29. Writing on Water, Sand and Stone

 

After elucidating about sankhya (awareness) (2.11-2.38), Krishna says that He would now explain yoga (or karma yoga), the practice of which will free one from karma bandhan (bondage of action) (2.39).

While explaining sankhya yoga, Krishna makes Arjuna aware that he is that indestructible chaitanya (consciousness) which doesn’t have death. From this verse onwards Krishna starts explaining the same through karma yoga. Thus, karma bandhan and yoga need to be understood in this context.

The literal meaning of Yoga is union and this word is used in many contexts. Krishna mentions equanimity as yoga (2.48) where attachment to success or failure is abandoned.  The emphasis of Krishna is to maintain equanimity towards pleasure and pain; winning and losing; and profit and loss (2.38).

Karma-bandhan is the accumulation of impressions, pleasant as well as painful, created by our actions and their outcomes when we respond to them with attachment, aversion, or imbalance. Scientifically, they can be called neural patterns. These impressions drive our behaviour from the unconscious level and hence Krishna tells us to free ourselves from karma bandhan through yoga.

Our natural tendency is to cling to impressions that give pleasure and profit. Likewise, we develop an aversion to pain and loss. The more deep-seated these impressions are, the greater the intensity of clinging and aversion.

The strength of these impressions can be metaphorically compared to writing on a stone, sand and water. When the impression is on stone, it is deeper and affects us for a much longer time. Less so with writing on sand. Writing on water, on the other hand, is erased instantaneously.

When Krishna says that karma yoga frees us from karma bandhan and makes us so saral (gentle) that nothing can affect or bother us, it is reference to impressions on water.