Soul, Self or Atman

  What is this soul (Atman) like? “Of the size of a thumb, but brilliant, like the sun, the jiva possesses both volition and egoism. It is endowed with the qualities of both Intellect (buddhi) and the soul (Atman). Therefore it is seen as another entity, inferior and small as the point of a goad.” [Yajurveda, Shvet. Upa, Part I, Ch. V, 1-8].

The following verses give the sum and substance of the Gita:

यत्र योगेश्वर क्रिष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः तत्रश्री विजयोर्भोतिर्ध्रुवानेतिर्मतिर्मम॥ १८-६८  

 When King Dhrutarashtra asks his Minister Sanjaya, who will win this battle, Sanjaya was so excited that he exclaimed. “Who else but the side that has a warrior like Arjuna and a Guide as Yogacharya, Shree Krishna?” Here, Arjuna is praised as a warrior of great valour. But, why Krishna is called a ‘Yogeshvara’ is quite interesting.

तस्माद् योगाययुज्यस्व योगह् कर्मसु कौशलम्॥ (२-५०) means, “Doing one’s ordained duty without attracting its consequential fruits of action (karma phala) is yoga”, says Krishna. So nishkama karma is advised. To do one’s duty without ever desiring fruits of such action is nishkama karma. This is just service to mankind, or serves people without aspiring for any personal gains through corrupt practices.

  Bhagavan says, “No person can ever sit doing nothing, or keep quiet without doing some work or the other”.  Once a person gets engaged in some action that action is bound to beget its consequences. Thus, we acquire the fruits of our bad action as sin, or good action as punya. The results of previous actions act as the seeds for further actions and thereby we tend to act again and again. This becomes an eternal bondage. All actions begin as a consequence of our desire, aspirations, dreams, and resolve to perform action to fulfill the desire. No desire will ever be fulfilled for there is vidhi, kaala, time, that plays its role in between desire and fulfillment wearing away the zest! This karma phala becomes the seed for rebirth, too.

    In fact, the details of yoga- asana, dhyana, etc. are also given here. Chapter VI is devoted to yoga with special reference to “Realization of the Self”. It is specifically stated, “One should never ignore the self, the Atman; Atman should be realized by taking recourse to yoga, transcendental meditation (atindriya dhyana), in savikalpa samadhi. To be established in one’s self, Atman is yoga. (6.6-24). One who is firmly established in his/her self is a yogin.

 विशयावेदा निस्त्रैगुन्योभवार्जुना। २-४५ (Read as traiguNya not Traigunya and gunya ans guNya)