-4th chapter: verses 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 22, 2020.
-18th verse: “One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is a Yogi.” He is (1) Buddhiman – wise person, who understands Swadharma (2) Yuktaha – a Yogi (3) Krtsna-Karmakrt – does everything with a smile, unattached.
-This verse provides a brief picture of Vedanta-Sadhana – how to practice Vedanta in daily life through non-attachment while doing duties and responsibilities, and thereby enjoy a state of equilibrium.
-When we perform actions but feel anxiety, it is because we interpret ourselves as the physical body. Non-attachment means we identify ourselves as Atman - beyond the body, mind, and intellect – then any amount of activity will not make us exhausted. We think “My body is working, I am not working. I am Atman”
-If one identifies himself with Atman, he can remain as if he is inactive, seeing inaction in action. He identifies himself beyond action and inaction.
-When moving in a boat, we feel as if trees on the riverside are moving in the opposite direction, even though we know they are stationary. Similarly, all actions and inactions take place at empirical level, when we identify with the physical body. When we identify ourselves as Atman, there is no action or inaction, as Atman is not in need of engaging in any activity – it is beyond the concepts of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship.
-What does action in inaction mean? Inaction in Gita implies withdrawal from action. There is no action for Atman, so there is nothing to withdraw from. One cannot withdraw from action, unless there is action.
-Our actions are not perfect and do not always produce the desired outcome. We should perform actions to the best of our ability but remain non-attached. Then actions do not bind us, and we can stay free of worries.
-One should always keep trying to do the right thing – this will keep him away from the risk of doing the wrong thing, because the mind cannot stay quiet even for a moment.
-Offering all actions to God is not easy for an early spiritual seeker. As he evolves, he develops an awareness that prevents him from dedicating wrong actions to God, thereby preventing him from doing the wrong actions.
-The secret of success of great spiritual personalities – Buddha, Shankaracharya, Sri Ramakrishna, Jesus Christ, Vivekananda – is that they worked at super-human levels, but remained non-attached, established in their true identity as Atman.
-Swami Vivekananda said: The world is a gym for us to work out our karmas, climb the ladder of spiritual life, and transcend action and inaction.
-19th verse: “Those spiritual seekers, whose undertakings are devoid of selfish motives and desires, they are the wise. Their actions do not bind them. Such wise people are called Pandita”.
-One whose mind is withdrawn from the empirical world, who is free from kama (desires) and sankalpa (doer-ship), whose desires are burnt by the Jnana-agni (fire of spiritual illumination), who understand the transitory nature of empirical world, who is established in Brahman as the only reality, whose mind is always oriented towards higher spiritual ideas, who is free from worries and fears – such a person is called Pandita.
-Verses 20, 21, 22: These verses provide the psychology of inner contentment. We should do all duties with full enthusiasm, but have the spiritual awareness that success is not permanent. State of total relaxation comes when we perform our actions, but we feel that we have not done anything.