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॥ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ 18.18॥
_ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं
परिज्ञाता त्रिविधा कर्मचोदना ।_
_करणं कर्म कर्तेति
त्रिविधः कर्मसङ्ग्रहः॥_
भावार्थ :
ज्ञाता (जानने वाले का नाम 'ज्ञाता' है।), ज्ञान (जिसके द्वारा
जाना जाए, उसका नाम 'ज्ञान' है। ) और ज्ञेय (जानने में आने वाली वस्तु का नाम 'ज्ञेय' है।)- ये तीनों
प्रकार की कर्म-प्रेरणा हैं और कर्ता (कर्म करने वाले का नाम 'कर्ता' है।), करण (जिन साधनों से कर्म किया जाए, उनका नाम 'करण' है।) तथा क्रिया (करने का नाम 'क्रिया' है।)- ये तीनों प्रकार का कर्म-संग्रह है॥१८॥
Meaning:
Knowledge, the known and
the knower, these three initiate action. The instruments, the target of action
and the doer, these three are the basis of action.
EXPLANATION:
The culmination of the
Gita teaching is the realization that our true nature is the eternal essence,
that does not act in this world, nor experiences anything in this world, since
action and experience are in the realm of Prakriti. Most of us, however, are
still becoming qualified for this teaching through the practice of karma yoga.
Shri Krishna recognizes the need to give an in depth analysis of action for
people like us. To that end, he uses this shloka to begin that topic. Each
word, each term needs to be understood clearly, since the regular meanings may
confuse us.
So then, what is the
genesis, the birth of an action? How does an action commence? Our sense organs
send a report to the mind of having seen, felt, touched, tasted or smelled
something. This is the process of perception. Or, a thought about a prior
perception arises in the mind. Both these processes are the same for all people
in this world. Both you and I perceive a red apple in the same manner. In this case,
the red apple is termed as jneyam, an object which is known. This is step one.
What happens next? Both of
us see the same red apple, but you may love it, someone else may hate it, and I
would be indifferent to it. This difference in our view towards the apple, our
worldview in general, is due to the difference in our samskaaras. We attach a
certain meaning to objects, people and situations based on our samskaaras. This
individual vision of the world is termed knowledge or jnyaanam. It looks at the
object in question and generates a sense of attraction, repulsion or
indifference. This is step two.
Next, this notion of
attraction, repulsion or indifference creates a modification in the intellect
called the "doer", the kartaa. It is a phantom, illusory entity which
says "I want the red apple, go get it", or "I hate this red
apple, throw it away". The doer issues these instructions to the karana,
the organs of action, which then do as they are told. The action of grasping
the apple or throwing it away is carried out. Note the the doer only comes into
existence when there is attraction or repulsion. The jeeva is a witness,
indifferent to likes or dislikes. So the doer, the organs of action and the
object make up karma sangraha, the basis of action. This is step three.
When finally, the object,
the target of action is consumed by the senses, another modification of the
mind called the "enjoyer", the bhoktaa, arises. It creates the notion
that "I have experienced this object, and it gave me joy/sorrow".
This is the parijnyaata, the knower, mentioned in the shloka. Furthermore, a
record of this experience, whether pleasurable or painful, is stored in the
unconscious aspect of our personality, the causal body. This record, this
samskaara, becomes the seed of future action by creating thoughts of desire in
the mind, prompting further actions and experiences. This process of enjoyment
of an object is the fourth step.
So these four steps taken
together describe the lifecycle of an action, from start to finish.
Chant the mantra you have faith in
Hare Krishna
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