Bhagavad Gita sings:
śreyo hi jñānamabhyāsājjñānāddhyāna
dhyānātkarmaphalatyāgastyā
“Since knowledge is superior to practice,
meditation better than knowledge,
and
abandonment of the fruits of action higher than meditation, renunciation is soon rewarded with peace.”
To engage in action by the Way of Knowledge is better than just
the
exercise of restraining the mind. Meditation is better than
the
accomplishment of action through knowledge, because the desired goal is always present in contemplation. Even better than contemplation, however, is the abandonment of the fruits of action, for when Arjun has given up the fruits of action and surrendered himself to the desired goal with the purpose of realizing it, the burden of his exercise of yog is borne by the adored God. So this kind of renunciation is soon followed by the achievement of absolute peace.
Sri Krishn has so far said that the yogi who performs selfless action with a sense of self-surrender has an advantage over the follower of the Way of Knowledge who worships the unmanifest.
Both of them accomplish the same action, but there are more hurdles in the way of the latter. He bears the responsibility for his profits and losses himself, whereas the burden of the dedicated worshiper is borne by God. So he soon achieves peace as an outcome of his renunciation of the fruits of action.
[Revered Swami Adgadanandji]
As expounded by most revered Gurudev.
Humble Wishes!!!
Yeah..very correctly understood Akhilesh ji.
Normally we are misguided with the concept of meditation also.It’s not so easy and it is very high level of elevated stage in spiritual path.Meditation is not done but it happens at a very advanced stage after reaching to almost the maximum height of spiritual austerities.
As per Maharshi Patanjali:
Nonviolent but severe austerities are:
*restraint,
*religious observance,
* the appropriate posture of sitting,
*serenity of breath,
*withholding of the mind along with the physical organs,
*retention,
*meditation
and
* perfect absorption of thought in the Supreme Spirit,
are indicated as the eightfold features of yog.
Meditation is just last but one stage to perfect absorption of thought in the Supreme Spirit.This can be reached after attaining all the six conditions prior to this as mentioned above.
And very rightly quoted verse forty forty seven,Chapter Two from Bhagavad Gita:
karmaṇy evā’dhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana,
mā karmaphalahetur bhūr māte sango’stv akarmaṇi
“Since you are entitled only to the performance of action but never to the fruits thereof, you should neither desire rewards of action nor be drawn to inaction.”
Arjun, Sri Krishn says, has the right to action but not to its results. So Arjun should persuade himself that fruits of action simply do not exist. He should not covet these fruits and neither should he grow disillusioned with action.
Sri Krishna has described its characteristic traits:
*
(a) He has told Arjun that by the performance of action he will be freed from the bonds of action.
*
(b) He has then said that the seed or initial impulse of action is indestructible. Once it is initiated, nature has no means to destroy it.
*
(c) There is, Arjun has been told, not even the slightest flaw in this action, for it never abandons us while we are stranded amidst the temptations of celestial pleasures and worldly affluence.
*
(d) Performance of this action, even in small proportions, can emancipate us from the great fear of birth and death.
*
Humble Wishes!!!
There is a profound statement made here – “Renunciation of Karma-Phala (results of action) is better than Meditation”!
Commonly it is found that we stress more on Meditation. From the very beginning we try to ‘meditate’. Here, Shri Krishna says that there is something even better than meditation. Do engage in action (ordained action or niyat karm) and forget the results (since you offered it all to Him). Immediate peace follows.
In other words, don’t worry about meditation at all, just do your part and offer it to Him. Compare this with Verse 47 of Chapter 2. Same message being re-enforced here.
Thank you for this wonderful post!
Regards,
Akhilesh