From knowing to practicing selfless actions.

Here, the perspective shifts. Until now, we have explained the concept of equality from the viewpoint of Jnana Yoga, which seeks to distinguish between the soul and the body and understand the immortality of the soul. Now, let's learn about the same concept of equality from Karma Yoga, which is the yoga of selfless action.

This is not two separate teachings that lead to different conclusions. From two directions: knowledge for discernment and practice free from attachment, both approach the same equanimity. Section 39 serves as a bridge, transitioning from an explanation of knowledge to a practice that liberates one from the bonds of karma.

Japanese Translation from the Gita Press Edition - Chapter 2, Section 39: "The Same Mental Attitude Seen From Karma Yoga"

Up to this point, the speaker has established the validity of engaging in battle from the perspective of Samkhya Yoga and from the perspective of the duties of a Kshatriya. He urged Arjuna to fight with an equal mind. Now, he will attempt to establish the same thing from the perspective of Karma Yoga, and introduces the topic of Karma Yoga in the following section.

Sanskrit original text

एषा तेऽभिहिता सांख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु ।
बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि ॥ ३९ ॥

Romanization

eṣā te 'bhihitā sāṅkhye buddhir yoge tv imāṃ śṛṇu |
buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karmabandhaṃ prahāsyasi || 39 ||

Arjuna, this attitude of mind has been shown to you from the perspective of Jnana Yoga. Now listen to the same thing explained from the standpoint of Karma Yoga, that is, the yoga of selfless action. If you possess this attitude of mind, you will be able to completely cast off the bonds of karma. (39)

In this section, the word Eṣā Buddhiḥ refers to the "equanimity of mind" that the Lord instructed Arjuna to cultivate and engage in battle with in the previous verse.

This is because Eṣā always refers to the thing closest to it.

Therefore, when the master demonstrates this mental attitude from the perspective of Jnana Yoga, it means that in verses 11 to 30, he shows how the power to treat everything and every experience equally is obtained through the practice of Jnana Yoga.

It also means that a Jnana Yogi should understand the true nature of the soul with the help of discernment and perform the duties associated with their social status and stage of life with an equal-minded spirit.

Here, we will examine how the spirit of equality is described in the clauses mentioned above.

People see differences and diversity among the various objects in this world because they are ignorant of the true nature of the soul.

When one realizes the true nature of the soul, there is no distinction between the soul and the Great Spirit, and nothing other than Brahman, which embodies truth, knowledge, and bliss, exists within consciousness. At that point, it becomes impossible to hold the concept of diversity within that unity.

Therefore, in this chapter's eleventh section, the Lord declared that grieving over the dead or the living is based on a diverse concept rooted in error or ignorance, and is entirely inappropriate. And he urged Arjuna to abandon it.

In sections 12 and 13, it was clarified that the distinction between life and death is only due to ignorance, by demonstrating the eternity of the soul and its nature of non-attachment.

A wise person who possesses knowledge about the soul does not make such distinctions. This is because the soul is always the same, unchanging, and eternal.

Subsequently, the perception and its object, through opposing sensations such as heat and cold, joy and suffering, give rise to the concept of diversity, which were declared to be essentially temporary. Arjuna was advised to disregard them and maintain an equal attitude towards them (II.14). And those who see pleasure and pain equally are praised, and the Lord declares that such a person is worthy of immortality (II.15).

Furthermore, he defined what exists and what does not exist, and urged Arjuna to fight (II.16-18). He declared that those who believe the soul can be killed or that it kills are ignorant, and established the non-action, eternity, and immutability of the soul. Thus, it was proven that the destruction of the body does not lead to the destruction of the soul. Therefore, it was shown that Arjuna should not grieve for anything based on the distinction between life and death (II.19-30).

In this way, these passages express a spirit of equality that arises from knowledge about the true nature of the soul, which is attained through the distinction between reality and unreality.

The word "Imām" also refers to the attitude of equality mentioned in the previous section. By saying, "Now listen to the same thing presented from the perspective of Karma Yoga," the Lord indicates that in the following verses, He will explain what this attitude of equality means from the viewpoint of Karma Yoga, how it is cultivated within the practice of Karma Yoga, and what its consequences are. Therefore, Arjuna is urged to listen to these ideas with sufficient attention and consideration.

From section 31 to section 37, the purpose was to demonstrate that, as a Kshatriya, it is Arjuna's duty to fight, and that stopping the battle is completely inappropriate.

Furthermore, it was shown that, from either the perspective of this world or the next life, there are benefits for Arjuna in facing his enemies on the battlefield.

Furthermore, in the 38th verse, it is pointed out that if a battle is unavoidable, it should be fought in such a way that it does not become a cause of bondage. Therefore, an attitude of equality is presented as essential from both the perspectives of Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga.

This section establishes the relationship between this attitude of equality and two spiritual practices: Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga.

It follows a concept known in Sanskrit as "Dehalī-dīpaka-nyāya," which means "the analogy of the lamp."

This is an analogy where a lamp placed on the threshold illuminates both rooms, depending on its unique position.

The Jivatman, which is the soul embodied in a physical form, is bound by the potential residue of good and bad deeds performed over countless lifetimes. And when it reaches the human state, it begins new actions again under the impulse of self, desire, and attachment, becoming increasingly entangled.

"The bonds of karma" refer to the totality of accumulated residues from countless past lives, representing the sum of good and bad deeds.

It constantly drives the jiva, not only in human forms but also in other species, through the cycle of birth and death.

According to the principles of Karma Yoga, one should renounce all attachments to actions and desires for their fruits, viewing success and failure equally. In other words, one must become free from emotions such as attachment and aversion, joy and sorrow. At that time, a person deprives the power to produce fruit from past and present actions. Another way of saying it is that karma becomes like a "roasted seed" that cannot sprout.

In this way, by cultivating a sense of equality, it is said that one "abandons" or "destroys the bonds of karma."