संन्यासस्तु महाबाहो दु:खमाप्तुमयोगत: |
योगयुक्तो मुनिर्ब्रह्म नचिरेणाधिगच्छति || 6||
sannyāsas tu mahā-bāho duḥkham āptum ayogataḥ
yoga-yukto munir brahma na chireṇādhigachchhati
sanyāsaḥ—renunciation; tu—but; mahā-bāho—mighty-armed one; duḥkham—distress; āptum—attains; ayogataḥ—without karm-yog; yoga-yuktaḥ—one who is adept in karm-yog; muniḥ—a sage; brahma—Brahman; na chireṇa—quickly; adhigachchhati—goes
Translation:
O Arjuna! But renunciation is difficult to attain without the yoga of action. The sage who is harmonised in Yoga quickly goes to Brahman.
Commentary:
It is stated here that without the aid of Karma Yoga final renunciation and the realisation of Self is not possible. That is, perfection in Karma Yoga – doing work without desire and attachment, surrendering the fruits to the Lord – is absolutely necessary to rise to the plane of pure Knowledge. Certainly, it is not an easy task to remain established in Brahman, without outward pulls and pressures of the objective world. All the bad samskaras have to be overcome, and they cannot be overcome except by righteous action and desireless performance of good work. Karma yoga is therefore the elementary course, and jnana yoga is the higher course. Unless the foundation of karma yoga is strongly laid, the superstructure of jnana cannot stand for a minute. How can anyone hope to remain fixed in the Atmic state when the mind is impure and drawn to the objective world in a hundred ways? Let the mind be purified first. Hence the Lord insists on Karmayoga for all seekers. Out of compassion, the Lord explains the natural sequence and graded progress of spiritual laws.
Sage: From the word Muni (Contemplator) we understand that the seeker should also contemplate on the Supreme, besides the practice of Karmayoga.
In this manner, the Lord prescribes Karma marga and self-surrender to the Divine as the natural evolution of spiritual life. It is of no use to take to sannyasa by a formal renunciation of action. Purity and sinlessness are the characteristic features of sannyasa. Without acquiring them, if a man adopts sannyasa by some accidental calamity or suffering, he would suffer ignominious failure in the attempt. Such men are deprived of the benefits of Karma and Jnana. “Acquire purity through Nishkama Karma, surrender to God, learn the secret of action; and you can quickly reach Brahman.” This is the Lord’s message.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
“It is not in England alone that one sees attachment to worldly things. You see it everywhere. But remember that work is only the first step in spiritual life. God cannot be realized without sattva—love, discrimination, kindness, and so on. It is the very nature of rajas to involve a man in many worldly activities. That is why rajas degenerates into tamas. If a man is entangled in too many activities he surely forgets God. He becomes more and more attached to ‘woman and gold’.
“But it is not possible for you to give up work altogether. Your very nature will lead you to it whether you like it or not (BG 18.59). Therefore the scriptures ask you to work in a detached spirit, that is to say, not to crave the work’s results. For example, you may perform devotions and worship, and practise austerities, but your aim is not to earn people’s recognition or to increase your merit.
“To work in such a spirit of detachment is known as karmayoga. But it is very difficult. We are living in the Kaliyuga, when one easily becomes attached to one’s actions. You may think you are working in a detached spirit, but attachment creeps into the mind from nobody knows where. You may worship in the temple or arrange a grand religious festival or feed many poor and starving people. You may think you have done all this without hankering after the results. But unknown to yourself the desire for name and fame has somehow crept into your mind. Complete detachment from the results of action is possible only for one who has seen God.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Question: When can Jnana Yoga be realised?
Answer: After perfection is attained in Karma Yoga.
Question: How can one reach Brahman quickly?
Answer: The Karma Yogi who has purified his mind reaches Brahman quickly.
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