Bhagvad Gita Rahasya or Karmayoga Shastra VOL 02

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

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GITA-RAHASYA OR KARMA-YOGA
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means that 'now', that is. from the seventh chapter, the Blessed Lord is starting a description of that path or 'vulia' by which the complete knowledge of the Blessed Lord can be acquired while the man is practising this Karma-Yoga. That is to say, this stanza has been intentionally placed at the commencement of the seventh chapter, in order to show the relation between. the first six chapters and the next chapter; therefore, it is highly improper to neglect this stanza and to say that "the Path of Devotion has been described as an independent path by itself after the first six chapters". Nay; I will even say that the words yogam yuñjan' have been intentionally used in this stanza in order that such a misinterpretation should not be made by anybody. It has been shown in the first five chapters of the Gita, after fully explaining the necessity of Karms (Action), that the Path of Action is superior to the Path of Renunciation; and then in the sixth chapter, the means. mentioned in the Pätañjala-Yoga for acquiring that control over the organs which is necessary for the Karma-Yoga, have been described. But this does not exhaust the description of Karma-Yoga. Control of the organs is a kind of exercise for the organs of Action. It is true that by this exercise, one can keep one's organs under control; but if the Desire of a man is sinful, having the control of the organs is useless; because, we see that when the Desire is sinful, many persons utilise the powers acquired by the control of the organs, for performing such sinful actions as propitiation (jarana) or killing (maraṇa) etc. Therefore, it is stated in the sixth chapter that simultaneously with controlling the organs, one must also purify one's Desire so that one Realises that "sarvabhutastham atmanain sarvabhütün cutmani" (i.e., "all created beings are located in one's self, and one's self is located in all created beings"-Trans.), (GI. 6. 29). And this purification of Desire is impossible, unless one has Realised the purest form of the Paramesvara, by Realising the identity of the Brahman and the Atman. In short, even if one has acquired the control of the organs necessary in the Path of Karma-Yoga, one does not thereby drive rasa, that is, the liking for objects of pleasure, out of the Mind. The Blessed Lord has stated already in the second chapter of the Gita, that in order
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