Bhagavad Gita Verse 64-65, Chapter 2

raagadveshaviyuktaistu vishayaanindrayaishcharan |
aatmavashyairvidheyaatmaa prasaadamadhigachati || 64 ||
 
prasaade sarvaduhkhaanaam haanirasyopajaayate |
prasannachetaso hyaashu buddhih paryavatishthate || 65 ||
 
But, the one whose mind and senses are under control, is devoid of attraction or revulsion. He moves around objects and gains the state of tranquility.
 
Having gained tranquility, all of his sorrows are destroyed. His mind is joyful and his intellect soon becomes steady.
 
raagadvesha-viyuktaih : devoid of attraction or revulsion
tu : but
vishayaan : objects
indrayaih : through senses
charan : moves around
aatmavashyaih : subdued
vidheyaatmaa : one with a controlled mind
prasaadam : tranquility
adhigachati : gains
 
prasaade : gaining tranquility
sarva-duhkhaanaam : all sorrows
haanih : destroy
asya : of this individual
upajaayate : become
prasanna-chetasah : joyful mind
hi : surely
aashu : soon
buddhih : intellect
pari-avatishthate : steady
 
In the last shloka, Shri Krishna explained the "ladder of fall", or how constant thinking about material objects leads to a fall from equanimity. In this set of shlokas, he explains the exact opposite scenario, where bringing the senses and the mind under control brings us to a state of happiness. Here's the sequence of events:
 
Bring senses and mind under control -> one becomes devoid of attraction and revulsion -> he can experience the material world without any problem -> his mind becomes tranquil -> his intellect becomes steady -> he has no more sorrow -> he attains the state of happiness.
 
So, if one continues to pursue one's svadharma, and stay devoted to a higher ideal, one gets to a stage of equanimity. We have learned this in earlier shlokas. But then, what next? This set of shlokas tells us that performance of svadharma has a purifying effect - it is like a flame that burns away our vasanaas. As the vasanaas burn away, our minds remain situated in equanimity - and that's when our sorrows diminish.
 
We are always looking at quick fixes to be happy - new job, new friends, read a new book, move to a new place etc. But what comes across in these shlokas is that a long-term state of happiness cannot be found in a quick fix solution. All we can do is follow our svadharma, fix a higher goal, and keep at it.
 
The eight shlokas including this one comprise the answer to the fourth of Arjuna's four questions, "how does a person of steady wisdom walk", in other words, how does such a person control his mind?

Bhagavad Gita Verse 62-63, Chapter 2

dhyayato vishayaanpumsaha sangasteshoopajaayate |
sangaatsanjaayate kaamaha kaamaatkrodhobhijaayate || 62 ||
krodhaadbhavati sammohah sammohaatsmritivibhramaha |
smritibhramshaad buddhinaasho buddhinaashaatpranashyati || 63 ||
 
When a man constantly thinks about objects, attachment for those objects arises. From attachment is born desire, and from desire is born anger. From anger comes delusion, from delusion comes loss of memory, from loss of memory comes destruction of intellect, and once the intellect is destroyed, he perishes.
 
dhyayataha : thinking
vishayaan : objects
pumsaha : individual
sangah : attachment
teshu : to those
upajaayate : is born
sangaat : from attachment
sanjaayate : is born
kaamaha : desire
kaamaat : from desire
krodhah : anger
abhijaayate : is born
 
krodhaat : when anger arises
bhavati : happens
sammohah : delusion
sammohaat : from delusion
smritivibhramaha : loss of memory
smritibhramshaad : from loss of memory
buddhinaasho : destruction of intellect
buddhinaashaat : from destruction of intellect
pranashyati : he perishes
 
Earlier, Shri Krishna touched upon the topic of continually thinking about material objects when we do not contact them physically. In this shloka, he goes into great detail as to why it is to be avoided. These two shlokas are sometimes referred to as the "ladder of fall". They illustrate how one simple thought can lead to the downfall of an individual.
 
Here is the entire sequence of events as mentioned in the 2 shlokas:
 
Constant thinking of material objects -> attachment -> desire -> anger -> delusion -> loss of memory -> destruction of intellect -> individual perishes.
 
Let's first examine the sequence of events from constant thinking all the way upto desire using the Ipod example from earlier :
A person has thoughts about ipod on sale -> gets attached to that ipod deal -> desire to buy ipod on sale is created.
 
Now, at this point, he has purchased the Ipod and is extremely attached to it. Even without going forward in the sequence, we can see that the material desire to procure an Ipod has taken the person away from performing his svadharma. His equanimity has already been disturbed. He is dragged back into the material world, and has taken one step backwards from moksha or freedom.
 
Let's move forward in the sequence:
Ipod breaks down -> he is angry that it has broken down -> he completely loses his equanimity -> takes anger out on his wife -> family environment is agitated.
 
Here, not only has he completely lost his equanimity, but has also caused pain to other members of his family. So the message here is that constant pondering and thinking about objects eventually leads to moving away from equanimity, hence it is to be avoided, or at least minimized to the extent possible.
 
An interesting point seen here is around anger. Per the shlokas, anger is caused when one's desire gets obstructed. Also, attachment to a concept such as one's job title or position causes continual waves of thought, anger and delusion, in other words, stress.  Therefore, these shlokas provide an ancient but relevant analysis of anger and stress.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 61, Chapter 2

taani sarvaani samyamya yukta aaseeta matparaha |
vashe hi yasyendriyaani tasya prajna pratishthitaa || 61 ||
 
The disciplined individual should restrain them all and sit with devotion to me. Having brought the senses under control, his wisdom is steady.
 
taani : those
sarvaani : all
samyamya : restrain
yuktah : the disciplined individual
aaseeta : sit
mat : me
paraha : devoted
vashe : control
hi : for
yasya : those whose
indriyaani : senses
tasya : his
prajna : wisdom
pratishthitaa : steady
 
Shri Krishna begins to go deeper into the subject of how senses and thoughts impact our lives. This subject comes under the umbrella of the "sthitaprajna lakshana", or the signs of a wise individual, and comprises the final portion of the second chapter. As a reminder, the four major portions of the second chapter are : 1) Shri Krishna convincing Arjuna that his logic was incorrect 2) providing the correct logic and understanding to Arjuna 3) providing the practical aspects of the teaching 4) describing the attributes of the man of steady wisdom. We are the the final topic right now.
 
In the last shloka, Shri Krishna described how the turbulent senses can ruin the mind. In this shloka, he provides a prescription to remedy the impact of the senses: set a goal that is higher than yourself, and channel your mind and your senses towards that higher goal. The senses, along with the mind, will detach from material objects only when they are shown a higher goal. They cannot detach without attaching themselves to a higher goal. Otherwise, we end up forcibly suppressing the senses, which we all know is not healthy.
 
This shloka also hints at the topic of meditation, which is a disciplined technique of fixing the mind to a higher goal. In meditation, an individual sits and gradually brings attention to one and only one thought. And that thought is nothing but the higher goal that we have set for ourself. The most unique thing in this shloka is that Shri Krishna uses the word "me", in other words, he asks us to make him the higher goal. In this manner, this shloka becomes the seed for chapters seven to twelve of the Gita on the topic of bhakti or devotion.
 
Now, at this stage in the spiritual journey, if you feel comfortable with making devotion to Shri Krishna your ultimate goal, that is fine. Otherwise, you can set any selfless goal that is greater than you - for example, serving your parents, serving your family, serving your organization, serving the country etc.
 
Setting a higher goal is the only way that your senses and your mind will come under control. It also ensures that your ego does not puff up thinking that it has controlled the senses.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 60, Chapter 2

yatato hyaapi kaunteya purushasya vipaschitaha |
indriyaani pramaatheeni haranti prasabham manaha || 60 ||
 
For the senses are so turbulent, O Kaunteya, that they forcibly seize the mind of a even a wise individual who perseveres.
 
yatatah : persevere
hi : for
api : even
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
purushasya : individual
vipaschitaha : wise
indriyaani : senses
pramaatheeni : turbulent
haranti : seize
prasabham : forcibly
manaha : mind
 
Earlier, we saw that if we have predispositions to objects, they will result in thoughts popping up in our mind. This will be true even if we are not near those objects. Some of us may raise an objection to this statement. We may ask: "As long as I control my actions, what difference does it make if I think about an object such as a chocolate cake? It won't matter because I won't eat it, Correct?"
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna responds to the objection. He says that thoughts can catch us at a time of weakness, when we are least alert, and undo all of our self control. These thoughts are generated by our predispositions or vasanaas.
 
Vasanaas are like dormant embers of coal that burn stronger when the senses add fuel to their fire. They are the seeds of thoughts, or "thought generators". This means that self control of actions is effective, but only to a certain extent, because self control does not tackle vasanaas. It is like trimming a weed instead of uprooting it completely.
 
Another aspect is pointed out here. One may practice conquering one's senses for a long time. That person can become an advanced practitioner through years of diligence and perseverance. He may come to the conclusion that all of his desires and vasanaas have been vanquished. But the senses and the mind are extremely clever; they will wait for months, even years, and then generate a thought that can destabilize his equanimity in a second.
 
In summary, it is not enough to control our actions in order to maintain equanimity, we have to remain alert and watch our thoughts as well.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 59, Chapter 2

vishayaa vinivartante niraahaarasya dehinaha |
rasavarjam rasopyasya param drishtvaa nivartate || 59 ||
 
Objects turn away from the fasting individual, but their taste remains. For the individual who has realized the absolute, the taste also turns away.
 
vishayaah : objects (of the senses)
vinivartante : turn away
niraahaarasya : fasting
dehinaha : individual
rasavarjam : except taste
rasah : taste
api : also
asya : for this individual
param : absolute
drishtvaa : realized
nivartate : turn away
 
In the last shloka, we encountered the "tortoise technique" which taught us how to guard ourselves when we encounter factors that can cause us agitation. It does work assuming we remain aware and alert about our thoughts. But if we have strong predispositions or vaasanaas towards any object, person or situation, the memory or "taste" of that factor will keep popping up in our mind. So in this shloka, Shri Krishna provides an overview of how one begins to address the removal of deep rooted predispositions, which is one of the primary goals of any spiritual teaching.
 
Let's go back to the black forest chocolate cake example from last time. You saw a piece of cake, you realized that you may succumb to it, and you took a few steps back. But a little later, the taste of that cake from a prior experience will pop up in your mind and begin to torment you. All you can think of for a while will be cake. This is what makes dieting difficult. Our mind keeps pushing us towards food each time we try to restrain ourselves.
 
So what is the solution? In the shloka, Shri Krishna says that the taste also turns away when we "realize the absolute". What he means is that we need to set our goal on something higher than ourselves, and hold on to that goal throughout our life. The higher the goal, the greater chance that we will get rid of our predispositions.
 
When we begin any diet, we typically set a goal, e.g. "I have to lose 2 kg in 3 weeks". Now, with this shloka in mind, we could try to set a higher goal, which could be "I need to lose this weight so that I can stay healthy to take care of my family". Or it could be "I need to lose this weight so that I can fulfill my svadharma in the best possible manner".
 
In later chapters, the Gita goes into great detail as to how we can gradually set higher and higher goals and ultimately set the highest goal, the "absolute" goal mentioned in this shloka, so that we can burn away all of our predispositions.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 58, Chapter 2

yada samharate chaayam koormangaaneeva sarvashaha |
indriyaanindriyaarthabhyastasya prajna pratishtitaa || 58 ||
 
When, just like a tortoise withdraws its limbs from all sides, he withdraws his senses from objects, his intellect is steady.
 
yada : when
samharate : withdraws
cha : also
ayam : he
koormah : tortoise
angaani : limbs
iva : like
sarvashaha : all sides
indriyaani : senses
indriyaarthabhyaha : sense objects
tasya : his
prajna : intellect
pratishtitaa : steady
 
So far, Shri Krishna gave us a checklist of factors that could disturb our equanimity: joy, sorrow, gain and loss. Let's say, we detect that one of these factors has presented itself to us. What should we do? He gives a beautiful example from the world of nature to address this point.
 
Whenever a tortoise senses danger, he withdraws his limbs into his shell. The shell is strong enough to withstand any adverse situation. And once that situation passes, he brings his limbs back into the world. Similarly, if we detect that an object, person or situation is about to disturb our equanimity, Shri Krishna advises us to bring our intellect into the picture, and completely withdraw our attention from that object, person or situation.
 
In one commentary on this topic, we learn that most animals have one sense organ as their weakness. The deer has sound, the elephant has touch, the moth has sight (fire), the fish has taste, and the bee has smell as its weakness. So for example, if a moth sees fire, it loses all control and flies straight into the fire. However, human beings have all five senses as their weakness, making this technique all the more important.
 
The most practical application of this technique is dieting. If we have a sweet tooth like we saw earlier, and we see a large slice of black forest chocolate cake in front of us, we have to apply the "tortoise technique" and move some steps away from that cake. It also means that we do not keep large stocks of chocolates, cakes etc. in our house because we may be tempted very easily.
 
Here's another related point. In India, many aspects of spiritual practices are embedded in our customs, but sometimes we do not realize their significance. We may have noticed a sculpture of a tortoise outside many Indian temples, which is an instruction to withdraw our worldly matters and enter the temple with a devotional mindset. But instead of doing so, we tend to whisper about worldly matters into the tortoise's ear, which is exactly the opposite of the original intent.
 
The six shlokas beginning with this one comprise the answer to the third of Arjuna's four questions, "how does a person of steady wisdom sit", in other words, how does such a person control his organs?
Footnotes
1. The example on 5 animals and their weaknesses is from Vivekachoodamani by Adi Shankarachaarya

Bhagavad Gita Verse 57, Chapter 2

yah sarvatraanabhisnehastattatpraapya shubhaashubham |
naabhinandanti na dveshti tasya prajna pratishthitaa || 57 ||

He who remains without attachment everywhere, is not elated in gain, and is not dejected in loss, his wisdom is steady.

yah : he who
sarvatra : everywhere
anabhisneha : without attachment
tat tat : those
praapya : receive
shubha : gain
ashubham : loss
na : not
abhinandanti : elated
dveshti : dejected
tasya : his
prajna : wisdom
pratishthitaa : steady

In the prior shloka, we saw how a person of steady wisdom responds to joyful and sorrowful situations that he encounters in life. In this shloka, Shri Krishna points out how that person responds to beneficial and adverse outcomes of his expectations.

This shloka uses an interesting word "anabhisneha", which means without attachment. The root of this word is "sniha" which means "to stick". Most of us tend to get stuck to objects, people and situations that we encounter in our lives. And it is that stickiness which gets us into trouble.

An example from the corporate world would be a consultant who is hired for a 3 month assignment verses a full time employee who is given a similar assignment. The consultant comes in, does what she is supposed to do, submits her report and moves on to the next assignment, without getting entangled in office politics. Whereas the employee gets "stuck" to the job and gets entangled in all kinds of office politics, who he should align himself with, etc.

So therefore, if one remains unattached and works towards a goal, he gains the objectivity to remain the same whether he succeeds or fails in accomplishing that goal. He knows that he was there before that success or failure happened, he was there during it, and he will be there after it as well. Therefore whatever happened can be easily dealt with. In no way does he let any adverse outcome demotivate him.

How can we apply this practically? For example, if we worked hard for a project and someone criticizes us, internally we should remain steady and evaluate whether the criticism is valid or mean-spirited. If it is valid, we take the feedback positively. If it is mean-spirited, we ignore it. But if we are too attached to the work, we will lose our equanimity each time someone criticizes us.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 56, Chapter 2

duhkeshvanudvignamanaah sukheshu vigatspruhah |
veetaraagabhayakrodaha sthitadheermuniruchyate || 56 ||
 
One whose mind is not agitated in sorrow, and remains indifferent in joy, and is free from attachment, fear and anger; that contemplative individual is known as a person of steady intellect.
 
duhkeshu : in sorrow
anudvignamanaah : mind is not agitated
sukheshu : in joy
vigatspruhah: indifferent
veetaraagabhayakrodaha : free from attachment, fear and anger
sthitadheeh : person of steady intellect
munih : contemplative person
uchyate : called
 
Shri Krishna continues giving us factors that can destabilize our state of equanimity. In this shloka, he says that the person of steady intellect does not let joy or sorrow upset his equanimity. Now does that mean that the person becomes a stone? No. As long as we are alive, it is natural to experience joy and sorrow. But if we notice that any joyful or sorrowful situation has upset our equanimity for a prolonged period of time, we should be on guard. There usually is an underlying selfish desire at work.
 
For instance, if you know that your favourite dish was planned to be cooked for dinner, but is no longer being cooked because of some reason, you will get disappointed. But if this disappointment persists for a long period of time, it means that you have a deep-seated desire for that dish, which can resurface anytime to cause you further agitation. The goal pointed our in the prior shloka is to free ourselves of as many material desires as possible, and to be "self satisfied with one's self".
 
The second part of the shloka goes deeper into this point by describing how a desire can give rise to fear and anger, both of which cause instability of mind. At the time of writing this, it is the thanksgiving holiday, so it is apt to look at a shopping example. Let's say that you go window shopping and see an ipod that is on sale with a huge discount. Later, you head home but all you can think about is that ipod. That's all it takes - you have developed attachment to it.
 
But that's not all. Right there, you will also develop a fear that it may go out of stock tomorrow, and that you will lose the deal. So you go to the store to buy it the very next day. Now, after a couple of days it stops working. You call the tech support phone number and are kept on hold for 20 minutes. What do you think has arisen in your mind? Anger, of course. And all it took was a desire to take hold of your mind when you saw the ipod. In later shlokas, Shri Krishna gives a more detailed, step by step breakdown of how a simple little thought can bring about one's downfall.
 
In the example, the individual imagined that the Ipod, which is nothing but a material object, would give him happiness. Whereas in reality, there is no happiness "built into" the Ipod. This projection of happiness onto a material object is termed as "shobhana adhyasa".
 
This shloka and the next comprise the answer to the second of Arjuna's four questions, "how does a person of steady wisdom speak?". This shloka is the seed of the first portion of chapter sixteen of the Gita called "daivee sampat" or the qualities of the gods.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 55, Chapter 2

Shri Bhagavaan uvaacha:
prajahaati yadaa kaamaansarvaanpaartha manogataan |
aatmanyevaatmanaa tushthah sthitaprajnastadocchyate || 55 ||
 
Shri Bhagavaan said:
When an individual gives up all desires that enter the mind, O Paartha, and is self-satisfied in his own self, that individual is called a person of steady wisdom.
 
prajahaati : gives up
yadaa : when
kaamaan : desires
sarvaan : all
paartha : O Paartha
manogataan : that enter the mind
aatmanaaa : self
eva : only
aatmani : by his own self
tushthah : self-satisfied
sthitaprajna : person of steady wisdom
tada : then
ucchyate : called
 
Just before entering a forest when hiking, there usually are signs posted at the entrance that say "beware of these poisonous plants". Similarly, from this shloka onwards, Shri Krishna lists all the factors that can destabilize our state of equanimity. If we keep track of these factors, and remain alert and aware when we encounter them, then we will never lose our mental balance and equanimity. This portion of the chapter is a very practical summary of the entire teaching of the Gita.
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna advises us to monitor our material desires, i.e. track how many are arising, how many we have fulfilled, and so on. As we saw earlier, continual harbouring of material desires has the effect of destablizing our mental balance, and takes us further away from state of equanimity. Therefore, a man of steady wisdom is one who has learned to give up all such desires.
 
Now this is especially true when we have predisposition to some object, situation or person. This predisposition is also known as "vaasana". Predispositions are the seeds of thought and desire. For instance, let's say we have a sweet tooth. Then, anytime we see a piece of chocolate, that desire will enter the mind, and we will begin thinking of how we can acquire that chocolate. If we are performing some work, the constant thinking of the chocolate will destabilize our mind and prevent us from focusing on the task at hand. So this shloka asks us to closely examine our predispositions as well as our desires.
 
Since this person of steady wisdom has extinguished all his desires, he is always content and does not need to rush out into the world of material objects. This is because he has realized his association with the eternal essence, which pervades the entire universe and therefore is always complete and content. Therefore, he will be "self-satisfied in his own self", as this shloka points out. This shloka is the answer to the first of Arjuna's four questions, "what are the indications of a person of steady wisdom who is established in samaadhi or continuous meditation".

Bhagavad Gita Verse 54, Chapter 2

Arjuna uvaacha:
sthitaprajnasya kaa bhaashaa samaadhisthasya keshava |
sthitadheeh kim prabhaasheta kimaaseeta vrajeta kim || 54 ||
 
Arjuna said:
What is the description of a person of steady wisdom, one who is established in continuous meditation, O Arjuna? How does that person of steady intellect speak? How does he sit? How does he walk?
 
sthitaprajnasya : person of steady wisdom
kaa bhaashaa : what is the description
samaadhisthasya : established in continuous meditation
keshava : O Keshava
sthitadheeh : person of steady intellect
kim prabhaasheta : how does he speak
kimaaseeta : how does he sit
vrajeta kim : how does he walk
 
In this shloka, we get to hear Arjuna speak after a long time. When we saw him last, he was in the midst of a panic attack. The extremely thoughtful question posed by him tells us that his mind has now calmed down, and that he has been following the teaching diligently. He now asks Shri Krishna to elaborate on the practical aspect of the teaching, since more time was spent on the theoretical part.
 
Arjuna was a warrior, and a very practical person. So he was less interested in abstract theoretical concepts. He wanted to know about the internal and external characteristics of a person who was steeped in equanimity. For a warrior, one of the best ways to learn to use a new weapon is to mimic someone who is skilled at using it. Therefore, Arjuna wanted to know how he could emulate that person who is always established in equanimity, here called a "sthita-prajna" or a person of steady wisdom.
 
The second half of the shloka contains questions that seem a bit odd to us. Why would Arjuna want to know how someone speaks, sits or walks? These questions are not meant to be taken literally. Speaking refers to the manner in which an individual reacts to situations, and walking refers to the manner in which an individual controls his mind as he transacts in this world. Sitting refers to one's ability to control their organs of sense and action. That's what Arjuna wanted to know.
 
Let us take stock of where we are. We had seen that Shri Krishna was covering 4 main topics: 1) Informing Arjuna that his logic and reasoning was incorrect 2) Explaining the correct logic and reasoning to Arjuna 3) Providing practical guidance to implement this correct logic and reasoning 4) Describing the attributes of the individual who follows this teaching.
 
In the next shloka, Shri Krishna moves from the third topic to the final topic, which is the description of the person with steady wisdom.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 53, Chapter 2

shrutivipratipanna te yada sthaasyati nishchalaa |
samaadhaavachalaa buddhistadaa yogamavaapsyasi || 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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 52, Chapter 2

yada te mohakalilam buddhirvyatitarishyati |
tadaa gantaasi nirvedam shrotavyasya shrutasya cha || 52 ||
 
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.
 
This shloka is the seed of chapter fifteen of the Gita, where this topic of ultimate indifference or dispassion is covered in great detail.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 51, Chapter 2

karmajam buddhiyukta hi phalam tyaktvaa maneeshinaha |
janmabandhavinirmuktaahaa padam gacchantyanaamayam || 51 ||
 
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

Bhagavad Gita Verse 50, Chapter 2

buddhiyukto jahaateeha ubhe sukritadushkrite |
tasmaadyogaaya yujyasva yogah karmasu kaushalam || 50 ||
 
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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 49, Chapter 2

doorena hyavaram karma buddhiyogaaddhananjaya |
buddhau sharanamanviccha kripanaah phalahetavaha || 49 ||
 
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".
 
Let us 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 action 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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 48, Chapter 2

yogasthaha kuru karmaani sangam tyaktvaa dhananjaya |
siddhyasiddhyoh samo bhootvaa samatvam yoga uchyate || 48 ||
 
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.
 
There are four kinds of attachment: attachment to result (I want a reward for singing this song), to action (I will sing a song only in my way), to doership (I will song the song, not anyone else), and to non-doership (I am the non-singer of this song).
 
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.
 
This shloka is the seed of the third and fourth chapters of the Gita on the topic of Karma yoga as a means for purification of the mind.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 47, Chapter 2 (continued)

karmanyevaadhikaaraste maa phaleshu kadaachana |
maa karmaphalaheturbhoormaa te sangostvakarmani || 47 ||
 
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, let us 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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 47, Chapter 2

karmanyevaadhikaaraste maa phaleshu kadaachana |
maa karmaphalaheturbhoormaa te sangostvakarmani || 47 ||
 
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
 
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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 46, Chapter 2

yaavaanaartha udapaane sarvathaha samplutodake |
taavan sarvheshu vedeshu braahmanasya vijaanataha || 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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 45, Chapter 2

traigunyavishayaa vedaa nistraigunyo bhavaarjuna |
nirdvandvo nityasatvastho niryogakshemam aatmavaan || 45 ||
 
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.
 
This shloka is the seed of two forthcoming shlokas of the Gita - chapter fourteen, covering the topic of the three gunaas, and chapter seventeen, covering the topic of faith born of sattva, which becomes the cause for qualities conducive to dispassion.
 
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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 42-44, Chapter 2

yaaimaam pushpitaam vaacham pravadantyavipashchitaha |
vedavaadarataaha paartha naanyadastiiti vaadinaha || 42 ||
 
kaamaatmaanaha svargaparaa janmakarmaphalapradaam |
kriyaavisheshabahulaam bhogaishvaryagati prati || 43 ||
 
bhogaishvaryaprasaktaanaam tayaapahyatachetasaam |
vyavasaayaatmikaa buddhihi samaadhau na vidheeyate || 44 ||
 
The unwise utter flowery statements. They are only interested in the Veda-related topics, O Paartha, saying that "there is nothing else".
 
Those who harbour material desires, and hold heaven as the ultimate goal, perform actions that result in rebirth. They describe various actions for obtaining pleasure and power.
 
But, those who are extremely attached to pleasure and power, who are attracted to these (flowery words), do not possess a determined intellect, and will never achieve samaadhi.
 
yaam : those
imaam : like this
pushpitaam : flowery
vaacham : words
pravadanti : who speak
avipashchitaha : unwise
vedavaadarataaha : topics from the vedas
paartha : O Paartha
na asti :  does not exist
anyata : anything else
vaadinaha : they say
 
kaamaatmaanaha : those who harbour material desires
svargaparaaha : those who hold heaven as the ultimate goal
janmakarmaphalapradaam : those actions which result in rebirth
kriyaavishesha-bahulaam : those who describe lots of actions
bhogaishvaryagatim prati : for obtaining pleasure and power
 

bhogaishvarya : pleasure and power
prasaktaanaam : extremely attached to
tayaa : those (flowery words)
apahyatachetasaam : attracted towards
vyavasaayaatmikaa : determined
buddhihi : intellect
samaadhau : samaadhi
na vidheeyate : not possible
 
Shri Krishna explained the importance of focus in the prior shloka. Here, he describes the tendencies that will prevent someone from having that focus. In essence, what he is saying here is that any individual who only thinks about one material desire after another, will never reach the state of absolute equanimity. The word used in this shloka to describe that state is "samaadhi".
 
Most of our youth is spent in gaining worldly knowledge. In the Gita,"Vedas" can be interpreted as "all worldly knowledge" from our standpoint. This knowledge is useful for performing our svadharma through our chosen profession. But most of us end up using this knowledge as a means to fulfill a never-ending stream of material desires, that will give us more and more pleasure and power. Our goal is never svadharma itself, it is material desires. And with each material desire, the shloka says that we are reborn.
 
The word rebirth here has a specific meaning. Each time you harbour a new material desire, you are "reborn". This is because each new material desire prompts you towards a whole new set of selfishly motivated actions, taking the focus away from your svadharma, and in doing so, moving you away from the ultimate goal of maintaining equanimity. For example, if you want a new car, you are reborn as a "car desiring individual" who will put in extra effort to earn money for a new car. But by the time the new car arrives, several new desires have sprung up, resulting in new "rebirths".
 
Now, the shloka also mentions that such individuals hold heaven as the ultimate goal. The word "heaven" also has a specific meaning here. It does not refer to some place up in the sky. It refers to a future state where you will be happy after you fulfill your desire. But by shifting your focus towards heaven i.e. the future, you make your present moment unhappy. This kind of thinking also prompts you towards selfishly motivated action.
 
Therefore, these shlokas reiterate the importance of keeping a focused attitude towards maintaining equanimity, and one does that by not harbouring endless material desires.
 
These shlokas are the seed of the second portion of chapter sixteen of the Gita called "aasuree sampat" or the qualities of the demons.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 2

vyavasaayaatmikaa buddhirekeha kurunandana |
bahushaakhaa hyanantaashcha budhyovyavasaayinaam || 41 ||
 
Here, the thoughts of the determined are focused, O Kurunandana. The thoughts of the irresolute are many-branched and infinite.
 
vyavasaayaatmikaa : determined
buddhihi : thoughts
ekaa : focused
iha : here
kurunandana : O Kurunandana
bahushaakhaa : many branches
hi : consists of
anantaaha : infinite
cha : and
budhyaha : thoughts
avyavasaayinaam : irresolute
 
From this shloka onwards, Shri Krishna began to provide Arjuna with a practical "toolkit" of techniques that would enable him to conduct his svadharma with equanimity of mind. This shloka explains the first technique in this toolkit: maintaining constant focus on the goal prescribed in the Gita teaching.
 
The goal mentioned in a prior shloka is clear to all of us : equanimity of mind in any situation. So the very first thing that Shri Krishna instructs us to make a promise to ourselves that "I will only focus on one desire - that of maintaining equanimity. If it has nothing to do with my svadharma, I will not entertain that desire."
 
Consider an example. When Mr X visits the grocery store with a shopping list, he quickly and efficiently gets the items on the list and leaves the store. He is focused on acquiring the objects in his shopping list. But when he visits the mall or an electronics store, his mind starts entertaining "many-branched and infinite thoughts" e.g : "Oh look at this new IPod", "Can I get it cheaper here?", "When's the new HDTV coming out" etc. and eventually ends up spending over 3 hours in the mall. Therefore, focus is extremely important in any endeavour.
 
Now, let's assume we focus on the one desire to maintain equanimity. How do we know whether we are on the right track? To that end, this shloka very beautifully gives us a "checklist" so that we can keep tabs on our focus. At some point every day, preferably at the end of the day, we should ask ourselves two questions and write down the answers in a journal:
 
1. What objects/people/situations did I keep obsessing about today?
2. How many of these obsessive thoughts did I have?
 
If we notice over time that the quantity of our obsessive thinking has begun to diminish, it means that our intellect is beginning to focus on the ultimate goal of the Gita teaching.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 2

nehaabhikramanaashosti pratyavayo na vidyate |
svalpamapyasya dharmasya traayate mahato bhayaat || 40 ||
 
Here, there is no loss of effort, nor is there any negative result. Even a little of this knowledge protects one from the most massive fear.
 
na : no
iha : here
abhikramanaasha : loss of effort
na : not
asti : happens
pratyavayaha : negative result
na vidyate : does not happen
svalpam : a little
api : also
asya : this
dharmasya : this knowledge
traayate : protects from
mahataha : massive
bhayaat : fear
 
As mentioned before, we are all set to embark upon the practical aspects of the Gita teaching.
 
Now, whenever we are about to begin a project, a few doubts or fears may arise in our minds. Two of the most common fears are (a) what will happen if I don't follow the steps exactly? and (b) what will happen if I make a minor mistake and the whole thing backfires?
 
Consider a student who has left the comfort of his home to pursue higher studies abroad. Now, he usually has to learn how to cook since his mom is not around to cook anymore. If he tries to prepare a meal, it will usually come out wrong because the steps were not followed correctly. Or worse still, it may totally backfire and yield a negative result - he may burn the food which will set off a fire alarm.
 
Moreover, for most Indians who hold the Gita in high reverence, we may harbour a notion that any teaching of the Gita needs to be followed to the letter, like a priest who recited mantras at a puja. And if we don't do this, we will incur sin.
 
Shri Krishna reassures Arjuna that the teaching of buddhi yoga is absolutely risk free. It will not result in "abhikrama-naasha" or error caused by not following the steps correctly. It will also not create "pratyavaha dosha",  i.e. yielding a negative result.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna informs us that there is absolutely no excuse for holding back in implementing these teachings due to fear of any sort. Even if we practice a little bit of this teaching, it protects us from the most massive fear - the fear of death.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 2

eshaa tebhihitaa saankhye buddhiryoge tvimaam shrunoo |
buddhyaa yukto yayaa paartha karmabandham prahaasyasi || 39 ||
 
This discipline of knowledge has been stated to you. Now, listen to the discipline of action. Having equipped yourself with this understanding, O Paartha, you will cast of your bonds-of-action.
 
eshaa : this
te : for you
abhihitaa : has been stated
saankhye : Sankhya (discipline of knowledge)
buddhiryoge : discipline of action
tu : you
imaam : this
shrunoo : listen to
buddhyaa : understanding
yuktaha : equipped
yayaa : which
paartha : O Paartha
karmabandham : bonds of action
prahaasyasi : cast off
 
Shri Krishna uses this shloka to conclude the theoretical topic of correct logic and reasoning, and transition on to the means of attaining that knowledge. The remaining shlokas in the second chapter are extremely practical and can be immediately used in our daily lives. They will enable us to conduct our svadharma while always keeping the attitude specified in the prior shloka : treat any situation, joyful or sorrowful, with equanimity.
 
The word yoga comes twice in this shloka, so let's examine it more closely. Usually, we think of yoga as an ancient art of physical exercise. However, the word yoga in the Bhagavad Gita has a different meaning. Translated into English, the meaning is a mix between the words technique and discipline. In fact, as we saw earlier, each chapter of the Gita is a yoga, or a technique and discipline, unto itself.
 
There is an interesting word in the last part of this shloka - "bonds of action". It almost seems like a thick rope exists, one end tied to our leg and the other end tied to the action. What does is bondage?
 
An action that increases extreme attachment or hatred towards anything - an object, person or situation - "binds" us to that thing. It is similar to addiction. We may smoke a cigarette once, but unless we have high self control, we want to experience it again. This desire to repeat the experience eventually results in an addiction and we cannot live without it.
 
The important point here is that no action or object can bind us; it is the thought behind it that binds. For a non-smoker, a pack of cigarettes does not cause bondage. Conversely, for a smoker, just the mere sight of the pack of cigarettes prompts him to smoke. For things subtler than addiction, we can tell whether or not an action will cause bondage by checking whether it is for the service of one's selfish ego or not.
 
Consider an executive making a presentation to her management team. One scenario could be that she makes the presentation with the motive of getting a promotion. Another scenario could be that she makes the presentation with the motive of increasing the sales of the corporation so that it benefits all the stakeholders. In the first case, the action binds her. In the second case, it doesn't.
 
Alternatively, consider a musician performing on stage. If he performs with the sole motive to get applause and get nominated for an award, the action will bind him. But if he performs with the sole motive of entertaining the audience and honouring his craft, the action will not bind him.
 
Shri Krishna gently reveals the technique of cutting off these bindings in the rest of the chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 2

sukhaduhkhe same kritvaa laabhaalaabhau jayaajayau |
tato yuddhaaya yujyasva naivam papamavapsyasi || 38 ||
 
Treat joy or sorrow, gain or loss, victory or defeat with equanimity, and then engage in war. By doing so, you will not incur sin.
 
sukhaduhkhe : joy or sorrow
same : equal
kritvaa : make
laabhaalaabhau : gain or loss
jayaajayau : victory or defeat
tataha : then
yuddhaya : in war
yujyasva : engage
evam : in this manner
paapam : sin
na avaapsyasi : will not incur
 
This is one of the most important shlokas in the second chapter, and perhaps in the entire Gita. In essence, Shri Krishna instructed Arjuna to maintain equanimity, an "even keel" attitude, not just in war, but in any circumstance in life.
 
Let us take stock of where we are. We had seen that Shri Krishna was covering 4 main topics: 1) Informing Arjuna that his logic and reasoning was incorrect 2) Explaining the correct logic and reasoning to Arjuna 3) Providing practical guidance to implement this correct logic and reasoning 4) Describing the attributes of the individual who follows this teaching. We are currently in the set of shlokas covering topic 2 - the correct reasoning and logic.
 
After the first sub-topic of the eternal essence concluded, we explored the second sub-topic of svadharma. Shri Krishna is now about to conclude this sub-topic by pointing us to the ultimate goal of our spiritual efforts.
 
Having reoriented ourselves with the scheme of the second chapter, lets now examine the current shloka. On first glance, the lesson in this shloka seems unapproachable and impossible to carry out, to some extent.
 
We encounter joy, sorrow, victory, defeat, gain and loss almost everyday, even several times a day. And each time we encounter any of these situations, we get emotionally and sometimes even physically affected by them. At work, a meeting with your boss does not go well. But on another day, your boss gives you an exemplary speech on a project well executed. How can we possible treat these as equal?
 
Shri Krishna fully understands this point. Here, he only lays out the ultimate goal for us: the goal of equanimity, or treating each and every life situation equally without getting agitated. Now that we know what the goal is, he will gently guide us through a path of practical advice throughout the rest of the teaching in the Gita.
 
So as we read the rest of the second chapter, if we think we have lost sight of the goal, let's remember this shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 2

hato vaa praapsyasi svargam jitvaa vaa bhokshyase maheem |
tasmaaduttishta kaunteya yuddhaaya kritanishchayaha || 37 ||
 
If you are killed, you will obtain heaven; and if you win, you will enjoy this earth. Therefore, O Kaunteya, arise and decide to engage in war.
 
hataha : you are killed
vaa : if
praapsyasi : obtain
svargam : heaven
jitvaa : you win
vaa : if
bhokshyase : enjoy
maheem : earth
tasmaat : therefore
uttishta : arise
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
yuddhaaya : in war
kritanishchayaha : decide to engage
 
Here Shri Krishna makes yet another plea to Arjuna not to shirk away from duty. This time, however, the message is more specific - Shri Krishna does not want Arjuna to resort to inaction or stasis.
 
Here Shri Krishna is saying : "Arjuna, regardless of whether you win or lose, the outcome will always be favourable. But the longer you keep pondering over your fight or not-to-fight dilemma, the further you move away from action towards inaction. Under no circumstances is inaction permissible. Therefore, fight!"
 
When faced with tough situations, our natural instinct is to move away from action towards inaction. There is always a hesitation, sometimes procrastination. And usually, this hesitation is caused by a fear of failure, or fear of trying something that we have not done before.
 
But Shri Krishna advises us that as long as we are performing actions that are aligned to our svadharma, our duty, action is always preferable to inaction or procrastination. The outcome of performing an action in accordance with our duty will always be favourable.
 
Footnotes
1. In common usage, Dharma means religion, so sva-dharma could mean "one's religion". And so, this verse has the potential to be translated as "everyone should fight a war for one's religion". This is a misinterpretation. If one really is a warrior (in the army, navy etc.) then they should definitely fight for their country. But if one is not a warrior by profession, there is no need to fight.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 34-36, Chapter 2

akeertim chaapi bhootani kathayishyanti teavyayaam |
sambhaavitasya chaakeertirmarnaadatirichyate || 34 ||
 
bhayaadranaaduparatam mansyante tvaam mahaarathahaa |
yeshaam cha tvam bahumato bhootvaa yaasyasi laaghavam || 35 ||
 
avaachyavaadaamshcha bahoonvadishyanti tavaahitaaha |
nindantastava saamarthyam tato duhkhataram nu kim || 36 ||
 
Moreover, everyone will also speak about your infamy forever. This will be a great sorrow, worse even than death, for an honourable person.
 
Great warriors will believe that you disengaged from the war due to cowardice. Even though they once regarded you highly, they will now look down upon you.
 
Your enemies will say many unspeakable things about you. They will condemn your prowess. What could be a greater sorrow than this?
 
akeertim : infamy
cha : and
api : also
bhootani : everybody
kathayishyanti : speak about
te : you
avyayaam : forever
sambhavitasya : honourable person
cha : also
akeertim : infamy
marnaat : than death
atirichyate : greater sorrow
 
bhayaat : due to fear
rinaat : of war
uparatam : disengaged
mansyante : believe
tvaam : you
maharataaha : great warriors
yeshaam : in whose
cha : and
tvam : you
bahumataha : highly regarded
bhootvaa : were
laaghavam : fall short
yaasyasi : obtain
 
 
avaachyavaadaan : unspeakable words
cha : also
bahoon : many
vadishyanti : will speak
tava : your
ahitaaha : enemies
nindantaha : will condemn
saamarthyam : prowess
tataha : of that
duhkhataram : greater sorrow
nu kim : what will
 
Aristotle said that to make an argument forceful, convincing and persuasive, one has to incorporate three elements: ethos, logos and pathos, or in other words, emotion, logic and the reputation of the speaker. After having using logic in his teaching, Shri Krishna uses a call to emotion as a tool of persuasion.
 
For a great warrior like Arjuna, reputation was everything. Therefore, Shri Krishna advised Arjuna to remember his svadharma, his duty and fight, or else he would lose his reputation as a mighty warrior.
 
We can learn so much from the way Shri Krishna builds and delivers his arguments to Arjuna, not just from the teaching itself. Whenever we have to make a presentation at work, or want to convince our spouse or our parents of something that is important to us, it is always better to a mix of logic and emotion in our arguments rather than just chose one or the other.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 33, Chapter 2

atha chetvamimam dharmyam samgraamam na karshyasi |
tataha svadharmam keertim cha hitvaa paapamavaapsyasi || 33 ||
 
On the other hand, if you do not undertake this righteous war, then by forsaking your duty and valour, you will incur sin.
 
atha : on the other hand
chet : if
tvam : you
imam : this
dharmyam : righteous
samgraamam : war
na : don't
karshyasi : undertake
tataha : then
svadharmam : your duty
keertim : valour
cha : and
hitvaa : forsaking
paapam : sin
avaapsyasi : incur
 
The word "sin" could mean several things to several people. Let us understand the meaning used here. If you live in society anywhere, in a city, town, village etc. you are always bound by certain laws. If you conduct an act that goes against the law, then it is called a crime. Stealing a car, for example, is a crime.
 
Similarly, if someone does not perform their svadharma or duty, or does something counter to their svadharma, it is equivalent to a crime under a cosmic or universal law. That crime is termed as a sin.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna urges Arjuna and us to consider the repercussions of not conducting our svadharma. Like a good teacher, he had explained the benefits of the teaching earlier, and now he elaborates on the downside of not following the teaching in this and the next shloka.