Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 16

Chapter 7 verse 16 

“Four kinds of pious people worship Me, the dissatisfied or distressed, the seeker of systemized knowledge, the seeker of wealth and the wise (situated in knowledge).” 

Just like 4 kinds of people who don’t think of Him, there are 4 kinds of people who do think of Him and worship the Lord. 1. The distressed and dissatisfied people- those who seek happiness and does not want sorrow and as a last resort come to the Lord just like Draupadi did in Mahabharata. 2. The seeker of knowledge: These people learn that God is the provider of knowledge and their curiosity to learn leads them to His abode. 3. Seeker of wealth and other material gains: These people start in the pursuit of material wealth which is one of the purushartha in sanatana dharma and may eventually surrender in true devotion in complete knowledge and finally the 4. The wise (jnani)- those which have realized the true knowledge and the fact that Divine is the ultimate wealth and there is nothing else to seek also surrender to Him.It is established that if you reading this, you belong to the pious people category, what stage are we then in the journey towards the Divine? Time for reflection!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 15

Chapter 7 verse 15 

“The evil-doers, the deluded, the lowest of men do not seek Me, they, whose discrimination has been destroyed by their own delusions, follow the ways of the demons.”

Even though all beings are His creation, they have been left alone to go through this cycle of life and birth within the construct of laws of karma and prakriti. It might take a billion lives to graduate to enlightenment from this cycle and the Lord will not interfere with this process. With firm detachment, Krishna describes the people who are further away from the path of enlightenment and surrender. There are not sinners in Santana dharma and doomed in hell eternally- they have just lost their way and being misled by the veil of maya and will take a much longer time to overcome the delusion and develop the discrimination between the real and the unreal. Krishna is pointing to 4 kinds of people. 1. Those who are plain ignorant. They have no idea of the existence of God and completely deluded. 2. Lazy people following their lower nature-They are aware of existence of God but are completely overcome by laziness and don’t act. 3. Those with deluded intellect- They are not patient to experience the existence of God in their lives and dismiss meaning of life just with their current frame of reference and experience. 4. People with demonic qualities- These people are pure evil and exist to be malicious toward all things Godly!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 14

Chapter 7 verse 14

“This divine illusion of Mine made up of gunas (caused by the qualities) is difficult to cross over; those who take refuge in Me, they alone can cross over this illusion.”

Maya or veil caused by the inherent qualities- satva, rajas and tamo gunas are very difficult to overcome since they are inborn and grounded on the vasanas of multiple births in the past, environment of birth and other circumstances. Grace and effort in terms of sadhana alone can help overcome this veil of Maya. Krishna is asking for total surrender to help cross over the illusion in this universe.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 13

Chapter 7 verse 13

“Deluded by these states or things composed of the three gunas of prakriti, the world knows Me not as immutable and distinct from them.”

In dwapara yuga, at the time Krishna was performing his avatara, how many people realized that he is the supreme being and God principle? It takes a very special blessing to have that realization at the same time of the avatara. This wouldn’t occur for normal beings but only for exalted souls. For all others, we are going to be stuck in our nature associated with the body, mind, intellect and ego complex goaded by the 3 gunas- purity, passion and ignorance. Please note that even purity at a point forces you to cling to the body and mind. One has to rid of even sathvic thoughts to realize the immutable Self. How many of us realized the greatness of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vivekananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, Satya Sai Baba, Kanchi Mahaperivava and Ramana Maharishi to name a few supreme Souls.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 12

Chapter 7 verse 12

“The three states of material existence-goodness, passion and ignorance-are manifested by my energy. They are in me but I am beyond them”

There are 3 sects of Vedanta-Advaitam, vishitadvaitam and dwaitam. Whichever sect one prescribes to, this verse can be interpreted to fulfill essence of that belief. In advaitam, the individual Soul and paramatma are no different. In this verse, Krishna talks about the fact that all states of material existence- Sattva, Rajas and Tamas (goodness, passion and ignorance) are not to be associated with the individual Soul which is apart from these states. The body, mind, intellect and ego are thought to be attached to the Soul but they are not. That one way equation also exists between paramatma and the individual jiva identified in body, mind, intellect and ego. God principle encompasses everything but this body-ego complex is NOT GOD principle. So if this is the explanation for Advaitins, dwaitam and vishitadwaitam concepts are even easier to explain. Isavasya Upanishad has the famous mantra-“Purnamidam….vashisyate”- The meaning of this ancient vedic mantra is that the whole creation constitutes one whole unit. Each and every particle, non-living or living represents the same whole unit. There is no place where this whole is not present. This whole reproduces itself in its own image. Removing every entity from this unit has no effect on it because that which remains represents the same whole.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 11

Chapter 7 verse 11

“Of the strong, I am the strength devoid of desire and attachment and in all beings, I am the sexual activity (or broadly desire itself) unopposed to dharma.”

Continuing with his clarity in declarations, Lord says that the strength in the mighty comes from Him and all desires including sexual activity arising within the construct of dharma (in this particular case within the confines of marriage and per the allowances of the scriptures) is also from Him alone. This is a bold declaration considering that other religions or ways of life looks down upon desire in general and calls it a sin. Sanatana Dharma has a place for the four purusharthas-Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. All pursuits of material wealth and desires within the construct of righteous living (Dharma) become the essence of the purpose of human existence and is encouraged with the ultimate ability to exhaust those material pursuits and desires to surrender at the feet of Divine in the search for Self Enlightenment-Moksha.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 10

Chapter 7 verse 10

“Know that I am the eternal seed of all beings, intelligence of the intelligent and the splendor of the glorious”

AR Rahman,an accomplished music director in Indian films, said that “All praise to the Almighty” in his Oscar award acceptance speech. He is a devout Muslim and found spirituality in that religion. Irrespective of the different path in this world called as organized religions, true religion talks about ultimately surrendering to the Divine. When one realizes that even the best ideas of the best of us came from Him. Whatever has been thought of now has been thought before in previous yugas. There is nothing which didn’t exist before and nothing which exists after. Krishna says that the splendor of the glorious universe is all his creation and doing. Drop the doer ship!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 9

Chapter 7 verse 9

“I am the pure fragrance of the earth and brilliant spark in fire. I am the life force of all beings and penance of the ascetics”

Everything we like or associate with the true nature of anything is God principle personified. Who doesn’t love the fragrance of earth, ember in the fire which is the cause of life saving heat on earth? The prana shakti in all beings is Him and it is His Grace which affords sages to have control over their body, mind, intellect and ego in form of meditation and penance. Sarvam Brahma aarpanam- Everything surrendered at Divine’s biding.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 8

Chapter 7 verse 8

“I am the taste in water, radiance in the sun and moon, sacred syllable Om in Vedic mantras, sound in the space and abilities in humans.”

The ability to taste something comes from the water/liquid present in that object. Lord says that he is that source of that taste in water without which all food becomes tasteless. He is also the brightness in both the sun and moon without which those celestial objects lose their purpose. The vastness of space is there to communicate sound without which no language exists and humans are around in the vain knowledge that we have some ability to do things. That ability is also given by the Lord. The Om mantra which is the essence of our Vedic scriptures is also Him. This is a declaration which should settle all doubts in man that they don’t do anything. It is the act and magic of the Divine.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 7

Chapter 7 verse 7

“There is nothing whatsoever higher than Me. All this is strung in Me, as clusters of gems on a string”

To keep it simple, he states that any individual does not need to look beyond Him for ultimate surrender. Now that this is settled, he turns poetic by saying that all his creation is like a precious gem strung on a string with degrees of freedom and free will to move about that string but will stay within the string. 2 important points to note- first is that all beings created by Him are precious like rare gems or pearls. Let’s be grateful that we are born as human beings to have ability to recognize this good fortune. Secondly, if we stuck to the string woven by God, we will ultimately adorn his neck. Straying away from his grip or circle of influence will not do us mortals any good.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 6

Chapter 7 verse 6

“Know that all living beings are manifested by these two energies of mine. I am the source of the entire creation, and into me it again dissolves”

Each living being has both the spiritual energy and the material energy- Soul and matter. The matter disintegrates over time and the Soul is timeless, indestructible in eternity. God principle is the creator of both energies. The material energy shows up as maya providing the veil to the spiritual form and the game is for the individual to overcome the veil and realize that they are indeed part of the God principle and does not exist separately as matter. Srimad Bhagavatam illustrates the cycle of creation and dissolution and the unrealized souls also merges into the Brahman and waits for the next yuga to manifest again for their journey to realize themselves. This cycle of creation and dissolution will continue and in order to get out of this cycle of birth and death, the only solution is 100% devotion to the supreme Lord.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 5

Chapter 7 verse 5

“This is the lower prakriti (energy); different from it, know that, My higher prakriti (energy), the very life element, by which this world is upheld”

In the previous verse, Krishna calls out his material energy through which all the jivas are constituted. However there is a higher spiritual energy which encompasses the soul of each being, which he calls the life energy or element. The lower material energy is a creation of maya. The higher energy which is an integral part of the God principle is indestructible, immutable soul which can reach the abode of the divine by removing the veil of the maya shakti or energy.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 4

Chapter 7 verse 4

“Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, egoism; these are My eightfold prakrti (material energy).”

Krishna calls out 2 parts of his Universal energies- his material energy and spiritual energy- Prakriti and Purusa. 8 fold Prakriti further is still a part of the God principle but due to His own maya or creation appears separate from the Whole. The 8 fold Prakriti originates from the ego of the person and expands to the other 7 aspects- mind, intellect and body which contains all the 5 elements of nature-earth, water, fire, air and space. In the commentary on this verse from Swami Mukundananda of JK Yog sect, Swamiji draws attention to Krishna here talking about the Unified field theory which has eluded modern scientists for centuries. This explanation from Krishna goes beyond theory of relativity, quantum theory etc., and provides a holistic explanation of the difference between the entity and the whole and how each universal entity is part of the whole.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 3

Chapter 7 verse 3

“Among thousands of men, a few strive for perfection, even among those successful strivers, only a very few knows Me in essence.”

The only way a spiritual aspirant would attain God principle is through 100% devotion to Him. Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba says how one can expect to control mind, body and intellect without realizing that none of these really belong to that person and is just a part of the whole God principle. He asks to understand and feel just that one is already part of the divine and just strive to merge with that parabrahmam. Adi Shankara in his Vivekachudamani, talks about how difficult it is to get a human birth and even then, how fortunate to be on the spiritual path. Here the Lord is stressing that the culmination of the path is to seek refuge in the devotion or Bhakti towards the divine.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 2

Chapter 7 verse 2

“I shall declare to you, in full, this knowledge combined with Realization/wisdom, which being known, nothing more here remains to be known.”

Jnanam and Vignanam- Knowledge and Wisdom looks like 2 sides of the same coin but the distance between them could be as far from the earth to the moon or multiple ages and lives. Why? Knowledge of scriptures and ways of the world could be taught by Guru. However the spiritual practice or sadhana is what would give us the experiential truth behind that knowledge and that’s what translates into wisdom in a person. This wisdom cannot be taught but has to be experienced. The Lord through his Grace can impart knowledge as well as set the stage to obtain the experience of the knowledge according to one’s own karma. However it remains to be seen how the person would take advantage of that situation. This becomes one’s own self effort to attain that wisdom. Several ancient sages have described the state of enlightenment but none of us can experience that state by listening, reading or even being in Guru’s presence. There are no short cuts. It can be only reached through sadhana, sincere effort and contemplation and abiding by the teachings of scriptures.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 7 verse 1

Chapter 7 verse 1

“The Blessed Lord said: With the mind intent on Me, practicing bhakti yoga and taking refuge in Me, listen to how you shall without any doubt know Me fully.”

In the last verse of chapter 6, Krishna had asked Arjuna to surrender completely in devotion-Bhakti. In the beginning of chapter 7, Krishna continues to elaborate on what will construe from the complete and unconditional surrender and devotion to the divine. My Guruji, when talking about celestial gods and jyotisha/pariharas (astrology and remedies for ill happening), stresses on the need to surrender to the divine and not worry about the future or other lower forms of celestial beings. Living in the present in constant contemplation of the divine and God’s glory is the easiest way to attain Self.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 47

Chapter 6 verse 47

“And among all yogis, he who, full of faith, with his inner self merged into Me, worships Me, is, according to Me, the devout.”

Throughout this chapter focusing on meditation and self control of the body, mind and intellect, Krishna has been giving tips of how to control these senses and focus on the changeless, which is the immutable Self. Several spiritual aspirants think of different paths to attain God principle- karma yoga, jnana yoga, raja yoga or bhakti yoga. Krishna unequivocally says here that ultimately merging into the divine principle with unflinching devotion towards GOD is the final step for all paths. This does not need to be debated but experienced. Adi Shankara experienced it when after becoming the reservoir of scriptural wisdom, controlling all his senses and establishing sanatana dharma in bharata varsha all over again, found unbounded solace in his devotional poetry, hymns and master pieces such as saundrya lahiri, bhaja govindam etc., India’s first governor general-Rajagopalachari, who wrote his commentary on both Ramayana and Mahabharata, said in his commentary of Bhaja Govindam that when jnanam does not naturally lead to bhakti, that knowledge is useless. It is after all only bookish knowledge. This is a fitting end to the 6^th chapter of yoga of self control/meditation.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 46

Chapter 6 verse 46 

“The yogi is thought to be superior to the ascetics and even superior to men of knowledge through scholarly pursuits; he is also superior to men of action; therefore one should strive to be a yogi” 

This is a very hard hitting verse which essentially clarifies the difference between worldly pursuits and pursuit of God. There is a distinction between a tapasvi and yogi- tapasvi is a person who takes to a life of penance and austerities. A great tapasvi could become a person who has control over his body, mind and intellect- a yogi but not all tapasvi could get there. Likewise, all scholars who religiously pursue the ritualistic portion of our scriptures are called going to reach the state of true knowledge of Self. The same holds for attaining state of non-doer ship of action as true action less actions in this world. Yogi is one who strives for true knowledge of the Self, acts with no attachment or ego and does not identify themselves with the body, mind and intellect but with the higher Self and God principle. No wonder Krishna says that a yogi is superior to all other men. Sanskrit language has words to describe different stages of a person’s evolution which many other languages fail to encapsulate. We should thank our ancestors for what they have given us on a platter to nurture and enjoy. What a great gift!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 45

Chapter 6 verse 45 

“But the yogi, who strives with even more sincere efforts than the past, purified from sins and perfected gradually through many births, then attains the highest goal” 

The Universal truth is valid for everyone. So what are the truth regarding reincarnation, law of karma and law of conservation of mass and energy as well as law of gravity? While the physical laws have been validated and confirmed by modern science, modern religion varies in the aspects of reincarnation and karma. Sanatana Dharma is the Universal way of life and does not conform itself to organized religion. My Guru asks everyone to “discover their own truth”. It is for us to discover how one will approach the law of karma and journey towards Self realization. Once the person realizes that no effort goes wasted in the spiritual journey to realize God, then the righteous path is always chosen in every fork of life’s road.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 44

Chapter 6 verse 44 

“By that very former practice, he is borne on and gets attracted to the highest in spite of himself. Even he, who merely wishes to know yoga, goes beyond the sabdabrahman-(ritualistic principles of the Vedas)” 

Adi Shankara says in his bhaja govindam that even if a Brahman starts by reciting the karma kanda portion of the Vedas and masters the grammer of the Sanskrit language and scriptural part of the Vedas, the spiritual benefit only happens when the person surrenders to the Divine in Bhakti. That is when the knowledge in the Vedas seeps into the being of the person and takes over. In this verse, Krishna points out that if the person has even attempted to taste the glory of the creation and the creator through the discipline of body, mind, and intellect uniting with the Soul either through direct knowledge of the Self, exhausting of tendencies through Yoga or through devotion to the supreme, then they already get ahead of the ritualistic portion of the Vedas. The ritualistic portion of the Vedas leads us to the path of Divine. They are not the ultimate destination in itself. Once the person makes this effort in one life, their path is firmly set on the highest Goal and even if they have false starts in next life, they have to finally be attracted to this spiritual path. This is my own personal experience in this life. Even though later in life, I am blessed to be on the spiritual path by HIS GRACE after the age of 37. Better late than never. Miles to go before I sleep, but overwhelmed by the HIS blessing.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 43

Chapter 6 verse 43

“There (in this rarely attained virtuous birth from previous verse!), he comes to be united with the knowledge acquired in his former body and strives more than before for perfection”

Laws of physics, nature and karma are eternal and apply irrespective of our belief in the law! Positive energy from good attempts in past lives does get transferred to future times per the law of karma and good efforts do not go to waste. With the previous efforts, divine grace creates a situation where our efforts would bear fruit in a very conducive environment. There are so many stories from bharata varsha’s history or itihaasa and puranas which enumerate this universal principle brought to life in various people. The list of such individuals is endless. In fact it is all of us who have existed in the past, present and who will be born in the future. There is a good two part autobiography written by Sri M- who is a contemporary mystic, referring to his previous lives and how he is got an opportunity to pursue his spiritual progress over so many multiple lives. He was just aware of his previous births and several of us are not aware. That is the only difference. There is more to the universe than meets our senses, mind and intellect!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 41-42

Chapter 6 verse 41-42

“Having attained to the worlds of the righteous and having dwelt there for long years, he who had fallen from yoga, is born again in the house of pure and the wealthy. Or, he is even born in the family of wise yogis; a birth like this is very difficult to obtain in this world”

In an earlier verse and chapter, Krishna points to Arjuna that fighting for a kshatriya is a win-win situation considering that if he won the battle, he gets fame in the present life and if he loses the battle and loses his life, he gains merit in the afterlife. Likewise, the Lord is saying that even though attaining self control may be difficult, sincere attempt at this process of achieving body, mind, and intellect’s union with the immutable soul does not go in vain. The journey would continue into the next life with the setup of even better conditions to pursue that spiritual path. Hence it is a win-win situation all around. The person who has been exposed to the spiritual path and has considered it in this life is already blessed and this is the result of several lives of positive action and thoughts. If that is not inspirational for all of us to take the spiritual path, what is?

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 40

Chapter 6 verse 40

“The Supreme Lord said: Neither in this world nor in the next world is there destruction for him; who strives to be good, O my beloved son, ever comes to grief”

A guru takes on a disciple as one’s spiritual child and hence here Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna as his son- Taata! All spiritual aspirants get this endearing relationship with God and the Guru thereby offering a protective layer of love, compassion and divine grace. Lord declares that anyone who strives to be on the path of good-dharma, vairagya, viveka and ultimate desire to salvation-mumukshatvam, does not have to fear sorrow in this life or even after death in other lives. Once the person has embarked on this spiritual path under the guidance of a realized master- Guru and God, they will reach the Goal in due time depending on their samskaras and commitment to the path.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 37-39

Chapter 6 verse 37-39

 “Arjuna said: When a man, though possessed of faith, is unable to control himself, whose mind wanders away from yoga, to what end does he- having failed to attain perfection in yoga go? Fallen from both, does he not, perish like a broken cloud, support less and deluded in the path of Brahman? This doubt of mine, please dispel completely; because it is not possible for anyone but you to dispel this doubt.”

Arjuna’s doubt is legitimate that if a person is treading on the path of spirituality and attempts to practice meditation/yoga with utmost faith but unable to make progress due to various reasons, what locus standing will that person have in this world? Wouldn’t they be caught in no man’s land or “trishanku swarg-(story of how sage vishwamitra once helped a king called trishanku to reach heaven even though he didn’t have the merits to get there and the devas didn’t allow him to enter and he was in suspended state forever in between heaven and earth). I am expecting a great answer for this from the Lord in the next few verses. I am just reminded of a deep statement about the nature of knowledge- does one not build on the knowledge gained from kindergarten to college or even in real life. It is not like one loses that knowledge or wisdom to the abyss or vacuum somewhere. While Arjuna’s question is appropriate, we should reflect on fact that any effort done with sincerity will not be wasted. The energy has to transform and transfer to some end!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 36

Chapter 6 verse 36

“Yoga, I think, is hard to be attained by one of uncontrolled self; but the self-controlled, striving, can obtain it by proper means.”

What is the proper means to gain control of the body, mind and intellect through yoga? It is the act of discipline of the body activities, training the mind to not lose energy in fleeting thoughts all the time and intellect to work on only what is dharmic, according to one’s svadharma and sattvic. It is important to note that Lord is just suggesting to Arjuna how to go about reaching the pinnacles of yoga. That’s why the word ‘I think’. He is not saying you have to do this because I told you so. The Lord has set up the entire Universe based on the laws of nature and karma and Man reaps what he sows. Grace is available in equal parts to everyone who wants to tap into it. We need to know to open the tap and receive the abundance of divine grace!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 35

Chapter 6 verse 35

“The blessed Lord said: Undoubtedly, the mind is difficult to control and restless; but, by practice, and by dispassion, it is restrained.”

Any wise person first has the empathy to understand where the other person is situated, puts themselves in the other person’s place and then shares their perspective. Lord Krishna is the wisest of the wise and Lord of all saints and sages. He most compassionately starts by agreeing with Arjuna about the difficulty of controlling the mind but also lovingly explains that with self restraint and dispassion, it is possible to control the mind. In vivekachudamani, Adi Shankara talks about the method by which the Self can be realized. The first habit to develop for that path is “Vairagya” or dispassion. The Vedas and Upanishads are full of utterances which say “na iti”- this is not me or this is not mine. By detaching ourselves from identification of self with body, mind and intellect and with only the immutable Self, the path of Self realization begins.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 34

Chapter 6 verse 34

“The mind verily is restless, turbulent, strong and unyielding; I deem it quite as difficult to control as the wind”

Arjuna as if seeking clarification for all of us spiritual seekers, states that it is indeed very difficult to control the mind whose difficulty is comparable to controlling the wind or for that matter any force of nature. In our scriptures, ‘deva’ is not just the divine beings of a upper world but also denotes our senses. The metaphor of the Indra- who is lord of the devas is to signify that, he who controls the senses, controls the world. He who falls victim to the senses, succumbs to the vagaries of the world. Arjuna, after hearing Krishna enumerate how to control one’s mind and focus attention on the immutable soul is not convinced how to go about it. The power of the inherent vasanas or tendencies in each of us is so strong that even when the Divine is directly advising us, we cannot receive the knowledge until we are ready for it! Is that not obvious after almost 6 chapters of the Bhagavat Gita and so many years of all of our lives being lived in this illusory existence.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 33

Chapter 6 verse 33

“Arjuna said: This ‘yoga of equanimity’ taught by you, I see not its enduring continuity because of the restlessness of the mind”

Arjuna is an innocent seeker and is asking a sincere question which plagues many of us spiritual aspirants. Majority of us identify ourselves with the body, mind and intellect complex and find it very difficult to get over the fickle mind and its vicissitudes. The compassion of Krishna in this instance to impart this knowledge of mind control to a spiritual layman like Arjuna can only be Divine compassion. This aspect should teach us a lesson that the Lord is ocean of compassion and will not let us down if we surrender to Him and sincerely seek his help.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 32

Chapter 6 verse 32

“He, who, through the sameness of the Self, sees equality everywhere, be it pleasure or pain, is regarded as the highest yogi”

Yoga is union-the usual definition is union of the body, mind and intellect with the immutable Self. Krishna has in addition given various definitions of yoga in this chapter-union with severance from pain, union with the Self of everyone else, union with equanimity during pair of opposites-pleasure or pain, happiness or sorrow, fame or shame etc., This is the same state Krishna talks about in chapter 2- Sthitha Prajna- person who has complete control of the mind and makes it steady. Krishna has repeated the description of this state of being multiple times already in different verses of the Bhagavat Gita so far. Some lessons are worth repeating especially if it is being drilled into our souls by Divine themselves.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 31

Chapter 6 verse 31

“He, who, being established in unity worships Me, dwelling in all beings, that yogi abides in Me whatever be his mode of living”

The person who realizes that the supreme being- Paramatma is ONE and that entity pervades everyone and everything in this universe reaches the state of eternal bliss and once they reach that state, what they do for a living on a daily basis does not matter. They don’t do anything in spite of their actions, they don’t think anything in spite of their thoughts since those thoughts don’t cling to them.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 30

Chapter 6 verse 30

“He, who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, he never gets separated from Me nor do I get separated from him”

All forms of yoga attain the same goal- supreme knowledge. When the innate understanding happens that “Isa vashyam idham sarvam”-everything is divinity personified, then the person does not have to gain anything more. Karma, Bhakti, Raja and Jnana yoga all culminate in knowledge of the supreme being and immutable Self. Once the total surrender happens, the self merges into the Divine.