Rooted Sangha: The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter 2 | Verses 50-54
- sjholisticyoga
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
This week in sangha, we continue discussing The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living by Eknath Easwaran. Each week, I will do my best to summarise the parts of the book we discuss. Please refer to https://www.sjholisticyoga.co.uk/post/what-is-the-bhagavad-gita if you need a grounding in what The Bhagavad Gita itself is.
I cross-reference with other versions of the Bhagavad Gita, so sometimes the translations differ from Easwaran's.
Yoga is skill in action
SRI KRISHNA
50. When consciousness is unified, all vain anxiety is left behind. There is no cause for
worry, whether actions proceed well or ill. Therefore, devote yourself to the disciplines
of yoga, for yoga is skill in action If we are able to detach from outcomes and work in a focused way without the distracting thoughts about recognition or reward, abundance will be ours. We gain clarity, we do not hesitate or question the path when challenges arise. Regardless of how complex or dangerous the situation may be, it is never hopeless. There is always something we can do.
The path of duty
SRI KRISHNA
51. The wise, who have unified their consciousness and abandoned the attachment to
the fruits of action which binds a man to continual rebirth, attain a state beyond all
evil.
Sri Krishna continues to enlighten us with the secrets of karma yoga. Part of our human nature is to imagine that some situations are so large, complex or dangerous that 'there is nothing we can do about it'. I remember when I told my mother at 21 I wanted to be a vegetarian, and she said things like, 'There is no point, if you don't eat the meat, somebody else will.' and 'The animal has been killed already, so the meat will just be wasted!'
Prior to Gandhi, people who had witnessed and despaired at the bondage of India couldn't bring themselves to act because they believed the situation to be impossible. And we all have experience of selfish, exploitative people who - if we 'give an inch, will take a mile'. I believe it is actually a kindness to be boundaried around such people, to say no. This can be a non-violent, non-confrontational way of guiding them, and we are doing a favour to anyone who interacts with them in the future, too!
Easwaran states, 'Wherever we find a wrong situation - in our personal life, in our country's life, or in our world's conflicts - we all have a duty to work to correct it.'
No pressure then!
Moha or "holy indifference"
SRI KRISHNA
52. When your mind has overcome the confusion of duality, you will attain the state of
holy indifference to things you hear and things you have heard.
53. When you are unmoved by the confusion of ideas, and your mind is completely united
in love for the Lord of Love, you will attain the state of perfect yoga.
Krishna is again referencing the pursuance of sensory pleasure, of sukha and dukha, and santosha.
Easwaran reminds us that only when the mind is calm is it ready for samadhi.
The great question
ARJUNA
54. Tell me of those who live always in wisdom, ever aware of the Self, O Krishna; how do
they talk, how sit, how move about?
And here Arjuna's question introduces one of the most important parts of the Gita, according to Gandhi. And we will look at these next time.
A reflection for practice and daily life
Is there a situation in my life where I believe “there is nothing I can do”?
What is one small action that might still be possible?
Where might I need to set a clear, kind boundary?
What does “skill in action” look like in my day-to-day life right now?
What might “holy indifference” feel like for me, not as apathy, but as freedom from being pulled in different directions?
Giving Back
After covering room and fuel costs, all proceeds from Rooted are being saved to support a local cause, to be chosen together later this year - as a small act of Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion in action.
On 21st September, we made our first donation (£110) to Kettering Samaritans.
On 23rd December, we donated £100 to Johnny's Happy Place, a wonderful mental health support cafe in Kettering.
On April 9th, we donated £100 to The Green Patch in Kettering.
We will agree our next beneficiary soon.
Going Forward
Next week, we will continue Chapter 2. If you would like to join us in person, do get in touch or book online. If you would like to buy the book, click the image below for options.
Please Note:
My thoughts draw on teachings from the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text within Hindu philosophy. I share my reflections as a yoga practitioner and teacher, not as a scholar or religious authority. My intention is to explore how these teachings can be lived and contemplated within contemporary practice, and always with the utmost respect for their cultural and spiritual roots.
Om Shanti.
Vicki x
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