiṣya.

Kṛṣṇa then reasons with Arjuna on deeds (karma) and duty. He points out that the duty of a warrior is to fight for his country and only then will the evaluation of his deeds ( right or wrong) come. And so also he points out that all these doubts and confusions that overcame Arjuna were because of ignorance. So, then Kṛṣṇa reasons out why Arjuna has to fight the war,

1.Firstly, Kṛṣṇa talks about the nature of Ātmā. He refers to Bhīṣma, Droṇa and others as ātmā, that which is immortal and indestructible. So ātmā has no death. It continues to exist even when the physical body falls. Ātmā undergoes no change because it is neither the enjoyer nor the sufferer. So says Kṛṣṇa that neither Arjuna is the slayer nor is Bhīṣma, the slain. Then why should Arjuna resist to fight? (Verses 12 to 25). Life on earth is but a cycle, that which appears will have to disappear and that which disappears will have to appear. One has to thus accept change as change is at the centre of all creation and is central to its beauty.

By our narrowed outlook and selfishness we tend to tarnish this beauty and demean it. Thus he wants Arjuna to not demean the beauty of this creation and feel separated from Bhīṣma and others which is inevitable. (Verses 26 to 30). Thus is the spiritual point of view.

2.Based on the duties as per the Varṇāśrama dharma (dhārmika dṛṣṭi) of a warrior, Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna to fight as it is necessary to establish proper order in society. A warrior must not look at the problem from his personal point of view but rather it should be looked at from the point of view of the entire society. Therefore, Arjuna need not hesitate to fight for the right cause. A righteous war is the door to heaven for a kṣatriya. (Verse 32). Kṛṣṇa then warns Arjuna that if he avoids the war, not only will he be shirking from his duty but will also incur sin. (Verse 33). Arjuna should therefore fight to avoid being a sinner.

3.Now from the point of view of the world (laukika dṛṣṭi)
Arjuna cannot withdraw from the war, else, he would henceforth be called a coward (including the generations to come) (Verses 34 to 36). Arjuna thus has to fight for his own reputation too.

Kṛṣṇa thus convinces Arjuna to get up having resolved to fight, (Verses 37, 38). Thus concludes the first part of teaching of Sāṅkhya–yoga (Verse 39). The first argument deals with the nature of the Ātma-anātma-viveka. Hereafter īśvara enters into karma-yoga (also called buddhi-yoga) which employs one’s intellect. Though Sāṅkhya-yoga is the solution for sorrow, many are deemed unfit to gain it because of false attachment (moha). Which makes one believe that worldly pursuits can solve problems. So, one is allowed to pursue these worldly ends so that one can discover that actions and their results cannot be the harbingers of eternal contentment and satisfaction. This is the state of dispassion. A dispassionate mind can only pursue Sāṅkhya-yoga. Thus Karma-yoga is introduced as a means to come to Sāṅkhya-yoga.

Īśvara first describes the glory of Karma-yoga (Verses 40 to 46), then follows the principles of Karma-yoga. He says one can choose his/her action but one can never decide the result. The result depends on the laws of action. This is also true in Newton’s principles of motion. There are other known and unknown factors which may bring a totally unexpected result. This is unavoidable and yet, inaction will not be a solution either. No one can have complete knowledge of the laws of action. Hence actions can often be imperfect despite all the effort. So, one should always be ready for any result. One should hope for the best, but should at the same time be prepared for the worst. When one acts with the above understanding, success and failure lose their capacity to shake us. One does not react, because he is not caught unawares. This is Yoga. (Verse 48). One can however, convert a binding-karma into a valid teacher which is called skill in action (Verse 50). A tranquil mind will shed its false value attributed to the world and turn towards Ātmā (Verse 52). When, through self-knowledge, one gets established in the peacefulness of Ātmā, he attains liberation (Verse 53). Now Arjuna becomes curious to know the characteristics of a person who is firmly established in self-knowledge (sthitaprajña) (Verse 54).

Kṛṣṇa answers Arjuna’s questions and shows him the path of stabilizing the knowledge. Knowledge cannot be fruitful unless it is stabilised and assimilated. For this Kṛṣṇa talks about two important sādhanās (Verses 58 to 68). They are the control of the mind and sense organs and the second, is contemplating upon the teachings of the Guru. On the other hand, if these are not practiced, the mind and the sense organs will drag a person to the field of sense-objects and they then gradually pull him down spiritually (Verses 62, 63).

As far as the characteristics of a wise man are concerned, the Lord points out that a man of self-knowledge is always satisfied with himself and consequently, he is free from all desires (Verse 55). He is not dependent on the world to be happy. Naturally, he is free from attachment, hatred, desire, anger, fear, elation, depression etc. (Verses 56,57). Though living in the same world, he enjoys a freedom and contentment which is unknown to others. Thus, if the ignorant man can be said to be in darkness with regards to the Ātmā.(Verse 69), a wise man’s mind is like an ocean which is independently full and is unaffected by the rivers entering or not entering it, dirty or clean. Similarly, a wiseman’s mind is independently full, and is undisturbed by the favourable and unfavourable experiences (Verse 70). Kṛṣṇa then glorifies the topic calling this state as Aham Brahma Asmi (I am brahman), reaching it, one does not get deluded again. He lives life as a jīvan-mukta (i.e. liberated even while living) even at the far end of this journey. After death he becomes one with the Brahman (cosmos) and attains nirvāṇam (liberation) which is called Videha-mukti.

The second chapter thus focuses mainly on –

• Arjuna’s saraṇāgatiḥ
• Sāṅkhya–yogagītātma
• Karma-yoga
• Sthitaprajñatva-upāya and sthitaprajña-lakṣaṇa.

KARMA-YOGAḤ

The second chapter saw praises from the Lord on self-knowledge (Verses 11, 21, 46) and criticized the karma-kanda of the vedas (Verses 42 to 45). Thereafter, Kṛṣṇa asks Arjuna to take care of his karma (Verse 48). This creates a serious doubt in Arjuna and the third chapter begins with this doubt. Where he asks – “Oh Īśvara!! I am confused by the contradictory statements. Please tell me which one shall lead me to mokṣa,” knowledge or karma? (Verses 1,2). Bhagavaan then answers that there are two lifestyles called karma-yoga-niṣṭhā (social life) and jñāna-yoga-niṣṭhā(secluded life). One may choose any one of them, as a householder or as a sannyasii (Verse 3). There is however no choice between karma and knowledge. Whatever lifestyle one chooses, one has to follow relevant karma for purity and then pursue knowledge to discover the freedom that is one’s true nature.

Of these two lifestyles, Kṛṣṇa gives preference to social life throughout the Gītā. In the Upaṇiṣads , we find the latter emphasized. The choice depends on the maturity of the seeker. Kṛṣṇa condems inaction (Verses 4 to 7) and praises an alert and active life. Inactions should be avoided because:

• It can neither give purity nor knowledge (Verse 4)
• Desires force one to act and inaction will be a suppression (Verse 5)
• A mind without any occupation will be idle. It will then brood over sensual pleasures. Such a hypocritical mind then falls (Verse 6). (also refer to Verses 11 – 62 , 63)

Bhagavan deals with one of the most beautiful and important topics in the Gītā i.e. the karma yoga (Verses 8 to 20). Having created the world and the human beings, the Lord himself advocated (in the vedas) karma-yoga (a way of life). By following it, material and spiritual progress can be attained (Verses 10 to 14). This being the teaching of the Lord, The master of the universe (swami) every human being has to take it as a command (niiyatam) and obey it as a servant (bhṛtya) of Īśvara (Verse 8). When we follow the teachings of IIs’avara it becomes a gesture of our appreciation for all the gifts and blessings that the Lord bestowed upon us. Thus, our work becomes a worship or offering with gratitude (yajña) to Īśvara. It also purifies the mind (Verses 9, 13). And lastly, Karma-yoga is necessary to maintain the harmony of the universe upon which we all depend. The working of the universe being a cyclic process, and the human being an important link, one must be aware of one’s responsibility (duty). Thus, karma-yoga is only the work (Kāryam) of a responsible citizen of the world. One who does not discharge it properly proves himself/ herself to be an immature individual. (Verses 14 to 16). Thus, Karma-yoga needs to be pursued as:

1. It contributes to the materialistic and spiritual progress (yoga).
2. It is the commandment (niiyatam) of the Master of the universe.
3. It is our expression of gratitude (yajña) to Īśvara acknowledging His gifts,
4. It is the only way of maintaining harmony (dharma).

(In this chapter, Bhagavaan does not talk about Kāmya-karma, ( actions to fulfil the desires). This shows that true karma-yoga does not involve kāmya- karma. Hence, a seeker must gradually reduce kāmya-karma in order to become a true karma-yogi. Karma-yoga ultimately leads one to liberation through the stages of purity (śuddhi), enquiry(vicaara) and knowledge(Jñāna) (Verses 17,18).

Kṛṣṇa thus concludes the topic by citing the example of Janaka who successfully pursued knowledge while remaining in karma-yoga-niṣṭhā (social life) (Verse 20). From verses 20 to 29, the lord talks of the role of a wise man in the society taking Arjuna as one. Any person with a higher status or knowledge (śreṣṭha), can influence others both positively and negatively. Hence, even though Arjuna might not benefit from this war, he has to fight, as it is the duty of a kṣatriya (warrior) and set an example to others. Else, he will be responsible to set out anarchy (Verses 22 to 25). Thus, both the wise and the ignorant should act. The former for teaching others, and the latter, for purity. The only difference is that the former will be detached while the latter will be attached. (Verses 27 to 29).
Verse 30 thus summarises karma-yoga , giving 5 conditions:

1. Keep the spiritual goal
2. Offer all actions to the Lord
3. Do not be concerned about the result
4. Be free from possessiveness, and
5. Be calm.

One who follows karma-yoga reaches the goal of life while the other is lost (Verses 31,32). Likes and dislikes (rāga-dveṣa), born of habits (vāsanas) will pull a person astray. One should not go by what he likes to do, but what he has to do (duty), even if it involves difficulties. (Verses 33 to 35).

As an answer to Arjuna’s question (Verse 36), Kṛṣṇa elaborately discusses the problem of kāma- krodha (rāga-dveṣa). They are the real enemies of a seeker (Verse 37). Clouding the knowledge, they force a person to run after endless insatiable desires and take away all the chances of peace and progress (Verses38, 39). The senses, the mind and the intellect are the base of desires. They have to be taken care of (Verses 40, 41).

Dūrvāsanas should be replaced by śubhavāsanas by practice. False values should be replaced by right ones through discrimination. Once kāma becomes weak, one can discover the Ātmā, which is beyond the senses, the mind, and the intellect and thus is able to destroy kāma for good. (42,43).
Thus the third chapter mainly discusses the following topics –

1. Introduction to karma-yoga( Verses 1 to 7)
2. Karma-yoga(Verses 8 to 20)
3. The role of a wise person (Verses 20 to 29).
4. Summary (Verses 30 to 35)
5. The problem of desire and its solution (Verses 36 to 43)