April 18 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 5; Verses 5.04-5.05 (Day 109) Karma-Sannyasa Yoga

 April 18 – Day 109

Verse 5.04-5.05

साङ्ख्ययोगौ पृथग्बालाः प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिताः ।

एकमप्यास्थितः सम्यगुभयोर्विन्दते फलम् ॥ ५-४॥ 

sānkhya-yogau pṛithag bālāḥ pravadanti na paṇḍitāḥ
ekam apyāsthitaḥ samyag ubhayor vindate phalam (4) 

ஸாங்க்²யயோகௌ³ ப்¹ருத²க்³பா³லா: ப்¹ரவத³ன்தி¹ ந ப¹ண்டிதா¹: |
ஏக¹மப்¹யாஸ்தி²த¹: ஸம்யகு³ப⁴யோர்வின்த³தே¹ ப²லம் || 4 || 

4. Children, not the wise, speak of knowledge and the Yoga of action or the performance of action as though they are distinct and different; he who is truly established in one obtains the fruits of both. 

Commentary: Children: the ignorant people who have no knowledge of the Self, and who have only a theoretical knowledge of the scriptures.

Children or ignorant people only say that knowledge and the performance of action are different and produce distinct and opposite results.  But the wise who have the knowledge of the Self say that they produce the same result only, vix., Moksha or liberation.  He who is duly established in one, he who truly lives in one, Sankhya or Yoga, obtains the fruits of both.  Therefore there is no diversity in the result or the fruit.  This is the gist of this verse. (Cf. VI.2). 

यत्साङ्ख्यैः प्राप्यते स्थानं तद्योगैरपि गम्यते ।

एकं साङ्ख्यं च योगं च यः पश्यति स पश्यति ॥ ५-५॥ 

yatsānkhyaih prāpyate sthānam tad yogair api gamyate;

ekam sānkhyam cha yogam cha yah pashyati sa pashyati (5) 

யத்¹ஸாங்க்²யை: ப்¹ராப்¹யதே¹ ஸ்தா²னம் த¹த்³யோகை³ரபி¹ க³ம்யதே¹ |
ஏக¹ம் ஸாங்க்²யம் ச¹ யோக³ம் ச¹ ய: ப¹ஶ்யதி¹ ஸ ப¹ஶ்யதி¹ || 5 || 

5. That place which is reached by the Sankhyas or the Jnanis is reached by the (Karma) Yogis. He sees who sees knowledge and the performance of action (Karma Yoga) as one. 

Commentary: Those who have renounced the world and are treading the path of Jnana Yoga or Vedanta are the Sankhyas. Through Sravana (hearing of the Srutis or Vedantic texts), Manana (reflection on what is heard) and Nididhyasana (constant and profound meditation) they attain to Moksha or Kaivalya directly.  Karma Yogis who do selfless service, who perform their duties without expectation of the fruits and who dedicate their actions as offerings unto the Lord also reach the same state as is attained by Sankhyas indirectly through the purification of their heart and renunciation and the consequent dawn of the knowledge of the Self.  That man who sees that Sankhya and Yoga are one, as leading to the same result, sees rightly. (Cf. XIII.24, 25; V.2) 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda: 

Why does man ‘renounce’ objects of sense-enjoyments? When a scorpion falls into your lap, why do you throw it away? Because you fear it will sting you. The sting will give you pain and take away happiness – sense-pleasure, which you wish to enjoy! You value that pleasure and you credit the scorpion with the power to take it away. Similarly in the case of other objects; you superimpose on them a certain exaggerated value in relation to your own egoistic pleasure-instinct. So long as this valuation lasts, even their renunciation is of no value. For, the renunciation of pleasure is motivated by the desire for pleasure (euphemistically called supreme bliss or heaven).

Knowledge deflates this value. In the light of knowledge the man of wisdom perceives the whole universe (of which his body and mind are parts) as the body of God with the countless beings doing their duty as cells in it. Likewise, such a man’s body and mind obey his will, unfettered by his self-arrogating ego.

Being established in this knowledge, he finds that the only factor to be renounced is ego and its private reactions (likes and dislikes): even this is not ‘renunciation’, as the ego as an independent entity is non-existent – knowledge enables one to realise the unreal as unreal. God rules the wise man’s body and mind which function according to his will. It cannot be otherwise. Knowledge of God gives knowledge of his will and this will is done by the yogi spontaneously. Knowledge and action are two sides of the same coin. To be established well in one is to practise both! 

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