The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.
Jnana Yoga & Karma yoga are complementary - 3-8
Yah tu indriyani manasa niyamya arabhate arjuna I
Karmendriyaih karma yogam askatah sah vishishyate II sloka 7
यः तु इन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्य आरभते अर्जुन ।
कर्मेन्द्रियैः कर्म योगं असक्तः सः विशिष्यते ।। श्लोक ७
O Arjuna, he excels, who, restraining the senses with an unattached mind, directs his organs of action to the path of work
A hungry dog chained to a post sccrambles and paws for a plate of food kept for him at a distance. Such is the case of the mind of the untrained man given to sense enjoyment. Viewed ethically and spiritually, he is a hypocrite who allows his mind to wander on sense objects while apparently curbing the senses. On the other hand, an aspirant ought to change his attitude and seek to engage his mind on things divine. The mind disciplined in this way chooses to engage the ever active and indulgent senses on things noble and elevating instead of on those base and vulgar.
Discipline is the imperative in all the detailed activities of the mind and the senses. The acts of cooking and eating may be cited as examples. An aspirant prepares wholesome food for offering to his Chosen deity. While doing so, there is no thought whatsoever of tasting the dish. It is done in a woshipful mood. The food is then dedicated to the Deity. It is subsequently partaken by the devotee as grace from the Lord and not as an object of sense enjoyment. Its delicacy is relished as the glory of the Lord. Herein lies the difference between the indulgent and the disciplined. The former wastes away the mind and the senses while the latter weans and conserves them. In this way, all the senses required to be fully engaged in the service of the Lord. Self control culminates in self fulfillment.
A deadly cobra was a terror to the wayfarer in the woodlands. People who knew about it, scrupulously avoided that locality. Once a holy man was inadvertently passing that way. The venomous creature immediately made its appearance intent on its nefarious act. But the benignly loving look of the saint brought a change in the snake. Instead of biting him it looked meekly at the pious man. He advised the snake not to hurt anybody and went on his way; the snake took his advice wholeheartedly. After a long interval the holy man returned to the same spot and searched for the converted snake. To his surprise, the snake was found mangled and half dead wriggling in a hole. The snake declared that it had followed the advice of not hurting anybody. Since it had now become harmless, people had become pelting it with stones and hurting it violently. Hence the snake had taken to hiding in this hole. The saint smilingly rebuked the snake, "I had exhorted you not to hurt anybody, but I didnot forbid you from hissing."
The unbridled senses are like the poisonous snake playing havoc among people. The curbed senses are like the inactive snake almost beaten to death. The sublimated senses cause harm to none while elevating their owner to sublimity like the snake that learnt to protect itself.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
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