2.39: The Binding of Action

So now we come to something of a momentous moment, really, because this is the kind of end of what they call the Sankhya section, or what's sometimes referred to as the Sankhya section of this chapter. The chapter that we're studying, chapter two, is itself sometimes referred to as the chapter on Sankhya. And this is, we could refer to as the underlying theoretical frame for yoga. So up to now, Krishna's been kind of laying down the theoretical underpinnings of his teaching to Arjuna. He's already told him, don't be scared, no one can touch your essence. And then he's given some really practical pointers that we can recognise as being full of validity. When we know what we need to do, if we don't do it, we're already choosing to suffer, or to invite suffering upon ourselves. And so he says here, EÅ?Ä쳌te bhiá¹­ha sankhe budhir yoget vemam Å?rÄ«á¹?u budhyÄ쳌 yukto ya yÄ쳌pÄ쳌rtha kÄ쳌rima bhandambra haÅ?yasÄ«n. So Krishna says, I've explained this knowledge to you from the point of view of Sankhya. I've laid down the basic theory of what I want to share with you, what I want to teach you. Now, listen from the point of view of yoga, from the point of view of its practical application. When you train your awareness to be able to act with this point of view, supporting your actions, then kÄ쳌rima bhandambra haÅ?yasÄ«n. You will be able to overcome the binding influence of action. And the idea of the binding influence of action and overcoming it is one of the key ideas in yoga. And so in the next section of the chapter, and really from here till the end of chapter two, this is Krishna's main concern. How can you be active in the world, but overcome the binding influence of action? So from here, we'll speak a little bit more about what the binding influence of action really is, how that generally affects us as human beings, and then we'll see what Krishna offers as the means to come out of action. Aum, Aum, Aum, Aum, Aum, Aum, Aum. Shanti, shanti, shanti, Aum. Namaste.