Gita series 56. Bhagavad Gita Chapter IV. 22-24:

“The one who performs an action without desire, deriving happiness in whatever he gets, without envy, away from the of happiness and sorrow, with equanimity and not concerning with success or failure of his actions is not bound by karmic afflictions. By destroying his worldly attachments and bodily attachments, ever remaining in Paramatma and acts only for the sake of yajna, his karmas are entirely destroyed. The vessels used in a yajna are Brahman. Materials used for oblations in a yajna are Brahman. The one who does yajna is Brahman. The act of offering oblations in the fire is Brahman. The fire itself is Brahman. The one whose consciousness is fixed in the Brahman gets Brahman only.”

Desiring for an object is different from getting an object, which is not desired. Desire is the process of mind. When one gets what he desires, he is happy. On the contrary, if one is not able to get a desired object, his mind swings to the other end, the sadness. Desire has necessarily given rise to either happiness or sorrow. If one is able to sustain with what comes to him on its own as destined, then he is unaffected by the dyads of happiness and sorrow. Desire is one of the dreaded enemies of humanity. In order to achieve a desired object one is willing to compromise all virtues. Desire can broadly be classified into two groups. The first one is achievable desires and the second one is unachievable desires. Unachievable desire gives rise envy. If one is not able to get the desired object, he turns jealous. Jealousy leads to hatred and rivalry that cause serious afflictions on one’s mind. His mind loses peace ultimately causing health problems. Every living being is destined to get as per the karmas embedded in the soul. Whether desired or not, karmic account makes a person to sustain thereby providing necessities even without asking. One should be happy with what he is destined to get.

Krishna says that one should not be jealous. The other person could be richer, more intelligent, or more handsome. The other person could be better placed in all respects. That is his destiny, which unfolds as per the law of karma. Under such circumstances, one should never envy that person. Karma yogi is one who gets away from the duality of rich and poor, learned and illiterate, happiness and sorrow. This is called duality. They are opposite to each other. A person who is not affected by this is fixed in a middle path, where none of the two extremes operates. Swinging to the two extremes is the cause for mental modifications. Such wide swings are serious blockades to spirituality. If the mind is not stable, spirituality cannot be pursued effectively. For such a person all actions end with a positive note. He does not face any disruptions while discharging his duties. Even if he happens to face disruptions and his action remaining incomplete, he is still unaffected, as he is not concerned with the fruits of his actions.

A gross body is the combination of mind and senses. Mind and senses interacting with each other cause attachments and desires. The one, who withdraws his consciousness away from his body and mind, is known as ‘muktan’. He is not concerned with the result of his actions, as he has already surrendered the results to the Brahman. He is aware that Brahman is omnipresent and omnipotent. At this stage, his free will is not active, as his consciousness is highly refined and stand attuned to the highest cosmic source. Yajna means performing ones duties as prescribed by sastras. This is called as yajnas because such actions are done for the sake of humanity without ego. Krishna now declares the most important thing about karmas. Krishna says that for ‘muktan’ all his past karmas are also burnt, making his liberation happen during this birth. This is a very significant statement regarding the law of the Lord. The theory of karma is the law of the Lord. This is the only situation where the Lord deviates from the law of karmas. In all other situations, one has to undergo the pleasure and pain of karmic account.

Having explained thus, Krishna in verse 24 says that everything is Brahman. Chandogya Upanishad III.xiv.1 explains this thus: All this is Brahman. Everything comes from Brahman, everything goes back to Brahman and Brahman sustains everything. This leads to the perception that everything associated while discharging ones duties become Brahman. If such a thought process is developed, he not only considers himself as Brahman but everything and everybody around him is also considered as Brahman. Such a man does not think about anything except Brahman. He cannot harm anyone, as this could tantamount to self-harming. When this attitude is developed, not only he advances spiritually, but universal brotherhood is also being established.

Further Readings:

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter IV. 19 - 21

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter IV. 26 -30.