THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 4, JNANA KARMA SANYASA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF RENUNCIATION OF ACTION IN KNOWLEDGE OR THE WAY OF KNOWLEDGE, VERSE NUMBER 19

 THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER 4

JNANA KARMA SANYASA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF RENUNCIATION OF ACTION IN KNOWLEDGE OR THE WAY OF KNOWLEDGE:

VERSE NUMBER 19

Text in Transliteration:

yasya sarve samaarambhaah kaamasamkalpavarjitaah

juanaagnidagdhakarmaanam tam aahuh panditam budhaah

Text in English:

Whose doings are all devoid of design and desire for results, and whose actions are all burnt by the fire of knowledge, him, the sages call wise.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:

Action actuated by design and desire has the power to bind the doer. But if the doer of action assumes the attitude that all actions emanate from Iswara and that whatever takes place through him as a mere instrument, is all the glory of the Lord, he is not bound by action. There is neither agency nor egoism in him. As a burnt string may retain its form but is unfit for tying, the doing of the yogi do not bind him. They are all burnt away in the fire of the knowledge that God alone is the real author of all that it takes place in the universe. He is called the wise by the sages because of his being endowed with this supreme knowledge.

SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:

My Cosmic Mother is the real propeller of everything in the world. Beings are all puppets in Her hands. The ignorant think that they are the doers.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

Such a worker has the universality of outlook born of wisdom (jnana) and freedom from selfish desire. Though he works, he really does nothing.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:

A sage performs actions only with a view to set an example to the masses. Though he works, he does nothing as he has no selfish interests. Though he works, he does nothing as he has no selfish interests, as his actions are burnt by the fire of wisdom which consists in the realisation of inaction in action, through the knowledge of the Self or Brahma-Jnana is a mighty spiritual fire which consumes the results of all kinds of actions (karmas), good and bad, and makes the enlightened sage quite free from the bonds of action. The sage who leads a life of perfect renunciation does only what is required for the bare existence of his body. (Cf. III. 19; IV.10; IV.37)

Comments by the blogger:

Is it possible for us to become devoid of design and desire for results? Each and every action we indulge in are geared to produce results we desire! But God whom we glorify asks his own friend and disciple to shed personal designs and goals and not expect fruits of his actions. We only know quid pro quo type of life. If we do an act we expect from nature to produce the results. It is nature who acts as a villain. She only acts, not really. We sometimes cuddle and pet our children and sometimes we are stern. Each baby boy and girl cannot forget the way its own mother and father took him or her to a strange place later, much later, understood as school, and leave us all at once all alone! The child, who was used to get its own way just by throwing a tantrum tries to do it, but it is unable to do so in the absence of its parents and what is more in the presence of so many boys and girls who do not cry and behave normally and the teachers who do not cuddle us but tell us to sit down and behave! This is what nature does to us. She cuddles us and pets us so much that we become unable to produce actions without the traces of stout selfishness! She even tries our initial steps to produce purely unselfish actions by producing some effects. The beneficiaries of our unselfish actions are not thankful for our help or some necessities arise wherein we are forced to expect the beneficiary of our past unselfish actions and he or she turns the table on us. And we become angry! This is because of the playing of the mother nature! But these are only in the initial stage. Once we put our heart and mind in such unselfish acts and continue to do so, so that it becomes our lifestyle and we become to live for others, it is now mother nature who will help us to a phenomenal extent. Then only we will understand what a mother and how she has schooled us over the centuries through all our rebirths!

The sparrow does not cultivate any land and sows any seeds for its food. Mother nature looks after it. But we don’t give ourselves unto  nature or prakriti fully so that it becomes her job to look after us. Indeed she looks after the needs of  her children who spend their own lives in the service of others. And greater persons are they who seek God so much diligently that they do not have time nor care for the next time when they will get food, it is mother nature that looks after all bodily needs. This has been proved in India from ancient times.Everyone who is after Brahma jnana or Knowledge about Brahman becomes the child of nature whose responsibility it is to look after him or her. this is one of laws of nature. 

OK, now some personal talk with my dear readers who are not the blessed yogis or yoga teachers: please don’t lose heart. Even great saints and seers do not become so in one birth. All of us have our own karmic effects. We will gradually proceed toward the path of yoga even living our worldly life. It happens gradually. We shed progressively our love for worldly life! We do not realize that. All of us are proceeding toward that ananda or bliss that God is. Even animals are described by Swami Sidbhavananda as proceeding toward that bliss! Haven’t I told you that it happens only gradually?

In the meanwhile, it is important to have faith in God and Gita and study it regularly. Though we cannot shed our likes and dislikes, we will be steadily exposed to such great life through our study of Gita. Shreda or faith is a great thing. Continuous study of Gita will give us proper station in the next birth and we will start from where we left off! And at one stage we would be completely prepared and fully committed for a life of search for God mindless of all other worldly things. This is how, birth after birth, nature prepare us. Pray to God for your and your family’s good and have faith in Gita and make a habit of studying it every day. The rest of the things will be taken care of by God’s prakrti or nature. Do some sort of yogic concentration through proper teachers if only possible. Every little thing will help both here and hereafter.