And what is the yoga Sri Krishna is preaching here? Is it becoming a sannyaasin? Not at all. In fact, Arjuna had said, “I am going to abandon the war and become a sannyaasin.” But, Krishna firmly told him, “No! You should remain here and fight.” “Whatever you propose to achieve by external renunciation, I will see that you achieve it right here remaining active,” was his assurance. The yoga he prescribes for this is the pursuit of sama-darsana – equal vision.
Yoga is actually a sublimation cultivated and achieved in the sphere of the mind. Right in the beginning Krishna defined yoga as: Samatvam yoga ucyate — It is the equanimity of the mind that goes by the name yoga (Verse 2.48). During the interactions, the mind always undergoes ups and downs, elevations and depressions. If the mind can be trained to remain even and harmonious both in pleasant and unpleasant situations, it results in an inner sublimity and integration. This sublimity and integration of the mind is yoga.
Krishna said, when all your actions get completely besmeared with yoga, renunciation results as a natural sequel. And that is inner renunciation.
The Model Personality
When a man becomes sufficiently integrated, sufficiently moderated, his senses behave in the manner in which the pure mind motivates. The pure mind gets the illumination and enlightenment provided by the intelligence, and the intelligence carries the radiation of the supreme spirit, the Soul. Thus, there results an integration between the indwelling spirit, the illumined intelligence, the purified mind and the well regulated senses. A beautiful personality results. This is the model man.
As Krishna goes on extolling yoga and sannyaasa, Arjuna comes up with a doubt. The 5th chapter of Bhagavadgita begins with Arjuna’s question:
सन्न्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि ।
यव्छ्रेयो एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रुहि सुनिश्चितम् ।।
Bhagavadgeeta 5.1
All along Krishna has been extolling Karma-yoga and now he suddenly recommends renunciation. So, Arjuna is confused. He tells Krishna, “O Krishna, sometimes you praise yoga, sometimes you praise sannyaasa! Tell me clearly which of the two is better.”
So, the idea is not yet clear in the mind of Arjuna. Then, will it be clear in your mind all at once? So, go on seeking clarification. Get your doubts clarified.
Arjuna is not clear whether yoga, which is an accomplishment in the sphere of the mind by an attitudinal orientation, is better or the so-called renunciation, abandonment of actions, is better? Krishna answers him –
सन्न्यास: कर्मयोगश्च नि:श्रेयसकरावुभाै ।
तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्न्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते ।।
Bhagavadgeeta 5.2
The path of renunciation and the path of yoga, both of them lead to the supreme goal. And between the two, the path of yoga is better.
The yoga always focuses on your interactions, making the interactions always ennobling, elevating and enriching. The path of yoga is an interactional practice by virtue of which your interactions are sublimated, refined and moderated. On the other hand, sannyaasa is a life where the physical activities are abandoned, and you only take up spiritual activity.
You must be keen to understand and appreciate how artfully and gracefully does Sri Krishna give these answers! You know, in dealing with a question, you cannot be just theoretical or objective. More than the question, the questioner is important. After all, a question is raised by a person. It comes from a thinking mind with a certain background. So, you have to find out why this question is raised and treat both the questioner and the question in totality. The more to be treated is the questioner’s mind, rather than the question itself. Every question emerges from a mind complex that has to be sensed and understood properly.
Krishna understood that Arjuna’s mind is confused, and that, in his mind, there is a preference for karmayoga. So he says that yoga is functionally better. But that is not the whole of the answer. He adds (Verse 5.3): “Understand that a person can become a constant sannyaasin (nityasannaayasi) by virtue of just one attitude, one mental enrichment.” What is that enrichment? “Yo na dveshti na kaangkshati – who neither hates nor desires.”
The mind is always given to alternates. What is that? Preference and prejudice, desire and dislike. Always the mind is given to these two alternates. If the mind is freed from desire and dislike, it develops a uniform attitude of acceptance and assimilation towards all kinds of inputs and situations in this world. When the mind thus remains flexible, when it has become enlarged and assimilative to accept all kinds of inputs, remaining unaffected, full and unconditioned — that mind, Krishna says, exemplifies the nitya-sannyaasi.
Is this not an inner renunciation? Krishna says that the true inner renunciation is the ability to remain free of the constrictions called desire and dislike.
The moment you become a victim of desire, the mind gets agitated. So, the vexing element called desire, the equally disturbing and depressing element called hatred — the dual notes of dislike and desire — make a person miserable. A man with a mind free of these notes is a nitya- sannyaasin. This word is a very special coinage of Sri Krishna or Vedavyaasa in Bhagavadgita. This is what I mean by inner renunciation.
This is a very great statement. I wish all of you understand the importance of it. Suppose you take away from your mind hatred, greed, desire, dislike, preference, prejudice, expectation, disappointment, what will prevail? Only when you have expectation, you will have dejection. If you do not expect anything, everything that comes into your life will be a welcome gift. So, never expect anything. By expecting you are becoming a slave. Take away this enslavement. Allow the mind to function with freedom, flexibility and openness. Begin to think and act from a background of fullness.
Is it a renunciation of the family members and profession? Or, is it a renunciation of two things inside you? What are they? Dvesha (hatred) and kaankshaa (desire). When these two are kept away, you become a nityasannyaasi. That freedom from desire and dislike, freedom from greed, possessiveness, and hatred – certainly it is a renunciation.
“Well. After renouncing hatred as well as desire from the mind, Swamiji, what will be the mind like? What is the platform from which we will work?” You will work from a platform called nirdvandvataa —the level of non-duality. That is the transcendental level.“Neither do I want this, nor do I want that. I foster no desire, and I foster no hatred. I cultivate no preference and therefore I have no prejudice.” Drop prejudice first, then preference becomes redundant.
Can you imagine the freedom and confidence enjoyed by such a mind? Only two things are to be dropped — desire and hatred. Be firm about the dropping of these two and you will begin to enjoy the resultant freedom and ecstasy.
Now I am talking to you. Do you know what is my attitude? I come and talk. Will the talks be good and effective? I don’t know. Will the talks be bad? I don’t know. I come and start speaking. I too listen to my talk. I think, I enjoy the talk more than you do! So, from the position of nirdvandvataa, I talk. I do put my effort to talk well and effectively; but I am not anxious about its effectiveness or ineffectiveness.
I do not desire effectiveness, nor do I abhor the opposite. From that open, free, transcendental platform, I give my talks. And they are what they are. I take no ownership for what I talk. As a matter of fact, I do not know in advance what I will talk. However, I try to pay attention to what I speak. But I tell you, I am not the creator of my talks, certainly not. The sattva-guna in me combines with the raja-guna. The raja-guna represents activity and exertion. The sattva-guna represents lightness, happiness and wisdom. The two combine and the expression comes through the mouth! that is all. I remain a witness to the whole process.
This renunciational note gives rise to the non-preferential and non-prejudicial outlook. Without the constrictions of preference and prejudice, the mind naturally becomes sublime. It rises to its pristine level of purity and elevation. From that platform of nirdvandvataa, whatever you do, it does not bind you any more.
When this attitude of inner renunciation, this transcendental level of nirdvandvataa is attained, Sukham bandhaat pramucyate — a man is comfortably freed of all kinds of bondage.
This is a message for all – householders and sannyasins alike. The interactional excellence will come to you only when the interacting mind and the interacting intelligence imbibe an ample measure of inner renunciation.
Is the message clear? Anybody can attain interactional excellence, provided he is able to imbue into his interacting mind and intelligence an ample measure of renunciational enrichment which will take him to a level of transcendence — a level freed from the conventional clutches of preference and prejudice, desire and hatred. Freed from these clutches, the mind will remain light, delightful and contented, and will function at its best.
