Concepts  and Issues

Sri Krishna details various forms  of sacrifices all of which requires action of body, mind and intellect with the  expectation of the fruit. But He emphasizes that knowledge-sacrifice is far  superior to other sacrifices done with material objects. The Lord extols  spiritual wisdom and tells Arjuna that this knowledge can be obtained through  sincerity, purity of heart, service to God-realized Guru with devotion,  prolonged practice of Karma Yoga and sense-control.

The Real Knowledge is the  awareness of the Self or Pure Consciousness within.  This Pure Consciousness is experienced by the  seeker only after a protracted period of practice in deep meditation.

For this one must have immense  faith in God, belief in the preceptor, patience and devotion accompanied with a  withdrawal of the senses from the objects of the world. Then alone one can have  supreme peace.

The ignorant one, due to lack of  these qualifications, entertains doubts in himself as well as in others and  suffers here as well as hereafter.  But  nothing in the world can bind him who works with this understanding of  Knowledge.

Live  as the Gita Teaches You to Live
It is only egoistic activities,  motivated by egocentric desires that leave gross impressions in the inner  personalities of men and bind them to reap their reactions.  When an individual learns to renounce his  attachments to the fruits of his actions through Yoga and works in perfect  detachment and when all his doubts about the goal of life have been removed  through Self-Knowledge, the ego comes to realize that it is none other than  Atman, the Self.  When such a person  works, his actions do not bind him. Every form of self-control, where we  surrender the egoistic enjoyment for the higher delight, where we give up lower  impulses, is said to be a sacrifice.  The  mutual relationship of true work, wisdom and self-discipline is the key note of  this Chapter. The goal is the life-giving wisdom, which gives us freedom of  action and liberation from the bondage of work. It is the goal which everybody  should attempt to reach.

Points  to Ponder

Explain the different kinds of  sacrifices and their ultimate aim.

How is the `knowledge sacrifice'  superior to the sacrifices for expected results?

Who is the best person fit to  receive this `Knowledge' and how does he receive it?

Write short notes on
  Action,  Inaction and Forbidden Action
  Action in  Inaction, Inaction in Action
  A person of  doubting disposition
  Performing  actions with knowledge
  Result of  Knowledge
  Obstacles to  attain knowledge

Next time we shall take up Chapter 5

Harih Om