Spirituality
By Swami Viditātmānand Saraswati*
Now Bhagavān discusses the secret of karma because freedom is gained from knowing karma in the correct way. To create the background for that, Bhagavān says:
“Scholars are also deluded in the subject of what is karma and what is akarma. Therefore, I will explain to you karma and akarma knowing that you will be free from inauspiciousness.”
Because the stream of karma is abstruse, one should know what is karma, what is vikarma and also what is akarma. Scholars are also illusioned in the subject of what is karma and what is akarma. Some believe that the transactions of senses are karma and the lack of them is akarma. Some even believe that whatever is stated in śāstra is called karma and what is forbidden in śāstra is akarma. Some believe that initiating the prescribed karma is karma and renouncing it is akarma. In this manner, these and many such different beliefs about karma and akarma are prevalent. However, O Arjuna, one should know the secret of karma, akarma and vikarma, means forbidden karma because by knowing that, you will be free from inauspicious, meaning saṁsāra. The nature of karma means its real essence is abstruse, and very difficult to understand.
In the earlier chapter, karma yoga and the initiation of karma were talked about. Karma yoga is also the first phase of jñānayoga, there is some spiritual imagination in it. Now Bhagavān talks about the second phase which is the true jñāna (knowledge). Here, there is a discussion of jñāna in the context of karma because there is Karta (doer) in the karma also. One frees from saṁsāra by knowing its form. Therefore, Bhagavān says:
कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः।
स बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत्।। 4.18।।
“The one who sees actionlessness in action and action in actionlessness is wise among human beings. That person is a yogi who has done everything that needs to be done.”
Here in this verse Bhagavān is describing the vision of a wise person. He sees actionlessness in action and action in actionlessness. That means, where ignorant people see karma due to delusion, wise sees actionlessness and where ignorant, indiscriminate sees actionlessness, means inactivity, wise sees action. This is indeed the secret of karma and Bhagavān praises whoever knows this by calling him an intelligent, yogi and contented person.
Does Bhagavān say that wise is seeing distorted when He says that wise sees actionlessness in action and action in actionlessness?
No, it cannot be that because then Bhagavān would not praise his wisdom and that distorted jñāna does not free one from saṁsāra. Then that means that the outlook of people about action and actionnessness must be distorted.
But how is that possible? Where there is karma, there is karma and where there is not, it is not. What can be distorted in this?
The response to that question is that this view of people is not appropriate but deluded. Everyone thinks of ātmā as Karta (doer) and therefore when the karma is done by the upādhi, ‘I am doing the karma’ is what they believe. And when there is no karma going on, where there is inactivity, “I am not doing karma’ is what they believe. Both of these are delusions. “I”, meaning ātmā is doing karma is not true and also, ātmā is not doing karma is also not true.
However, everyone thinks like this. Then, why can that notion be wrong?
Everyone’s notion can be wrong. Everyone sees the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening and thinks that the sun rose in the morning and set in the evening. Also, everyone also sees that the sun moves from east to west. The sun revolves around the earth whereas the earth is steady. This is what everyone thinks. When we study science, we learn that the sun is steady and the earth revolves around it from west to east. However, if the earth is revolving then why does it seem that the sun is revolving? Because we are residing on the earth and we are moving with the earth, we cannot see the movement of the earth. Also, the movement of the earth is superimposed upon the sun and the sun seems to be moving. When the sun seems revolving, it is not actually revolving and when the earth seems steady, it is not steady. In this manner, it is not a rule that what we see is the truth.
