Chapter XIII (VERSE 8) & CHAPTER XVIII (VERSE 62)
Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga – The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field
CHAPTER 13
(Verse 8)
इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहंकार एव च ।
जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम् ॥ १३-८॥
Humility, unpretentiousness, non-injury, forgiveness, uprightness, service to the teacher, purity, steadfastness, self-control.
From this stanza onwards, we get a description of the elements of “Knowledge” and they include moral qualities and ascetic practices which are conducive to spiritual awakening.
HUMILITY — meaning, absence of self-esteem; MODESTY — the virtue of not proclaiming one’s own greatness; NON-INJURY — to any living being mainly by our own vicious intentions and feelings; FORGIVENESS (PATIENCE) — capacity to suffer long without being upset; UPRIGHTNESS — comes to him who harmonises thoughts, words and deeds, and who is intent on right conduct; SERVICE TO THE TEACHER — not merely physical, for real service to the teacher is an attempt on the part of the student to seek a mental and intellectual identity with the teacher’s pure heart and intellect; PURITY — not merely the cleanliness of the seeker’s thoughts and physical structure, but also of his dress and other belongings and of the environments in which he is living. It also comprehends the inner purity of thoughts and emotions, intentions and motives, passions and urges; STEADFASTNESS — consistency of purpose and concentration of all efforts towards achieving the cultural and the spiritual goal striven for; SELF-CONTROL — self-restraint practised at all the personality-layers, both in their collective and several contacts with the world outside.
Moksha Sanyasa Yoga – The Yoga of Liberation Through Renunciation
CHAPTER XVIII
Verse 62
तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत ।
तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम् ॥ १८-६२॥
Fly unto Him for refuge with all your being, O Bharata; by His grace you shall obtain Supreme Peace (and) the Eternal Abode.
Such an elaborate description has been given of the Spiritual Presence which vitalises the world-of-matter around man, only to bring about ultimately an evolutionary self-development in the student. The very core of this Geeta-philosophy is the theme that is indicated in the opening stanza of the ‘Ishaavasya Upanishad.’ “The Infinite Truth pervades everything in the world, and therefore, renouncing all the multiplicity, enjoy the Infinitude, and covet not anybody’s wealth.”
Recognition of the body through our abject identifications with it, creates a false sense of individuality, and it is this “ego” that suffers and sighs. The one commandment that has been repeated all through the Divine Song with great insistence is: “Renounce the ego and act.”
The ego is the cause for all our sense of imperfections and sorrows. To the extent we liquidate this sense of separateness and individuality, to that extent we climb into an experience of greater perfection and joy within ourselves.
Krishna has been advising surrender of the “ego” unto the Lord by developing a devoted attitude of dedication. Arjuna, like a true intelligent sceptic, asks: “To which Lord should I renounce all my action? — and dedicate all my activities at which altar? Krishna has defined the Infinite Lord in the previous verse, and now, here He advises Arjuna to surrender his “ego” unto HIM. “FLY UNTO HIM FOR REFUGE WITH ALL YOUR WILL.”
Ours is an age of scepticism. The Arjuna of the Geeta is rather like a typical representative of our own age in this respect. A sceptic is one who questions the existing beliefs; he wants to be intellectually convinced of the logical grounds upon which the existing beliefs stand.
Earlier, Krishna has explained to Arjuna what is indicated by the term Ishwara. Now the call of the Geeta to Arjuna is to surrender himself unto the Lord. The Geeta requires all of us to live and act with our hearts resting in selfdedicated surrender to the Consciousness, the harmonious oneness of Life that pulsates everywhere through all equipments. In short, we are asked to identify ourselves with the Spirit rather than the vehicles of Its expression. He who has thus surrendered totally (Sarva-bhaavena) gains an intellect fully awakened, and thereafter, external circumstances cannot toss and crush his individuality.
The body and mind of such an individual who has learnt ever to keep the refreshing memory of the present cannot make any foolish demands. And when one brings such a brilliant intellect into the affairs of life, all his problems wither away and carpet his path to strive progressively ahead.