Krishna reveals how spiritual enlightenment and sannyasa are just two sides of the same coin. What sannyasa seeks to achieve, exactly the same is mastered even in the midst of activity, by the requisite knowledge and realization of the sentient presence, namely the imperishable soul, animating the body.

Dear and blessed souls:

Harih Om Tat Sat.

Are Jñāna and Karma different paths?

Krishna continues (5.4): Only children, he says, speak of Jñāna or Sāṅkhya the pursuit of wisdom, and Karma-yoga, as different, with different objectives. The wise and scholarly never say so. If one earnestly adheres to either of the two, he will derive the fruition of both. How categorically Krishna bypasses all traditional views and affirms the merit of what he propounds!

Children alone speak of Jñāna and Karma-yoga as different. Both are pursuits of our mind and intelligence to gain their own sublimity, enrichment and loftiness. Inasmuch as it is the human mind, with the direction of intelligence that pursues the path, how can its results be different? Spirituality is, after all, a mento-intellectual pursuit. Its first and last effects are on the mind and intelligence alone. Therefore, how can they have different fruitions at all?

Krishna emphasizes that one should pursue either well, samyak, fully and wholesomely, with all the necessary attention and concern. True, Krishna discusses many lines of thought during his dialogue. But his focus every time is the yoga he had propounded in the 2nd chapter, Sāṅkhya, which is the steady contemplation on the imperishable and impartial Self, the ‘I’ denotes. To help the process, two courses are prescribed. One is to treat sukha and duḥkha equally. The other is to have an even attitude towards siddhi and asiddhi (fruition and non-fruition) of actions. With these ensured, the seeker will be safe in his pursuit and its fulfilment.

All spiritual pursuits lead to the same realization

Krishna restates his proposition (5.5) adding more emphasis to it: Whatever state or abode is attained by those given to Sāṅkhya, that itself is attained by the ones adopting yoga too. Being so, the right vision is that Sāṅkhya and yoga are in essence the same; they are one alone, not different. Only he who sees these as the same verily sees. In other words, such a one alone has real spiritual enlightenment.

The uniqueness about this war dialogue, Bhagavad Gita, is that though it discusses a variety of allied subjects, the supreme Truth as well as the means to attain it is the same. Whether approached through Sāṅkhya, karma, yoga or otherwise, the goals are not different. The varietal exposition becomes necessary because of the multiple tastes of people. This variety does not the least alter the nature of Truth. It is ever the same. That is why the actual practices, however diverse they may appear to be, are not verily different. For, they lead to the same realization.

Mento-intelligential refinement and sublimation

But Krishna has something significant to add (5.6). However adorable the path of sannyasa is, it is hard for any one to take it up all at once, straightaway, without reforming and enriching himself with Karma-yoga adequately. Not only that, Karma Yoga by itself is capable of leading the seeker to the knowledge and realization of Brahman, the supreme Reality. Here too, the point to be specially noted and assimilated is that Karma-yoga, when pursued earnestly, acts directly upon the mind and intelligence, reforming, refining and sublimating them consistently. Is not the aim of sannyasa too the same inner refinement and sublimation?

Throughout the dialogue, Krishna is making Arjuna’s mind more and more sublime and his intelligence refined and perceptive. Sannyasa is adopted, in fact, to achieve the same ‘mento-intelligential’ sublimation and enrichment. Thus, the yogi is never led to any loss or delay in his march towards realizing the supreme Truth, Brahman.

Samatva-buddhi-yoga clinches the issue

The conclusive statement Krishna makes here is that the ascetic integrated with samatva-buddhi yoga will, before long, attain the supreme Brahman. Decide now which course is better – to venture into sannyasa all of a sudden or get first enriched and empowered by yoga-buddhi, making it easy to become an ascetic, if at all!

Krishna now comes back to his unique yogic discussion (5.7). People generally find activities troublesome and tormenting because of their having to face unexpected outcomes for whatever they do. On close analysis, you will understand that this is more delusional than factual. For, any act is designed for its specific fruition. If you conduct the act with sufficient attention and care, there is no reason why the desired fruition will not transpire. Nonetheless, all actors get so much disturbed by the thoughts and concern their minds foster towards fruition. In Karma yoga this plight is totally remedied, by nurturing an even attitude towards fruition and non-fruition. This is a subtle refinement which true spiritual knowledge and the resulting enrichment bestow to the performer.

Five-fold spiritual excellences

Krishna uses a set of five excellences emphasizing how the yogic practitioner who embodies these does not get the least affected by whatever he does. His actions, either the performance or its fruition, will not taint his mind or intelligence. Understand that there is such a higher and novel way of performing all tasks.

Normally people just act, without thinking deeply about it. Here, side by side with the activity, the performer also cherishes and nourishes inner refinement of sublimity and enlightenment, by introspecting over the whole sequence of activity.

Such introspection has its own embellishment to bestow on the mind. And that insulates the performer quite well. He derives the qualitative refinement to do his acts without clinging and consequently getting agitated or tainted. See how Krishna pinpoints yogic accomplishment!

Yoga-yuktaḥ means one integrated with the samatva-buddhi-yoga. By such integration, his mind becomes pure and sublime (viśuddhātmā). He also gains victory over his emotional flux, psychological turbulence (vijitātmā). Needless to say, such a one certainly has sensory regulation (jitendriyaḥ). What more? His mind and intelligence are exceedingly expansive. He experiences the Self in him as equally dwelling in all beings, sarva-bhūtātma-bhūtātmā. This is due to the subtlety and pervasive quality of the Self! This is a psycho-intelligential expanse, which the yogi gains effortlessly, by the grace of his yogic attitude, sublimation and enlightenment.

Such a one, says Krishna, no matter what all activities he does, does not get glued to any of them nor do the actions taint or scar him the least.

In saying so, Krishna is infusing the spirit and purpose of sannyasa into karma, activity, true to the name of the chapter, karma-sannyasa-yoga.

All-fold inner refinement and embellishment

Is sannyasa renouncing activity in order to take to a totally ascetic life or leading an ascetic life in order to keep away from activities, as Arjuna thought of doing initially (2.5)? But even this is only a means. The compulsion for all these strivers is the clinging and stain activity causes and preserves. Yoga-yuktatā, inner purity (viśuddhatā), self-control (vijitātmatā) and sensory victory (jitendriyatā), more importantly the sarva-bhūtātmatā – all these follow one, who takes to samatva-buddhi-yoga wholesomely. The factors to be purified and enlightened are mind and intelligence alone. And by all these enrichments, it is the same mind that gets refined and embellished.

Be free of bondage caused by activity

See how Krishna enfolds sannyasa into yoga and vice versa! The sole object of sannyasa is to redeem the seeker from the stranglehold of activity and its tormenting effects. Here Krishna insulates the performer so well with the Yogic-armour that he feels no involvement or affectation even if his body, mind and intelligence are engaged in their respective activities. Effect-wise what more is required to be freed of all bondage caused by activity?

Seekers should recite this verse (5.7) several times, tuning intensely to the words and their import so well that their mind and intelligence will begin to display such sublimity, purity and refinement that even conventional ascetics will find hard to gain.

Becoming a ‘non-doer’ while engaged in actions

In the next two verses (5.8-9) Krishna describes, nay pinpoints, how the tattva-vit, Knower of the Self, dissolves all activities completely by virtue of his knowledge. In other words, Krishna reveals how spiritual enlightenment and sannyasa are just two sides of the same coin. What sannyasa seeks to achieve, exactly the same is mastered even in the midst of activity, by the requisite knowledge and realization of the sentient presence, namely the imperishable soul, animating the body.

Yuktaḥ, the one yogically integrated, in other words the Knower of Truth (tattva-vit) should think ‘I am not doing anything at all’ – while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing, speaking, evacuating, receiving anything, opening and closing his eyes. The senses alone are moving amidst sense objects’.

Nature propels one into actions

What does this mean? All activities, whether physical or propelled by mind, intelligence or ego, are transpiring only because the instruments for doing these are first there. Thus body, mind, intelligence and all that they respectively do, are solely a creation and display of the senses, senses moving amidst sense objects. And this is enabled by the overall Nature and its qualities sattva, rajas and tamas, which act upon the instruments, resulting in activity. In this, none has any control or regulation.

The error people make is that they do not realize the fact that they have nothing of their own in their personality. Right from the ego, intelligence, mind, body and senses, all are Nature’s own creation, and the same Nature alone activates them for anything and everything one does (3.27). So, where is the question of any one wilfully doing anything at all? All actions big and small are propelled by nature, enabled by the same Nature. It is like multiplying all figures with zero. One does not do anything at all any time. Our heart continues to beat all by itself, lungs also bellow likewise. Only then the other activities are enabled. How true is the feeling of non-doership Krishna prescribes!