My Thoughts on Life and its Philosophy

N V Satish Kumar

Tag: Bhagavad Gita

  • THE FIRE OF WISDOM: PERFECTING ACTION THROUGH KNOWLEDGE

    (Jñāna Karma Sannyāsa Yoga — Chapter 4)

    Introduction

    In the earlier chapters of the Gita, Bhagavān introduces the nature of the Self or Ātma [Sankhya Yoga] and guides Arjuna toward a way of acting in the world that is steady, purposeful, and free from becoming entangled in the results of action [Karma Yoga]. Such action is extolled as a means for purifying the mind (chitta-śuddhi) and preparing it for deeper insight.

    As the Gita progresses, the teaching unfolds in response to Arjuna’s growing understanding. Each new insight builds upon what he has already received, and with every stage of clarity, Arjuna’s perspective becomes broader and more refined.

    With Arjuna’s perspective thus broadened, Bhagavān, through the fourth chapter, brings into focus a subtler insight: how inner knowledge shapes and reshapes outward action.

    The Continuity of a Timeless Teaching

    To place this teaching in a larger perspective, the Gita recalls its ancient lineage. Bhagavān explains that this very Yoga was first entrusted to Vivasvān, the Sun-god, and handed down through a line of teachers until it gradually faded from human awareness (4.1 — imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ …; 4.2 — evaṁ paramparā-prāptam …). Restoring this wisdom is not merely recalling old instruction; it is reconnecting a living teaching with a mind prepared to receive it. Thus Arjuna, equipped through the earlier teachings, receives it not only as one in distress but also as one who is a devotee and a trusted companion (4.3 — sa evāyaṁ mayā te ’dya …).

    Divine Action as Freedom in Motion

    Having passed on his teachings much earlier, how is it that such a master of all is seen besides Arjuna, a human being after all and spending a lifetime with him ? why did Bhagavan feel the need to be besides Arjuna and teach it all over again ? Why only Arjuna ? To answer such questions, we need to understand that Bhagavān’s presence in the world is not shaped by personal karma or individual desire. His appearance as an avatāra is an expression of complete freedom, responding to the needs of the age. Whenever righteousness declines and disharmony rises, He manifests Himself to restore balance (4.7 — yadā yadā hi dharmasya …). While Bhagavan’s actions are not meant for human imitation, his teaching hints at an underlying principle that can be reflected upon: action done without inner compulsion—without the pressure of personal claim—carries a quality that liberates rather than entangles. One can note that such a way of acting differs from action born of insistence or self-driven urgency.

    Seeking and Receiving

    Every person carries inner tendencies — the desires one holds and the inclinations shaped by one’s nature. These guide how one turns toward Bhagavān. Bhagavān responds in the very manner a person approaches Him (4.11 — ye yathā māṁ prapadyante …). Some seek clarity, some seek security or comfort, and others look toward devatās for specific attainments. What was sought will be attained by them. However, such material attainments, though real, ultimately remain temporary (4.12 — kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ …). One can note that the nature of seeking tends to shape the nature of what is received. But what shapes the nature of a person and what he seeks ?

    Guna and Karma as the Basis of Human Variety

    Bhagavān declares that He arranged people into four kinds based on guṇa and karma—the qualities that shape their behaviour and the modes of activity that arise from them (4.13 — cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam …). So, differences seen in human conduct reflect the influence of inner nature, not outward labels or conventional classifications. This helps one understand why people act, think, and respond so differently from one another.

    With so much of variation within the gunas and karmas of each being, how can every human reach the One Ultimate Goal ? The answer to this lies in the way we act and how we get bound by the consequence of those acts. So, with this grounding, attention is now required to be on understanding what action itself truly means.

    Why Action Binds

    Much needed clarity emerges when we see that action becomes binding only when it is taken up with the sense of doer-ship. This sense of doer-ship leaves an inner trace in the mind that leads to further consequences at later stages. As Bhagavān himself declares, He has no sense of doer-ship in any action, and so actions do not bind Him (4.14 — na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti …). Bhagavan further declares that seekers before Arjuna, who understood this nature of Bhagavan, themselves lived and acted without getting into bondage (4.15 — evaṁ jñātvā kṛtaṁ karma …).

    Yet, even for the learned, it is not always easy to see what should be called action and what should be called non-action (4.16 — kim karma kim akarma iti …). Because action is not always what it appears from the outside. The mind may remain still while the body moves. The mind may be active while the body is at rest – that’s another possibility.

    So, to bring us out of this confusion, Bhagavan clarifies on how a wise person should view such actions (4.18 – karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ …). For getting such a view, we need to know two things. Firstly, how action operates at the inner and outer levels of a human being and secondly, how do we relate the terms used in this verse, namely, Karma & Akarma, to these inner and outer levels.

    Acting Without Becoming Bound

    The expressions ‘akarma in karma’ and ‘karma in akarma’ (in the above cited verse) become easier to understand when we recognise that action, in human beings, can operate at two levels — inwardly in the mind and outwardly through the body. At the inner level, Karma refers to mental activity accompanied by the sense of doer-ship – the feeling “I am the one acting.” At the outer level, Karma simply means physical action.

    In contrast, Akarma at the inner level means the absence of this sense of doer-ship even while activity continues, whereas at the outer level Akarma refers to physical stillness or inactivity.

    With this in view, the meaning of this teaching becomes clear thus: When a person acts outwardly while remaining inwardly free from sense of doer-ship, this is akarma in karma — inner sense of non-doer-ship alongside outer action. When someone remains outwardly still but the mind continues to desire, plan, or resist, this is karma in akarma — inner activity alongside outer stillness. In this way, the verse points toward a simple truth: what finally matters is not the movement of the body but whether inwardly, the mind is free from sense of doer-ship or not.

    The One Whose Actions Do Not Bind

    A person whose sense of doer-ship is dissolved, performs action without being driven by craving or fear (4.19 — yasya sarve samārambhāḥ …). Since the sense of doer-ship is absent, the results of action do not cling to such a person and so there is no bondage.

    Such a person acts with quiet sufficiency—content with what comes unasked, inwardly steady, and free from dependence on outcomes (4.20 — tyaktvā karma-phalāsaṅgaṁ …). Neither expecting reward nor shrinking from necessary effort, this person moves through the world without inner disturbance. The Gita portrays this as a life of natural simplicity: eating, moving, sleeping, or acting without insistence, without excess, and without loss of inner balance (4.21 — nirāśīr yata-cittātmā …).

    Actions done in this spirit do not accumulate latent impressions. Actions flow from clarity rather than pressure, and so they leave no residue behind. The wise thus stand inwardly free, even as they continue to move through the ordinary demands of living (4.22 — yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭo …).

    The Gita offers a final image of this freedom: actions performed without craving, without possessiveness, without the burden of self-importance, are said to dissolve entirely (4.23 — gata-saṅgasya muktasya …). Such action becomes transparent—nothing is carried forward, nothing binds, nothing remains.

    Many Forms of Offering

    If dissolution of the sense of doer-ship is the requirement for being unbound, what should be the spirit behind those actions ? Since anyway actions have to be performed, they must be done with a spirit of offering those actions unto Bhagavan. Towards that, all sincere forms of discipline—acts of restraint, charity, devotion, study, and effort—can be understood as yajña, where offerings are directed toward inner refinement (4.24 — brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havir …).

    Some offer material wealth; others offer their self-discipline or austerity (4.25 — daivaṁ evāpere yajñaṁ …). Some restrain the senses; others restrain the movements of the breath (4.27 — sarvāṇīndriya-karmāṇi …; 4.29 — apāne juhvati prāṇaṁ …). Some dedicate their knowledge, their study, or their inward stillness. What matters is not the outer form but the inward intention that shapes such action and such offering.

    These varied offerings illustrate that people approach inner growth from different directions. Each path contributes to clarity and steadiness in its own way.

    Where All Offerings Converge

    Although many forms of offering exist, the Gita explains that all of them carry meaning only when they lead toward ultimate knowledge (4.30 — apare niyatāhārāḥ …). Without knowledge, outer actions may refine or strengthen a person temporarily, but they do not resolve the deeper knots of misunderstanding within.

    Thus, after listing many kinds of offering, the Gita presents a single unifying principle: the offering made in knowledge surpasses all others (4.33 — śreyān dravya-mayād yajñāt jñāna-yajñaḥ …). Material offerings can purify the external life; knowledge purifies the one who performs the offering.

    When knowledge illumines the mind, action becomes free from pressure, offering becomes natural, and life itself becomes a field for clarity.

    Approaching the Source of Knowledge

    As knowledge becomes central, the Gita turns to how it is acquired. Such insight cannot be gained through mere reading or reasoning; it must be received from one who has realised it. Bhagavān advises seeking a teacher who embodies this understanding and approaching with humility, sincere inquiry, and a willingness to learn (4.34 — tad viddhi praṇipātena …). When these attitudes come together, the guidance received becomes transformative.

    The teacher clarifies on those aspects which are difficult to discern alone: the distinction between action and non-action, the nature of the Self, and the web of sense of doer-ship. With this clarity, confusions begin to dissolve.

    The Transformative Power of Knowledge

    Once knowledge arises, the Gita describes its effect as removing the root of delusion. Just as light dispels darkness in a single moment, knowledge allows one to see what was always present but obscured (4.35 — yaj jñātvā na punar moham …).

    The power of this knowledge is emphasised through vivid images:
    just as a blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, knowledge consumes the accumulated residue of actions (4.37 — yathāidhāṁsi samiddho ’gniḥ …). It frees the seeker from the weight of past impressions, allowing life to move forward with lightness and clarity. Even a little progress in this direction releases the seeker from the effect of wrongful acts – acts that are committed out of deep confusion (4.36 — api ced asi pāpebhyaḥ …).

    Faith, Steadiness, and the Obstacles to Insight

    The Gita affirms that knowledge becomes steady when joined with trust, discipline, and commitment (4.39 — śraddhāvān labhate jñānaṁ …). Faith here is not blind belief but an openness that allows understanding to take root. Steadiness keeps the seeker aligned with what has been learned; persistence carries it forward.

    By contrast, the one who doubts, who lacks direction or trust, becomes inwardly scattered (4.40 — ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca …). Doubt creates hesitation at every step and prevents clarity from forming. Such a person is described as missing both the world and the deeper truth, unable to move decisively towards either of them.

    Knowledge as Freedom

    When inner doubts are cut away through knowledge, the mind stands free. One becomes inwardly settled, no longer pulled by confusion or fear (4.41 — yoga-sannyasta-karmāṇaṁ …). With understanding established, one can act in the world with assurance, without hesitation and without inner conflict.

    The chapter concludes with a call toward this inner clarity. Arjuna is urged to rise, let go of the doubt born of ignorance, and act with a mind transformed by understanding (4.42 — tasmād ajñāna-sambhūtaṁ …). Action performed with such a mind becomes a means of freedom, not entanglement.

    Conclusion

    The teaching of this chapter gathers itself into a single movement: knowledge transforms action. When the sense of doer-ship falls away, when clarity steadies the mind, action flows without inner pressure, leaving no trace of bondage. All disciplines—whether offerings, restraint, study, or devotion—find their fulfilment when illuminated by insight. Knowledge burns the residue of past action, clears the fog of doubt, and restores one to one’s own inner freedom.

    For earnest seekers, however, the message of this chapter doesn’t suffice. Question does arise: If knowledge frees the mind and action performed in freedom carries no binding force, then what is the need for renunciation ?  We need to travel further through Gita for further broadening our perspective about Truth.

  • Karma Yoga – The Right Attitude in Practice

    Bhagavad Gita : Chapter-3

    Opening Context

    The Bhagavad Gita is a silent flame within the Mahabharata. It is a still moment found in the midst of war. A conversation that transforms external conflict into internal inquiry, internal inquiry into internalised knowledge, and internalised knowledge into a realised complete freedom. Across eighteen chapters, the Gita charts a path from confusion to clarity, from fear to freedom.

    From Sorrow to Twofold Path

    The first chapter of the Gita is Arjuna Vishada Yoga. Here Arjuna represents the ordinary human being. External circumstances deeply unsettle his inner personality, leaving him shaken in judgment and overcome by sorrow. As a symbol of this collapse, Arjuna declares he does not desire victory (na kāṅkṣe vijayaṁ kṛṣṇa – 1.32). Overcome by grief, he drops his bow (evam uktvā’rjunaḥ saṅkhye – 1.47). Unless we see ourselves as Arjuna, the Gita does not speak to us.

    The second chapter is Sankhya Yoga. The teachings begin to refine Arjuna — and through him, us — both from inside and outside. This is generally understood as a two‑fold path. The first path addresses the inner personality namely, ‘Self’. The true nature of the ‘Self’ is eternal. The self is never born, never dies, and always exists (na jāyate mriyate vā – 2.20). Fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, weapons cannot pierce it (nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi – 2.23). The second path addresses outer action (karmaṇy-evādhikāraste – 2.47), the duties of the individual. These two paths converge in the goal of sthitaprajñatā, the steady wisdom that arises when desires are abandoned (prajahāti yadā kāmān – 2.55).

    For an overview on Chapter-2 : Click here : https://nvsatish.com/2025/10/17/bg-sankhya-yoga-02/

    Beginning of Karma Yoga

    In the third chapter, the Gita turns fully to Karma Yoga. Both the path of knowledge and the path of action are good. For those engaged in activity, action is the right way. Therefore the Gita does not ask us to abandon action. Instead, it teaches that performing action is better than renouncing it (niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ – 3.8). It instructs us to act with the right attitude. The Gita explicitly rejects the idea of avoiding action. No one can remain without action even for a moment. Everyone is compelled by the forces of nature (na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api – 3.5). Even the wise continue to act. Their actions guide others and sustain the world (yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ – 3.23). They act without attachment, setting an example, and take care not to disturb those still learning.

    The Right Attitude in Action

    Karma Yoga proclaims that action done without selfishness, as yajña, frees one from bondage (3.9). Such selfless action is known to purify the mind, making it fit for knowledge. This philosophy is explained through yajña, the method of mutual offering that sustains life. Rain supports food. Food supports beings. Beings support the cycle by acting in the right spirit (sahayajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā – 3.10–3.15). When this harmony is ignored or disturbed, the cycle of life becomes incomplete and disjointed. On the other hand, when it is honoured, individuals become free and a sense of cosmic responsibility prevails.

    Qualities and Non‑Doership

    Through this chapter, the Gita says that all actions of an individual arise only from the three guṇas, the characteristic qualities of nature (prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni – 3.27). Action is merely an interaction between such qualities, and the individual is not the doer. One who knows this truth does not claim to be the doer. By giving up doership, ego falls away. Fear disappears. Actions continue, but the burden of “I” is gone.

    Surrender and Duty

    Another mark of right action is surrendering all actions to the Lord. Then fear and expectation vanish (mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi – 3.30). Each person acts according to their own nature (sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ – 3.33). Therefore the Gita teaches us to perform our own duty. Action that does not belong to one’s dharma can be dangerous. Only action in line with one’s own dharma is safe (śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ – 3.35).

    Desire and Its Veils

    Desire clouds judgment, hiding the inner light (kāma eṣa krodha eṣaḥ – 3.36–3.37). Like smoke covering fire, dust covering a mirror, or a womb covering the embryo (dhūmenāvriyate vāhnir – 3.38), desire veils clarity. The way to overcome desire is to know the Self to be higher than the senses, mind, and intellect. Use that knowledge of the intellect to discriminate between right and wrong and let the intellect control the mind from desires (evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā – 3.43).

    Closing Message

    We need to understand that renunciation, in the context of karma Yoga, is not escape from work. It is giving up attachment to the outcome, while acting with focus and skill in every work. This chapter begins with the necessity-to-act and ends with freedom-while-working. Such attitude ultimately leads to liberation.

  • The Seed That Holds the Gītā: Sāṅkhya Yoga

    Bhagavad Gita: Sankhya Yoga – What is in it ?

    It is a very well-known fact that the Bhagavad Gītā is a deep conversation between Arjuna and Lord Krishna that speaks about life, action, and inner clarity. Though the Gītā spans eighteen chapters, Chapter 2 has a uniqueness to it. Titled as Sāṅkhya Yoga, this chapter is the seed from which, all teachings of the Gītā grow. The full scope of the Gītā’s vision is quietly introduced in this very chapter.

    Before any teaching by Bhagavan Lord Krishna begins, the Gītā opens with Arjuna’s breakdown. He stands on the battlefield, but his strength fails. His thoughts are confused, his heart is heavy, and his will collapses. Yet this collapse is not the end – it marks the beginning of a deeper search. When old convictions of someone fall apart, better questions begin to rise from within.

    This chapter, even though popularly referred to as Sāṅkhya Yoga, is known by other names too. It is called the Bīja Adhyāya, meaning the Seed Chapter, because it contains the essence of all that follows. It is also called the Upakrama Adhyāya, the Opening Chapter of teaching, because it introduces in this chapter itself, all the major contents of the actual teaching that follows. And it is known as the Gītā Sāra Adhyāya, the Essence Chapter, because it holds the core ideas that are later expanded in the remaining sixteen chapters.

    Every major concept in the Gītā—whether about the Self, action, devotion, surrender, or equipoise – is first introduced in this chapter. It serves as the foundation where the teachings of Jñāna Yoga (the path of knowledge), Karma Yoga (the path of action), and Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion) are first presented. These paths are not explained in full here, but their essential ideas are seeded and set in motion in this very chapter. The rest of the Gītā unfolds by deepening what is first revealed in this chapter.

    The Gītā teaches about the Self (ātman) – which in brief can be said to be the living presence within every being. An inquiry into the Self marks the beginning of what later unfolds as Jñāna Yoga. The Self is not the body that grows and changes. The Self is neither the mind that shifts & reacts nor the intellect that judges and decides. The Self is not a thought, emotion, or identity—it is the very power that makes life within possible. The Gītā, through this chapter, enumerates the characteristics of the Self quite exhaustively. It describes the Self as the silent witness behind all experience, the source from which awareness flows, that which is not born and does not die, that which does not grow old or fade, and that which is not touched by pleasure or pain, success or failure. The Self, in the Gītā’s view, simply is – changeless, radiant, and free. To introduce this contrast between the changing body and the unchanging Self, Bhagavan offers a quiet metaphor drawn from everyday life. One of the earliest verses in this chapter (2.13) says: “Just as childhood, prime age, and old age come to us in this life, so also is the transition to another body. The wise do not get confused by this.” Here, the Self (dehin) is the indwelling presence that remains unchanged while the body moves through various stages—birth, growth, aging, death, transition into another birth, again growth, and so on. It is the body that changes and re-forms; the Self simply continues, untouched by these shifts. This verse introduces the Self as an unhindered continuity. The Self is not a momentary spark. It remains present through all the changes, untouched and unmoved. The Self is the witness—still, aware, and untouched.

    Karma Yoga, elaborated in a separate chapter, also finds its first voice here. Verse 2.47 offers a profound truth, often quoted by the world over “You have the right to action, but not to its fruits.” This is a call to freedom from bondage of results. It invites us to act with clarity of purpose, without our attention on the results. Karma Yoga begins here – not as a method, but as a shift in attitude. The Gītā teaches that when action is done without holding onto results, it becomes a path to inner freedom. In the same vein, verse 2.50 adds another layer: “One who has wisdom casts off both good and bad results.” And then: “Skill in action is Yoga.” This skill is not about efficiency or technique. It is about equilibrium. It is the ability to act without inner disturbance, to move without losing the focus on the central purpose. The Gītā’s idea of skill in action belongs to a higher plane. It is not about doing more – it is about doing with awareness.

    Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion, also begins to stir in this chapter. Though not named directly, the spirit of Bhakti is present here in this chapter. Lord Krishna speaks not just as a teacher, but as someone whose presence must be trusted. This trust is not only intellectual—it is emotional and spiritual. It is the beginning of surrender. The heart begins to bow. The trust begins to hold. Verse 2.61 offers a quiet devotional anchor: “One who restrains all the senses and remains devoted to Me – his wisdom is firmly established.” Here, the phrase mat-paraḥ (“centred on Me”) signals the early stirrings of Bhakti. It is not mere discipline – it is discipline anchored in relationship. The Gītā teaches that devotion is not a separate path – it is the heart of steadiness. Bhakti Yoga begins here – not as ritual, but as relationship. It is the quiet trust that steadies the seeker. It is the devotion that holds the mind when the world pulls it apart.

    The word sthita-prajña appears for the first time in Gita in this chapter. It refers to a person who has become steady in wisdom—not as a direct result of the teachings, but as a living illustration of what those teachings point toward. Lord Krishna describes the sthita-prajña in a series of verses (2.55–72): “When a person gives up all desires that arise in the mind, and finds satisfaction in the Self alone, he is said to be steady in wisdom.” He is not shaken by praise or blame, not pulled by desire or fear. He lives with clarity of understanding, moves with balance of mind, and rests in the Self. He is full within, like the ocean that remains unmoved though rivers flow into it: (2.70) “Just as rivers flow into the ocean, which remains unmoved and steady, so too is the person who remains full and undisturbed by desires.” The sthita-prajña is not only the outcome of this chapter, but the embodiment of this chapter’s vision – a glimpse of what it means to live free while still being engaged in the world.

    The teachings of the Gītā are timeless, yet they speak directly to our lives even today. Arjuna’s collapse reflects the confusion we face when our sense of responsibility feels blurred and our choices seem overwhelming. His turning point mirrors our own moments of breakdown; those moments – when deeper questions begin to rise from within us. This chapter of Sāṅkhya Yoga offers crucial tools to everyone for living with clarity in the middle of pressures and changes. Jñāna Yoga reveals the steady Self beneath all roles. Karma Yoga guides us to act with purpose and detachment. Bhakti Yoga invites us to trust and surrender. All of these find themselves seeded firmly in this chapter. All the three paths remain deeply relevant even today. The Gītā’s  vision continues into the subsequent chapters, but the mirror has already been held up. And in that mirror, we begin to see ourselves – or rather, our-Self.

    పై వ్యాసాన్ని తెలుగులో చదవాలనుకుంటే, ఈ క్రింది లింకు ని క్లిక్ చేయగలరు.

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