The Bhagavad Gita - Sloka 2.71
The Bhagavad Gita - Sloka 2.71
vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān pumānśh charati niḥspṛihaḥ
nirmamo nirahankāraḥ sa śhāntim adhigachchhati
That person, who gives up all material desires and lives free from a sense of greed, proprietorship, and egoism, attains perfect peace.
Bhagavad Gītā 2.71
Chapter two of the Gita covers three main themes:
The concept of the Atman
Karma yoga
The Qualities of a person who has attained the state of Yoga
This Sloka, which is the second to last of the chapter is concerned with the final of these three points.
According to the Gita, and many texts in the yoga tradition, the goal of life is to attain peace, through the realisation that we are the eternal Atman, part of the supreme consciousness. not the limited body-mind complex that most of us mistakenly identify with.
In the Gita, Krishna is Arjuna’s charioteer and friend, but he is also the Supreme Being manifest, Consciousness itself.
In this Sloka, Krishna lists material desire, greed, proprietorship (ownership) and egoism as four pursuits that cause us suffering and internal conflict. They also bring us into conflict with others and create disharmony in the natural world.
Material Desire
The more material possessions we desire, the more our sense of peace will be disturbed.
We’ll be disturbed if we’re unable to obtain what we strive for.
If we have what we desire we’ll be disturbed by the fear of losing it.
And because everything is impermanent when the thing we once had is lost or we no longer desire it, our peace will be disturbed again.
Wealth
Our society values wealth and power above most things and the message we receive is that wealth and consumerism will bring us happiness.
The Gita is a scripture for householders, and both Arjuna and Krishna were engaged in householder life. So although Krishna advises Arjuna (and the reader) to do his duty and participate in life fully, Krishna is warning us that excessive greed will not bring us peace.
We know this to be true by observing the wealthiest people on the planet. Despite their wealth, they remain concerned with power and worldly pursuits. Therefore, we can see that having unlimited financial resources does not bring the sense of peace Krishna describes.
Ownership
In the Gita, we’re taught that Krishna is all-pervading and that all living beings are situated in Him (8.22). This means the idea of us owning anything is false because everything is part of Krishna.
This draws parallels with the beliefs of many indigenous cultures to whom, land and water are regarded as sacred, and above ownership.
Ego
Earlier in the chapter, we learnt that we are the eternal Atman. However, despite this knowledge, our ego continues to identify us with our body and mind. It provides us with a sense of self that’s separate. Therefore actions led by our ego will not bring us peace because they move us further away from the knowledge that we are the Atman. The path to peace is for us to understand through meditation, right action or devotion that we are part of Consciousness and not separate from it.
Making sense of this Sloka
This Sloka is relatively easy for us to read and make sense of. However, living according to Krishna’s advice is much harder to put into practice.
It’s difficult because even though these teachings make sense, they are in direct opposition to the individualistic and capitalist way our society is constructed.
Even though humankind has faced the same issues since the time of the Gita, we continue to search in the wrong places to ease our suffering. Now even more importantly, we are at a crossroads collectively because Krishna’s teachings are essential not only for us to live in peace but also for the survival of our planet for future generations.
Taking inspiration from the beliefs of indigenous cultures and Krishna’s warning against material desires, greed, ownership, and egoism would allow us to care for the earth and each other in a more sustainable and equitable way.
