Verses 18.49–18.53
असक्तबुद्धि: सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृह: | नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां सन्न्यासेनाधिगच्छति
asaktabuddhiḥ sarvatra jitātmā vigataspṛhaḥ / naiṣkarmyasiddhiṁ paramāṁ sannyāsenādhigacchati / / 18.49
One whose intelligence is always free from selfish attachment, who has controlled the mind and who is free from desires, by practicing renunciation [sannyāsa], attains the ultimate state of perfection of selfless work or actionlessness [naiṣkarma siddhi].
सिद्धिं प्राप्तो यथा ब्रह्म तथाप्नोति निबोध मे | समासेनैव कौन्तेय निष्ठा ज्ञानस्य या परा
siddhiṁ prāpto yathā brahma tathāpnoti nibodha me / samāsenaiva kaunteya niṣṭhā jñānasya yā parā / / 18.50
Understand from Me, how one who has achieved this perfection, can attain the Supreme state of Truth, Brahman, by acting in the way I shall now summarize, Kaunteya.
बुद्ध्या विशुद्धया युक्तो धृत्यात्मानं नियम्य च | शब्दादीन्विषयांस्त्यक्त्वा रागद्वेषौ व्युदस्य च
buddhyā viśuddhayā yukto dhṛtyātmānaṁ niyamya ca / śabādīnviṣayāṁstyaktvā rāgadveṣau vyudasya ca / / 18.51
Endowed with purified intellect; subduing the mind with firm resolve; turning away from the objects of senses; giving up likes and dislikes; living in solitude; eating lightly; controlling the mind, speech, and organs of action; ever absorbed in meditation; taking refuge in detachment; and relinquishing egotism, violence, pride, lust, anger, and proprietorship, one becomes peaceful, free from the notion of “I” and “mine”, and fit for attaining oneness with the Supreme Being.
विविक्तसेवी लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानस: | ध्यानयोगपरो नित्यं वैराग्यं समुपाश्रित:
viviktasevī laghvāśī yat-avāk-kāyamānasaḥ / dhyāna-yoga-paro nityaṁ vairāgyaṁ samupāśritaḥ / / 18.52
Endowed with purified intellect; subduing the mind with firm resolve; turning away from the objects of senses; giving up likes and dislikes; living in solitude; eating lightly; controlling the mind, speech, and organs of action; ever absorbed in meditation; taking refuge in detachment; and relinquishing egotism, violence, pride, lust, anger, and proprietorship, one becomes peaceful, free from the notion of “I” and “mine”, and fit for attaining oneness with the Supreme Being.
अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं परिग्रहम् | विमुच्य निर्मम: शान्तो ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते
ahaṁkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ parigraham / vimucya nirmamaḥ śānto brahmabhūyāya kalpate / / 18.53
Endowed with purified intellect; subduing the mind with firm resolve; turning away from the objects of senses; giving up likes and dislikes; living in solitude; eating lightly; controlling the mind, speech, and organs of action; ever absorbed in meditation; taking refuge in detachment; and relinquishing egotism, violence, pride, lust, anger, and proprietorship, one becomes peaceful, free from the notion of “I” and “mine”, and fit for attaining oneness with the Supreme Being.
These verses are the ultimate sūtra, the technique to liberate oneself and realize Brahman, ultimate Truth. Kṛṣṇa describes how to reach the ultimate Truth. He tells us to just follow His instructions. The beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s advice in Bhagavad Gītā is that He makes no assumptions. He goes to the depths of Arjuna’s stated and unstated doubts and tells him in such clear words that there can be no ambiguity. Bhagavad Gītā is primarily a śāstra, a scripture that gives knowledge. Even though the author who is the Divine Himself, He must bring Himself down to the level of Arjuna, a mortal. Kṛṣṇa’s compassion drives Him to repeat the same words to ensure that Arjuna listens and understands.
Mokṣa Sannyāsa Yogaḥ Drop Everything And Surrender 1299 As long as we question why, we never get a clear answer. Especially with Existence, the question ‘Why?’ has no relevance. As I said earlier, we operate at a different frequency from the Divine, so even if it is explained, we will not understand. Listen! Spirituality is an inner science, not an outer science, and that is fortunate! In the outer sciences, we keep asking ‘Why?’ and when we cannot get answers, we get stuck. ‘Why?’ is about logic. ‘How?’ is about realism. Śāstras answer the ‘Why?’ Sūtras answer the ‘How?’ Once in a while, the Master delivers the Sūtra amidst the śāstra that He must deliver to keep Arjuna quiet.
He says, ‘Settle the mind and control the senses.’ Can you do that while sitting in the middle of a traffic junction? No. That is why He says go into solitude and cut yourself off from disturbances. Go into meditation and shut your senses to external objects. These are the clearest instructions on how to meditate. Prepare yourself to be away from potential sensory disturbances. There is no point in meditating when you are sure the phone will ring or a guest will be arriving. Fix a time and place when you will be alone, undisturbed. Closing the eyes is insufficient. Your eyeballs will still move and inner television will still play.
Mentally freeze your eyeballs, think they are made of stone and still them. At the same time place your tongue on your upper palate and lock it. If there is movement of the tongue, that creates verbalization, then visualization is difficult. These two tools of mentally freezing your eyeball movement and locking your tongue, substantially reduce the wandering of the mind due to sensory disturbances. Meditate on an empty stomach or eat little. A full stomach makes us sleepy. Ideally one should meditate in the same location regularly to preserve the energy raised in meditation. These are the physical requirements. Next Kṛṣṇa repeats what He has been emphasizing all along.
Complete and drop your personality, He says, drop your ego or root patterns, your attachments, your ideas of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ as well as the emotions that bind you to survival and possession. Then you will be liberated, you will be in the space of completion and ready to reach the Supreme Being. Work Always Under My Protection