110. Renouncing Motive
K rishna says, “Know yoga to be that which scriptures call sannyas (renunciation); nobody becomes a yogi without renouncing sankalp (will or purpose or motive or resolve)” (6.2). Earlier it was said that the pursuits of a sage are free from kaam (lust) and sankalp ( kaam sankalp varjitah ) (4.19). Krishna further says, “To the soul who is aspiring for perfection in yoga , karma is said to be the means; to the sage who is already elevated in yoga , tranquillity/quietude is said to be the means (6.3). When one is neither attached to sense-objects nor to actions, such a person is said to be established in yoga , having renounced all desires for the fruits of actions ( karma-phal )” (6.4). Our belief is that karmas are performed to obtain the desired karma-phal ; otherwise, why would anyone perform karmas ? A point to be noted is that the absence of our experience of something doesn’t imply its non-existence. Firstly, it’s about analysing the experiences from our pa...