Chapter 5 Karma Sannyasa Yoga Flashcards
5-1 Arjuna’s inquiry
Arjuna says:
Kṛṣ ṇa, You recommend the renunciation of action and at the same time instruct me on karma-yoga. Tell me conclusively which is the better of the two. (1)
If Krishna considers knowledge superior to action, why does He also urge Arjuna to fight? Arjuna is still examining with his mind here.
5-2 Mixture of Karma Yoga and Jyaana Yoga
Lord Kṛṣṇa says:
Renunciation of action and karma-yoga, both lead to the
highest state. But of the two, karma-yoga is superior to the renunciation of action. (2)
Both Karma Yoga and Jyaana Yoga bring one to salvation if one truly renounces. Krishna holds Karma Yoga above the renunciation of works saying “Find Me in whatever you do!”
When work is only done to serve God, to please Him, then there’s a mixture of Karma Yoga and Jyaana Yoga - here the karma yogi is acting as a true renunciate. When you renounce something, you let go of it in the mind itself.
True surrender is when you don’t get tired, don’t get worried, have only one aim to be with the Master and serve full heartedly. Karma Yoga is easier because the mind can be easily controlled when you are active - letting the mind dwell on God Consciousness while doing your duty better than “meditating” - falling asleep
Once you’ve calmed your mind through Sadhana, everything becomes Yoga, only Him.
5-3 Doing your duty without likes or dislikes
One who neither resents nor desires anything is a true
renunciate. Whoever is free from the pairs of opposites is easily liberated from bondage, O Arjuna. (3)
True renunciate is free from likes and dislikes - no use to say “yes I have renounced the world” A karma yogi is always considered a Sannyasin, a renunciate - when you do your duty without likes or dislikes, there are no desires and you are free from duality.
5-4 The path you choose doesn’t matter
Only the inexperienced speak of jñana-yoga and karma yoga as separate. One who is firmly established in either path, attains the fruit of both. (4)
Choose a path and fully commit, both ways lead to the same destination - God will reveal Himself to you through either path. Those centered in the Self can do anything: they’re free - no matter what path got them there.
5-5 He who sees Sankhya Yoga and Yoga of action as one truly sees.
A reason to follow Karma Yoga
That state which is attained by the jñana-yogī is also
attained by the karma-yogī. The one who sees that both are really one is truly wise. (5)
If one hasn’t fully let go of outside world and completely surrendered to spiritual path, if the world is still very present in the mind, not free.
The goal is very important. If the goal is God, doesn’t matter what path you take, you’ll reach Him. Karma Yoga is the easiest spiritual path to follow due to the way the mind functions.
5-6 Path or renunciation can be difficult if…
But renunciation is hard to achieve without karma-yoga.
The sage who follows this yoga quickly attains realisation. (6)
Path of renunciation is very difficult if you haven’t mastered Karma Yoga. Some perceive the world as a dream - no goal to achieve. They go to attain Brahma - deep inside, still attraction, repulsion, anger and lust. When you have faith and devotion, when you focus only on His Divine names, then God becomes real.
5-7 Qualities of a true renunciate
One who is devoted to the path of action, who is pure
of mind, who is self-controlled, who has conquered the
senses, sees the Supreme Self in all beings. Even while
acting, one remains untainted. (7)
A true renunciate has conquered the senses, mind, and speech. Place the Mind on God, place God first! - like that it will be easy to attain Him.
The Master of the Self - the one who has mastered the senses, mind and intellect. If a renunciate, even for a small moment, considers himself as the doer, he has lost everything.
As you progress on the spiritual path, your wants and desires start to diminish because the mind starts to dwell more and more on inner reality.
5-8,9 The attitude of the focused knower of truth - getting rid of duality - when duality disappears…
Despite seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating,
moving, sleeping, and breathing, the one who is engaged in yoga practice and sees the truth, declares within himself: “I do nothing’”. (8)
Even while speaking, releasing, grasping, opening, and
closing the eyes, he is always aware it is just the senses
operating among sense-objects. (9)
“I do nothing at all” This is the attitude of a focused knower of the Truth. Whatever the mind is thinking/being perceived through the senses - everything in reality is just like a dream.
Those always aware of ultimate reality are constantly absorbed in the true identity of God.
If you’re fully focused on the Self, on God and serving Him, no duality.
When duality disappears from the mind, no trace of evil qualities like lust, greed, anger, infatuation or egoism. All these negative qualities (“100 Kauravas”) will be killed/transformed. No anger in their hearts or judgement in their minds - they’re free. That’s a true devotee of the Lord.
5-10 Be like the lotus flower - State when you do your Sadhana
One who acts without attachment, surrendering one’s
actions to the Lord, is not tainted by sinful actions, just as
a lotus leaf is unaffected by water. (10)
One is not stained by sin, doesn’t create any karma. You have to be like the lotus flower so nothing clings to you. When you do your Sadhana, only God should be there, even the attachment to gaining Heaven is not there.
If one is surrendered to God, karma runs away like water off a lotus flower petal
5-11,12 A karma yogi’s dealings of life and the fate of one attached to fruits of actions
Renouncing all attachment to action, and using the body, the mind, the intellect and the senses, the yogīs act only to purify themselves. (11)
Giving up the fruits of action, the yogī attains everlasting peace. But the one who is attached to the results of action, impelled by desire, is subject to bondage. (12)
A karma yogi performs all his duties unselfishly and with a disinterested spirit - in this state, God takes full control and one is totally under the inspiration and guidance of God.
One attached to the fruits of their actions will reincarnate many many many more times until they reach God-Consciousness.
5-13 Separation from the soul and the nine gated city - Satchitananda
Mentally renouncing all actions and being in full control,
the embodied Self lives happily in the city of nine gates
(i.e., the body), neither acting nor causing the body to act.
(13)
The embodied soul, having renounced all its actions by the mind sits serenely in its nine-gated city - nine openings of the body. When one realizes they’re not the body, become the greater observer inwardly.
Satchitananda is the state of perfection - isn’t just to be aware of the Self, it is to become blissful.
When the mind is tamed and controlled through discrimination and reasoning, it turns automatically within. Then the intellect awakens and through this wisdom, the heart opens up to Love. At first the mind looks at the soul, now the soul looks at the supersoul.
5-14 God as the Great Boss - untouched by creation
The master of the body — the Self, does not initiate
activities, nor does It induce people to act, nor does It
create the fruits of action. It is a person’s inherent nature
that does all this. (14)
God doesn’t claim the doership, no pride inside Him. It’s the mind, ego, and pride that says “I am doing this” “I am doing that” God is the Great Boss, the soul is the director, the heart is the manager and the senses are the laborers. Great Boss isn’t rouched by anything nor claims anything.
Nature does Her own work but when one gets realized, one rises above nature. But if one doesn’t realize they’re hanging onto the gunas, can’t be free.
God oversees Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva who work more closely within the creation along with Nature.
5-15 duality meets knowledge of the Self
The all-pervading Lord does not take on the sin or merit
of any person. Knowledge is covered by ignorance and so, beings are deluded. (15)
All “good” and “bad” is only happening in this worldly reality - God isn’t touched. When one attains realization, one sees everything from the perspective of the Divine Reality.
When knowledge of the Self arises, ignorance is removed. This ignorance of the Self always makes one stay in the cycle of birth and death. The ones who are completely surrendered to God become like Him in that they’re above nature and are ever free.
5-16,17 When one is vulnerable to falling into the delusion versus being in a place where there’s no way to go backwards.
But for some, the ignorance covering the Self is destroyed by knowledge; this knowledge acts like the sun and reveals a higher reality. (16)
When one strives for the supreme goal, with their mind,
faith and intelligence fully absorbed in it, the knowledge
gained frees them from contamination. They go to the
place from which there is no return. (17)
Don’t stay in darkness - in ignorance. Awake! Worldly circumstances may make one fall back into delusion from knowledge of the true Self.
When one attains the supreme stage of God Realization, there’s on way one goes backwards. When one is elightened by true knowledge of God, the mind merges into God. Then the truth about God is brought into the intellect, through which one perceives the true aspect of the Self.
Through meditation, one makes the intellect lose its identity in the Divine state. When the mind is controlled, God revealsthe Soul’s true identity to the intellect and heart. No difference/separation between you and God.
5-18 A saint’s view on the diversity of the world
The sages perceive with equal vision, a good and learned brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater. (18)
A saint sees the same way as God sees. In the eyes of a saint, nothing exists except God. The saint doesnt see diversity of the outside world, respects each person’s role as part of God’s Will.
“Imperfection” is due to ignorance. Nothing is imperfect.
