नैव किञ्चित्करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्ववित् ।
पश्यञ्श्रृण्वन्स्पृशञ्जिघ्रन्नश्नन्गच्छन्स्वपञ्श्वसन् ।। ५.८ ।।
प्रलपन्विसृजन्गृह्णन्नुन्मिषन्निमिषन्नपि ।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेषु वर्तन्त इति धारयन् ।। ५.९ ।।

naiva kiñcit-karomīti yukto manyeta tattva-vit |
paśyañ-śṛṇvan-spṛśañ-jighrann-aśnan-gacchan-svapañ-śvasan || 5.8 ||
pralapan-visṛjan-gṛhṇann-unmiṣan-nimiṣann-api |
indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu vartanta iti dhārayan || 5.9 ||

In the next two verses, Krishna further describes the magnificence of Yogic perception and excellence – inner as well as outer. Thus comes his precise description of the magic worked by the Yogic vision:

(Bhagavad Gita 5.8, 5.9)

The Knower of Truth, who has achieved ‘integration’ through yoga, will think ‘I do nothing’ even though he sees and hears, touches and smells, eats and moves about, sleeps and breathes, speaks and answers the calls of nature, opens and winks his eyes. He clearly realizes that in all these activities, the senses merely interact with the sense-objects.

These two verses have their singular place in the message of Bhagavad Gita and also in the world of spiritual enunciation.

The yukta becomes a tattva-vit, says Krishna. To be integrated by yoga is to be a Knower. There is no yoga-sadhana without generating the deeper and subtler wisdom in the seeker. Every day of sadhana must bring more of spiritual enlightenment, permeation and expansion. The climax comes when the wisdom begins to reveal the Self - the Self that reigns undimmed, unaffected, non-acting and full. All the fascinations and imaginations about the activities at all levels, outer and inner, stand as utterly false.

The senses do perceive. But the objects only get perceived. In any perception, the perceived objects do not enter the perceiver. The perceiver is but the Witness of all perceptions– the Seer, the one uninvolved with any object at any time.

In fact, does the real ‘he’ perceive at all? If perception means a process and outcome, then both do not befall him. Any number of thoughts may emerge and subside within him. None of them adds anything to or takes anything away from him. If you give food to the body, it increases the weight of the stomach for a while. But, is this so with the inner being? No thought ever lasts. The moment it emerges, it subsides too. It is all a course of rising and setting, appearing and disappearing, coming and going, as on the movie screen. Matter can add to matter. It can also bring reduction, when taken away. But does the same principle apply when matter is perceived by the Spirit? Perception does not dislodge any object, making it enter or leave the perceiver.

And so the Yogic Knower realizes that he, in essence, is a full ‘zero’, though immensely potent in any action or perception. The processes take place beside him, away from him, peripheral to his real being. “Naiva kincit karomiti yukto manyeta tattva-vit” is thus the true description of such an illumined one. To be a ‘yukta’, integrated with yoga-buddhi and yoga-samatva, to be a sthitaprajna and sthitadhi, is to realize one’s true non-actingness, which is uninvolved in its core level.

The Knower feels so, not by remaining ‘quiet’ in a place, without acting, without thinking, without interacting. On the other hand, he performs all actions at different levels of his being freely, confidently, with poise. Krishna details all the different acts leaving no scope for any misunderstanding. He begins with seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting – the functions of the organs of knowledge. These are the gross physical actions by which anyone senses the world. But all activities are not covered by these. So, to give a clearer and fuller picture of the Knower’s active life, Krishna adds: walking, sleeping, breathing, speaking, excreting, holding, and closing and opening the eyes.

All these are quite visible, involving interactions and sensations. Krishna wants to say that the Yogic Knower visibly allows all these interactions to be in their own place and with their own purpose. His intention is to be natural and full.

The full being of the Yogic Knower acts with all its capacity, complexity and variety to be in abiding harmony and synthesis. He allows it, rejoices in it, floats in it freely stretching himself in full. How? By the single assessment and realization that while the senses are interacting with their objects, he is far beyond the body. By the mastery of spiritual perception, the Knower of Truth, in a way, ‘nullifies’ and ‘disowns’ all actions, interactions and their outcome.

Everything transpires only around him, around the core within. He is the profound still Subject, the Self. All else, including his body, is ‘the object’. How can the ‘Subject’ ever become the ‘object’?

Should he not then rejoice in interactions, welcoming them rightly? Or should he resent, revolt and renounce them all? “I do not do anything at all” is thus an impenetrable fortress, dwelling in which, he lives with greater confidence, effectiveness and excellence!

“Arjuna,” Krishna asks, “what greater benefit can sannyasa, if true to its purpose, bestow or mean? Is not this enlightened, exalted interaction itself verily ‘sannyasa’ – the gift of Yogic vision, spiritual integration and fullness? I am, in fact, fulfilling the mission of bringing sannyasa to the Karmayogi, infusing it into his being through the magic of this dialogue. Whether he, sooner or later, takes up the lofty sannyasa order of life as a spontaneous choice or fruition, is another point. Even in that order of life, the real attainment will be this and this alone – of course, in its full dimension and felicity.”