This spiritual goal remaining the same, the “Divine-paths” are different; and when the different paths are explained, though they look very different from each other, they all have the same scientific basis that justifies each one of them. At many places in the Geeta, this fundamental basis has been directly brought to the recognition of the students, while in a few instances it is slightly veiled; yet, careful students can always come to recognise it. In this section, we are in the midst of a discussion on how, by living life in a ‘spirit-of-offering,’ the individual can come to claim and finally enjoy the Highest Perfection which meditation promises and the Yajna-spirit guarantees.

When actions are undertaken without ego, the reactions of those actions (Vasanas), whether good or bad, cannot reach us, since he who is to suffer or enjoy the reactions would be “out-of-station” from the given bosom. The ego acts, and it is the ego that receives the reactions.

Hence Bhagawan says, “YOU SHALL BE FREE FROM THE BONDAGES OF ACTIONS, GOOD OR EVIL.” Since the reactions (Vasanas) arising from fresh actions do not add their impressions on to the mind, and since the existing impressions (Vasanas) get wiped out during the mind’s activities in the world outside, slowly and steadily, the mind gets almost a total purgation of all its existing Vasanas. In short the mind becomes more and more PURIFIED — the term being used in its scriptural sense. A purified mind has more concentration and single-pointedness.

The next stage of evolution is that such a purified mind, discovering in itself more and more discrimination, learns to live a life of Samnyasa and Yoga. Both these terms are to be understood in the Geeta-way. Earlier these terms have been very elaborately discussed. Sannyasa or renunciation, is not the physical rejection of the world, but in the language of the Geeta, Samnyasa is the renunciation of: (a) all ego-centric activities and (b) all anxieties or cravings for the fruits of actions. These two effects would be natural in one who is striving diligently in the world, as an expression of his love for the Lord, only to dedicate, in the end, all the results unto the Lord as his humble, simple, ‘offering.’

To the one who has come to live the Geeta-Sannyasa and has developed, by discrimination, a mind full to the brim with purity, Yoga is natural — especially so, because all through the hours of his activity he is constantly remembering the SELF, the INFINITE.

Naturally, such a seeker discovers that his earlier identifications with the false and the consequent sense of limitations and pains of mortality fall off from him and he discovers for himself his Divine Nature: “BY PRACTICE AND RENUNCIATION YOU SHALL FIND RELEASE AND COME TO ME.”

THE SEEKER IS PROMISED THAT HE WILL GO TO THE SUPREME. WHAT THEN IS THE NATURE OF THE SELF?

By dedicating to Me evam, thus; maksyase, you will become free; karma-bandhanaih, from bondage in the form of actions-actions themselves being the bonds; subha-asubha-phalaih, which are productive of good and bad results-i.e. from actions that have desirable (subha) and undesireable (asubha) results (phala). Sannyasa, renunciation, is that which results from dedication (of actions) to Me, and that is also yoga since it involves actions. He who has his mind (atma) endowed (yukta) with that yoga of renunciation (sannyasa-yoga) is sannyasa-yoga-yukta-atma. You, being such, having your mind endowed with the yoga of renunciation, and vimuktah, becoming free from the bonds of actions evern while living; upaisyasi, will attain, come; mam, to Me, when this body falls. In that case the Lord is possessed of love and hatred inasmuch as He favours the devotees, and not others? That is not so: