April 26 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 5; Verses 5.20-5.21 (Day 117) Karma Yoga

 April 26 – Day 117

Verse 5.20-5.21

न प्रहृष्येत्प्रियं प्राप्य नोद्विजेत्प्राप्य चाप्रियम् ।

स्थिरबुद्धिरसम्मूढो ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मणि स्थितः ॥ ५-२०॥ 

na prahṛiṣhyet priyaṁ prāpya nodwijet prāpya chāpriyam
sthira-buddhir asammūḍho brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ (20) 

ந ப்¹ரஹ்ருஷ்யேத்¹ப்¹ரியம் ப்¹ராப்¹ய நோத்³விஜேத்¹ப்¹ராப்¹ய சா¹ப்¹ரியம் |
ஸ்தி²ரபு³த்³தி⁴ரஸம்மூடோ⁴ ப்¹ரஹ்மவித்³ப்³ரஹ்மணி ஸ்தி²த¹: ||20|| 

20. Resting in Brahman, with steady intellect, undeluded, the knower of Brahman neither rejoice on obtaining what is pleasant nor grieve on obtaining what is unpleasant. 

Commentary: This is the state of a Jivanmukta or a liberated sage or a Brahmana who identifies himself with the Self or Atman.  He always has a balanced mind.  He is never deluded.  He has abandoned all actions as he rests in Brahman.  He who has an unbalanced mind, who identifies himself with the body and mind, feels pleasure and pain, exhilaration of spirits when he gets a pleasant object and grief when he obtains an unpleasant object.  (Cf. VI. 21, 27, 28; XIII. 12; XIV. 20) 

बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत्सुखम् ।

स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ॥ ५-२१॥ 

bāhya-sparśheṣhvasaktātmā vindatyātmani yat sukham
sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā sukham akṣhayam aśhnute (21) 

பா³ஹ்யஸ்ப¹ர்ஶேஷ்வஸக்¹தா¹த்¹மா வின்த³த்¹யாத்¹மனி யத்¹ஸுக²ம் |
ஸ ப்³ரஹ்மயோக³யுக்¹தா¹த்¹மா ஸுக²மக்ஷயமஶ்னுதே¹ ||21 || 

21. With the self unattached to the external contacts he discovers happiness in the Self; with the self engaged in the meditation of Brahman he attains to the endless happiness. 

Commentary: When the mind is not attached to external objects of the senses, when one is deeply engaged in the contemplation of Brahman, he finds undecaying bliss in the Self within.  If you want to enjoy the imperishable happiness of the Self within, you will have to withdraw the senses from their respective objects and plunge yourself in deep meditation on the Self within.  This is the gist of this verse. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda: 

The knowledge outlined in the preceding verses is a double-edged sword. The clever, cunning and pleasure-seeking ego often uses it in pursuit of its own revelry in the darkness of ignorance. Hence, the ancient sages had wisely withheld this knowledge from the unclean hands of the undisciplined soul Kṛṣṇa, while throwing the gates of knowledge open to all, exposes ‘the other edge’ of the sword clearly.

It is easy to say “God’s will” or “I see God in all”, when the mind and senses are pampered and the ego is inflated. It does not demand spiritual heroism to demonstrate brave equanimity when life is smooth and fortune is smiling. But, just as night follows day, their counterparts follow them. Then is the time to demonstrate true equilibrium of mind! If you can truly be indifferent to misfortune, dishonour, failure and pain, you are a yogi.

This is possible by a twofold sādhana:

1. Detach the mind from external contacts. Reduce the self to zero. In your own heart experience the bliss of God.

2. Expand. Know that the self is the all-pervading Brahman. Realise you are the all. Enjoy the perennial bliss.

In (1) the external disturbing elements do not even touch you. In (2) you identify yourself with them too; you are the robber and you are the robbed – you have only changed the lost object from one hand to the other! You will ever be happy.

However, unless this sādhana springs from, or is at least accompanied by self-knowledge, it will lead either to hypocrisy or, worse, to repression of emotion. 

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