My Voice: Bg 45-53

When your intellect, confused by what is heard, remains steady and stays grounded in equanimity, then you shall attain yoga.

shruti : what is heard
vipratipanna : confused
te : your
yada : when
sthaasyati : will become
nishchalaa : steady
samaadhau : in equanimity
achala : grounded
buddhih : intellect
tadaa : then
yoga : yoga
avaapsyasi : attain

The last shloka described an advanced stage of yoga, in other words, a state of equanimity, where we begin to slowly lose interest in material objects. In this shloka, Shri Krishna indicates the final stage of yoga where the intellect never loses its grounding.

In the initial stages of our spiritual journey, we will begin to experience moments of equanimity. These moments will be short and fleeting, but that is ok. As we continue to practice equanimity, these moments will grow longer and become more frequent. But there is always some thing – a thought from the past, a critical statement uttered by a friend, an object that we crave – that takes us out of equanimity and back into the world of moha.

So what should we aim for? We should aim for something better. Here’s an example. When the internet was new, most of us connected to it using a dial-up modem. Each time we needed to access the internet, we had to establish a connection, and then disconnect it once done. As technology improved, we began to connect through it via cable or DSL connections. These connections are “always on”, so there was no need to connect and disconnect everytime. Now no one wants to ever go back to using dial up modems.

So therefore, this shloka gives us a picture of the most advanced state of yoga where one is always in a state of equanimity, no matter what the circumstance. And when this happens, we will be always connected to the imperceptible, incomprehensible eternal essence. This is the only way to attain the eternal essence. When that happens, this state is called “samaadhi”, which will the the culmination of one’s spiritual journey.

When your intellect has completely crossed over the quagmire of delusion, then you will become indifferent to what has been heard and what is to be heard.

yada : when
te : you
moha : delusion
kalilam : quagmire
buddhih : intellect
vyatitarishyati : completely crossed
tadaa : then
gantaasi : attain
nirvedam : indifference
shrotavyasya : what is to be heard
shrutasya : what has been heard
cha : and

As we saw in the last shloka, Shri Krishna concluded the introduction to Karmayoga. Now in this shloka and the next, he offers us pointers to assess whether we are progressing on the spiritual path or not. He mentions that one who is always established in equanimity becomes indifferent to hearing about any topic. But that is just the literal meaning. Here it also refers to seeing, touching, feeling and smelling, i.e. any object perceived through our senses.

Let’s look at this in more detail. Also note that it we have gone through similar situations already in our lives, so this should not be something unknown to us.

Growing up as a teenager in the 1990s, WWF wrestling was considered a phenomenon. We would watch it diligently when it came on TV, read about it in magazines, and discuss it among friends non stop. But as we grew up we realized that it was staged entertainment, and not a real sport. And in time, like many other things, we outgrew the fascination for it. So now as adults when we see WWF on TV, we just change the channel and don’t even think twice about it. We have become indifferent to WWF.

Now a wonderful poetic phrase – quagmire of delusion – is used here. What exactly is moha or delusion? In case of the WWF, we were under the delusion that WWF would give us happiness. But more broadly, moha refers to the error of pursuing of the material world as a source of happiness, as opposed to realizing the eternal essence. Therefore, as one practices equanimity and moves ahead on the spiritual path, the material world slowly loses appeal.

So as you begin to practice equanimity through performance of svadharma, try to keep track of your attachment to material objects. You will begin to observe that slowly, your attraction to the material world will start to weaken. This state of ultimate indifference to the material world is the state of “param vairagya” or ultimate indifference.

Thus, the wise individual who performs actions with equanimity is liberated from the entanglements of birth, and attains the immaculate state.

karmajam : of action
buddhiyuktaha : with equanimity
hi : thus
phalam : result
tyaktvaa : give up
maneeshinaha : wise individual
janmabandhavinirmuktaahaa : liberated from entanglements of birth
padam : state
gacchanti : attains
anaamayam : immaculate

With this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the introduction to Karmayoga in this chapter. Here, he tells us that one who continually practices Karmayoga frees himself from the entanglements of birth. Let’s look at this in more detail.

Our experience tells us that desires are never ending. Most material desires, once fulfilled, give rise to new ones. For instance, most immigrants to a country such as the US usually arrive with modest means. They rent a flat till they know where they plan to settle long term. And then the desires begin to manifest.

In a few years they take out a loan to buy a house. A house usually has a lawn. So you need a lawnmover, a leafblower, fertilizer, sprinkler system and so on to take care of the lawn. In addition, you need a car to get around. In time, one car is not enough – you need two. And since the neighbour has a Mercedes, you need to get one as well. Similarly with a TV – you start with 32 inch, then 60 inch, then 3D capability, home theatre system etc. Each desire, once fulfilled, gives birth to a new one.

So the shloka here says that this endless cycle of desire after desire entangles us in the material world. And therefore, one uses the discipline of Karmayoga to break out of it so that you reach that state where there are no desires or blemishes in one’s personality – what is termed here as the immaculate state.

Let’s summarize the key points of Karmayoga that we have seen in this chapter. Karmayoga is the performance of actions with equanimity of mind. We also looked at a 3-step toolkit to implement Karmayoga in our lives:
1. Reduce unnecessary thoughts of material objects that do not pertain to our svadharma
2. Improve quality of necessary thoughts by removing extreme attachment and hatred
3. Perform actions focusing on the present moment, without attachment to the result of action

One who is equipped with equanimity in this life discards both merit and sin. Therefore remain established in yoga; yoga results in perfect action.

buddhiyuktaha : with equanimity
jahaati : give up
iha : here, in this life
ubhe : both
sukritadushkrite : merit and sin
tasmaat : therefore
yogaaya : in yoga
yujyasva : established
yogah : yoga
karmasu : in action
kaushalam : perfect

In the last chapter, Arjuna raised several concerns to Shri Krishna while debating whether or not to fight the Kaurava army. One of the concerns was that he would incur sin if he killed his kinsmen. Having given the overview of the topic of Karmayoga, Shri Krishna wanted to now address Arjuna’s concern around sin.

In this shloka, Shri Krishna told Arjuna that if one follows the path of Karmayoga, i.e. performs svadharma with equanimity, one doesn’t have to constantly ponder whether an action will beget merit or sin. In fact, one goes beyond the accumulation of merit or sin. Why is that the case? If we begin to detach ourselves from the results or fruits of our actions, we will also not get attached to merit and sin. Both merit and sin, like results of an action, are future-oriented expectations, and have no place in Karmayoga.

For instance, consider a grapevine that produces grapes. It fully carries out its svadharma, which is to produce tasty grapes. But it is upto the one who processes the grapes to make grape juice out of those grapes, or to produce alcohol that probably ends up ruining an alcoholic’s family. The grapevine does not incur merit or sin, it simply performs its svadharma.

There is another important point in this shloka. Earlier, we came across the definition of yoga as “yoga is equanimity of mind during the performance of action”. Now, Shri Krishna instructed Arjuna on another benefit of yoga. If one maintains equanimity of mind at all times, one’s actions become perfect since they will be performed with total attention and dexterity, without any distractions. Therefore, there is no need worry about the result. The result will, without question, be beneficial.

Earlier, we had discussed trying Karmayoga using a simple exercise: washing dishes while giving complete and undivided attention to the task at hand. If you tried it, you may have noticed that it is almost impossible to focus the mind on the task. The mind, much like a child, darts either into the future or into the past. For now, let’s continue to practice Karmayoga by doing simple household chores like washing dishes, but with focused attention. In the forthcoming shlokas, we will encounter more tools to bring equanimity to the mind.

Selfish action is far lower than unselfish action, O Dhananjaya. Seek refuge in the knowledge of equanimity. Pitiable are those who are motivated by results.

doorena hi : far
avaram : lower
karma : selfish action
buddhiyogaat : unselfish action
dhananjaya : O Dhananjaya
buddhau : knowledge of equanimity
sharanam : refuge
anviccha : seek
kripanaah : pitiable
phalahetavaha : those motivated by results

So far, Shri Krishna described the performance of unselfish actions while maintaining equanimity of mind. In this shloka, he expresses his views on individuals acting with a selfish motive. To indicate his level of contempt for them, he calls them “pitiable”.

Lets say there is a large family living under one roof. Everyone has a part to play: some people work to bring in money, some are students, some take care of the house etc. Now, there is a large TV in the living room and anyone in the family can watch it. But, if one person starts monopolizing the TV and prevents others from watching it, what would you call that person? Wouldn’t you call him selfish and pitiable? Well, the world we live in is no different than this large family. Any selfishly motivated actions eventually causes more harm than good.

Now, all of us will agree that acting in an unselfish manner is a good thing, in theory. But we very rarely practice it in our lives. Why is this so? The most common argument is that if we become unselfish, other selfish people will take advantage of us and we will probably “lose” in life.

So how do we address this argument? Acting with an unselfish attitude does not mean that we become weak-minded wimps. If someone is obstructing us from performing our svadharma, we should deal with that individual in a firm manner appropriately. And if we truly practice equanimity of mind while performing actions, we will respond to the situation using our intellect and not our emotions. Therefore we will not do something rash and harmful to the situation at hand.

Therefore, the teaching of Karmayoga encourages us to slowly change our attitude to one of unselfish action, and maintain equanimity of mind while performing actions.

Perform action, established in yoga, and discard attachment, O Dhananjaya. Remain balanced in success and failure. Yoga is defined as equanimity.

yogasthaha : established in yoga
kuru : perform
karmaani : action
sangam : attachment
tyaktvaa : discard
dhananjaya : O Dhananjaya
siddhyasiddhyoh : in success and failure
samaha : balanced
bhootvaa : remain
samatvam : equanimity
yoga : yoga
uchyate : defined

This shloka pushes further the teaching of Karmayoga by advising us to begin discarding our attachments to objects in the material world. Obviously, we will not be able to totally discard all our attachments in one day. This will take a long time. However, Shri Krishna asks us to slowly start treading on this path. Why is he asking us to do so? He wants us to diminish our hankering for the outcome of our actions, and the only way to do that is by reducing our attachments to the material world.

Consider a mother who takes care of her 5 year old child. She gets extremely attached to it and develops lots of expectations: my child will take care of me when it grows up, it will become a doctor etc. If those things don’t happen, she will generate lots of sorrow for herself. But a nanny taking care of a child will not be attached to it. She will perform her svadharma by taking good care of child. However, she will have zero expectations from the child, and therefore she will be able to maintain equanimity in action.

The only difference between the mother and the nanny is their attitude – one is attached, one is unattached. And the one that has attachments has expectations for the future, the other does not.

Now in this shloka we encounter Shri Krishna defining the term “yoga”. It has nothing to do with arcane rituals. It has nothing to do with complex physical postures. It is a surprisingly simple and practical definition: equanimity of mind during performance of action. It is how the nanny operated in the earlier example.

So what is the practical technique to cast off attachments? How do we actually do this? We have to rid ourself of all expectations and worries about the future, as well as memories of the past. If we eliminate constant thinking about past and future, we can channel all that energy into the present moment and into executing the task at hand.

We probably have experienced instances in our lives where we were so joyfully and blissfully immersed in our work that we forgot where we were and what time it was. But those experiences were few and far between. By going deeper into each and every task we perform, no matter how big or small the task, we will minimize past and future thinking, which will enable us to remain balanced regardless of success and failure. This is the true definition of yoga.

To recap, our toolkit contains 3 techniques: reducing unnecessary thoughts, improving quality of thought, and focusing on the task and hand. We can practice this teaching with mundane tasks, and move on to more complex ones. Next time we wash dishes, lets give each movement of the hand our single and undivided attention, and try to sustain it while washing each and every dish. Give it a shot, see what happens.

Footnotes

1. There are four kinds of attachment: attachment to result (I want a reward for singing this song), action (I will sing a song only in my way), doership (I will song the song, not anyone else), non-doership (I am the non-singer of this song).

You only have authority over action, not ever to the result. Don’t be motivated by the result, and don’t get attached to inaction.

karmani : action
eva : only
adhikaaraha : authority
te : your
maa : not
phaleshu : result
kadaachana: ever
maa : no
karmaphalahetuhu : motivated by result
bhuha : become
maa : don’t
te : you
asangaha : attached
astu : happen
akarmani : inaction

Now let’s move into the main teaching of this shloka. Here Shri Krishna urges us to not worry about the outcome, i.e. the result, of the action. How will this work? Let’s recap two important points. We have seen earlier that when we perform our svadharma, we derive joy from the performance of action itself since we have the interest, desire and aptitude for it. We also learned in the last shloka that we do not have complete control over the outcome.

Therefore, we should never be motivated by the outcome when we know we have executed our actions with perfection, and that we do not have complete control on the outcome. Motivation for the outcome creates bondage – it is like a rope that ties us into the future. Instead, if we give up motivation for the outcome, there is no such binding created.

Let’s address a few doubts that most of us may have when we hear this teaching. The first doubt could be : “If I am not motivated by the result, how will I know where I am heading? I want my project to be executed on time, I want my team to be inspired by a goal, I want progress in my career. How can I do all these things if I am not motivated by the result?”

To answer this, lets closely look at what Shri Krishna has prescribed. There is nothing wrong with aiming for a specific goal, or even to be inspired by it. Setting a vision, defining a goal, making a plan – all these things are absolutely required for the perfect execution of any work. We can always be motivated by the goal, but not be motivated by the outcome. There is a subtle but important difference.

Another doubt could be as follows: “If I know that I am only partially responsible for the outcome then why should I do any action at all? I will just quit my job, sit at home and do nothing.”

Shri Krishna cautions us not to do so in the last part of the shloka – do not get attached to inaction. If we know that we have performed our svadharma and our actions to the best of our abililty, we know that in the end we will achieve our goals, even if things may not turn out as anticipated sometimes. But we should never totally give up and do nothing.

What we have learned so far is just the tip of the iceberg. This shloka is the seed for the topic of Karmayoga, or the discipline of action. Shri Krishna expounds on this topic at great length in the forthcoming chapters. Arjuna has several questions and doubts in regards to this teaching, all of which will be addressed by Shri Krishna one by one.

47-1

You only have authority over action, not ever to the result. Don’t be motivated by the result, and don’t get attached to inaction.

As mentioned earlier, this shloka is probably the most known and oft-quoted shloka in the Gita. There are many chapters in the Gita that go deeper into the layers and layers of meaning packed into this shloka. Given the richness of this shloka, we shall try to understand it to the best extent possible. Since there are several messages in this shloka, let’s examine the teaching part by part.

Let’s start with the first half of the shloka. The message is as follows. Shri Krishna says that we have authority only over the actions performed by us, but never on the result. In other words, we do not have complete control over the outcome of any activity. As we grow older and spend more time in this world, we know this fact instinctively. But because we forget it, we tend to get disappointed when things don’t go our way, or get elated when things do.

Look at our own lives, we can take any number of examples to test this theory. Take a simple thing as catching a bus that has just arrived on the other side of the road. We run to catch the bus. But even in such a simple task, the outcome is not guaranteed. If we are able to catch the bus then all’s well. But there are several other outcomes that could occur. The bus may leave before we get to the stop. We could catch the wrong bus. Once aboard, we may not have the fare. Worst of all, we could get hit by a car while crossing the road.

Or consider a complex task as a surgeon performing heart surgery. Take the world’s best doctor trained at the world’s best college, in the surgery room of the world’s best hospital with the world’s best surgery team. Even with all these things, that surgeon will never have a 100% success rate.

The outcome of any action is like an equation where we provide some of the variables, but not all of them. In fact, we may not even know all the variables that end up determining the outcome.

So unless we logically convince ourselves that we do not have complete control over the result of an action, we will not be able to learn the main teaching the second half of this shloka. We will tackle that teaching in the next post.

Footnotes

1. “Phala” literally means “fruit”. Fruit of a result has a “seed” in it, which has the potential to generate yet another action.

46|

Just like there is no use for a well when water is flooding everywhere, so does a brahmana know all the contents of the Vedas.

yaavaan : just like
aartha : use
udapaane : well
sarvathaha : everywhere
samplut : flood
udake: water
taavan : similarly
sarvheshu : everything
vedeshu : contents of the Vedas
braahmanasya : a braahmana
vijaanataha : realized

In the last shloka we asked a question : if we were to reduce our dependence on worldly things, wouldn’t we have to give up TV, music, games, parties etc. Wouldn’t that be a boring life?

Think about your childhood. All of had a craving for toys when we were kids. But there came a stage when most of us outgrew toys because we began to think about higher things like career aspirations etc. So all toys began to look the same to us, regardless of the price, shape, size, colour, brand etc. , from a simple spinning top to an expensive model airplane.

Similarly, Shri Krishna says that once our thoughts become high quality, i.e. they pertain to our svadharma and to spiritual contemplation, then automatically we will begin to feel less need for any external entertainment and enjoyment.

Therefore, this shloka says that one who always maintains equanimity will have known all there is to know about the material world, and will begin to transcend worldly matters and knowledge.

In this shloka we notice that the word “braahmana” appears. Braahmana here does not refer to the caste system meaning. It refers to an individual who is always contemplating about brahman, which is nothing but the eternal essence that we learned about in the early part of this chapter. Also the word Veda, like in previous verses, refers to worldly knowledge.

Now, the two techniques prescribed so far, reducing unnecessary thoughts and improving quality of thought, were preparatory techniques. They are meant to prepare us for learning the main technique of the teaching, which is covered in the next shloka. It is probably the most famous and oft-quoted shloka in the Gita. We shall cover it in great detail.

The Vedas describe the three gunas. Transcend those gunas, O Arjuna. Free yourself from dualities, remain always in sattva, give up thinking about acquisition and preservation, and be established in the eternal essence.

traigunyavishayaaha : describe the three gunas
vedaaha : Vedas
nistraigunyaha : free from the 3 gunas
bhava : become
arjuna : O Arjuna
nirdvandvaha : free from dualities
nityasatvasthaha : steeped in sattva
niryogakshemam : free from acquisition and preservation
aatmavaan : established in the eternal essence

The first technique in our toolkit was the art of maintaining focus to reduce the quantity of unnecessary thoughts. Shri Krishna now provides us with the second technique in our toolkit: slowly improving the quality of our thoughts. This shloka is jam-packed with practical tips to improve our thought quality, so let’s tackle this shloka part by part.

Firstly, an absolute prerequisite to improving thought quality is to be mindful of what we are thinking. Most of us tend to perform actions daily almost on autopilot. If we are not aware of what we are thinking while performing an action, we will not be able to improve the quality of our thoughts. Therefore, the shloka advises us to think deeply about whether any action we perform is selfish, or is in service of our svadharma. Doing so repeatedly will reveal the true nature of our thoughts.

Secondly, the shloka advises us to go beyond obsessive thinking about the interplay of the 3 gunas. In a nutshell, there are 3 types of gunas or tendencies that are responsible for creating everything in this material world. Therefore, the shloka advises us to start contemplating spiritual knowledge daily, which will automatically reduce material thoughts.

Thirdly, the shloka speaks about dualities. Dualities are the positive and negative mental labels associated with thoughts – love/hate, joyful/sorrowful, pleasurable/painful etc. So practically speaking, any thought that demonstrates extreme attachment or hatred towards an object, person or situation is a poor quality thought because it strengthens the ego. Whenever we catch ourselves saying something like “I cannot live without watching TV everyday”, we should be on guard. It is better to substitute that thought with something like “I enjoy watching TV, but I can live without it if I want to”. Similarly, if we have a thought like “I want to kill my boss” we can start to think “My boss is difficult to work with sometimes, but he is a human being just like anyone else”.

Finally, the shloka advises us to stop worrying about acquisition and preservation. Most of us are worried about two things – acquiring something, and preserving something once it is acquired. A corporate executive will keep thinking about the promotion. And once he has it, he will do all he can to make sure he holds on to his new post. But the shloka informs us that as long as we are diligently performing our svadharma, we will automatically get what we need to live a good life. Therefore,we should stop obsessing over acquisition and preservation, which is an impediment to maintaining equanimity.

Let’s summarize the techniques learned so far as follows. The first technique helped us reduce the quantity of unnecessary thoughts. The second technique helps us improve the quality of our thoughts by substituting poor quality thoughts with good quality thoughts. It is helpful to maintain a diary to track the quantity and quality of our thoughts, so that we can gauge our progress. It is no different than following a disciplined approach to losing weight or quitting smoking.

A question may arise here : “How can I stop thinking about the material world after I perform my svadharma? After I come home from work I need to watch TV, surf the web, watch movies, sports etc. in order to be entertained. Won’t life become boring?” The answer is provided in the next shloka

My Voice

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Bg 45-53

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