Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2- Samkhya Yoga - Sloka 11

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of  The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

 Consistency in Yoga - Sloka 11

 

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 2 - Samkhya Yoga - Sloka 11

Sri Bhagavan Uvacha

Ashochyan anu ashochah tvam pragya vadan cha bhashese I

Gata asun agata asuncha na anu shochanti panditah II Sloka 11

श्री भगवान उवाच

अशोच्यान अनु अशोचः त्वां प्रज्ञा वादान् च  भाषसे  ।

गत असून अगत असून् च  न अनु शोचन्ति पण्डिताः ।। श्लोक ११

The Blessed Lord said,

You grieve for those who should not be grieved for; yet you spell words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead.

Arjuna's utterances contained in the verses 35-44 of the first chapter are commented upon here. The Lord puts it to him that while his arguments appear as words of wisdom, actually they are not.

The way of the world is to classify a man of learning as Pandita; but the Lord does not do so. He holds that the one who truly knows the plan and purpose of the universe is a pandita. Such a one grieves not over the death of his kin any more than one grieves over the sunset. Grief is meaningless to the knowing one. Keeping the mind constant in all eventualities is the way of the wise. While speaking like an enlightened one, Arjuna sorrows like an ignorant one. This inconsistency in him is pointed out by the Lord.

Bhishma & Drona are sages who have probed into the mystery of life and death. They are not ruffled over the end that is to come to them forthwith. Forced by the circumstances they have taken sides with the wicked in true sportsman's spirit. Bhishma in particular plays his part best, remaining unaffected by the consequences. But Arjuna grieves for these very persons who should not be grieved for.

He is Yogeeswara who practises yoga and becomes adept in it. But Sri Krishna is more than that; he is Yogeswara. It is yoga in all of its forms that ever emanates from Him. As light and heat constantly come from the sun, yoga comes from this great entity. He is therefore Yogeswara.

The Lord of Yoga points out to Arjuna that he is devoid of the very first step of Yoga. he who harmonises thought, word and deed verily gets into yoga; but that is the very thing that Arjuna does not do do. He thinks one way, speaks in another way and acts in yet another way. The personality thereby gets split, integrity shattered and character lost. Such a man falls from Yoga. Arjuna is warned against this fall. 

Speak out that only which is in your mind. Do not create conflict between word and deed. Nothing good comes from the disharmony of the thought, word and deed in oneself.

- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa