Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 18

yadagre chaanubandhe cha sukham mohanamaatmanaha |
nidraalasyapramaadottham tattaamasamudaahritam || 39 ||
 
That which deludes the self initially and in its result, caused by sleep, lethargy and intoxication, that joy is called taamasic.
 
yat : that which
agre : initially
cha : and
anubandhe : in its result
cha : and
sukham : joy
mohanam : deludes
aatmanaha : self
nidraalasyapramaadottham : caused by sleep, lethargy and intoxication
tat : that
taamasam : taamasic
udaahritam : is called
 
There are some people in this world for whom even ten hours of sleep is not enough. Some others do not want to start any task unless they are reminded several times. Or even worse, some people constantly seek alcohol, smoking or drugs. There has to be a reason why people gravitate to such methods. They derive joy, happiness and a sense of pleasure in these things, even if they know that they will lead to social, physical and mental ruin in the long run. Such a kind of joy is called taamasic sukha.
 
Shri Krishna says that such people are in moha. They are deluded into thinking that the state of stupor, created by indulging in excessive sleep, laziness and intoxication, is happiness. In other words, there is some sensation of joy which has to be acknowledged, but it is unwanted and destructive. Worse still, this perverse type of joy remains throughout the beginning, middle and end of the action. A lazy person will remain comfortably situated in his stupor throughout the day, and continue in his stupor through sleep in the night.
 
If we examine our lives, we may see that there are a few moments where we may sink into partaking taamasic joy. It is next to impossible to come out of this state once we are in it. Once someone has had a high quantity of alcohol, for instance, there is no way for them to recover. They just have to wait for it to leave the body naturally. Short of keeping a high level of awareness towards what we eat, drink, watch and think about, there is no clear antidote for taamasic joy.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 18

vishayendriyasamyoogaadyattadagremritopamam |
parinaame vishamiva tatsukham raajasam smritam || 38 ||
 
That which comes from the contact of senses with their objects, which is like nectar initially, but like poison in its result, that joy is called raajasic.
 
vishayeindriyasamyoogaat : from contact of senses with objects
yat : that which
tat : that
agre : initially
amritopamam : like nectar
parinaame : in its result
visham : poison
iva : like
tat : that
sukham : joy
raajasam : raajasic
smritam : is called
 
When we see a movie, we have the option of watching it in 3D or 3D IMAX. Everyone has a cellphone with a built in music player. Perfumes are available for any budget. Innumerable options make buying clothes a nightmare. International cuisine is available in most major cities. We are truly living in the age of sensory overload. It is hard to imagine a situation, except deep sleep, where we are not exposed to some sensory indulgence.
 
What is behind all of this? Sensory excitement is mistaken for joy in our world. Shri Krishna says that such sensory indulgence generates some temporary excitement in the beginning, but results in fatigue, or worse still, ill health, in the end. In his commentary, Shri Shankaraachaarya describes the effects of sensory indulgence. It leads to decline in strength, vitality, colour, wisdom, intellect, memory, wealth and most importantly, energy. Whenever there is sense contact beyond what is needed to sustain the body, our energy reserves are depleted.
 
Therefore, we need to stop giving such a lot of importance to sense objects and sense indulgence. The body will have a biological urge such as thirst, which can easily be quenched by water. But our mind craves for a soft drink instead of water, because it has associated the idea of joy with that soft drink. Such superimposition of joy on inert objects is called shobhana adhyaasa. Whenever such thoughts arise, we should counter them with sattvic thoughts of good health, fitness and wellness.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 18

yattadagre vishameva parinaamemritopapam |
tatsukham saattvikam proktamaatmabuddhiprasaadajam || 37 ||
 
That which is like poison initially, but is like nectar in its result, that joy is said to be saattvic, born of one’s mental purity.
 
yat : that
tat : which
agre : initially
visham : poison
eva : like
parinaame : in its result
amritopapam : like nectar
tat : that
sukham : joy
saattvikam : saattvic
proktam : is said
aatmabuddhiprasaadajam : born of one’s mental purity
 
Most of us dread going to the doctor’s office for a vaccination. Some of us will try to postpone, or even cancel, an upcoming vaccination. What causes such fear? It is just a little bit of a pinch, that too for a few seconds, caused by the needle of the syringe. Fear is also caused by the anticipation of this pain. But we all know that any vaccination is given to us for our own long term benefit. It will prevent us from catching all kinds of diseases that can cripple us or even kill us.
 
So therefore, the reward for bearing pain is extremely beneficial to us. Shri Krishna says that sattvic joy is similar, in that when we first begin to experience it, it is quite unpleasant, but in the end, it is as pleasant as nectar. No spiritual path is easy to take up in the beginning. In karma yoga, one has to work selflessly, chipping away at the ego. The leap of faith needed for bhakti is difficult for people who have grown up doubting everything. Jnyaana yoga requires a high degree of awareness, whereas most of us lead automated robotic lives where someone else has done out thinking for us.
 
All of these practices have their goal as the purification of the mind, and of removing its three main doshas or faults: mala or selfish desire, vikshepa or lack of focus, and avarana or ignorance. Unless these three faults are diminished to a great extent, we will be unable to comprehend the nature of sattvic joy. This is unlike any joy we know so far, because it does not depend on any external factors such as objects, people or situations. It comes from inside, from the intellect that has turned inward towards the self.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 36, Chapter 18

sukham tvidaaneem trividham shrunu me bharatarshabha |
abhyaasaadramate yatra duhkhaantam cha nigachhati || 36 ||
 
Now, listen also to the three types of joy from me, O foremost among Bharatas, in which one enjoys its practice and attains the end of sorrow.
 
sukham : joy
tu : also
idaaneem : now
trividham : three types
shrunu : listen
me : from me
bharatarshabha : O foremost among Bharatas
abhyaasaat : practice
ramate : enjoys
yatra : in which
duhkhaantam : end of sorrow
cha : and
nigachhati : attains
 
At the end of the day, the end goal of any endeavour or action is to eliminate some type of sorrow, whether it is in the short term to remove hunger, or it is in the long term to prevent financial instability in our family. The lifecycle of an action begins with Vaasanaas. These Vaasanaas or deep rooted impressions create thoughts, some of these thoughts become desires, and consequently, desires become actions. When the action is complete and the target of the action is attained, the desire subsides, and the mind is free of desires for a split second. This stillness of the mind results in joy.
 
Shri Krishna says that even this joy obtained as the result of an action is in the realm of Prakrirti. Any by product of an action is in the realm of Prakriti since actions themselves are in Prakriti. So therefore, this joy can also be classified into three types, which are saattvic, raajasic and taamasic. This also mean that the type of joy obtained is closely related to the knowledge, doer and action behind obtaining that joy. A taamasic action will not result in saattvic joy.
 
Shri Krishna also adds that the complete end of sorrow is only obtained through saattvic joy. This is because the other two types of joy, raajasic and taamasic, are mixed and impure respectively. They either have a tinge of sattva, or none at all. Furthermore, saattvic joy is such that having tasted it even a little bit, one becomes so attracted to it that one delights in performing actions that result in sattvic joy. That is why, saattvic joy is described in detail in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 16

yaha shaastravidhimutsrijya vartate kaamakaarataha |
na sa siddhimavaapnoti na sukham na paraam gatim || 23 ||
 
He who dismisses the laws of scripture and conducts himself according to impulses of desire, he neither attains success, nor happiness, nor the supreme goal.
 
yaha : he who
shaastravidhim : laws of scripture
utsrijya : dismisses
vartate : conducts
kaamakaarataha : impulse of desire
na : not
saha : he
siddhim : success
avaapnoti : attain
na : not
sukham : happiness
na : not
paraam : supreme
gatim : goal
 
Imagine that we have to assemble a complex piece of furniture. Most people will follow the instructions given in the manual that comes in the box. But, for some reason, lets say we ignore the manual and build what we want based on a whim. What will be the outcome? We will be unsuccessful in building a functional piece of furniture. Consequently, we will not be happy with this outcome. Without following the manual, we neither gain success nor attain happiness.
 
Shri Krishna says that if we live our lives based solely on our desires, we will neither attain success in any worldly endeavour, nor will we attain worldly happiness. The supreme goal of self realization then is totally out of the question. Unfortunately, whenever we feel disillusioned, we usually seek guidance from the latest self help book, or try to emulate the lives of those who have had significant material prosperity. Such guidance may get us temporary happiness in a small part of our life, but will never solve our predicament holistically.
 
So then, what is the solution? Shri Krishna points us to the Vedas, the scriptures, as a guide towards checking our selfish desire-oriented life. He is in no way advocating a dogmatic, ideological or blind faith oriented lifestyle that imposes restrictions upon society. The Gita, in fact, presents the very principles of the Vedas in a format that is meant for practical individuals. The notion of svadharma, of following a career path that is in line with our interests and our qualifications, is a perfect example of guidance from the scriptures.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 14

sattvam sukham sanjayati rajaha karmani bhaarata |
jnyaanamaavritya tu tamaha pramaade sanjayatyuta || 9 ||
 
Sattva binds through joy, rajas through action, O Bhaarata, while tamas cloaks knowledge and binds through heedlessness.
 
sattvam : sattva
sukham : joy
sanjayati : binds
rajaha : rajas
karmani : action
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
jnyaanam : knowledge
aavritya : cloaks
tu : while
tamaha : tamas
pramaade : heedlessness
sanjayati : binds
uta : and
 
Shri Krishna recaps the characteristics of the three gunaas in this shloka. Sattva binds by making us hold on to joy experienced after attaining a sense object. Rajas binds us by giving us joy in performing actions and obtaining their results. Tamas binds us by giving us joy in holding on to laziness and heedlessness. We now begin to look into how these three are interrelated.
 
In the second chapter, we have come across a series of shlokas that describe how the mind can fall from sattva into rajas and tamas in a matter of seconds. We start with the mind resting in a peaceful sattvic state. A tinge of rajas comes in, causing us to think about some sense object, let's say a sweet. This fuels rajas further, creating a strong attachment to that sweet, culminating in a strong desire to do anything to get that sweet. But it gets worse. If we cannot get that sweet, if someone or something obstructs our consumption of the sweet, anger arises in us. Rajas deteriorates into tamas. The last rung of the ladder of fall is when anger goes to such an extent that it causes us to lose our faculty of intelligence and memory.
 
Conversely, we can go from tamas to rajas to sattva, but it may take a little longer. For someone steeped in tamas, immersing themself in action will raise them to the level of rajas. When action becomes focused and directed towards the pursuit of a selfless goal, rajas is elevated to the level of sattva. Swami Vivekananda always used to say "awake, arise, stop not till the goal is reached". When India was under British rule, many had become accustomed to this slavery and had fallen into a tamasic state. They could not find a way out of their predicament, and were clouded in ignorance. Swami Vivekananda's message urged citizens to engage in action towards independence. That was the only way to get them out of the tamasic state of laziness.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 13

ichchaa dveshaha sukham duhkham sanghaataschetanaa dhritihi |
etatkshetram samaasena savikaramudaahritam || 6 ||
 
Desire, hatred, joy, sorrow, assembly, awareness, fortitude. This field with its modifications has been illustrated in brief.
 
ichchaa : desire
dveshaha : hatred
sukham : joy
duhkham : sorrow
sanghaataha : assembly
chetanaa : awareness
dhritihi : fortitude
etat : this
kshetram : field
samaasena : in brief
savikaram : with modifications
udaahritam : has been illustrated
 
Previously, Shri Krishna explained the creation and make-up of the world and the individual as comprised of 24 constituents. Now he explains how the individual comes into contact with the world. We saw in the last shloka that all of us come with a stock of unfulfilled desires or vaasanas that causes the individual to be born in this world. Shri Krishna says that the sprouting of desires or “ichchaa” causes us to approach the world for fulfillment of those desires. If we obtain what we desire, we experience joy, and if we don’t obtain it, we experience sorrow. If something repeatedly gives us sorrow, we develop a sense of hatred or “dvesha” towards it.
 
Desire, hatred, joy and sorrow are modifications or changes in the inner instrument, the antahakarana. The antahakarana always wants to create a sense of wholeness or completeness out of the diversity of limbs, hair, nerves, nails etc that make up one body. But it also wants to keep this collection of what it calls the body distinct from everything else in the world. This notion of completeness is called “sanghaata” meaning assembly, and the will to preserve the assembly and keep it distinct from the world is called “dhriti” or fortitude. All biological desires arise from this desire to maintain the body as a distinct single entity.
 
Now we come to the modification of the antahakarana that gives it the quality of awareness and sentiency, known as “chetanaa” or awareness. Though we may be tempted to think that this sentiency in the antahakarana is the soul, the aatmaa, the eternal essence, it is not. It is a borrowed kind of awareness caused by a reflection of the eternal essence in the antahakarana, just like a pot filled with water reflects the sun in it. In fact, chetanaa and the six other modifications mentioned in this shloka are variously assumed to be the eternal essence by various schools of philosophy. Shri Krishna asserts that everything mentioned in this shloka and the prior shloka is not the eternal essence. It is kshetra, the field.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 10

buddhirjnyaanamasammohaha kshamaa satyam damaha shamaha |
sukham duhkham bhavobhaavo bhayam chaabhayameva cha || 4 ||
 
Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, truth, external restraint, internal restraint, external restraint, joy and sorrow, creation and destruction, fear and sorrow.
 
buddhihi : intellect
jnyaanam : wisdom
asammohaha : non-delusion
kshamaa : forgiveness
satyam : truth
damaha : external restraint
shamaha : internal restraint
sukham : joy
duhkham : sorrow
bhavaha : creation
abhaavaha : destruction
bhayam : fear
cha : and
abhayam : fearlessness
eva : also
 
Shri Krishna begins describing Ishvara’s vibhootis or expressions with this shloka. First, he describes Ishvara’s subtle expressions in two shlokas. He says that intelligence, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, self-restraint, joy and sorrow, creation and destruction, fear and fearlessness, all of these are expressions of Ishvara. Whenever we come across any of these expressions, we should immediately realize that it is Ishvara expressing himself through them.
 
“Buddhihi” or intellect is the ability to know subtle things, things that are not immediately perceived by our senses. Our tongue may enjoy fried food, but our intellect will tell us not to indulge in it due to the potential health risks. Now, none of our senses saw something called a “health risk” but our intellect did. Similarly, “jnyaana” or wisdom is the ability to discriminate between the eternal essence and everything else. Engaging with the world without getting deluded into thinking that it is the source of happiness, this is “asammoha” or non-delusion.
 
With the foundation of intellect, wisdom and non-delusion, we are ready to engage with the world. We may encounter people that speak ill of us or trouble us in some way. “Kshamaa” or forgiveness lets us drop any negative thinking that is generated out of such interactions. Conversely, it is our duty to convey to others what we perceive of the world without adding any modifications or distortions. This is known as “satyam” or truthfulness. We may also encounter people, objects and situations that generate selfish desires within us. In order to guard against chasing after them, we need to cultivate “dama” or sense control, and “shama” which is control over the mind.
 
Now, let us examine Ishvara’s manifestations that come in pairs. We usually tend to be attracted towards one aspect of the pair and run away from the other aspect. First let us look at “sukham” and “duhkham” or joy and sorrow. We prefer joyful situations and tend to avoid sorrowful ones. We prefer “bhaavaha” or creation but dislike “abhaavaha” or destruction. We like to be “abhaya” or fearless, not “bhaya” or fearlessness.
 
Shri Krishna wants us to remain equanimous, remain balanced in both aspects of these pairs. Ishvara may send a sorrowful situation in order to create further vairagya or dispassion. Like a municipality that demolishes a dangerously unlivable building, he may destroy a person, object or situation so that a new one can be created in its place. Like a robber who is afraid of a burglary alarm, he may generate fear in us so that we do not commit an unlawful or unethical act.
 
The second part of this topic is covered in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 32, Chapter 6

aatmaopamyena sarvatra samam pashyati yorjuna |
sukham vaayadivaa dukham sa yogi paramo mathaha || 32 ||
 
By comparing himself to everything, one who sees the same, O Arjuna, whether in joy or in sorrow, such a yogi is considered supreme.
 
aatmaopamyena : by comparing himself to
sarvatra : everything
samam : same
pashyati : see
yaha : one who
arjuna : O Arjuna
sukham : joy
vaa : in
yadi : whether
vaa : or in
dukham : sorrow
saha : such a
yogi : yogi
parami : supreme
mathaha : is considered
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes his discourse on the topic of meditation. He also summarizes the entire topic of meditation. He says that one who sees himself in others, and thus experiences their joys and sorrows, becomes a yogi or meditator of the highest caliber.
 
This is a simple, straightforward and practical teaching that is central tenet of most religions: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Shri Krishna echoes that golden rule in this shloka. He says that the perfected meditator sees no difference between himself and other beings, just like we do not see differences between our left and right hand, or other parts of the body.
 
If the meditator sees no difference between himself and other beings, then any negative emotions such as jealousy, hatred, greed and anger go away. When one cannot get angry at one's right hand or left leg, how one get angry with anyone or anything if all are part of the same "being"? In other words, the meditator “puts himself in the other person’s shoes”. He experiences joy when others are happy. He experiences sorrow when others feel sad.
 
Moreover, one who obtains such a vision will never hurt anyone else physically, mentally or verbally. Such an attitude of non-violence or ahimsa comes naturally to a meditator, since meditation is next to impossible for a person that harbours any kind of hatred or negative emotion towards anyone.
 
With this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the topic of meditation. But the chapter is not over yet. In the next shloka, Arjuna raises a doubt that many of us would agree with.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 6

yunjannevam sadaatmaanam yogee vigatakalmashaha |
sukhena brahmasamsparshamatyantam sukhamashrute || 28 ||
 
In this manner, the sinless yogi, always engaged in the self, joyfully contacts the eternal essence, experiencing infinite bliss.
 
yunjan : engaged
evam : in this manner
sadaa : always
aatmaanam : in the self
yogi : yogi
vigatakalmashaha : sinless
sukhena : joyfully
brahma : eternal essence
samsparsham : contacts
atyantam : infinite
sukham : bliss
ashrute : experiences
 
With this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the topic of the meditation process. He says that one who follows the step by step approach towards meditation obtains infinite joy and happiness because he comes into contact with the eternal essence.
 
The word ”evam” here refers to the step-by-step approach to meditation that has been prescribed here. Shri Krishna says that only by following this approach can the eternal essence be realized. There are several methods to meditation, but it is important to follow a disciplined approach in order to obtain the result mentioned in this shloka. It is like the purification of gold. Only a certain process will ensure that the mined gold will shine.
 
Next, Shri Krishna highlights that the yogi needs to have continually kept focus on the method of meditation with the word “vigata kalmashah” which means without any defects or sins. Meditation cannot yield results if the mind still harbours impurities in the form of vaasanaas and desires. A purified mind is a prerequisite to meditation.
 
Finally, what does is the end result of meditation? It is ultimate happiness or sukha, obtained by contact with brahman, the eternal essence. The literal translation is : “the yogi touches brahman”. Brahman is of the nature of infinite joy and bliss. Anyone who identifies with it also gains such infinite joy - “atyanta sukham”.
 
With this shloka, the explanation of the process of meditation is concluded. We can go much deeper into the process of meditation, discuss further obstacles and so on. Other texts cover those obstacles in greater detail. Next, Shri Krishna illustrates the change in the vision of the meditator, which is the final topic in this chapter on meditation.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 6

prashaantamanasam hyonam yoginam sukhamuttamama |
upaiti shaantarajasam brahmabhootamakalmasham || 27 ||
 
Supreme joy certainly obtains this yogi with serene mind, whose passion has been quietened, who has become the eternal essence, and who is without sin.
 
prashaanta : serene
manasam : mind
hi : certainly
enam : this
yoginam : yogi
sukham : joy
uttamam : supreme
upaiti : obtains
shaanta : quietened
rajasam : passion
brahmabhootam : become the eternal essence
akalmasham : without sin
 
In one of the most classic shlokas of this chapter, Shri Krishna does something which is next to impossible - he puts the result of meditation into words that we can understand. He says that supreme joy comes to the meditator whose mind is quiet and free from sin, who has calmed his passions and who has identified with the eternal essence.
 
What is our situation in life for the most part? We constantly run after sukham or joy. If there is any chance of happiness that is within reach, we run after it. Unfortunately, whenever we run after joy, joy tends to run away from us. It is hard to catch. In the rare instance that we possess joy, we beg it to stay. We do not ever want it to leave us. This is also easier said than done.
 
Shri Krishna says that in the case of the meditator, it is joy that runs after him. It comes to the meditator and asks him “shall I stay with you?”. The meditator becomes what is sought after, joy becomes the seeker. Moreover, it is not ordinary joy that comes after the meditator. It is the most supreme joy. This is the difference between a bhogi and a yogi. A bhogi runs after joy, but joy runs after a yogi.
 
Now, how is the mind of such a yogi? It is extremely quiet, like a calm lake. He is able to view any kind of situation that impacts him with such dispassion that it is like watching the situation happen to an unrelated person. If it is a disturbing situation, lets say he suffers an accident, he smiles just like we smile at a character in a movie. There are absolutely no complaints for any situation from a yogi.
 
Next, Shri Krishna says that the yogi is “shaanta rajasam”, he has silenced the quality of passion within him. Rajas, the mode of nature that causes us to go outside ourself, is present in visible as well as in subtle form inside us. Through karmayoga, we can check the visible forms of rajas to a large extent. But it is only through meditation that we can completely remove the invisible, subtle traces of rajas within us. Till all the rajas is silenced, we should let it express in the form of performance of our duties, not any other actions.
 
Furthermore, the mind of the meditator is pervaded with a single thought “I am the eternal essence”. This is indicated by the word “brahmabhootam” in this shloka. When the meditator has identified himself with brahman, and removed his identification with everything else, then he automatically becomes one with the eternal essence. The removal of everything else in the form of impurities is indicated by the word “akalmasham”.
 
Shri Krishna concludes this topic in the next shloka.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 6

sukhamaatyantikam yattadbuddhigraahyamateendriyam |
vetti yatra na chaivaayam sthitashchalati tattvataha || 21 ||
 
That infinite joy which is comprehended by the intellect but is beyond the senses, when he experiences that state and is established in it, he does not move away from his essence.
 
sukham : joy
aatyantikam : infinite
yat : that
tat : that
buddhigraahyam : comprehended by the intellect
ateendriyam : beyond the senses
vetti : experiences
yatra : in that state
na : does not
cha : and
eva : ever
ayam : he
sthitaha : established
chalati : move away
tattvataha : in his essence
 
Previously, Shri Krishna explained that the perfected meditator taps into a source of permanent joy once he detaches the mind from the sense organs and connects it to his self. In this shloka, he elaborates on the nature of that joy. He says that this joy is infinite and is comprehended only by the intellect. Also, he says that once we are established in this joy, no external circumstance will knock us or take us away from this state.
 
Let us examine the nature of this joy. Shri Krishna says that it is aatyantikam or infinite. Now, the material world is an expert in giving us infinite sorrow. There are moments in our life when the degree of sorrow is low, and we tend to think that this is joy whereas in reality it is just a lower grade of sorrow. Any new object, person or situation that we encounter carries within it the seed for innumerable sorrows. But the joy that one gets from the self is infinite.
 
Why is the joy from the self infinite? All our worldly joys are dependent on external situations. For some of us, a perfect climate makes us happy, causing us to become sad if the climate changes. For some of us, a certain person makes us happy, so we become dependent on that person and consequently feel sad if that person leaves us. We keep creating subsets in the world: I like A, which means I don’t everything that is not A. But here’s the problem; A is finite and temporary. The joy experienced in the self is independent of all external situations that are temporary in nature. That is why it is infinite.
 
Another characteristic of this joy is that it is beyond the comprehension of the senses. Just like we cannot catch a satellite TV signal with a regular antenna, our senses cannot catch this joy. It is of a different wavelength altogether. It is only comprehended by our intellect, which operates at a much higher level than our mind and senses.
 
As an example, consider two teenagers who are at a party where everyone else is enjoying a cigarette. Both of them are offered a cigarette by their friends. The sense organs are reporting the same information to both the teenager’s intellects - that cigarette smoking is enjoyable and that all their friends are doing it. One teenager accepts the offer and takes a puff. But the other teenager has a refined intellect and it “sees” that this will only lead to sorrow in the end. In the same way, the intellect experiences joy that the senses cannot experience.
 
Shri Krishna further goes on to say that once the perfected meditator is established in this joy, he will never deviate from it. It is like a child learning that 2+2 = 4. Once he has internalized this teaching, it stays with him throughout his life. Similarly, once the perfected meditator realizes this self as his true nature, he will not feel the need to take on any other role or identification for the purpose of fulfillment.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 5

baahyasparsheshvasaktaatmaa vindatyaatmani yatsukham |
sa brahmayogayuktaatmaa sukhamakshayamashrute || 21 ||
 
One who is not attached to external sense-contacts finds inner bliss. Such a person, established in contemplation of the eternal essence, experiences inexhaustible joy.
 
baahyasparsheshu : external sense contacts
asaktaatmaa : person without attachment
vindati : finds
aatmani : inner
yat : one who
sukham : bliss
saha : that person
brahmayogayuktaatmaa : established in contemplation of the eternal essence
sukham : joy
akshayam : inexhaustible
ashrute : experiences
 
So far, Shri Krishna explained the vision of a realized seeker. From this shloka onwards, he starts turning us towards the topic of meditation. Turning oneself inwards, away from the sense objects of the world, is the first step towards meditation. To this end, he explains the reason for turning inward.
 
Our entire life is geared towards the pursuit of happiness. However, if we introspect, we realize that the happiness we get from sense objects such as tasty food or a visually appealing movie is instantaneous, but fleeting. Sense objects are finite, and so it the happiness that they can provide. Moreover, if we are not careful, we get attached to whatever gives us instant happiness so that we can repeat that experience. This also leads to sorrow, which comes from constant commentary and judgement from intellect when we lose access to sense objects.
 
But Shri Krishna gives us a better alternative. When we slowly move away from sense objects and turn inward to contemplate on the eternal essence, we can tap into a source of happiness that is much greater than any happiness produced by sense objects. Moreover, this happiness is never-ending, it is inexhaustible, because it is derived out of the eternal essence which is infinite.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 5

sarvakarmaani manasaa sannyasyaaste sukham vashee |
navadvaare pure dehee naiva kurvanna kaarayan || 13 ||

Having mindfully renounced all actions, the conqueror remains established in bliss. The embodied one, in the city with nine gates, neither acts nor causes to act.

sarvakarmaani : all actions
manasaa : mindfully
sannyasya : having renounced
aaste : remains established
sukham : bliss
vashee : the conqueror (of mind and senses)
navadvaare : with nine gates
pure : city
dehee : the embodied one
na : not
eva  : ever
kurvan : acts
na : nor
kaarayan : causes to act

Having spoken about the karmayogi's vision, Shri Krishna now provides an illustration of the enlightened seeker's vision in these shlokas. The picture he paints here is that one who identifies himself with the eternal essence, knows that he is only a dweller in the body, just like the resident of a city knows that he is a dweller, who is totally distinct from the city.

Imagine that you move into a new city for a job. As part of the move, you begin to utilize the city's services such as water, electricity, garbage collection, telephone, cable etc. But while you utilize these services, you know that you are a resident of the city. You don't begin to think that you are directly responsible for running the city. For example, when you someone picks up the garbage, it is part of the city's services. You are in no way "running" the services.

Similarly, the enlightened seeker knows that he is the eternal essence, which is a dweller in the body and separate from the body. The body is pictorially depicted as a city with nine gates, each gate being an orifice (ear, nostril, eye) and so on. So when the seeker uses his hands, for example, he knows that the body, mind and intellect are operating independently. The enlightened seeker is in actuality, doing nothing at all. Just like the resident knows that the city's services operate by themselves, and he is just a witness, similarly the enlightened person knows that the self is just a resident in the body, totally separate from the body.

Another indication of the seeker's state is that he has complete control of his senses, and that he has mentally renounced the notion of doership. He knows that it is the body, mind and intellect that is performing action. This is indicated in the first part of the shloka. The end result is that the seeker, knowing that he is separate and distinct from the actions of the body, mind and intellect, lives in complete bliss.

Footnotes

1. Adi Shankaraachaarya in his commentary of this shloka gives an indicator that differentiates an enlightened seeker from an ordinary seeker. Let's say we ask someone the question: "where are you sitting?". If the person answers "on a chair" etc, then he is an ignorant seeker. If he answers "I am always sitting in the body", he is an enlightened seeker.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 5

jneyah sa nityasannyaasee yo na dveshti na kaanshati |
nirdvandvo hi mahaabaaho sukham bandhaatpramuchyate || 3 ||
 
He who does not hate anything, nor expects anything, know him to be an eternal renouncer. For one who is free from duality, O mighty-armed, he happily casts off bondage.
 
jneyah : know
saha : that
nitya : eternal
sannyaasee : renouncer
yaha : he who
na : does not
dveshti : hate anything
na : does not
kaanshati : expect anything
nirdvandvaha : free from duality
hi : for
mahaabaaho : O mighty-armed
sukham : happily
bandhaat : bondage
pramuchyate : casts off
 
During the time of the Mahabhaarata war, and even now, there existed a fixed ideal of what it means to become a renouncer, which was that one runs away from the world to some remote place. Shri Krishna needed to change that ideal completely. So he defines what it means to be a renouncer or sannyaasi in this shloka. A renouncer is one who completely gives up his ego, not external objects and situations.
 
In that regard, Shri Krishna says that if we have three qualities: freedom from hatred, expectation and duality, that person is a true renouncer. Firstly, if something is obstacle to happiness, or someone is giving us sorrow, we generate hatred for that person or object. Secondly, if we always keep thinking that we will become happy in the future, we generate expectations, taking consciousness away from the present and into the future. Finally, if we only get attracted to certain aspects of our existence, the other aspects will torture us and bind us. This is what is meant by duality.
 
So therefore, one who has become free from these 3 qualities has truly renounced the material world, even if he continues to perform his duties. This is a high standard indeed. Having clarified the definition of snanyaasi, Shri Krishna compares a sannyaasi to a karmayogi in the next shloka.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 4

ajnyashchaashraddadhaanashcha samshayaatmaa vinashyati |
naayam lokosti na paro na sukham sanshayaatmanaha || 40 ||
 
One who is ignorant, devoid of faith and who doubts constantly is destroyed. Neither in this world, nor in other worlds is peace attained by one who constantly doubts.
 
ajnyaha : ignorant
cha : and
ashradhaanaha : devoid of faith
cha : and
samshayaatmaa : one who constantly doubts
vinashyati : destroyed
na : not
ayam : this
lokaha : world
asti : is
na : neither
paro : other (worlds)
na : no
sukham : happiness
sanshayaatmanaha : one who constantly doubts
 
Having pointed out the qualifications needed in a seeker to gain knowledge of self-realization, Shri Krishna explains the obstacles, or "disqualifications", that prevent us from accessing that knowledge. There are three main obstacles: ignorance, lack of faith, and constant doubting.
 
Fortunate are those who have had the chance to even come across something called spiritual knowledge, scriptures, Gita and so on. But unless one comes across a taste of the scriptures, one spends their entire life totally ignorant of the eternal reality behind the changing world. So it is this ignorance that becomes the obstacle towards the knowledge of self-realization.
 
Secondly, Shri Krishna says that one who lacks faith will never fully gain this knowledge. As mentioned earlier, we have to possess faith in scriptures, in our teacher, in ourselves and in the truth of the eternal essence until we gain the knowledge of self-realization. Without faith, we will not last in the long and arduous journey.
 
Finally, the person who doubts everything will also find it difficult to gain knowledge. Now, to be sure, skepticism and inquiry is absolutely important. In fact, it is encouraged by spiritual teachers. But constant doubting without taking efforts to resolve those doubts will become a huge roadblock in gaining spiritual knowledge.
 
Shri Krishna also says that constant doubting is not just an obstacle on the spiritual path. It also prevents us from living peacefully in the material world. Each time we board a train or a plane, we implicitly have faith that the driver will take us to our destination safely. If we constantly doubt the capability of the driver, we will never be able to go about our daily business.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 66, Chapter 2

naasti buddhiryuktasya na chaayuktasya bhaavana |
na chaabhaavayataha shaantirashaantasya kutaha sukham || 66 ||
 
The individual whose mind and senses are not controlled cannot have a focused intellect, without a focused intellect he cannot meditate, and without meditation there is no peace. How can there be happiness without peace?
 
na : not
asti : happen
buddhih : focused intellect
ayuktasya : one whose mind and senses are not controlled
na : not
cha : and
ayuktasya : that individual
bhaavana : meditation
na : not
cha : and
abhaavayataha : without meditation
shaantih : peace
ashaantasya : individual without peace
kutaha : where
sukham : happy
 
Shri Krishna so far extolled the virtues of controlling the senses and the mind. In this shloka, he echoes the same point, but uses negative inference to drive it home.
 
Here, he says that if the mind and senses constantly wander, our psyche is agitated. An agitated psyche will never allow an intellect to focus. And we have already seen in earlier shlokas the disadvantages of not having focused intellect or "vyavasaayaatmika buddhi".  One cannot hold on to a single thought, in other words - meditate, if the mind is turbulent.
 
We may feel that there is some repetition here - why is he asking us to control the mind and senses over and over again? But consider this: reading about it and putting it into practice are two different things. If we check the daily list of thoughts that we maintain in our diary, we realize that even if we read the Gita backwards and forwards, it takes lot of time and effort to change the quality and quantity of our thoughts. This message needs to be seared into our brain for us to take it seriously, hence the refrain of this point.
 
Very simply put: there is no happiness without control of mind and senses.