Doing everything without action, and doing nothing while ceaselessly acting – how noble, enchanting and poetic the idea is! The fifth chapter has thus been raised to a very high plane. In this chapter, two forms of the state of akarma have been directly compared with each other. Language falls short in this attempt. Who is greater: a Karmayogi or a Sannyasi? It is impossible to say who works more. In fact, remaining inwardly inactive while doing everything and doing everything while outwardly remaining inactive, both are forms of yoga. But for the purpose of comparison, one is called yoga and the other is called sannyasa.

– Excerpts from Vinoba’s Talks on the Gita Chapter 5.

For me the quote in the first line defines everything there is to define. It encompasses both the forms in which a human life can be lived. For the one’s who take up the monastic way of life, the whole life involves doing everything while forsaking action itself while for the other’s (like myself), who have to live and operate within the world, the ideal way as told in the Geeta is to strive for a state wherein one is in total peace inwards while ceaselessly acting on the outside. The state mentioned above are equally tough to maintain for both the Sanyaasi and the Karma-yogi. In so many years of my existence, i have come only 2-3 people who are high above in the Karmayogi path and am yet to meet a high plane Sanyaasi. For me, the battle is all about not getting pulled into the chaos present all around. The Geeta shows the path but would have to walk along it myself.

🙂

P.S: I have been reading the Geeta on a daily basis for quite some time now. It has helped me a lot and thus, i felt i should share my learning’s with you too, hoping that it might be of aide to you too. Do let me know what i more i can add to make these readings of more use for you, the reader. Thank you