They are misinformed and not conversant with Vedic scriptures who think that karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities and jñāna yoga the renunciation of rewards of actions by the cultivation of Vedic knowledge give different results and do not both award ātma tattva or realisation of the soul.

Although karma yoga may go through the path of jñāna yoga it may also independently achieve ātma tattva by its own merit. So as long as an aspirant firmly adopts either path with determination they are assured of success.

This is further expanded by Lord Krishna in the next verse.

“संन्यासो हि ज्ञानान्तरङ्गत्वेनोक्तः - न तस्य तत्त्वग्रहणाय इत्यादि | अतः कथं सोऽवमः? इत्यतः आह - सांख्ययोगी इति | उभयोरप्यन्तरङ्गत्वेनाविरोधः | अग्निमुग्धो हवे धूमतान्तः स्वं लोकं न प्रतिज्ञानाति | मा वः पदव्यः पितरस्मदाश्रिता या यज्ञशालासनधूमन्वर्त्मनाम् || इत्यादि तु काम्यकर्मविषयमिति भावः | ये त्वन्यथा वदन्ति ते बालाः ||” - Renunciation is required for acquisition of Wisdom; not for him is receptivity of Truth, thus in Bhagavat Puraana. How can, then, renunciation be inferior to performance of action! Both are essentially not contradictory. One who is deluded by the fire-sacrifice and the smoke arising therefrom does not recognize Lord’s Abode. Father, we do not accept the path filled with smoke, sitting in the sacrificial hall”, (says Sati to her father Daksha Prajaapati). These statements refer only to the desire filled performance of actions. Those who speak otherwise are naive.

“एकमपि इत्यस्याभिप्रायमाह - यतसांख्यैः इति | योगिभिरपि ज्ञानद्वारा ज्ञानफलं प्राप्यत इत्यर्थः |” - Both are same, thus it is clarified in this verse. Only the performers of action through wisdom attain the fruits of wisdom. Therefore, even men of wisdom should perform actions. Similarly the householders given to performance of actions should acquire wisdom about the Resplendent Lord.

“बालास्तु न्यासशब्देन यत्प्राश्रममेव स्वैकृत्य तत्स्थानमेव साङ्ख्यशब्दोदितज्ञान अधिकारः गृहस्थानामेव योगशब्दोदितकर्माधिकार इति मन्यन्ते | तन्न पाण्डिता मनुते | कुतः ? यस्मात् ज्ञानमार्गं कर्ममार्गं च सम्यगास्थित्य उभयोपि फलं प्राप्नोति | तस्मात् ज्ञानिनं कर्माप्यनुष्ठयम् | कर्मणामपि गृहस्थानां ज्ञातव्यो भगवान् | न हि ज्ञानं विना कर्मणा सम्यगनुष्ठानं भवति ||” - simple minded people assuming that न्यास means accepting ascetic discipline alone does the householder becomes qualified for performing actions, but the men of wisdom do not think in that manner. Because fruits of one’s performance of actions is available through both the Paths. Therefore men of wisdom are also engaged in performance of one’s actions because through performance of actions also the Lord is accessible to the householders. But without Wisdom mere performance of action does not become comprehensively well established as accomplishment.

“निष्कामं ज्ञानपूर्वं च निवृत्तमिह चोच्यते | निवृत्तं सेवमानस्तु ब्रह्माभ्येति सनातनम् || बुद्ध्याऽविहिंसन् पुष्पैर्वा प्रणवेन समर्चयेत् | वासुदेवात्मकं ब्रह्म मूलमन्त्रेण वा यतिः || मुक्तिरस्तीति नियमो ब्रह्मदृग् यस्य विद्यते | तस्याप्यानन्दबुद्धिः स्याद् वैष्णवं कर्म कुर्वतः | कर्म ब्रह्मदृशा हीनं न मुख्यमिति कीर्तितम् || तस्याप्यानन्दबुद्धिः स्याद्वैष्णवं कर्म कुर्वतः | कर्म ब्रह्मदृशा हीनं न मुख्यमिति कीर्तितम् || तस्मात् कर्मेति तत् प्राहुर्यत्कृतं ब्रह्मदर्शिना || एतस्मान्न्यासिनां लोकं संयान्ति गृहिणोऽपि हि | ज्ञानमार्गः कर्ममार्गं इति भेदस्ततो न हि || रस्मदाश्रमभेदोऽयं कर्म सङ्कोचसम्भवः || इति व्यासस्मृते |” - The performance of ones action with sense of renunciation attains the eternal Brahman. Being wise if one propitiates Brahman in the form of Vasudeva either with flowers or through pranava or with Primal Mantra deliverance is assured for performers of action, men of wisdom and knowers of Brahman. Even among them there is more bliss for those who perform actions which please Sri Vishnu. Performance of action without wisdom of Brahman does not bring success. Therefore, only those actions which are performed by the knowers of Brahman are spoken as actions with the sense of renunciation. Only the actions performed by the ascetics is called Karma, where kar should be understood as action and ma as wisdom. Therefore even the householders possessing wisdom attain the world of the renouncer of actions. There is no distinction between the Path of Wisdom and the Path of Action. The distinction between the status (as householder and ascetic) is because of the constraints on the performance of actions by them, thus, in Vyasa Smriti.

4 "The unthinking ones speak of the Sāṃkhya and the Yoga as diverse (theories), but not the men of understanding. Whoso pursues one alone (of them) duly obtains the fruit of them both. 5 Whatever goal by the Sāṃkhya (adepts) is attained, that is reached even by the Yoga (adepts). Who so sees the Sāṃkhya and the Yoga as one, he (truly) sees. 6 Per contra, Renunciation, O Long-armed, is hard to attain if there be no Yoga; (whereas) a sage, steadied in Yoga, in no long a time, attains Brahman. (26)

O Pārtha, how could those that have not understood this main principle, be in a position to appraise this order of things conse- crated in the Sāmkhya and the Yoga? In their ignorance they consider these as different. In truth, does a lamp shed a variety of lights? The two paths are essentially one and the same in the vision of those who have realised the essence of the absolute Self. The goal attained by the Sāmkhya (adepts) is also the goal reached by the Yoga (adepts) and therefore, the two are of one and the same form. Just as space and its void cannot be separated, in the same way, Sāmkhya and Yoga both stand united together. True wisdom and the light of the vision of true self have dawned on the mind of the sage, who has realized the identity of Sāmkhya and Yoga. Oh Pārtha, one who proceeds along the path of actions and reaches the top of the mountain of salvation, reaches earlier the plateau of the bliss of the Self. But he toils in vain who does not succeed in even-tempered application to actions, for he can never attain the true renunciation of actions.

'Sāṅkhyayogau pṛthagbālāḥ pravadanti na paṇḍitāḥ'—Arjuna, in the first verse of this chapter, called the method of gaining knowledge from the wise who have realized the Truth, having renounced actions, as Karmasannyāsa. In the second verse, the Lord, attaching importance to His principle, called it Sannyāsa and Karmasannyāsa. Now, the Lord calls it 'Sāṅkhya'. By Sāṅkhya, He means establishment in the self by discriminating, the self from the body. According to Him, 'Sannyāsa' and

'Sāṅkhya', are synonyms, in which there is no need of renouncing actions physically.

What Arjuna calls 'Karmasannyāsa' is undoubtedly, a kind of 'Sāṅkhya' mentioned by the Lord, because after receiving instruction from a preceptor a striver, comes to know reality, about the body and the soul.

The Lord, by the term 'Bālāh', means to convey that those, who say that Sāṅkhya (Discipline of Knowledge) and Karmayoga (Discipline of Action), produce different results, are children viz., and ignorant, even though, they may be aged and intellectual. But the wise, say that both of these produce the same result, though they may be different, as means. The Lord Himself, in the third verse of the third chapter, declared the twofold path—the path of knowledge and that of action—different as means, but the goal is one.

'Ekamapyāsthitaḥ samyagubhayorvindate phalam'—In the Gītā, time and again, it has been pointed out, that the result of the practice of Sāṅkhyayoga, (Discipline of Knowledge) and that of Karmayoga (Discipline of Action), is the same. In the twenty-fourth verse of the thirteenth chapter, the Lord declares that the self or God can be perceived, both through the path of knowledge and that of action. In the nineteenth verse of the third chapter, it has been mentioned, that a man reaches the Supreme, through the Discipline of Action, while in the fourth verse of the twelfth chapter and the thirty-fourth verse of the thirteenth chapter, it has been mentioned, that strivers reach the Supreme by following the Discipline of Knowledge. Thus according to the Lord, both of the paths lead to the same destination.

Appendix—He who knows the scriptural topics but does not know the reality about 'Sāṅkhyayoga' and 'Karmayoga' deeply, is indeed a child viz., is ignorant.

In whole of the Gītā the term 'phala' (fruit) for the imperishable reality has been used only in this verse. The term

'phala' means 'result'. Karmayoga and Jñānayoga—the Lord's purpose in calling the reality attained by these two disciplines as 'phala' is that in these two disciplines, a man's effort is important. In Jñānayoga effort in the form of discrimination is important and in Karmayoga effort in the form of action for the welfare of others, is important. A striver's own effort (labour) proves fruitful, so it has been called 'phala' (fruit). This fruit is not perishable. Karmayoga and Jñānayoga—both of them bear fruit in the form of Self-realization or attainment of the Absolute.

'Performance of duty' is Karmayoga and 'Inclination to do nothing' is Jñānayoga. The reality which is attained by doing nothing, is attained by discharging one's duty. 'Performance' (to do) and 'non-performance' (not to do) are the means (spiritual disciplines) and the reality which is attained by these means is the end (goal).

साङ्ख्ययोगौ पृथक् विरुद्धभिन्नफलौ बालाः प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिताः । पण्डितास्तु ज्ञानिन एकं फलं अविरुद्धं इच्छन्ति । कथम् ? एकमपि साङ्ख्ययोगयोः सम्यक् आस्थितः सम्यगनुष्ठितवान् इत्यर्थः, उभयोः विन्दते फलम् । उभयोः तदेव हि निःश्रेयसं फलम् ; अतः न फले विरोधः अस्ति ॥

ननु सन्न्यासकर्मयोगशब्देन प्रस्तुत्य साङ्ख्ययोगयोः फलैकत्वं कथं इह अप्रकृतं ब्रवीति ? नैष दोषः -- यद्यपि अर्जुनेन सन्न्यासं कर्मयोगं च केवलं अभिप्रेत्य प्रश्नः कृतः, भगवांस्तु तदपरित्यागेनैव स्वाभिप्रेतं च विशेषं संयोज्य शब्दान्तरवाच्यतया प्रतिवचनं ददौ ``साङ्ख्ययोगौ'' इति । तौ एव सन्न्यासकर्मयोगौ ज्ञानतदुपायसमबुद्धित्वादिसंयुक्तौ साङ्ख्ययोगशब्दवाच्यौ इति भगवतो मतम् । अतः न अप्रकृतप्रक्रियेति ॥ एकस्यापि सम्यगनुष्ठानात् कथम् उभयोः फलं विन्दते इति उच्यते --

भिन्न पुरुषोंद्वारा अनुष्ठान करनेयोग्य परस्पर-विरुद्ध कर्मसंन्यास और कर्मयोगके फलमें भी विरोध होना चाहिये, दोनोंका कल्याणरूप एक ही फल कहना ठीक नहीं, इस शङ्काके प्राप्त होनेपर यह कहा जाता है—

बालबुद्धिवाले ही सांख्य और योग—इन दोनोंको अलग-अलग विरुद्ध फलदायक बतलाते हैं, पण्डित नहीं ।

ज्ञानी—पण्डितजन तो दोनोंका अविरुद्ध और एक ही फल मानते हैं ।

क्योंकि सांख्य और योग—इन दोनोंमेंसे एकका भी भलीभाँति अनुष्ठान कर लेनेवाला पुरुष दोनोंका फल पा लेता है ।

कारण दोनोंका वही (एक) कल्याणरूप (परमपद) फल है, इसलिये फलमें विरोध नहीं है ।

पू०—‘संन्यास’ और ‘कर्मयोग’ इन शब्दोंसे प्रकरण उठाकर फिर यहाँ प्रकरणविरुद्ध सांख्य और योगके फलकी एकता कैसे कहते हैं ?

उ०—यह दोष नहीं है । यद्यपि अर्जुनेन केवल संन्यास और कर्मयोगको पूछनेके अभिप्रायसे ही प्रश्न किया था, परंतु भगवान्ने उसके अभिप्रायको न छोड़कर ही अपना विशेष अभिप्राय जोड़ते हुए ‘सांख्य’ और ‘योग’ ऐसे इन दूसरे शब्दोंसे उनका वर्णन करके उत्तर दिया है ।

क्योंकि वे संन्यास और कर्मयोग ही (क्रमानुसार) ज्ञानसे और उसके उपायरूप समबुद्धि आदि भावोंसे युक्त हो जानेपर सांख्य और योगके नामसे कहे जाते हैं, यह भगवान्का मत है, अतः यह वर्णन प्रकरणविरुद्ध नहीं है

एऱ्हवीं तरी पार्था । जे मूर्ख होती सर्वथा । ते सांख्यकर्मसंस्था । जाणती केवीं ॥ २६ ॥

सहजें ते अज्ञान । म्हणोनि म्हणती हे भिन्न । एऱ्हवी दीपाप्रती काई अनान । प्रकाशु आहाती ॥ २७ ॥

पैं सम्यक् एकें अनुभवें । जिहीं देखिलें तत्व आघवें । ते दोन्हीतेंही ऐक्यभावें । मानिती गा ॥ २८ ॥

(5.26) हे पार्थ! सामान्यतः जो लोग सर्वथा मूर्ख होते हैं वे ज्ञान और कर्मयोग की व्यवस्थिति कैसे समझ सकते हैं?

(5.27) स्वभावतः अज्ञानी होने के कारण वे उन दोनों को भिन्न समझते हैं। नहीं तो, एक ही दीपक क्या जुदा-जुदा प्रकाश देता है?

(5.28) जिन्होंने उत्तम अनुभव के द्वारा सम्पूर्ण तत्व जान लिया है वे सांख्य और योग दोनों को एक भाव से मानते हैं।

संगति— अगले श्लोक में यह बतलाते हैं कि सांख्य और योग इनमें से किसी भी मार्ग का अनुसरण करने से एक ही फल प्राप्त होता है।

भावार्थ— सांख्य और योग को अज्ञानी लोग ही अलग-अलग बताते हैं, पण्डितजन नहीं। इनमें से किसी एक में स्थित होने से अर्थात् एक का अनुष्ठान करने से भी दोनों के फल की प्राप्ति हो जाती है। [अर्थात् सांख्य का फल तो मोक्ष है ही कर्मयोग का फल भी क्रम-मुक्ति ही है।] ✻

‘साङ्ख्ययोगी पृथग्बालाः प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिताः’—इसी अध्यायके पहले श्लोकमें अर्जुनने कर्मोंका स्वरूपसे त्याग करके तत्त्वदर्शी महापुरुषके पास जाकर ज्ञान प्राप्त करनेके साधनको ‘कर्मसंन्यास’ नामसे कहा है। भगवान्ने भी दूसरे श्लोकमें अपने सिद्धान्तकी मुख्यता रखते हुए उसे ‘संन्यास’ और ‘कर्मसंन्यास’ नामसे कहा है। अब उस साधनको भगवान् यहाँ ‘सांख्य’ नामसे कहते हैं। भगवान् शरीर-शरीरीके भेदका विचार करके स्वरूपमें स्थित होनेको ‘सांख्य’ कहते हैं। भगवान्के मतमें ‘संन्यास’ और ‘सांख्य’ पर्यायवाची हैं, जिसमें कर्मोंका स्वरूपसे त्याग करनेकी आवश्यकता नहीं है।

अर्जुन जिसे ‘कर्मसंन्यास’ नामसे कह रहे हैं, वह भी निःसन्देह भगवान्के द्वारा कहे ‘सांख्य’ का ही एक अवान्तर भेद है। कारण कि गुरुसे सुनकर भी साधक शरीर-शरीरीके भेदका ही विचार करता है।

‘बालाः’ पदसे भगवान् यह कहते हैं कि आयु और बुद्धिमें बड़े होकर भी जो सांख्ययोग और कर्मयोगको अलग-अलग फलवाले मानते हैं, वे बालक अर्थात् बेसमझ ही हैं।

**परिशिष्ट भाव**—जो अन्य शास्त्रीय बातोंको तो जानता है, पर सांख्ययोग और कर्मयोगके तत्त्वको गहराईसे नहीं जानता, वह वास्तवमें बालक अर्थात् बेसमझ है।

गीताभरमें अविनाशी तत्त्वके लिये ‘फल’ शब्द इसी श्लोकमें आया है। ‘फल’ शब्दका अर्थ है—परिणाम। कर्मयोग और ज्ञानयोग—दोनों साधनोंसे प्राप्त होनेवाले तत्त्वको ‘फल’ कहनेका तात्पर्य है कि इन दोनों साधनोंमें मनुष्यका अपना उद्योग मुख्य है। ज्ञानयोगमें विवेकरूप उद्योग मुख्य है और कर्मयोगमें परहितकी क्रियारूप उद्योग मुख्य है। साधकका अपना उद्योग, परिश्रम सफल हो गया, इसलिये इसको ‘फल’ कहा गया है। यह फल नष्ट होनेवाला नहीं है। कर्मयोग तथा ज्ञानयोग—दोनोंका फल आत्मज्ञान अथवा ब्रह्मज्ञान है।

कर्तव्य-कर्म करना कर्मयोग है और कुछ न करना ज्ञानयोग है। कुछ न करनेसे जिस तत्त्वकी प्राप्ति होती है, उसी तत्त्वकी प्राप्ति कर्तव्य-कर्म करनेसे हो जाती है। ‘करना’ और ‘न करना’ तो साधन हैं और इनसे जिस तत्त्वकी प्राप्ति होती है, वह साध्य है।

जिन महापुरुषोंने सांख्ययोग और कर्मयोगके तत्त्वको ठीक-ठीक समझा है, वे ही पण्डित अर्थात् बुद्धिमान् हैं। वे लोग दोनोंको अलग-अलग फलवाले नहीं कहते; क्योंकि वे दोनों साधनोंकी प्रणालियोंको न देखकर उन दोनोंके वास्तविक परिणामको देखते हैं।

साधन-प्रणालीको देखते हुए स्वयं भगवान्ने तीसरे अध्यायके तीसरे श्लोकमें सांख्ययोग और कर्मयोगको दो प्रकारका साधन स्वीकार किया है। दोनोंकी साधन-प्रणाली तो अलग-अलग है, पर साध्य अलग-अलग नहीं है।

**‘एकमप्यस्थितः सम्यगुभ्योर्विन्दते फलम्’**—गीतामें जगह-जगह सांख्ययोग और कर्मयोगका परमात्मप्राप्तिरूप फल एक ही बताया गया है। तेरहवें अध्यायके चौबीसवें श्लोकमें दोनों साधनोंसे अपने-आपमें परमात्मतत्त्वका अनुभव होना बताया गया है। तीसरे अध्यायके उन्नीसवें श्लोकमें कर्मयोगीके लिये परमात्माकी प्राप्ति बतायी गयी है और बारहवें अध्यायके चौथे श्लोकमें तथा तेरहवें अध्यायके चौतीसवें श्लोकमें ज्ञानयोगीके लिये परमात्माकी प्राप्ति बतायी गयी है। इस प्रकार भगवान्के मतमें दोनों साधन एक ही फलवाले हैं।