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 42

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 42

Text in Transliteration:

tasmaad ajnaanasambhootam hrrstham njaanaasinaa ‘tmanah

chittvai ‘nam samsayam yogam aatishtho ‘ttishtha bharaka

Text in English:

Therefore, severing with the sword of knowledge this ignorance-born doubt about the Self, dwelling in your heart, be established in yoga. Stand up, O Bharata.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:

Doubt is the originator of all evils. It takes its stand on ignorance. In the night of ignorance things cannot be viewed in their true perspective. Therefore understanding remains in a confused state. Ignorance and inertia are interrelated. The urge to be up and doing is absent in this drowsy state. But at daybreak sleep is shaken off, things are seen in their true shape and the man goes about his work with all zeal. The dawn of knowledge is similar to this. It drives away the soul-killing doubt. Knowing and doing go hand in han; and the man is at his best.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

Arjuna is here called upon to perform action with the help of knowledge and concentration. The doubt in his heart whether it is better to fight or abstain is the product of ignorance. It will be destroyed by wisdom. Then he will know what is right for him to do.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:

Doubt causes a great deal of mental torment. It is most sinful. It is born of ignorance. Kill it ruthlessly with the knowledge of the Self. Now stand up and fight, O Arjuna.

Comments by the blogger:

Hiduism scores over other major religions of the world in spreading the quintessential message of the Vedas and the Upanishads through two epics and various Puranas. So there is no doubt about the existence of God here. It is simply a step forward for Hindus to have knowledge and with the sword of knowledge to cut asunder the ignorance.

While Charles Darwin came up with his theory of evolution, the Bible readers had a hard time to retain faith in God. Though the faith in God is fundamental for all religion, the Hindu forefathers did not enjoin on the faithful as a duty to spread the message which lead to conversion. That has been the bane of Christianity and Mohammedanism. One is born a Hindu and as per the Scriptures, anyone can follow the Yogic path irrespective of the religion without any problem of losing faith in one’s God. But there is no in-built mechanism for conversion of a non-Hindu into a Hindu. Self-knowledge is the culture of Hindus. So it is but natural for the Lord of Gita to make him remember his roots and cut asunder the ignorance-born doubt about the Self with the sword of Knowledge dwelling in his heart temporarily and be established in yoga.

We have to cut asunder any modicum of doubt.

Doubts are enemies of a sadhaka or practitioner. Arnjuna’s problem is he shudders at having to kill his kith and kin and the Acharya. The Lord has refurbished his knowledge besides establishing the yoga that had got dimmed in the millennial march of Hindus’ history.

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 FOURTH DISCOURSE DESIGNATED:

THE YOGA OF RENUNCIATION OF ACTION IN KNOWLEDGE.