Bhagavagd Gita - Session 22- Track 2209

Now therefore, Sri Krishna first of all says: “There are two ways; you lift yourself by means of Knowledge, therefore apply Buddhi. Or there is another way, in which while doing works, you can be free, and there, action is to be used as a means; but mere action does not lead you to that highest condition, which I want you to go to. Therefore, my answer to you is that the second path is one, in which you apply both Buddhi and Karma. If you apply only Buddhi, your path will be pure Jnanayoga. You will be uplifted, but the kind of action that I want you to take will be arrived at, only when you combine Buddhi and Karma”.

So, right from the beginning Sri Krishna expounds the path of Action, which is a synthetic path. Therefore, in the famous verse, Sri Krishna says: “All this I have told you will be the result of Buddhi yoga, but now I shall tell you how to apply Buddhi by which even while doing actions you will become free.” So, here the emphasis falls upon application of Buddhi and Karma. And the 2nd chapter is largely devoted to the application of Karma. How do you utilise Karma? How do you use Karma, so that you are uplifted? So now the one key word that we must remember while expounding this idea is that the essence of Karma yoga lies in the fact that upward transference can be effected by Action because depending upon the spirit in which you do your action, and the kind of action that you do, contributes to the uplifting. This is the experimenting psychology of Karma yoga that you see the spirit, in which you do the action: don’t throw away the action, attend to the spirit in which you are doing the action, and then see the nature of the work that you are doing, you will find that you will feel uplifted. Take even a small example.

There are 3 kinds of actions which automatically uplift you: action of learning and teaching; action of generosity; and action of service. You serve a sick man, and your consciousness will be uplifted. In teaching and learning process, you become quite pure in your motivation, in your movements. And in generosity when you have a good function and you have to invite hundred people, you will see your whole consciousness how generous it is, and how loving it is. While you are inviting hundred people, they have come to you, and you have to serve them, your consciousness will be very, very noble. The normal attitude of jealousy, envy, quarrel, all this do not find and easy road into these three activities. Nature of activities themselves is such that you are unable to lift up your spirit of action. But on the other hand, if you are able to keep a higher spirit while doing any action, then also you are uplifted.