Does the airplane stay on above, denouncing the earth below? Those who have earned the right to travel in it cannot fly towards it and into it! Therefore, to take them in, it has to come down at the places where they gather by previous arrangement, and then soar high into the sky with them. So too, though the Jnani has no desire or urge to do Karma, he comes down into the region of Karma and helps those who would not have otherwise put their talents into proper use. Even great personages like Janaka performed Dharma-Karmas with this view; Aswapathi too did likewise, to save the rest from sheer idleness or wickedness.
Then, in reply to another question of Arjuna, Krishna said, "Kama is the root cause of all evil" and He elaborated on its nature, cause and cure. "He who is bound by the Deha-atma buddhi (the false idea that he is just this body and nothing more) can never hope to conquer Karma; one must acquire the Brahma-Atma-Buddhi (the awareness that he is just Brahmam, and nothing less) in order to be sure of victory. All acts must be performed in the spirit of dedication to the Lord. The universe must be identified with the form of Vishnu, the universal transcendent."
In this chapter, three important subjects have been clarified:
- Everyone has to do Karma for if this is not done, the world will come to nought.
- The Karma of the great is the ideal that the rest have to keep in view.
- Almost all in the world are bound by the obligation of Karma.
Krishna most graciously made Arjuna imbibe these lessons. Not satisfied with this, Krishna told him that Jnana is the final goal and gain of Karma; Jnana is the treasure that is won by man's efforts to purify the mind and to earn the grace of God; Jnana not merely grants Ananda but is itself the seat of Ananda. Thus He initiated him into Jnanamarga, the path of Jnana.
This subject is carried on till the fifth chapter. Jnanayoga shines as a precious jewel amidst the teachings of Bhagavadgeetha-sastra. Krishna declared "Nahi Jnanena sadrisam pavithramiha vidyathe" (nothing as holy as Jnana is known here)! Even later, in the 7th chapter, He has said, "Jnani thwathmaivame matham" (I consider the Jnani as Myself); the excellence of Jnanayoga has been similarly extolled in many other contexts also in the Geetha.
