Jñāna–Karma-SanyasaYoga (Ch 4)

This chapter of 42 verses that deals with the spiritual knowledge and practical wisdom is replete with interpolations, including the damning chātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛiṣhṭaṁ (v13) the first of the caste-centric precepts in the Gita 'as it is'. The plain reading of this verse would have us believe that the Lord Himself had created the four-caste system, of Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Shudra, to suit their innate inclinations towards respective callings of social and spiritual life in this world. And then, as a rider that is vague at the very best; Krishna says that though he is the author of it all, he should not be deemed as the doer. These so-called caste characteristics and duties later figure in v41-v48 of the concluding eighteenth chapter, a long wait indeed, and they are discussed therein.

So, it is imperative that we try to see whether the following verses actually belong to the original text, or are latter-day insertions, meant to sanctify the Aryan caste credo with the underpinning of 'exclusivity of duties' through the venerated Gita, however, keeping in mind the Brahmanical self-aggrandizing mischief in the Purusha Sukta.

V11

ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāns tathaiva bhajāmyaham

mama vartmānuvartante manuṣhyāḥ pārtha sarvaśhaḥ

In whatever way people surrender unto me, I reciprocate with them accordingly. Everyone follows my path, knowingly or unknowingly, O son of Pritha.

It should not be lost on one that this return of favour by the Lord is juxtaposing to the stated detachment of His as espoused thus in

Ch 4, V14

Detached Am from what happens

It's this knowledge that frees man

na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛihā

iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate

Hence, v11 could be nothing but an interpolation, and so also,

V12

kāṅkṣhantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ

kṣhipraṁ hi mānuṣhe loke siddhir bhavati karmajā

In this world, those desiring success in material activities worship the celestial gods, since material rewards manifest quickly.

On the other hand, this ritualistic verse that is akin to,

Ch7, V20

kāmais tais tair hṛita-jñānāḥ prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ

taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛityā niyatāḥ svayā

Those whose knowledge has been carried away by material desires surrender to the celestial gods. Following their own nature, they worship the devatās, practicing rituals meant to propitiate these celestial personalities,

as would be seen therein, is in itself an interpolation.

Now arrives the totally out of context Spoiler-in-Chief

V13

chātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛiṣhṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśhaḥ

tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhyakartāram avyayam

It is I who engineered the division of men into four varna (castes) based on their guna (innate nature) and karma (earthly duties) but yet although I am the creator of this system, know me to be the non-doer and eternal.

As already seen, this alleged godly caste-ing of man goes against the grain of the His creation exemplified by –

Ch9, V6

Skies in rooted wind as spreads

Dwell in Me though disperse all.

yathākāśha-sthito nityaṁ vāyuḥ sarvatra-go mahān

tathā sarvāṇi bhūtāni mat-sthānītyupadhāraya.

Ch6, V31

Me who sees in all beings

He's the one that dwells in Me.

sarva-bhūta-sthitaṁ yo māṁ bhajatyekatvam āsthitaḥ

sarvathā vartamāno 'pi sa yogī mayi vartate

As broached before, one school of thought tends to view chātur-varṇyaṁ as a way of general differentiation amongst men. However, apart from what was earlier discussed on this subject, this ingenious argument cannot cut much ice since common sense suggests that Krishna would have been well aware that such a turn of phrase is bound to be viewed by man only in caste colours rather than in ethereal terms. That being the case, he would have been circumspect in his word choices to convey his scheme of things governing man's birth if they aren't really as narrow as the Aryan caste credo.

Or, is the chātur-varṇyaṁ his real will, whether one likes it or not? The answer could be found in his averments as one goes through the Gita that is by skipping its interpolative turns. The four types of beings he identified by their nature and disposition are - the virtuous, the vile, the passionate, and the deluded. Isn't the proposition that people of a given nature and disposition could be bracketed into a single caste so absurd? Why, in every family, of any of the four castes, one sees assorted natures and myriad proclivities among its members, and that being the case, could have Krishna, the Jagadguru been so naive as not to know about it at all!

However the clinching evidence that the three above verses are interpolations is provided by the preceding and the succeeding ones of this contentious verse as –

Ch4, V7

Wanes if good 'n vile gain reign

Know it's then that I come forth.

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛijāmyaham

Ch4, V8

It's thus I from time to time

Manifest here to uproot ill

And uphold well for public good.

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitām

dharma-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge

Ch4, V9

Grasp who this true self of Me

Are bound to become one with Me.

janma karma cha me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so 'rjuna

Ch4, V10

So with who lead poised life

Reining in their base instincts.

vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśhritāḥ

bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ.

Now read the next three out of context verses that follow-

V 11 - In whatever way people surrender unto me, I reciprocate with them accordingly. Everyone follows my path, knowingly or unknowingly, O son of Pritha.

V12 - In this world, those desiring success in material activities worship the celestial gods, since material rewards manifest quickly.

V13 - It is I who engineered the division of men into four varna (castes) based on their guna (innate nature) and karma (earthly duties) but yet although I am the creator of this system, know me to be the non-doer and eternal.

It may also be noted that while V11 is a replica of V9, V12 is a worn out ritualistic hymn and V13 comes from nowhere, without rhyme or reason, with its second line being the borrowing of the first line of the succeeding v14 and the last one a rehash of the verse of the seventh chapter that follows it hereunder –

Ch4, V14

Detached Am from what happens

It's this knowledge that frees man.

na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛihā

iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate.

And onto –

Ch7, V12

Virtue, passion so too delusion

Send I forth though all of them

Come to dwell in none of them

ye chaiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās tāmasāśh cha ye

matta eveti tān viddhi na tvahaṁ teṣhu te mayi

So, going by Krishna's narrative up to V10, it is left for man to make it to the Him and in V14 he's detached from the goings on in this world, so his alleged creation of the four castes that too based on group nature does not jell, and moreover, he had stated that

Ch6, V5

Noble or naughty it's thy make

Self thus thine but shapes thyself

uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet

ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

Now the following v24 to v32 that are of religious / ritualistic nature, like in the previous chapter, clearly are out of context besides being prejudicial to the Gita's philosophical character. Moreover, prior to this seemingly interpolated body of eleven slokas, the nature of the Supreme Spirit and the conduct of those who realize it are dealt with as follows:

Ch4,V20

He that content leans on none

Resigned he lives in thick of things.

tyaktvā karma-phalāsaṅgaṁ nitya-tṛipto nirāśhrayaḥ

karmaṇyabhipravṛitto 'pi naiva kiñchit karoti saḥ

Ch4,V21

Mind if keeps thy greed at bay

It's no sin thou meet thy needs.

nirāśhīr yata-chittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ

śhārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣham

Ch4,V22

One that truly well realized

Happy being with his share

Rids of envy from his mind

Easy he feels ever engaged

Treats he alike grief 'n joy

Wins 'n losses not to speak.

yadṛichchhā-lābha-santuṣhṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ

samaḥ siddhāvasiddhau cha kṛitvāpi na nibadhyate

Ch4, V23

Acts of man to favour none

Grace they have of deeds selfless.

gata-saṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthita-chetasaḥ

yajñāyācharataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilīyate

After the self-actualization clues is this recurring ritualistic regimen that's an anathema to Krishna!

V24

brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam

brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahma-karma-samādhinā

For those who are completely absorbed in God-consciousness, the oblation is Brahman, the ladle with which it is offered is Brahman, the act of offering is Brahman, and the sacrificial fire is also Brahman. Such persons, who view everything as God, easily attain him.

V25

daivam evāpare yajñaṁ yoginaḥ paryupāsate

brahmāgnāvapare yajñaṁ yajñenaivopajuhvati

Some yogis worship the celestial gods with material offerings unto them. Others worship perfectly who offer the self as sacrifice in the fire of the Supreme Truth.

V26

śhrotrādīnīndriyāṇyanye sanyamāgniṣhu juhvati

śhabdādīn viṣhayānanya indriyāgniṣhu juhvati

Others offer hearing and other senses in the sacrificial fire of restraint. Still others offer sound and other objects of the senses as sacrifice in the fire of the senses.

V27

sarvāṇīndriya-karmāṇi prāṇa-karmāṇi chāpare

ātma-sanyama-yogāgnau juhvati jñāna-dīpite

Some, inspired by knowledge, offer the functions of all their senses and their life energy in the fire of the controlled mind.

V28

dravya-yajñās tapo-yajñā yoga-yajñās tathāpare

swādhyāya-jñāna-yajñāśh cha yatayaḥ sanśhita-vratāḥ

Some offer their wealth as sacrifice, while others offer severe austerities as sacrifice. Some practice the eight-fold path of yogic practices, and yet others study the scriptures and cultivate knowledge as sacrifice, while observing strict vows.

V29

apāne juhvati prāṇaṁ prāṇe 'pānaṁ tathāpare

prāṇāpāna-gatī ruddhvā prāṇāyāma-parāyaṇāḥ

Still others offer as sacrifice the outgoing breath in the incoming breath, while some offer the incoming breath into the outgoing breath. Some arduously practice prāṇāyām and restrain the incoming and outgoing breaths, purely absorbed in the regulation of the life-energy.

V30

apare niyatāhārāḥ prāṇān prāṇeṣhu juhvati

sarve 'pyete yajña-vido yajña-kṣhapita-kalmaṣhāḥ

Yet others curtail their food intake and offer the breath into the life-energy as sacrifice. All these knowers of sacrifice are cleansed of their impurities as a result of such performances.

V31

yajña-śhiṣhṭāmṛita-bhujo yānti brahma sanātanam

nāyaṁ loko 'styayajñasya kuto 'nyaḥ kuru-sattama

Those who know the secret of sacrifice, and engaging in it, partake of its remnants that are like nectar, advance toward the Absolute Truth. O best of the Kurus, those who perform no sacrifice find no happiness either in this world or the next.

V32

evaṁ bahu-vidhā yajñā vitatā brahmaṇo mukhe

karma-jān viddhi tān sarvān evaṁ jñātvā vimokṣhyase

All these different kinds of sacrifice have been described in the Vedas. Know them as originating from different types of work; this understanding cuts the knots of material bondage.

What is more, the discontinuity in the discourse, brought about by the body of the above interpolative verses, would be self-evident if we read the preceding v23 (cited already) and the succeeding v33 of this very chapter:

Ch4, V23

Acts of man to favour none

Grace they have of deeds selfless.

gata-saṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthita-chetasaḥ

yajñāyācharataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilīyate

Ch4, V33

Better wise deeds than acts selfless

Wise thus strive to better themselves.

śhreyān dravya-mayād yajñāj jñāna-yajñaḥ parantapa

sarvaṁ karmākhilaṁ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate

And then this

V34

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā

upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ

Learn the Truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him with reverence and render service unto him. Such an enlightened Saint can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the Truth.

This indeed is laughable to say the least for not only was Krishna imparting divine wisdom to Arjuna at that very moment that is but also is absurd in the context of the discourse fashioned to set the latter's fears at rest in the battlefield itself, then and there.