Yoga, as described in the Bhagavad Gita, encompasses more than physical postures. It teaches us to perform actions with a detached mind, embracing both loss and gain equally. This state of equanimity, known as yoga, is accessible to all who seek it. By establishing ourselves in the infinite essence within and merging our minds with it, we transform our perception. We see beyond appearances and discover the inherent reality that unifies all beings. This article explores the essence of yoga and provides guidance on attaining a detached and balanced mindset for a harmonious life.
We shall be talking in detail about it how one can have that state of what Lord Krishna teaches to Arjuna. Is it only for Arjuna or anyone willing to know it can know? Preachings in Geeta are for anyone who is willing to know and exercise it as it is for the entire humanity. We are also in our daily life fighting a battle which can be more or less compared with the war mentioned in Geeta. There are many phrases that need attention: doing things while being established in the yoga, doing it with a detached mind, taking a loss or gain equally. They need to be understood clearly in order to imbibe the meaning in the shloka mentioned here.
When two things come together and unite that is called ‘yog’. What are those two things here? The real you which is infinite which Lord Krishna talks about throughout Geeta is what you have to add yourself with. Your mind has to be established in the infinite within. When you know and merge yourself with it is called establishing in the self which is called here in the yoga.
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय ।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥ २-४८॥
yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanañjaya
siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate
This is part of the shloka mentioned in Geeta 2/48. While asking Arjuna to be ready for the great battle, Lord Krishna exhorts him:
O Arjun, do your deeds being established in yoga with a detached mind. Take loss or gain equally. This equanimity or balance is called yoga.
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Attaining Equanimity: Seeing Beyond the Visible
Now, when you are established in the self, your vision gets changed. You do not only see what is visible, you see the inherent reality in everything. You now do not see man or woman but see the power that empowers both. You do not see good or bad, you do not see educated or uneducated, you do not see rich or poor. Because you see something which is beyond what is visible, which is base of these things. In your vision now you see the infinite, the power which is the base of all things. And this is called equanimity.
Detachment and Equanimity in Action:
There is another thing mentioned in the shloka which is: doing with detached mind.
In our daily life when we get something good, we feel elated and when we come across something bad, we feel sorrow. We are simply caught in the opposites of good and bad, happiness and misery, love and hate etc. This is natural for us. We have learnt it from the world.
We do not take good and bad equally. We have not been taught to treat them equally. But when we know that there is one entity in everyone which is moving all of us, which is substratum then we try to see with equanimity, not before this.
Seeking Knowledge: Guidance from the Wisemen
About the Knowledge of infinite, Lord Krishna advises us to go the wisemen who are well-versed in the Knowledge of Self who can reveal it. Refer Geeta 4/34 which goes like this:
तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया |
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन: ||tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā
upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ
If you wish to get that Knowledge, go to the wise men who know the reality and who can reveal it to you. Serve them sincerely and request them for this. When they are pleased, they will reveal it to you.
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The King of All Knowledge: Raja-Vidya
What is that Knowledge, we shall talk about this as well. Lord Krishna says about this:
राजविद्या राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् |
प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम् ||rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ pavitram idam uttamam
pratyakṣhāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam
Geeta Chapter 9 Verse 2
This Knowledge is the king of all the pieces of knowledge and the most profound of all secrets. It is pure. It is directly realizable, in accordance with dharma, one gets joy and it requires nothing to practice.
When this Knowledge is attained by visiting the wise men then we can be established in it. Now, we can feel detached even while living in this world and see with the vision of equanimity. If everyone and everything is the same, then who to detach to? Here comes the aversion from attachment. It comes automatically after realization. It is not forced one.
Those who know it are called wisemen. About such people who have a vision of equanimity, Lord Krishna in Bhagwat Geeta 5/18 says:
विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि |
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिता: समदर्शिन: ||vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śhuni chaiva śhva-pāke cha paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśhinaḥ
The humble sages, by virtue of that true Knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste.
If one wises to get that vision of equanimity through the Knowledge of Self in the time of ours, route has already been shown by Lord Krishna. Now it is up to us to follow it and put it into practice in our lives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the teachings of yoga, as described in the Bhagavad Gita, offer profound wisdom for attaining a balanced and harmonious life. Yoga goes beyond mere physical postures and guides us toward a state of equanimity. By practicing detachment and embracing both loss and gain equally, we can transform our perception and see beyond appearances. Through merging our minds with the infinite essence within, we discover the inherent reality that unifies all beings. Yoga is not limited to Arjuna; it is accessible to anyone willing to seek and embrace it. By establishing ourselves in the self, we develop a vision of equanimity and find inner peace and strength. The profound knowledge of yoga empowers us to live with detachment, wisdom, and a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of all things.
