YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE – SANKHYAYOGA

By

Dr. R. J. Kalpana Ph.D

Visvaayudha November 2024

vasudevasutaḿ devaḿ kaḿsa-cāṇūra-mardanam

devakī-paramānandaḿ kṛṣṇaḿ vande jagadgurum

I bow down to Sri Krishna, who is the Master of the Universe, beloved son of Vasudeva, who vanquished Kamsa and Chanura, who brings immense joy to his mother, Devaki.

Pranams from Dr. R J Kalpana, Welcome to the study of The Bhagavad Gita.

The second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is titled, Sankhya Yoga – the yoga of Knowledge. It opens with Sanjaya giving a description of Arjuna’s dejected state. Bhagavan Shri Krishna reproaches Arjuna for his faint-heartedness stating that this weak attitude will gain him no fame. Arjuna once again restates his objections to the war saying that they are unsure if they should even fight and what possible pleasure can they achieve by slaying their elders.

In Sloka 7, Arjuna displays exquisite etiquette of a disciple and turns to Shri Krishna and humbly requests him for guidance. This is a very important point to note that it is only humility that opens the doors to knowledge that no amount of arrogance and pride will help. People on the path of spiritual evolution must remember that this secret that the humbler one is, the higher they can rise.

In the SriVaishnava tradition, Kulasekara alvar is an epitome of such humility that every sanctum sanctorum of a Vaishnava temple contains a step carved into the stone known famously as kulasegara padi. One has to step across Kulaśegara padi to enter the garbha griha or sanctum sanctorum. The following pasuram in Perumal Tirumoli beautifully encapsulates the depth of overflowing devotion.

Śeḍiyāy valvinaigaḻ tīrkkum, tirumālē,

neḍiyānē, vēṅgaḍavā, nin kōyilin vāśal,

aḍiyārum vānavarum, arambaiyarum kiḍandiyaṅgum,

paḍiyāy kkiḍandu, un pavaḻavāy kāṇbēnē  [IV.9]

In Chapter 2, Sloka 11, Shri Krishna for the first time in the Bhagavad Gita starts to speak. Shri Krishna now moves from being a friend to being an Acharya – a teacher. And he goes on to reveal the knowledge of the soul in this chapter that once and for all dispels all doubts of who we are, what we are, where we have come from and where we should return.

Shri Krishna comes straight to the point and shows the eternal nature of the soul and its immutable characteristic. Admonishing Arjuna, Shri Krishna says that the wise men do not grieve over the dead. Do not get deluded by the illusion of death and dying for the soul passes through childhood, adult life and old age and then discards one body and takes on another.

Revealing a deep secret, Shri Krishna says, only those who treat pleasure and pain alike are eligible for immortality. For the unreal which is the field of maya or illusion is never real and that which is real will never cease to exist and only the seers of truth will perceive the difference.

The soul is imperishable, indefinable and eternal just as the bodies are perishable. He is ignorant if he thinks the soul can be killed. For the soul is never born and never dies. It is unborn, eternal and ancient for it existed since primeval times. And therefore Arjuna, Shri Krishna asks, whom will you kill? Who can be killed?

nainaṁ chhindanti śhastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
na chainaṁ kledayantyāpo na śhoṣhayati mārutaḥ (II.23)

Weapons cannot cut it nor can fire burn it; water cannot wet it nor can wind dry it.

Therefore, we should not grieve. Before birth we are not manifest to the human senses and at death we return back to being unmanifest again. We are only manifest in the interim period where we are born. So there is no reason for this worry.

Shri Krishna thus far explained it from the point of Jnana Yoga and now he goes on to explain it from Karma Yoga point of view. Having understood clearly the efficacy of Karma Yoga, we will forever be free from our samskaras that keep us bound to the human plane of birth and death.

Bhagavan Shri Krishna then proceeds to divulge a great secret of living with single minded goal in sight so all our thoughts, words and deeds are directed in one channel. Those who are keen on worldly desire look to heaven as the supreme goal of human life. But those who are surrounded by worldly pleasures and pains and yet, arise above them; they seek merger with the Divine as the real goal of human life.

In the famous sloka 47, Bhagavan says our right is only to work and never to the fruits of our labour. Be neither vested in your actions or in the inactions nor in the fruits thereof. Let us study this secret closely. Shri Krishna says that when we perform our actions, we should do so as its our duty and not because it will bring us praise or fame or rewards. The corollary is true as well that we shouldn’t shun away from actions merely because nobody is going to praise us. Actions with selfish motive leads only to more samskaras and is a very inferior form of Yoga.

Only the wise who possess a balanced equanimity of mind, renounces the fruits of actions will attain liberation and from there the merger with the Divine. When you have crossed this world of maya or illusion, then we will naturally withdraw from the world of the senses.

Dear reader, let us understand this world of maya or illusion. Once upon a time, sage Narada visited Vaikunta and asked Sriman Narayana the very same question. “What is this world of maya that everyone is talking about?” Sriman Narayana smiled and said, “Narada, I am thirsty. Can you get me a glass of water?” Narada turned to get a glass of water and found himself drowning in the Bay of Bengal. A passing merchant ship rescued him and he realized he had lost his memory. He didn’t know who he was or where he was from. He worked with the merchant and soon married the merchant’s daughter and took over his business.

Time passed and at the end of his life, Narada retired to a small kutir or cottage at the far corner of his estate having handed over the reins of his business to his sons. One evening, there was a knock on the door and Narada opened it.

Sriman Narayana was standing at the doorstep and he asked, “What took you so long Narada, I only asked for a glass of water?” And in that instance, Narada remembered who he was and why he was here and bowing in salutation before the Lord, he said, “I have understood what is this maya all about.”

Let us take a moment and pray, dear readers, that one day, we too will receive that knock on our doors that the Divine will grace us with blessings to ask what took so long to reach Him! May we all be so blessed! Om Shantih!

Arjuna questions Bhagavan and asks, “What are the hallmarks of an enlightened soul with equanimity of mind? How does he speak, how does he sit, how does he walk?”

Shri Krishna goes on to give us multiple meanings of the word – sthithaprajna – balanced equanimity of mind. Dismiss cravings of pleasures and desires and remain in joyful constant remembrance of the Divine soul. Remain free from passion, fear and anger. Be unattached with no value judgement towards either good or bad. Withdraw your senses from the sense pleasures like a tortoise and commence your journey inwards towards your soul. Control your senses, control your mind and sit in meditation devoting heart and soul to Bhagavan Shri Krishna.

For those who are focused on senses develop attachment to them which springs from countless desires and unfulfilled desires fuels anger. Anger leads to delusion and loss of reason and complete ruin. If you cannot control your mind and thoughts and senses, how can such undisciplined mind think of God? How can there be peace? How can there be happiness?

Like the wind carries the boat across the waters, so too does the senses carry the mind away indiscriminately. Therefore, control the mind and restrain the senses. And this is the state of the God-realised soul. Having reached this state, one has crossed the world of maya or illusion and is ready for Brahmic Bliss.

yogeśaṁ(m) saccidānandaṁ(v̐), vāsudevaṁ(v̐) vrajapriyam,

dharmasaṁsthāpakaṁ(v̐) vīraṁ(ṅ), kṛṣṇaṁ(v̐) vande jagadgurum

I bow to the Master of Yoga, who is the beloved son of Vasudeva, the brave warrior who established Dharma, the spiritual guru of the world.

OM ŚRĪKṚṢṆĀRPAṆAMASTU Note: The talks can be accessed on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@kalpanarj3101