Dear BhakthAs :

SrIman SrIbhAshyam of Bangalore and Nice , France is releasing adiyEn's
earlier postings on GithArTa Sangraham in an easy to assimilate
manner and revised format for European audience in multiple languages.
Here is an English version of the third chapter of Bhagavath Geethaa as
sumamrized by Swamy AlavanthAr .

SrI GithAchAryan THuNai ,
V.Sadagopan

Gîtârtha Samgraha
1) The Essence of the Third Chapter
sankam tavirnthu sakam sathir perra Dhananjayanepongum gunangal
punarppu anaitthum puhavittu avarrulnankann uraittha kirisai yelâm
yenavum navinraryengum arivarhale yenru nâathan iyampinane
(4)(Meaning): In the previous poem, Lord pointed out that Karma Yoga
has to be practiced first to get the mind under control and then one
should proceed to Jnâna Yoga. A question arises here about some one,
who is competent to perform Jnâna Yoga directly without the
intermediate step of Karma Yoga. The question is why should such a
capable person trouble himself with Karma Yoga. The answer is that
the gains of Jnâna Yoga can not be realized unless Karma Yoga is
mastered first. We have to perform Karma Yoga first and please the
Lord by doing actions (karma) without anticipation of the fruits of
such actions. Sins are destroyed during the practise of such karma
Yoga. The mind is cleansed. The power of impediments (dôsha) like
desire and anger diminish and the senses (indriya) come under the
influence of the devotee (sâdhaka). This leads on to the practise of
Jnâna Yoga as the next step. If one does not perform Karma Yoga
first and proceeds directly to Jnâna Yoga, it is like some one, who
wants to build a seven-tiered tower (gopuram) by starting with the
seventh tier first. He will become a laughing matter.Further, no one
can stay idle even for a second without doing any karma except at the
time of dissolution (pralaya Kâlam). The soul (Jîva) is goaded by
one or other of the three guna to perform one or other karmas. Karma
Yoga is easy to practise. Mistakes do not creep in, while one
practises Karma Yoga. It is impossible not to be engaged in actions
(Karma). The bodily existence will be impaired, if we abandon Karma
Yoga. Even the great souls like King Janaka, who were fully
qualified to jump start their discipline (sâdhana) with Jnâna Yoga
practised Karma Yoga first to show to the world the correct sequence.
If some one sets an example by skipping Karma Yoga, even those, who
are not competent to perform Jnâna Yoga will mimic the capable ones
and end up in spiritual disaster. This will lead to the accumulation
of sins by the trendsetter and he will further lose his grip on the
Jnâna Yoga as well.Additional comments on the words & passages of
this poem (Pâsuram)1. "Sangam Tavirtthu" : When one performs Karma
Yoga, one should do it for the love of the God (Bhagavath prîthi)
and not for gaining any fruits that one may desire.2. Pongum gunangal
punarppu anaitthum avarrul puhavittu":
Sathva, Rajas and Thamas are the three guna associated with the
created world (Prakrithi). In the body of the bound soul (chetana),
they are present in different proportions. They are behind the
performance of appropriate karma as described in detail in the 14th
chapter of Srimad Bhagavath Gîta. The bound soul (Jîvan) deludes
itself by thinking that it is the doer of the karma. This delusion
(Bhrama) arises from the wrong conviction that the body (Sharîra) is
indeed the soul (Âthma). In contrast to these deluded souls, those
who have a clear understanding of the nature of the soul (Âthma
Svarupa) will know that the ability to perform karma is a natural
attribute of the soul (Âthma) and the association with the three
guna are the causative factor. This is known as Karthruthva
anusandhânam .3." Nangkann uraittha kirisaikal yelâm yenavum
navinrar yengum arivarhale":Those who recognize that all the karma
are performed by Almighty Sarweshvaran through His Servant, the soul
(Jîva), for the purpose of His own joy. One has to comprehend this
principle (thathva), while performing “actions in the form of karma
(Karma roopa kaimkaryams). Those who have this practise are
considered as the Masters of the essence of all Divine sciences
(Bhagavath Shâsthram).Instructing Arjuna in this manner, Lord
commanded him to engage in the practise of his karma as a Kshatriya
and fight his enemies in that righteous war.4. Swami Âlavandâr's
summary of this Third Chapter (Adhyâya) is :asakthya lokarakshayai
guneshvâropya karthruthamSarvesware vaa nyasyokthâ thrutheeye
karma-kâryathâ5. Sri Râmânuja's summary: The direct visualisation
of the individual soul (Âthma sâkshâthkâram) is the precedent for
success in practise of Bhakti Yoga.This is explained in the next four
chapters starting from the Third Chapter.The Lord (Bhagavân) states
that the practise of Jnâna Yoga by plunging headlong is a difficult
and dangerous act. The bound soul (chetana) in this world cannot
exist without action driven by the guna born of Prakrithi. Anyone
who says that he has skipped Karma Yoga and jumped to Jnâna Yoga
directly is a hypocrite. There is every fear of downward descent in
his case. Therefore, one has no choice but to perform obligatory
duties (niyatha Karma) without seeking the fruits thereof. By
performing karma without attachment to the fruits of such karma, one
attains the Supreme being:
“Therefore always perform action which has to be done, unattached;
verify, man attains the highest by performing action unattached.�
- Srimath Bhagavath Gîta: III.19Sri Krishna (Gîtha Âchârya,
another name for Sri Krishna as He is the Master of Bhagavad Gîtha)
goes on to say that He is "one who has all of His desires
fulfilled� and the Supreme Master of all and yet He goes on working
(performing karma) for the protection of the world and its beings.The
Lord instructs Arjuna to surrender all of his actions to Him with a
mind focussed on Him as the antharyâmi (Lord in one’s own soul) of
all and engage in his battle ahead resolutely without the heat of
excitement:
“Renoucing all actions in Me, with your mind resting one the Self,
and giving up hope and idea of ownership, fight, being free from
fever.�- Sriamth Bhagavath Gîta: III.30Here, the Lord instructs
Arjuna to perform all prescribed dharma befitting his role as a
Kshatriya free from selfishness and in a mood of not seeking the
fruits of such actions. He asks Arjuna to dedicate the fruits of all
those requiredKarma to Him with a clear mind knowing that the Lord is
the indweller in all) and never forgetting that Lord is his Master
(Sheshi) and he is His (Lord's) agent (Sheshan). One who has
understood and follows this “master-agent� relation
(sheshi-sheshan) is the one with adhyAthma chEthas. Lord states that
those who do no understand and follow this principle are lost
forever.During the rest of this third chapter, Lord explains the
difficulties in the practise of Jnâna Yoga. The Lord (Gîtha
Âchârya) stresses the importance of controlling the senses AT THE
VERY BEGINNING, so that both Jnâna (knowledge) and Vijnânam
(discrimination) are not destroyed (Bhagavad Gîtha II. 41).Next, the
Lord (Bhagavân) rank ordered the adversaries to Jnâna Yogins: The
senses (indriya) are important opponents (virodhi) to gain knowledge
(Jnâna). Even if the Yogi controls the senses, the mind exerts a
dominant role by lusting after the sense objects and becomes a bigger
impediment to gaining right knowledge (Jnâna). If one controls the
mind, the intellect (Buddhi) still is a greater impediment than the
senses and the mind. Even after controlling the sensory organs and
the mind, the Buddhi can play some perverted games and stand in the
way of gaining knowledge. Assuming that the senses, mind, and
intellect are some how controlled, there is another opponent
(virodhi), which is the strongest of all: The desire (Kâma.
“The senses are said to be superior (to their objects); superior to
the senses is the mind; but superior to the mind is the intellect;
while that which is superior to the intellect is the Self.�-
Sriamth Bhagavath Gîta: III. 42In the final Poem (Shloka) of this
chapter (III .43), the Lord instructs Arjuna to recognize desire
(Kâma) as the top-most obstacle in the pursuit of Jnâna Yoga and
directs Arjuna to destroy this enemy (desire) by stabilizing the mind
(manas) with the help of the intellect (buddhi), which in turn is
reined in by the practise of Karma Yoga.Chapter 1 is about " Arjuna"s
sorrow and Confusion "Chapter 2 is about: " Communion through
Knowledge ".Chapter 3 is about " Communion through Action ".Chapter 4
is about " Renunciation of Action in Knowledge".Chapter 5 is about «
Communion through Renunciation "Chapter 6 is about " Communion
through Meditation "These are the six Chapters of the First Hexad
united together as a self-consistent Unit.We will take up next, the
study of the 42 poems (Shloka) of the Fourth chapter.In the third
chapter, the emphasis was on the need to practise Karma Yoga with
sacrifice for the fruits of action (phala tyâga) for both the
disciple (Sâdhaka) with strong body impulses as well as for the one
qualified to practise Jnâna Yoga.In the fourth chapter, the absolute
need for practising Karma Yoga is reiterated and emphasized. Further,
the avathâra rahasyam (the secret of Lord’s incarnation) is touched
upon.
(to be continued)