The Blessed Lord said: O sinless Arjuna, in this human world, a two-fold path has been declared by Me before. Among these, the steadfastness of the wise (Sankhyas) is through the Yoga of Knowledge, and the steadfastness of the Yogis is through the Yoga of Action.
Commentary: [Arjuna did not wish to fight, therefore he understood the word 'Buddhi' (intellect), which indicates equanimity, to mean 'Jnana' (knowledge). However, the Lord had earlier described equanimity using the words 'Buddhi' and 'Buddhiyoga' (2.39, 49, etc.). Therefore, here too, the Lord is describing the equanimity attainable through both Jnanayoga and Karmayoga.] 'Anagha' (sinless) – The very fact that Arjuna asks about his own supreme good (welfare) is his sinlessness; because when a seeker has an intense desire for his own welfare, his sins are destroyed. 'In this world, a two-fold path has been declared by Me before' – Here, the word 'world' should be understood to mean the human body; because the eligibility to perform both types of spiritual practices, or the eligibility to become a seeker, exists only in the human body. 'Nishtha' (steadfastness/path) – meaning establishment in equanimity, which is one, but can be attained in two ways – through Jnanayoga and through Karmayoga. To distinguish between these two Yogas, the Lord said in the thirty-ninth verse of the second chapter that this equanimous intellect has been explained in the context of Sankhyayoga (from the eleventh to the thirtieth verse), and now hear of it in the context of Karmayoga (from the thirty-ninth to the fifty-third verse) – "This has been imparted to you from the standpoint of Sankhya; now hear of it from the standpoint of Yoga." The word 'Pura' (before) can mean 'since time immemorial' or 'a little while ago'. Here, the meaning of this word is 'a little while ago', i.e., the previous chapter, about which Arjuna has a doubt. Although both paths have been separately stated in the previous chapter, nevertheless, in neither path has the renunciation of action been stated.
The profound point here is that the Lord has stated two paths – Sankhyanishtha (Jnanayoga) and Yoganishtha (Karmayoga). Just as there are two types of paths in the world – 'In this world, a two-fold path', similarly, there are two types of beings in the world – 'These two beings in the world' (Gita 15.16). They are – Kshara (the perishable world) and Akshara (the imperishable Self). To remain equipoised in success and failure, attainment and non-attainment regarding the Kshara is 'Karmayoga', and to turn away from the Kshara and abide in the Akshara is 'Jnanayoga'. However, superior to both Kshara and Akshara is another Purusha, who is called Paramatma – 'But distinct is the Supreme Purusha, called the Highest Self' (15.17). That Paramatma is transcendent to the Kshara and superior to the Akshara; therefore, in the scriptures and Vedas, He is renowned as 'Purushottama' (15.18). To completely surrender to such a Paramatma with all one's being is 'Bhagavannishtha' (Bhaktiyoga). Thus, with the predominance of the Kshara, Karmayoga proceeds; with the predominance of the Akshara, Jnanayoga proceeds; and with the predominance of the Paramatma, Bhaktiyoga proceeds.
Sankhyanishtha and Yoganishtha – these two are the paths belonging to the seekers themselves; but Bhagavannishtha is not the seeker's own path. The reason is that in Sankhyanishtha and Yoganishtha, the seeker has the experience that 'I am' and 'the world exists'; therefore, the Jnanayogi, severing connection with the world, abides in his own Self, and the Karmayogi, by engaging the objects of the world (body, etc.) in the service of the world itself, severs connection with the world. But in Bhagavannishtha, the seeker does not initially have the experience that 'God exists', but he has the faith that there exists a Reality (God) distinct from both the Self and the world. Therefore, with faith and conviction, accepting God, he surrenders himself to God. Thus, in Sankhyanishtha and Yoganishtha, 'knowing' (discernment) is primary, and in Bhagavannishtha, 'believing' (faith-conviction) is primary.
There is no difference between knowing and believing. Just as 'knowing' is free from doubt (firm), so is 'believing' free from doubt. In a matter that is believed, there remains no possibility of deliberation. For example, 'Such-and-such is my mother' – this is merely believed, but in this belief, there is never any doubt, never any curiosity, never any need for deliberation. Therefore, in the Gita, in the section on Bhaktiyoga, where the matter of knowing has come, it should be taken in the sense of believing only. Similarly, in the sections on Jnanayoga and Karmayoga, where the matter of believing has come, it should be taken in the sense of knowing only.
Sankhyanishtha and Yoganishtha are means and ends and depend on the seeker, but Bhagavannishtha is not a means and end. In Bhagavannishtha, the seeker depends on God and His grace.
The description of Bhagavannishtha is found in various places in the Gita; for example – in this very chapter, after describing the two paths, then in the thirtieth verse, devotion is described with the words 'surrendering all actions unto Me'; in the fifth chapter also, after describing the two paths, in the tenth verse, devotion is described with the words 'having offered actions to Brahman' and at the end with 'He who is the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities...', etc.
'...of the Sankhyas through Jnanayoga' – To understand that all the qualities born of Prakriti are merely interacting among the qualities, all activities are occurring among the qualities and senses (Gita 3.28), and that 'I have no connection whatsoever with these', and thereby to completely renounce the ego of doership in all activities – this is 'Jnanayoga'. At the very beginning of the Gita's teachings, while describing Sankhyayoga (Jnanayoga), the Lord analyzed the perishable body and the imperishable dweller in the body, which (in Gita 2.16) is also termed as Asat and Sat.
'...of the Yogis through Karmayoga' – To perform whatever scripturally enjoined duty-action presents itself according to one's varna, ashrama, nature, and circumstances, having completely renounced desire, possessiveness, and attachment (towards that action and its fruit), and to remain equipoised in the success and failure of action – this is 'Karmayoga'. The Lord described Karmayoga principally in the forty-seventh and forty-eighth verses of the second chapter. Among these, in the forty-seventh verse, the principle of Karmayoga is stated, and in the forty-eighth verse, the method of bringing Karmayoga into practice is stated.
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