BG6.46

[Today (27th February 2008) the cable transmission was not there and it resumed only a couple of minutes before the program ended. The translation is therefore limited to what was heard only]

prayatnad yatamanas tu
yogi samshuddha-kilbisah
aneka-janma-samsiddhas
tato yati param gatim

"And when the yogi engages himself with sincere endeavor in making further progress, being washed of all contaminations, then ultimately, achieving perfection after many, many births of practice, he attains the supreme goal."

He attains param gathim, which means he attains atman prapti or atman anubhavam [experience]. Till this 45th sloka, Sri Krishna has been talking of the same objective- atman anubhavam. In the Second Chapter He told that atman was different from body, mind and sense organs, and was superior to all these. Atman takes various bodies in various births, and we should realize atman is different from the bodies it resided. We develop eagerness o see atman and have its experience and that has been the ultimate objective or destination so far. To reach that destination we tried to understand the ways. We first understood that atman was different from body and was superior to body. With that knowledge we practiced Karma yoga. This has to be done with detachment or not aspiring for any cheap and inferior desires. This is vairagyam. Atman sakshatkaram alone should be the objective. Karma yoga was described as one of those 14 actions, like, pilgrimage, pranayamam, meditation [thapas], performing yagna, performing pooja to an idol, etc. Every person has certain prescribed duties and performing them is Karma yoga. We can not include in these our professional works. All actions as stated by Sri Krishna or which are in agreement with shastras, come under Karma yoga. Only performing Karma yoga will not get atman sakshatkaram. Its last phase of yoga is necessary. This was explained in the Sixth Chapter. The place for yoga, how we are to sit and do yoga, what we should think and concentration, were all explained. Practicing this continuously, yoga matures and atman sakshatkaram is reached. Now, in the last few slokas, we observed that while doing yoga if a person slips from continuation, he need not be disheartened. He will get another birth in a noble family which would be conducive to practice yoga. There he will do yoga, control the organs and mind and with the power of the yoga all his sins would be annihilated, and he would reach param gathim or the supreme stage. That is atman prapti. We should know that whatever Sri Krishna told in all the slokas till now, is not the best, which is yet to be revealed. He is going to tell about bhakti and raise the destination to a higher level. We will pray in this Kshetram of Kapisthalam and proceed further.