Yoga - union with the divine

The word 'Yoga' is typically associated with complex postures or asanas (that form a part of Hatha Yoga). However, it actually means union with the divine or the universal self. The approaches for attaining union with the divine are the various paths such as Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga etc. These paths are explained in the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita also explains that the result of all these forms of yoga are one and the same. The wise know that these paths are all 'Yoga'. The state or realization obtained by one who follows the path of Karma Yoga and one who follows the path of Jnana Yoga are the same. If the word 'Yoga' is not associated with Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga, the words that are left (i.e. Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana)are very different in meaning. Karma means action, Bhakti means devotion, and Jnana means knowledge. These words on their own have a limited meaning. However when the word yoga is added to these words, each of Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga becomes similar to the other. The word Yoga has this unifying effect. A person cannot attain Yoga merely through action, devotion or knowledge. However, the combination of the three when applied in an integrated manner leads to Yoga. The message of the Gita is not merely desireless action, devotion to God, or knowledge. The message is to perform actions with devotion and universal love in a manner that leads to knowledge by realization. These paths have synergies that in turn lead to the ultimate goal, which is Yoga or union with the divine. A person who strives for union with the divine through one or more of these paths is known as a Yogi. Once the state of realization is attained, the path that led to it becomes immaterial. No matter which path the person followed to attain union with the divine, the person is known simply as a Yogi.

Karma Yoga v/s Nishkama Karma

Karma Yoga, one of the paths towards union with the divine outlined in the Bhagavad Gita, involves a lot more than just Nishkama Karma or 'desireless action'. Karma Yoga is action that is inspired from within by devotion, universal love, surrender to the divine, and the highest knowledge and wisdom. A lot of people seem to think that the essence of Krishna's message to Arjuna in the Gita is 'Nishkama Karma' or 'desireless action'. Then they go on to argue that no action is possible without desire and hence Krishna's message is impossible to implement. In an interview with Sify, Gurcharan Das equates Karma Yoga and Nishkama Karma by saying "Lord Krishna advocates Karma Yoga or Nishkama Karma. The idea of an action for the sake of an action and not for the reward is very attractive."He then dismisses Nishkama Karma saying that it is 'as idealistic as Marxists notion of equality' and it is not practical.

For someone who has spent so many years doing practically nothing except read the Mahabharata, Gurcharan Das seems to be quite ignorant of the Bhagavad Gita and its message. However, he seems to justify his ignorance of the Gita by saying that it is not important because "Gita was originally not a part of the Mahabharat. It was placed in the epic later only because of the Vaishnavite influence on the epic." Presumably according to Das, the Mahabharat is practical enough for him to devote a substantial portion of his life in reading it and writing a book on it, but the Gita is not practical or important because "Gita was originally not a part of the Mahabharat." In his book "The Difficulty of being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma”, the core message, as mentioned in the title, is that it is difficult to be good. Moreover, it is difficult to even determine what is good, righteous or what is one duty, because "Dharma is sukshma or subtle." Essentially, the book concludes that after reading the Mahabharata, one is as confused about the notion of Dharma as he was before reading the Mahabharata, and the only conclusion that can be drawn is that 'Dharma is subtle.'

This conclusion comes as no surprise, because the Mahabharata, and the world itself appears to be chaotic, unjust, and unfair to a person who is ignorant. The characteristics of Rajas and Tamas outlined in the Gita can only lead one to believe that selfishness is virtue, and that the world is meaningless. The way to knowledge and wisdom is by reading and applying the message of the Bhagavad Gita. By considering the Gita to be unimportant and impractical, the only thing Das has managed to succeed in doing through his book (apart from increasing his fame and bank balance) is to publicize his ignorance and inability to live a righteous life based on 'Dharma'. The easiest way to wash ones hands of the blame for leading a selfish life motivated only by greed, envy, and desire for power, success and fame is to say that to be unselfish is not only unimportant or impractical, but impossible.


Whereas Das tries to justify his own corporate excesses as relatively selfless by outlining the excesses of Wall Street, Ramalinga Raju, and the Ambanis, other people's excesses do not absolve him for his inability to lead a selfless or righteous life. It is easy to quote paragraphs from English translations of the Mahabharata and separate the quotes with random thoughts and opinions (which are plentiful), but it is a lot more difficult to read the Bhagavad Gita, internalize it, and apply its message in daily life. To understand Karma Yoga and the message of the Gita, one has to become a Karma Yogi. Merely reading pages of text,quoting from them, acquiring fancy degrees and designations, mental contemplation, and writing verbose books cannot make a person learned. The paths of Knowledge and action are one.