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Sunday, April 14, 2019

Jerarquías



Bhagavad-Gita
Capítulo Cuatro

El Sendero de la Sabiduria

Por Michael Dolan/ B.V. Mahāyogi
Traducido por Teresa Loret de Mola, Tapanandini DD


El Significado de Conocimiento: El Yoga de la Sabiduría

Diferentes formas de Sacrificio

Hay diversas formas de religión y modos de practicarlas, desde los actos más simples de sacrificio hasta la rendición completa. Al final conducen todos hacia la divinidad. Kṛṣṇa le dice a Arjuna, “En la medida en que se rinden ante Mí- yo los recompenso-, puesto que soy la meta última. Al final, todos siguen la senda que conduce a Dios. Y aun así, en todos hay gradación.. La gente quiere éxito en el karma, así que adoran a diferentes dioses. Pero al final, toda esa adoración está destinada al Señor Supremo.”

Jerarquías de Conciencia y Sociedad

El mundo material es el resultado de las jerarquías de la conciencia mezcladas con conceptos erróneos, incrustado en el tiempo y el espacio. Cómo es que el tiempo y el espacio son productos de la conciencia está explicado en el Vedānta y los Upaniṣads. Este mundo es el de la evolución subjetiva de la conciencia. Cuando la conciencia se opaca se rompe en tres influencias primarias llamadas “guṇas”, o modalidades. Tal como la luz pura reflejada sobre un prisma se divide en distintos colores, nuestra experiencia como almas condicionadas en el mundo material se ve coloreada por estas tres influencias o temperamentos de la naturaleza.
Modalidades de la Naturaleza.
Sattva-guna es la influencia de la veracidad y la bondad, Raja guna, la pasión y creación, Tamas, ignorancia, oscuridad, supervivencia básica. Toda lo material está teñido por estas influencias; tal como en la teoría de la cuerda de la física cuántica, estas influencias unen la realidad del tiempo y espacio con la conciencia pervertida. Dependiendo de la concentración particular de sattva, rajas o tamas, nuestro carácter puede moldearse, igual a como el ADN moldea nuestra condición física. Tal como el agua pura es poco común en la naturaleza, el sattva puro, la bondad pura es difícil de hallar. Pero hay al menos cuatro caracteres básicos descritos por Kṛṣṇa a Arjuna, y han sido codificados en la sociedad como los diferentes varnas, o clases dentro de la sociedad.
Distintas Modalidades de la Naturaleza y las Diferentes Clases Sociales.
Donde Marx y Engels postulan una sociedad “sin clases” y la Democracia americana ha prometido el “sueño” basado en la equidad social, las cuatro diferentes clases mencionadas por Kṛṣṇa  continúan bastantes marcadas. Kṛṣṇa dice que la clase dominante, la clase intelectual, la clase mercantil y la clase trabajadora siguen las divisiones de la conciencia de sattva, rajas y tamas. La conciencia de la sociedad, como señalara Platón, refleja la conciencia individual. La sociedad es la extensión del mandato individual. Cualquier carácter positivo y negativo codificado en los individuos se verá expandido en el cuerpo social. Y por ello hay diferentes divisiones sociales: estas divisiones o clases tendrán diferentes deberes. Deber, karma, dharma, y sacrificio, al igual que los principios religiosos varían de acuerdo a la escala de la clase social y la conciencia individual.

La Ética de los Upaniṣads en Contraste con las Ideas “Occidentales”
Este es un análisis mucho más sutil que el universo maniqueo del bien y el mal, en donde Dios y el Diablo están en guerra, y en donde sólo puede haber una senda correcta para todos. La idea de moral de lo correcto e incorrecto, pecado y piedad tendrán jerarquías de acuerdo a los niveles de conciencia dentro de la sociedad. Un tigre no puede ser castigado por comerse un venado. Los animales están libres de pecado. La sociedad no trata a los perros y gatos como criminales cuando realizan actos abominables. Del mismo modo, ha de haber una jerarquía de castigo por el pecado y recompensa por la piedad incluso en la sociedad humana. Un hombre sin educación que usa lenguaje obsceno no puede sancionarse del mismo modo que el de una mujer altamente educada por usar el mismo lenguaje.
Kṛṣṇa le dice a Arjuna, “He manifestado las cuatro divisiones sociales, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriyas, vaiśya, sudra o intelectuales santos, reyes y nobles, mercaderes  trabajadores, los cuales han sido clasificados de acuerdo a sus cualidades materiales: sattva, rajas, y tamas.”
La Versión del Bien y del Mal en el Bhagavad-Gīta
La versión de bien y mal hallada en el Bhagavad-Gīta no es una cuestión de pecado y pureza, oscuridad o luz, tiene más que ver con la teoría del color que con el blanco  negro. El mundo del blanco y negro del bien y el mal, de hecho, es un concepto extraño al propio Mahābhārata. La idea de que tenemos sólo una vida para vivir y que debemos vivirla sin pecar o en pureza no es la versión dada por Kṛṣṇa a Arjuna. En el Capítulo II, Kṛṣṇa ha explicado la naturaleza de la sabiduría espiritual: El alma pasa de un cuerpo al siguiente en una cadena interminable de nacimiento y muerte, quebrada únicamente por la realización espiritual. Las influencias kármicas que nos arrastran hacia abajo o que nos elevan, no son creaciones del “diablo” ni de ningún otro ser malévolo sobrenatural. Como lo dijo Shakespeare, “La culpa, querido Bruto, no está en nuestras estrellas, sino dentro de nosotros.”
Cúrate a Ti Mismo.
No es el medio ambiente el culpable. Nuestra incapacidad de liberarnos del nacimiento y la muerte es el resultado de nuestro propio apego al mundo. Este apego no es una cuestión de pecado y pureza, sino de ideas erróneas profundamente arraigadas que tienen que ser erradicadas a través de la sabiduría divina, tal como Kṛṣṇa subraya en este capítulo, y a través del proceso de rendición que inicia con alguna forma de sacrificio.
Nuestra vida, entonces, no son casos blancos y negros del bien y el mal, del cielo e infierno, sino permutaciones sutiles de nuestra propia participación en este mundo de explotación.
Sacrificio Vs Explotación
El mundo de la explotación en el que nos hallamos profundamente arraigados es producto de la percepción de nuestro ego, como Kṛṣṇa ha explicado en el Capítulo II. Nuestra propia conciencia pervertida se desarrolla en una sinfonía de colores e influencias, guṇas, que nos cautivan nacimiento tras nacimiento. Si la locura es una cuestión de repetir la misma acción una y otra vez, esperando un resultado diferente, la sabiduría es romper el ciclo. Como el burro, timado con la zanahoria colgada de un palo, marchamos  y marchamos en el mundo ilusorio de nuestra propia percepción en la ignorancia, pasión, y bondad. Pero Kṛṣṇa aconseja a Arjuna liberarse a sí mismo del apego con sabiduría y conocimiento divino y a través de la práctica del sacrificio sin apego que conduce a la devoción. La versión de los Upaniṣads no es como la dicotomía blanco y negro judeo-cristiana, sino una dialéctica Hegeliana más profunda de gradaciones y tonalidades, de tesis, antítesis y síntesis. Los modos de la naturaleza material o guṇas descritos en el Bhagavad-Gīta no son la de demonios oscuros que nos seducen hacia la acción equivocada en oposición a los ángeles blancos que nos conducen hacia la salvación; las guṇas o modalidades de la naturaleza son productos de la evolución de la conciencia gobernada por nuestra propia determinación egoísta de explotar, y de continuar nuestro viaje kármico.
El Mundo del Blanco y el Negro Vs Los Colores Vivos.
El lenguaje de Kṛṣṇa está lleno de profundo significado, cāturvarṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭaṃ guṇakarmavibhāgaśaḥ Este no es un mundo blanco y negro, sino un mundo de coloridas influencias, modalidades, guṇas. Vivimos, no en un mundo de sombra absoluta y luz; Tres colores producen una miríada de tonos que perciben nuestros ojos.
Del mismo modo el intercambio de conciencia bajo las diferentes mezclas de bondad, pasión e ignorancia influyen y colorean nuestro mundo. Las propias clases de la sociedad que están en conflicto constante son el producto de este intercambio.
Kṛṣṇa enseña que este análisis sutil ha de influir nuestro entendimiento del karma. Si tomamos en consideración todas estas influencias, se hace difícil determinar el valor ético de una situación en particular. ¿Es buena o mala una acción? Es difícil decirlo. Kṛṣṇa le dice a Arjuna que incluso los eruditos se confunden en determinar las diferencias entre acciones éticas y las que no lo son. La verdadera acción pura es la acción en sacrificio, libre de egoísmo. Las almas realizadas pueden ver esto. Un alma realizada puede ver que están obligados a actuar de acuerdo a su karma pasado. Evitan tomar las cosas como personales. Ellos saben que están viendo inacción en la acción. Kṛṣṇa dice, “Quien ve  inacción en la acción, y acción en la inacción es en verdad sabio.” Quien actúa puramente a través del sacrificio no incurre en el karma, no hay reacción a los actos dedicados. Los sabios saben que él es un trabajador cuyo karma ha sido quemado por el fuego del conocimiento perfecto.
Kṛṣṇa señala que en todo acto hay un toque de bondad, una sombra de oscuridad, un tono de pasión. Incluso la modalidad de la bondad raramente está libre de impurezas, tal como una pequeña gota de tinta ennegrece un vaso de leche.
Naturaleza Trascendental de la Divinidad
Y sin embargo, el propio Dios no es afectado por las modalidades de la naturaleza material. Hay quienes adoran la ley de Dios o las Leyes de la Naturaleza. Ellos dicen que Dios creo el universo y las leyes que lo gobiernan. Al hacerlo también está sujeto a la ley. Debemos conocer la ley y seguir la ley, ya que la ley limita incluso al propio Dios. Pero Kṛṣṇa de nuevo explica a Arjuna que “Es Por Sí Mismo y Para Sí Mismo”, no está sujetado por la ley de la naturaleza material aunque éstas dependan de Él. Dice, “Aunque soy el creador de este sistema, haz de saber que nunca realizo ningún karma. Existo fuera del karma, siendo el inmutable. No soy afectado por el karma. No estoy interesado en los frutos del karma. Quien entiende esta verdad acerca de Mí también se libera del karma.”
Uno puede considerar desagradable esta afirmación de para sí mismo de Kṛṣṇa. Pero una suspensión de la incredulidad aquí es la única manera de considerar adecuadamente su argumento. Si Dios estaba hablando acerca de Sí mismo, lo haría tal como Kṛṣṇa lo hizo. Si aceptamos a Jehová o Yahveh, o Alá como divinidad, hallaran que este principio es verdadero: El propio Dios no es afectado por el karma.
Kṛṣṇa explica: “Todas las almas liberadas en tiempos antiguos actuaron con este entendimiento y alcanzaron con ello liberación, como los antiguos, haz de llevar a cabo tu deber en esta conciencia divina.
“El alma iluminada actúa con este entendimiento: Abandonando todo apego por el resultado de sus actividades, siempre satisfecho e independiente, no realiza el karma a pesar de estar involucrado en diversas acciones. Un alma tal, inmersa en la sabiduría divina, actúa con la mente y la inteligencia controlada. Abandona todo sentido de propiedad sobre sus posesiones y trabaja sin egoísmo, sólo aceptando lo necesario para mantener el cuerpo y el alma unidos. Trabajando de este modo, no es afectado por el karma, ni bueno ni malo.
“Quien está satisfecho con lo que está disponible, liberado de la dualidad del placer y dolor, amor y odio, ira e indiferencia, quien no es envidioso, quien es estable tanto en el éxito como en el fracaso, nunca es atrapado en el karma, incluso si trabaja en este mundo.
“De este modo, quien esta desapegado e iluminado se libera del karma”.
En otras palabras, una persona absorta totalmente en la conciencia de Kṛṣṇa seguramente alcanzará el reino espiritual debido a su contribución completa a las actividades espirituales, en las cuales la consumación es absoluta y en la que aquello que es ofrecido es de la misma naturaleza espiritual.
यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस् तथैव भजाम्य् अहम्
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः .११
कांक्षन्तः कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवताः
क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर् भवति कर्मजा .१२
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः
तस्य कर्तारम् अपि मां विद्ध्य् अकर्तारम् अव्ययम् .१३
मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति मे कर्मफले स्पृहा
इति मां योभिजानाति कर्मभिर् बध्यते .१४
एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैर् अपि मुमुक्षुभिः
कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात् त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् .१५
किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोप्य् अत्र मोहिताः
तत् ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज् ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेशुभात् .१६
कर्मणो ह्य् अपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं विकर्मणः
अकर्मणश् बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गतिः .१७
कर्मण्य् अकर्म यः पश्येद् अकर्मणि कर्म यः
बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् .१८
यस्य सर्वे समारम्भाः कामसंकल्पवर्जिताः
ज्ञानाग्निदग्धकर्माणं तम् आहुः पण्डितं बुधाः .१९
त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः
कर्मण्य् अभिप्रवृत्तोपि नैव किंचित् करोति सः .२०
निराशीर् यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रहः शारीरं
केवलं कर्म कुर्वन् नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् .२१
यदृच्छालाभसंतुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः
समः सिद्धाव् असिद्धौ कृत्वापि निबध्यते .२२
गतसङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञानावस्थितचेतसः
यज्ञायाचरतः कर्म समग्रं प्रविलीयते .२३
ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविर् ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम्
ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना .२४

ye yathā māṃ prapadyante tāṃs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ 4.11
kāṃkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṃ siddhiṃ yajanta iha devatāḥ
kṣipraṃ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karmajā 4.12
cāturvarṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭaṃ guṇakarmavibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṃ viddhy akartāram avyayam 4.13
na māṃ karmāṇi limpanti na me karmaphale spṛhā
iti māṃ yobhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate 4.14
evaṃ jñātvā kṛtaṃ karma pūrvair api mumukṣubhiḥ
kuru karmaiva tasmāt tvaṃ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṃ kṛtam 4.15
kiṃ karma kimakarmeti kavayopy atra mohitāḥ
tat te karma pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvā mokṣyaseśubhāt 4.16
karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṃ boddhavyaṃ ca vikarmaṇaḥ
akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṃ gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ 4.17
karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ sa
buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt 4.18
yasya sarve samārambhāḥ kāmasaṃkalpavarjitāḥ
jñānāgnidagdhakarmāṇaṃ tam āhuḥ paṇḍitaṃ budhāḥ 4.19
tyaktvā karmaphalāsaṅgaṃ nityatṛpto nirāśrayaḥ
karmaṇy abhipravṛttopi naiva kiṃcit karoti saḥ 4.20
nirāśīr yatacittātmā tyaktasarvaparigrahaḥ śārīraṃ
kevalaṃ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam 4.21
yadṛcchālābhasaṃtuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ
samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate 4.22
gatasaṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthitacetasaḥ
yajñāyācarataḥ karma samagraṃ pravilīyate 4.23
brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam
brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahmakarmasamādhinā 4.24





Fourth Chapter Continued


Bhagavad-Gita Fourth Chapter


The Meaning of Knowledge:

The Yoga of Wisdom


by Michael Dolan/B.V. Mahayogi






In the Fourth Chapter, Kṛṣṇa insists on the importance of wisdom, of seeing things in the proper perspective. Arjuna wants to know how to act; but action must be based on a proper ontological understanding. Sacrifice is not mere ritual. It has a deeper purpose--to connect us spiritually with a higher spiritual reality. Mindless rituals, where offerings are made to gods, lack foundation in spiritual understanding. True sacrifice must involve knowledge that we are all spiritual entities subordinate to a Supreme Spiritual Entity. Sacrifice done with this in mind will begin to touch the true spiritual essence of reality.

Kṛṣṇa explains that every aspect of sacrifice is spiritual. The ladle used to offer butter into the fire is composed of consciousness, (brahman). brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahmakarmasamādhinā 4.24 The fire itself is made of consciousness. What is offered into the fire is consciousness. Sacrifice means offering spirit into spirit, consciousness into consciousness. But this must be done with faith, for what is truly offered is our own souls and spirit to the divine spirit in surrender. Without surrender, sacrifice is meaningless. As Śrīls Prabhupāda puts it, “A person who is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution in spiritual activities, in hich the consummation is absolute and that which is offered is of the same spiritual nature.” Everything that exists is conscious, but only when consciousness consciously offers itself to the Supreme Consciousness can full realization take place.
Reality in the end is conscious.
Kṛṣṇa continues his explanation of the different gradations in sacrifice by pointing out that “some yogis worship the gods, offering sacrifices in the spiritual fire. Others sacrifice their hearing and senses in the fire of the controlled mind. Still others sacrifice their body and possessions in austerities and mortify the flesh. They take strict vows and practice mystic yoga. Others study the Vedas to advance in knowledge. Some practice pranayama and enter into trance. All these are different forms of sacrifice which may lead one to liberation in eternal life. Therefore it is understood that sacrifice is the basis of spiritual enlightenment. No one can life happily in this life or the next without some form of sacrifice. But there is a distinct gradation between the different forms of sacrifice. Sacrifice in wisdom is a more developed understanding than simply giving up material possessions. The sacrifice of karma as we have explained it is good. Enlightened sacrifice is higher. After all, karmic sacrifice will eventually lead to enlightened sacrifice or dedication.”

ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविर् ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम् ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना ४.२४ दैवम् एवापरे यज्ञं योगिनः पर्युपासते ब्रह्माग्नाव् अपरे यज्ञं यज्ञेनैवोपजुव्हति ४.२५ श्रोत्रादीनीन्द्रियाण्य् अन्ये संयमाग्निषु जुव्हति शब्दादीन् विषयान् अन्य इन्द्रियाग्निषु जुव्हति ४.२६ सर्वाणीन्द्रियकर्माणि प्राणकर्माणि चापरे आत्मसंयमयोगाग्नौ जुव्हति ज्ञानदीपिते ४.२७ द्रव्ययज्ञास् तपोयज्ञा योगयज्ञास् तथापरे स्वाध्यायज्ञानयज्ञाश् च यतयः संशितव्रताः ४.२८ अपाने जुव्हति प्राणं प्राणेपानं तथापरे प्राणापानगती रुद्ध्वा प्राणायामपरायणाः ४.२९ अपरे नियताहाराः प्राणान् प्राणेषु जुव्हति सर्वेप्य् एते यज्ञविदो यज्ञक्षपितकल्मषाः ४.३० यज्ञशिष्टामृतभुजो यान्ति ब्रह्म सनातनम् नायं लोकोस्त्य् अयज्ञस्य कुतोन्यः कुरुसत्तम ४.३१ एवं बहुविधा यज्ञा वितता ब्रह्मणो मुखे कर्मजान् विद्धि तान् सर्वान् एवं ज्ञात्वा विमोक्ष्यसे ४.३२ श्रेयान् द्रव्यमयाद् यज्ञाज् ज्ञानयज्ञः परंतप सर्वं कर्माखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते ४.३४

brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahmakarmasamādhinā 4.24 daivam evāpare yajñaṃ yoginaḥ paryupāsate brahmāgnāv apare yajñaṃ yajñenaivopajuvhati 4.25 śrotrādīnīndriyāṇy anye saṃyamāgniṣu juvhati śabdādīn viṣayān anya indriyāgniṣu juvhati 4.26 sarvāṇīndriyakarmāṇi prāṇakarmāṇi cāpare ātmasaṃyamayogāgnau juvhati jñānadīpite 4.27 dravyayajñās tapoyajñā yogayajñās tathāpare svādhyāyajñānayajñāś ca yatayaḥ saṃśitavratāḥ 4.28 apāne juvhati prāṇaṃ prāṇepānaṃ tathāpare prāṇāpānagatī ruddhvā prāṇāyāmaparāyaṇāḥ 4.29 apare niyatāhārāḥ prāṇān prāṇeṣu juvhati sarvepy ete yajñavido yajñakṣapitakalmaṣāḥ 4.30 yajñaśiṣṭāmṛtabhujo yānti brahma sanātanam nāyaṃ lokosty ayajñasya kutonyaḥ kurusattama 4.31 evaṃ bahuvidhā yajñā vitatā brahmaṇo mukhe karmajān viddhi tān sarvān evaṃ jñātvā vimokṣyase 4.32 śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj jñānayajñaḥ paraṃtapa sarvaṃ karmākhilaṃ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate 4.33

Friday, April 12, 2019

Fourth Chapter: Wisdom and Sacrifice


Bhagavad-Gita Fourth Chapter

The Meaning of Knowledge:

The Yoga of Wisdom



by Michael Dolan/B.V. Mahayogi




Different forms of Sacrifice



There are different forms of religion and different ways of practicing these forms, from the simplest acts of sacrifice to complete surrender. In the end they all lead to divinity. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, “However they surrender unto Me—I reward them, as I am the ultimate goal. Everyone follows a path that leads to God in the end. And yet, everywhere there is gradation. People want success in karma, so they worship different gods. But in the end all this worship is meant for the Supreme Lord.”

Gradations of Consciousness and Society

This material world is the outcome of gradations of consciousness blended with psychological misconceptions embedded in space and time. How space and time are products of consciousness is explained in the Vedanta and Upanishads. This world is one of subjective evolution of consciousness. As consciousness becomes opaque it breaks into three primal influences called “gunas,” or modes. Just as pure light reflected through a prism breaks into different colors, our experience as conditioned souls in the material world becomes colored by these three influences or modes of nature.

Modes of Nature

Sattva-guna is the influence of truthfulness and goodness, Raja-guna, passion and creation, Tamas, ignorance, darkness, basic survival. All material is tinged by these influences; like the string theory of quantum physics they bind the reality of space and time together with perverted consciousness. Depending on the particular concentration of sattva, rajas, or tamas, our character may be molded, just as DNA molds our physical condition. Just as pure water is uncommon in nature, pure sattva, pure goodness, is difficult to find.  But there are at least four basic characters described here by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna, and these have been encoded into society as the different varnas, or classes within society.

Different Modes of Nature and Different Social Classes

Where Marx and Engels posited a “classless” society and American Democracy has promised a “dream” based on social equality, the four different classes mentioned by Kṛṣṇa here are still quite marked.
Kṛṣṇa says that the ruling class, the intellectual class, the mercantile class, and the working class follow the divisions of consciousness from sattva, rajas, and tamas. Society consciousness, as Plato pointed out, reflects individual consciousness. Society is the individual writ large. Whatever positive and negative character is encoded in individuals will be seen in the social body writ large. And so there are different social divisions; these divisions or classes will have distinct duties. Duty, karma, dharma, and sacrifice, as well as religious principles will vary according to the gradation of social class and individual consciousness.

Upanishadic Ethics in Contrast with "Western" Ideas

This is a far more subtle analysis than the Manichean universe of goodness and evil, where God and the Devil are at war, and where there can only be one correct path for everyone. The idea of moral right and wrong, or sin and piety will have gradations according to the levels of consciousness within the society. A tiger is not punished for killing and eating a deer. Animals are free from sin. Society does not treat dogs and cats as criminals when they perform abominable acts. In the same way, there must be a gradation of punishment for sin and reward for piety even in the human society. An uneducated man who uses obscene language is not punished in the same way that a highly educated woman might be for using the same language.
Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, “I have made manifest the four social divisions, brahmana, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śudra, or saintly intellectuals, kings and nobles, merchants and workers, which have been classified according to their material qualities: sattva, rajas, and tamas.”

Version of Good and Evil in Bhagavad-Gita

The version of good and evil found in Bhagavad-gita is not a question of sin and purity, darkness and light. It has more to do with color theory than black and white. The black and white world of good and bad is, in fact, an alien concept in the Mahabharata itself. The idea that we have only one life to live and that it must be lived in sin or in purity is not the version given by Krishna to Arjuna. In the Second Chapter, Kṛṣṇa has explained the nature of spiritual wisdom: The soul passes from one body to the next in an endless chain of birth and death, broken only by spiritual realization. The karmic influences that drag us and  down lift us up are not creations of the “devil” or any other such malevolent supernatural being.  As Shakespeare put it, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”

Heal Thyself

It is not the environment which is at fault.
Our inability to get free from birth and death results from our own attachments to the world. These attachments are not questions of sin and purity, but deeply ingrained misconceptions that must be rooted out through divine wisdom, as Kṛṣṇa stresses in this chapter, and through the process of surrender that begins with some form of sacrifice.
Our lives, then, are not black and white cases of good and evil, of heaven and hell, but more subtle permutations of our own egoistic involvement in this world of exploitation.

Sacrifice vs. Exploitation

The world of exploitation that we find ourselves so deeply ensconced in is a product of our own ego perception, as Kṛṣṇa has explained in the Second Chapter. Our own perverted consciousness develops within a symphony of colors and influences, gunas, that captivate us birth after birth. If insanity is a question of repeating the same action again and again, expecting a different result, wisdom is breaking with the cycle. Like the donkey, fooled by the carrot on a stick, we march on and on in an illusory world of our own perception in ignorance, passion, and goodness.  But Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna to free himself from this attachment with the wisdom of divine knowledge and through the practice of detached sacrifice leading to devotion. The Upanishadic version is not the black and white Judaeo-Christian dichotomy, but a deeper Hegelian dialectic of gradations and hues, of antitheses and synthesis. The modes of material nature or gunas described in the Bhagavad-Gita are not black demons who seduce us into wrong action as opposed to white angels who would lead us into salvation; the gunas or modes of nature are products of the evolution of consciousness governed by our own egoistic determination to exploit, and to continue our karmic voyage.

Black and White world vs. Living Color

Kṛṣṇa’s language is thick with deep meaning. cāturvarṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭaṃ guṇakarmavibhāgaśaḥ This is not a black and white world, but a world of colorful influences, modes, gunas. We live not in a world of absolute shadow or light; Three colors produce the myriad of hues perceived by our eyes.
In the same way the interchange of consciousness under different blends of goodness, passion, and ignorance influence and color our world. The very classes of society which are in constant conflict are a product of this interchange.
This subtle analysis must influence our understanding of karma, Kṛṣṇa teaches. If we take into consideration all these influences, it becomes difficult to determine ethical value in a particular situation. Is an action good or bad? It’s hard to say. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that even the learned are confused in determining the difference between between ethical and unethical action. Truly pure action is action in sacrifice, free from selfishness. The realized souls can see this. A realized souls sees that some are bound to act through their past karma. They avoid taking things personally. They know that they are seeing inaction in action. Kṛṣṇa says, “One who sees inaction in  action and inaction is truly wise.” In other words, it takes a wise man to understand the difference between karma  and akarma. One who acts purely through sacrifice incurs no karma; there will be no reaction to his dedicated acts. The wise know him to be a worker whose karma is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge.
Kṛṣṇa points out that in every act there’s an touch of goodness, a shade of darkness, a tone of passion. Even the mode of goodness is rarely free from impurities, just as a tiny drop of ink turns a glass of milk to black.

Transcendental Nature of Divinity

And, yet, God Himself is unaffected by the modes of material nature. There are those who worship the Law of God or the Laws of Nature. They say that God created the universe and the laws that govern it. Having done so he is also bound by the law. We must know the law and follow the law, since the law binds even God himself.
But Kṛṣṇa once again explains to Arjuna that he is “By Himself and For Himself.” He is not bound by the laws of material nature even if they depend on Him. He says, “Although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I never do any karma. I exist outside karma, being the unchangeable. I am unaffected by karma. Nor am I interested in the fruits of karma. One who understands this truth about Me will also become free from karma.”
One may find Kṛṣṇa’s assertion of divinity for Himself, off-putting. But a suspension of disbelief here is the only way to properly consider His argument. If God were speaking about Himself, He would speak as did Kṛṣṇa. If you accept Jehovah or Yahweh, or Allah as divinity, you might find that the principle holds true: God Himself is unaffected by karma.
Kṛṣṇa explains: “All the liberated souls in ancient times acted with this understanding and so attained liberation. Therefore, as the ancients, you should perform your duty in this divine consciousness.
“The enlightened soul acts with this understanding: Abandoning all attachment to the results of his activities, ever satisfied and independent, he does no karma although involved in different actions. Such a soul, steeped in this divine wisdom, acts with mind and intelligence controlled. He gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions and works without selfishness, only accepting what is necessary to keep body and soul together. Thus working, he is not affected by karma, good or bad.
He who is satisfied with whatever is readily available, who is free from the dualities of pleasure and pain, love and hate, anger and indifference, who has no envy, who is steady both in success and failure, never becomes caught up in karma, even while working in this world.
In this way, one who is detached, and enlightened becomes free from karma.”
In other words, a person who is fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual activities, in which the consummation is absolute and that which is offered is of the same spiritual nature.

ए यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस् तथैव भजाम्य् अहम्
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ४.११
कांक्षन्तः कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवताः
क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर् भवति कर्मजा ४.१२
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः
तस्य कर्तारम् अपि मां विद्ध्य् अकर्तारम् अव्ययम् ४.१३
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा
इति मां योभिजानाति कर्मभिर् न स बध्यते ४.१४
एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैर् अपि मुमुक्षुभिः
कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात् त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् ४.१५
किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोप्य् अत्र मोहिताः
तत् ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज् ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेशुभात् ४.१६
कर्मणो ह्य् अपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं च विकर्मणः
अकर्मणश् च बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गतिः ४.१७
कर्मण्य् अकर्म यः पश्येद् अकर्मणि च कर्म यः स
बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ४.१८
यस्य सर्वे समारम्भाः कामसंकल्पवर्जिताः
ज्ञानाग्निदग्धकर्माणं तम् आहुः पण्डितं बुधाः ४.१९
त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः
कर्मण्य् अभिप्रवृत्तोपि नैव किंचित् करोति सः ४.२०
निराशीर् यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रहः शारीरं
केवलं कर्म कुर्वन् नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ४.२१
यदृच्छालाभसंतुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः
समः सिद्धाव् असिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते ४.२२
गतसङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञानावस्थितचेतसः
यज्ञायाचरतः कर्म समग्रं प्रविलीयते ४.२३
ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविर् ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम्
ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना ४.२४

ye yathā māṃ prapadyante tāṃs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ 4.11
kāṃkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṃ siddhiṃ yajanta iha devatāḥ
kṣipraṃ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karmajā 4.12
cāturvarṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭaṃ guṇakarmavibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṃ viddhy akartāram avyayam 4.13
na māṃ karmāṇi limpanti na me karmaphale spṛhā
iti māṃ yobhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate 4.14
evaṃ jñātvā kṛtaṃ karma pūrvair api mumukṣubhiḥ
kuru karmaiva tasmāt tvaṃ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṃ kṛtam 4.15
kiṃ karma kimakarmeti kavayopy atra mohitāḥ
tat te karma pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvā mokṣyaseśubhāt 4.16
karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṃ boddhavyaṃ ca vikarmaṇaḥ
akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṃ gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ 4.17
karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ sa
buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt 4.18
yasya sarve samārambhāḥ kāmasaṃkalpavarjitāḥ
jñānāgnidagdhakarmāṇaṃ tam āhuḥ paṇḍitaṃ budhāḥ 4.19
tyaktvā karmaphalāsaṅgaṃ nityatṛpto nirāśrayaḥ
karmaṇy abhipravṛttopi naiva kiṃcit karoti saḥ 4.20
nirāśīr yatacittātmā tyaktasarvaparigrahaḥ śārīraṃ
kevalaṃ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam 4.21 
yadṛcchālābhasaṃtuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ
samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate 4.22
gatasaṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthitacetasaḥ
yajñāyācarataḥ karma samagraṃ pravilīyate 4.23
brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam
brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahmakarmasamādhinā 4.24