By Victor M Fontane
Arjuna said:
“Renunciation of actions, O Krishna,
Thou praisest, and again yoga!
Tell me conclusively
which is the better of the two.”
Bhagwan Sri Krishna Said:
“Renunciation and the yoga of action
both lead to the highest bliss;
but of the two,
the yoga of action is superior
to the renunciation of action.
He should be known as a perpetual sannyasin who neither hates nor desires; for, free from the pairs of opposites,
O mighty-armed Arjuna,
he is easily set free from bondage!
Children, not the wise,
speak of knowledge and the yoga of action or the performance of action as though they are distinct and different;
he who is truly established in one
obtains the fruits of both.
That place which is reached
by the sankhyas or the jnanis
is reached by the [karma] yogis.
He sees who sees knowledge and the performance of action [karma yoga] as one.
But renunciation, O mighty-armed Arjuna,
is hard to attain without yoga;
the yoga-harmonized sage
proceeds quickly to Brahman!”
~ Bhagavad Gita (5.1–5.6)COMMENTARY (VivekaVani):
The Lord has taught two main doctrines, one of Karma and the other of Jnana through renunciation of actions.
These two paths are equally emphasized. Arjuna listened attentively and felt a natural doubt about the superiority of either of the two.
Jnana results in the renunciation of all actions, and Karmayoga consists of action without desire and attachment, both lead to the highest good. Both yield the fruit of liberation. But in the process of development, the Yoga of desire-less action is superior to the renunciation of action.
Arjuna has not yet attained the Self-state, devoid of the phenomenal universe. Millions of people live, move, and have their being in the objective world. It is not proper to teach them renunciation of action in the very beginning because they would not understand the true meaning of that doctrine. And, if a man without ripeness of Knowledge renounces action, he becomes a lost soul here and hereafter. The common man should act, work, carry out the injunctions of the Sastras, and do everything demanded of him as a duty in the course of his daily life. Such selfless devotion to duty will gradually purify the mind of all its latent tendencies, and then man becomes fit to enter the Self-state, where there is no actor, no action and nothing to act.
The Lord makes the categorical declaration that the fruit of both the yogas is the same and that the Sadhaka who takes to one of them and is well established in it, will attain the highest fruit of both. Direct perception of Atma is the aim of all yogas. It is only the ignorant who imagine that one path is superior to the other. These paths are intended to serve the needs of different aspirants born with different tendencies, and previous samskaras.
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