Who is wise?

Bhagavad-Gita Second Chapter

Part Two: The Path of the Wise

by Michael Dolan/B.V. Mahayogi

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Kṛṣṇa considers Arjuna's analysis of good and bad karma to be too superficial. Arjuna is relying on the relative point of view of moralistic Vedic injunctions. Kṛṣṇa tells him:

“You must go beyond karma good or bad. This is the art of yoga. The wise are transcendental to good or bad karma. They attain enlightenment by renouncing the fruits of all karma. So they become free from suffering in this life and go beyond birth and death. When you are enlightened by this wisdom, you will become indifferent even the promises of heaven and the warnings about hell given in the scriptures. As if passing through a dense forest, you will see the light. 

The scriptures are called Śruti, or what is heard. Great saints become indifferent to the religious rituals and ceremonies of the Vedas, simply through dedication to God. One who understands completely his relationship with the Supreme becomes indifferent to the rituals involving good and bad karma. He cares nothing even for the descriptions of hell given in the scriptures for the sake of rousing the ignorant into good deeds. 

Those who develop this higher consciousness transcend even the limits of the Vedas and Upaniṣads. When your mind is no longer influenced by the poetry of the Vedas, when you have entered fully into buddhi-yoga as I have explained it, fixed in proper meditation as to your role and the position of the Supreme, you will have attained the Divine consciousness.”[1]

Upon hearing these teachings of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was curious to understand what kind of person has attained this level of yoga.

He asked,

“What is such a man like? How does he speak and what is his talk? How does he sit and how does he walk? What are the actions of one who is in samādhi?”

And Kṛṣṇa said:

“He rejects the fleeting desires of the mind and is disinterested in all sensual pleasure. He is self-satisfied. His mind finds pleasure in the soul and in the Supreme. Such a one is transcendentally situated. While everyone suffers the three-fold miseries, he is undisturbed. He is neither overjoyed by happiness nor upset by sadness. Situated in the divine consciousness he is free from anger, fear and attachment. Such a sage of steady mind neither rejoices at good fortune nor laments at bad fortune. He is fixed in the knowledge of buddhi-yoga as I have described it to you.”[2]

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[1] बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते तस्माद् योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् २.५०

कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छ्हन्त्य् अनामयम् २.५१

यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर् व्यतितरिष्यति तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च २.५२

श्रुतिविप्रतिपन्ना ते यदा स्थास्यति निश्चला समाधाव् अचला बुद्धिस् तदा योगम् अवाप्स्यसि २.५३

buddhiyukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛtaduṣkṛte tasmād

yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam 2.50

karmajaṃ buddhiyuktā hi phalaṃ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ

janmabandhavinirmuktāḥ padaṃ gacchhanty anāmayam 2.51

yadā te mohakalilaṃ buddhir vyatitariṣyati

tadā gantāsi nirvedaṃ śrotavyasya śrutasya ca 2.52

śrutivipratipannā te yadā sthāsyati niścalā

samādhāv acalā buddhis tadā yogam avāpsyasi 2.53

[2] अर्जुन उवाच स्थितप्रज्ञस्य का भाषा समाधिस्थस्य केशव

स्थितधीः किं प्रभाषेत किम् आसीत व्रजेत किम् २.५४

श्रीभगवान् उवाच प्रजहाति यदा कामान् सर्वान् पार्थ मनोगतान्

आत्मन्य् एवात्मना तुष्टः स्थितप्रज्ञस् तदोच्यते २.५५

दुःखेष्व् अनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः

वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर् मुनिर् उच्यते २.५६

यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस् तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम्

नाभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता २.५७

arjuna uvāca sthitaprajñasya kā bhāṣā samādhisthasya keśava

sthitadhīḥ kiṃ prabhāṣeta kim āsīta vrajeta kim 2.54

śrībhagavān uvāca prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha manogatān

ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ sthitaprajñas tadocyate 2.55

duḥkheṣv anudvignamanāḥ sukheṣu vigataspṛhaḥ

vītarāgabhayakrodhaḥ sthitadhīr munir ucyate 2.56

yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas tattatprāpya śubhāśubham

nābhinandati na dveṣṭi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā 2.57