31. Live All Your Possibilities

Seeking more and more does not lead to happiness. It leads to depression. Then what leads to happiness that is eternal?.

arjuna uvāca sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛṣṇa punaryogaṁ ca śaṁsasi I yacchreya etayorekaṁ tanme brūhi suniścitaṁ II 5.1

5.1 Arjuna says: Oh Kṛṣṇa, you asked me to renounce work first and then you asked me to work with devotion. Will you now please tell me, definetely, which of the two will be more beneficial to me?

śrībhagavānuvāca sannyāsaḥ karmayogaś ca niḥśreyasakarāvubhau I

tayostu karma-sannyāsāt karmayogo viśiṣyate II 5.2

5.2 Bhagavān says: The renunciation of work [sannyāsa] and work in devotion [karmayoga] are both good for liberation. But, of the two, work in devotional service is better than renunciation of work.

jñeyaḥ sa nityasannyāsī yo na dveṣṭi na kāṅkṣati I nirdvandvo hi mahābāho sukhaṁ bandhātpramucyate II 5.3 5.3 He who neither hates nor desires the fruits of his activities has renounced. Such a person, free from all dualities, easily overcomes material bondage and is completely liberated, Oh Arjuna!

sāṅkhyayogau pṛthagbālāḥ pravadanti na paṇḍitāḥ I ekamapyāsthitaḥ samyag ubhayorvindate phalam II 5.4

5.4 Only the ignorant, not the wise, speaks of the path of action [karma-yoga] to be different from the path of renunciation [sāṅkhya yoga]. Those who are actually learned say that one who is firmly established in either of the paths, achieves the fruit of both.

yat sāṅkhyaiḥ prāpyate sthānaṁ tad yogairapi gamyate I ekaṁ sāṅkhyaṁ ca yogaṁ ca yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati II 5.5

5.5 He who knows, knows that the state reached by renunciation [sāṅkhya] and action [karma] are one and the same. State reached by renunciation can also be achieved by action, know them to be at same level and see them as they are.

sannyāsastu mahābāho duḥkhamāptumayogataḥ I yogayukto munirbrahma na cireṇādhigacchati II 5.6

5.6 Renunciation without devotional service afflicts one with misery, Oh mighty-armed one. The wise person engaged in devotional service attains the Supreme without delay.

yogayukto viśuddhātmā vijitātmā jitendriyaḥ I

sarva-bhūtātma-bhūtātmā kurvannapi na lipyate II 5.7

5.7 The person engaged in devoted service, beyond concepts pure and impure, self-controlled and who has conquered the senses is compassionate and loves everyone, although engaged in work, he is never entangled.

naiva kiñcitkaromīti yukto manyeta tattvavit I paśyan śṛṇvan spṛśañ jighrann aśnan gacchan svapañ śvasan II 5.8

pralapan visṛjan gṛhṇann unmiṣannimiṣannapi I indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu vartanta iti dhārayan II 5.9

5.8, 9 One who knows the truth, though engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, dreaming, and breathing, always knows within himself that—'I never do anything at all.' While talking, letting go, receiving, opening, closing, he considers that the senses are engaged with their sense objects.

brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ I lipyate na sa pāpena padma-patram ivāmbhasā II 5.10

5.10 He, who acts without attachment, giving up and surrendering to the eternal consciousness, He is never affected by sin, in the same way that the lotus leaf is not affected by water.

kāyena manasā buddhyā kevalairindriyairapi I yoginaḥ karma kurvanti saṅgaṁ tyaktvātmaśuddhaye II 5.11

5.11 The yogis, giving up attachment, act with the body,

mind, intelligence, even with the senses for the purpose of self-purification.

yuktaḥ karmaphalaṁ tyaktvā śāntimāpnoti naiṣṭhikīm I ayuktaḥ kāma-kāreṇa phale sakto nibadhyate II 5.12

5.12 One who is engaged in devotion, gives up attachment to outcome of one's actions and is centered, is at peace. One who is not engaged in devotion, attached to the outcome of one's action becomes entangled.

sarvakarmāṇi manasā sannyasyāste sukhaṁ vaśī I navadvāre pure dehī naiva kurvanna kārayan II 5.13

5.13 One who is controlled, giving up all the activities of the mind, surely remains in happiness in the city of nine gates (body), neither doing anything nor causing anything to be done.

na kartṛtvaṁ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ I na karmaphalasaṁyogaṁ svabhāvas tu pravartate II 5.14

5.14 The master does not create activities nor makes people do nor connects with the outcome of the actions. All this is enacted by the material nature.

nādatte kasyacitpāpaṁ na caiva sukṛtaṁ vibhuḥ I ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ II 5.15

5.15 The Lord, surely, neither accepts anyone's sins nor good deeds. Living beings are confused by the ignorance that covers the knowledge.

jñānena tu tadajñānaṁ yeṣāṁ nāśitamātmanaḥ I teṣāmādityavajjñānaṁ prakāśayati tatparam II 5.16

5.16 Whose ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge, their knowledge, like the rising sun, throws light on the supreme consciousness.

tadbuddhayas tad-ātmānas tan-niṣṭhās tat parāyaṇāḥ I gacchanty apunar-āvṛttiṁ jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣāḥ II 5.17

5.17 One whose intelligence, mind, faith are in the Supreme and one who has surrendered to the Supreme, his misunderstandings are cleansed through knowledge and he goes towards liberation.

vidyā-vinaya-saṁpanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini I śuni caiva śvapāke ca paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ II 5.18

5.18 One who is full of knowledge and compassion sees equally the learned brāhmaṇa, the cow, the elephant, the dog and the dog-eater.

ihaiva tairjitaḥ sargo yeṣāṁ sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ I nirdoṣaṁ hi samaṁ brahma tasmād brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ II 5.19

5.19 In this life, surely, those whose minds are situated in equanimity have conquered birth and death. They are flawless like the Supreme and therefore, are situated in the Supreme.'

na prahṛṣyetpriyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam I sthirabuddhir asaṁmūḍho brahmavid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ II 5.20

5.20 One who does not rejoice at achieving something he likes nor gets agitated on getting something he does not like, who is of steady intelligence, who is not deluded, one who knows the Supreme, is situated in the Supreme.

bāhyasparśeṣvasaktātmā vindatyātmani yatsukham I sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā sukhamakṣayamaśnute II 5.21

5.21 One who is not attached to the outer world sense pleasures, who enjoys in the Self, in that happiness, he, having identified with his Self by engaging in the Supreme [brahma-yoga], enjoys unlimited happiness.

ye hi saṁsparśajā bhogā duḥkhayonaya eva te I ādyantavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣu ramate budhaḥ II 5.22

5.22 The intelligent person surely does not enjoy the sense pleasures, enjoyments which are sources of misery and which are subject to beginning and end.

śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ prākśarīravimokṣaṇāt I kāma-krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ II 5.23

5.23 Before leaving this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and he is happy in this world.

yo'ntaḥsukho'ntarārāmas tathāntar-jyotir eva yaḥ I sa yogī brahman-irvāṇaṁ brahmabhūto'dhigacchati II 5.24

5.24 One who is happy from within, active within as well as illumined within, surely, is a Yogi and he is liberated in the Supreme [brahma-nirvāṇa], is Self-realized and attains the Supreme.

labhante brahma-nirvāṇam ṛṣayaḥ kṣīṇakalmaṣāḥ I chinn-advaidhā yatātmānaḥ sarvabhūtahite ratāḥ II 5.25

5.25 Those, whose sins have been destroyed, who have dispelled the dualities arising from doubts, whose minds are engaged within, and who are working for the welfare of other beings, attain the eternal liberation in the Supreme [brahma-nirvāṇa].

kāmakrodhaviyuktānāṁ yatīnāṁ yatacetasām I abhito brahmanirvāṇaṁ vartate viditātmanām II 5.26

5.26 They who are free from lust and anger, who have subdued the mind and senses, and who have known the Self, easily attain liberation [brahma-nirvāṇa].

sparśān kṛtvā bahir bāhyāṁś cakṣuś caivāntare bhruvoḥ I prāṇāpānau samau kṛtvā nāsābhyantara-cāriṇau II 5.27

yatendriya-mano-buddhir munir mokṣaparāyaṇaḥ I vigatecchā-bhaya-krodho yaḥ sadā mukta eva saḥ II 5.28

5.27,28 Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils and thus controlling the mind, senses and intelligence, the transcendental who is aiming at liberation, becomes free from desire, fear and the by-product of desire and fear, anger all three. One who is always in this state is certainly liberated.

bhoktāraṁ yajñatapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram I suhṛdaṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntimṛcchati II 5.29

5.29 One who knowing Me as the purpose of sacrifice and penance, as the lord of all the worlds and the benefactor of all the living beings, achieves peace.

iti śrīmad bhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyām yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjuna saṁvāde sannyāsayogo nāma pañcamo 'dhyāyaḥ II

In the Upaniṣad of Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Arjuna, this is fifth chapter named, Sannyāsa Yogaḥ**,** 'The Yoga of Renunciation.'

I n this chapter, Sannyāsa Yogaḥ, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Master of all possibilities, enriches us on how to break away from our bondages and become multi-dimensional to realize and express our peak possibilities.

Constantly turning many impossibilities into possibilities by playing that within human laws, rules and regulations is the job of an Incarnation. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, who is the possibility of all Incarnations, teaches us how to reach our true state. This is what the word Samādhi means–to go back to our true nature.

Kṛṣṇa constantly turns what Arjuna thinks as 'impossible' into 'possible' by making His peak possibilities to express through Arjuna within the laws of human realm, within the Kurukṣetra warfield. Kṛṣṇa Himself does not use a single weapon throughout the Mahābhārat war, but becomes the cause for Arjuna to live and express his own peak possibilities. It is through the multi-dimensional space awakened by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Pāṇḍavas, that they stand victorious.

Throughout the Gītā, Kṛṣṇa talks about yoga. Each chapter refers to one type of yoga or another. Yoga is the same as samādhi**. Yoga means 'uniting'.** It means uniting with our true nature. When we unite with our true Self, we become multi-dimensional, we become the space of possibilities. We can be material and spiritual. There are no constraints and no limitations. We are free.

Karma or Sannyāsa, What is my path? (5.1-5.9)

After all the explanations given by Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna continues to ask, 'Oh Kṛṣṇa, first you asked me to renounce work and then you recommend work with devotion. Now, will you tell me certainly, which one of the two is more beneficial?—yac chreya etayor ekaṁ tanme brūhi su-niścitam (5.1).'

We will never get an answer or solve a problem if we start thinking what would be more beneficial.

Here, Arjuna asks: 'Kṛṣṇa! Which of the two: karma, action or Sannyāsa, renunciation is more beneficial? Keeping track of accounts is good in business but not in life. The mind is in dilemma! Our mind will be alive as long as we are caught between any two extremes. The moment we come to any single conclusion, we will be liberated.

Listen! Life has no separate benefit. Life itself is a benefit. When you stop calculating for getting benefits, you will start tasting the fruit of life. Listen! Enriching is enjoying and sharing the fruit of life!

Kṛṣṇa uses at least 100 verses to explain this one concept of Karma-Sannyāsa yoga, the paths of responsibility and renunciation. He does this without losing His patience. He is embodiment of compassion. He comes down to the plane of Arjuna and gradually transforms him.

The question concerning Karma and Sannyāsa—responsibility and renunciation—has been asked from time immemorial, and each time it has been answered. Yet this question remains.

Surrender to experience Karma-Sannyāsa as One

Karma and Sannyāsa. Karma is normally out of greed and desires. Sannyāsa is always invariably out of fear, bhaya. When you are not ready to take the risk, you renounce everything. The fear of getting hurt is the first reason for Sannyāsa. Sannyāsa is a way of escapism, turning away from the responsibilities that life presents. In the name of renunciation, one covers the deep fears. This is not true Sannyāsa. Then we have people running after material wealth in the name of karma. Both categories of people are not going to achieve eternal bliss or consciouness.

In the entire world, only three types of human beings exist: One is surrendered to greed, one is surrendered to fear, and one who is surrendered to the Supreme intelligence, Divine Consciousness. Here, Kṛṣṇa explains that we are caught between fear and greed. Either we constantly surrender ourselves to fear or to greed. Very rare individuals surrender to intelligence, to Divine Consciousness.

People ask me, 'Why should I surrender to the Divine? If I surrender, what will I get?' Listen. If you don't surrender to the Divine, you will be surrendering to your fear or greed. When it comes to life, profit and loss doesn't work. Life is beyond calculation.

Let your inner space be the space of completion. Listen! When you are in incompletion, you constantly feel powerless and anything you do comes out of powerlessness. Anything done out of incompletion, be it Karma Yoga or Sannyāsa yoga, leads you to more incompletion. Anything done out of completion, leads you to more completion.

All we need to know is this—it doesn't matter if we are a karma yogi or a sannyāsa yogi. It is the attitude, the space from which we live life that is most important.

I am defining Sannyāsa. Sannyāsa is you living in the space of completion and constantly enriching everyone to be in the space of completion.

Again, Kṛṣṇa is placing emphasis on the space of completion, on the being. If we don't know the root cause of our actions, why we are living with karma or why we pick up Sannyāsa, we will not be able to solve our problems. Our suffering is neither because of karma nor because of Sannyāsa. Suffering is because of our wrong attitude of incompletion. With the right space of completion, any path will feel like a true blessing for you and for others.

Kṛṣṇa says—sāṅkhya yogou pṛthagbālāḥ pravadanti na paṇḍitaḥ (5.4). Only the ignorant man says that karma yoga is different from sāṅkhya yoga, Sannyāsa. Here, the words karma and sannyāsa are equated to Karma Yoga and Sāṅkhya Yoga. If we complete with the pattern of greed in karma yoga and complete with the pattern of fear in Sannyāsa Yoga, we will drop into eternal consciousness. The whole idea is now reduced to a one-line message.

Let all our feelings, let all our mental thoughts, let all our physical deeds be directed towards gratitude to the Divine.

Drop Greed and Fear, Live Power and Joy

Understand, you have enough energy and strength to maintain yourself without fear and greed. All you need is trust that you don't need energy from fear or greed to run your life. When you come down to this planet, you have already brought enough fuel. You don't need fuel from fear or greed.

Kṛṣṇa beautifully says—'yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati'. The man who is beyond the pull of fear and greed is the only one who can see things as they are. If you are caught in fear or greed, you will see things only as you want, never as they are.

Decide, you will not fuel yourself with fear and greed. Remove the tremendous stress from your inner space. You will suddenly feel a new energy coming up from your being—pure enthusiasm and causeless auspicious energy. Causeless auspicious energy is what we call Śiva.

You see, renunciation, Sannyāsa is going beyond desires, including 'desirelessness.' 'Seeing this Reality as It exists' is what Kṛṣṇa beautifully calls—yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati. The real, the present, can never be perceived by the mind because it is beyond logic.

In the Mahābhārat, Kṛṣṇa drives Arjuna's chariot. The horses represent the senses held beautifully in control by the Divine charioteer. He drives the being represented by the warrior, in the body represented by the chariot towards victory, towards bliss. When the individual consciousness surrenders control to the Divine, the Divine controls the body-mindspirit and steers one towards one's true nature, bliss.

These verses of Kṛṣṇa are very powerful, but often misinterpreted.

'One who knows the truth, though engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, dreaming, breathing knows that he never does anything (5.8-9).' Not being 'the doer' does not mean we give up responsibility for our actions. No! When we are so involved in the action, we are overflowing, and we just do out of the blissful energy in us.

Listen. When we are complete in what we do, our whole intelligence, energy will be behind the act; we become the action. Existence is energy. It can never repeat itself. Every moment is unique. Have the courage to live life with intelligence, with consciousness and completion. When the energy behind the action is total, whatever we do will always radiate the blissful energy that is behind the action.

Controlling The Mind (5.10-5.13)

Again, Kṛṣṇa talks about detachment. This is the whole essence of the Gītā. This detachment is renunciation. Renunciation of attachment is true renunciation. You can give up all material possessions and move into a forest or an ashram, but if the mind still hankers for possessions, renunciation has not happened. And, one can still be in the material world, busy with wheeling and dealing, and yet be totally detached from the outcome.

Kṛṣṇa says here, 'saṅgaṁ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ (5.10)—Action without attachment is renunciation.' Only this renunciation leads to liberation.

The basic truth behind creating the space of completion is really this: Existence is a loving Mother caring and providing for us every moment. When this understanding happens, we surrender to Existence. The wave drops into the ocean, blissfully aware that it is a part of the ocean. It no longer feels it is a separate entity trying to fight Existence, thinking that the ocean, the Whole, is its enemy.

Listen. To whom or to what we surrender is not important. What is important is the surrender itself. Having the wisdom or buddhi to understand that Existence cares for us, and surrendering to Existence is the ultimate intelligence. Realizing that Existence is not just a brute force or power, it is intelligent energy, is the key to a life of bliss.

Witness and Be Complete

Kṛṣṇa is repeating a single point: action without attachment—saṅgaṁ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ (5.10). He emphasizes that life happens only when we live as a witness to everything, when we do not identify and attach with external incidents. The moment we catch this thread and start living life in the space of completion, our incompletions simply disappear.

Here, Kṛṣṇa gives us a technique to realize who we are. By giving up attachment to the sense objects, by dropping all false identifications with the body, senses and mind, we can live life with intelligence and this leads us to self-purification, self-completion.

Kṛṣṇa tells us that our job is only to do the work, not to be concerned

about the results. He beautifully says, '*brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi (*5.10) do the work surrendering to the eternal consciousness.' We need to keep doing things because we have so much loving energy inside us. Then, we don't even know to expect results because we are continuously expressing our blissful inner energy, that's all.

Just live life in a simple way. Be complete every moment, enjoying every thing that Existence has created. Start witnessing simple yet wonderful things like the sunrise in the morning; chirping of the birds. Look deeply into a flower and you will find God. Just these few moments will show us a whole new dimension of our Being. They will show us what it is to enjoy life without a reason, without running behind or away from something. They will teach us how to relax into the welcoming, embracing arms of Existence.