Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 – Verse 4

Sankhya, the path of knowledge, and Yoga, the path of action, are two stages in the spiritual path. Children, ignorant people, see differences. The wise see unity. Yogis with many desires need to use organs of action to act out their predominant desires. Sankhyans with very few desires need to use organs of perception or subtler forms of worship to get to the state of Enlightenment. The goal of both is Realisation which is the eradication of all desires. Only then do you really gain peace.

The three transactions of life are receipt of stimuli from the world, reaction at the mind-intellect level and response through the organs of action. A bhogi uses all three to increase desires or vasanas by acting on likes and dislikes. A yogi uses them to reduce vasanas through the practice of Karma Yoga, the path of action. A sannyasi receives stimuli and reacts to very few of them as he has only a few vasanas. He is in a contemplative state, absorbed in the thought of Atman. He practices Jnana Yoga, the path of knowledge. A Jnani, enlightened Soul, merely perceives. He has no desires so there is neither reaction nor response to the world. This does not mean that a sannyasi or jnani is inactive. They act. They do not react to the stimuli from the world.

Most of us belong to the bhogi category. How do we move to the yogi state? First examine your desires with the intellect. Follow the sound advice of the intellect. Act on desire only if the intellect allows it. Then move to the practices of Karma YogaBhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga.

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