KARMA VAIRAGYA YOGA

CHAPTER- 5

THE YOGA OF ACTION AND RENUNCIATION

KARMA VAIRAGYA YOGA

Lord Krishna delineates the concepts of action with detachment and renunciation in actions explaining that both are a means to the same goal. Here He explains how salvation is attained by the pursuance of these paths. Further Lord Krishna places before Arjuna the glories of Sankhya yoga and Nishkama Karma yoga and Dhyanayoga or meditation with devotion.

Arjuna asks Lord to specifically which of the two yogas is better –Sankhya yoga and Yoga of action

The yoga of knowledge and the yoga of action both lead to supreme bliss. However, the yoga of action is superior to yoga of knowledge.

The karma yogi neither hates nor desires and is free from the pairs of opposites.

One who firmly adheres in either of the yogas gets the fruits of both-God realization.

Without Karma yoga, Sankhya yoga is difficult to accomplish: where as the Karma yogi keeps his mind fixed on God reaches Brahma in no time.

Karma yogi who has fully conquered his mind and mastered his senses with pure heart and who has identified himself with the Self of all beings remains untainted though performing action.

The Sankhya yogi however, firmly believes that his senses that are moving among their objects like-seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, drinking, walking, sleeping , breathing, speaking, and opening and closing of eyes.

He who acts offering all actions to God and shaking off attachment; remains untouched by sin as the lotus leaf by water.


The Karma yogi perform action only with his senses, mind, intellect and body withdrawing the feeling of mine in respect of them and shaking off the attachment, simply for the sake of purification.

Offering the fruits of actions to God, the Karma yogi attains everlasting peace in the shape of God-realization whereas he who works with a selfish motive, being attached to the fruit of actions through desire, gets tied down.

The self-controlled Sankhya yogi doing nothing himself and getting nothing done by others rests happily in God.

God determines not the doer ship not doings of men or even their contact with the fruit of actions; but it is the nature that functions

The present God does not receive the virtue or sin of anyone. Knowledge is enveloped by Maya and it is that beings are constantly falling a pray to delusion.

Those whose mind and intellect are wholly merged in Him, who remain constantly established in identity with Him, and having finally become one with Him- their sins being wiped out by wisdom reach the state whence there is no return

The wise look with the same eye on Brahman endowed with learning and culture, a cow, an elephant, dog, and other things.

He, whose mind remains unattached to sense objects, derives through meditation the satvic joy, which dwells in the mind-that man having completely identified himself through meditation with God-enjoys eternal bliss.

He alone who is able to stand in this very life against the urges of lust and anger- he is a yogi and he alone is a happy man.

Shutting out all thoughts of external enjoyments with gaze fixed on all space between the eyebrows, having regulated the prana and the apana breaths flowing within the nostrils, he who has brought his sense, mind and intellect under control such a soul intent on liberation and free from desire, fear and anger is ever liberated

Having known Me in reality as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of All the worlds, and the disinterested friend of all beings- My devotee attains peace and heaven

R.Jagannathan.