Yog of Knowledge and Action
Chapter 4, Verse 42
tasmād-ajñāna saṁbhūtaṁ
hṛtsthaṁ jñānāsinātmanaḥ
cchittvainaṁ saṁśayaṁ yogam
ātiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhārata
Therefore, arise, O Bharata, and resort constantly to yoga, having cut away with the sword of knowledge this perplexity born of ignorance.
Here Krishna again addresses Arjuna as Bharata. He reminds him that he was a descendant of the great sage Bharata, a man of action, who did his duty as a king, but who was extremely devoted to his spiritual practice. He says to Arjuna, “O Bharata, remind yourself of your great ancestor, king Bharata. He was not like you right now, sitting and crying in a pitiable and miserable state! He was wise! He had faith! He was extremely devoted to his spiritual practice, yet he was also doing his duty as a king. So, O Bharata, arise! ‘Resort constantly to yoga’, resort constantly to thinking of God, chanting His Name, meditating on Him. Have this knowledge and let all this ignorance be removed! Let all these doubts be removed! Before you had doubts! That’s why you were sitting and crying! Now these doubts are removed. So open your eyes! Hear properly what I am saying and let it have an effect on you. O Arjuna, this is your duty, this is your dharma. Arise! Take up your arms and fight! Don’t be faint-hearted; be centred in your Self. Stop asking the question, ‘How could I fight Bhishma or Drona?’ Be calm.”
Krishna is pushing Arjuna. He says, “O Bharata! You are my friend! You are very dear to Me. You are My devotee. Don’t let doubt finish you off. Don’t be like all the other people who doubt. People who doubt lose their peace of mind, and so they lose everything. They are far away from attaining this world, and they are far away from attaining the other world. They are constantly in the wheel of karma, constantly creating karma. They are never free. Due to that, they remain in complete ignorance. O Arjuna, have faith!”
For doubts to be removed, faith is very important: faith in yourself, faith in the God inside of you, faith in your spiritual practice, faith in your path, faith in the Guru, faith in the sages and saints, faith in the scriptures, faith in the Ultimate. Faith is a step towards the knowledge of the Self. Without faith, it is impossible to attain this supreme knowledge.
Here ends the fourth chapter of the Shreemad Bhagavad Gita on knowledge, action, and renunciation.
Bhagavad Gita