This week's JKYog Bhagavad Gita Online Class focused on the profound teachings from Chapter 5, verses 22 to 29, which highlight the limitations of worldly pleasures and the path to true inner peace. The discussion emphasized that material enjoyments, though alluring, are finite, temporary, and ultimately lead to dissatisfaction and misery. Shree Krishna teaches that the wise recognizes these flaws and choose to restrain their senses, focusing instead on spiritual discipline and self-control. By mastering desires and anger, one can achieve a state of inner tranquillity, unshaken by external circumstances. The session also explored the path of Karm Sanyās, where detachment from worldly duties allows for a greater focus on spiritual practice. However, the ultimate fulfilment of any spiritual endeavour lies in devotion to God, who is the true enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities. Through surrender and bhakti, one attains divine bliss and liberation, realizing that true peace comes from within, independent of external events.
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दु:खयोनय एव ते |
आद्यन्तवन्त: कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुध: || 22||
ye hi sansparśha-jā bhogā duḥkha-yonaya eva te
ādyantavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣhu ramate budhaḥ
Gita 5.22 The senses create sensations of pleasure in contact with the sense objects. The mind, which is like the sixth sense, derives pleasure from honour, praise, circumstances, success, etc. All these pleasures of body and mind are known as bhog (material enjoyment).
Such worldly pleasures cannot satisfy the soul for the following reasons:-
Worldly pleasures are finite: Worldly pleasures are limited, leading to an inherent sense of lack.
Example: For instance, a person may feel happy upon becoming a millionaire, but that contentment fades when the same person compares himself to a billionaire and thinks, "If only I had a billion, then I would be truly happy."
In contrast, the bliss of God is boundless and provides complete fulfilment.
Worldly pleasures are temporary: Worldly pleasures are fleeting and often leave a lingering sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction.
Example: An alcoholic may experience temporary enjoyment while drinking at night, only to suffer from a severe headache the next morning. On the other hand, the bliss of God is eternal—once achieved, it remains with us forever.
Worldly pleasures get exhausted quickly: Worldly pleasures are insentient and therefore constantly diminish over time. The more we indulge in material pleasures, the less satisfaction they bring, as described by the Law of Diminishing Returns in Economics.
Example: When people watch a newly released Academy Award-winning movie, they are thrilled. But if they have to watch it again to accompany a friend, their excitement fades. And when a second friend asks them to watch it a third time, they might say, "I’d rather endure any punishment than sit through that movie again."
In contrast, the bliss of God is sentient and is characterized as sat-chit-ānand (eternal, ever-fresh divine joy). This is why one can chant the divine Name of God all day and still experience an ever-renewing sense of devotional bliss.
People who are wise understand the three major flaws of worldly pleasures and choose to restrain their senses from indulging in them.
शक्नोतीहैव य: सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात् |
कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्त: स सुखी नर: || 23||
śhaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ prāk śharīra-vimokṣhaṇāt
kāma-krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ
Gita 5.23 Humans have the ability to make judgments, while animals act based on their instincts. Shree Krishna teaches that this power of judgment should be used to control our desires and anger. Desires and anger can be as powerful as a rushing river. Yet, the human intellect is equipped with the power of discrimination to help manage and control these strong urges.
This verse guides us to resist the impulses of desire and anger. Whenever the mind entertains the thought of enjoying a material pleasure, one should remind oneself that such pleasures ultimately lead to misery.
The chance to practice discernment is only available while we are alive in a human body. Those who can control their desires and anger during their lifetime become true yogis. Only such individuals experience the divine bliss within and achieve true happiness.
कामक्रोधवियुक्तानां यतीनां यतचेतसाम् |
अभितो ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं वर्तते विदितात्मनाम् || 26||
kāma-krodha-viyuktānāṁ yatīnāṁ yata-chetasām
abhito brahma-nirvāṇaṁ vartate viditātmanām
Gita 5.26 For most people, the path of Karm-Yog is the safer choice. However, for those who are truly detached from worldly affairs, the path of Karm sanyās can also be suitable. This path is beneficial because it eliminates the need to divide time and energy between worldly duties, allowing one to focus entirely on spiritual practice. True Karm sanyāsīs make swift progress and find peace in all aspects of life. By overcoming desires and anger and mastering their minds, they achieve perfect tranquillity both in this life and the next.
True peace is not determined by what happens in the external world but is instead cultivated internally. Peace comes from the purification and discipline of one’s senses, mind, and intellect. This inner transformation leads to a state where external circumstances—whether favourable or unfavourable—do not disturb one's sense of peace.
It also highlights that those who renounce worldly attachments and focus inward can tap into a deep, inner source of tranquillity. This peace is stable and enduring because it is rooted in an inner state of harmony, rather than being dependent on fluctuating external events. Such individuals find peace not by controlling or changing their environment, but by mastering their own mind and inner self.
When their inner faculties are aligned, they experience consistent peace wherever they are and attain liberation even while living in this world.
भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् |
सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति || 29||
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśhvaram
suhṛidaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śhāntim ṛichchhati
Gita 5.29 The ascetic discipline (sādhanā) described in the previous two verses can lead to ātma jñāna, or self-realization. However, attaining brahma jñāna, the knowledge of God requires divine grace, which is obtained through devotion.
The words sarva loka maheśhwaram means “Sovereign Lord of all the worlds,” and suhṛidaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ means “benevolent well-wisher of all living beings.”
The path of asceticism—characterized by strict discipline, self-denial, and spiritual practices—is ultimately fulfilled through surrender to God. It suggests that the goal of such rigorous practices is not just self-mastery or spiritual knowledge but the realization that everything, including one's efforts and sacrifices, is ultimately offered to the Supreme Lord.
The idea here is that asceticism alone is incomplete without the acknowledgement that God is the true enjoyer of all our spiritual practices. No matter how much one engages in austerities or sacrifices, the path reaches its highest purpose when these efforts are dedicated to God, with a heart of surrender and devotion. In this surrender, the ascetic finds fulfilment, understanding that the Supreme Being is the source and destination of all spiritual endeavours.
Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj has put this very nicely:
hari kā viyogī jīva govind rādhe, sañcho yog soī jo hari se milāde
(Rādhā Govind Geet)
(Rādhā Govind Geet)
“The soul is disconnected from God since eternity. True Yog is that which unites the soul with God.” Hence, no system of Yog is complete without the inclusion of bhakti.
In His “Song of God,” Shree Krishna beautifully includes all the genuine paths of spiritual practice, yet each time, He emphasizes that true success in any path ultimately requires devotion (bhakti).
Summary: JKYog India Online Class- Bhagavad Gita [English]- 17.08.2024
