Fourth Chapter Conclusion

Bhagavad-Gita Fourth Chapter

The Meaning of Knowledge:

The Yoga of Wisdom

by Michael Dolan/B.V. Mahayogi

In the West, we pride ourselves on our work, but any work must have an end: profit and money. If there is no profit in it, why work?  To work without profit is heresy. Why then should anyone embrace the idea of work in sacrifice, as Kṛṣṇa is advocating here? What Kṛṣṇa has been suggesting--nonattachment to work--is certainly a novel idea in the West.

As Rabindranath Tagore put it: “Nowadays we put too much value on work. Near at hand or afar, during daytime or after sunset, work must go on. What more to do? What more to achieve? How to drive ourselves to death? Where can we immolate ourselves? These are what we are agitatedly seeking all the time. In the West dying in harness is considered a great honour. Fruitful or fruitless, or even wholly unnecessary, it matters not, but we must keep on rushing and pushing in whatever way till the very last breath.”

And yet, working for profit doesn’t always supply the benefits we so cherish. The unbridled profit motive has destroyed everything it is attached to. Exploitation has devoured even the earth and sky. And to what end? Is human life richer for all the hedonism? Why is sacrifice viewed as such a poor alternative to sense gratification? The life we have in this body is, after all, temporary as Kṛṣṇa has pointed out.

But we fear sacrifice, as we fear any surrender of the self. And so rather than develop a culture of surrender, we have surrendered to a culture of instant gratification.

Then again, what if we submit to sacrifice? Who’s to guide us?
If it’s true that we are covered by ignorance in our current conditioned state, who will help lead us to the light? If we are on the wrong path, how are we to correct ourselves and take the right path? If sacrifice and dedication are the true path, who will teach us how to sacrifice and where to dedicate?

Kṛṣṇa says, “This knowledge of sacrifice may be understood by approaching a spiritual mentor, a teacher. By submitting to the teacher and inquiring sincerely you may receive the truth. The truth can only be revealed through service and sincere inquiry from such a spiritual master, or guru. The enlightened soul can impart wisdom to you because he has seen the truth.” Kṛṣṇa explains here the need for divine guidance, a teacher, a guru, one who knows the path and has seen the light.

All along, Kṛṣṇa has explained that since attachment is born from the influences of material nature, one should try for detachment, freedom from the influences of material nature through spiritual practice. We become detached through sacrifice, and all paths of sacrifice will eventually lead usto complete surrender in devotion. 

As we shall see in the unfolding conversation, sacrifice has many dimensions, not merely physical or ritual. One may sacrifice not only one’s actions ( karma), one may also achieve sacrifice through meditation and concentration on the divine (jnana- yoga)  or even through the eightfold path of yoga (Aṣṭānga-yoga) as Kṛṣṇa will explain later. In the sixth chapter of the Gita, for example, Kṛṣṇa will elaborate on the eightfold path, the system of asana, yoga-postures, yama, self-control by accepting positive practices, niyama self-control by avoiding negative practices, pranayama, breath-control, pratyahara, renunciation, dharana, surrender, dhyana, meditation, and samadhi, perfect self-balance. The eightfold path is another form of sacrifice, with physical, psychological, and even spiritual elements. All these different paths and approaches are forms of sacrifice. How to choose the correct path?

Kṛṣṇa tells us that we need guidance. If we are to practice any form of sacrifice, we must to seek the truth by approaching a bona fide spiritual master or guru,  a teacher who can lead one us away from darkness and into the light. A real guru is one who can impart the truth on the basis of his own personal realization, and in accordance with what has been given in the Scriptures by realized saints as well as the previous avatars. 

Kṛṣṇa compares the teacher to a captain who guides the ship.

“This knowledge is a big boat by which this ocean of misery may be crossed. Even the most sinful of sinners can be delivered by boarding this wisdom ship.”

“Then again, this divine knowledge may be compared to fire. Just as fire turns wood to ashes, the fire of divine knowledge burns all karma to ashes. Nothing is so pure as this wisdom that I have explained to you. Sacrifice in devotion is the perfection of knowledge. One who knows this achieves complete self-satisfaction in course of time through atma-yoga.”

“A faithful soul, one who controls the senses, absorbed in this knowledge soon realizes the supreme eternal peace. The ignorant and faithless, on the other hand, will never attain enlightenment. Their doubt will bring happiness neither in this life nor in the next. Here, Kṛṣṇa is reminding Arjuna that his lack of faith and cowardly doubts will not help him.

He may be worried about karma, but by performing the sacrifice of doing his duty in dedication to the Supreme he will be freed from karma.

Krishna again reminds Arjuna that this transcendental wisdom  is really the mature fruit of all mysticism. He tells Arjuna that now that he understands clearly the nature of work, karma, or action, the importance of “knowledge in detachment,” and “work and sacrifice,” he should come to the proper conclusion.

Armed with transcendental knowledge about proper conduct and sacrifice it is time for him to act. Arjuna should fight, both as  duty and  sacrifice.  He should fight  as an act of dedication,  free from attachment.  His attachment to family and society is mundane.  His compassion is misplaced. Free from the influences of ego and materialistic religious duty Arjuna must fight.

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया

उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्वदर्शिनः ४.३४
यज् ज्ञात्वा न पुनर् मोहम् एवं यास्यसि पाण्डव
येन भूतान्य् अशेषेण द्रक्ष्यस्य् आत्मन्य् अथो मयि ४.३५
अपि चेद् असि पापेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यः पापकृत्तमः
सर्वं ज्ञानप्लवेनैव वृजिनं संतरिष्यसि ४.३६
यथैधांसि समिद्धोग्निर् भस्मसात् कुरुतेर्जुन
ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात् कुरुते तथा ४.३७
न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रम् इह विद्यते
तत् स्वयं योगसंसिद्धः कालेनात्मनि विन्दति ४.३८

श्रद्धावांल् लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः
ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिम् अचिरेणाधिगच्छति ४.३९
अज्ञश् चाश्रद्दधानश् च संशयात्मा विनश्यति
नायं लोकोस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मनः ४.४०

योगसंन्यस्तकर्माणं ज्ञानसंछिन्नसंशयम्
आत्मवन्तं न कर्माणि निबध्नन्ति धनंजय ४.४१

तस्माद् अज्ञानसञ्भूतं हृत्स्थं ज्ञानासिनात्मनः
छित्त्वैनं संशयं योगम् आतिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ भारत ४.४२

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṃ jñāninas tattvadarśinaḥ 4.34

yaj jñātvā na punar moham evaṃ yāsyasi pāṇḍava

yena bhūtāny aśeṣeṇa drakṣyasy ātmany atho mayi 4.35

api ced asi pāpebhyaḥ sarvebhyaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ

sarvaṃ jñānaplavenaiva vṛjinaṃ saṃtariṣyasi 4.36

yathaidhāṃsi samiddhognir bhasmasāt kuruterjuna

jñānāgniḥ sarvakarmāṇi bhasmasāt kurute tathā 4.37

na hi jñānena sadṛśaṃ pavitram iha vidyate

tat svayaṃ yogasaṃsiddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati 4.38

śraddhāvāṃl labhate jñānaṃ tatparaḥ saṃyatendriyaḥ

jñānaṃ labdhvā parāṃ śāntim acireṇādhigacchati 4.39

ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca saṃśayātmā vinaśyati

nāyaṃ lokosti na paro na sukhaṃ saṃśayātmanaḥ 4.40

yogasaṃnyastakarmāṇaṃ jñānasaṃchinnasaṃśayam

ātmavantaṃ na karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhanaṃjaya 4.41

tasmād ajñānasañbhūtaṃ hṛtsthaṃ jñānāsinātmanaḥ

chittvainaṃ saṃśayaṃ yogam ātiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhārata 4.42