1) The Essence of the Third Chapter
sankam tavirnthu
sakam sathir perra Dhananjayane
pongum gunangal punarppu anaitthum puhavittu
avarrul
nankann uraittha kirisai yelâm yenavum navinrar
yengum arivarhale
yenru nâathan iyampinane (4)
(Meaning): In the previous poem, Lord
pointed out that Karma Yoga has to be practiced first to get the mind under
control and then one should proceed to Jnâna Yoga. A question arises here about
some one, who is competent to perform Jnâna Yoga directly without the
intermediate step of Karma Yoga.
The question is why should such a capable person trouble himself with
Karma Yoga. The answer is that the
gains of Jnâna Yoga can not be realized unless Karma Yoga is mastered
first. We have to perform Karma
Yoga first and please the Lord by doing actions (karma) without
anticipation of the fruits of such actions. Sins are destroyed during the
practise of such karma Yoga. The
mind is cleansed. The power of
impediments (dôsha) like desire and anger diminish and the senses
(indriya) come under the influence of the devotee (sâdhaka). This
leads on to the practise of Jnâna Yoga as the next step. If one does not perform Karma Yoga first
and proceeds directly to Jnâna Yoga, it is like some one, who wants to build a
seven-tiered tower (gopuram) by starting with the seventh tier
first. He will become a laughing
matter.
Further, no one can stay idle even for a second without doing any
karma except at the time of dissolution (pralaya Kâlam).
The soul (Jîva) is
goaded by one or other of the three guna to perform one or other
karmas. Karma Yoga is easy
to practise. Mistakes do not creep
in, while one practises Karma Yoga.
It is impossible not to be engaged in actions (Karma). The bodily existence will be impaired,
if we abandon Karma Yoga. Even the
great souls like King Janaka, who were fully qualified to jump start their
discipline (sâdhana) with Jnâna Yoga practised Karma Yoga first to show
to the world the correct sequence.
If some one sets an example by skipping Karma Yoga, even those, who are
not competent to perform Jnâna Yoga will mimic the capable ones and end up in
spiritual disaster. This will lead
to the accumulation of sins by the trendsetter and he will further lose his grip
on the Jnâna Yoga as well.
Additional comments on the words
& passages of this poem (Pâsuram)
1. "Sangam
Tavirtthu" : When one performs Karma Yoga, one should do it for the love
of the God (Bhagavath prîthi) and not for gaining any fruits that one may
desire.
2. Pongum gunangal punarppu anaitthum avarrul
puhavittu":
Sathva, Rajas and Thamas are the three guna
associated with the created world (Prakrithi). In the body of the bound soul
(chetana), they are present in different proportions. They are behind the performance of
appropriate karma as described in detail in the 14th chapter of Srimad
Bhagavath Gîta. The bound soul
(Jîvan) deludes itself by thinking that it is the doer of the
karma. This delusion
(Bhrama) arises from the wrong conviction that the body
(Sharîra) is indeed the soul (Âthma). In contrast to these deluded souls,
those who have a clear understanding of the nature of the soul (Âthma
Svarupa) will know that the ability to perform karma is a natural
attribute of the soul (Âthma) and the association with the three
guna are the causative factor.
This is known as Karthruthva anusandhânam .
3."
Nangkann uraittha kirisaikal yelâm yenavum navinrar yengum
arivarhale":
Those who recognize that all the karma are performed
by Almighty Sarweshvaran through His Servant, the soul (Jîva), for
the purpose of His own joy. One has
to comprehend this principle (thathva), while performing “actions in the
form of karma (Karma roopa kaimkaryams). Those who have this practise are
considered as the Masters of the essence of all Divine sciences
(Bhagavath Shâsthram).
Instructing Arjuna in this manner,
Lord commanded him to engage in the practise of his karma as a Kshatriya
and fight his enemies in that righteous war.
4. Swami Âlavandâr's summary
of this Third Chapter (Adhyâya) is :
asakthya lokarakshayai
guneshvâropya karthrutham
Sarvesware vaa nyasyokthâ thrutheeye
karma-kâryathâ
5. Sri Râmânuja's summary: The direct visualisation of
the individual soul (Âthma sâkshâthkâram) is the precedent for
success in practise of Bhakti Yoga.
This is explained in the next four
chapters starting from the Third Chapter.
The Lord (Bhagavân)
states that the practise of Jnâna Yoga by plunging headlong is a difficult and
dangerous act. The bound soul
(chetana) in this world cannot exist without action driven by the
guna born of Prakrithi.
Anyone who says that he has skipped Karma Yoga and jumped to Jnâna Yoga
directly is a hypocrite. There is
every fear of downward descent in his case. Therefore, one has no choice but to
perform obligatory duties (niyatha Karma) without seeking the
fruits thereof. By performing karma without attachment to the
fruits of such karma, one attains the Supreme being:
“Therefore always
perform action which has to be done, unattached; verify, man attains the highest
by performing action unattached.”
- Srimath Bhagavath
Gîta: III.19
Sri Krishna (Gîtha Âchârya, another name for Sri Krishna as
He is the Master of Bhagavad Gîtha) goes on to say that He is "one who has all
of His desires fulfilled” and the Supreme Master of all and yet He goes on
working (performing karma) for the protection of the world and its
beings.
The Lord instructs Arjuna to surrender all of his actions to Him
with a mind focussed on Him as the antharyâmi (Lord in one’s own soul) of
all and engage in his battle ahead resolutely without the heat of excitement:
“Renoucing all
actions in Me, with your mind resting one the Self, and giving up hope and idea
of ownership, fight, being free from fever.”
- Sriamth Bhagavath Gîta:
III.30
Here, the Lord instructs Arjuna to perform all prescribed
dharma befitting his role as a Kshatriya free from selfishness and in a
mood of not seeking the fruits of such actions. He asks Arjuna to dedicate the
fruits of all those required
Karma to Him with a clear mind knowing that the
Lord is the indweller in all) and never forgetting that Lord is his Master
(Sheshi) and he is His (Lord's) agent (Sheshan). One who has understood and follows this
“master-agent” relation (sheshi-sheshan) is the one with adhyAthma chEthas. Lord states that those who do no
understand and follow this principle are lost forever.
During the rest of
this third chapter, Lord explains the difficulties in the practise of Jnâna
Yoga. The Lord (Gîtha Âchârya)
stresses the importance of controlling the senses AT THE VERY BEGINNING, so
that both Jnâna (knowledge) and Vijnânam (discrimination) are not
destroyed (Bhagavad Gîtha II. 41).
Next, the Lord (Bhagavân)
rank ordered the adversaries to Jnâna Yogins: The senses (indriya) are
important opponents (virodhi) to gain knowledge (Jnâna). Even if the Yogi controls the senses,
the mind exerts a dominant role by lusting after the sense objects and becomes a
bigger impediment to gaining right knowledge (Jnâna). If one controls the mind, the intellect
(Buddhi) still is a greater impediment than the senses and the mind. Even after controlling the sensory
organs and the mind, the Buddhi can play some perverted games and stand in the
way of gaining knowledge. Assuming
that the senses, mind, and intellect are some how controlled, there is another
opponent (virodhi), which is the strongest of all: The desire
(Kâma:).
“The senses are
said to be superior (to their objects); superior to the senses is the mind; but
superior to the mind is the intellect; while that which is superior to the
intellect is the Self.”
- Sriamth Bhagavath Gîta: III.
42
In the final Poem (Shloka) of this chapter (III .43), the Lord
instructs Arjuna to recognize desire (Kâma) as the top-most obstacle in
the pursuit of Jnâna Yoga and directs Arjuna to destroy this enemy (desire) by
stabilizing the mind (manas) with the help of the intellect
(buddhi), which in turn is reined in by the practise of Karma
Yoga.
Chapter 1 is about " Arjuna"s sorrow and Confusion
"
Chapter 2 is about: " Communion through Knowledge ".
Chapter 3 is about
" Communion through Action ".
Chapter 4 is about " Renunciation of
Action in Knowledge".
Chapter 5 is about « Communion through
Renunciation "
Chapter 6 is about " Communion through Meditation
"
These are the six Chapters of the First Hexad united together as a
self-consistent Unit.
We will take up next, the study of the 42 poems
(Shloka) of the Fourth chapter.
In the third chapter, the emphasis
was on the need to practise Karma Yoga with sacrifice for the fruits of action
(phala tyâga) for both the disciple (Sâdhaka) with strong
body impulses as well as for the one qualified to practise
Jnâna Yoga.
In the fourth chapter, the absolute need for practising
Karma Yoga is reiterated and emphasized.
Further, the avathâra rahasyam (the secret of Lord’s
incarnation) is touched upon.
(to be continued)