The real guru is Atman. In any spiritual discourse the guru can get across only to the extent he has unfolded the Self. In every age an enlightened Soul appears whenever dharma, righteousness, declines and there is an upsurge in adharma, unrighteousness. He protects the good, destroys evil and resurrects values in society. Since time immemorial India has been blessed with a galaxy of enlightened sages who have led society from falsehood to Truth, from darkness to the light of wisdom, from mortality to Immortality.

Atman is the prime motivator of action. Atman is the catalyst that drives all activity, Itself remaining motionless. Atman has nothing to do with the quality or mode of action and is unaffected by its result. Your forefathers sought Atman, Arjuna. Seek It.

Action does not bind you, wrong action does. Right action is one that is consecrated to a higher ideal. It liberates you. Right action emerges from intellectual wisdom, not mere whims and fancies of the mind. From a calm mind not plagued by worry over past failures or anxiety for future results. A mind that is samam, equal, to profit or loss, pleasure or pain, honour or dishonour. This can only happen if you are absorbed in the goal of Realisation.

Verses 24 to 30 give a unique method of worshipping God 24/7. The entire gamut of human activities is divided into 12 parts and each is converted to yajna, worship. Yajna is the ancient Vedic ritual of fire worship. It consists of offering grain or ghee into the sacred fire in the havan kund, a brick-walled enclosure. When fuel is added the fire is kindled. This process of offering and kindling is applied by Krsna to all life’s activities, thus reminding us of God in our everyday routine. This is a far more practical method of worship than pulling ourselves out of our daily schedule to engage in prayer which, at best, can only be done periodically. The endeavour is to instil the thought of the Divine while worldly activities are accomplished. Worship has to be 24/7. A casual, occasional thought of God is of no use as it gets nullified by the bulk of material pursuits. Yet it is not possible for the average person to give up mundane actions to engage in worship.

Krsna points to an offering and kindling in each of the 12 parts, thus divinising our entire life. So whether you are seeing, hearing, eating, breathing or acting you are reminded of the divine Grace every moment of your life. Gradually your mind gets anchored in the higher. The lower desires drop. All yajnas end in wisdom, Self realisation. The collateral benefit is worldly success and happiness. Thus, even if you want material prosperity you need to work in a spirit of sacrifice. Spiritual growth is impossible without it.

Verse 34 gives the qualities of a good student as well as an ideal guru. A well prepared student is like a dry matchstick. A mere suggestion is enough to light up and gain Enlightenment. The mediocre student is like a damp matchstick. Even intense effort and hard work by the student fail to ignite wisdom and inspire his life.

The chapter ends with Krsna’s inspiring words – Therefore, cut this ignorance-born doubt of the Self with the sword of wisdom. Arise, O Bharata. Krsna reminds us of our tradition which is to revel in the light of Atman. Do not get distracted by the attractions of the world which are anityam, temporary,and asukham, sorrowful.

Learnings from Chapter 4

1. Good and bad are both part of life. Neither can be eradicated. You can only restore the balance in favour of good.

2. You attain whatever you seek. Make sure what you desire is what you really want.

3. Everyone has the three thought categories of sattva purity, rajas passion and tamas inertia. It is the proportion that determines your nature and vocation.

4. Atman enables all activities but Atman does not determine the quality of action and is unaffected by the outcome. Identify with Atman and you will be unaffected by life’s turbulence.

5. Knowing this, your ancestors performed action. You also perform action like they did.

6. You should know what ought to be done, what ought not to be done and the inactive Principle that supports all action.

7. Perfect action is free from desire and expectation. It makes you harmonious with external things, internal conditions and effects of action.

8. Think of Brahman while performing action.

9. Surrender to, ask when not clear and serve the guru.

10. There is no purifier like knowledge. It is gained by sense control, devotion and sraddha focus.