Second
Discourse – Yoga of Sankhya (Dejection)
Lord
Krishna rebukes Arjuna for his dejection, which is due to attachment, and
exhorts him to fight. He explains to Arjuna the imperishable nature of the Soul
/ Atman, for which there is no past, present or future. It is that indwelling
silent witness which pervades each being and is a part of the Supreme Being.
The Atman never dies, therefore Arjuna should not grieve. As
the Atman transcends the five elements viz. Earth, water, fire, air and ether,
It cannot be cut, burnt or dried. It is unchanging and eternal.
Lord
Krishna further explains:
Everyone
experiences sensation due to contact of objects with the senses. One should
withdraw the senses from objects like the tortoise, which withdraws all its
limbs, within. Lord Krishna asserts that only one, who has the capacity to be
balanced in pleasure and pain alike, is fit for immortality.
Having
taught Arjuna the immortal nature of the Atman, Lord Krishna turns to the
performance of action without expectation of a reward. A man must not concern
himself about the fruit of the action, like gain or loss, victory and defeat
etc. These are in the hands of the Lord. He should perform all action with a
balanced mind, calmly enduring the pairs of opposites, like heat and cold,
pleasure and pain that inevitably manifest during action. Lord Krishna advises
Arjuna to fight, free from desire for acquisition of kingdom or preservation of
it.
Arjuna then enquires from the Lord, the characteristics of a stable-minded person.
Lord Krishna tells him that such a person has no desires at all as he is
content within, having realised the Self or Atman. Being conscious of the Atman
and abandonment of all desires are simultaneous experiences. This type of
person will not be affected by adversity and will have no fear or anger, nor
have likes or dislikes. He will have perfect control of the senses and realises
the “God”, who resides in the heart.
Lord
Krishna concludes that the eternal Brahmic state frees one from delusion
forever and even, on passing on at the end of life, one does not lose
consciousness of one's identity with Brahman.
to be continued
No comments:
Post a Comment