Karma Yoga | Conclusion

Srimad Bhagavad Gita 

Chapter 3 

Karma Yoga

The picture is used only for spiritual understanding 

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Conclusion

The third chapter Karma yoga starts after a condensed knowledge transfer through the second chapter, Samkhya yoga. Towards the end of chapter 2, Sri Krishna explained the attributes of a righteous person, who is called as “sthithaprajnha”. As per Bhagavan, a sthithaprajnha personnel has got the 7 qualities: self-contented, self-controlled, self-balanced, self-resilient, self-realized, self-disciplined, and self-elevated. It is categorically established that such a person does not go behind the sensory pleasures and selfish acts. Sri Krishna also reminds Arjuna that the person who continuously restrains the senses from objects and the sensory pleasures, will have steady intellect and wisdom.

After closely comprehending the wisdom in the explanations provided by Bhagavan, Arjuna comes up with two questions as the commencement of the chapter 3:

1)  O Keshava, why do You induce me to perform in this horrific battle, O Janaardana, if You think that intellect is superior than indulging in action?

2)  My intellect is puzzled by Your ambiguous guidelines. For that reason, please convey me assertively, what is the most beneficial for me.

Arjuna’s queries are encouraging as far as a Guru’s position is concerned. Here Guru is Bhagavan Sri Krishna and the challenge in front of both the Guru and the disciple is reflecting in the above two questions by Arjuna. Referring to the condensed knowledge transfer in Samkhya yoga, Arjuna’s thought process seems got puzzled a little as to the aspect of what is the priority. He started thinking is the karma, superior or the wisdom and intellect? In a way, Arjuna wanted to even test Sri Krishna as to how Bhagavan is going to explain the topic; that is why the word, “assertively” comes in.

Bhagavan’s immediate answer was right to the point: O virtuous Arjuna, I have already explained that there exist two paths of Self-realization. The yoga of knowledge for contemplative sadhakas or jnana yogis, and the yoga of action for karma yogis. By calling Arjuna, virtuous, Bhagavan straight away gives a clarification in advance to Arjuna regarding the eligibility towards attaining the karma yoga principles in life towards making it truly virtuous.

Then Sri Krishna narrates the whole principle of karma yoga in a very descriptive manner connecting all the dots in the spiritual advancement. Tri-Gunas, the sinful karmas with the addiction in sensory pleasures, the importance of detachment to the fruits of actions, prescribed karmas, karmas to be performed always as yajnas, Lord Brahma’s message to the humankind while doing the karmas, the natural cycle taking the whole universe as one entity, importance of the Vedas in the karma yoga teachings, life examples of leaders like Rajarshi Janaka, Bhagavan’s life example itself by indulging in the Mahabharata war, the impact of lustful cravings in one’s life, the importance of avoiding envious nature, swa-dharma & para-dharma, and so on were narrated in complete clarity for Arjuna’s clear understanding.

Finally, Bhagavan opened the wisdom of the karma yoga sequence upon which the life science needs to be understood for further reflection: “The senses are superior to the gross body or deha, and superior to the senses is the mind. Superior to mind is the intellect, and even greater than the intellect is the soul or dehi that is the eternal essence.”

Right from the initial two questions to the last two shlokas 42 & 43 of the chapter 3 karma yoga, it was the cascading effect of Bhagavan’s nectar like flow of wisdom touching upon all the aspects of karma yoga for attaining the self-realisation by correctly comprehending the Guru’s wisdom. Now Bhagavad Gita opens to the chapter 4 which is named as “Jnana Karma Sannyasa yoga” which gives more reflection of the karma yoga principles with a much closer look to the attributes.

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