Chapter 2 Shloka 51

कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिण:।

जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ता: पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम्।।५१।।

Speaking of the attainment of Yoga through the intellect,

the Lord says: You too, should do the same.

Endowed with the intellect of equanimity,  and renouncing

the fruits of action,  the man of wisdom attains freedom

from the bondage of birth and death and achieves perfection.

Chapter 2 Shloka 51

कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिण:।

जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ता: पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम्।।५१।।

Speaking of the attainment of Yoga through the intellect, the Lord says: You too, should do the same.

Endowed with the intellect of equanimity, and renouncing the fruits of action, the man of wisdom attains freedom from the bondage of birth and death and achieves perfection.

The Lord repeats, that possessed of such an intellect, the individual renounces the fruit of action and is consequently freed from the cycle of birth and death.

Little one, if the intellect understands the true nature of the body and the truth that ‘I am not the body’, it has the capacity to guide the mind towards that Truth and to gradually renounce the body idea through persevering practice.

It is imperative to consciously remember through every deed performed, ‘I am not the body’ and ‘This body is not mine’. As this conviction grows:

a) You will ignore the fruits of action;

b) You will begin to perform selfless deeds;

c) Your life will attain purity;

d) Your moha of ‘me and mine’ will diminish;

e) Your feeling of doership will subside and you will gradually forget your own name and form.

In due course, you will transcend the cycle of life and death – for, if you do not see your body as your own, then who takes birth? How can you claim the deeds of the mind as your own? It is attachment which fills the breath of life into the seeds of birth and death.

Raag or attachment

1. Raag is the cause of life and death.

2. It is the cause of moha and ignorance.

3. It binds the person to the idea of individual existence.

4. It creates the bondage to the body idea and the idea of doership.

5. Because of attachment, the individual identifies with the attributes of the physical body.

6. It is therefore the cause of the annihilation of knowledge.

7. Driven by his likes, the individual commits many a crime.

If attachment ceases, redemption is certain. Then the individual will also gain transcendence from the body idea. It is for the eradication of attachment that one needs the assistance of the intellect and knowledge of the Scriptures. We are attached to the transient – to illusion. Now we must become attached to the Atma and subsequently merge in it. All the Scriptures and the path of sadhana teach us how to free ourselves from the attachment that binds us to the body. Lord Krishna reiterates here, “If attachment goes, only the Supreme remains.”