After Shri Krishna paused, Arjun, still not out of the despondency, made another attempt to argue. He asked....
"I listened to you attentively. I noted how you dwelt at length on the magnanimous state of the deep absorption with the Inner Self and attain the state of oneness with Brahma, the ultimate Reality wherein there is no existence of the doer and the deed, the actor and the act. If that is the state which the seeker must reach, why do you distract me with the gruesome option of war?
You are causing me a greater confusion by your complex language and semantics. Therefore, state your meaning without ambivalence and show me the exact way which will lead me to my personal liberation."
The Lord said , "Arjun, your innocence moves me. Now listen to me. Listen to the voice of divinity speaking. At the very beginning of all life-cycles, the Divine Energy (and think of the Divine Energy as me) has distinguished two kinds of faith. One is the faith in the light of the divine knowledge, the source of which lies in the inner Self.That is the path of Jnyana Yoga, the path of Enlightenment. The other is the path of Karma, the path of living and action. This is Karma Yoga, the path for those who are on the way to enlightenment, but not yet reached the final goal. They have not yet found emancipation from the bondage of Karma. They are the seekers, the Yogins who are still bound to the path they are traveling. They have to learn from life. They are not the Siddhas; they have yet to realize the Self.
Arjun, please try to understand the difference. You cannot attain the freedom from Karma, the state when you have lived life fully, traversed the entire course of earthly life, understood all there is to see and know, because you have yet to go a long way. Only those souls who have gone through all these stages and reached the highest state of liberation can be truly free of the bondage of Karma. They are the Sidhhas, redeemed and absolved of the consequences of karma. But the souls who are still on the path of Karma, cannot say, "I will not be engaged in action; I will not begin what I am supposed to do" The ordinary being has to consume the fruit of karma. Similarly, he cannot drop the karma which has already been set into motion. He cannot leave unless he brings those karmas to completion. There is no way out except living out the path, traveling on it till the end.
Not for a moment can a living being stop and be without the obligation of doing the karma. We are all governed by the propensities we are born with. We live our life according to the dictates of our basic nature. Our sense organs are designed to help us in performing the karma necessary to live life in this world. We have to understand that their basic purpose is to help us live life efficiently. Their purpose is not to distract and mislead. We have to use our mind and govern them and keep them functioning correctly. There is no point if we suppress their natural functions and then, with our mind and imagination, feel the frustration that results from non-gratification. This kind of behavior is self-deception and hypocrisy. The point is that the senses will obey the order of the mind, but the mind will be forever restless and distracted from the essential performance of karma. The mind, first of all, must be at ease with itself and not feel deprived. One who feels no unease in giving up dependence on gratification, one who allows the senses to function smoothly, without getting attached to the pleasure or pain, one who lives fully without attachment to the senses, is a person of a superior category.
O Arjun, the credit lies in performing the karma that has befallen you. That is a better option than living a life of inaction. Your journey through life while you are in this body, is not possible without transacting the necessary karma.
"I listened to you attentively. I noted how you dwelt at length on the magnanimous state of the deep absorption with the Inner Self and attain the state of oneness with Brahma, the ultimate Reality wherein there is no existence of the doer and the deed, the actor and the act. If that is the state which the seeker must reach, why do you distract me with the gruesome option of war?
You are causing me a greater confusion by your complex language and semantics. Therefore, state your meaning without ambivalence and show me the exact way which will lead me to my personal liberation."
The Lord said , "Arjun, your innocence moves me. Now listen to me. Listen to the voice of divinity speaking. At the very beginning of all life-cycles, the Divine Energy (and think of the Divine Energy as me) has distinguished two kinds of faith. One is the faith in the light of the divine knowledge, the source of which lies in the inner Self.That is the path of Jnyana Yoga, the path of Enlightenment. The other is the path of Karma, the path of living and action. This is Karma Yoga, the path for those who are on the way to enlightenment, but not yet reached the final goal. They have not yet found emancipation from the bondage of Karma. They are the seekers, the Yogins who are still bound to the path they are traveling. They have to learn from life. They are not the Siddhas; they have yet to realize the Self.
Arjun, please try to understand the difference. You cannot attain the freedom from Karma, the state when you have lived life fully, traversed the entire course of earthly life, understood all there is to see and know, because you have yet to go a long way. Only those souls who have gone through all these stages and reached the highest state of liberation can be truly free of the bondage of Karma. They are the Sidhhas, redeemed and absolved of the consequences of karma. But the souls who are still on the path of Karma, cannot say, "I will not be engaged in action; I will not begin what I am supposed to do" The ordinary being has to consume the fruit of karma. Similarly, he cannot drop the karma which has already been set into motion. He cannot leave unless he brings those karmas to completion. There is no way out except living out the path, traveling on it till the end.
Not for a moment can a living being stop and be without the obligation of doing the karma. We are all governed by the propensities we are born with. We live our life according to the dictates of our basic nature. Our sense organs are designed to help us in performing the karma necessary to live life in this world. We have to understand that their basic purpose is to help us live life efficiently. Their purpose is not to distract and mislead. We have to use our mind and govern them and keep them functioning correctly. There is no point if we suppress their natural functions and then, with our mind and imagination, feel the frustration that results from non-gratification. This kind of behavior is self-deception and hypocrisy. The point is that the senses will obey the order of the mind, but the mind will be forever restless and distracted from the essential performance of karma. The mind, first of all, must be at ease with itself and not feel deprived. One who feels no unease in giving up dependence on gratification, one who allows the senses to function smoothly, without getting attached to the pleasure or pain, one who lives fully without attachment to the senses, is a person of a superior category.
O Arjun, the credit lies in performing the karma that has befallen you. That is a better option than living a life of inaction. Your journey through life while you are in this body, is not possible without transacting the necessary karma.
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