Chapter 8 verse 27-28
“Yogis who know the secret of these two paths are never bewildered. Therefore, at all times be situated in Yoga (union with God).The yogis, who know this secret, gain merit far beyond the fruits of Vedic rituals, the study of the Vedas, performance of sacrifices, austerities, and charities. Such yogis reach the Supreme Abode.”
Lord talks about 2 paths- path of light and path of darkness. Path of light is the path of complete surrender to Supreme Lord by forsaking the 6 derailers- kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya. Yoga is union of body, mind and spirit. In the conclusion to 8th chapter, Lord is imploring beings to be in union or yogam with GOD and HIM alone. This is also the right path. The other path which is path of darkness is everything which attaches us to the material world with the 6 derailers and is also called the path of the pleasant. The pleasantness is very short lived and creates longer term suffering by repeating the cycle of birth and death. Vedic rituals and austerities as stated in the karma kanda of the Vedas are good to perform if and only if these karmas leads one to the jnana of the need to merge with the Divine. Even charities done without the thought of “idam na mama; sarvam Vishnu mayam jagat” or “this does not belong to me in the first place and everything is God principle” is the right kind of charity. Adi Shankara had called this out as well in his bhaja govindam-“samprapthe sannihite kaale, nahi nahi rakshathi dukrun karane-reciting the Vedas per correct grammar in your last breadth is not going to lead you to Moksha as much as contemplation on the Divine”.
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