Chapter-V
The Yoga of Knowledge and Discipline of Knowledge and Action
This chapter describes the attributes of God and His glory and description of Karmayoga or selfless action, the conduct of the Yogis and sages and description of their glory, description of different forms of sacrifices with their fruits and description of the glory of knowledge. Sri Bhagwan says that He had taught this immortal yoga to Vivasan ( Sun-God) who conveyed it to Manu his son, and Manu to is son Iksvaku. Thus transmitted in succession from father to son this yoga was only known to Rajarishis ( Royal Sages) hence it has disappeared from this planet. He is imparting the same Yoga to Pandava Prince as he is His devotee and childhood buddy and also because this is a supreme secret. Arjuna says that Krishna is of recent origin while the birth of Vivasan dates back to remote antiquity, so how can he believe Him that he taught Yoga to him the beginning of creation. To it Sri Bhagwan replied that Arjuna, you and me have passed through many births, He remembers them all while Arjuna does not remember it. Though birthless and deathless, and the Lord of all Beings, He manifests himself through His own Yogmaya( Divine Potency),keeping my nature ( Prakriti) under control. Whenever righteousness is on decline and the unrighteous is on the rise, then he comes on the Earth assuming human form to protect the virtuous, punish evil and for establishing Dharma (righteousness) on firm footing. God’s birth and activities are divine and he who knows it in reality, is not reborn on leaving his body and gets emancipated from the cycle of life and death and comes and merges with God. In the past also many have become one with God by getting completely rid of passion, fear and anger, submerging in God, and depending on Him and purified by penance of Wisdom. Both men seek God as well as God approaches the men as all men follow God’s path in every way. In this world of human beings men seeking the function of their activities worship the gods because success born of actions follow quickly. The four orders of society- Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudras were created by almighty classifying them according to the mode of Prakriti in each and by assigning corresponding duties to them thus almighty is non-doer. Since God has no craving for the fruit of actions so actions do not contaminate Him. Even he who thus knows God in reality is not bound in actions. Krishna tells Arjuna having known this, action was performed even the ancient seekers for liberation. So Arjuna, you should also perform such actions as have been performed by ancients from the beginning of the time. Even men of intelligence are confused over what is action and what is inaction. So Lord Krishna decides to tell the Pandava Prince the truth about action, after knowing which he will be freed from its evil effects. The truth about action must be known as well as about inaction and even truth about prohibited action as mysterious are the ways of action. He who sees action in inaction and inaction in action is wise among men; he is a Yogi who has performed all actions. Even the wise call him a sage, whose undertakings are all free from desire and thoughts of the world, and whose actions are burnt up by the fire of wisdom. He who has given up attachment to actions and their fruits totally no longer depends on the world and is ever contented, does noting at all though fully engaged in action. Having subdued his mind and body, and given up all objects of enjoyment, and free from craving, he who performs sheer bodily action does not incur sin. The Karmayogi, who is contented with whatever is got unsought, is free from jealousy and has transcended all pairs of opposites ( like joy and grief) and is balanced in success and failure, is not bound by his action. All his actions melt away, who is free from attachment, who has no identification with body, and does not claim to be his own, whose mind is established in the knowledge of self and who works merely for sacrifice. In the practice of seeing Brahma everywhere as a form of sacrifice Brahma is the ladle( with which the oblation is poured into fire), Brahma is the oblation, Brahma is the fire, sacrificer and so Brahma himself constitutes the act of pouring oblation into the fire. And finally Brahma is the goal to be reached by him who is absorbed in Brahma as the act of such sacrifice. Other Yogis duly offer sacrifice only in the shape of worship to Gods. Others pour into the fire of Brahma the very sacrifice in the shape of self through the sacrifice known as the perception of identity. Other offer as sacrifice their senses of hearing etc into the fire of self discipline. Other Yogis offer sound and other objects of perception into the fires of the senses, and the functions of vital airs into the fire of Yoga in the shape of self control kindled by wisdom. Some perform the sacrifice with material possessions, some offer sacrifice in shape of austerities, others offer sacrifice through the practice of Yoga, while some other striving souls observing austere vows perform sacrifice in the shape of wisdom, through the study of sacred texts. Other Yogis offer the act of exhalation into that of inhalation, even so they do the act of inhalation into exhalation. There are still others given to the practice of Pranayam( Breath control) who having regulated their diet and controlled the process of exhalation and inhalation into the vital airs themselves. All these have their sins consumed away by sacrifice and understand the meaning of sacrificial worship. Krishna tells Arjuna that Yogis, who enjoy the nectar that has been left over after performance of a sacrifice attain the eternal Brahma. To the man who does not offer sacrifice , even this world is not happy, how can then the other worlds be happy. Many such forms of sacrifices have been set forth in detail through the mouth of the Vedas, know them all of as involving the action of mind, body and senses. Who ever knows this truth will be freed from the bondage of action through their performance. Sacrifice through knowledge is superior to sacrifice performed with material things. For all actions without exception culminate in Knowledge, O’ son of Kunti. Understand the true nature of knowledge by approaching illumined souls. If you prostrate at their feet, render them service, and question them with an open mind and guileless heart , those wise seers of truth will instruct you in that knowledge. Sri Bhagwan tells Arjuna that when he had reached enlightenment, ignorance will no more delude him. In the light of that knowledge he will see the entire creation first within his own self ( Soul) and therein Creator ( Over soul). Even though one is the foulest of all the sinners this knowledge alone would carry him like a raft across the sea of all his sins. As the blazing fire turns the fuel to ashes, even so the fire of knowledge turns all actions to ashes. On Earth there is no great purifier as great as knowledge, he who has attained purity of heart through a prolonged practice of Karmayoga automatically sees the light of Truth in the Self in course of time. He, who has mastered his senses is exclusively devoted to his practice and is full of faith, attains knowledge, having had the revealation of Truth, he immediately attains supreme peace in the form of God realisation. He tells son of Kunti that actions do not him who has dedicated all his actions to God according to the spirit of Karma Yoga, whose doubts have been torn to shreds by wisdom, and who is self possessed. So Krishna tells Arjuna to slash into pieces the doubt of ignorance in his heart with sound of wisdom and establish himself in Karmayoga in the shape of even - temperedness and stand up for the light.
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