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Gita Lesson - 0601: Path and Destination

Bhagavad Gita
Unit - 06
Lesson - 0601: Overview of the Path and Destination [Session: 071 - 074]
By Raja Subramaniyan

Karma Yoga is the stepping-stone to Joyful Living. There is only one destination in life for all human beings. It is to live life joyfully. To achieve this destination there is only one path.

The overview of this path: Karma Yoga to Self-knowledge to Joyful Living

Depending on the level of intelligence, which varies from person to person, one commences the journey from different points of the only path and ultimately reaches the destination of Joyful Living.

Stage 1: Living life like animals without any ambition

It is suggested that they follow various rituals suggested in the initial parts of the Vedas and offer prayers to their gods.

Stage 2: Doing Karma in material pursuit to achieve varied goals in life like earning money, wealth, name, fame, award, reward, people, property, position, power, status, comforts and companionship.

In addition to the above, they should follow the tradition with respect to religious and spiritual practices.

Stage 3: Attaining mental focus by completing the five steps as detailed in an earlier lesson.

Stage 4: Doing Karma Yoga by doing karma with the right attitude and earning mental maturity (Karma Yoga is described in the earlier lessons. More details on this will be discussed in the next chapter.)

Stage 5: Gaining Self-Knowledge through spiritual pursuit involving three steps namely Inquiry, Introspection and Inner Transformation

This will be discussed in detail in a later chapter.

Stage 6: Attaining Joyful Living after gaining steady self-knowledge

Life will be joyful without any negative emotions. Knowledge gives freedom. There are no dos and don'ts to follow. Since the destination has been reached, there is nowhere to go. Whatever one does or wherever one lives, one will have non-diminishing happiness, everlasting security and undisturbed peace.

Depending on which stage one is, it may take one or more lifetimes to reach the destination of this final stage.

Progress from Stage 1 to 3

For Stages 1 to 3 the progression is natural. A person moves from one stage to the next, as long as one follows his Dharma. No additional effort is required. By virtue of spending time and effort in the first two stages, the required mental focus will also be gained.

Progress to Stage 4 (Karma Yoga)

One will need the guidance of a spiritual master to graduate to this stage because one has to gain the required knowledge to commence Karma Yoga.

Progress to Stage 5 (Self-Knowledge)

Human intelligence is endowed with the power to discriminate between real/ false and good/bad. This natural power will start becoming less effective due to unwanted accrual caused by likes/dislikes.

Example: A brass article will lose its shine due to passage of time. One has to take effort to polish it and bring it back to its original luster.

Similarly, while passing through Stage 2 (Material pursuit) we are involved in many actions. These actions are done with desire for name, fame, money, wealth etc. In the process, we lose the innocence of the tribal people and accumulate many likes and dislikes. These will become our preferences and shape our personality. Such preferences will determine our thought pattern and influence the nature and intensity of the next set of actions. Thus, being caught in continuous action, we develop strong attachments. These attachments afflict our intelligence. As discussed earlier, our intelligence will be deluded and as a result, we will see the false as real and bad as good.

By doing Karma Yoga, we slowly remove the accumulated blemishes and allow intelligence to regain its original power of discrimination. Then we start seeing the impermanency of the world and the limitation of material pursuit. We are under the impression that material pursuit will give us happiness. After doing Karma Yoga for a length of time, our discriminatory power will show us the destination (Joyful Living) and the means (Karma Yoga and Self-Knowledge) clearly. After gaining this mental maturity, by doing Karma Yoga, we progress to the next level of Gaining Self-knowledge.

We do not cease doing actions when we are ready for receiving Self-Knowledge. Rather, in addition to our current actions, we devote time for understanding Vedanta. Previously, we had no time because we thought all our time and effort was required for material pursuit. When we know the importance of Self-Knowledge, automatically we will be able to allocate time for gaining the same.

Progress to Stage 6 (Joyful Living):

We need to follow Passive Dharma prescribed by Vedanta and gain Self-Knowledge to move on to this final stage of Joyful Living. Self-Knowledge is gained in three steps, Inquiry, Introspection and Inner Transformation.

One will have to consistently and systematically study Vedanta for a length of time under the guidance of a competent teacher who is available for clarification of the doubts on one-to-one basis. This is an essential requirement to gain self-knowledge.

Thus, we reach the final stage of Joyful Living by crossing all the previous stages. At this stage, we are as convinced about our real nature, just as an ignorant man is convinced that he is the body- mind complex.

Teaching 25: Self-Knowledge results in Joyful Living

Summary of the path
1. Human beings are involved in many actions.
2. This increases likes and dislikes leading to attachment.
3. Attachment cripples the mind by deluding intelligence.
4. Delusion leads us see the false as real.
5. Karma Yoga removes delusion and intelligence regains its clarity.
6. With this clarity, we can see the limitation of material pursuit.
7. Then there will be a deep desire to know the source of everlasting happiness.
8. We will then be ready for gaining Self-Knowledge.
9. After completing the systematic Inquiry, Introspection and Inner Transformation, we get sound knowledge on the absolute reality.
10. This will enable us to reach the destination of Joyful Living, and one can enjoy life all the time.

Chapter 2: Wisdom is the solution [Verses: 51 - 53]

2.51 The wise free themselves from the cycle of birth and death by renouncing the results of action. In this way, they can attain that state beyond all miseries.

2.52 When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard.

2.53 When your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas, and when it remains fixed in the self-knowledge, you will attain the yoga.

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