THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER THREE
KARMA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF ACTION OR THE METHOD OF WORK
VERSE NUMBER 7
Text in Transliteration:
yas tv indriyaani manasaa niyamayaa rabyate rjuna
karmendriyaih karmayogam asaktah sa visisyate
Text in English:
But he excels, O Arjuna, who, restraining the senses by the
mind, unattached, directs his organs of action to the path of work.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
A hungry dog chained to a post scrambles and paws for a
plate of food kept for him at a distance. Such is the case of the mind of the
untrained man given to sense-life. Viewed ethically and spiritually, he is a
hypocrite who allows his mind to wander on sense-object while apparently
curbing the senses. On the other hand an aspirant ought to change his attitude
and seek to engage his mind on things divine. The mind disciplined this way
chooses to engage the ever active and indulgent senses on things noble and
elevation instead of on those, base and vulgar.
Disciplined is imperative in all the detailed activities of
the mind and the senses. The acts of cooking and eating may be cited as
samples. An aspirant prepares wholesome food for offering to his chosen Deity.
While doing so, there is no thought whatsoever opf his tasting the dish. It is
done in a worshipful mood. The food is then dedicated to the Deity. It is
subsequently partaken of by the devotee as grace from the Lord and not as an object
of sense enjoyment. Its delicacy is relished as the glory of the Lord. Herein
lies the difference between the indulgent and the disciplined. The former
wastes away the mind and the senses while the latter weans and conserves them. In
this wise all the senses require to be fully engaged in the services of the
Lord Self-control culminates in self-fulfilment.
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
A deadly cobra was a terror to the wayfarers in a woodland. The
knowers of this fact scrupulously avoided that locality for this reason. Once when
a holy man was inadvertently passing that way the venomous creature made its
appearance intent on its nefarious act. But the benignly loving look of the
saint brought a change in the snake. Instead of biting him it looked meekly on
the pious man. He kindly advised the serpent not to hurt anybody. And this enemy
of mankind wholeheartedly took the advice. After a long time the holy man came
again that way, thought of the converted cobra and searched for it. To his
dismay the creature was found mangled and half dead, wriggling in a hole. When the
matter was anxiously enqured into, the snake submitted that it was all the
result of faithfully following the advice of the saint. Because it stopped
biting, people took to pelting it with pebbles and hurting it violently. The deadly
creature was force to hide itself lest it should be done to death. The saint
smilingly rebuked it: “ I exhorted you not to hurt, but i did not prohibit you
from hissing.” The snake learnt a lesson for life and thenceforth got on
safely. The unbridled senses are like the poisonous snake playing havoc among
people. the curbed senses are like the inactive snake almost beaten to death. The
sublimated senses cause harm to none while elevating their owner to sublimity.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
The human will can triumph over the rigidity of law. We should
not look upon the things of the world as means to our satisfaction. If we are
to recover our lost equanimity, our lost integrity, our lost innocence we must
see all things as manifestations of the Real and not as objects to be grasped
and possessed. To develop this attitude of non-attachment to things,
contemplation is essential.
In verse 6the Lord condemns mere outer renunciation and in
this verse commends the true spirit of inward detachment.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
If anyone performs actions with his organs of action ( viz.,
hands, feet, organ of speech, etc.) controlling the organs of knowledge by the
mind, and without expectation of the fruits of the actions and without egoism,
he is certainly more worthy than the other who is a hypocrite or a man of false
conduct. (Cf. IV. 21; II. 64, 68)
The five organs of knowledge are the eyes, the ears, the
nose, the skin and the sense of taste (tongue).
Comments by the blogger:
In verse number 6 the Lord condemns those who indulge
unsuccessfully only in the external curbing of karmendria or the organs of karma
or action without exerting the mind which is the seat of the senses. Unless one
curbs mind and thus senses, the sense objects and sense organs will trouble the
practitioner. In this verse the Lord speaks in glowing terms such persons who,
controlling the senses by the mind, engages in himself in karma yoga or method
of work with the organs of action, without attachment, he excels.
This apart, a question may arise, cannot we enjoy the good
things of life without becoming a sinner? If we should control our mind which
is the seat of senses and thereby the sense organs, what is the bloody purpose
of the senses and sense objects? And should we all become sanyasins? Can’t I
like my whisky and bacon in the morning and wine and teak for dinner, without
having to suffer the consequences? If eating, touching, speaking, smelling etc.
In excess is sin, why the hell they were given to me. Why the hell is there a
world full of sense objects? Why the hell shoul I go through life like a bundle
of ideals and vague notions about yoga and then think I am happy. For God’s
sake, can’t be a guy happy in life? Being happ itself is sin? What kind of God
would he be if he expects me to be mute and go through life like a nincompoop
and deaf and dumb?
Hey! Wait a minute, will you?
Ha! Ha! Ha!
During studying Gita for the first time some fifteen years
back, I used to get these questions agitate me. Irrespective of that side of
me, there was an inner self that said, all the Lord wants us is to live a full
life , happy life like a Raja, but at the same time watching over our senses so
that we would not become pigs! This world is full of maya or illusion and the
real happiness is always wears a clock while brash and sinful things are loud
and opprobrious catering to our lower self. Every one of us has a secrete
longing to become a pig and enjoy continuously.
There’s an upnishadic story you might like and relish:
There was a king and to his court, one day, a mendicant paid
a visit. The Raja came down his thrown and bent over to touch the ascetic’s
feet. After some time, before the wandering monk was going to leave the court,
the king asked of him a question. And the question related to what would happen
to the king after his death. To this, without any hesitation, the mendicant
said, “You will take a re-birth as a pig!” The king became very sorrow, and
laughingly the monk said, “Don’t lose heart, man. Though it is true that you
would take a birth as a pig , after that incarnation is over, you would come to
this earth as man again and wield great powers!”
With that the mendicant went on his wandering way, and the
king accosted some faithful bodyguards of his and directed them that once his
death take place to be ever watchful for the birth of that pig and kill it
instantly, so that he could come again soon here as man and wield power like
now.
One day the king died and the faithful bodyguards were ever
watchful for that pig’ cub. One that occurred, they chased the cub to kill it. But
the pig ran round and round and at one time became very tired and asked the
soldiers of their purpose. “I am but a small cub and what could I have done to
you that you all should chase me with outdrawn swords?” it asked. The faithful
soldiers told the Raja inside the pig the story of his bidding to kill him as
soon as he incarnated as a pig. “O, I see!” said the pig cub. “I am all prise
for your honesty and fidelity to the king in me. But I happen to like this pig’s
life too. I hadn’t realise then a pig’s life could be so very marvellous. So I
want to enjoy this pig’s life too fully. So don’t dare come near me!”
Having said it the small pig cub ran away!
Such is the power of maya or illusion. We might despise a
pig, but to the shit eating pig it’s glorious life indeed. And he is an honest
pig, no?
The question is that there should be moderation in all and
can’t we exert our mind a bit and flux our thinking muscle if an unhurried
simple and devout life is not full of happiness and light, and if before this
inward culture could even a Roman King could claim parity?
Stick to Gita. We will discuss many more things, dear
friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment