The Gita’s Ethics (A Critical Study)

by Arpita Chakraborty | 2017 | 59,351 words

This essay studies the Ethical Teachings of the Gita, as presented in the Mahabharata in the form of a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. Ancient Indian ethics as evolved from the Vedas developed through the Upanisads, the Gita, Mahabharata, Ramayana and finally reached the Dharma-Shastras such as the Manusmriti. As the means to liberation, the e...

6. Sthitaprajna (a true Yogin)

< Previous

Next >

By following these three paths a man can develop a saintly character and can work for the welfare of the world. The Gita says true renunciation does not consist in discarding actions, but it consists in discarding the desire for the fruits of action (xviii, 2). The Mahabharata says that non-attachment leads to the foundation of an individual’s welfare, it is the highest knowledge.^[1] Non-attachment in the results of actions develops a saintly character which leads to salvation (xvi, 5). Such a man is called sthitiprajna.

Describing his character Gita says:

sthitaprajnasya ka bhasa samadhisthasya kesava
sthitadhih kim prabhaseta kim asila vrajeta kim (ii, 54)

“What is the description of the man who has this firmly founded wisdom, whose being is steadfast in spirit, O Kesava (Krishna)? How does the man of settled intelligence speak, how does he sit, how does he walk?”

Krishna replies,

“When a man puts away all the desires of his mind, O Partha (Arjuna), and when his spirit is content in itself, then he is called stable in intelligence (ii, 55).

Negatively, the state is one of freedom from selfish desires and positively, it is one of concentration on the Supreme.

A yogin is called a man of fixed understanding or of steady mind. He is a kind of person liberated in this life (jivanmukta). The individual soul has to evolve through his sadhana into the realization of its true nature. For the realization of true nature Krishna in the Gita gives a set of scientific arguments, logical and reasonable and explains how through self-control we bless ourselves and grow in our inner personality. A person becomes more matured thinker, more balanced in his emotions, putting out better performances in his field of activity.

ragadvesaviyuktais tu visayan indriyais caran
atmavasyair vidheyatma prasadam adhigacchati (ii, 64)

“But a man of disciplined mind, who moves among the object of sense, with the senses under control and free from attachment and aversion, he attains purity of spirit.

This blissful state of existence can be attained while living in this world by resisting the flood tide of lust and wrath (kamakrodhodbhavam vegam) as laid down by the Gita (v,23). In the light of this, the urge for moksa is the urge for merging one’s separate, isolated individuality into humanity. It is not the realization of something other, something other-worldly, but it is the realization of the foundations of one’s own being. In the light of the above discussion, it may be concluded that behind the bid of moksa, anasakti yoga wants to break through all the limitations which separate man from man. It is a guiding idea which keeps the mankind filled with a moral zeal to strive towards fullness in life in a more comprehensive happier world. Moksa is the urge of man towards wholeness, to become something more than ‘I’. By merging his transient individuality in the essence of collective humanity, and individual can derive moral strength to shed off the false discriminations. Then only they became delivered from all bewilderedments [bewilderments?]. The sthitaprajna has no selfish aims or personal hopes. He is not disturbed by the touches of outwards things. He accepts what happens without attachment or repulsion. He covets nothing, is jealous of none. He has no desires and makes no demands.^[2]

The ideal man according to the Gita, is one who has realized his rational being (prajna) and whose reason has become steady (sthita prajna).

He prevents his equanimity under all conditions, wheather they are favourable or unfavourable, wheather in grief or joy.

dukhesu anudvignamanah sukhesu vigatasprhah
vitaragabhayakrodah sthitadhir munir ucyate (ii, 56)

“He whose mind is untroubled in the midst of sorrows and is free from eager desire amid pleasures, he from whom passion, fear, and rage have passed away, he is called a sage of settled intelligence”.

He does not have any egoistic desire and looks upon all events that happen without being disturbed. He does not have any attachment or longing for the object of his senses and can withdraw his mind and senses from all objects. Sankaracarya interpreted this verse as that he heart if not distressed in calamities such as may arise from disorder in the body, (adhyatmika), etc. Unlike fire, which increases as fuel is added, his longing for pleasures does not increase as more pleasures are attained. He is said to be a man of steady knowledge. He is called a sage, a sannyasin, one who has renounced work.^[3]

It is said in the second chapter of the Gita (sloka 58) “that when one can completely withdraw or restrain the senses from the sense objects as the tortoise withdraws its limbs into the shells than the prajna of such person is considered steady. It indicates that when the person learns to withdraw the senses from the sense objects, than the lamp of knowledge become lighted and one perceives the self-effulgent Supreme Being within it. The wise always keeps vigilance over the mind because the mind can never be fully trusted (v, 6). It is ever ready to deceive and play tricks. Therefore, discipline, constant vigilance and sadhana are needed. One should develop the attachment to sense objects by thinking about them. Desire for sense objects comes from attachment to sense objects and anger comes from unfulfilled desire. Attachment to the object is the destroyer of reason. For attachment leads to desire, desire leads to anger; when anything unfavorable happens anger clouds mind. Such clouding destroys memory and then reason is destroyed because reason and memory are very intimately connected. Krishna says, “There O Arjuna, ones prajna becomes steady when the senses are completely withdrawn from the sense objects (ii, 68). All sorrows are destroyed upon the attainment of tranquility the intellect of such a person soon becomes completely steady (ii, 65).

It has been metaphorically said that-

ya nisha sarvabhutanam tasyam jagrati samyami
yasyam jagrati bhutani sa nisha pasyate muneh (ii, 69)

“What is night for all being is the time of waking for the disciplined soul and what is the time of waking for all beings is night for the sage who sees (or the sage of vision)”.

It means that sthita prajna is aware of the truth about which others are unaware. When all beings are attracted by the glitters of the sense objects, the sage is intend on understanding reality.

As Dr Radhakrishnan puts it,

“He is wakeful to the nature of reality to which the unwise is asleep or indifferent. The life of opposites which is the day or condition of activity for the enlightened is night, a darkness of the soul to the wise.^[4]

Sthita prajna is not merely a concept but a realization. As a concept it denotes those being which are established in innate self knowledge. It is being established in pure consciousness as wide as Supreme realization. Therefore when all desires are resigned to God and appointed duties are performed in the disinterested spirit by an individual, then he is regarded as a yogin. Sthitaprajna or a true yogin can dedicate all his works to God without attachment and thought of consequences and he is free from egoism. Action, knowledge and devotion are synthesized in a true yogin. He knows God in all beings and all beings in God, dedicates all his action to God and he is devoted to God. A perfect yogin is that who looks upon the happiness and sufferings of others like his own. Because the same self or God is found by him to pervade all creatures of the world.

A man of self-control moves freely among the objects, with his senses under control and ever free from both ‘attraction’ and aversion. He gives himself a deep sense of tranquility. In tranquility, all sorrows are destroyed. Indeed a tranquil mind alone can keep the intellect steady in its application. “And in that purity of spirit, there is produced for him an end of all sorrow; the intelligence of such a man of pure spirit is soon established (in the peace of the self).For the uncontrolled, there is no intelligence; nor for the uncontrolled is there the power of concentration and for him without concentration, there is no peace and for the unpeaceful, how can there be happiness? (ii, 66). When the mind runs after the moving senses, it carries away the understanding, even as a wind carries away a ship on the waters (ii,67)”. When all beings are attracted by the glitter of sense-objects, the sage is intent on understanding reality. He is wakeful to the nature of reality to which the unwise is asleep or indifferent. The life of opposites which is the day or condition of activity for the unenlightened is night, a darkness of the soul to the wise.^[5]

Gita says:

siddhim vindati manavah yatah pravrttir bhutam
yena sarvam idamtatam sarvakarmana tam abhyarcya (xviii,46)

“He from whom all beings arise and by whom all this is pervaded-by worshiping Him through the performance of his own duty main attain perfection”.

Sankaracarya interpreted this verse as that pravrtti may mean evolution or activity, and it proceeds from the Isvara, the antaryamin, the ruler within.

Worshiping the Lord by performing his duty, man attains perfection, in so far only as he becomes qualified for the devotion of knowledge (jnana-nistha).

“When the seer perceives no agent other than the modes, and knows also that which is beyond the modes, he attains my being”.

“When the embodied soul rises above these three modes that spring from the body, it is freed from birth, death, old age and pain and attains life eternal”.

When a man is enlightened and realizes that there is no agent other than the gunas which transform themselves into the bodies, sense and sense objects, when he sees that it is the gunas that in all their modifications constitute the agent in all actions, who he sees him who is distinct from the gunas, who is the witness of the gunas and of their functions, then he attains to My being, I.e, seeing that All is Vasudeva, he becomes Vasudeva.^[6] Even here (on earth) the samara (worldly sorrow) is over-come by those whose mind is established in equality. God is flawless and the same in all. Therefore are these persons established in God (v, 19). He who is able to resist the rush of desire and anger, even here before he gives up his body, he is a yogin, he is the happy man (v,23). A sthitiprajna karmayogin or a bhakta or a jnanin-each of these performs acts for lokasangraha, irrespective of the fact that the state of perfection is achieved by them through different paths.

Radhakrishnan says:

“We do not proceed on the same lines but which we seek is the same. We may climb the mountain by different paths but the view from the summit is identical for all”^[7]

It may be added that, a trigunatita also (one who goes beyond the three gunas) performs acts for lokasamgraha, being “the same to friends and foes”, as characterized in verse xiv.25. There is, however, an important difference between the state of striving for moksa and the state after the attainment of moksa, in regard to “why” one carries on lokasamgraha activities. In the former state of striving, such acts are done because of a sense of duty, whereas in the latter state of perfection, such acts become natural or spontaneous.^[8]

Sthitaprajna (whose mind is balanced, who is not affected by worldly pains and pleasures because he realizes that in all his actions they are only gunas ( in the form of sense organs) which are acting upon the gunas (in the form of worldly objects) and the atman remains unaffected, passively observing the activities of prakrti), bhakta (one who has pinned his faith in the Lord and surrenders all the results of his actions to him, thinking himself only a nimitta of him), jnani (who has reached the Brahmisthiti) and karmayogi. In short all his desires, attachments, egoism and thirst for enjoyments are destroyed (ii, 71). In this state he overcomes all the delusions and delights in the self alone (iii, 17). Now he does action for the sake of doing them. He realizes that it is only prakrti which is acting. He realizes that it is only the gunas which are acting upon the gunas (iii, 27-28).

Thus the liberated realizes that the atman, his own self, is non doer, it is only prakrti which is acting, and he is not doing anything but it is only God who is acting through him. He sees the Lord, the universal self in all beings and all the beings in the universal self (vi, 30).

Though he does not require anything and has attained all the things worth attaining, he does not cease to perform the duties of his station. Lest other worldly people may abandon their duties, lest minds of the ignorant people who are attached to duty should be unsettled he keeps performing his duties only for maintaining the order in the world (III, 21-22). What is abandoned is one’s own ego, the sense of doer ship in the activities (xiv, 25). He continues doing his actions, but the difference between his actions and that of a bound is that while he acts without attachment, the bounds acts with attachments (iii, 25). He transcends all moral obligations. He is free from the notion of agency. His reason is not affected by worldly objects and activities, and even though he kills all the people, he does not kill anybody, he realizes that he is merely a nimitta, an instrument of God. He realizes that it is all nothing but the gunas moving in the gunas. So he is not bound by the sins. In short, all the activities of the Sthitiprajna are for the benefit of the world.^[9]. The evil actions and the injury to anybody by his acts are as impossible as the death by nectar. As it is the nature of the sun to illuminate everything, so it becomes the nature of the liberated to uplift the society. His mind is balanced. He remains unaffected by pleasures and pains. But this does not mean that he forgets to make the discrimination of good and evil.

Lokamanya Tilak comments,

“just as, though a multi millionaire like kubera goes to purchase vegetables in the market, he does not pay a lakh of rupees for a bundle of coriander leaves, so also does the man, who has reached the state of perfection, not forget the discrimination as to what is good for whom. It is true that his reason has become equable. But, ‘equability ‘does not mean giving to a man the grass, which is fit for a cow, and to cow, the food which is proper for man.^[10]

We have already said that different interpretations are given as to the place of works in the ultimate condition. The Gita is not clear on the point whether there is any basis of individuality in the ultimate state.

The final condition is called siddhi, or perfection; para siddhi, or Supreme perfection; paramgatim, or the supreme goal; “padamanamayam,” or the blissful seat santi, or quietude; “sasvatam padam avyayam,” the eternal indestructible abode (xii, 10).

abhyase'py asamartho'si matkarmaparamo bhava
madartham api karmani kurvan siddhim avaapyasi (xii,10).

“If thou art unable even to seek by practice, then be as one whose aim is My service; even performing actions for my sake, thou shalt attain perfection”.

If concentration is found difficult on account of the outward tendencies of the mind or our circumstances, then do all actions for the sake of the Lord. Thus the individual becomes aware of the eternal reality.^[11]

Matkarma is sometimes taken to mean service of the Lord, puja, or worship, offering flowers and fruits, burning incense, building temples,reading scriptures, etc.

But who discards the scriptural law and acts as his desires prompt him, he does not attain either perfection or happiness or the highest goal.

As Gita says:

yah saatravidhim nisrjya vartate kamakaratah
na sa siddhim avapnoti na sukham na param gatim (xvi,23).

Sankaracarya interpreted this verse as the scriptural ordinances as the command of the Veda in the form of injunction s and prohibitions, giving us to know what ought to be done and what not ought not to be done. Perfection: fitness for attaining the end of man. Happiness: in this world. Supreme Goal: Svarga or moksha.^[12]

The yogi who strives with assiduity, cleansed of all sins, perfecting himself through many lives, then attains to the highest goal. As Gita says:

prayatnad yatamanas tu yogi samsuddhakilbisan
anekajanmasamisiddhas tato yati param galim (vii, 45)

Though he may fail; through weakness to reach the goal of perfection in this life, the lessons of his effort will abide with him after death and help him in his progress in other lives until he attains goal. God’s purpose would not be accomplished until all human beings are redeemed by forgiveness, repentance and healing discipline and restored into communion with the Supreme.Every soul will be won back to God who created him in his own image. God’s love will finally restore into harmony with itself even the most rebellious elements. The Gita gives us a hopeful belief in the redemption of all.^[13]

Deluded by these threefold modes of nature (gunas) this whole world does not recognize Me who am above them and imperishable(vii, 13).

For those who take refuge in Me, O partha (Arjuna), though they are lowly born, women, vaisyas, as well as sudras, they also attain to the highest goal (ix, 32).

The message of the Gita is open to all without distinction of race or caste. This verse is not to be regarded as supporting the social customs debarring women and sudras from vedic study. It refers to the view prevalent at the time of the composition of the Gita. The Gita does not sanction these social rules.

Its gospel of love is open to all men and women, [persons of all castes as well as those outside caste.^[14]

udarah sarva cvai'te jnani tv atmai'va me matam
asthitah sahi yuktatma mam eva'nullamam gatim (vii,18)

“Noble indeed are all these but the sage, I hold, is verily Myself. For being perfectly harmonized, he resorts to Me alone as the highest goal”.

The jivanmukta or the freed soul, possessing the body, reacts to the events of the outer world, though he does not entangle in them. As the Gita suggests the verses that action is possible even for the freed souls.

The man of insight and wisdom imitate the Supreme Lord and act in the world.

na mam karmani limpanti na me karmaphale sprha
iti mam yo'bhijanati karmabhir na sa badhyate (iv, 14)

“Works do not defile Me, nor do I have yearning for their fruit. He who knows Me thus is not bound by works”.

So knowing was work done also by the men of old who sought liberation.

Therefore do thou also work as the ancients did in former times (iv, 15).

The Gita states that it is only after crossing over these three modes and raising ourselves higher from their level that we attain liberation and immortality. ‘Gunan–etan–ateetya treen dehi janma-nritya-jara–dukhaih vimukto–amritam–ashnute (xiv, 20). Naturally a question arises how to transcend these three modes. A straight question on this point was put by Arjuna to the Lord in chapter 14 of The Gita. The Lord replied, “Light, passion and delusion, three symbols of the three gunas when present should not be despised and when absent should not be craved for. The three gunas should be avoided by being indifferent towards them. We should maintain equanimity and poise in the face of pleasure and pain, likes and dislikes, censure and praise. We should view a clod of earth, a stone and gold alike. Respect and disrespect, and friend and foe should be treated alike. Unswerving faith and devotion unto the Divine should be developed and then this gunas are transcended. Such a state makes us fit for becoming ‘Brahman’. ‘Mam cha yo-avyabhicharena bhakti–yogena sevate. Sa gunan-samateeti-etan brahmabhuyaya kalpate (xiv, 26). The Gita has made it clear that a man commits sin, unwillingly though, as if dragged and forced by two enemies–desire and rage. These two are in turn the product of rajoguna, the mode of passion and fire. ‘Kama esha krodha eshah rajoguna–samudbhavah (iii, 37). Thus the only way to get rid of sin and to achieve liberation is to transcend these three modes of natural orientation. This is what Swami Vivekananda would call, ‘raising ourselves from animality to divinity’.

This is perhaps the purport of the vedic prayer–“Asato ma sad gamaya, tamaso ma jyotir–gamaya, mrityor–ma amritan–gamaya.

Lead us from non-existing falsehood to existing truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.

vedesu yajnesu tapahsu cai'va danesu yat punyaphalam pradistam
atyeti tat sarvam idam viditva yogi param sthanam upaiti ca'dyam (viii,28)

“The yogin having known all this, goes beyond the fruits of meritorious deeds assigned to the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and gifts and attains to the Supreme and primal status”.

Again in the verse viii,5 it is sais that whoever, at the time of death, gives up his body and departs, thinking of Me alone, he comes to My status (of being); of that there is no doubt. Again therefore at all times remember Me and fight. When thy mind and understanding are set on Me alone, shalt thou come without doubt (viii,7).He who meditates on the Supreme person with his thought attuned by constant practice and not wandering after anything else, he, O Partha (Arjuna), reaches the person, Supreme and Divine (viii, 8). If prakrti acts, and if the eternal is independent of the modes of prakrti’s workings, then in the state of moksa there is no ego, no will, and no desire. It is a condition beyond all modes and qualities, impassive, free and at peace. It is not mere survival of death, but the attaining of the Supreme state of being, where the spirit knows itself to be superior to birth and death, infinite, eternal, and unconditioned by manifestations. Samkara takes his stand on these passages and interprets the freedom of the Gita in the sense of kaivalya of the Samkhyas. If we have a body clinging to us, nature will go on acting till the body is shaken off as a discarded shell. The impersonal spirit is detached from the workings of the body. We cannot escape from the instrumentalism of nature.

Those who take refuge in Me and strive for deliverance from old age and death, they know the Brahman (or Absolute) entire (they know) the self and all about action.(vii,29). Sankaracarya interpreted this verse as those who, with the mind steadfast in Me, the Supreme Lord, strive for liberation from decay and death, realize in full the reality underlying the innermost individual self (adhyatma), and they know all about action (karma).^[15]

The author of the Gita seems to believe in a continuance of conscious individuality even in freedom. As a matter of fact, some passages suggest that the freed do not become God, but only attain sameness of essence with God (xiv, 2). Freedom is not pure identity, but only qualitative sameness, an elevation of the soul to God–like existence, where petty desires have no power to move. To be immortal is to live in the eternal light. We do not cease to be selves, but deepen our selfhood, efface all stains of sin, cut asunder the knot of doubt, master ourselves, and are ever engaged in doing good to all creatures. We do not free ourselves from all qualities, but possess the sattva quality and suppress the rajas (vi,27). Progress consists in the purification of body, life and mind. When the frame is perfected, the light shines without any obstruction.