Chapter Four

Bhagavad-Gita Fourth Chapter

The Meaning of Knowledge: The Yoga of Wisdom

by Michael Dolan/B.V. Mahayogi

The Story so far...

In the second and third chapter of the Gita, Kṛṣṇa has analysed the transcendental nature of the soul, contrasting the eternal atma with the temporal world. Understanding the soul leads to wisdom and non-attachment, Kṛṣṇa explains. Wisdom means knowing who you are. Throughout the work, Kṛṣṇa is identified as Bhagavan or God. He tells us that we must cultivate our relationship with God through sacrifice.

Wisdom and Sacrifice

Wisdom should be coupled with sacrifice; since work is the active principle of love, our work should reflect a heartfelt love of God. Other forms of sacrifice are inadequate and superficial. Simply rending the flesh won’t do. Self-flagellation and mortifying the body in the name of renunciation will not help us achieve the goal. True sacrifice is a question of dedication especially through work which must be done without attachment. Arjuna’s position is that of warrior. The conflict at Kurukṣetra is meant to rid the world of despots and tyrants. It is not a holy war as such, but it is God’s will. Arjuna must follow God’s will. While there may be duty to family, country, and society, real dharma is transcendental. The highest, eternal function of the soul is to serve divinity with love and devotion. This is the purport of the Vedas and of sacrifice. Other paths lead but to repeated birth and death.

Arjuna's doubts

And yet, at the end of the third chapter, Arjuna still can’t understand what to do. He is still bewildered. He doesn’t really grasp the essence of Krishna’s teaching. When he talks ontologically about the soul and wisdom, he seems promote a spiritual life. Is he advocating meditation? And how can Arjuna meditate on the battlefield. At the same time, he seems to advocate work. But what is  duty? Then again, Kṛṣṇa is driving his chariot. What is  Kṛṣṇa’s authority? And how can he say that one yoga is better than another?

The Fourth Chapter

At the beginning of the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita Arjuna wants to get at the source of Kṛṣṇa’s advice.  If the second chapter dealt with ontology and metaphysics and the third chapter turns to ethics, here we are faced with epistemological considerations. How is true knowledge transmitted? If sacrifice is to be tempered with wisdom, who is to guide us? Who is wise?

The Sanskrit here reiterates that the speaker is Bhagavan or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The wisdom that Arjuna hears is coming directly from divinity. But even divinity himself offers reasons.

The Version of the Gita

The version of the Gita is as follows:

“Bhagavan said, ‘I taught this yoga of wisdom to the sungod himself. He taught it to the father of man, who passed it on to his sons. Great kings like Nimi and Janaka understood this science which was handed down through the disciplic succession of old. But in time the teachings were lost. And so again I explain this ancient yoga to you as you are my friend, dedicated to Me.’

“Arjuna said, ‘And yet the sun-god Vivasvan was born in ancient times. How could you have explained this to him so long ago?’

“And the Lord said, ‘I am the Lord of all things, beyond birth and death. Unlike you, I descend to the world by my own sweet will. I seem to be an ordinary person, but I appear with my divine energy in my transcendental form. My advent is ordained when there is a decline in dharma and a rise of irreligion. Then I descend as an avatar to right wrongs. I descend upon this earth to deliver the saintly and to destroy evildoers. In this way, my advent is ordained throughout millenia to proclaim and protect dharma.

When divinity appears within this world, His ways are mysterious. They are not the ways of ordinary men. O, Arjuna, My birth, my deeds, my words, are not the stuff of mundane life. One who knows the true nature of God will never be reborn, but attain my divine abode. Such a soul will find their heart melted in divine love.

श्रीभगवान् उवाच
इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवान् अहम् अव्ययम्
विवस्वान् मनवे प्राह मनुर् इक्ष्वाकवेब्रवीत् ४.१
एवं परम्पराप्राप्तम् इमं राजर्षयो विदुः
स कालेनेह महता योगो नष्टः परंतप ४.२
स एवायं मया तेद्य योगः प्रोक्तः पुरातनः
भक्तोसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्य् एतद् उत्तमम् ४.३
अर्जुन उवाच
अपरं भवतो जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वतः
कथम् एतद् विजानीयां त्वम् आदौ प्रोक्तवान् इति ४.४
श्रीभगवानुवाच
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन
तान्य् अहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परंतप
४.५
अजोपि सन्न् अव्ययात्मा भूतानाम् ईश्वरोपि सन्
प्रकृतिं स्वाम् अधिष्ठाय संभवाम्य् आत्ममायया
४.६
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर् भवति भारत
अभ्युत्थानम् अधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्य् अहम्
४.७
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे ४.८
जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम् एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर्जन्म नैति माम् एति सोर्जुन ४.९
वीतरागभयक्रोधा मन्मया माम् उपाश्रिताः
बहवो ज्ञानतपसा पूता मद्भावम् आगताः ४.१०

śrībhagavān uvāca

imaṃ vivasvate yogaṃ proktavān aham avyayam

vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākavebravīt 4.1

evaṃ paramparāprāptam imaṃ rājarṣayo viduḥ

sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ paraṃtapa 4.2

sa evāyaṃ mayā tedya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ

bhaktosi me sakhā ceti rahasyaṃ hy etad uttamam 4.3

arjuna uvāca

aparaṃ bhavato janma paraṃ janma vivasvataḥ

katham etad vijānīyāṃ tvam ādau proktavān iti 4.4

śrībhagavānuvāca

bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna

tāny ahaṃ veda sarvāṇi na tvaṃ vettha paraṃtapa 4.5

ajopi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaropi san

prakṛtiṃ svām adhiṣṭhāya saṃbhavāmy ātmamāyayā 4.6

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmy aham 4.7

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām

dharmasaṃsthāpanārthāya saṃbhavāmi yuge yuge 4.8

janma karma ca me divyam evaṃ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṃ punarjanma naiti mām eti sorjuna 4.9

vītarāgabhayakrodhā manmayā mām upāśritāḥ

bahavo jñānatapasā pūtā madbhāvam āgatāḥ 4.10

Chapter Three conclusion

Bhagavad-Gita Third Chapter

The Meaning of Sacrifice: Karma-yoga
Conclusion

by Michael Dolan/B.V. Mahayogi

Kṛṣṇa has spoken at length on ontology and the nature of the soul, while at the same time exhorting Arjuna to act, offering his in sacrifice to divinity while fixed in the wisdom of atma-yoga.

After listening carefully for some time to his friend and guide, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna at last asked: “And what of sin? My dear Kṛṣṇa, what is it that draws us to sinful acts? It seems that we somehow attracted to sin almost against our will. We are impelled somehow as if by force to sinful acts. Why is this?

The Bhagavad Gita notes:

God Himself replied:

"False ego moves one to become involved with the passions of material nature.

"Desire blooms.

Unfulfilled desire sparks anger.

Anger devours all.

"It is the enemy of this world.

"Just as smoke covers a fire, the spark of life--The atma is covered by different levels of lust and desire. As an embryo is enveloped by the womb, the atma is covered by different degrees of this lust. Consciousness is originally pure, but it becomes more and more covered by different gradations of false ego, desire, and anger. Thus the impuse to sin is born.

"In this way, Arjuna, the atma, shrouded in the shadows of desire, forgets his own self-interest. Fired by a false self-interest, he becomes an enemy to his own self. The lust and desire which binds one to this world is like a fire that can never be satiated. Lust and desire make their home in the mind, senses. In this way the intelligence becomes baffled. Desire covers real self-knowledge.

"Matter appears to be real to the soul ensconced in such ignorance. But reality is far subtler than it appears to be. Superior to the material energy of time and space, is nervous sensation, sensory awareness and the conscious senses. The mind itself is superior to the mere sensory awareness; conscious intelligence is superior to emotional mental power; and the atma is superior to intelligence. The atma is higher than nervous stimulation, conscious awareness, the emotions of the mind and body, and even intelligence.

"The knowledge of the soul that I have explained to you is important.

By this wisdom, one may realize one’s self to be transcendental to material senses, mind and intelligence. By recognizing a higher power, one should control the lower self by the higher self.

In this way, with the help of action-in-sacrifice, or karma-yoga, through spiritual strength one may conquer the insatiable enemy: Desire. And so, O Arjuna, through knowledge, self-control, and sacrifice, conquer desire--the enemy of knowledge--and become self-realized."

The end of Chapter Three: Karma-yoga, ethics and sacrifice

अर्जुन उवाच

अथ केन प्रयुक्तोयं पापं चरति पूरुषः

अनिच्छन्न् अपि वार्ष्णेय बलाद् इव नियोजितः ३.३६

श्रीभगवान् उवाच

काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः

महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्य् एनम् इह वैरिणम् ३.३७

धूमेनाव्रियते वन्हिर् यथादर्शो मलेन च

यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस् तथा तेनेदम् आवृतम् ३.३८

आवृतं ज्ञानम् एतेन ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा

कामरुपेण कौन्तेय दुष्पूरेणानलेन च ३.३९

इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिर् अस्याधिष्ठानम् उच्यते

एतैर् विमोहयत्य् एष ज्ञानम् आवृत्य देहिनम् ३.४०

तस्मात् त्वम् इन्द्रियाण्य् आदौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ

पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्य् एनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम् ३.४१

इन्द्रियाणि पराण्य् आहुर् इन्द्रियेभ्यः परं मनः

मनसस् तु परा बुद्धिर् यो बुद्धेः परतस् तु सः

३.४२

एवं बुद्धेः परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानम्

आत्मना

जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम् ३.४३

arjuna uvāca

atha kena prayuktoyaṃ pāpaṃ carati pūruṣaḥ

anicchann api vārṣṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ 3.36

śrībhagavān uvāca

kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajoguṇasamudbhavaḥ

mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhy enam iha vairiṇam 3.37

dhūmenāvriyate vanhir yathādarśo malena ca

yatholbenāvṛto garbhas tathā tenedam āvṛtam 3.38

āvṛtaṃ jñānam etena jñānino nityavairiṇā

kāmarupeṇa kaunteya duṣpūreṇānalena ca 3.39

indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣṭhānam ucyate

etair vimohayaty eṣa jñānam āvṛtya dehinam 3.40

tasmāt tvam indriyāṇy ādau niyamya bharatarṣabha

pāpmānaṃ prajahi hy enaṃ jñānavijñānanāśanam 3.41

indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṃ manaḥ

manasas tu parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ

3.42

evaṃ buddheḥ paraṃ buddhvā

saṃstabhyātmānam ātmanā

jahi śatruṃ mahābāho

kāmarūpaṃ durāsadam

3.43

Sacrificio

Bhagavad-Gita

Capítulo Tres

Karma: La Ética, El Sacrificio

Por Michael Dolan/ B.V. Mahāyogi

Traducido por Teresa Loret de Mola, Tapanandini DD

Karma, Ética y Sacrificio

Dado que Arjuna ha hecho referencia a los Vedas en sus argumentos para no actuar, Kṛṣṇa quiere examinar el fundamento de los Vedas. La palabra en sánscrito para sacrifico es  यज्ञ, yajña. (se pronuncia yag-ya). La palabra significa “devoción, adoración, ofrenda” y usualmente se refiere al ritual de ofrenda ante el fuego sagrado acompañado de mantras como se describe en los Vedas o antiguos libros sagrados de India, especialmente el Yura-Veda. Mientras que el cumplimiento adecuado de los rituales era el enfoque de algunas escuelas de karma yoga, Kṛṣṇa apunta hacia el corazón de la práctica. Finalmente todo sacrificio es para complacer al poder supremo.

Desde tiempo inmemorial, los humanos han llegado a la conclusión de que no estamos solos. Es supuesto natural. En todos lados de la creación encontramos distintos niveles de existencia, inteligencia y organización. Mientras que los humanistas discuten que la especie humana está en la cúspide de la existencia, otros no son tan optimistas. Desde los antiguos filósofos y teólogos hasta los modernos han sentido que tiene que haber niveles superiores o gradaciones en la existencia espiritual.

Sacrificio significa aceptar que un poder superior existe. Algún reconocimiento al poder supremo ennoblece la existencia humana y nos ayuda a enfrentarla. El sacrificio empieza con la caridad. Una existencia egocéntrica se condena aquí. Vivir como si fuera yo el único en el universo es egoísta. El sacrificio ennoblece nuestra vida.

La vida es un don. La tierra, el aire, el fuego y el agua son dones. El alimento que consumimos es producido por la lluvia. Vivimos al aceptar dones de un plano superior. Es adecuado ofrecer algo de vuelta a la tierra, la lluvia, el fuego y los dioses que producen tales dones.

La tradición hindú acepta la intervención de poderes superiores en muchos niveles diferentes de existencia, y distintas personalidades que encarnan esos poderes. A estos seres superiores se les conoce como dioses. El sacrificio Védico se establece para propiciarlos. Pero Kṛṣṇa está dando un argumento superior. Por encima de las deidades provinciales como Śiva, Brahmā, Ganeśa, y otros, hay una personalidad suprema. Este es Viṣṇu o Kṛṣṇa. De hecho la palabra  यज्ञ o “sacrificio” es otro nombre para Viṣṇu o Kṛṣṇa. Como hemos señalado, el Bhagavad-Gīta es una discusión entre Kṛṣṇa el avatar y el guerrero Arjuna. Hablando como la Personalidad Suprema de Dios, Kṛṣṇa explica que incluso el propio Dios acepta alguna actividad.

Dice, “Arjuna, no hay trabajo prescrito para Mí en los tres mundos. Como el mismísimo Dios, no tengo ningún “deber” en particular.” Dios es para Sí mismo. No anhela nada. Todo es para Él.

Kṛṣṇa dice: “Puesto que no tengo necesidades, no necesito trabajar. Aún así, me ocupo en la acción. Pues si no lo hiciera, Arjuna, entonces todos seguirían mi ejemplo, diciendo “No hizo nada”.

Hablando como la Personalidad de Dios, Kṛṣṇa continúa; “Si evito trabajar, entonces la gente se arruinará, siguiendo la senda de la inacción. La inacción no es una senda apropiada para quien busca la perfección. No conduce sino a la destrucción.

“La inacción conduce a la fechoría. El ignorante trabaja con la mente puesta en los resultados. El apego es su ruina. El sabio actúa sin apego, no solo por su propio bien, sino para guiar a la gente en la senda correcta.

“Si abogamos por el desapego, la gente se confunde. Piensan que promovemos la inacción. Pero esta no es mi enseñanza. Trato de explicarte cómo actuar en sacrificio. El desapego no es pereza ni inacción. No me mal entiendas.

“En ocasiones es una pérdida de tiempo explicar esto al ignorante, como lanzar perlas a los cerdos. No es de extrañar que los sabios perturben las mentes de los tontos ignorantes quienes están apegados al resultado de su karma. La masa común de gente no ha de ser alentada hacia el dejar de trabajar. Se les ha de enseñar a trabajar en el espíritu de devoción y sacrificio. Como te enseño yo ahora.

“Esto no es fácil. Porque el alma está ilusionada. Bajo las tres influencias de las tres pasiones de la naturaleza material  el alma piensa. “yo soy el creador. Esto es ego falso.

“Oh Arjuna de brazos poderosos, los sabios que conocen la verdad, no son adictos a los placeres sensuales; saben bien la diferencia entre sacrificio, devoción y trabajo remunerado.

“Pero es ese el camino del mundo: confundidos por las pasiones materiales, las almas confundidas están absortas en las actividades y se apegan. Al final, el sabio no debe desestabilizarlas, a pesar de que sus actos egoístas y carentes de iluminación son inferiores al sacrificio.

“Ahora que entiendes todo esto, Oh Arjuna, entrega toda tu acción a Mí, con intención hacia mí. Medita en lo divino y actúa. Ten fe en Mí. Abandona esa pereza. Libérate del deseo de ganancia y egoísmo, lucha en sacrificio. Quien siguiendo estas enseñanzas realiza su trabajo de acuerdo a ellas, sin envidia ni odio, se libera para siempre de las ataduras de la existencia material.”

न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किंचन

नानवाप्तम् अवाप्तव्यं वर्त एव च कर्मणि ३.२२

यदि ह्य् अहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्य् अतन्द्रितः

मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ३.२३

उत्सीदेयुर् इमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेद् अहम्

संकरस्य च कर्ता स्याम् उपहन्याम् इमाः प्रजाः ३.२४

सक्ताः कर्मण्य् अविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत

कुर्याद् विद्वांस् तथासक्तश् चिकीर्षुर् लोकसंग्रहम् ३.२५

न बुद्धिभेदं जनयेद् अज्ञानां कर्मसंगिनाम्

जोषयेत् सर्वकर्माणि विद्वान् युक्तः समाचरन् ३.२६

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः

अहंकारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते ३.२७

तत्त्ववित् तु महाबाहो गुणकर्मविभागयोः

गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्त इति मत्वा न सज्जते ३.२८

प्रकृतेर् गुणसंमूढाः सज्जन्ते गुणकर्मसु

तान् अकृत्स्नविदो मन्दान् कृत्स्नविन् न विचालयेत् ३.२९

मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि संन्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा

निराशीर् निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः ३.३०

ये मे मतम् इदं नित्यम् अनुतिष्ठन्ति मानवाः

श्रद्धावन्तोनसूयन्तो मुच्यन्ते तेपि कर्मभिः ३.३१

na me pārthāsti kartavyaṃ triṣu lokeṣu kiṃcana

nānavāptam avāptavyaṃ varta eva ca karmaṇi 3.22

yadi hy ahaṃ na varteyaṃ jātu karmaṇy atandritaḥ

mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ 3.23

utsīdeyur ime lokā na kuryāṃ karma ced aham

saṃkarasya ca kartā syām upahanyām imāḥ prajāḥ 3.24

saktāḥ karmaṇy avidvāṃso yathā kurvanti bhārata

kuryād vidvāṃs tathāsaktaś cikīrṣur lokasaṃgraham 3.25

na buddhibhedaṃ janayed ajñānāṃ karmasaṃginām

joṣayet sarvakarmāṇi vidvān yuktaḥ samācaran 3.26

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṃkāravimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate 3.27

tattvavit tu mahābāho guṇakarmavibhāgayoḥ

guṇā guṇeṣu vartanta iti matvā na sajjate 3.28

prakṛter guṇasaṃmūḍhāḥ sajjante guṇakarmasu

tān akṛtsnavido mandān kṛtsnavin na vicālayet 3.29

mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi saṃnyasyādhyātmacetasā

nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigatajvaraḥ 3.30

ye me matam idaṃ nityam anutiṣṭhanti mānavāḥ

śraddhāvantonasūyanto mucyante tepi karmabhiḥ 3.31

Dharma and Karma: Nature and Work

Bhagavad-Gita Third Chapter

The Meaning of Sacrifice

by Michael Dolan/B.V. Mahayogi

Follow your own path

Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna:

"The envious and ignorant disregard these teachings. They are not interested in any sacrifice. Such selfish souls are doomed to ignorance and bondage. Pay attention, Arjuna: you cannot act against your nature. Inaction does not suit you. You are a man of action and you cannot avoid your nature. Even the enlightened must according nature; for everyone follows his nature. You cannot repress your nature. Even so, do not fall under the control of senses and sense objects because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization. Don’t be guided by attraction and repulsion to the sense objects.

Better do your duty, even imperfectly, than try to do someone else’s work. In fact, it is better to die, doing your own work according to your nature than to try to do someone else’s duties. Imitation is suicide; it is dangerous to leave your path to follow another's trail.

ये त्व् एतद् अभ्यसूयन्तो नानुतिष्ठन्ति मे मतम्

सर्वज्ञानविमूढांस् तान् विद्धि नष्टान् अचेतसः ३.३२
सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेर् ज्ञानवान् अपि
प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति ३.३३
इन्द्रियस्येन्द्रियस्यार्थे रागद्वेषौ व्यवस्थितौ
तयोर् न वशम् आगच्छ्हेत् तौ ह्य् अस्य परिपन्थिनौ ३.३४
श्रेयान् स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात् स्वनुष्ठितात्
स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः ३.३५

ye tv etad abhyasūyanto nānutiṣṭhanti me matam

sarvajñānavimūḍhāṃs tān viddhi naṣṭān acetasaḥ 3.32

sadṛśaṃ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛter jñānavān api

prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati 3.33

indriyasyendriyasyārthe rāgadveṣau vyavasthitau

tayor na vaśam āgacchhet tau hy asya paripanthinau 3.34

śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt

svadharme nidhanaṃ śreyaḥ paradharmo bhayāvahaḥ 3.35