Bhagwad Gita - Post 41

Verse 3

Sri Bhagawan Uvaacha:

Lokesmin dwividhaa nishthaa

puraa proktaa mayaanagha;

Jnaana yogena saankhyaanaam

karmayogena yoginaam.

The Blessed Lord said:

In this world there is a twofold path, as I said before, O sinless one, the path of knowledge of the Sankhyas and the path of action of the Yogis!

Sankhya (Path of Knowledge) and Yoga (Path of action, as per this chapter) are something like the two wings of a bird, or like the two legs with which we walk, or the two hands with which we grab and hold.  

They are complimentary; and one being rooted in the other, or one being necessary for the other, does not imply any difference in the structure of Sankhya and yoga; it means that they are inseparable elements in the total perspective of life.

One cannot have merely an understanding of Sankhya in a theoretical sense minus involvement in the work of prakriti, or action; nor is it possible to be engaged only in action without its being rooted in the knowledge of Sankhya. 

If there is only an emphasis on Sankhya or only an emphasis on yoga, it is a one-sided emphasis in which knowledge remains a theory and action becomes blind. Unintelligent movement cannot be regarded as yoga. Yoga is an intelligently directed movement in a given fashion, with perfect understanding of Sankhya.

Verse 4

Na karmanaam anaarambhaan

Naishkarmyam purusho’shnute;

Na cha sannyasanaad

Eva siddhim samadhigacchati.

Not by the non-performance of actions does man reach action less ness, nor by mere renunciation does he attain to perfection.

In the first line, Sri Krishna says that mere abstinence from work does not result in a state of freedom from karmic reactions. The mind continues to engage in fruitive thoughts, and since mental work is also a form of karma, it binds one in karmic reactions, just as physical work does. A true karma yogi must learn to work without any attachment to the fruits of actions. This requires cultivation of knowledge in the intellect. Hence, philosophic knowledge is also necessary for success in karma yoga.

In the second line, Sri Krishna declares that the sānkhya yogi cannot attain the state of knowledge merely by renouncing the world and becoming a monk. One may give up the physical objects of the senses, but true knowledge cannot awaken as long as the mind remains impure. 

Author often quotes in spiritual sessions about a sanyasi may leave everything and settle in Himalayas, fascinated by the story of Swami Rama and so many other saints who have lived in Himalayas as realized yogis. What happens if he wants that morning filter coffee when he gets up from the cave he stays in the Himalayas? There may be no possibility of getting a coffee in a distance of 50 Km from his cave residence. All his tapas, his meditation will lose their impact as mind is now filled with desire for coffee and pain on not getting that coffee. 

Thus, realized knowledge will not appear in an impure heart by mere physical renunciation. It must be accompanied by congruent action that purifies the mind and intellect. Therefore, action is also necessary for success in sānkhya yoga.

Yoga does not mean merely performance of action in a blind manner without understanding the rationale behind it. Reason is the philosophical aspect of action, and action is the implementation of reason. Both have to go together as complimentary aspects of a daily routine of our existence. 

Human individuals alone are capable of practicing yoga. Sub-human species cannot understand Sankhya or yoga because there is a peculiar privilege, as it were, that is bestowed upon the human individual—namely, the worth of reason.

There is a kind of mind instinctively operating in the lower animals also, but logic or reason is available only in the human being. That is, human reason can draw conclusions from existing premises, but animals, which are instinctive, cannot draw such conclusions. 

The pathway to reducing desire is the Path of Action. Just as you need a thorn to remove another thorn embedded in your foot, you need to deploy action to free yourself of action. Remove action from its very root. Symptomatic relief does not cure a disease.

Love.