(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

Detachment Leads to Liberation

कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिण: |
जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ता: पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम् || 2.51||

karma-jaṁ buddhi-yuktā hi phalaṁ tyaktvā manīṣhiṇaḥ
janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ padaṁ gachchhanty-anāmayam||2.51||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 2- Ver. 51:

The enlightened, who are endowed with intellectual serenity, let go of their attachment to the fruits of their activities, which bind them to the cycle of life and death. They achieve the state beyond all suffering by functioning in such consciousness.

Explanation

Those who practice Karma yoga regularly are liberated from the entanglements of birth and the endless cycle of desire after desire that entangles us in the material world. As a result, one employs the Karma yoga discipline to break free from it, achieving the immaculate condition, which is defined as a state in which one’s personality is free of cravings and imperfections.

Karma yoga is the practice of performing things with calmness of mind. In addition, we looked at a three-step toolset for incorporating Karma yoga into our daily lives:

1. Reduce unneeded materialistic thoughts that are unrelated to our svadharma.
2. Remove strong attachment and hatred from necessary thoughts to improve their quality.
3. Perform acts with a focus on the current moment and no connection to the outcome.

The state of Realization is reached in verses 51 to 53. Krishna mentions the two paths of yoga and bhoga in the previous verse. Manisina, the knowledgeable, chooses yoga. They are endowed with intelligence; therefore they reject the lure of bhoga or excess.

The wise refuse to eat the product of their labour. You can’t act unless you have a certain fruit in mind. Anxiety about the fruit, on the other hand, should not interfere with the deed. The mind should be completely focused on the current action. So let go of your attachment to the past and your fear about the future outcome. The mind is concentrated on Realization as the ultimate objective in the absolute sense. You must complete certain things in the world to get there. Do what needs to be done without attachment.

Then you will be free of the shackles of birth. The five stages of birth are birth, growth, sickness, decay, and death. Birth and death are caused by vasanas. The causal body is made up of vasanas, which appear as the subtle body, which is made up of mind and intellect. This, therefore, dictates the gross body as well as the environment in which your vasanas can be fulfilled.

The causal body and subtle body transfer to another gross body and environment when the body and circumstances are no longer suitable for the fulfillment of your vasanas. There will be no more birth if there are no vasanas. The oscillations in the world do not affect you. You take on the identity of the Changeless Entity.

Unfulfilled wishes are the source of sorrow. You unite with the entirety when your vasanas are depleted. You become paripurna, completely satisfied. Desires evaporate because there is no longer a void within you.

Verse & what we can learn

Doing karma without attachment and offering the results to the lord leads to liberation.

To attain a state of union with the divine practicing daily meditation with one goal in mind will help us along the path.

There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There are also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

In the next verse, Lord Shri Krishna tells Arjuna how one can assess his progress on the spiritual path.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…