There’s no need to be so anxious

Apr 16, 2010, 12.00am IST
JAYA ROW.


There are two kinds of renunciation, as explained by Krishna: sannyasa renunciation and tyaga renunciation. The first, sannyasa, is giving up desire-driven actions while the second, tyaga, is giving up the fruits of action. However, neither of the two implies giving up action.


Action continues, giving up only the two things that come in the way of excellence – desire from the past and anxiety for the fruit.

Krishna adds that some say all action should be renounced as flawed, while others maintain that acts of sacrifice, charity and penance must never be abandoned. Most are laden with desire. They need to perform acts of sacrifice, charity and penance for self-purification. The rare one who is on the verge of realisation needs to let go of even the last thought to become enlightened.

There are three kinds of tyaga: sattvika, rajasika and tamasika. Abandoning obligatory action out of delusion is tamasika, not tyaga. False or rajasika tyaga is giving up action that is troublesome, fearing physical discomfort. True or sattvika tyaga is performance of obligatory action because it ought to be done, giving up attachment and fruit.


The Gita’s chapter 18 then analyses five distinct aspects of action: the body, the actor, the various instruments – mind, intellect, ego, sense organs and external instruments – their respective functions and the fifth, the divine. The divine Self remains inactive but enlivens all other entities and enables them to function. If you identify with atman and not the individuality, action takes on a divine dimension. Work becomes worship. Such action does not bind you, not even the act of killing.

The next portion provides insight into our personality. The qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas impact on each aspect of our persona - knowledge, action, actor, intellect, consistency and happiness. By understanding the manifestation of the gunas in each of the different entities, we can identify the weak spots and deal with them. Thus the whole personality gets a lift.

Based on this inner composition, all humans were categorised into four varnas or castes, based on one’s proportion of sattva, rajas and tamas, not on heredity. Each caste was then given a vocation best suited for their temperament. The purpose was to facilitate the spiritual development of all because a mismatch of inner composition with external work can be highly frustrating and prevent progress.


Krishna encapsulates the entire spiritual path in verses 46 to 57 starting with the three practices of karma yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga and ending with meditation. If you shift your focus to atman you will overcome all obstacles. If you ignore Divinity and get lost in the material realms you will perish.

Having said that, Krishna leaves us to do as we wish. The Gita is not a doctrine of adesa or commandments that must be accepted without question. It is upadesa, advice based on a logical, scientific exposition on the human personality. Reflect on these principles, experiment with them and draw your own conclusions just as you would with physics or chemistry. Then you will experience truths laid down in the Gita and find liberation while living in the world. You will live like a king, think like a sannyasi, for you would command resources but not depend on them.


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