Navaneetham - Guruvayoor / Guruvayur

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Very clearly, Swami Chinmayananda explains this verse- one should always work in a
spirit of de-attachment with evenness of temper even under stress. What is it that we need
to detach from? Answer is – “wrong imaginations, false expectations, daydreams about
the fruits of our actions, anxieties about the results of our actions, and fears for things that
have not yet happened” (p. 239). So the message is to live in the present – not in the
unborn tomorrow or in the dead past.
At Arjuna’s request, Krishna then explains the qualities of the wise man who has
achieved equipoise and steady wisdom:
dukheshva anu dvigna manaha, sukheshu vigata spruha
vita raaga bhaya krodha, sthita dhir munir uchyate || 2.56 ||
He, whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not hanker after pleasures, who is
free from attachment, fear, and anger, is called a sage of steady wisdom. The emphasis is
on being free from attachment (raga), fear (bhaya), and anger (krodha). Because the
three are inter-related - the desire to possess something leads to action to acquire that
thing; once acquired there is the fear of losing it. Then there is the anger towards those
who come between the individual and the object of attachment.
Although Arjuna has surrendered himself totally to Krishna, by the end of chapter 2
Arjuna is confused: On one hand Krishna asks him to stand up and fight; and on the other
He extols the virtues of being non-attached and equipoised. So at the beginning of
chapter 3, Arjuna once again raises a question:
Arjuna uvaacha –
jyaayasi cheta-karmanaste, mata buddhir Janardana
tatkim karmani ghore maam, niyojayasi keshava || 3.1 ||
If you think that ‘knowledge’ is superior to ‘action’ O Janardana, then Keshava, why do
you ask me to engage in this terrible action? Using words of endearment such as
Janardana, Keshava etc. Arjuna is as though saying – O my dear friend, whatever you are
saying confuses me; if you say that renunciation and non-attachment are superior virtues,
then why do you ask me to engage in this terrible war that involves the killing of all my
near and dear relatives?
vyaa-mi-shreneva vakyena, buddhim mohayaseev mein,
tad-ekam vada nischitya, yena shreyo-ham apnuyaam || 3.2 ||
With these apparently confusing words, you have further confused me; tell me that one
way by which I can with certainty attain the highest good....
|| Hari Om ||
To be continued……………………
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