Bhagavad-gita is a significant sacred scripture in Hinduism that provides a detailed account of ethical, religious, and philosophical issues. In a more specific way, this scripture serves as a guide on the particularities of believing in Krishna as a path to conscious and enlightened life. This epic poem is written in the form of a dialogue with Krishna, who provides his instruction on how to live life according to the principles of Hinduism, which include practicing yoga, meditation, and engaging in virtuous living. Indeed, the achievement of enlightenment is considered an ultimate goal that establishes an opportunity of avoiding reincarnation or the continuous circle of death and rebirth. In this essay, the pieces of advice given by Krishna in Bhagavad-gita are explored and analyzed as per their complexity and attainability. It is claimed that despite the comprehensiveness and structural presentation of the requirements for achieving enlightenment, only the ones who abide by the strict rules might achieve enlightenment.
In the narrative of the epic poem, the guidance provided by Krishna unfolds some specific advice on how to achieve enlightenment. Indeed, the text holds that for an individual to become enlightened, one has to adhere to the different structurally divided methods of yoga. Overall, “Bhagavad-gita recognizes four yogas or methods of bhakti yoga (devotion), dhyāna yoga (meditation), jñāna yoga (transcendental knowledge), and karma yoga (virtuous acts),” which are the methods of enlightenment attainment, or God-realization (Rajandran 164). These methods are inherently connected with the Hindu differentiation between body, mind, and soul, which are separately trained through these yoga practices (Rajandran 163-164). The importance of practicing yoga as a path to enlightenment is repeatedly referred to in the text of the epic poem. Indeed, Krishna addressed his interlocutor by saying, “perform your duty equipoised, o Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure; such equanimity is called yoga” (Prabhupada 166). Thus, being emotionally balanced and unattached from the feelings and external factors allows an individual to engage in the practice of yoga. Thus, following these guidelines, one might eventually obtain true enlightenment.
The enlightenment is only available to the individuals who comply with the strict requirements and complete all of the steps necessary to achieve the enlightening goal. As stated above, the practice of the four yoga methods with the conscious mind, dis-attachment from the outer world, and balanced attitude allows an individual to attain enlightenment. Indeed, “having accepted strict vows, some become enlightened by sacrificing their possessions, and others by performing severe austerities, by practicing the yoga of eightfold mysticism, or by studying the Vedas to advance in transcendental knowledge” (Prabhupada 309). Moreover, in Bhagavad-gita, it is explained that even for a devoted believer, mere belief is not enough to obtain true enlightenment, which is why the achievement of this goal requires significant sacrifices (Prabhupada 533). In such a manner, the opportunity for enlightenment is available to everyone who desires to unite with Krishna. However, it is accessible only to those few who succeed in following the rules and demonstrating true integrity and sincere abiding by the strict guidelines presented explicitly and implicitly in the text of Bhagavad-gita.
Given such a complicated yet understandable path toward enlightenment, one might state that this journey is not an easy one. As the text of Bhagavad-gita demonstrates, it is rather difficult to succeed and achieve enlightenment. Indeed, the complexity and relative unattainability of the yoga methods has been claimed in the text of Bhagavad-gita. Arjuna said to Krishna that the system of yoga was “impractical and unendurable” because his mind was “restless and unsteady” (Prabhupada 37). In response to such a claim, Krishna states that “of all the yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself,” and renders loving service as the highest (Prabhupada 37). Such an individual unites with Krishna and breaks the cycle of death and rebirth. Therefore, to stop reincarnation and obtain access to Paradise, an individual should adhere to the rules and methods of enlightenment by practicing the four types of yoga and using the conscious mind. Although it might not be easy, the guidelines are simple and available to all the people who want to know Krishna.
In summation, the exploration of the concept of enlightenment and the textual guidance on how to attain it has unfolded several pivotal points from Bhagavad-gita. In the logically unfolding dialogue, Krishna educates Arjuna on the methods of yoga, which are the practices that are necessary to achieve enlightenment. The following strict rules of believing in the divine essence of Krishna make it possible for people to free themselves from the cycle of reincarnation and stop deaths and rebirths. Overall, the path toward enlightenment is paved by devotion, transcendental knowledge, virtue development, meditation, and the abandonment of the attachment to the material world. Although the rules and requirements of achieving enlightenment are difficult and strict, this experience is available to everyone who proves with their practice that they deserve Paradise.
Works Cited
Prabhupada, Bhaktivedanta Swami. Bhagavad-gita as It Is.
Rajandran, Kumaran. “From Matter to Spirit: Metaphors of Enlightenment in Bhagavad-gita.” GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, vol. 17, no. 2, 2017, pp. 163-176.