Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 38 (BG 2.38) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 2.38 In this second chapter, which contains the essence of the entire Bhagavad Gita, after the yoga of knowledge comes the guidance on karma yoga in this verse. Within this same chapter, the yoga of devotion is also briefly indicated further ahead. This is the first occasion when Sri Krishna clearly describes the practice of self-elevation in this verse. Therefore, careful study of this verse will prove most beneficial for all seekers of the Gita. It is through three instruments—body, mind, and intellect—that we gain various experiences in life. All experiences obtained at these three levels are encompassed in the three types of dualities mentioned in this verse. To experience favorable and unfavorable circumstances as pleasure and pain is the intellect's response. Gain and loss are the mind's imaginings, and consequently, joy upon obtaining something and sorrow upon separation are natural. The achievements of the material world are indicated here by the words victory and defeat. Sri Krishna's teaching is that one should always maintain mental equilibrium in such adverse circumstances. For this, constant vigilance is necessary. A person who wishes to bathe in the ocean must know the art of ocean bathing; otherwise, the towering waves of the ocean will distress that person and pull them into watery oblivion. But one who knows the art of bending beneath the great waves and riding upon the smaller ones can enjoy the pleasure of ocean bathing. To hope that the ocean's waves will become calm or cause no suffering during bathing is like commanding the ocean to abandon its nature for one's convenience. Yet the ignorant person in life wishes that no problems come their way—which is entirely impossible. In the ocean of life, the waves of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat must necessarily arise; otherwise, complete stagnation is death itself. If life's very nature is like a turbulent, stormy ocean, then we must learn the art of living without being shaken by the blows of its towering waves or deep chasms. To identify with any one of these rising waves is like drifting back and forth on the ocean's surface, rather than remaining like a pillar of light—standing unmoved amid the turbulent waves, with its foundation built upon the rock of the ocean floor. Lord Sri Krishna urges Arjuna to fight, but simultaneously imparts this teaching of equanimity; otherwise, a person engaged in action becomes prey to their own negative tendencies on many occasions. Only when the mind possesses this equanimity can a person live a life of true inspiration and motivation, and the achievements of such a person are adorned with the radiance of genuine success. It is a well-known fact that in all fields of work, actions infused with inspiration and motivation possess their own divine brilliance that cannot be imitated and cannot be repeated again and again. Whether a person in any field of work—be they a poet or artist, physician or orator—when they present their greatest achievement or creation, it is universally acknowledged as the work of inspiration. Thus, when we perform any action suffused with the joy of divine inspiration, our imagination, thoughts, and deeds are permeated with a unique beauty that cannot be mechanically repeated like a machine. The renowned painter Leonardo da Vinci could not repaint his masterpiece, the gently smiling Mona Lisa. The great poet Keats' pen could not write again the song of the flying nightingale. Beethoven could not strike those same melodious notes on the piano once more. Lord Sri Krishna himself, when Arjuna prayed to hear the Gita again after the war, acknowledged his inability to repeat it. For Western thinkers, inspiration is some mysterious occurrence of chance over which humans have no control. But according to Indian sages, a life of divine inspiration is humanity's true goal, which one can live by establishing complete identity with one's true nature. That life of equanimity, wherein we remain witnesses to our mind and intellect, unaffected by the circumstances that come our way in life, is a moment of forgetting the ego. Then our actions are enriched with the glimmering radiance of dawn. The common person believes that without ego we would become unskilled or incapable in action, but this is a false notion. The radiance of inspiration elevates even ordinary success to the heights of great achievement. The ancient Hindu yogis discovered a practice through which the harmony and equanimity of mind and intellect could be attained. This practice is called yoga. The people of the Vedic age possessed this knowledge and, by practicing it, lived the life of yogis. By achieving extraordinary accomplishments, they created a golden age for their nation. In a country like India, during the Vedic age, theistic philosophy certainly prevailed, but its utility is equally applicable in all spheres of life. If it did not have universal applicability, it would not be true philosophy in the real sense. At most, it could be considered the views of a great person on life, with limited application, but it could never be accepted as true knowledge of reality. If it lacks universal applicability across all domains, it cannot be called philosophy. In the teaching so far, the Lord has presented before Arjuna all the necessary reasoning by understanding which he could make appropriate decisions with his own wisdom in the circumstances he faced. In evaluating all material circumstances, only the spiritual perspective cannot be taken as the final authority. Every situation or challenge in life must be evaluated not only from a spiritual perspective but also at the level of intellect through reason, at the level of mind through morality, and at the material level through tradition and social customs. If, through all these, without any contradiction, the indication points to one truth, then that is surely the divine path upon which one should endeavor to walk at all costs. By viewing the war only through the lens of morality, Arjuna could not understand that situation properly. Destroying his own relatives standing on the enemy side was contrary to morality. But in his emotionally agitated and confused state of mind, he did not consider other perspectives that could have brought him back to composure. At such a time, Arjuna, doing what ought to be done, takes refuge in Lord Krishna. Sri Krishna takes upon himself the responsibility of guiding him and presents all perspectives of life before him. Throughout the entire Gita, Sri Krishna plays the role of the discriminating intellect available to humanity, which in the language of the Katha Upanishad is the worthy charioteer of the chariot that is the body. Thus, after considering from spiritual, intellectual, moral, and traditional perspectives, in the previous verse the Lord gives Arjuna permission to fight. The sentiment with which action should be performed is discussed by Sri Krishna in this verse. Rising above the anxieties, distractions, and agitations that arise from identifying with the non-self instruments like the body, one should perform all actions while remaining in equanimity even amid adverse circumstances. By remaining in mental equanimity, true success in life is assured. Earlier, we have seen how previously accumulated desires can be diminished in life. In the world, all beings have taken on different bodies for the purpose of exhausting their own desires. Thus, trees, animals, and humans are all repositories of desires. A mind established in equanimity in all circumstances becomes the path for the exhaustion of desires. When this door is blocked by ego and selfishness, instead of the exhaustion of desires, countless new desires are continuously generated. The distraction caused by dualities is due to the birth and growth of ego. By living life while performing actions with the sentiment of karma yoga, the purification of the inner instrument is attained. A detailed discussion of this karma yoga is found in the third chapter of the Gita. After considering both the knowledge of reality and the perspective of ordinary people, the Lord instructs Arjuna to fight with the sentiment of karma yoga. To understand the knowledge of reality and to live it in life is practical dharma. After this, in this chapter, the means and methods of applying Vedantic knowledge in practice are explained. The Lord says: