4. Chapter 4 — Jñāna-Karma-Sannyāsa Yogaḥ · The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action

4.1

श्रीभगवानुवाच | इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् | विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत्

śrībhagavānuvāca imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavānaham avyayaṁ / vivasvānmanave prāha manurikṣvākave’bravīt / / 4.1

Bhagavān says: ‘I taught the sun god, Vivasvān, the imperishable science of yoga and Vivasvān taught Manu, the father of mankind and Manu in turn taught Ikṣvāku.’

śrī bhagavān uvāca — the Lord says · imaṁ — this · vivasvate — to the Sun god · yogaṁ — the science of yoga · proktavān — instructed · ahaṁ — I · avyayaṁ — imperishable · vivasvān — sun god · manave — to Manu, the father of mankind · prāha — told · manuḥ — Manu · ikṣvākave — to King Ikṣvāku · abravīt — said

4.2

एवं परम्पराप्राप्तमिमं राजर्षयो विदु: | स कालेनेह महता योगो नष्ट: परन्तप

evaṁ paraṁparāprāptamimaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ / sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa / / 4.2

The supreme science was thus received through the chain of master-disciple succession and the saintly kings understood it in that way. In the course of time, the succession was broken and therefore the science as it was appears to have been lost.

evaṁ — thus · paraṁparā — Master-disciple succession · prāptaṁ — received · imaṁ — this science · rājarṣayaḥ — the saintly kings · viduḥ — understood · saḥ — that knowl- edge · kālena — in the course of time · iha — in this world · mahatā — by great · yogaḥ — the science of yoga · naṣṭaḥ — lost · paraṁtapa — subduer of the enemies

4.3

स एवायं मया तेऽद्य योग: प्रोक्त: पुरातन: | भक्तोऽसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम्

sa evāyaṁ mayā te’dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ / bhakto ’si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hyetaduttamam / / 4.3

That ancient science of Enlightenment, or entering into eternal bliss, is today taught by me to you because you are my devotee as well as my friend. You will certainly understand the supreme mystery of this science.

saḥ — that · eva — only · ayaṁ — this · mayā — by Me · te — to you · adya — today · yogaḥ — the science of yoga · proktaḥ — spoken · purātanaḥ — very old · bhaktaḥ — devotee · asi — you are · me — My · sakhā — friend · ca — also · iti — therefore · rahasyaṁ — mystery · hi — because etat: this · uttamaṁ — supreme

You need to understand that Kṛṣṇa is just thirty-two years old when He makes this statement! Physically His body is only thirty-two years old. But He says, ‘I gave this imperishable knowledge to Sūrya, the Sun god—imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (4.1).’ Of course, this is very difficult to understand! With logic, you cannot understand this statement. With ordinary logic, which you use in your daily life, you cannot make any meaning out of this statement. In the next statement He says: The supreme science, this yoga as it was, appears to have been lost in course of time. These two verses should be understood clearly. The first thing is that the truth is not new.

It is eternal; neither new nor old. Eternal means it is there forever. It never becomes old. It was never new. Eternal means that Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 269 which is beyond time and space. When you are in completion, anything you create stands for eternity. It is immortal and eternal. Otherwise there is no reason why Hinduism should be still alive. The invaders and fanatics brutally attacked and assaulted anything in front of their eyes, killing millions of people and destroying temples of Bhārat (India). They invaded and ruled India, not for one generation but for hundreds of years, yet how is it that Hinduism is still left alive, flourishing and expanding?

Because it was created out of the eternal space of completion. See, for a religion or any civilization to be alive, three things are important. First, the knowledge and the science of lifestyle, Upaniṣad— what is birth, what is death, why life, what is the purpose of life—the answer to all questions of living and leaving. Second, the buildings— architecture and arts. And third, the language. All these three are made out of the magnetic field of completion in sanātana-dharma. That is why these three things can never be destroyed, no matter how much anyone tries. The architectural wonders and monuments created out of completion, and the linguistic monument and wonder, Saṃskṛitaṁ born out of completion—these can never be destroyed.

Just like the wonders of the world, if you analyse the linguistic wonders of the world, Saṃskṛitaṁ, the devabhāśā—language of Divine, will be the first and only linguistic wonder of the world. Understand, the word Saṃskrit means well done, refined, perfect. The vedic tradition is such a powerful, refined system that no matter how much anyone tries to manipulate, morph or misrepresent it, it gets backfired! The system is so foolproof, so evolved to perfection; that is why we say Saṃskṛitaṁ means refined. And the great science of lifestyle is the Upaniṣads. All three are created out of the magnetic field of completion. That is why nothing could destroy or kill it.

This yoga is imperishable as Kṛṣṇa declares, avyayam. Anything created out of the space of completion stands forever, stands eternally. Completion is eternal, Nitya. Only the things described and created based on time can be said to be new or old. Anything new will become old one day. Anything old was new at one time. Eternal means it is beyondthenewandtheold.Ithasbeentherefromtimeimmemorial.Here, this yoga, the science of Enlightenment is eternal or Nitya. The science of Karma Yogaḥ that we learned in chapter three, the same yoga is going to be explained further in chapter four, Jñana-karma-sannyāsa Yogaḥ. I gave the first glimpse of this in the previous chapter. The first thing that needs to be understood is the first glimpse.

If you allow those words to penetrate you, then straightaway those words can give you the first glimpse of Enlightenment. They can lead you to the first step of ultimate liberation. Understanding the purposelessness of life will wash away all its incompletions, stresses, pressures and burdens from your being, whether they are physical or mental. You are liberated in that same moment. You are in the space of completion that very moment. Kṛṣṇa doesn’t give you any technique that works over lengthy periods of time. Some techniques work over long periods of time, which you will have to practice forever. Your son or your daughter may get the result! Kṛṣṇa says, ‘Now, here or nowhere!’

Either have the result now and here, or nowhere. All His techniques straightaway give you the experience. If you can allow that one idea of purposelessness, the beauty of purposelessness, into your inner space, that very moment the breeze of Enlightenment enters your heart. That very moment, the healing of your being starts. Healing of bhāva roga, emotional diseases and healing of saṁsāra roga, the disease of birth and death, start. Five thousand years ago, Kṛṣṇa said, ‘I gave this science to Sūrya, the Sun god and the Sun god instructed Manu. The Sun god is Vivasvān. Vivasvān instructed Manu, the father of mankind. Manu passed this wisdom on to Ikṣvāku.

Here, Kṛṣṇa gives the succession, the lineage through disciples, the Master-disciple lineage. ‘In course of time, the science of yoga was lost, sa kāleneha mahatāyogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa’, He says. Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 271 Learn Only from a Living Enlightened Master Understand why this yoga of completion was lost. When a disciple is not in the space of completion, if he is not completely ready to listen, naturally the technique becomes a ritual. Understand, there is only one difference between technique and ritual. When it is done with integrity and authenticity, even an ordinary ritual becomes a great meditation technique that leads you to Enlightenment. When it is done without any integrity, as a routine, then even a meditation technique becomes a ritual.

‘In course of time, the science was lost.’ Kṛṣṇa uses a beautiful phrase, ‘the supreme science was taught by Me, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ and the supreme science was received through lineage, evam paramparā prāptam.’ You don’t lose that supreme science in just one generation. In course of time, even a single unenlightened disciple is enough to destroy the whole science. The problem is, your Master creates a big movement and you succeed him without the necessary qualifications. People who simply ascend the throne only because they are the successor are the most dangerous people. They have everything except Enlightenment. One who creates a spiritual movement, creates it only out of the energy of Enriching with Enlightenment, from his love and compassion.

For the person who succeeds the founder, the whole movement is a gift. When you get somebody’s throne as a successor without the energy of responsibility, you will be filled with ego. You will create damage. You carry just the book and not the knowledge. Responsibility is the energy in which your life flowers and blooms. First learn to think with these four tattvas as reality. That is why our Vedic Masters always transmitted and mirrored the truths through the oral tradition of disciple succession from the enlightened Master to the disciple. The disciple sits in Upaniṣad at the feet of the Master. Upaniṣad means sitting with the Master. Upaniṣad is nothing but—a Master who gets into a space and lets the disciples sit around and mirror his neuron activity in their brains.

Upaniṣad is the best way to transmit the experiential expression of the great tattvas. This is how Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa transmits the science of Bhagavad Gītā to the Sun god, Vivasvān and now to Arjuna. Understand: If you are not enlightened, you can easily get carried away by anything that you see! The truth or the spirit of anything can be easily lost. If you want to destroy any law, all you need to do is just follow it to the letter and miss the spirit. That is why time and again our Upaniṣads insist upon going to a living enlightened Master. All our books are only manuals. Vedas are the only books that are courageous enough to declare that they cannot give you Enlightenment.

If you want the ultimate experience, you have to go to a living enlightened Master. What do all medical books say in the end? Consult your family doctor! All these things are only manuals. You can’t take medicines just by reading a medical book or from a person who is not a doctor. In India, compounders, the doctors’ assistants, are the ones who prepare the medicines. In course of time these compounders learn that for a headache you are meant to take a yellow tablet, for stomach pain, the green tablet, and so on. It is very dangerous. Taking medicines from compounders and learning from unenlightened masters are one and the same.

A compounder, at the most, harms your physical body. But an unenlightened master can misguide, destroy you life after life. This is because the whole context is lost if you have missed even a single crucial point. Spirituality, the Ultimate Luxury! Here Kṛṣṇa says, evam paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ I sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa II 4.2 One important thing, He says, ‘rājarṣayo viduḥ,’ meaning, this science is given to kingly saints, not to just any saint. If you have listened to the previous chapter, Karma Yogaḥ you would Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 273 know that the science He taught is Quantum Spirituality, which gives you both the material and spiritual world.

That is why He says, ‘the science is given to kingly saints.’ Had it been only for ordinary saints, he would have emphasized only on the inner world, the inner space. Had it been only for kings, he would have emphasized on the outer world and wealth. The science is delivered to the kings, enlightened masters; enlightened masters who are kings. Only they can preserve the science as it is. Be very clear, only an enlightened person who is a king or a king who is an enlightened person can know the totality of spirituality. Only a rich man who has enjoyed material wealth can understand the meaning and relevance of spirituality.

Poor men who have not seen the outer world wealth can only go and beg in front of God. They can never understand the ultimate spirituality. I have a story for you: At the entrance of a temple, a beggar was always stretching out one hand asking for alms, begging. One day, people saw that his both hands were stretched out for begging! They asked him, ‘What happened? Today, you have suddenly stretched both your hands! Until now you were stretching only one hand! Why?’ He said, ‘I have started one more branch!’ You may have any number of branches. It may look like easy money. But you will never become a millionaire by begging!

If you work with the ‘beggar mentality’ you will never be successful until the end, you will never be complete! Only a person who has seen the outer world thoroughly realizes its emptiness. Only he can enterthe inner world. If you still have hope in the outer world, you cannot experience the ultimate spirituality. Only a king can be utterly frustrated. Only a king can enter into enlightenment, because he knows there is nothing in the outer space that can fulfill him. He has seen everything; all possible comforts, enjoyments and pleasures. If somebody who has not experienced depression of success enters spirituality, he will stand in front of God and beg, ‘God give me this, give me that.’

He may be a religious person, but never a spiritual person. There is a huge difference between a religious person and a spiritual person. When you know God has got the śakti (power) to give whatever you want, your religion starts. When you understand he also has the buddhi (intelligence) as to when to give you what, then you enter into spirituality! We all believe God has the power to give us what we want, but we don’t trust that he has also got the intelligence to give it at the right time! That is why we beg and beg! Only a person who trusts that God has the power and the intelligence, can enter spirituality, trusting implicitly that He knows when to give and what to give.

Listen. I am not here to judge that one is lower and the other is higher. No! If you can’t pray to God, where else will you go? You have to pray to Him only. But the teaching of religion has to start with the science of restful awareness, by helping human beings create the right space inside. The concept of prayer should come next. Spirituality is the ultimate luxury. I always say that only a person who carries the space of completion, who understands the purposelessness of life can heal himself and others. Only he can be a real spiritual being. Here, Kṛṣṇa uses the words ‘rājarṣi, kingly saint.

Only a person who has authentically lived aligning the inner space and the outer space, can experience the truth of the totality. Of course, when a person who is not authentic enough to realize this truth enters into the system, he corrupts it. Inauthenticity is the corruption that can happen in your soul. Don’t allow this corruption to happen to consciousness. Because you are My Devotee and Friend So, Kṛṣṇa says, ‘In course of time, the science was lost.’ In the next verse, Kṛṣṇa says: sa evāyaṁ mayā te ‘dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ I bhakto ‘si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam II 4.3 Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 275 He says, ‘I am telling you about this very ancient science of the ultimate Enlightenment or entering eternal bliss, and being My devotee and my friend, you will understand the supreme mystery of this science.’

This has to be understood very deeply. One cannot tell this ultimate truth to a person who is not ready. I repeat, this truth cannot be delivered to a person who is not ready to listen. And truth told to a person who is not ready creates danger for everyone. People ask me in my meditation programs, ‘Swamiji, please talk about your Enlightenment.’ I never speak about my spiritual experiences unless I know them well. I wait. If intimate experiences are shared when you are not ready to listen, you always create a self-doubt and spoil things for yourself. If you have courage, you will straightaway question the experience. If you don’t have that much courage, you will just think, ‘Alright, this is one more story!

I have heard thousands of stories. Leave it!’ The spiritual experiences cannot be shared just for nothing. If it is shared it should become a source of inspiration that transforms your life. By sharing the spiritual experience, if it gives you the courage to take the same jump, if you also feel, ‘I think I should also experience the same joy, the same bliss, I should not postpone it,’ if it becomes an inspiration for you, then it is worth sharing. Otherwise it is not worth sharing. Listen. There was a great Master in South India. He sang a set of poems on Śiva. He did not even write, he just sang the verses.

Close disciples who lived around him requested him to put it in writing so that it could be useful to society. He said, ‘No, they are my intimate love letters to my Lord. It is my personal relationship. How can I publish it?’ If, for example, you see somebody for the first time and he straightaway starts asking you personal questions, how would it be? It is too rude! You can’t share your personal experiences straightaway with anybody. In the same way, the Master says, ‘If somebody comes and asks you about your personal life, you can’t share it. Only if you become intimate with him, it is possible to open up.’

For a conversation to happen, you need a certain intimacy. If both sides are filled with their own ideas and arguments, a conversation can never happen. I always tell people, in the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens. The third year onwards, both of them speak and the neighbors listen! The conversation never happens! Only arguments happen. As long as the other person is in a mood for arguments, the satya (truth) cannot be expressed. The Master says, ‘It is my intimate relationship with God. How can I share that with the public?’ Then one disciple, who considers himself intelligent asks, ‘Why?

When you can share it with us, why can’t you share it with the world?’ Then, the Master says, ‘By becoming a disciple, you have become a part of me. Only with a person who has become a part of me can I share these poems. Physically you may be another body, but mentally, you have fallen in tune with me. You have become like a womb, completely ready to receive the divine energy. This is the reason I share my experience with you.’ Unless you enter into a deep receptive mood, unless you become a simple, innocent being, you cannot receive the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth is beyond logic.

Initially when you start to teach the truth, it always starts with logic. Words go logically. But after some time, you have to leave logic behind. Otherwise, you can’t reach the Divine. You can’t talk to God through logic. You cannot relate with him in prose. Only in poetry you can relate with God. That is why, be it Eastern or Western cultures, whenever it comes to prayer it is only through songs and poems. If you want the divine relationship to happen, you need love. You need the language of poetry. Here, only a person who understands, who has become a part of the Master can receive the Master’s experiences.

Unless you become part of the Master, it is very difficult to understand his message. When you speak the ultimate truth to a person who is not ready, it leads to many troubles. With the right person, even a lie told by Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 277 him will be good for society. In the wrong hands even truth will do harm to society. To whom it is delivered is important, rather than whether it is the truth or a lie. With the wrong person, even a great truth like advaita (non-duality) —‘I am God,’ may make him think he is God and make him do all nonsensical things.

A wrong person can never understand the truth told by Kṛṣṇa. For example, Kṛṣṇa says, ‘I am God. I am everything. Surrender unto me.’ If the person is not completely devoted to Kṛṣṇa, if he has not understood Kṛṣṇa, what will he think? ‘What an egoistic person he is! How dare he tell me to surrender to him?’ Naturally the person, instead of understanding Kṛṣṇa, will create more trouble for Kṛṣṇa. Beyond Logic Lies Devotion Here, the qualification to receive the truth is devotion. If you have heard all the things I have said in the other three chapters of the Gītā, it is expressed logically. Until this point, I am able to bring both logic and spirituality together.

Now, the time has come when I have to give you the pure truth as Truth. Understand, great truths can never be expressed by logic, because logic is not sharp enough! Somebody asked me, ‘Swamiji, why don’t you prove God logically?’ I told him, ‘If I can prove God logically, then logic would become God!’ Logic will become greater than God. God is great because He cannot be proved by logic. He is beyond your logic. Here, Kṛṣṇa is going to talk about something that is beyond logic. This is where you leave your logic behind, become completely open, sit in a totally passive mood, and be ready to receive.

With logic, either you will understand everything or you will not understand anything. There is no other danger. When it comes to the deeper level teachings, either you understand, or you misunderstand. The teachings which Kṛṣṇa is going to deliver now are much deeper, much subtler than the teachings delivered earlier. That is why He says, ‘Now I am telling you these secrets just because you are my devotee and friend, just because you are near and dear to me. You are my own, bhakto’si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam (4.3).’ That is the reason He uses the word bhaktosi. He says, ‘You are my devotee and you are my friend.’

Sakhā means friend. The person who does not have a connection with Kṛṣṇa, cannot receive the message. Now Kṛṣṇa enters deeper level truths where you need to come down from your head to your heart, where you need to sit with your whole being and listen to the truths. Here, Kṛṣṇa gives a warning, rahasyaṁ hyetad uttamam. ‘I am giving you these secrets, the mysterious science of realizing the Ultimate, my dear friend and devotee, Arjuna.’ So, now let us enter into the science that is taught by Kṛṣṇa. Let us come to the space of listening. Let us begin with a small prayer to Kṛṣṇa: vasudeva sutaṁ devaṁ kamsa cāṇūra mardanaṁ I devakī paramānandaṁ kṛṣṇam vande jagad guruṁ II Understand, Vedānta always emphasizes on three things: śravana, manana and nididhyāsana.

Śravana means integrated listening. Manana means meditating, contemplating on it with deep active thinking. Nididhyāsana means expressing and radiating it powerfully in your life, or experiencing it in your life. Here, these truths do not need these three steps. Just listening is enough for it to become an experience. Śravana is enough; authentic śravana becomes nididhyāsana. Nothing more needs to be done. All you need to do is to sit with a complete open being in the space of listening, with a complete relaxed feeling. These words are uttered for your sake, not for the sake of the Master. So, we will just take a few minutes to meditate on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the greatest Enlightened Master, JagadGuru.

Let us pray to Him to allow His words to penetrate our being. Let Him reside in our consciousness. Let Him lead us to eternal bliss. Just take a few minutes, close your eyes and intensely pray to Him: Master, lead us to the experience. Give us the understanding. Let Him raise our inner space by His presence. Let Him be in our inner space and enlighten our consciousness. I Myself Appear Age After Age

4.4

अर्जुन उवाच | अपरं भवतो जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वत: | कथमेतद्विजानीयां त्वमादौ प्रोक्तवानिति

arjuna uvāca aparaṁ bhavato janma paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ / kathametad vijānīyāṁ tvamādau proktavāniti / / 4.4

Arjuna says: ‘Oh Kṛṣṇa, you are younger to the sun god Vivasvān by birth. How am I to understand that in the begin- ning you instructed this science to him?’

arjuna uvāca — Arjuna says · aparaṁ — of recent origin · bhavataḥ — Your · janma — birth · paraṁ — very old · janma — birth · vivasvataḥ — of the Sun god · kathaṁ — how · etat — this · vijānīyāṁ — can I understand · tvaṁ — You · ādau — in the beginning · proktavān — instructed · iti — thus

4.5

श्रीभगवानुवाच | बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन | तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप

śrībhagavānuvāca bahuni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna / tānyahaṁ veda sarvāṇi na tvaṁ vettha parantapa / / 4.5

Bhagavān says: Many many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O Parantapa!

śrī bhagavān uvāca — The Lord says · bahūni — many · me — of Mine · vyatī tā ni — have passed · janmāni — births · tava — yours · ca — also · arjuna — O Arjuna · tā ni — all of those · ahaṁ — I · veda — do know · sarvāṇi — all · na — not · tvaṁ — yourself · vettha — know · paraṁtapa — O scorcher of the foes

4.6

अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन् | प्रकृतिं स्वामधिष्ठाय सम्भवाम्यात्ममायया

ajo ’pi sannavyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro ’pi san / prakṛtiṁ svāmadhiṣṭhāya saṁbhavāmyātmamāyayā / / 4.6

Although I am unborn, imperishable and the lord of all living entities, by ruling my nature I reappear by my own māyā.

ajaḥ — unborn · api — also · san — being so · avyaya — instructible · atmā — spirit · bhūtānāṁ — living entities · īśvaraḥ — supreme Lord · api — also · san — being so · prakṛtiṁ — nature · svāṁ — of Myself · adhiṣṭhāya — keeping under control · saṁbhavāmi — I come into being · ātmamāyayā — by My divine potency.

4.7

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत | अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati bhārata / abhyutthānam adharmasya tad ātmānaṁ sṛjāmyaham / / 4.7

Whenever positive consciousness declines, when collective negativity rises, O Bhārat, again and again, at these times, I happen Myself.

yadā -yadā — whenever · hi — well · dharmasya — of righteousness · glāniḥ — decline · bhavati — takes place · bhārata — O descendant of Bhārata · abhyutthānaṁ — pre- dominance · adharmasya — of unrighteousness · tadā — at that time · ātmānaṁ — self · sṛjāmi — bring forth · ahaṁ — I

4.8

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् | धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām / dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya saṁbhavāmi yuge-yuge / / 4.8

To protect the pious and to annihilate the wicked, to re-establish righteousness I Myself appear, age after age.

paritrāṇāya — for the protection of · sādhūnāṁ — of the pious · vināśāya — to destroy · ca — also · duṣkṛtāṁ — of the wicked · dharma — righteousness · saṁsthāpanārthāya — to establish · saṁbhavāmi — I manifest · yuge-yuge — age after age

Kṛṣṇa starts His message as a response to Arjuna’s question. This shows that Arjuna still needs to have the maturity. He asks, ‘The Sun god is elder to you by birth; he is so much your senior. How am I to understand that in the beginning you instructed this science to him?’ Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa are almost of the same age. Suddenly, Kṛṣṇa says He gave this science to the Sun god thousands of years ago! Moreover, Arjuna lived with Kṛṣṇa for a long time. He knows and has seen the human side of Kṛṣṇa, all of Kṛṣṇa’s līlā (plays), all of Kṛṣṇa’s moods. So now, it is very difficult for Arjuna to believe Kṛṣṇa’s words.

This is what all disciples who live around Enlightened Masters undergo. They find it difficult to understand the Divine descending and walking on the planet Earth in human form. Arjuna struggles to understand. How can the Divine descend? Arjuna is shocked when Kṛṣṇa says, ‘Thousands of years ago, I taught this science of Enlightenment to the Sun God, Vivaṣvān.’ For example, suddenly if I tell you, ‘A hundred years ago, I was the person who taught all these sciences to some enlightened Master!’ How will you feel? Naturally questions will arise. Here the same thing happens. Arjuna thinks, ‘How can I understand?’ He has become a little polite and intelligent.

In the second chapter, when Kṛṣṇa says, ‘Arjuna, go and fight,’ Arjuna asks, ‘How can you say this? How can you tell me to sin?’ Now he says, ‘How can I understand? Please tell me.’ He does not say, ‘How can you say this?’’ He is now ready to believe, but he wants a little explanation. Kṛṣṇa Declares His Divinity Whenever enlightened Masters descend on the planet Earth, they face this trouble, again and again. When Rāmakṛṣṇa declared that the same being who came as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa had now come down in the form of Rāmakṛṣṇa, he was called mad! People did not receive or respect him. But a few qualified people received his words and transformed their lives.

See, all movements can be started in two ways. One is the political movement which starts with huge numbers of followers. The bigger the crowd, the more powerful he feels. He makes all kinds of claims. These movements, over a period of time, slowly dwindle in quality and quantity. Once the founder dies, the movement dies. The second type of movement is the spiritual mission. When the Masters declare the truth, the quantity may not be there, but the quality will be there. When Rāmakṛṣṇa made this declaration, hardly sixteen disciples were ready to trust Him. These few transformed their lives. It started as a very slow, small movement but expanded into an international mission.

Today, millions worship him as Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 281 God. These spiritual missions start in a very small way but expand and explode. For a political person, the inspiration is in numbers. How well is it covered in media? It matters to him how many newspaper cuttings he can collect. But for a spiritual person what matters is how many ego-cuttings he can do and liberate? For a political person it is the paper cutting, for a spiritual person, it is the egocutting. I always tell people, my best discourses are always given to small, close devotees. Because when you speak the truth to an intimate group, it will be straight.

It will shake your whole being and transform your whole life. Those who are not yet ready cannot receive it. For a spiritual discourse, what matters is the quality of the people present. This very Gītā is delivered to only one person. When Kṛṣṇa delivered Gītā, only one person listened to it. But today, millions and millions, not even millions, billions read and practice it. For a billion Hindus, this is the basic scripture. Only one person listened to Kṛṣṇa. Today the whole world uses it. To express the truth, the quality of the person who listens is important, not the quantity of persons. Now Kṛṣṇa starts to answer this question.

Let me repeat this beautiful verse: śrī bhagavān uvāca bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna I tāny ahaṁ veda sarvaṅi na tvaṁ vettha parantapa II 4.5 Bhagavān says, ‘O Arjuna, many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them but you can’t.’ Then He says, ‘Although I am unborn, imperishable and the Lord of all living entities, I reappear by my original māyā, by controlling my nature.’ ajo’pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īsvaro’pi san I prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā II 4.6 I think this is the first time He declares His divinity! All this while, Kṛṣṇa was only playing the role of ācārya (teacher,) intellectually enriching Arjuna of the truth and giving him knowledge.

For the first time, He opens up. He declares the truth about His nature. He shows the divinity of His nature. I think this is the point where Kṛṣṇa starts to speak the ultimate truth as it is. Till then, I think He was a little shy to open up to Arjuna! When a disciple is not ready, you can’t open up, you can’t tell the truth. Now, the disciple is ready. So Kṛṣṇa opens up. He says, although I am unborn and my transcendental body never deteriorates and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in my original transcendental form. Three things we need to understand here.

First He says, ‘I am unborn, ajopi. I never take birth. I am the ultimate Parabrahma. I am the ultimate energy.’ I don’t think anyone else has declared it so clearly. Here, Kṛṣṇa straightaway declares the truth. ‘I am God, bhūtānām īsvaro’pi san,’ He says. Please listen, when the disciple is mature, the Master is understood. Here, straightaway Kṛṣṇa declares, ‘I am unborn, ajopi, I am unborn, eternal consciousness, and my transcendental body never deteriorates, avyayātmā. You can always relate with me. I am unborn and I never die.’ Understand, that which never takes birth can never die; only that which takes birth can die. Here Kṛṣṇa declares, I never take birth and I never die.

I am the Lord of all living entities—ajo’pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īsvaro’pi san. Somebody asked me, ‘Swamiji, can dead Masters teach us like Paramahamsa Yogananda, Mahavatar Babaji etc.? If I pray to them, can they show me the path?’ I told him: dead masters are not dead as you think. When they are alive, their presence had a body. When they are dead, their presence has no body, that’s all. Having a body or not having a body is in no way going to affect their presence. They are eternally alive and available to you. All you need to do is just turn towards them. When normal human beings die, the soul leaves the body.

In the case of masters, they leave the body! The very wording is different. So having a body or not Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 283 having a body is in no way connected to their presence. They are available to the planet always, to the whole of humanity. It is very difficult to understand Masters. With integrity and authenticity, if you reach out, even if they don’t have the body, you will be able to relate, connect, and talk to them. When you don’t have integrity and authenticity, even with a living Master you will miss him. Understand, He says, ‘I am the Lord of all the entities.

But I still happen in every millennium in my original transcendental form; using my own māyā (Illusion). Because of my māya, I assume the body and and incarnate Myself, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā.’ Kṛṣṇa means that He happens on the planet Earth again and again in so many forms to guide and enrich the people. Ordinary human beings are in the clutches of māyā or illusion due to which they take birth. But Kṛṣṇa has māyā itself under His control and takes birth due to His own wish! But again and again we miss Him. We are all conquerors of Buddha, conquerors of Kṛṣṇa. Conquerors of Rāmakṛṣṇa. We conquer Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi. That is why we are here again and again!

Please listen, we conquer them. Again and again we miss them. That is why again and again He has to happen on planet Earth to lift us, to show us the way, to enrich us with Enlightenment. Kṛṣṇa Promises to Happen Again and Again The next two verses, if they are understood, then not only the whole Gītā but all the spiritual scriptures can be realized. Here He declares: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata I abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmyaham II 4.7 paritrāṇāya sadhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām I dharma saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge II 4.8 Whenever there is a decline in individual consciousness, whenever the collective unconsciousness increases, to establish the righteousness of the eternal consciousness, the science of eternal bliss, dharma saṁsthāpanārthāya, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium—sambhavāmi yuge yuge.

Only a Master like Kṛṣṇa can declare the truth so clearly. Here Kṛṣṇa declares, ‘I come down again and again, to set right the wrong.’ He keeps the generation of enlightened Masters open for the future, the possibility of enlightenment open for the future generations on planet Earth. He keeps the whole science open for the future. Only a courageous being like Kṛṣṇa can declare this truth; sambhavāmi yuge yuge. People often ask me, ‘Swamiji, are there more Enlightened Masters on the planet?’ I tell them, ‘Surely. There are hundreds of Enlightened Masters. Don’t think I am the only one.’ If you own any business, you would not give out the address of similar businesses in the city.

Only if you are authentic, you can declare—yes, there are so many other things available. People ask me, ‘Swamiji, if I take initiation from you, can I go to another master?’ I tell them: ‘Not only can you go, I also encourage that you should go. Pluck flowers from all the beautiful gardens and make a beautiful bouquet for yourself!’ The human ego is such that it needs to be beaten by more than one person for it to die! So go and learn the best things. This verse is a promise; it is deliverance to all of humanity. This one single idea, if understood, can straightaway make you enlightened.

In science, the principle of entropy states that the energy level of every system, including the Universe, degrades with time. So it is with consciousness. Over time individuals start losing their positive consciousness and collective negativity builds up. Of course, this does not imply that every single person becomes evil intentioned, but on an average, spirituality, awareness, righteousness and consciousness of individuals deteriorate at certain periods of time. Understand that the consciousness is always individual. When one is conscious and complete, one accepts all of humanity as an extension of oneself; yet, each individual needs to be aware of his own consciousness. On the other hand, negativity or unconsciousness can be Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 285 collective.

A whole nation can become collectively unconscious as Germany did under Hitler and Lankāpurī under Rāvaṇa. In history, over many thousands of years, each time such collective unconsciousness built up, there has been deliverance. It is as though there is a cycle of positivity and negativity, up and down, over time. Dharma, righteousness is restored eventually. This is Kṛṣṇa’s promise. To Know Me Is To Be Liberated

4.9

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यमेवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वत: | त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर्जन्म नैति मामेति सोऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyamevaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ / tyaktvā dehaṁ punarjanma naiti māmeti so ’rjuna / / 4.9

One who knows or experiences My divine appearance and activities does not take birth again in this material world after leaving the body but attains Me, o Arjuna.

janma — birth · karma — work · ca — and · me — of Mine · divyaṁ — divine · evaṁ — so also · yaḥ — anyone whoever · vetti — knows · tattvataḥ — in reality · tyaktvā — after leaving aside · dehaṁ — body · punaḥ — again · janma — birth · na — never · eti — attains · māṁ — unto Me · eti — does attain · saḥ — he · arjuna — Arjuna

4.10

वीतरागभयक्रोधा मन्मया मामुपाश्रिता: | बहवो ज्ञानतपसा पूता मद्भावमागता:

vītarāgabhayakrodhā manmayā māmupāśritāḥ / bahavo jñānatapasā pūtā madbhāvamāgatāḥ / / 4.10

Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being filled with me and by taking refuge in me, many beings in the past have become sanctified by the knowledge of me and have realized me.

vīta — free from · rāga — passion · bhaya — fear · krodhāḥ — anger · manmayā — fully absorbed in Me · māṁ — unto Me · upāśritāḥ — taking refuge · bahavaḥ — many beings · jñāna — wisdom · tapasā — by penance · pūtāḥ — sanctified · mad bhāvaṁ — My nature · āgatāḥ — attained

4.11

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् | मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्या: पार्थ सर्वश:

ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁstathaiva bhajāmyaham / mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśah / / 4.11

I reward everyone, I show Myself to all people, according to the manner in which they surrender unto me, in the manner that they are devoted to me, O Pārtha!

ye — whoever · yathā — whatever way · māṁ — unto Me · prapadyante — seek · tān — unto them · tathā eva — in the same way · bhajāmi — I approach · ahaṁ — I · mama — My · vartma — of the path · anuvartante — follow · manuṣyāḥ — people · pārtha — son of Pritā · sarvaśaḥ — in all respects

4.12

काङ् क्षन्त: कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवता: | क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा

kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ / kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke siddhirbhavati karmajā / / 4.12

Men in this world desire success from activities and therefore they worship the gods. Men get instant results from active work in this world.

kāṅkṣantaḥ — desiring · karmaṇāṁ — of activities · siddhiṁ — success · yajante — wor- ship · iha — in this world · devatāḥ — gods · kṣipraṁ — quickly · hi — for · mānuṣe loke — in human society · siddhiḥ bhavati — success comes · karmajā — born of action

This is a very strange statement. He says, ‘One who understands the nature of My appearance and activities will be liberated from this birth and death cycle.’ How can it be? He says, ‘Understand my transcendental nature of birthlessness and deathlessness.’ Just now He said he is birthless and deathless. Ajopi—I am birth less. Just now He says, ajo’pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īsvaro’pi san. He says, ‘I am birth less and deathless.’ Now He says, ‘If you understand the truth of the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities, once you leave the body you will not take birth and death like ordinary humans do. If you understand My transcendental nature, you will also achieve the same transcendental nature.’

Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 287 ‘If you understand that I don’t take the body, you will not take the body either. If you understand I am liberated, you will realize that you are also liberated.’ How can it be? WewillstartwithanincidentfromBhagavānRamaṇaMahaṛṣi’slife,an enlightened saint from India. In the presence of Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi, devotees used to sing some songs. There is a song called ‘Ramaṇa SatGuru,’ which means ‘Praising Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi, an enlightened Master.’ When the song is sung, Ramaṇa himself used to sing along with the devotees! Somebody asked him, ‘What is this? You are an enlightened person, you yourself are singing your own name. What do you mean by this?’

Bhagavān says, ‘Fool! Why are you reducing Ramaṇa to this six-foot body?’ This is a deep, very subtle thing. He says, ‘I see my body just as you all see it. I don’t associate myself with this name and form. That is the reason why, just like you, I enjoy singing this name.’ An egoistic person, at least in public, will not show that he enjoys praise, because if he does, people will see that he is egoistic. He will never be open. Here, Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi is totally open and straight. He says, ‘Just like you, I enjoy this name and form, because I don’t feel this is me. The name is just getting repeated.’

Another incident: One of Ramaṇa’s disciples, Muruganar wrote ‘Ramaṇa Puranam’. It is the stotra (verses in praise) of Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi. He wrote a few lines and somehow he was not able to write further. So he just brought the paper and put it at the feet of the Master and said, ‘Bhagavān, I am not able to write.’ Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi says, ‘Alright, you go, let us look into it tomorrow.’ The next day when the disciple came back, he saw that the poem was completed. Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi himself wrote the whole poem and completed it! The disciple was surprised. Bhagavān himself had written his own praises! Later, when the disciple published it, Bhagavān saw that he had put a small footnote: ‘From this line onwards it was written by Bhagavān himself’, just so that the devotees would know that those particular verses were Bhagavān’s own words.

On seeing the first copy of the book, Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi turned to the disciple and asked, ‘Oh! Were the other lines written by you then?’ Understand, He asks, ‘Oh! Does it mean that the other lines are all written by you?’ When you wrote all those verses, it was ‘I’ who wrote through you. As such, you cannot think about me or write about Me. What do you know about Me? Unless I express Myself through you, you cannot know anything about Me.’ Only a man who has disappeared into the Divine consciousness can write his poem. Lord of All Living Beings! In the Bhāgavatam (life history of Lord Kṛṣṇa,) Kṛṣṇa Himself sings, ‘I am the Lord,’ just like how He now says —bhūtānām īsvaro’pi.

This words are so beautiful: bhūtānām īsvaro’pi—I am the Lord of all living beings! AmerecowherdboyfromBriṇdavansaysthis!Youshouldnotlookat Kṛṣṇa from today’s perspective. You should understand the whole scene as it happened, on the battlefield at Kurukṣetra. Now, because of time, we have accepted Kṛṣṇa as God. But this was said when He was alive, when people could not accept him as God. When Rāma was walking on planet Earth, only the Saptaṛṣis (the energy of seven sages that controls the world) knew He is an Incarnation. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa was alive in his body, very few people recognized who He is. At least Rāma lived a controlled life; he is easy for people to accept.

But Kṛṣṇa lived such an ecstatic and spontaneous life, it is very difficult to realize who He is! For a so-called religious person, it is very difficult to realize and understand Kṛṣṇa. But He says, bhūtānām īsvaro’pi—I am the Lord of all living entities. Somebody asks Ramaṇa, ‘Why are you expressing your own glory?’ Bhagavān says, ‘If I don’t speak about myself, you can never understand me. Unless I reveal, you can never realize me. Just out of my compassion, I express the truth, I express myself.’ It is like this: You are caught in a traffic jam on the road. You ring up and ask your friend who is traveling ahead of you on the same road, ‘How Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 289 is it there?

Is there a traffic jam? Can I come by the same road or should I take some other road?’ Will he not have the simple courtesy to guide you? With the same basic courtesy, Kṛṣṇa is revealing His truth to all of us. Here, when He says, ‘I am God, I am the Ultimate,’ He says there is a possibility, ‘When I can achieve, why can’t you?’ He shows the space of possibility, He gives us the courage of authenticity, He encourages us. Here He says, ‘When I can achieve, why can’t you?’ It is like a seed is always afraid of rupturing to become a tree. The seed always feels, ‘If I break and the tree doesn’t happen, then what will happen?

I will die.’ But the tree tells the seed, ‘Unless you open, I cannot happen.’ The seed says, ‘No, let the tree happen, then I will open.’ But the tree says, ‘No, no, first you have to open, only then I can happen.’ The problem between the tree and the seed continues endlessly. It is necessary for somebody to give a little courage to the seed. A tree that was a seed once can say, ‘Be courageous. Be authentic to your highest possibility. Don’t worry. You will never perish. Open. Just like me you will become a tree.’ In the same way, Kṛṣṇa gives courage of authenticity to us, ‘You can also become God, like Me.

You can also experience the truth like Me.’ Please listen! Inside the seed, if life is not happening, the tree won’t come out. Inside the seed, life has to happen, the tree has to come out! Inside your body, authenticity has to happen, enlightenment has to come out! Inside your body, if authenticity is not happening, the completion, fulfillment, enlightenment, won’t come out. Add authenticity to your thinking in every step. If life is not continuing to happen in the seed, it is not a seed, it is dead! If authenticity is not continuously happening in you, you are not a possibility, you are dead! Constantly make authenticity happen in you, in your work, in your thinking, in your health!

Defining yourself to you should be done with life, with authenticity. If the seed defines itself saying, ‘I am a seed. I cannot do anything. Ah, my life is over!’, it is dead! If the seed decides to be authentic and say, ‘No, today I will at least just break my shell, I will sprout one small leaf. Now, let me make my second leaf!’ Then life is happening! Our huge banyan tree seed also would have had this dilemma when it was breaking! Because it decided to break and become a tree, today it is standing as a kalpavṛkṣa, a wish-fulfilling tree! When Kṛṣṇa says, ‘I am the Ultimate,’ He expresses the space of possibility.

He reminds us of our potentiality. He enriches us to define ourselves with authenticity as He defines Himself. He inspires us to enter the same consciousness, to experience the same bliss. When Kṛṣṇa reveals this truth, be very clear, Kṛṣṇa is not egoistic. He is expressing His true nature out of basic courtesy to His fellow travelers. The senior tree encourages the junior seed to open up and become a tree. The tree assures the seed. It says, ‘Don’t worry, I have become a tree. You can also become like me. You don’t have to feel you will disappear.’ It is an assurance. A small banyan tree seed is a huge tree in the form of possibility.

In the same way, you are God in the form of possibility! You are the seed for God in the form of possibility! Just as how the banyan seed is a possibility for banyan tree; you are a possibility for God Himself! That is why again and again I tell you, when Kṛṣṇa tells us ‘I am God’, He means, ‘You too are God.’ He gives you the courage of authenticity. Understand, when Enlightened Masters say ‘I’, they don’t have any meaning behind that ‘I’. Only divinity speaks. For you, the word ‘God’ is just a word with no solid meaning. But when you say ‘I,’ you attribute a solid meaning, a solid identity to it, which is supported by solid experience.

You know it. You feel it. If somebody asks, ‘Are you mad?’ you shout at them and prove it! But when you say ‘God’, your understanding is not supported by any experience. With enlightened people, when they say ‘God’, it is based on solid experience and when they say ‘I,’ it has no meaning. Somebody went to a great Enlightened Master, Nisargadatta Maharaj in India and asked him, ‘Master, you say enlightened people don’t have karma. But how can you speak? How can you do all your activities if you Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 291 don’t have karma?’ He said, ‘I am not doing anything!’ The disciple asked, ‘No, you are speaking to me.

How can you speak to me if you don’t have karma?’ Nisargadatta Maharaj said straightaway, ‘I am not speaking to you!’ He was speaking and yet he said, ‘I am not speaking to you.’ It is very difficult to understand! He continues, ‘Because you wanted me to speak, the speaking is happening through this body. There is nobody inside.’ He was just like a hollow bamboo. When a breeze enters a hollow bamboo, it comes out as music. There is nobody inside. That is why whatever goes in comes out as music. When you become a hollow bamboo, whatever words come out of your mouth become mantra, sacred syllables. Your form becomes yantra, the tool of liberation, and your whole life becomes tantra, a technique for liberation.

Your words are śāstras, scriptures. Your form is the center for stotras, devotional prayers. And your very life is the sūtra, the technique. Here, when Kṛṣṇa says, ‘I,’ there is just the Divine that is speaking. There is nobody inside. It is pure emptiness. Just the Divine, the pure Existence speaks through Him. He has become a hollow bamboo. That is why He can courageously declare in a battlefield, bhūtānām īsvaro’pi—I am the Lord of all beings. Sitting comfortably at home where you have all the security and protection and declaring ‘I am God’ is very easy, because there is nothing to risk. You don’t need to prove anything. But Kṛṣṇa is making this statement in a place where He needs to prove it.

He is making this statement in a battlefield, where His life itself is at risk. One arrow is enough to finish His body. Yet He boldly declares, ‘I am God.’ What courage and energy behind His words! It can come only from a solid experience, a deep conscious experience. Understand Death First One of the great disciples of Vivekananda, Sister Nivedita asks him, ‘Swamiji, if I come with you what will you teach me? What will you give me?’ Vivekananda says, ‘I will teach you how to face death.’ That is the ultimate teaching. Here, Kṛṣṇa is giving that ultimate teaching. In these verses, He is saying something very strange: janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ I tvaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna II 4.9 It means: if you understand the secret of My birth and death, you will be liberated from birth and death, Arjuna.

How? Let us see the secret of the birth and death of Kṛṣṇa, how we all go through the birth and death cycle. Now, just as Kṛṣṇa made the statement, ‘I tell you this because you are my devotee and friend’, now I have to make the same statement to you all again. Here I am going to speak on something, which is beyond logic. It is pure experience. Before speaking, I take an oath: With integrity and authenticity, whatever I speak is the truth. Whenever the ultimate truth is uttered, whenever something beyond our logic is uttered, we never receive it completely. If we are courageous, we fight, we question, we argue.

If we don’t have that much courage, we don’t allow that word to enter into us. Listen! We never believe anybody. It is always an argument, sometimes open, and at other times, in the mind. If we can’t express it openly, we continuously repeat the same words in the mind. That is why, before entering the truths, I tell you what I speak is the truth. If you can, receive it. There is a possibility of transformation, because here I speak the truth that is realized only by experience, which cannot be logically true. Different religions describe the process of death in different ways. Some say if you have done puṇya or merits, you will reach a place called heaven and if you have committed sins, you will be taken to eternal hell.

Each one has his or her own faith. Some say there will be a special pushpak vimānam (aircraft) sent from Śiva’s abode and you will be directly taken to Śiva’s place. The Kaṭhopaniṣad says you will pass through a tunnel and see ‘Anguṣṭha mātra puṛuṣa antarātma—meaning the thumb sized light, which is your soul when it leaves the body. Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 293 There are so many explanations, so many versions as to how death happens and how your spirit enters into the next body. Here, Kṛṣṇa beautifully explains that people belong to different religions only when they are alive. When they are dead, they follow only one path, which is described in the Kaṭhopaniṣad.

See, when you leave the body, the moment the physical body dies and relaxes, that very moment the soul leaves the body. At that time, what you perceived as the highest pleasure in your life surfaces. If you thought eating was the highest pleasure in your life, naturally while leaving the body, you will think, ‘I should take a body which will continuously help me to eat. You go through all the choices and you decide to take a pig’s body. Whatever you think is the greatest experience in your life, whichever experience occupies your maximum inner space, you decide your next birth based on that desire. Please listen, nobody else decides your birth.

It is simply you who chooses. It is clearly the conscious decision of your soul. Here Kṛṣṇa says beautifully, ‘I am telling you the secret of things.’ Kṛṣṇa says, ‘rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam.’ ‘I am telling you the mysterious ultimate science, Oh, my dear devotee and friend, bhakto‘si me sakhā ceti.’ I made a few statements: ‘You take birth based on your desires, based on how you lived in the previous birth. Birth and death are your conscious decisions.’ We will now analyze these statements. Only then will we be able to intranalyze and powerfully live them. Listen. We will analyze to internalize this whole concept, the secret of birth and death, the mysterious science that Kṛṣṇa delivers.

The moment this truth is understood, you will immediately see that Life is a blessing. This life is your decision, please be very clear about it. Including poverty, everything is your decision. Don’t think poverty has been forced upon you. Even that is your decision. When we take birth, we take birth based on our fear and greed. On one side, greed pushes us, ‘Let me become the son of a king, let me become the son of a rich man.’ On the other side, our own fears say, ‘No no, I can’t take on so much responsibility.’ Along with money comes the responsibility of protecting it. That is why goddess Lakṣmī, the goddess of wealth, is handed over to Lord Viṣṇu, the Protector!

Lakṣmī, the goddess of wealth, is neither with the Creator, Brahma nor with the Destroyer, Śiva. She is with the Protector, with Viṣṇu. Along with Lakṣmī who represents wealth, the responsibility to protect Her also comes. Most of the time, we only want the enjoyment, we don’t want the responsibility. A person who is ready to take on the responsibility as well as the enjoyment will never be deprived. If you understand this secret clearly, this very moment you will feel your life is a blessing and not a curse. Usually we always blame life. We do not realize we are responsible for everything happening in and around us. We say, ‘If I am given a chance, I would make the world much better than what it is now!’

We always think we can develop on existing creation. Surely God is much more intelligent than us! Whether it is to do with your life or to do with the whole of Existence, He has done the peak of enriching from His vast responsibility. The one who achieves the peak of responsibility becomes a powerful enlightened being. The one who achieves the peak of enriching is God, an Incarnation. Because we don’t understand the mystery behind our decisions, we continuously blame life and the person who gave this life to us. Incarnation Happens out of Love and Compassion The greatness of God is that He gives you the freedom to be in bondage.

Even if it is the ultimate freedom He offers you, He never forces it on you. He gives you the freedom to be in bondage if that is your choice. Your whole birth is based on your fear and greed. But the Incarnation, the enlightened Master’s birth is based on love and compassion. The whole secret is this. Ordinary man takes birth based on fear and greed. That is why his whole life is driven by fear and greed. Enlightened Masters assume the body out of love and compassion. That is why Kṛṣṇa beautifully says, ‘ātma māyayā, because of My own energy, I take birth. With my own energy, just out of My love and Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 295 compassion, I land on this planet Earth.’

The next question that follows is this: How can we be liberated by knowing this truth? How will it help us? Understand, when I say the words birth or death, I don’t mean just dying at the end of life. I mean, every night’s sleep is your birth and death. Every night when you go to sleep, you die! When you come back in the morning, you take birth one more time. Every day, you assume the body. Every day, you leave the body. When you go to the causal body in deep sleep, you actually die and come back. When you come back, every day you are new. As of now, every morning, how do we come back to life?

How do we take this body? Just look deeply. What happens when you wake up? Usually, the moment you become aware that you are awake, either a thought based on greed or fear hits you. Maybe you want to meet somebody or meet some deadline. Immediately you jump out of bed. If you have analyzed your waking up, how you assume this body every morning, that moment is actually your taking birth. That moment when you take the body matters. These are the basic, very subtle, mysterious secrets of altering the whole consciousness. Whichever thought you enter your body with every morning, will play a major role in your consciousness for that entire day.

But an Incarnation, an Enlightened Master assumes the body out of love and compassion. He comes back just to pour His compassion out, just to share Himself with the whole world. When I say He comes back, I mean His coming back every day, every morning. If you understand this once and alter your thoughts at the time of waking up, you will alter your whole consciousness; the very quality of your consciousness can be changed. It is just like how a camera works. The first moment the lens is opened, whatever scene is there in front of the camera eye, is recorded on the film. That will remain forever.

In the same way, during the first moment of consciousness, the thought that you have while entering into the body, plays a major role on your consciousness for the whole day. When you get up, let the first thought be of love and compassion. Get up only to express your life in bliss. The moment you become aware of yourself, express, ‘Oh Lord, it is so beautiful! You have given me one more day! I am blessed that You have given me one more day’s extension to see Your Existence!’ Please understand, you have no right to any extension. Don’t think Life is your birthright. I have seen many people taking things for granted.

Before they get the job, they say, ‘If I get that $10,000 per month salary, I will be really safe. I will feel blessed.’ The moment they get the job, in one month, they think it is their birthright. Birth itself is not your right. Then how can you say something else is your birthright? The word birthright is completely wrong. You have no right even to your own birth. It is a pure gift. You can’t inhale or exhale for even one single moment unless the Divine allows you, unless the Universal Energy gives the extension. So every day is a blessing. When you get up from bed, assume the body with this gratitude to the Divine.

The quality of your whole consciousness will change and you will become an Incarnation. You too can Happen as Divine Here I am giving you the straight technique to become Kṛṣṇa, how to enter Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how to become an Incarnation. The man who assumes the body out of love and compassion is an Incarnation. If you assume the body out of greed or fear, you are a man. If you assume the body out of love and compassion, you are an Incarnation and you are divine. Your whole life will become pure eternal bliss. Your whole life will be a happening with a different consciousness. Here Kṛṣṇa gives us a technique to attain Him, to experience janma karma ca me divyam.

If we are able to live in such a way as to be free from the attachments born out of anger and fear, then we can be absorbed in Him, we can attain Him. All actions create their own reactions. When we sow a seed, the action, though it may appear to be complete, is in reality not so. We have set into motion a cycle, a chain of events. The seed sprouts and becomes a plant or tree. Thus it is in the order of Existence that every action or cause has its own reaction or effect. It is therefore quite difficult Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 297 to escape from the clutches of the cause-effect cycle.

Here Kṛṣṇa gives a technique to cut these kārmic bonds, to be complete and realize the reality. Actions that are complete and free from fear and anger do not create bonds, vītā-rāga bhaya krodhā. They lead us towards elevated consciousness. Fear and anger that arise out of greed pattern are two of the most provocative emotions, the root patterns that create incomplete action, and lead to bondage. Attachments are our bondage to the future based on experiences of the past. We have unfulfilled desires that we hope to fulfill. We look for results. When the results happen the way we wish them to, there is temporary satisfaction. More wishes arise.

More attachments are formed. When things do not happen the way we want them to, we feel sorrow, we are depressed. We strive again. Either way it is a never-ending cycle that brings sorrow in the end. When we let go of attachments and perform complete actions with no expectations, we enjoy the path of action. There is no stress regarding what must happen, since there is no attachment. Please listen. Completion is stopping the effect immediately and rewinding the effect towards the cause, and merging the effect into the cause! Stopping the effect immediately and rewinding it back to the cause, and the effect merging into the cause is Completion.

Kṛṣṇa offers a way to be in His space of completion. He says, ‘Be drowned in Me, man-mayā mām upāśritaḥ; you will have no anger, no fear. All actions will thus be without bondage. In this manner, you can be purified and realize Me, pūtā mad-bhavām āgatāḥ (4.10).’ He gives the assurance that having followed this path, many people in the past have achieved Realization. He is not saying, ‘if you do this, maybe something good will happen.’ He straightaway gives us positive assurance. ‘Do it, you will achieve! Many people have done so and have realized Me, bahavo jñāna tapasā (4.10).’ Completion directly liberates you from the karmas; completion directly leads you to experience the truth; completion directly makes you experience the reality of life!

Masters are like mirrors reflecting us. If the devotee is praying for wealth, he gets it. If he wants healing for body or mind, he is granted it. To a devotee who says, ‘Oh God, I want nothing except knowledge of Your true reality,’ the God grants him that. He shows him the way to the ultimate reality. If you visit our ashram, you will see that there is something for everyone. We have healing prayers, fire rituals, yoga and meditation-Nithya Dhyana Yoga, Nithya Kriyas, enriching temple etc. for people from all walks of life. For the ones who connect with worship, we have temples. For the ones who wish to attain their reality through yoga, there are various Nithya Yoga programs.

For those on the path of experiential knowledge, there are meditation programs. For those who want to rewrite their future as they want and live enlightenment, we have the Inner Awakening program. Only in this manner can we raise the consciousness of society. We cannot hope to transform society through any mass movement. It can happen only through individual transformation. When such people act together, it will have the same power as a laser beam. Each devotee and each disciple is unique. The way I treat each one is unique. What I tell one person is not applicable to another. I warn my disciples, time and again, please do not advise someone else based on the advice I have given you.

It will only cause more confusion. Here, Kṛṣṇa promises and reaffirms what He has said earlier, that— He will take care of the need of every one of His devotee. Only the most compassionate being who cares for all, will make this statement. Now it is left to the devotee to have some intelligence as to what to approach the Master for. Kṛṣṇa explains here why non-attachment is so difficult. It is in our nature to look for success in whatever we do. It is impossible to embark on an activity expecting it to fail. There is nothing wrong in looking for success at the end of an activity. What creates problems is the illogical attachment to that expectation of success.

What Kṛṣṇa says here shows that our mindset, human nature, has Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 299 not changed in over five thousand years. Even then they were looking for material success. They were looking for instant results. When they prayed to God they were praying to fulfill their expectations of material success. Kṛṣṇa is the greatest psychologist who ever lived and lives. He has measured human nature accurately. What we want is tangible and instant results. In Kṛṣṇa’s days, when saṁskāras, root patterns were relatively fewer, people had a different concept of time. There was much less rush and much less aggression. Yet the Master uses a term ‘kṣipra’, instant.

The master is talking about humanity; past, present and future. He says you normally pray to God not as an expression of gratitude, but to seek unfulfilled material desires and all that you think will bring you happiness. All your actions, Kṛṣṇa says, are based on material success, and He says such activities bear instant results in this world, kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke (4.12).Whether you understand it or not, all these prayers and actions do produce instant results. This does not mean whatever you pray for is instantly granted by the God you prayed to. God, fortunately, has far more wisdom than we have. God uses His buddhi, wisdom, to grant what He deems appropriate.

However, the result of your actions is instant. The karmaphala is immediate. When religions talk of karma (action) and karmaphala (the fruits or outcome of action,) they speak in terms of merits and sins, pāpa and puṇya. They tell you that you will go to hell if you accumulate sins, and you will go to heaven if you gain merits. They try to control you through fear and greed of heaven. There is no hell or heaven. When you think good thoughts, do good deeds, you feel good, you are in heaven. When you think evil, you act evil, you feel evil and you are in hell. That is all there is to karma.

This is the cosmic cause-effect principle. You are what your intent is; you become what your intent is. Karma acts instantly, here and now. Do not blame others for your actions. Karma is in your hands. You are a free spirit; you have the power of thought, the power of words, the power of action, and the power of living. It is not merely guaranteed by your national constitution, but by God’s own constitution. What you sow, you shall certainly reap. Understand And Be Unaffected By Action

4.13

चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागश: | तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्

cāturvarṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇakarma vibhāgaśaḥ / tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhyakartāramavyayam / / 4.13

Depending upon the distribution of the three attributes or guṇas and action, I have created the four castes. Yet, I am to be known as the non-doer, the unchangeable.

cāturvarṇyaṁ — the four divisions of human society · mayā — by Me · sṛṣṭaṁ — created · guṇa — attribute · karma — work · vibhāgaśaḥ — in terms of division · tasya — of that · kartāraṁ — doer · api — although · māṁ — Me · viddhi — know · akartāraṁ — as the non-doer · avyayaṁ — immortal

4.14

न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा | इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते

na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karmaphale spṛhā / iti māṁ yo’bhijānāti karmabhirna sa badhyate / / 4.14

I am not affected by any work; nor do I long for the outcome of such work. One who understands this truth about me also does not get caught in the bondage of work.

na — never · māṁ — Me · karmāṇi — work · limpanti — affect · na — not · me — My · kar- maphale — in fruits of action · spṛhā — longing for · iti — thus · māṁ — Me · yaḥ — onewho · abhijānāti — understands · karmabhiḥ — by the action · na — never · saḥ — he · badhyate — is bound.

4.15

एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैरपि मुमुक्षुभि: | कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात्त्वं पूर्वै: पूर्वतरं कृतम्

evaṁ jñātvā kṛtaṁ karma pūrvairapi mumukṣubhiḥ / kuru karmaiva tasmāttvaṁ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṁ kṛtam / / 4.15

All the wise and liberated souls of ancient times have acted with this understanding and thus attained liberation. Just as the ancients did, perform your duty with this understanding.

evaṁ — thus · jñātvā — knowing well · kṛtaṁ — performed · karma — work · pūrvaiḥ — by the ancient people · api — also · mumukṣubhiḥ — by those seeking liberation · kuru — perform · karma — prescribed duty · eva — only · tasmāt — therefore · tvaṁ — you · pūrvaiḥ — by the predecessors · pūrvataraṁ — as in the past · kṛtaṁ — as performed

4.16

किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिता: | तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात्

kiṁ karma kimakarmeti kavayo’pyatra mohitāḥ / tat te karma pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvā mokṣyase’śubhāt / / 4.16

What is action and what is inaction, even the wise are con- fused. Let me explain to you what action is, knowing which you shall be liberated from all ills.

kiṁ — what · karma — action · kiṁ — what · akarma — inaction · iti — thus · kavayaḥ — the wise · api — also · atra — in this matter · mohitāḥ — confused · tat — that · te — unto you · karma — action · pravakṣyāmi — I shall explain · yat — which · jñātvā — after knowing · mokṣyase — be liberated · aśubhāt — from ills

4.17

कर्मणो ह्यपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं च विकर्मण: | अकर्मणश्च बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गति:

karmaṇo hyapi boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ / akarmaṇaśca boddhavyaṁ gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ / / 4.17

The complexities of action are very difficult to understand. Understand fully the nature of proper action by understanding the nature of wrong action and inaction.

karmaṇaḥ — of action · hi — for · api — also · boddhavyaṁ — should be understood · boddhavyaṁ — to be understood · ca — also · vikarmaṇaḥ — wrong action · akar- maṇaḥ — inaction · ca — also · boddhavyaṁ — should be understood · gahanā — mysterious · karmaṇaḥ — of action · gatiḥ — way.

Now we come to the controversial topic of the caste system. Kṛṣṇa says, ‘I have created the four castes depending upon the distribution of the three guṇas or attributes.’ Guṇa means ‘attribute’ or ‘quality’ that we are born with. It is a reflection of the prārabdha karma, the vāsana, and the mindset with which we are born. There are three basic guṇas: satva or purity, rajas or activity and tamas or inactivity. People quote this verse whenever they want the support of religion for making the caste system more solid. They say, ‘Kṛṣṇa Himself has sanctioned it’ or, ‘This system has been given by the Incarnation Himself.’ Listen, Kṛṣṇa uses the words, ‘depending upon the distribution of the three guṇas.’

He does not say, ‘depending upon birth.’ Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 301 No two persons on this planet can be the same. Every person is unique and possesses a unique ratio of the three guṇas. There are basically four kinds of people; based on the more dominant guṇa in them. He says, ‘Based on the guṇa one is born with, I decide his varṇa, his caste.’ The varṇa system was four-fold. Brāhmaṇas were the scholars and priests, intellectually inclined. Kṣatriyas were the soldiers and kings, ambitious and physically strong. Vaiṣyas were the business community with strong commercial acumen. Śudras were the workers, physically able and skillful. Based on their guṇas, their skill sets and not birth, the children in ancient Gurukul were trained into their vocations, their varṇa or caste.

Over time, this system was manipulated. Those who believed that they had a better varṇa, caste, decided to make it a hereditary right. Earlier, the son of a brāhmaṇa could not to be a priest, if he was unsuitable or the son of a kṣatriya to be a warrior if he was inadequate. Kṛṣṇa states very clearly that only the one who transcends these three guṇas can reach His state, can reach the higher levels of consciousness. To reach Kṛṣṇa one has to be a triguṇa rahita, beyond the three guṇas. Then, one becomes a non-doer, a no-caste, no-attribute person. When a desire is fulfilled, it no longer creates ripples in the mind.

Desires that get fulfilled are the basic needs one is born with, which are the result of the carry-over vāsanā, the prārabdha karma. We acquire all other desires by comparing ourselves with others. These are wants, not needs. Existence has no way of fulfilling such wants. When one works out of basic need, he acquires no karma. These possessions born out of our wants can never be fulfilled or enjoyed. Once acquired, we seek the next acquisition. The cycle goes on. Have you ever seen a rich man enjoying his meal in the same manner as a hard working laborer eating his simple home cooked meal? The rich man is more worried about his illnesses than the quality of the food.

Only a person who has taken a conscious birth is aware of his prārabdha karma. Only he can extinguish his karma by fulfilling this list of needs. These needs carry an energy of their own that gets them fulfilled. Once fulfilled, they leave no karma trace. Kṛṣṇa, the ultimate Master, is always conscious and complete. He has no karma, no unfulfilled desires, no incompletion, and no attachment. So it is with every enlightened Master. His so-called desires get fulfilled as they arise. When I desire food, it appears. When I feel the need to sleep, I rest. There is no gap between my desire and its fulfillment. There is no trace of that desire after it is fulfilled.

The fulfillment is complete. The attachment is zero. Therefore, there is no karma. This is the lesson every Master teaches his disciples. Work from your needs, not from your wants. Act without attachment. You shall attract no karma and you will be liberated. Action In Inaction And Inaction In Action 4. 17 The complexities of action are very difficult to understand. Understand fully the nature of proper action by understanding the nature of wrong action and inaction.

4.18

कर्मण्यकर्म य: पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म य: | स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्त: कृत्स्नकर्मकृत्

karmaṇyakarma yaḥ paśyedakarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ / sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt / / 4.18

He who sees inaction in action and action in inaction, is wise and a yogi, Even if engaged in all activities.

karmaṇi — in action · akarma — inaction · yaḥ — one who · paśyet — sees · akarmaṇi — in inaction · ca — also · karma — action · yaḥ — one who · saḥ — he · buddhimān — wise · manuṣyeṣu — among men · saḥ — he · yuktaḥ — yogi · kṛtsnakarmakṛt — engaged in all activities

4.19

यस्य सर्वे समारम्भा: कामसङ्कल्पवर्जिता: | ज्ञानाग्निदग्धकर्माणं तमाहु: पण्डितं बुधा:

yasya sarve samārambhāḥ kāmasaṅkalpavarjitāḥ / jñānāgnidagdhakarmāṇaṁ tam āhuḥ paṇḍitaṁ budhāḥ / / 4.19

He who is determined and devoid of all desires for sense gratification, he is of perfect knowledge. The sages declare such a person wise whose actions are burnt by the fire of knowledge.

yasya — one whose · sarve — all kinds of · samārambhāḥ — in all situations · kāma — desire for sense gratification · saṅkalpa — purpose · varjitāḥ — devoid of · jñāna — of perfect knowledge · agni — fire · dagdhakarmāṇaṁ — whose actions have been burnt · taṁ — him · āhuḥ — declare · paṇḍitaṁ — wise · budhāḥ — the wise.

4.20

त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रय: | कर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि नैव किञ्चित्करोति स:

tyaktvā karmaphalāsaṅgaṁ nityatṛpto nirāśrayaḥ / karmaṇyabhipravṛtto’pi naiva kiñcitkaroti saḥ / / 4.20

Having given up all attachment to the results of his action, always satisfied and independent, the wise man does not act, though he is engaged in all kinds of action.

tyaktvā — having given up · karmaphalāsaṅgaṁ — attachment to results of action · nitya — always · tṛptaḥ — satisfied · nirāśrayaḥ — without shelter · karmaṇi — in action · abhipravṛttaḥ — being fully engaged · api — although · na — does not · eva — verily · kiñcit — anything · karoti — does · saḥ — he

Here, Kṛṣṇa says that the person who sees inaction in action and action in inaction has attained completion. karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ I sa buddhimān manuṇyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsna karma kṛt II 4.18 When you see that it is not the ‘I’ in you that is doing the activities, but it is the senses following their nature; when you see that it is the mind that is creating the false sense of identification of you with the action, then you have realized; you have attained completion because you are now no longer in the clutches of the mind. It is the mind that makes you attached to something and repulsed by something else.

When you are not in the clutches of the mind, you are free. You do actions because the senses by nature have to perform their functions. For example, the eyes see, the ears hear, and the nose smells. Yet, you are free from the bondage of action because you do not have any identification or any emotional attachment to anything. So naturally, you are liberated and you can do actions most beautifully without expecting any particular result. This is what it means to be ‘Unclutched.’ By your very nature, You are Unclutched Being ‘Unclutched’ is the state where you are free and liberated. Let me expand on the word ‘Unclutching.’

If you observe your mind keenly, you will see that you are constantly connecting all your thoughts and creating links in your mind. For example, the headache that happened ten years ago, five years ago and yesterday are all independent experiences. For easy reference, you categorize all these into ‘headache,’ just like you file documents in your office. By and by, you start believing all these experiences are connected. When you start believing they are connected you create a shaft. You connect all painful memories, create a pain shaft and conclude, ‘My life is suffering, my life is pain.’ Now when you start believing your whole life is suffering, you have created a pain shaft and you are waiting only for painful incidents in your life so that you can elongate that shaft.

First understand, whatever you believe is what you create within you and outside you. You will see that manifesting in your life over and over again. That is why vedic ṛṣis, sages, say that you create what you want. By seeing, you create. You will wait unconsciously for painful incidents to strengthen that belief, that life judgment. Second thing, whenever you add the painful incidents unconsciously, you will be elongating that shaft, even though you may want to consciously end the pain by breaking it. If you believe your whole life is a shaft of joyful experiences, which we do very rarely, constantly you are in fear about whether the joy will continue.

If you believe life is a shaft of painful incidents, you do two things: Unconsciously you gather more and more incidents and strengthen your faith about how your life is painful, and consciously you try to break the pain shaft! If you believe life is a Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 305 chain of joyful incidents, unconsciously you will be in fear that it will end, and consciously you will try to prolong it. Understand these are two big dramas we are continuously enacting with ourselves. You forget that you can neither break the shaft nor elongate it because the shaft itself does not exist! The shaft itself is your own imagination.

Just try this experiment: Sit down for ten minutes with a pen and paper. Now, just start jotting down whatever thoughts come to your mind. Please do not edit your thoughts; write them down as they are. Do not judge yourself and do not try to control what comes to your mind. If you try to judge, you are playing a hypocritical game with yourself. Now, read whatever you have written. You can see for yourself how unconnected and illogical your thoughts are! One moment you would think, ‘I think I should go to my office tomorrow,’ then the next minute, ‘No I should just wake up and decide then,’ then, ‘What should I do about dinner tonight?’

Have you seen how the bubbles rise up in a fish tank? There is a gap between one bubble and the next. But the gap is so small that it looks like a continuous stream. Similarly, there is a gap between one thought and the next thought in your mind. Your thoughts are independent like the bubbles. By their very nature, your thoughts are independent. For example, if you see a dog in the street, suddenly you remember the pet you used to play with as a child. Then you will remember the teacher, then the place where your teacher used to stay, and so on! The dog and the teacher are not connected in any way, but your mind simply flows.

Look a little deeply, you will understand that your thoughts are illogical, independent and unconnected. When you believe that your mind is logical, you have created the first ‘original sin’ for yourself. Understand, by your very nature you are unclutched. Every moment you are renouncing the thoughts by your very nature. A new thought can appear only when the old thought has been renounced. But even after renouncing them you try to pick up the thoughts from the dustbin and try to create a shaft with them. Listen, first understand consciously that you are creating a shaft of pain or a shaft of joy and trying to fight with it, by either trying to elongate it or break it.

Second, you don’t even have to unclutch yourself from the shaft because the shaft is imaginary. By your very nature, if you stop creating a shaft, you are Unclutched. Then we will start asking, ‘If I unclutch, how will I do my job? How will I take care of my things? Will I not just lie in bed and waste my life?’ I ask you, why should you not go to work? The moment you say you will not go to work, it means you have a little hatred towards your job. The moment you get an excuse you want to escape from your job! By saying all these things, you are expressing your anger, your violence against your routine.

That is what Kṛṣṇa means by action, karmaṇi and inaction, akarmaṇi. You cannot be inactive by nature. You will daydream, clinging on to fantasies. You will try to escape from reality by deluding yourself, because your mind is clutching onto a soft and easy dream shaft. When you truly Unclutch, without any attachment to the past and future, you will realize that you are full of energy. You will have to do something. That ‘something’ will be dictated by your present moment completion, not by fantasies. What you think of as ‘you’ is not necessary to run your day-to-day life. This is the basic truth. If you just observe yourself, if somebody is happily independent of us, we can’t tolerate it, it is too much.

Constantly we need to feel we are needed. That is why we expect people to project their sufferings on us and we too project our sufferings on them, so that we feel important. What you think of as ‘you’ is not necessary to run your day-to-day life. People ask me, ‘Constantly I repeat positive affirmations, ‘I should stop smoking, I should stop smoking,’ but it is not working. Why, Swamiji?’ All these creative visualizations create more and more trouble. Because in the very words, ‘I should stop smoking’, the word ‘smoking’ is contradicting the words ‘I should stop.’ You end up empowering the word ‘smoking’ as much as you are empowering the words ‘I should stop’!

Instead you should create the space Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 307 of health and say, ‘Let me have only healthy habits’ or something totally positive without even the word ‘smoking’ in it. Similarly, if you have a headache, instead of empowering the thought of the headache, just decide to have a glass of water. The moment you decide to have a glass of water, it becomes a fresh thought and the old thought of the headache has to disappear. Once you keep replacing the thoughts, you break free from the headache-based thought patterns and eventually expel the headache from your system itself. You may ask me, ‘How can it be so simple, Swamiji?’

It is simple. You are constantly taught that it is not so simple. But soon after doing this, if the thought of the headache comes back, then what do you do? Understand: You are so faithful to the thought of the headache that you forcefully drag it back into your system; you bring back a trashed file. Think of it this way: If it comes back, it can go back again. Why don’t you celebrate those moments it left you? Why do you constantly remember the moments it came back? People ask me again and again, ‘I fail when I try to unclutch, Swamiji.’ I ask them, ‘Why are you connecting your past failure with your present failure?’

When you connect all the past failures, you create one more shaft—‘failure’. Just relax and stop connecting and suddenly you will see a deep inner healing, a deep peace happening in you. Suddenly you will see that you have dropped out of the war, the constant running. Just relax. When you drop out of this whole game, suddenly you will realize the whole thing is just a psychodrama. Unclutch From Your Thoughts Try this simple meditation: Just close your eyes and sit. Whatever words are rising in you, just let them rise. Just do not connect them with any other thought, that’s all. Just don’t create a shaft; simply Unclutch.

If you feel bored, or if your mind asks you what to do, just unclutch from that thought as well. Do not even connect with that thought. Just sit, be Unclutched. If your mind connects with a thought, just unclutch. Do not create, maintain or destroy any thought. Try this for a few minutes and you will see the effect for yourself. Kṛṣṇa says to understand what action is, you need to understand what inaction is. In my programs, I tell people, ‘To understand what meditation is, you need to understand what meditation is not.’ I spend a day and a half explaining what meditation is not and less than half a day explaining what meditation is.

When you unclutch, you are seemingly in inaction or akarma. However, the removal of the various shafts of pain, pleasure, fantasies etc., releases so much energy within you that you are now actively passive. You are at the height of potential energy, ready to release that energy for whatever purpose you decide in that moment. If instead, you are actively daydreaming, caught in pain and pleasures shafts, then you are seemingly active and busy, but totally useless. In fact, you are counterproductively busy, pushing yourself deeper into more suffering. In the process of Unclutching, you transcend both action and inaction, karmaṇi and akarmaṇi. You successfully destroy the false cognition of the connection between the thoughts and rest in the present moment, the space of completion, the state of no-mind, the state of dropping thoughts.

In this unclutched space, you are active and yet not attached to any activity. You are truly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All suffering and pain arises when we associate ourselves with the senses and the mind. The real Self in you is eternal, timeless, never changing. It is like this: When you see the clouds drifting in the clear sky, is the sky actually changing? The sky is like the canvas over which clouds of different forms and shapes drift across, sometimes completely covering the sky behind them, and sometimes drifting apart to reveal the sky behind. Just like this, due to māyā, delusion, it appears as if the Self is being affected by the emotions and the perceptions of the senses.

If you see yourself in a clear lake or a mirror, what you see is a reflection of what is being projected, right? Just like that, in the lake of the Self, of the being, whatever quality is projected is what you will see reflected in the lake. Does it mean that the lake has become dirty? The Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 309 reflection has no reality, no solid existence. Actually, the Self is permanent. The Self in you, in me, in the person next to you is all the same. When everything is you, what is there to fear? Where is the question of conflict, jealousy, fear or greed?

Everything is you. Enjoy this world in its many forms and manifestations. However, enjoy without getting caught in attachment. Our senses are treacherous. They create incompletions, addictions that overwhelm us. The more we have, the less we enjoy, and yet we cannot do without them. True wisdom is to step back from what the senses tell you. Have you seen a person sell something, say a painting? You can see the seller busy trying to convince people to get the best bargain. But see someone standing, witnessing this whole scene, someone who is neither interested in buying the painting nor in selling it. Only he can completely enjoy the painting!

See, if you have the right ideals, you will reach the truth much faster. We are taught that we are powerless, that we are sinners. But time and again, the vedic sages have declared, ‘We are the children of immortality—amṛtasya putraḥ.’ Let us bring integrity to our thinking with life affirmative thoughts rather than continuously repeating negative and self-doubting thoughts to ourselves. The positive thoughts are not mere statements. These are great truths that our sages have experienced, and encourage us to experiment and experience as well. With them come the energy of possibility and power of the experience to make it our reality. When we are blissful and complete within ourselves, we would never see anything disturbing outside.

That is what Kṛṣṇa says here: Be involved completely in the action yet be detached, independent and satisfied within. Then you can function spontaneously, flowing in tune with Existence. Life then becomes a celebration. Every single thing you do is an act of joy and an expression of the loving energy in you. Your joy is no longer dependent on what society says or thinks about you, because you are complete in yourself. Equanimity In Success And Failure

4.21

निराशीर्यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रह: | शारीरं केवलं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्

nirāśī ryatacittātmā tyaktasarvaparigrahaḥ / śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvannāpnoti kilbiṣam / / 4.21

The person who acts without desire for the result; with his consciousness controlling the mind, giving up all sense of ownership over his possessions and body and only working, incurs no sin.

nirāśīḥ — without desire for the result · yata — controlled · cittātmā — mind and consciousness · tyakta — giving up · sarva — all · parigrahaḥ — sense of ownership · śārīraṁ — bodily effort · kevalaṁ — only · karma — work · kurvan — doing so · na — never · āpnoti — acquire · kilbiṣaṁ — sin

4.22

यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सर: | सम: सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते

yadṛcchālābhasantuṣṭo dvandvātī to vimatsaraḥ / samaḥ siddhāvasiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate / / 4.22

He who is satisfied with profit which comes of its own accord and who has gone beyond duality, who is free from envy, who is in equanimity both in success and failure, such a person though doing action, is never affected.

yadṛcchā lābha — what is obtained unsought · santuṣṭa — satisfied · dvandva — pairs of opposites · atī taḥ — surpassed · vimatsaraḥ — free from envy · samaḥ — equal · siddhau — in success · asiddhau — in failure · ca — also · kṛtvā — after doing · api — even · na — never · nibadhyate — bound

4.23

गतसङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञानावस्थितचेतस: | यज्ञायाचरत: कर्म समग्रं प्रविलीयते

gatasaṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthitacetasaḥ / yajñāyācarataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilī yate / / 4.23

The work of a liberated man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully centered in the ul- timate knowledge, who works totally for the sake of sacrifice, merges entirely into the knowledge.

gatasaṅgasya — unattached to the modes of material nature · muktasya — of the liberated · jñānā — knowledge · avasthita — established · cetasaḥ — of such spirit · yajñāya — for the sake of sacrifice · ācarataḥ — practice · karma — work · samagraṁ — in total · pravilī yate — melts away.

4.24

ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविर्ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम् | ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना

brahmārpaṇaṁ brahmahavir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam / brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahmakarmasamādhinā / / 4.24

The offering, the offered butter to the supreme in the fire of the supreme is offered by the supreme. Certainly, the supreme can be reached by him who is absorbed completely in action.

brahma — supreme · arpaṇaṁ — offering · brahma — supreme · haviḥ — oblation · brah- ma — supreme · agnau — in the fire of · brahmaṇā — by the supreme · hutaṁ — offered · brahma — supreme · eva — only · tena — by him · gantavyaṁ — to be reached · brahma — supreme · karma — action · samādhinā — by complete absorption

4.25

दैवमेवापरे यज्ञं योगिन: पर्युपासते | ब्रह्माग्नावपरे यज्ञं यज्ञेनैवोपजुह्वति

daivamevāpare yajñaṁ yoginaḥ paryupāsate / brahmāgnāvapare yajñaṁ yajñenaivopajuhvati / / 4.25

Some yogis worship the gods by offering various sacrifices to them, While others worship by offering sacrifices in the fire of the supreme.

daivaṁ — gods · eva — only · apare — others · yajñaṁ — sacrifices · yoginaḥ — yogis · paryupāsate — worship · brahma — supreme · agnau — in the fire · apare — others · yajñaṁ — sacrifice · yajñena — by sacrifice · eva — only · upajuhvati — offer as sacrifice.

Asense of ownership over possessions or your body is the same thing. What are your possessions? You came with nothing at all. Can you claim that you were born with anything that is your own property? In the same way, you are going to leave this world empty-handed. Can you say that all your possessions will go with you when you leave this body? No! Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 311 This very prāṇa, the life breath going inside your body is not your property. It is the property of Existence. Your very life is a sheer gift to you from Existence. When you realize this, you will immediately see that all your fears and worries and greed are so baseless.

You are running behind something, thinking it is yours, but of what relevance is it really? When your very life is a gift to you, how can you claim that anything else is your possession? Please listen! Real knowledge comes with experience, not through words. The moment you internalize any single dimension of truth and internalize it authentically, truthfully, it can do wonders for you. Vivekananda says beautifully, ‘Even if you memorize all the books in all the libraries of this world, it will not help you in any way other than increasing your ego. Instead of having a whole library in your head, just realize five concepts in your heart.’

I tell you, enrich yourself with only one idea and try to internalize it in your being, experience it in your life. Your life will be transformed by just a single idea. In Tamil Nadu, South India, they describe beautifully the lives of 63 enlightened Masters in Periapurānam, a Tamil literary work. If you study the lives of these masters, you will find some masters did not really do anything. They just plucked flowers and offered them to God. Yet they achieved enlightenment! Understand, it is not what you do that is important, it is the space from which you do that matters. How integrated and authentic you are with the act is what really matters.

When they performed the act of offering flowers, they were in the space of completion; integrated and authentic to the action. You may ask, ‘We also offer flowers everyday. The only thing we get is the extra expense of maintaining the garden!’ The problem is that we don’t take responsibility for our space and we are not in integrity and authenticity with thoughts, words, and actions. When these Masters plucked flowers to offer to God, they were thinking of Him. They were complete, totally devoted to the thought of the Lord. I have seen these people who do rituals regularly. Whenever they are doing any rituals, they will be thinking of something else, either their office or their home.

There are some who regularly chant the 1000 names of the gods as in the Viṣṇu Sahasṛanāma. Even while chanting, they start looking at the verse count they have reached. Four Great Powers of Your Space Create the space of completion. Complete with your patterns! Bring integrity into every step! Nothing else is going to help you. There is no shortcut; this is the shortest cut! Complete and create the space of integrity and authenticity; they have no replacement. Whether you live a spiritual life or a regular life, integrity and authenticity form the basis for life! The space you carry, the attitude, the intention, and the thoughts behind the action actually decide the energy behind the action.

The power of space and thought is immense. In fact, some of the latest research shows how our DNA can be influenced and reprogrammed by words and frequencies. When a group of people focus their thoughts on something similar, like chanting peaceful, healing Vedic mantras every morning, just listening to these words coming out of completion, you will suddenly see that those very words change your inner space. The collective declarations to bless the world—lokāsamastā sukhinobhavantū, let the whole world be prosperous, can change your entire inner space. That is the power of completion! I tell you, all the so-called natural calamities are nothing but the effects of global negative thoughts born out of collective incompletions.

Your space, your thoughts and energy directly affect your body, your cell structure, your decisions, your capacity to fulfill your decisions and outer world incidents, even accidents. You create a pattern that creates and attracts similar incidents to you. If you can complete with your greed and fear patterns, which is what we have normally, and create the space of bliss or Ānanda, then your energy flow will start brimming and your thoughts will be authentic, your words will be integrated and you will be more in the space of completion. When you do this, you have every power to control outer world incidents Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 313 because you and Existence have a very deep connection at the energy level.

When you are blissful, when the space you carry is not one of worry, fear and greed but one that is in the present, always complete and joyful, you will automatically attract all good things to yourself. When you practice Integrity with integrity, Authenticity with authenticity, Responsibility with responsibility, and Enriching with enriching, you will simply have the four great powers—the power of words—vāk siddhi, the power of thinking—mano siddhi, the power of feeling—prema siddhi, and the power of living—ātma siddhi. When you unlock the power of words, you will have the spontaneous intelligence to use the right and most effective words towards yourself and others. Next, what is Authenticity?

The decision of authenticity has to come from your very soul. Your soul has to awaken. Till then, you may be practicing a little authenticity in your yoga, or in your waking hours. But that is not completely authentic. When your soul wakes up, only then do you become a completely authentic soul. When you start practicing authenticity, your soul wakes up. Your being wakes up. When you discover the power of thinking, you will be able to focus on your thoughts to achieve success in your job, relationships, education, finances and life itself! See, when you are so integrated with your words, your words just move the world. When you are completely authentic, your soul can simply express anything because energy and matter both listen to your soul.

Matter listens to energy. Authenticity is nothing but remembering that all powers are at your disposal. You can just possess and express any power you want. With responsibility, the power of feeling, you will learn to express these powers. The power of feeling teaches how to launch yourself to the next level of life through empowered responsibility. And with enriching, you will truly be enjoying the power of living when you realize that the greatest rewards come when you live your life for others. Your Inner Space is connected to the Universe All our minds are not individually separated pieces of the Universe. They are all one and the same.

Not only interlinked, our minds directly affect each other. This is what I call the ‘collective consciousness.’ Though each one is independent in his consciousness, when one is conscious of one’s true nature, one feels that one is part of the whole Universe. Each one’s thoughts straightaway affect the others around. Not only are those staying around you touched by your thoughts, everyone who is living on the planet is touched by your thoughts. Understand, the inner space you carry is such a powerful space! It is hiranyagarbha, the space where the planets get created! Your inner space is so powerful; worlds can be created or destroyed by it. You may be an individual, but your inner space is not individual; it is well-connected with the whole Universe.

So, anything you decide in your inner space becomes a reality in the Cosmos, reality in life. The next truth: Not only at the mental level are you connected; even at the deeper conscious level you are connected to every other being. Your body is not just one body. Actually, there are seven layers or bodies. The first layer is the physical body. Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 315 The second is the pranic body. There are seven such energy layers or bodies. These energy layers can be represented as concentric circles, with the physical layer as the outermost circle and the seventh layer and the nirvanic body as the innermost layer.

At the physical layer, you, God and I can be represented as three different points in the outermost concentric circle. At the physical level, the distance between these three is more. At the pranic level, the distance is reduced. If you come down deeper, to the mental level, the distance between you and I is still reduced and so is the distance between you, God and I. When you go deeper and deeper, these three entities finally merge into one at the innermost nirvanic layer, the ultimate consciousness. At the deepest point of all these layers—God, you and I are one. There is no distance between the three. Once you become aware and realize that you are a part of the collective consciousness, that you don’t have an individual identity; you realize that you do not have a separate ego.

You think you own your individual identity. In Existence, there is no such thing as a separate individual identity. Once you know this truth, you go beyond pain, suffering, depression and diseases. As long as you are individually conscious, you will be continuously suffering. Why do you think you are continuously resisting Nature? Whatever Nature offers, you resist. You think you are different from Existence. I have seen Sannyāsis and monks living in the Himalayas, almost nude in the cold. I myself have lived in such conditions, but the body was never disturbed. I never had the feeling of separation from Nature. When you think you are different from the atmosphere, you start resisting it.

When you are in tune and become a part of the collective consciousness, Nature is your friend and it will protect you. As long as you think you are an individual consciousness different from Nature, it will protest. There’s one very simple thing you can practice now. If you are feeling cold, just relax and witness the area where you are feeling cold. In that area, don’t resist the atmosphere, don’t resist Nature. Just say to yourself, ‘I am not going to resist Nature. Let me relax and be complete.’ Consciously decide this. With this you will see the body relaxing and the idea of cold disappearing from that part.

You become completely comfortable. Wherever you want to achieve success, in a social or in an economic context, only when you feel complete with the whole group and fall in tune with the collective consciousness will you be able to achieve what you want. As long as you feel you are an individual, be very clear that you will be resisted and you will be resisting. Whether it is at home or at work, this will happen. If you disappear into the collective consciousness, you will be protected and taken care of. Not only will you attain social and economic success, but you will also experience a deep feeling of completion.

Even in the physical layer if you think you are separate, you will invite diseases. If you think you are separate in the mantal layer, you will be sowing seeds of violence. With collective consciousness you unify, but with individual consciousness you cut things into pieces. If you think you are an individual at the soul level, there is no possibility for any spiritual growth. Even at the physical level, you are not an individual. Your body and the body of the sun are directly connected. Any small change in the body of the sun can make changes in your body. Any small change in your body can change the body of the moon.

Even if you are not able to relate to this logically, it is true. Even in the mental layer, you are not alone. Any thought put in anyone else’s head comes and touches you and any thought created in your mind goes and touches someone else. It is like ripples created in a lake. If you are creating a strong wave, you will be creating an impression with your thought. You will be leading and inspiring others with your thought. If your thoughts are not solid enough, other waves will impress you. When you bring complete integrity into your thinking, the words you utter to yourself and to others will be experienced as your very life.

That is the power of words! Even though your child is out of your body after you deliver it, it Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 317 is not like you are disconnected from your child. His good or bad experiences continue to affect you as long as you exist. In the same way, the words that come out of you continue to have power over you, whether they are fulfilled or unfulfilled, respected or not respected, listened to or not listened to. Understanding that the word you utter continues to have power over you even years after it is uttered makes you utter the words with responsibility. Either you live like a leader or you will be a follower.

There is no in between. You always think, ‘I will not be a leader, I cannot do that much; I will not be a follower either; I shall maintain my own stand.’ This is simply impractical. There is no such thing as ‘my own stand.’ Either you lead or you follow. At the spiritual level, the moment you understand you are deeply connected to the whole Universe, not only do you start experiencing bliss, but you also start really living in the space of oneness and opening many dimensions of your being. See, just with this body you can think so much, you can enrich and enjoy yourself and others so much.

If you disappear into the collective consciousness, you will experience so many dimensions, so many possibilities, you cannot imagine it! During the Indian festival of Holi (festival of colors)—Rās Pūrnima, Radhā and the gopīs, experienced the collective consciousness of Kṛṣṇa. This is referred to as rās līlā, when Kṛṣṇa gave them the experience of collective consciousness. Some people have the wrong idea of this rās līlā and think it signifies Kṛṣṇa having relationships with women. Kṛṣṇa was just ten years old then! What actually happened is that He gave the experience of collective consciousness to the whole group of gopikās and Radhā. This collective consciousness is what I call God.

Throughout our Inner Awakening program, you will realize you are a part of the collective consciousness. Not only are you a part, you are the collective consciousness. When we go deeper layer by layer, you will realize that you are one with everything. So automatically the diseases disappear. You start feeling the well being in the mental layer, the pranic layer, and all the other layers. You think you are an individual consciousness but if you peel the individual layers, you will experience that you are nothing but the collective consciousness! In Inner Awakening, that is what we do—the opening of your minds and inner space. You are taught the science of completion with yourself, with others, and with life.

You are initiated into the completion process to complete with your pains, desires, guilt and pleasures. You intensely write down and relive your own incompletions to relieve them permanently. People ask me why I ask them to write and relive all this when they already know it. Listen, by writing them down, they are opening their inner space in my presence, so that I can heal their space and initiate them into creating the right space. First of all you should understand that I do not heal; my presence heals. When the sun rises, the lotus blooms by itself. The sun need not go and open the petals of the lotus.

Similarly, in the presence of the Master, healing happens. Healing is not done, it simply happens. I can heal your body while it is in my presence. In the same way, if you open your mind and inner space and expose your incompletions, it can be healed. If you open it, the sun can heal it; the energy heals all the wounds. Inner Awakening is about opening up your energy layers one by one. When they open up, you experience completion with them and you experience God. Not only do you search for God, but you experience God as well. Completion is God! A pure mind is God itself and not something separate from it.

The Essence of Life is ‘Enriching’ We are all taught from childhood that there is a purpose to life. We are guided to work towards goals in life, which are almost always material goals. We are expected to live up to the expectations of our parents, later our teachers, much later our spouses and finally our children. There is no purpose to life, except to live in completion and to enrich others and yourself with completion. The purpose of life is to enrich life with completion. Life is for Enriching. Enriching is Life! How can we enrich and enjoy life if we get saddled with a bagful of goals that Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 319 bind us down to duties and obligations?

We are so deluded by incompletion and stressed out by all that is expected of us that we have no time to enrich ourselves and enjoy what we are doing we have no energy to enrich others for their expansion. Life is not about purpose or goals. Life is not lifestyle. Life is not about impressing people with how rich, clever, beautiful or skilled you are. Life is about enjoying the journey. It is not about the stressful incompletion of looking for the destination. When the path is right, when you enjoy the path, the destination is always right; it will always enrich you and others. Please listen from the space of listening!

I am giving you the essence of all my teachings and satsangs. Listen! Satsang means infusing the Truth again and again into you, helping you wake up and realize the decisive component of life. This is the essence of life itself! Please listen: Life is all about increasing your capability to infuse the Truth in you and others. That is all is the essence of life on planet Earth. The essence of life in the Universe is neither money nor infrastructure development, nor just some social power or relationships. The essence of human life is expanding your ability to infuse the great spiritual truths in you; the ability to enrich yourself and enrich others!

Only the person who realizes the purposelessness of life can have the strength to enrich himself and others, only he can go beyond duality and surpass envy, only he can be satisfied in any action with whatever profit comes from that action of its own accord, what Kṛṣṇa calls—yadṛcchā lābha santuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ (4.22). Understand: Life has no purpose but it has a meaning. Living in completion and enriching others with completion is the meaning of life. You need to know this truth: if you are enriching with a vested interest, you will give up on people. Don’t have any vested interest. All the time, we are taught that life has a goal, a purpose, and we run behind various goals hoping to achieve satisfaction in life.

But life has no goal; the very life, the very path itself is the goal. When you realize this, you relax into the space of completion, you expand in your ability to infuse the great spiritual truths, enriching yourself and others with them, and you are unaffected by success or failure, although doing actions, as Kṛṣṇa says beautifully, ‘samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate (4.22).’ Kṛṣṇa says here, ‘One who works for the sake of enriching sacrifice, mergesintotheknowledge—yajñāyācarataḥkarmasamagraṁpravilīyate (4.23).’ Enrich just for the sake of enriching. All these parasite patterns of jealousy and envy come when you think life has a goal and somebody else has been given something more than you to reach the goal.

When you understand that you are unique and Existence has equipped you with all that you need to fulfill all your desires, you will actually be able to live life in completion and work sincerely for the sake of enriching. Otherwise, you will only be running behind some goal or the other. You will envy others who you think are closer to that goal towards which you are running. You will be caught in this roller coaster of success and failure. Understand that the goal of life is like a mirage. It does not exist in reality, but it continuously creates illusions of its existence. Live life every moment in bliss and you can see the tremendous difference it makes to the very quality of your life.

A small history: This has happened as per the history at my native place, Tiruvannamalai, a cosmic spiritual ‘nerve center’ in India. The history goes that once Lord Śiva appeared as jyotistaṁbha, an infinite column of light to settle a conflict between Brahma, the Creator, and Viṣṇu, the Sustainer as to who was greater. As per Lord Śiva’s orders, Lord Brahma had to find Lord Śiva’s head and Lord Viṣṇu, the Sustainer, was asked to find Śiva’s feet. Whoever found their part first would be declared the greater one. The story has a beautiful meaning. Brahma is the consort of Sarasvatī, the goddess of knowledge. Viṣṇu is the consort of Lakṣmi, the goddess of wealth.

The history says that Brahma started searching for the Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 321 head. Viṣṇu started searching for the feet. Viṣṇu came back after some time and accepted, ‘I am not able to find Your feet; please forgive me. I only now realised that it is an impossible task!’ Brahma also realized he would not be able to find Śiva’s head. But instead of accepting the fact, he decided to cheat. He took a flower as a false witness to testify that he had touched and brought it from Śiva’s head. Understand the truth of this happening, Purāna—Viṣṇu is the embodiment of wealth. Brahma is the embodiment of intellect.

Neither by wealth nor by intellect can you achieve enlightenment. If you travel in the line of wealth, you will get frustrated, you will understand your incompletions, you will face depression of success and you will become really humble. You will fall, you will understand and complete with yourself to rise. This is symbolized by Lord Viṣṇu surrendering first to Lord Śiva, the embodiment of completion. Mahādev is completion! But if you travel in the line of intellect, you will never accept your inauthenticity that you are defeated. This is symbolized by Brahma bringing a false witness in order to escape defeat. If you travel in the line of external ego, ahaṁkarā or the path of material success in the outer world, at least at one point you will understand the futility of your pursuit and reclaim your space of completion.

You will experience depression of success. But the person who travels in the line of internal ego, mamakāra or the line of intellect, not only does he never achieve, he will not even be able to understand that he cannot achieve. The intellect, the ego becomes so sharp, so subtle; it will bring false claims and false techniques to say that he has achieved it. Those false claims are only these false flowers, the false witnesses. The ultimate knowledge can be reached only by surrendering to completion, to the four tattvas of integrity, authenticity, responsibility and enriching, not through intellect or wealth. The being which has surrendered to the four tattvas is brahmaṇyam bahuputratām—the favorite inheritor of the Cosmos. Then you are not caught in running behind the senses, behind the inner world or the outer world. Know Sacrifice And Be Purified

4.26

श्रोत्रादीनीन्द्रियाण्यन्ये संयमाग्निषु जुह्वति | शब्दादीन्विषयानन्य इन्द्रियाग्निषु जुह्वति

śrotrādī nīndriyāṇyanye saṁyamāgniṣu juhvati / śabdādī nviṣayānanya indriyāgniṣu juhvati / / 4.26

Some sacrifice the hearing process and other senses in the fire of equanimity and others offer as sacrifice the objects of the senses, such as sound in the fire of the sacrifice.

śrotrādīnī — organ of hearing · indriyāṇi — senses · anye — others · saṁyama — self discipline · agniṣu — in the fire · juhvati — offer as sacrifice · śabdādī n — sound vi- brations · viṣayān — objects of sense gratification · anye — others · indriya — of sense organs · agniṣu — in the fire · juhvati — sacrifice

4.27

सर्वाणीन्द्रियकर्माणि प्राणकर्माणि चापरे | आत्मसंयमयोगाग्नौ जुह्वति ज्ञानदीपिते

sarvāṇīndriyakarmāṇi prāṇakarmāṇi cāpare / ātmasaṁyamayogāgnau juhvati jñānadī pite / / 4.27

One who is interested in knowledge offers all the actions due to the senses, including the action of taking in the life breath into the fire of Yoga and is engaged in the yoga of the equanimity of the mind.

sarvāṇi — all · indriya — senses · karmāṇi — actions · prāṇakarmāṇi — activities of the life breath · ca — also · apare — others · ātmasaṁyama — self control · yoga — yoga · agnau — in the fire of · juhvati — offer · jñāna dīpite — kindled by wisdom.

4.28

द्रव्ययज्ञास्तपोयज्ञा योगयज्ञास्तथापरे | स्वाध्यायज्ञानयज्ञाश्च यतय: संशितव्रता:

dravyayajñāstapoyajñā yogayajñāstathāpare / svādhyāyajñānayajñāśca yatayaḥ saṁśitavratāḥ / / 4.28

There is the sacrifice of material wealth, sacrifice through penance, sacrific through yoga and other sacrifices while there is sacrifice through self-study and through strict vows.

dravya — material wealth · yajñāḥ — sacrifice · tapo — penance · yajñāḥ — sacrifice · yoga — yoga · yajñāḥ — sacrifice · tathā — and · apare — others · svādhyāya — self-study · jñāna — knowledge · yajñāḥ — sacrifice · ca — and · yatayaḥ — striving souls · saṁśita vratāḥ — those of strict vows.

4.29

अपाने जुह्वति प्राणं प्राणेऽपानं तथापरे | प्राणापानगती रुद्ध्वा प्राणायामपरायणा:

apāne juhvati prāṇaṁ prāṇe ’pānaṁ tathāpare / prāṇāpānagatī ruddhvā prāṇāyāmaparāyaṇāḥ / / 4.29

There are others who sacrifice the life energy in the form of incoming breath and outgoing breath, thus checking the movement of the incoming and outgoing breaths and con- trolling the breath.

apāne — in the out going breath · juhvati — sacrifice · prāṇaṁ — life energy · prāṇe — in the life energy · apānaṁ — the outgoing breath · tathā — thus · apare — others · prāṇa — inhaling · apāna — exhaling · gatī — movement · ruddhvā — after restraining · prāṇāyāma — breath control · parāyaṇāḥ — so inclined

4.30

अपरे नियताहारा: प्राणान्प्राणेषु जुह्वति | सर्वेऽप्येते यज्ञविदो यज्ञक्षपितकल्मषा:

apare niyatāhārāḥ prāṇānprāṇeṣu juhvati / sarve’pyete yajñavido yajñakṣapitakalmaṣāḥ / / 4.30

There are others who sacrifice through controlled eating and offering the outgoing breath, life energy. All these people know the meaning of sacrifice and are purified of sin or karma.

apare — others · niyata — controlled · āhārāḥ — eating · prāṇān — vital energy · prāṇeṣu — in the vital energy · juhvati — sacrifice · sarve api ete — all of these · yajñavidaḥ — those knowing sacrifice · yajña kṣapita kalmaṣāḥ — those destroying their sins through sacrifice.

4.31

यज्ञशिष्टामृतभुजो यान्ति ब्रह्म सनातनम् | नायं लोकोऽस्त्ययज्ञस्य कुतोऽन्य: कुरुसत्तम

yajñaśiṣṭāmṛtabhujo yānti brahma sanātanam / nāyaṁ loko’styayajñasya kuto’nyaḥ kurusattama / / 4.31

Having tasted the nectar of the results of such sacrifices, they go to the supreme eternal consciousness. This world is not for those who have not sacrificed. How can the other be, Arjuna?

yajñaśiṣṭa — left over of sacrifice · amṛta — nectar · bhujaḥ — one who enjoys · yānti — attain · brahma — supreme · sanātanaṁ — eternal · na — not · ayaṁ — this · lokah — world · asti — is · ayajñasya — to one who does not sacrifice · kutaḥ — where · anyaḥ — other · kuru sattama — O best among the Kurus

4.32

एवं बहुविधा यज्ञा वितता ब्रह्मणो मुखे | कर्मजान्विद्धि तान्सर्वानेवं ज्ञात्वा विमोक्ष्यसे

evaṁ bahuvidhā yajñā vitatā brahmaṇo mukhe / karmajānviddhi tānsarvānevaṁ jñātvā vimokṣyase / / 4.32

Thus, there are many kinds of sacrifices born of work mentioned in the Vedas. Thus, knowing these, one will be liberated.

evaṁ — thus · bahu — many · vidhāḥ — kinds of · yajñāḥ — sacrifices · vitatā — explained · brahmaṇaḥ mukhe — in the words of the Veda · karmajān — born of actions of mind, sense and body · viddhi — know · tān — those · sarvān — all · evaṁ — thus · jñātvā — after knowing · vimokṣyase — will be liberated

Knowing these, one will be liberated. In all these verses, Kṛṣṇa talks about various types of sacrifices. ‘Sacrifice’, it is not just the act of giving, but the attitude of giving. Otherwise, you may do everything, following all rituals according to the scriptures, but you will miss out on the real intent for which the act Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 323 had to be done. A beautiful story from the Bhāgavatam, the ancient Hindu epic: Once, Kṛṣṇa was playing with his friends. After playing, his friends were tired and they asked Kṛṣṇa for food. Kṛṣṇa replied, ‘Go to the nearby hall where the learned brāhmaṇas (priests) are performing a great ritual to attain heaven.

Tell them that you have been sent by Me and request them to give you some cooked rice.’ Kṛṣṇa’s friends went as directed and asked the brāhmaṇas, ‘Kṛṣṇa sent us here. We are hungry and Kṛṣṇa asked us to seek food from you.’ The brāhmaṇas were all caught up in the rituals and sacrifices, not knowing the intent of the sacrifice. The very divine energy for which the sacrifice was being made was asking for an offering, but the brāhmaṇas could not realisethatanddidnotgivetheboysanyfood.Kṛṣṇa’sfriends returned disappointed. Kṛṣṇa, on hearing about the foolish brāhmaṇas, just laughed and said, ‘Now, go to the innocent wives of these brāhmaṇas and ask them the same thing.’

The friends now went to the wives told them, ‘O ladies, we have been sent here by Kṛṣṇa who was playing with us nearby. We are hungry and have come to you for food.’ The ladies, on hearing that they had been given such a wonderful opportunity to enrich by serving, gathered all the food from their houses and rushed to feed Kṛṣṇa and his friends. Listen. The very act of enriching, the welcoming attitude is what is important. A beautiful verse in the Mahābharat that says, ‘A guest comes with all the gods. If the guest is honored, so are the gods; if he goes away disappointed, the gods are disappointed too.’

That is why in Saṃskṛit, we say, ‘atithi devo bhava’, the guest is God. ‘Tithi’ means date and prefix‘a’negatesit.Therefore,onewhoarrivesunexpectedlywithoutaprior appointment is atithi or guest. When somebody comes unexpectedly also, serving him is the real welcoming attitude. The word used for ritual giving in Saṃskṛit is ‘dāna’, which means sharing, imparting. The true meaning of sacrifice lies in the meaning with which it is done. Look at the trees. They live for the welfare of others, themselves facing the winds, heat and snow, all the while protecting us from them. All their parts, leaves, flowers, fruits, roots, bark, etc. are useful to enrich others. When you give away something you cannot afford to give, it is a true enriching sacrifice.

When you give away something you can afford to give, then it is not a true enriching sacrifice. A wealthy man giving away alms is not sacrificing anything. He may be doing a good deed but not more than that. Kṛṣṇa mentions many forms of sacrifice here. He talks of sacrifices of material wealth, yoga and penance—a combination of material, physical, mental and spiritual sacrifices. When a person does these at some cost and pain to himself, they would be genuine sacrifices. Otherwise they would merely be meaningless rituals. However, even that which is given away by someone who can afford what he is giving, if done with good intentions of enriching, would result in gains to that person.

His very intention to enrich will alter his mindset and liberate him. A person who does not believe in sharing his wealth will not only suffer in future births as a result of his mental makeup, but he will also be unable to enjoy his own wealth in his present birth. When one sacrifices whatever is dear and whatever is difficult to give away, he enters a completely different plane of sacrifice, one that liberates the person. Such a person enters a plane of true non-attachment, leading to liberation. You Are No Sinner

4.33

श्रेयान्द्रव्यमयाद्यज्ञाज्ज्ञानयज्ञ: परन्तप | सर्वं कर्माखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते

śreyān-dravya-mayād yajñāj jñāna-yajñaḥ parantapa / sarvaṁ karmā’khilaṁ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate / / 4.33

O Parantapa (conqueror of foes), the sacrifice of wisdom is superior to the sacrifice of material wealth. After all, all activities totally end in wisdom.

śreyān — superior · dravyamayāt — material wealth · yajñāt — sacrifice · jñāna ya- jñaḥ — sacrifice in wisdom · paraṁtapa — O subduer of foes · sarvaṁ — all · karma — activities · akhilaṁ — in totality · pārtha — O son of Pritā · jñāne — in wisdom · pari- samāpyate — ends in

4.34

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया | उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन:

tadviddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā / upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninastattvadarśinaḥ / / 4.34

Understand these truths by approaching a spiritual Mas- ter, by asking him your questions, by offering service. The enlightened person can initiate the wisdom unto you because he has seen the truth

tat — that · viddhi — understand · praṇipātena — by approaching a spiritual master · paripraśnena — by questioning · sevayā — by offering service · upadekṣyanti — will advise · te — unto you · jñānaṁ — knowledge · jñāninaḥ — the enlightened · tattva darśinaḥ — the spiritual seers.

4.35

यज्ज्ञात्वा न पुनर्मोहमेवं यास्यसि पाण्डव | येन भूतान्यशेषेण द्रक्ष्यस्यात्मन्यथो मयि

yajjñātvā na punar moham evaṁ yāsyasi pāṇḍava / yena bhūtāny aśeṣeṇa drakṣyasy ātmanyatho mayi / / 4.35

O Pāṇḍava, knowing this you will never suffer from desire or illusion, you will know that all living beings are in the supreme, in Me.

yat — which · jñātvā — after knowing · na — not · punaḥ — again · mohaṁ — desire · evaṁ — thus · yāsyasi — shall attain · pāṇḍava — O son of Pāṇḍu · yena — by which · bhūtāni — living entities · aśeṣeṇa — totally · drakṣyasi — will see · ātmani — within yourself · atho — then · mayi — in Me

4.36

अपि चेदसि पापेभ्य: सर्वेभ्य: पापकृत्तम: | सर्वं ज्ञानप्लवेनैव वृजिनं सन्तरिष्यसि

api cedasi pāpebhyaḥ sarvebhyaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ / sarvaṁ jñānaplavenaiva vṛjinaṁ santariṣyasi / / 4.36

Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners, you will certainly cross completely the ocean of miseries through the boat of knowledge.

api — even · cet — if · asi — you are · pāpebhyaḥ — of sinners · sarvebhyaḥ — of all · pāpa- kṛttamaḥ — greatest sinner · sarvaṁ — all · jñāna plavena — by the boat of knowledge · eva — only · vṛjinaṁ — the ocean of miseries · santariṣyasi — you will cross.

We spoke about the history of Brahma and Viṣṇu trying to reach Śiva’s crown. Viṣṇu was able to accept that he failed and completed with Śiva, whereas Brahma could not. A person of knowledge becomes arrogant and refuses to acknowledge the limitations of knowledge. Sacrificing knowledge is far more difficult than sacrificing wealth. For a scholar to admit that he does not know is to commit suicide. He is losing his identity. Kṛṣṇa advises the seeker to sacrifice one’s knowledge and one’s intellect at His feet, at the feet of the Master, to experience the ultimate Truth. Beautifully He says, ‘tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (4.34).’AMasterisonewhohasexperiencedthetruthandwhocansimply transfer his experience of truth to you.

He communes with you. A teacher, on the other hand, is one who imparts knowledge through communication. In Saṃskṛit, there are three beautiful words to describe this. You are born in the bhū garbha, the womb of the mother; this signifies your physical birth. The teacher with his love and teachings gives birth to you in the hrid garbha, the womb of the heart. The master gives birth to a completely new you, a transformed being in the jñāna garbha, the womb of knowledge. You then become re-born, dvijā! Surrender Transforms Understand, Masters have no vested interest for themselves; they have no karma to exhaust. They descend on this planet Earth out of sheer love and compassion for humanity.

Just like a low-pressure region attracts winds, a depression created in the world attracts the formless energy of Existence. This energy is what is known in different forms like Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, Buddha etc. Actually, the Master lives in three dimensions of energies: the body, His teachings and His mission. Masters come to dispel the ignorance of seekers, to show them the path. Only one third of the Master’s energy is in the physical body. The other third is in the teachings and another third is in the mission. Nithyananda is nitya-dhyāna-ānanda, all in one. Nithya, the Master in the body as Nithyananda, dhyāna, my teaching and message of meditation and ānanda, my mission of bringing forth the fountain of bliss that is lying latent in you, all the three together constitute the energy called Nithyananda.

Understand that. It is easy to do the first step, which is to follow the Master in his physical form because Masters are so attractive by nature and they do not expect anything in return. The next level is to follow the dharma, teachings of the Master. This is slightly more difficult because you have to not only listen to his teachings but you also have to do something; you have to live his teachings, practice them. Though it is only for your own growth, your laziness (tamas) causes you to not do this. The final level is where you Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 327 infuse your life with the truth that life is for others.

Life is for Enriching! You give your life to the sanga, mission and become the cause of spreading the Master’s teachings. This is the most difficult, since it requires from you the ultimate commitment for life. When you surrender to the Master, you surrender to his mission, sanga and to his teachings, dharma as well. When you surrender at the physical level, you surrender your comforts to the Master like desires for luxury, wealth, food or sleep to imbibe and spread his teachings and mission. I cannot call it sacrifice because you will feel from your very being that this is what you really want to do. I tell you, when you take up the responsibility of the mission, you will realize that what seemed to you as a load is actually a blissful experience.

How can the mission of the Master give anything other than pure bliss? The moment you surrender to the Master and his mission and you stand up taking responsibility, you will find that the divine energy simply flows through you and you just flow effortlessly and express yourself most gracefully and powerfully. All you need to do is to be stable and available, and the divine energy will make you able! On the mental level, you surrender your intellect, your mental pursuits, your incompletions to serve the Master and the mission. You become like a liquid, flowing into the shapes and moulds created by the Master. The Master knows the best way in which you can grow.

He creates the moulds for each of you according to your needs and abilities. Trust him, drop your solid ego and become fluid so you can fill in the spaces he creates for you. At the being level, when your very being surrenders to the Master, your being clearly recognizes the call of the Master. You become a part of the Master. You no longer carry any separate identity. This process of transformation automatically happens when you surrender to the Master, his teachings and his mission. The water is converted into formless steam. Like steam, you now explode in all directions. There are no limitations because all limitations exist only in the mind.

You now transcend the mind and express your peak potential. The Master tirelessly and compassionately pushes you in different ways so you can also experience and be in the same state of eternal bliss as he is. The only emotion that a Master knows is love. I always tell people, ‘When I show compassion to you, I cheat you. When I fire you, I teach you. Either way, you grow.’ The Vedas also clearly declare that a living Master is needed. You may have access to all the books, the recorded teachings of all the great masters. But, you have only the words; where is the body language? For example, yoga as it is taught now has been reduced to just a form of physical exercise.

But physical health is just one of its benefits. Yoga as taught by Patañjali is a means to enlightenment. But the body language of Patañjali no longer exists; only his words exist. You need a living Master who is in the same consciousness as Patañjali, to transmit the essence and experience of the words. A beautiful verse in the Guru Gītā says, ‘The Guru just wipes off with the big toe of his left foot your fate which Brahma has written on your forehead.’ The Master can change your very destiny and take you to a new dimension. An astrologer may be able to predict your future, but a Master can simply recreate your future.

He is one with Existence, which is operating this whole Universe. Can the energy which runs the planets and stars not have the power to handle your life? It is very difficult to relate with a living Master. You see, it is very easy to relate with dead masters. You can project all your imaginations about God on him. When Kṛṣṇa promises that He descends again and again—sambhavāmi yuge yuge—what He means is the Kṛṣṇa energy will descend. People think Kṛṣṇa will come down in the same form with the yellow clothes, the flute and the two peacock feathers. Again and again, Kṛṣṇa happens on planet Earth, but our incompletions are so cunning, theymanage inmaking us missHiminanyform.

We missallthe living Masters. It is easy to fool yourself, escaping from a living Master and just worshipping a Master who has left the body. You escape all the possibilities of transformation. You can just say, ‘Amayaṁ anahaṁkāraṁ arāgaṁ amadaṁ tathā…’ ‘I offer my non-attachment to you’, ‘I offer my ego to you.’ Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 329 You can say that to an idol and that idol will be just standing. But, if you tell me that, I will simply catch your neck and say, ‘Hey! Where is your non-attachment? Give it. Where is your ego? Surrender it!’ With the living Master, he will be constantly working on you, to cut your ego and to show you your true Self.

But the ego is afraid to die at the Master’s hands, so you try to escape. Just being open to his energy can get rid of the biggest cancer in you, your ego. When you realize the truth that you too are one with the Universe, there is nothing more to desire; nothing to be attached to. There is no longer any differentiation between who you are and what the Universe is. Māyā, the illusion of that separation, disappears. That is why the Master is called Guru, one who leads you from ‘gu’, which is darkness, to ‘ru’, that is light; one who leads you from ignorance to bliss. A Master does not differentiate between good and bad.

He is not care if what you do is considered meritorious by society or sinful. Here, Kṛṣṇa says beautifully, ‘Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners—sarvebhyaḥ pāpa-krt-tamaḥ, you will certainly completely cross the ocean of miseries with the boat of knowledge—sarvam jñāna-plavenaiva vṛjinaṁ santariṣyasi (4.36).’ At the spiritual level, the concept of sin does not exist. It is a creationofman-madeinstitutions,ofsocietalandpoliticalorganizationsto control others through fear. When you have the true knowledge, the intelligence of why you are doing what you are doing, the very knowledge will make the action divine, the act will no longer be just a ritual but a means to reach the Ultimate. Automatically, you will cross the ocean of miseries because misery itself is a result of ignorance of your true self. When ‘spirit’ is added to a ‘ritual’, it becomes ‘spi-rituality’. Self-doubt Destroys

4.37

यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन | ज्ञानाग्नि: सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा

yathaidhāṁsi samiddho’gnir bhasmasātkurute’rjuna / jñānāgniḥ sarvakarmāṇi bhasmasātkurute tathā / / 4.37

Just as a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of wisdom burn to ashes all actions, all your karma.

yathā — as · edhāṁsi — firewood · samiddhaḥ — blazing · agniḥ — fire · bhasmasāt — ashes · kurute — does · arjuna — O Arjuna · jñāna — knowledge · agniḥ — fire · sarva — all · karmāṇi — actions · bhasmasāt — ashes · kurute — does · tathā — in the same way.

4.38

न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रमिह विद्यते | तत्स्वयं योगसंसिद्ध: कालेनात्मनि विन्दति

na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ pavitramiha vidyate / tatsvayaṁ yogasaṁsiddhah kālenātmani vindati / / 4.38

Truly, in this world, there is nothing as pure as wisdom. One who has matured to know this enjoys in himself in due course of time.

na — not · hi — certainly · jñānena — with knowledge · sadṛśaṁ — similar · pavitraṁ — pure · iha — here · vidyate — exists · tat — that · svayaṁ — himself · yoga — in devotion · saṁsiddhaḥ — purified · kālena — in course time · ātmani — within self · vindati — acquires.

4.39

श्रद्धावान् लभते ज्ञानं तत्पर: संयतेन्द्रिय: | ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति

śraddhāvāllabhate jñānaṁ tatparaḥ saṁyatendriyaḥ / jñānaṁ labdhvā parāṁ śāntimacireṇādhigacchati / / 4.39

A person with śraddhā (courageous faith) achieves wisdom and has control over the senses. Achieving wisdom, without delay, he attains supreme peace.

śraddhāvān — faithful person · labhate — achieves · jñānaṁ — knowledge · tatparaḥ — attached · saṁyata — controlled · indriyaḥ — senses · jñānaṁ — knowledge · labdh- vā — having achieved · parāṁ — supreme · śāntiṁ — peace · acireṇa — without delay · adhigacchati — attains

4.40

अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा विनश्यति | नायं लोकोऽस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मन:

ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca saṁśayātmā vinaśyati / nāyaṁ loko ’sti na paro na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ / / 4.40

Those who have no wisdom and faith, who always have doubts, are destroyed. There is no happiness in this world or the next.

ajñaḥ — ignorant · ca — and · aśraddadhānaḥ — one having no faith · ca — and · saṁśayātmā — doubting soul · vinaśyati — perish · na — not · ayaṁ — this · lokah — world · asti — is · na — not · paraḥ — next · na — not · sukhaṁ — happiness · saṁśayātmanaḥ — of the doubting soul.

4.41

योगसंन्यस्तकर्माणं ज्ञानसञ्छिन्नसंशयम् | आत्मवन्तं न कर्माणि निबध्नन्ति धनञ्जय

yoga-sannyasta-karmāṇaṁ jñānas-aṁchinna-saṁśayam / ātmavantaṁ na karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhañanjaya / / 4.41

O Dhanañjaya (winner of riches), one who has renounced the fruits of his actions, whose doubts are destroyed, who is well-situated in the Self, is not bound by his actions.

yogasannyastakarmāṇaṁ — one who has dedicated his actions to god accord- ing to Karma yoga · jñānasaṁchinna saṁśayaṁ — whose doubts have been cleared by knowledge · ātmavantaṁ — self possessed · na — not · karmāṇi — actions · nibadhnanti — bind · dhañanjaya — O Dhañanjaya

4.42

तस्मादज्ञानसम्भूतं हृत्स्थं ज्ञानासिनात्मन: | छित्त्वैनं संशयं योगमातिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ भारत

tasmād ajñāna saṁbhūtaṁ hṛtsthaṁ jñānāsinātmanaḥ / chittvainaṁ saṁśayaṁ yogam ātiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhārata / / 4.42

O descendant of Bhārata, therefore, stand up, be situated in yoga. Armed with the sword of knowledge; cut the doubt born of ignorance that exists in your heart.

tasmāt — therefore · ajñāna — ignorance · saṁbhūtaṁ — born of · hṛtsthaṁ — situated in the heart · jñānāsinā — by the sword of knowledge · ātmanaḥ — of the self · chittvā — having cutting off · enaṁ — this · saṁśayaṁ — doubt · yogaṁ — in yoga · ātiṣṭha — be firm · uttiṣṭha — stand up · bhārata — O descendant of Bhārata

Asmall story: Once, a blind man went to a doctor to see if he had any hope of getting back his eyesight. The doctor checked him and said, ‘Yes, I can do a surgery and you can get back your eyesight. Then, you can drop your stick and start walking.’ The man replied, ‘Doctor, I understand I will get back my Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 331 eyesight, but how can I walk without the stick?’ The blind man could not understand that he can walk without a stick! He does not even know what it means to be able to see. The doctor has to do the surgery to give him back his eyesight, then automatically he will drop the stick.

When I tell people to declare completion and drop their mind, they look at me as if I am a mad man. They ask me, ‘How can we drop the mind? It is easy for you, you have renounced everything, you have no wife, no responsibilities, and on top of it you are enlightened. So, you can talk. How can we, living in this ocean of bondage, the saṁsāra sāgara, be in no-mind and yet survive?’ It is only when you drop the mind, drop your self-doubts, it is only when you stop connecting your thoughts to form a shaft, that you really start ‘seeing’. Your ego stops interfering with the truth of what you see.

It stops filtering and adding tones to what your senses experience. Your baggage of embedded memories, your saṁskāras, dissolve, and the new ‘you’ is born. All your actions then arise out of intuition, from the super conscious state, the state of truth, where no mind can exist. Śraddha Enriches you with Knowledge In the next verse, Kṛṣṇa uses the word ‘śraddha’ again. What a beautiful verse, ‘śraddhāvān labhate jñānaṁ—the one established in authenticity is enriched with knowledge.’ Actually, śraddha means faith plus the courage of authenticity to live to your highest possibility; the courage to be established in the peak of your capability. Understand, continuously committing with words that express your maximum peak capacity, as per your understanding and as per others’ understanding is what is referred to as śraddha, authenticity.

Understand, authenticity means stretching, stretching, and stretching. Go on stretching, that is Life! Go on stretching without fear, and without giving up on yourself. Do anything to honor and fulfill your words. Stretch yourself. Let all the powers inside you be unleased! Kṛṣṇa declares the power of authenticity here, ‘śraddhāvān labhate jñānaṁ (4.39).’ Only the authentic one is enriched with knowledge. When you have the knowledge and the courage of authenticity to follow and live the teachings, then you can achieve the ultimate knowledge, the knowledge of enlightenment. Many people do not have the courage of authenticity to see their research through. The eastern vedic sages did so much inner world research.

Millions of them have stretched themselves fearlessly doing full-time research for thousands of years, using their bodies and minds as laboratories. Why? Just to enrich others! This knowledge of the inner world is the result of their authenticity, their space of possibility to do courageous experiments and studies just for enriching others. They were true inner scientists, true śraddhavān who had not only the curiosity, ‘the great why’ and the perseverance to know, but also the courage of authenticity to follow, live and express their findings. Look at Patañjali, the father of yoga—He boldly declares that all that he says in the Yoga Sutras is completely open to experimentation and verification.

He says, ‘You are free to try this, and if you find anything more to be added or edited, you are free to do so.’ He has presented his research report. He invites you to try out these in your life and if you learn something more from that, his work is open to editing. That is the beauty of our system; it is a living system open to being updated. Of all religious and spiritual doctrines, it is only the scriptures of the sanātana-dharma, the eternal path of righteousness, as the Hindu philosophy is called, that allow themselves to be updated. The Vedas and the Upaniṣads, which we believe are the voices of Nature, are not rules and regulations.

They are truths to be understood and followed only in awareness. There are no punishments if one does not follow them, nor is one condemned as a sinner if one doesn’t follow them. This is the greatness and pristine beauty of sanātana-dharma, the eternal path of living. We are the most powerful, most sophisticated, most intelligent, most cutting-edge presentation of the Truth left with Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 333 the possibility to evolve more and more, open for the possibility of being updated! Nothing was sacred just because it was uttered. All that we follow blindly today as traditions came through societal interpretation. It is for us to sift through these truths with conscious awareness.

Once tested, proven, accepted and intranalysed, we need to have the courage of authenticity to practice these truths. Mere knowledge is insufficient. That is what śraddha is about. With śraddha, faith combined with courage of authenticity, you make the effort to constantly stretch and align yourself to the peak capability of what you feel as you, what you project as you, and what others’ perceive as you. This dawns the ultimate knowledge in you. With authenticity you conquer your senses, and direct your mind towards the truth, instead of your mind and senses leading you wherever they wish to. The state of fear can be born in you only when you are inauthentic.

Only a man in authenticity, living authenticity, is a liberated one enriched with the ultimate knowledge, śraddhāvān labhate jñānaṁ (4.39). Completing Self-doubt in any field is Education In the next few verses, Kṛṣṇa says that there is no happiness for those who always have self-doubts and who have no knowledge and authenticity. He uses the word ‘always.’ He does not say that from the beginning itself you should not have any doubts. Having doubts is natural; as long as you have the mind, you will have doubts. But you can go beyond it by completing with your self-doubts. Kṛṣṇa warns, ‘The one without the wisdom and without authenticity, who always has doubts, is destroyed.

There is no happiness for the one who doubts the self, either in this world or the next.’ Self-doubt destroys you—saṁśayātmā vinaśyati and the one who has the self-doubt is never happy anywhere—na sukhaṁ śaṁsayātmanaḥ (4.40). First, we need to understand what self-doubt is! What is the root of this self-doubt? In your life, when the first root incident happens, you make your inner image, you project the outer image, and you create the life image to protect yourself for survival reason. For example, at the age of three or four, you run around and play in the rain. Your mother sees you and strongly pulls you into the house and gives you a slap saying, ‘Don’t go out in the rain!

You will catch a cold! Your health will be spoiled!’ She screams at you. For a child, getting slapped, being pulled inside the house and locked up is too much. The child will not understand that it is only a slap. The child will literally feel he is going to die! At that moment, the child will create the inner mage, mamakāra: ‘I am helpless.’ He will create the outer image, ahaṁkāra: ‘I am powerful,’ because he cannot survive with the idea, ‘I am helpless in the society. I am helpless in life.’ So, naturally, he will create a compensating outer image, ‘I am powerful,’ and he will create the life’s image or svānyakāra, the image about his mother and life, that life is cruel.

So, when this root pattern is formed, you start living and you naturally project your pseudo outer image: ‘I am powerful.’ If you are not able to convince others with the pseudo outer image, it is good for you. But if you convince them with the pseudo outer image, when you come back to your private space like your bedroom, you will start thinking, ‘Oh God! I made every one believe my outer image as the truth, but my inner image is different from my outer image!’ So, this clash is self-doubt. This clash is what Kṛṣṇa calls as saṁśayātmā. Please listen! I am giving you the example of a tree.

If root pattern is the root of a tree, lust patterns are the parasites of the tree, every day suffering and powerlessness are the leaves of the tree, self-doubt is the fragrance of the tree. So, please understand, when you convince others with your strong outer image, and your inner image starts questioning you; your inner image questioning you is self-doubt. That is where the self-doubt starts. This is where your root of unhappiness grows—na sukhaṁ śaṁsayātmanaḥ (4.40). In any field if you carry self-doubt, you will continue to be powerless. In any field if you complete with your self-doubt, you are Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 335 educated.

For example, look into the first time you started doubting your ability to memorize poetry or mathematics tables. Complete with that incident and pattern. Suddenly, you will awaken your ability to memorize in an unimaginable way. That component in your brain, which is now non-mechanical, will be awakened. Similarly, if you complete with self-doubtinanyfield,suddenlythatnon-mechanicalpartofthebrainwill immediately be awakened. Awakening all the non-mechanical parts of the brain is what I call Inner Awakening. In any field in your life if you complete with your self-doubt, you become educated in that field. Please understand, education is nothing but completing with self-doubt. If you complete with all your self-doubts in the field of dentistry, you are a dentist now.

If you complete with all your self-doubts in the field of law, you are educatedasalawyer.Ifyoucompletewithallyourself-doubtsinthefieldof transformation, you are a master of transformation. Listen! Education is nothing but completing with self-doubts. Education is nothing but completing with self-doubts. I can keep repeating just this one line. I tell you, this is the precise, concise definition I have ever given about education: Completing with your self-doubt in any field is education. In any field, whether it is self-transformation, cooking, medicine, law, or construction, in any field, complete with your self-doubt. Your kuṇḍalini energy, your innate potential energy will flow in that direction and you will excel in that field. Master-disciple Relationship In the Śiva Sutra, Devi asks, ‘O Śiva, what is your reality?

What is this wonderfilled universe? What constitutes the seed? Who centers the universal wheel? What is this life beyond form pervading form? How may we enter it fully, beyond space and time, names and descriptions? Let my doubts be cleared.’ Beautifully, She expresses Her whole state of mind through these few words. The last words are, ‘Let my doubts be cleared. Let my doubts be complete.’ She never says, ‘Please answer my questions.’ If She had made that mistake by asking, ‘Answer my question’, She would have produced one more Gītā through Śiva. See, in the Gītā, Arjuna is not ready to surrender to Kṛṣṇa completely. That is why in the beginning Kṛṣṇa has to give him all the intellectual answers.

Arjuna thinks he can solve his confusion through these answers; he doesn’t know these are much deeper doubts that need to be cleared through the experience of the Truth. That is why Kṛṣṇa has to give more than 700 verses to first convince Arjuna that he does not know. When Arjuna finally gives up saying ‘I don’t know’ then Kṛṣṇa reveals Himself! He reveals the truth and makes Arjuna experience it because that is the only way he will realize the Truth. If you say, ‘Let my questions be answered,’ you want only intellectual answers. But Devi says, ‘Let my doubts be cleared, whether you give words or energy or techniques, I am not bothered, but let me be free and complete from doubts.’

When questions become a quest, you start speaking in this language. When the urge becomes urgent, you start speaking in this language. This shows the deep surrender of Devi. A deep passive waiting without knowing what is going to happen is passive surrender. That is what I call total surrender. Actually, the moment you decide ‘I will wait forever,’ things will simply start happening for you! As long as you are in a hurry and agitated, you stop things from happening in you. It is like trying your best to make the lotus bloom. You open out the petals by hand. Will it be a flower? A lotus can be called a lotus only when it blossoms by itself.

Give it a little space and time. The moment you decide to wait, things will simply start happening and you don’t have to wait anymore. You only have to wait till you decide to wait! Just allow the Master to do the surgery and Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 337 give you back your true Self, and automatically you will drop what you are not. Here, Kṛṣṇa refers to the stages in the Master-disciple relationship. There are many levels. The first level is purely intellectual, doubt-based. ‘Doubtbased’ refers to the negative self-doubts, which are purely intellectual. It is like you are telling yourself on seeing the Master, ‘What is he going to do?

Let us see. How is he able to mobilize such a big crowd at such a young age? He seems hardly thirty. What is going on here?’ The next step is intelligence; from intellect to intelligence. You tell yourself, ‘Why not attend this program and see what he is really doing?’ By this time, it has changed from, ‘What is he doing!’ to ‘Oh, I think He means something. But I neither believe nor disbelieve Him. Ok, let us check it out.’ The intellect is becoming intelligence. You are giving a little space for the Master. Then, if you continue to start looking in, first from intellect to intelligence, then from intelligence to intelligence with emotion, like 60% intelligence, 40% emotion, that is the time you will feel like a friend towards the Master.

After that, it becomes 60% emotion and 40% intelligence. That is the time you will feel like the Master is like an elder, like a father or mother or lord or teacher. You feel respectful towards him. And then, the relationship becomes pure emotion. You will feel a deep connection like a mother and son. Then, after that, it is neither emotion nor intellect nor intelligence. It is a being-level relationship. It is the deep connection of a beloved, the madhura bhāva. And suddenly, you will see, he is not even the beloved, he is beyond the beloved. You start experiencing the mahā bhāva, what I call the Guru-disciple experience, experiencing yourself as the Master.

That is what I call— ‘Tat Tvam Asi.’ Tat Tvam Asi means That art thou. It means you are the Master. First it is just intellect, where you have self-doubts. But you have to go beyond that. If you are stuck in this level of self-doubts, naturally you will suffer with misery, with self-hatred and self-denial. Then, the next level is intelligence, then emotion, then pure emotion, then emotional and being level feeling connection, then pure being level connection, and then all these and something more. When you go beyond doubts and faith, into the realization of the formless energy that is you, then you find yourself. So, let the divine Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa guide us all to the right energy, to the right path of knowledge and the right experience.

Let Him shower eternal bliss. Let Him make us experience and radiate eternal bliss, Nityānanda. Thank you. Thus ends the fourth chapter named Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ, ‘The Yoga of Action In Knowledge And Renunciation,’ of the Bhagavad Gītā Upaniṣad, Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the scripture of yoga dealing with the science of the Absolute in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṃvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Live All Your Possibilities Seeking more and more does not lead to happiness. It leads to depression. Then what leads to happiness that is eternal?. c h a p t e r Sannyāsa Yogaḥ If we look closely at our lifestyle, what we accept as normal is actually chaotic and crazy.

But we have been conditioned with it since childhood so we are not even aware of this. From an early age we are taught certain beliefs and habits that cut deep grooves in our mind. For the rest of our lives we follow these patterns of thinking. In Indian villages, even today, they grind oil seeds in a traditional expeller, powered by bullocks. These bullocks are tied in such a way that they walk in circles to crush the seeds inside the expeller. If we analyze the way we live, we are very much like these bullocks! We get caught in a root pattern and we go around driven by our senses and memories.

Just as the bullocks chew the cud as they walk around, we too chew the cud of our memories and perceptions as we unconsciously follow the same routine day after day, year after year. Even when we think we are breaking the routine and doing things creatively and rationally, it is just an illusion of our mind. We are still driven by our unconscious mind. These engraved memories or root thought patterns stored in the deep unconscious mind make decisions on our behalf, even though we are completely unaware of it. What we may think of as an intuitive decision is actually an instinctive decision that arises from our unconscious.

Understand the difference between intuition and instinct. Instinct is the unconscious. It is what drives animals. It is the deeply grooved root patterns that are encoded as bio-memories in the genes and DNA. Since the unconscious brain acts much faster than the conscious brain, the instinctive action of the unconscious is of crucial value to our survival. Intuition is a super conscious state of the mind. In any field when you allow your peak possibility without self-doubt, when you complete Live All Your Possibilities Sannyāsa Yogaḥ Live All Your Possibilities 341 with your self-doubt, your logic gets so refined that it becomes intuition. Understand, in any field if your logic is refined, it becomes intuition.

In any field if you allow your Kuṇḍalini (potential energy) to express itself to its peak possibility without self-doubt, in that field you become a leader. Take the example of self-transformation. Understand, you can allow your potential energy to flow in the direction of enlightening you if you complete with the self-doubt, ‘Will I ever be enlightened? Can I ever be enlightened?’ If you are young, you think, ‘I am too young for enlightenment.’ If you are old, you think, ‘I am too old for enlightenment.’ Listen. Pṛākṛitaṁ is logic. Saṃskṛitaṁ is intuition. Refined logic is intuition. It is where we reach when we move inwards through our senses. It is a state of living and being in the present moment of completion, the space of enlightenment.

Intuition transcends time and space. Intuition allows us to explode in all directions while instinct restricts us to the logical path of our unconscious memories, our incompletions. By Nature You Are Multi-dimensional Time and again people tell me, ‘Swamiji, it is easy for you to do what you do. You have no family ties. You have renounced wealth. We are bonded to relationships and material possessions. How can we become spiritual?’ Let me tell you clearly that this is your instinct speaking. You are caught in the inadequate cognition of your unconscious mind, in your root patterns, believing that you can do only one thing at a time. You have sold yourself into the bondage of believing you are one dimensional.

By nature we are multi-dimensional. By nature we are intuitive. By nature we are enlightened. Listen! By nature, God built you with the power of words, power of thinking, power of feeling and power of living. Your inbuilt innate nature is expressing these great inner powers. That is why you feel so fulfilled whenever you are in integrity. That is why you feel so complete when you enrich others. That is why you feel so blissful when you cause others’ reality. We can live a beautiful life! All that we lack is the awareness of our potential and all possibilities of our life. See, the possibility of human life is what we call Kuṇḍalini energy.

There are multiple possibilities in you. You are multi-dimensional. It is like a set-top box where you have the possibility of 170 channels, but the channel you watch is up to you. Kuṇḍalini is your possibility. Letting your possibility happen in you, trusting your possibility without self-doubt, responding to your possibility without self-doubt is Kuṇḍalini energy. Please understand, each human being allows himself to be expressed without self-doubt in at least one dimension. Even if you think you are a useless fellow, to be useless in that dimension, you allow your possibility without self-doubt. Somebody allows their possibility, without self-doubt, in the field of cooking. He may be useless in all other fields but in cooking, he has no self-doubt.

He knows that he will be able to cook any dish he sees. Every person allows and expresses his peak possibility in at least one field without self-doubt. It is not that you don’t express your possibility in any field at all. If that were true, you wouldn’t be alive. Even to be alive, you have to allow the Kuṇḍalini, the potential energy to breathe through you at least in one field. I have seen some people who are so cunning that in their cunningness, they allow their peak possibility to express itself. A great lawyer may have a lot of doubt about his character but in his legal field, he will not have any doubt.

So understand, when you express your peak possibility without any self-doubt in any field, you allow your Kuṇḍalini to be awakened in that field. In that field your logic gets so refined, it becomes intuition. Helping you realize your possibility and supporting you to complete with your self-doubt is Kuṇḍalini Awakening. Many recent neurological researches are proving what I am saying. I am giving it as a formula. Either you are multi-dimensional or non-dimensional! There is no such thing as ‘persons in single dimension.’ You are multi-dimensional, meaning you can think for everyone, or you Sannyāsa Yogaḥ Live All Your Possibilities 343 are non-dimensional, it means you cannot think even for yourself and somebody else thinks for you!

When you start thinking for everyone, you develop a beautiful faculty. It is actually through thinking that you reach the thoughtless space, not the other way! In the verses that follow and in the rest of the Gītā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Master of all possibilities enriches us on how to break away from our bondages and become multi-dimensional to realize our peak possibility, and to express the powers of our possibilities. Constantly turning many impossibilities into possibilities by playing that within human laws, rules and regulations is the job of an Incarnation. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, who is the possibility of all Incarnations, teaches us how to reach our true state. This is what the word samādhi means—to go back to our true nature.

Kṛṣṇa constantly turns what Arjuna thinks as ‘impossible’ into ‘possible’ by demonstrating His peak possibilities to express themselves through Arjuna within the laws of human realm, within the laws of Kurukṣetra warfield. Kṛṣṇa Himself does not use a single weapon throughout the Mahābhārat war, but becomes the cause for Arjuna to live and express his own peak possibilities. It is through the multi-dimensional space awakened by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Pāṇḍavas that they stand victorious. Throughout the Gītā, Kṛṣṇa talks about yoga. Each chapter refers to one type of yoga or another. Yoga is the same as samādhi. Yoga means ‘uniting’. It means uniting with our true nature. When we unite with our true Self, we become multi-dimensional, we become the space of possibilities.

We can be material and spiritual. There are no constraints and no limitations. We are free. We had wealthy kings like Janaka, who were realized souls. Material wealth does not limit anyone from being spiritual. It is only the attachment to wealth through greed and the fear of losing wealth that stops one from being free. Further, for the first time, Kṛṣṇa gives a meditation technique in this chapter. Until the fifth chapter, He was giving only intellectual advice, śāstra. Kṛṣṇa now thinks that Arjuna has become mature, or Kṛṣṇa realizes that without some technique, it is now impossible to relate to Arjuna. Kṛṣṇa realizes, ‘If I don’t give him a technique, I cannot escape from him!’

Masters give meditation techniques in two situations, either when they see the person is mature enough, or when the person is constantly questioning them without transforming. So I don’t know whether Kṛṣṇa thought Arjuna was now mature or He thought ‘let him at least sit quietly for a few minutes with closed eyes!’ Either way, He gives him a technique. Action Or Renunciation

iti śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde jñāna-karma-sannyāsayogo nāma caturtho’dhyāyaḥ