Category Archives: mokshyase

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 9

23 Thursday Aug 2012

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shubhaashubhaphalairevam mokshyase karmabandhanaihi |
sannyaasayogayuktaatmaa vimukto maamupaishyasi || 28 ||
 
In this manner, you will be free from the bonds of action and their auspicious and inauspicious results. Having engaged in this yoga of renunciation, you will be liberated and attain me.
 
shubhaashubha : auspicious and inauspicious
phalaihi : results
evam : in this manner
mokshyase : will be free
karmabandhanaihi : from bonds of action
sannyaasayoga : yoga of renunciation
yuktaatmaa : engaged in
vimuktaha : becoming liberated
maam : me
upaishyasi : you will attain
 
What happens when we incorporate worship into our life? Shri Krishna says that we shall be free of the results of action. Our actions give us results in the form of joy, sorrow, profit, loss, win, loss. Freedom from results leads to liberation and attainment of Ishvara. This is the ultimate result of living a worshipful life.
 
This shloka takes us back to the topic of renunciation. In an earlier portion of the Gita, Shri Krishna had redefined “sannyaasa” or renunciation as giving up of the attitude of doership, not the giving up of action and retiring to a hermitage. By submitting our actions and their results in Ishvara hands, we automatically attain renunciation because we have come to know that it is Ishvara who is doing and enjoying everything.
 
As an illustration, let’s consider our boss at work. If we do not have confidence in our boss’s authority and his ability to lead us, our job becomes complicated, heavy and burdensome. Before we begin a task, we are worried whether we are doing the right things, and also fear the consequences of making a mistake. But if we trust our boss’s authority and his ability to give us right direction, we work effortlessly and fearlessly knowing that we are carrying out the boss’s command, and that he will take care of us if something goes wrong.
 
Similarly, once we realize that it is the infinite Ishvara that is directing everything, our actions automatically become effortless and fearless. It is like working for the most powerful CEO or the most powerful President, it gives us that kind of a confidence and peace of mind. We know that Ishvara is making us do the right things, and that he will take responsibility for the results and the consequences.
 
Now, if Ishvara is running everything, does that mean that he is partial to those who surrender to him and those who do not? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 4

06 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.16, akarma, ashubhaat, atra, chapter 4 verse 16, iti, jnyaatvaa, karma, kavayaha, kim, mohitaaha, mokshyase, pravakshyaami, tat, te, yat

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kim karma kimakarmeti kavayopatra mohitaaha |
tatte karma pravakshyaami yajnyaatvaa mokshyaseshubhaat || 16 ||

What is action and what is inaction? Seers are deluded in this regard. To you, I will explain that action, by knowing which you will gain liberation from this inauspicious (nature of samsaara).

kim : what is
karma : action
kim : what is
akarma : inaction
iti : this
kavayaha : seers
atra : in this regard
mohitaaha: are deluded
tat : that
te : you
karma : action
pravakshyaami : explain
yat : that which
jnyaatvaa : knowing
mokshyase : gain liberation
ashubhaat : from this inauspicious

As we continue to move forward in the Gita, we comes across milestones where Shri Krishna takes us from one level of understanding to a more advanced level. With this shloka, Shri Krishna alerts us that the upcoming shlokas will give us a much deeper understanding of the topic of karma or action.

Let us recap what we have learned so far about action and inaction. Action or karma as defined by Shri Krishna is any activity performed with a selfish motive. Inaction or akarma is defined as any activity performed in a selfless manner. In other words, with a yajnya spirit. It is important to revise these definitions because Shri Krishna says that even intelligent people very easily get confused by this terminology, since action typically means any activity and inaction means absence of activity.

Why is this topic important? Unless our intellect fully understands and gets the conviction that we can achieve self-realization through performance of action, we will again and again fall prey to the wrong notion that we should renounce everything.

This is evident in our daily lives. Whenever we feel pressure at our job, we start thinking about changing jobs. If we have to resolve a delicate issue impacting our friends or relatives, we may try to defer or avoid it altogether rather than addressing it. We have an inbuilt tendency to avoid performing actions, even though all our bodies can do is perform action. Therefore, Shri Krishna wants us to have a thorough understanding of the nature of action so that it becomes a part of our life, than something that we just read about.