Gita Chapter Four

In Chapter Four, Lord Krishna explained the two paths to the realization of Truth (Self or God): the path of desire-free action and the pursuit of Knowledge. He also explains how the two paths are complementary and converge to the same goal of Self realization.
Verses 4.1- 4.11 The supreme and imperishable science of the Yoga has been handed down from generation to generation through the chain of master and disciple. It is not generally available to everyone, especially because the chain of master-disciple has weakened over time. This science will now be described to unveil the mysticism around this ancient science of the relationship of God and His creation. Although God is never born and never dead unborn and always in existence without any change, God may appear in the form of a living being in fully Self Realized state every millennium whenever and wherever there is an unstable chaos in the Creation so as to protect the oppressed and annihilate the oppressors and restore balance between creative and destructive forces. One who knows the transcendental nature of God’s manifestation in living form get freed from the slavery and bondage of the material world and merges with God. Freeing themselves from attachment, fear and anger, eliminating ego by complete submission to God and taking refuge in God, many persons have in the past attained the Absolute Ultimate knowledge and merged with God. All of them by surrendering unto the God and following the path towards divinity progressed over time to merge with God.
Verses 4.12 – 36
Human beings are generally driven by the desire to achieve success in satisfying them through their actions. Such actions are a form of worship of the God but only one or the other aspect of God and they are rewarded soon by the God to enjoy the fruits of their actions.
Depending on the combination of the three basic properties/ Gunas of material nature imparted to living beings, they are suitable to do different categories of work needed in the society for the sustenance of the society and the creation. Though God is the creator of this system, God Himself does not have the ego of being a doer and has always remained unchangeable. There is no work that affects God because God is nor attached to the results/ consequences and outcomes of the actions. The person who truly understands this truth about God imbibes the same property of God. Since the ancient ages, many persons have led their lives in perfect accordance with this knowledge and in the process achieved liberation from the bondage and burden of Worldly life.
Even the intelligent find it difficult to determine what is action and what is inaction as the intricacies of action are very hard to understand. The intelligent wise person sees inaction in action and action in inaction; such a person is engaged in all sorts of activities without being affected by these actions. Each and every act of such a person with perfect and complete knowledge is devoid of any desire for sense gratification and does not have any consequences to inflict on that person. Abandoning all attachment to the results of activities, always satisfied and independent, such a person may be engaged in all sorts of activities with out any iota of desire to reap the outcome of the activities. Such a learned and wise person acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over actions, results, possessions and procures the bare necessities of life whenever possible. None of the activities of such a person produce any reaction on such a person. Such a knowledgeable person, in the midst of all the activities he may perform, remains always satisfied irrespective of the gain or losses that flow, is free from duality, does not envy, remains unaffected by both successes and failures, is never entangled in the results of actions. The activities of such a person unattached to the influence of the inherited or imbibed Gunas / properties of material nature, is in complete transcendental peace and harmony that merges the person into divine existence beyond the physical material existence of sensual urges and feelings. This indeed is the state of bliss in which the person gets fully absorbed irrespective of his material surroundings.
Some yogis worship various forces / symbols of almighty God by offering different sacrifices, while some other yogis offer sacrifices in the representing the Ultimate source of the Creation, the Creator. Some yogis sacrifice all the senses in the fire of the controlled mind, while others sacrifice the objects of the senses in the fire of sacrifice. The yogis trying to achieve self-realization, offer the functions of all the senses and the vital life force of breathing in the fire of the controlled mind. There are others sacrificing their material possessions in severe austerities and engage in strict practice of eightfold mystic yoga. Still others study the Vedas for the advancement of transcendental knowledge. Some yogis practice breath restraint to remain in trance, practice stopping the movement of the outgoing breath into the incoming, and incoming breath into the outgoing to remain in trance, stopping all breathing. Some curtail the eating process, offering the outgoing breath as a sacrifice into itself. All these yogis understand the meaning of sacrifice and seek to cleanse themselves of reactions. Once they start tasting the effects of such sacrifice, they get ready to merge into the supreme eternal Godsphere that contains the entire creation. Without sacrifice one can never live in peace and happiness. All these different types of sacrifice are approved by the Vedas, and all of them are born of different types of work.
The sacrifice of knowledge is superior to the sacrifice of material possessions as the sacrifice of desire driven actions culminates in transcendental knowledge. This knowledge can be acquired through the guidance of a spiritual master by submissive inquiry and service to the self-realized Master. When one learns the truth in trhis process, one would realize the full meaning of the ultimate truth that all living beings are but part of God and that they are in God and belomg to God. One who is able to ride this boat of transcendental knowledge, one is on the way to crossing the ocean of miseries, irrespective of past activities.
Verses 4.37 – 4.42
The fire of knowledge burns to ashes all reactions to material activities. There exists nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge one derives from all mystic AstangaYoga. But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain transcendental knowledge. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.
The person who has renounced the fruits of his action, whose doubts are destroyed by transcendental knowledge, and who is situated firmly in the self, is not bound by works.