Bhagvad Gita Rahasya or Karmayoga Shastra VOL 02

Author(s): Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhalchandra S Sukhtankar
Publisher: R B Tilak Puna

Page 57

CONTINUITY OF CHAPTERS OF THE GITĀ
627
tale of woe, and said to Sri Krsna with a pityful expression on his face: "how shall I kill such great and noble-souled persons like Bhisma, Drona etc.? My mind is confused by the doubt as to whether it is better to die or to kill them; therefore, tell me which of these two paths is the more meritorious; I am surrendering myself to You", Sri Krsna saw that Arjuna was completely under the sway of this despondence; and smiling a little, He started imparting Knowledge to him with the words "asocyān anva socas tvar etc.". Arjuna wanted to act like a Jñānin (scient), and was boasting about Renunciation of Action; and therefore, the Blessed Lord has commenced His advice with the description of the two paths (Nisthās) of 'Abandonment of Action' and
Performance of Action', which were being followed in the world by Jñānins; and He first tells Arjuna that whichever of the two paths was adopted by him, he would yet be wrong. HE then gives advice to Arjuna, upto the words, "esā te 'bhihatā sāmkhye buddhh" etc. (Gi. 2. 11-39), (i. e., "I have given this advice or Knowledge to you, or made this Exposition, according to the Sāmkhya system"-Trans.) regarding the Path of Knowledge or Sāmkhya system, on the basis of which Arjuna had begun to speak of Abandonment of Action; and then He tells Arjuna, upto the end of chapter, that fighting was his true duty consistently with the Path of Karma-Yoga. If some such stanza like "eşā te 'bhuhtā sāmkhye" had come before the stanza asocyān anva socas tvai" etc., this same meaning would have been conveyed in a more pronounced way. But, it has come in the course of conversation, in the form of: "so far, I have explained the system of the Samkhyas, I shall now explain to you the philosophy of Karma-Yoga", after the exposition of the Samkhya system was over. In either case, the meaning is the same. I have clearly explained the difference between the Sāmkhya or Renunciatory path and the Yoga or Activistic path in the eleventh chapter above; and I shall, therefore, without repeating the same subject-matter here only say that, abandoning Action and taking to Asceticism for obtaining Release, after a man has acquired Knowledge by the performance of such Actions as are enjoined on the