89. Dissolution of Karmas

In the Gita, terms such as anaasakti and veet-raag express the very essence of its teachings. While aasakti (attachment) and virakti (detachment) are two polarities, anaasakti transcends these polarities. Similarly, veet-raag is neither raag (fondness) nor viraag (aversion) but transcends both. These polarities are nothing but the manifestations of ahankaar (I am a doer) and once ahankaar is dropped, we transcend all polarities and attain moksha - the ultimate freedom.

In this context, Krishna says, “One who is liberated, devoid of attachment, with mind established in wisdom and acting for yajna; his whole action is dissolved” (4.23). ‘I’ is identification with our possessions; friends and enemies; likes and dislikes; and thoughts and feelings. Dropping them brings temporary emptiness leading to pain, fear, anger and resentment, therefore, dropping the ‘I’ is no easy task. In reality, what we need to drop is the sense of ownership, identification, and doership, but not our relationships, things, or people. Liberation arrives once we are aware of this fine difference.

All selfless actions flowing from a person who has dropped the ‘I” is nothing but yajna. The literal meaning of yajna is a fire ritual where offerings are made to the fire. Here it is used as a metaphor for sacrifice or give and take. We make offerings to the fire, which gives warmth in return. This warmth is essential for purposes ranging from cooking, keeping water in liquid form and maintaining body temperature. The working of the human body is like yajna where one organ gives and another takes and they are all interdependent.

Hence, Krishna says, “The act of offering, the oblation, the fire, the performer are all Brahma (Supreme God) and even the destination or results attained are also Brahma” (4.24). This is the nectar of selfless actions of yajna.