Chapter 2

Sankhya Yoga  or Tattva Viveka Yoga

 Yoga of Discriminating Will

The Main Topics of Chapter 2 are:

1. Sri Krishna’s repudiation of Arjuna’s misgivings about his participation in the war.
2. Arjuna’s repeating of his dilemmas about his partaking in the war, admission of his confusion and inability to reason the right course of action and surrender to Lord Sri Krishna for instruction of a clear, unambiguous law for making the right choice.
3. Sri Krishna revealing:

• The liberating Knowledge of The Real nature of the human being and the relation with the Universal Being.
• A guide map for cultivation of a discriminative and dispassionate- reasoning based on this Knowledge.
• The basis of the necessity of expression of one’s innate abilities as one’s own duties (Svadharma) and the principles of Perfection by Action.
• The description of the Nature and Action of a perfected man – The Sthitaprajnya.
• The main impediments to guard against on the path towards perfection of proper Action.
• The highest state of  human achievement possible.

SUMMARY

Arjuna’s difficulty was in deciding whether he should participate in the terrible act of war in which he would have to kill his revered elders, preceptors and  his own blood relatives.  Arjuna was concerned about the negative consequences for community and society by erosion of human values.  He feared that his actions would being demerit.  He was confused about what his duty was at this juncture.  He wondered if colossal  the destruction could  be prevented if  he stayed away from war.

SriKrishna, at a single stroke dismisses Arjuna’s inclination to renounce the war to be a disastrous idea, unmanly, as unworthy conduct of man of high stature, despicable,  mental aberration and weakness.  Arjuna then admits that his mind is bewildered, confused and unable to reason the right course of Action.  Arjuna surrenders to SriKrishna asking for a clear, unambiguous law to decide his right path.

SriKrishna starts with examination of what is  ‘death’ and what is ‘killing’.  Sri Krishna unfolds the knowledge of Atman or the philosophy of Absolute Self which forms the basis for answering all life questions.  Human being is an aggregate of two aspects, the immortal (Atman)  and mortal (body-senses-mind complex).  Out of this Atman, which becomes perceptible as ‘I’ is permanent and immortal.  It exists in and beyond time. Universe is extended by It,  but It is not limited by it.  It contains in it the perceptible and imperceptible, mutable and immutable and at the same time beyond both aspects (This subject is explained in detail in chapters 8, 13, 14 and 15).  The immortal, enlivens, supports and sustains the mortal.   Atman does not kill or die.  Body (which is enlivened by the eternal Atman) will come to an end sooner or later.  Atman acquires another body after death, according to the actions in the present life.  So, it is not proper for Arjuna to grieve over loss of body and shirk from his duty to participate in the war.

This raises the basic, universal enigma.  The object of quest of all human effort is to secure  happiness, prosperity and well-being for oneself, for family, community, country etc.  In this endeavor, success, failure, happiness, agony, pain of death and separation are all inevitable.  Then, how can one be free from these inseparable, coexistent dualities?  How can one ensure that he has not neglected the duty to himself, family, society, community, country while striving to secure happiness for all these entities?  SriKrishna unfolds the mystery of these aspects.

After describing that the human being is composed of the immortal Atman and the perishable body,  Sri Krishna unfolds the complex knot of right action based on this philosophy.   SriKrishna says to Arjuna that for the whole machinery of creation to function smoothly, everyone must engage in fulfilling one’s own duties, Svadharma.  Svadharma is the innate ability and propensity for action acquired by a person (by his actions in the previous life)  and circumstances of birth, society, time, age, etc.   One is bound to participate in the world because of involvement of Atman or Consciousness in space and time.  So, Action is inevitable.  Even staying alive if full of Action!  All life activities are included in the term Action,  denoted as Karma in the Bhagavad Gita.

Lord Sri Krishna outlines how one can reach Perfection by Action, the path of Karma Yoga,  following one’s svadharma born out of his svabhava.  By following this path the binding effects of action will not adhere to a person and will deliver one from the greatest of fears.  SriKrishna shows that one who follows this path will serve as a role model for all and set a perfect example of an expression of the Divine in human form – The Sthitaprajnya.   Such a person enjoys happiness, spiritual Knowledge, material wealth, worldly success and complete Self-governance.  This is the state of Perfection by Action, possible from the Knowledge of  the Absolute Self and devotion and love for all created beings.

SriKrishna tells that it is necessary to control the senses and mind to acquire a capacity for dispassionate Reasoning and a discriminating  Will.   How to steadily climb this staircase to the highest level is elaborated and explained in the further chapters of Bhagavad Gita.

CONTENTS

Arjuna’s Lament

Chapter 2 starts with Sanjaya relating to Dhritarashtra that Sri krishna told Arjuna who was dejected, full of pity and tearful eyes thus: (BG 2:1).

Sri Krishna tells:  “Arjuna, how has this mental state unbecoming of a man of your stature come to you at this critical time?  This does not lead you to heaven or give you any glory here.  This unmanliness is not fit for you.  Give up your weakness of heart and mind, get up, stand and fight”.  (BG 2:2-3).

Arjuna again laments saying  “how can I bring myself to attack with arrows my revered elders like Bhisma and Drona?  It is better to live begging instead of killing the elders. By slaying them, I would be enjoying the blood-stained comforts.  I do not know which is meritorious to  vanquish the opponents or to be vanquished by them.  All on Dhritarashtra’s side facing us, are our own people having killed whom we may not care to live!  My weakness has destroyed my real nature, I am not able to reason what my Dharma is.  I surrender to you, I am your student, please advice me the right course of action.  Even if I gain sovereignty over all earth and heaven, I do not see what can remove my grief that is drying up my senses “. (BG 2: 4-8).

Having said thus, Arjuna sits quiet telling SriKrishna that he would not fight.  SriKrishna, with a smile, says thus to Arjuna who was sitting dejected in between the two armies.  (BG 2: 9-10).

Nature of Human Being and Relation to the Universal.

Sri Krishna starts to address the source of Arjuna’s dilemma :  ” you are grieving about those you should not grieve, and yet you are talking like a man of wisdom.  Wise men do not grieve for those who are dead or those who are living. (BG:2:11).

Realize that it is not true that I, you or any of these people did not exist at any time before and it is also not true that any of us will cease to exist any time in future .(BG:2:12).

Atman (Universal Self, Absolute Self, Brahman) passes through physical states of childhood, youth, old age and to another body.  Knower of this truth does not get blinded and overly disturbed by this change. (BG:2:13).

Contact of body (sense organs) with the external world brings about cold and heat, pleasure and pain.  They come and go, they are only transient, learn to endure them (without lamenting). (BG:2:14).

That firm and wise person whom troubles and pains cannot afflict, who is balanced in pleasure and suffering, becomes fit (capable of) to attain immortality. (BG:2:15).

That which really exists can never go out of existence, that which is not existent can never come into existence.  The person who sees the truth behind what ‘is’ and ‘is not’ is really the wise person. (BG:2:16).

Know that Atman, the immortal consciousness, pervades and envelopes everything.  No one can destroy this immortal being. (BG:2:17).

Body comes to an end, but the immortal One who possesses and enlivens the body is infinite, illimitable, indestructible.  Therefore, Oh Arjuna  fight!. (BG:2:18).  

One who regards this (Atman) as a killer or one who thinks of it as killed, both do not possess the true knowledge.  This Atman does not kill and does not get killed. (2:19).  

This Atman is never born, never dies, it has existed before, exists now, will exist in future, it is unborn, ever-existent, permanent, primeval, does not get killed when body is killed. (BG:2:20).

One who realizes that Atman (that exists in oneself and all beings) is immortal, imperishable, pervading all existence, how can he kill or be killed?. (BG:2:21).

Just as one discards worn out clothes and wears new ones, Atman (the wearer of body), discards worn out bodies and takes on new bodies. (BG:2:22).

Weapons cannot cut it (The Atman), fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, wind cannot dry it, it cannot be cut, it cannot be burnt, it cannot be soaked, cannot be dried, it is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immobile, it is for ever.  It is imperceptible (to sense organs), unthinkable (by ignorant mind), immutable.  Having known Atman as such, it is not appropriate for you to grieve. (BG:2: 23-25).

Even if you want to consider that  Atman is subject to constant birth and death, you should not grieve over it because for one who is born, death is certain and to one who dies, birth is certain.  All beings are imperceptible in the beginning, perceptible in the middle and imperceptible at death.  What is there to be grieved?.  (BG:2:26-28).

Some look at Atman as mystery, some speak of It as mystery, some hear about It as mystery, but no one Knows It completely.  The owner of the body, that is Atman in all created beings can never be killed.  Therefore you should not grieve over it”. (BG:2: 29,30).

Lord Sri Krishna started with unfolding the knowledge of Atman or the philosophy of Absolute Self which forms the basis for answering all life questions. Summarizing, human being is an aggregate of two aspects, the immortal and mortal.  Human being consists of body (along with senses and mind) and Atman. Out of this Atman, which becomes perceptible as ‘I’ is permanent and immortal.  It exists in and beyond time.  Universe is extended by It,  but It is not limited by it.  It contains in it the perceptible and imperceptible,  mutable and immutable and at the same time beyond both aspects (This subject is explained in detail in chapters 8, 13, 14 and 15).  So, killing and dyeing  does not happen to Atman.  Body which is non-permanent and destructible will come to an end sooner or later.  Atman acquires another body according to the actions.  So, it is not proper to grieve over loss of body and shrink from duty that is called for.

The very condition of human effort is pursuit of happiness, prosperity and well-being for oneself, for family, community, country etc.  In this endeavor, success, failure, happiness, agony, pain are all inevitable.  Then, how can one be free from exhilaration, fear, anxiety, bewilderment, helplessness arising out of coexistent pairs of success-failure,  gain-loss,  etc?  How can one ensure that he has not neglected the duty to himself, family, society, community, country….?

Sri Krishna reveals the secret of untangling these puzzles.   First,  reasoning for why one must not shirk from duties.

Everyone Must Carry Out One’s Own Duties (Svadharma).  Action (Karma) is Inevitable.

After describing the existence of immortal spirit (Atman) in the perishable body, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that for the whole machinery of creation to function smoothly, everyone must engage in fulfilling one’s own duties, Svadharma.  Svadharma is the innate inclination for a particular kind of work  (Explained in later Chapters).  This is also depends on circumstances of birth, society, time, age, etc.  As explained so far, every one is bound to participate in the world because of involvement of Atman or Consciousness in space and time.  So, Action is inevitable.  Even staying alive if full of Action!  All life activities are included in the term Action,  denoted as Karma in the Bhagavad Gita.

Sri Krishna says:

• “One feels sadness at the loss of friends and relatives.  However, nature’s laws are always operating and loss-gain, happiness-unhappiness come and go in one’s life time just as seasons come and go.  You have to face them with fortitude.  It is not proper to run away from Svadharma.  It is your duty to fight for the right cause and protect Dharma.
• The situation of war has surfaced by force of circumstance.  You did not wish for it or commission it.  So, doing your part in it does not bring demerit.
• If you do not participate in the war it brings you demerit.
• If you refrain from war, your name, fame and reputation as an able, courageous warrior will be at stake.
• You will be a subject of ridicule by people who have held you in high esteem.
• If you die in the war you will go to heaven.
• If you win you will enjoy the kingdom.
• You cannot suppress your innate nature (svabhava), of a warrior, a fighter.  If you try to suppress it because of emotional misgivings you have stated, it will be temporary.  Your inner nature will thrust you to fight.  But then, it may not be the right time and the outcome will not be the best.
• Do not fight with any selfish motive in mind (longing for heaven or kingdom, power  or fear of hell etc.), but fight the greater good of societal harmony and well being by keeping your mind equanimous to happiness and unhappiness, loss and victory.
• War is one instance in the eternal march of Time.  If you do not take part in it, it will neither stop nor will it prevent the bloodshed which you want to prevent.  On the other hand, you will become responsible for encouragement  of unrighteousness, disorder and disintegration of society.  If you do not execute your duty, it is a great loss to you, and you will cause lot of harm”.  (BG:2: 30-38).

Perfection by Action (Karma- Yoga)

After revealing the Self-liberating Knowledge of reality of embodied being and importance of carrying out ones own duties, Lord Sri Krishna outlines how one can reach Perfection by Action, the path of Karma Yoga.

Sri Krishna says “I have told you the liberating wisdom of Self-knowledge.  Now hear the wisdom of Yoga (Karma-yoga),  knowing which binding effects of action will not touch you”. (BG:2:39).   This addresses Arjuna’s fear of acquiring the demerit of killing the revered elders and his own family members  etc. 

“In this path (Karma-yoga), even the slightest effort does not go in vain, no obstacles arise, and will deliver you from the greatest of fears”. (BG:2:40).   This definite and absolute assurance and promise from Lord Sri Krishna must be able to motivate one to take up the message of the Bhagavad Gita for a purposeful living.

Foundation of Karma -Yoga

“Oh Arjuna, the Reasoning Intelligence – buddhi, (refers to thought, intelligence, judgement, discrimination, will, choice, aim) of a resolute person is One, Homogeneous and Concentrated.  The desires of those whose reason is not cultivated are many-branched and endless”. (BG:2:41).

It is implied by this verse is that, All life activities have to be done with this knowledge that there is  One Eternal Being clothed in everything in the visible world (As revealed in the beginning of Chapter 2: 11-30).  A small speck of this One, Unchanging Consciousness (which is All knowledge, Power and Will) extends as the visible world.  The visible world is movement in the stable, unmoving, all-pervading consciousness.   Our body-mind-thought complex is the movement of this all-pervading consciousness.  Being aware of that the impermanent body is inhabited by the permanent Atman, all life energies and activities must be offered to the Divine Purushottama with devotion and without craving for personal gain.

All life- activities including the prescribed Vedic rituals can be transformed and raised to this highest level of spiritual attainment.  Lord Sri Krishna cautions Arjuna that those who undertake activities with a goal to fulfill one or the other desire (without being aware of  the underlying reality of the body)  become immersed in enjoying pleasures and prosperity.  Their Reason does not gain concentration to discriminate and decide the right action.  This impedes gaining mastery in works.   Sri Krishna further tells him that action for fulfilling desires are always subjected to dualities of happiness-unhappiness, success-failure.  Sri Krishna says that one can raise above this by keeping his mind serene in the truth of Self-knowledge,  always Self-possessed, always aware that his true nature is immortal and unchanging.  Thus, one will have ability to discriminate duty from non-duty, doable from not doable Actions.   He can execute his duties with out being hindered by unfounded fear and hesitation.   This way, one will be able to face and experience both happiness-unhappiness etc. with equanimity.  Further, both the individual and the society do not suffer.   When one has acquired the ability to live and carry out his activities abiding in this wisdom of Self-knowledge, all rules of ethics and scriptures become unnecessary  just as water from a well will not be needed when there is flood all around. (BG: 2:41-46).

Laws and Method of Practicing Perfection by Action, Karma-yoga.

In verses BG:2:47- 53, Sri Krishna succinctly summarizes the laws of action or Karma-yoga and main qualities one needs to cultivate in order to achieve freedom and liberation while being engaged in the activities of the world.

Verse 47 is one of the most quoted verses of Bhagavad Gita.  It succinctly summarizes the law of Karma-yoga.  It has four parts.  SriKrishna says:

1. “You have eligibility, authority, right, only to performance of Action (whole creation is movement and action, no one is free from action).   
2. Your authority never extends to the results of your Action. (For any action to be initiated and yield results numerous laws operating in nature have to come into play and you cannot claim all ownership to the results – explained further in BG  Chapter 18).
3. Let not the fruits of Action be your motive behind the Action. (Reason and motive behind Action are more important than the Action itself.  Make them as pure as possible).
4. Never be attached to Non-Action or one should not give up Action”. (Since one does not completely control the fruit of action, it can become an excuse to stay away from action because of  fear of facing undesirable result, recoil from pain of enduring the possible difficulties in the path etc.  Lord Sri Krishna has clearly, emphatically ruled that it is not the right choice and is not the path of  progress.)

 Practice of Karma-yoga and the result.

Sri Krishna tells Arjuna: “Be fixed in the Intelligent Will –  (Self-Knowledge of the reality of Body and Atman) and do your actions, having abandoned attachment, being equanimous to success and failure,  Equanimity is Yoga”. What is enjoined to Arjuna is to act with right Knowledge, right Will, the awareness that there is one Self in all beings and acting out of that serenity and not be drawn by desires in multiple directions by an impulsive, restless mind.  (BG:2:48).

“Action (Karma or desire-prompted actions) is inferior to Yoga of Intelligent Will (Karma-Yoga), therefore take refuge in the Intelligence. Those who work with fruit of actions as goal are indeed of lower level”. (BG:2:49).

“One who is fixated with this Intelligent Will casts away both merit and de-merit in this world (by offering everything to the all-pervading Divine).  Therefore, take shelter in Karma-yoga.  Skill of performing Action (Action without acquiring demerit or merit, thereby escaping the binding effects of action) is known as Karma-Yoga. (BG:2:50).  The sages who have united their Reason and Will with the all- pervading Divine, renounced the fruit of their actions, attain liberation, free from bondage of birth and reach the highest state where there is no unhappiness (the state of full manifestation of  Divine in man).  When your Intelligent Will has emerged clear of all delusion, with no confusion from the words of Sruti (Vedas and Scriptures), you will be still, steeped in mental absorption and  you will attain Yoga (of Intelligent will or Equable Reason)”.  (BG:2:51-53).

The State of the Perfected Individual, The Sthitaprajnya, the one with Perfected Reasoning, Perfect Knowledge, Steeped in Mental Absorption.

Arjuna’s curiosity is roused by Sri Krishna’s description of highest state man can rise to.   Arjuna asks Sri Krishna, “Please tell me who should be called a Sthitaprajnya , how does he speak, sit and walk”. (BG:2:54).

Sri Krishna says:

• “One is called a Sthitaprajnya when all desires have left his heart, revels himself in the pleasure of his own Self.  (He engages in all outward activities of the world while in inward mental state is always established in his real immortal nature.   This is not a forceful suppression of senses and stoic non experience of emotions, but a result of experience of his own Self present in all created beings). (BG:2:55).
• He is a sage settled in Wisdom (sees presence of his Self in everything) whose mind does not vacillate amidst sorrow and happiness, is free from longing, fear and anger. (BG:2:56)
• He is without affection, does not become exulted or averse at favorable and unfavorable happenings, neither hates nor rejoices, his intelligence firmly founded in Wisdom  (he sees himself in everything, not separate from anything). (BG:2:57).
• Just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its own shell, man firmly established in Wisdom draws away his senses from sense-objects.  The taste or longing of senses for sense objects cease only when the Supreme is seen.  (It is not suppression of physical contact of senses or killing of the ability of senses or non-enjoyment of senses, but a capacity to embrace and endure all contact, pleasurable and non -pleasurable, without suffering the sensuous reactions)”. (BG:2:58-59).

 

Impediments in Acquiring of Self-Knowledge.

• Sri Krishna tells Arjuna: “The senses are vehement, can carry away even the mind of a person who is putting all efforts in controlling them.  Having the senses under control, one must firmly stay in contemplation, giving up wholly to ME.  When sense are mastered thus, Knowledge if firmly established.  (This Self-knowledge is not obtained by intellectual understanding, it must be combined with unflinching devotion). (BG:2:60-61).
• When mind contemplates on sense-objects, intimacy with them grows, with this arises the desire to possess them, from desire arises anger, anger leads to indiscrimination, indiscrimination leads to confused memory, confused memory leads to loss of Reason and from this is total destruction of man”. (BG:2:62-63).

•  “When one has his senses controlled his Self, his mind is satisfied.  He moves freely among sense objects and his mind will not suffer from likes and dislikes. With the mind satisfied and steadied by his Reason, he escapes all unhappiness. (BG:2:64-65).

Discipline, Contemplation of Truth and Practice – Indispensable for acquiring Knowledge and Skillful Action.

• One who does not cultivate control of mind is not tranquil, one who is not tranquil cannot contemplate, one who does not contemplate cannot be peaceful, how can one who is not peaceful acquire happiness?  When mind is allowed to freely follow the urge of senses, his Reasoning capacity is enslaved just as a boat in strong wind. Therefore, Oh Arjuna, Knowledge of one whose senses are mastered by proper Reason is steady, unshaken, rests firmly in the calm of Self-knowledge”.  (BG:2:66-68).

Highest, Perfected State of the Human Being.

• “What is night for most people is day for a Self-mastered one, what is day for most people is night for Self-mastered one.  (This is a metaphor for desire-prompted activity as ignorance and is referred to as darkness, as night . Self-less Action arising from Knowledge of ones own being as inseparable from the immortal being as Light, Knowledge and Wisdom -referred to as day.  The Self-mastered one, Sthitaprajnya, sees selfish desire-prompted actions as unfulfilling and dedicates his actions to the Divine.  One who is not aware of his own reality will engage in desire-fulfilling activities and does not recognize the value of self-less action).  (BG:2:69).
• One, to whom all desires enter and who feels always fulfilled, like the Sea that receives waters constantly attains peace.  One who is disturbed by every little rush of desire (contact of senses with sense objects) does not become peaceful. (BG:2:70).
• One who has shed all desires (does not feel ‘I’, the narrow ego-sense separate from the Self present in every being), lives and acts from the freedom, without ‘I’-ness and ‘Mine’-ness attains great peace. (BG:2:71).
• Oh Arjuna, this is called Brahmi Sthiti, State of Divine.  Having attained this state, one does not get bewildered, remains in that state at the end (at the time of death)   attains Brahmanirvana (merger with Brahman)”. (BG:2:72).

OM TAT SAT

This concludes the Chapter Two entitled  ‘Yoga of Discriminating Will’ (‘Sankhya Yoga‘) in the dialogue between SriKrishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita Upanishad (Upanishad told by the Lord), on the Science of  Science of right Action (Yoga-Shastra), included in the Knowledge of Brahman (Brahma-Vidya).  

SIGNIFICANCE

Must take Messages from Chapter 2

Chapter 1 of Bhagavad Gita portrays the premise for Bhagavad Gita.  Chapter 2 introduces and captures in a nut shell all aspects of living a happy, fulfilling life.  The principles and the practice method are elaborated exhaustively in the rest of Bhagavad Gita.  It would be helpful to keep some of the terms and indispensable messages in focus as we go further to understand what is said in the next chapters.

1. Tattva, Reality, Truth.

2. How to handle the Senses?

3. Buddhi, Will, Self-knowledge.

4. Titiksha, Forbearence.

5. Vyavasaya, Cultivation of Mind.

1.Tattva, Reality, Truth. 

The essence of a thing that gives it its unique character can be called its Reality. Everything we come to recognize through our senses have two orders of Reality –  Real and Apparent.  A couple of simple examples:  we call a body of water as pond, river, well, ocean etc.  These are all apparent reality of the same essential Reality underlying them, that is WATER.   We call different gold ornaments as bracelet, necklace, earring, ring, plate, cup etc.  All these are different forms (Murthy-Rupa)  and we give different names to recognize them from each other (Nama-Rupa).  The Reality underlying all these multitude of names and forms,  is only the metal Gold.  Both the name and form can be destroyed and changed but one cannot destroy the fundamental Reality, the Gold.  Similarly, the apparent reality of a Human being is the body, mind, senses aggregate. Reality of the Human Being is that the body, mind and senses are projection of the One, Invariant, Unchanging, Immovable entity.  Human beings (all created beings) are formed, sustained and dissolved in this One unchanging Reality.  One has to be always aware of this fact – ability to distinguish the permanent and impermanent (Nitya-Anitya Viveka).   The permanent entity in all beings is referred to as Atman with respect to the individual, as Ishwara with respect to the visible world, Brahman with respect to all inclusive Reality beyond time and space.  Brahman is also referred to as Parabrahma, Purushottama, Paramaatma in different contexts.  Just as we recognize the planets, seasons as a manifested order,  human body (along with mind, organs, thought…) is also to be seen as an ordered manifestation of the same One underlying principle.  This is called the Absolute-Self. (BG:2:12-30).

By the principle of Absolute Self all questions pertaining to life, like: What is embodied life (Jiva),  What is Atma?  What is the visible world (Jagat)?, What is essence behind the sense perceptions?, What is duty and non-duty, doable and not doable (Dharma, Adharma)?, What is hell, heaven?, What happens after death?, What is freedom, release? can be examined.

One has to accept by faith that there is One fundamental Reality in all created beings based on Shruti (Vedas), Words and Wisdom of the Wise.  When one lives with faith in this as fact,  the faith can be validated by experience.  The test of this Shraddha (conviction, Faith) is whether it can answer all life’s questions satisfactorily.  The applicability of the message of the Bhagavad Gita to address the current issues is the test for this.  Living in the awareness that there is One reality in all created beings, everything is connected, one can express all the innate abilities for Self-unfoldment and also for the benefit of  society.    Thus, one can rise to manifest the Divine in the human form, the highest state possible.

2. How to handle the senses?

Most often heard caution is to control the senses.  How is it to be perfectly applied? Life is a pursuit of happiness.  What then is meant by control the senses?  Bhagavad Gita affirms that, it is neither starving the senses (keep away from society in solitude) nor suppressing them (forceful mortification).  Controlling them by force or starving them is neither necessary nor possible.  Senses must be allowed to function to their full potency without harming the body,  without causing turbulence in the mind, without harming the society, without injuring the nature.  Actions undertaken must fulfill one’s desires, enrich the society materially and spiritually.    For this, discrimination of what is right action and wrong action is necessary.   Practice of dispassion and proper discrimination  is necessary so that one does not suffer from the inevitable ups and downs of life.  For this the discrimination knowledge of permanent and impermanent is necessary (Nitya-Anitya-Viveka).

3. Buddhi, Will, Self-knowledge.  

The term Buddhi is used to indicate the ability to discriminate Real from Unreal, Permanent from Transient – same as Nitya-Anitya Viveka or Tattva-Viveka.   Buddhi is also the result of the Knowledge of the Reality.   This is referred to as Buddhi-yoga in the verse BG:2:39,  for the description  given in verses BG:2:11-38.

4. Titiksha, Forbearence.

Titiksha is forbearance with a serenity and patience.  This quality is necessary for success in any endeavor.  Effort in perfection of human nature can be no different. Unwavering focus on the goal, not giving in to distractions is necessary for reaching the target.  In this instance, goal being the manifestation of Divine in human form, one has to be constantly on guard so that the Ego, the small ‘I’ does not forget and mask the Real ‘I’. With innumerable encounters and experiences during life, the mind must not sway widely.  Such a stable mind set can be cultivated by contemplation of the Real nature of oneself.  With a stable and serene mind one can carry out one’s duties with courage, conviction, enthusiasm and without fatigue.  Thus, one will be able to receive the gain-loss, success-failure, pleasure-pain, which one inevitably faces in life with an attitude that they are no different from the natural laws which give seasons, night-day etc. Titiksha comes from Nitya-Anitya Viveka or discrimination of Real from Unreal.   Titiksha is necessary to keep the mind serene.  Serenity of mind is also necessary for success in any endeavor. (BG:2:14).

5. Vyavasaya, Cultivation of Mind.

Cultivation of mind is  an incessant, focused practice towards a goal.  Once the goal is set, mind should not give-in to doubts, distractions.  Caution SriKrishna gives here is that every profession will have some defect.  For this reason, it is not right to give up one’s duty.  For example, warrior’s duty entails killing or destruction.  An intellectual’s pursuit entails disinterest in vanity.  A businessman indulges in making material wealth.  A service worker is expected to follow an established method.  They cannot be blamed for being violent, apathetic, greedy, lacking intellectual ability respectively.   One has to determine what one’s duties are and stick to them with a unwavering mind.  One should not be carried away by doubt, daunted by difficulties, anxious about results, attracted to other non-productive pursuits.  For this, the foundation of the Knowledge of Absolute-Self is indispensable.