Bhagavagd Gita - Session 10- Track 1001

Session 10
Syntheses of Jnana, Karma and Phenomenal and Eternal

I will come back again to chapter no.2. As I have told you first six chapters are difficult chapters, and the argument in these six chapters is a winding argument. Therefore, in order to get a clear idea of the thread of the argument, it is necessary to go deeper into the actual śloka(s), verses.

The 2nd chapter is entitled “Sankhya Yoga”. The reason is that it discusses two Yogas at the same time: the Yoga, which is called “Sankhya”, and the Yoga which is called “Yoga”. As Sri Krishna will explain latter on, the “Sankhya Yoga” is “Jnana Yoga”, and “Yoga” is “Karma Yoga”. This chapter is devoted to Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga.

The instrument by which this Yoga is to be accomplished is Buddhi, the intelligent-will: intelligent-will applied in Jnanayoga and intelligent-will applied in Karmayoga. The instrument here is the same but the application is different. In Jnanayoga the intelligent-will is applied to the processes of Knowledge. In Karmayoga, the intelligent-will is applied to the processes of Action. As a result of this, there are two different results: in the Jnanayoga you attain to the Knowledge, in Karmayoga you get perfection of Action.

What is the knowledge that is gained by applying Buddhi, intelligent-will, to the processes of Knowledge? I am taking especially a few verses, which are very famous, some are not so famous but are very important. In order to get the mastery over the text, I shall refer to those important ones, verse 16 in second chapter, (II, 16):

nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ |

This sentence is one of the most famous sentences of the Bhagavad Gita. It lays down the basic knowledge that one has to attain, and which is indisputable. That is to say, even if you allow your mind to think most freely without any assumption, most un-dogmatically, then this is the statement, which will get automatically established. It is something, which you cannot refuse because to refuse it will be the refusal of intellect itself:

nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ |

“That which exists, exists, that which does not exist, does not exist.”

This is the basic very simple statement. That which exists can never become non-existent: that is the meaning of existence. That which really exists can never become non-existent. That which is really non-existent can never come into existence. This is the starting point of the Knowledge. You try to reject this proposition and you will see, you are obliged to establish this proposition.