The Bhagavad Gita’s teaching is all about living in the world and how one should. The clearest exposition of this is in the Verse 64 of Chapter 2:
रागद्वेषविमुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् ।
आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति ॥ २-६४॥
rāgadveṣavimuktaistu viṣayānindriyaiścaran
ātmavaśyairvidheyātmā prasādamadhigacchati 2–64
“But the self-controlled man, moving among objects, with his senses under restraint, and free from both attraction and repulsion, attains peace.”
There are three important elements in this verse:
· The world is significant, and we must live in it.
· The ultimate goal is to attain peace.
· It describes how to navigate the world to reach that goal.
Engaging with the World
viṣayānindriyaiścaran — Visaya means objects or the world, Indriyaiscaran — Moving around using one’s senses. Very significant statement. We have no option other than to live in this world. Giving up the world and to become a monk is an option but Gita is not a great proponent of that though not against if few chooses. But even for monks, the world exists, and they have to still negotiate the world. Therefore, the emphasis of this verse is about “moving about in the world using your senses”.
Given this, the central question becomes: “How should one act in the world to attain peace?”
The guidance is clear: one must be free from both attraction and repulsion. (rāgadveṣavimuktaistu) by exercising control over one’s senses & mind (ātmavaśyai).
The message is straightforward: to attain peace, one must be free from both attraction to and repulsion from worldly objects. Achieving this requires mastery over the mind and senses
Achieving Freedom from Attraction and Repulsion
Controlling mind and senses can be done in 3 different ways (not part of the verse):
- Yogic way — Through meditation and quietening the mind, one can experience peace. Once peace is attained via Samadhi, worldly attractions and repulsions lose their grip
- Devotional way — Complete immersion in worshipping and surrendering to God brings peace, making worldly matters less troublesome.
- Way of knowledge- Use discernment to understand what is important and what is not. Discernment (Viveka) leads to dispassion (Vairagya) and thereby mind/senses are under control.
Discernment — Understanding the Nature of Reality: Verse 16
Verse 16 of Chapter 2 is one of the most significant verses of the Bhagavad Gita — which condenses the essence of Advaita Vedanta, the way of knowledge, into a single profound truth. Let’s carefully unpack this in layers:
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्त स्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥ २-१६॥
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayorapi dṛṣṭo’ntas tvanayostattvadarśibhiḥ 2–16
“The unreal has no being; there is no non-being of the Real; the truth about both these has been seen by the Knowers of the Truth (or the Seers of the Essence) .”
The sum and substance of Gita has been conveyed in the first half of the verse — “Unreal never is and the Real never not”.
Analysis of Reality and Unreality
Real is never not — If the real is never absent, then it must be unchanging — change implies decay and death. The real, therefore, is never born nor does it die.
Unreal never is — Conversely, the unreal is characterised by change, having both a beginning and an end.
What is our state or understanding? We are only focussed on the Unreal — the body, mind, ego, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, emotions, which are all changing with a beginning and an end. Yet, there is an observer within who witnesses these changes without being affected. We intuitively know that we exist beyond body and mind, and this existence requires no external proof. That is the witness.
Having always been aware of this, we ignorantly identify ourselves with all those that change, decay and dies. That which “Is”, is the existence itself or in other words consciousness. The moment we identify with this existence or consciousness, everything else will be seen as passing, with a beginning and an end which keeps happening as long as the body/mind exists. We then realise that we are not these changing entities; rather, we are that one consciousness, eternally shining and free.
For one who understands this truth and lives it every moment, there can be neither attraction to nor repulsion from the objects of the world. Such a person abides in freedom and peace.
