Lord Krsna continues with the impellers of karma from different standpoint.
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ parijñātā trividhā karmacodanā | karaṇaṁ karma karteti trividhaḥ karmasaṅgrahaḥ ||18.18||
Knowledge (the thought corresponding to an object), the object of knowledge, (and) the knower are the three-fold impellers of action. The means of doing (instrument), the object of the action, and the agent are the three-fold constituents of action.
trividhā karmacodanā - three-fold impeller of action, first is jñānaṁ - the thought modification - vrtti. If you were to look at a flower, the thought form of the flower vrtti that occurs in your mind, for which the object is the flower, is referred to here as jñānaṁ. Second is jñeyaṁ - object of knowledge. Every jñeyaṁ later becomes jñānaṁ for the one who knows - parijñātā, which is the third here. The object becomes the knowledge that presents itself as desirable or undesirable, and therefore the knower does karma to get them or to avoid them.
He also talks about three things which are constituents of action - karmasaṅgrahaḥ from the standpoint of grammatical terminology of Pānini. karaṇaṁ - instrument used for accomplishment of karma. karma - the object of action. And kartā - the agent, by whose present, every factors will follow.
All factors of karma manifested through māyā which comprises of three guna. Therefore the three guna sattva, rajas, and tamas are present in all karma. Next is the explanation that each of karma is divided in a three-fold way.
jñānaṁ karma ca kartā ca tridhaiva guṇabhedataḥ | procyate guṇasaṅkhyāne yathāvacchṛṇu tānyapi ||18.19||
Knowledge, action and agent are only three-fold according to the differences in guna, it is said in the śāstra dealing with the enumeration of the gunas. Listen to those also just as it is (unfolded).
jñānaṁ - knowledge, karma - action, and kartā - agent, are three-fold factor based on the differences in guna - tridhaiva guṇabhedataḥ. Each of them is predominantly either sattva, or rajas, or tamas. Within these three, there are hundreds of different shades but in terms of predominance, there are only three possibilities.
Where is this subject matter being mentioned? In the place where guna are properly discussed - procyate guṇasaṅkhyāne. Śankarācarya explains here that it is in the śāstra of Kapila, the author of the saṅkhya-sūtra. Saṅkhya is a school of thought which accepts Veda as pramāna, but has a contention that there are many ātmā and the cause of creation is an inert pradhāna. Śankarācarya notes that even though the śāstra of Kapila contradicts the oneness of ātmā and Brahman, which is the real vision unfolded by the vedānta-śāstra, still, those who follow the kāpila-śāstra are experts in the activities and products of guna. Therefore, we accept their expertise in that area. This is typical of the tradition of Vedānta.
Listen to these three types of knowledge, action and doer determined by the differences in guna. First, the three-fold knowledge is being explained.
sarvabhūteṣu yenaikaṁ bhāvamavyayamīkṣate | avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣu tajjñānaṁ viddhi sāttvikam ||18.20||
Know that to be sāttvika knowledge by which one knows one changeless existence in all things (and beings) and the undivided among the divided.
We should make a note here that this verse in not from the kāpila-śāstra. That knowledge by which a person sees one as changeless existence alone - yenaikaṁ bhāvamavyayamīkṣate in all things - sarvabhūteṣu, from non-living and living beings, from the stationary plants to the most exalted beings like Brahmaji, is sāttvika-jñānam. It is not one thing that has been modified into all these, previously it was one, and now also it is one, therefore it is changeless - avyaya. It is the unchanged basis upon which all changes name and form are superimposed on.
Not only that, that one ātmā remains undivided among the many divided things - avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣu. The bodies differ, but it does not stand divided at all, just like space. As space doesn’t stand divided, so too, ātmā remains one whole pūrna-ātmā among all divided things. Knowledge of means and ends makes us chase one thing or the other and puts us further into bondage. What frees us is only the knowledge of the one changeless existence which is me.
How can we qualify knowledge as sāttvika, etc? Since knowledge can take place only in antahkarana, where it is predominant of sattva, so any knowledge should be sāttvika alone. Even though a mind - antahkarana is considered predominantly sāttvika, in this context it has qualities such as absence of pretension, hurting others, etc. All these are qualities of such a mind where ātmā-jñānam takes place, therefore that knowledge is qualified as sāttvikam jñānam.
If the mind is predominantly rajas what would be the type of knowledge is told in the following verse.
pṛthaktvena tu yajjñānaṁ nānābhāvānpṛthagvidhān | vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu tajjñānaṁ viddhi rājasam ||18.21||
On the other hand, may you know that knowledge by which one knows distinctly the manifold nature of different kinds of beings, as rājasa.
Duality is the reality for those whose mind is predominantly rājas. Every ātmā is seen as separate from one another - pṛthaktvena. All bodies being different, and ātmā being taken as the body, one sees only many and distinct - nānābhāvānpṛthagvidhān. Even though he thinks ātmā are many, he appreciates ātmā is different from the physical body, which survives the death of the physical body. He doesn’t recognise the non-dual nature of ātmā and therefore for every physical body there is an individualised ātmā. So, a mind which has predominantly rājas can have only this kind of rājasa knowledge.
yattu kṛtsnavadekasmin kārye saktamahaitukam | atattvārthavadalpaṁ ca tattāmasamudāhṛtam ||18.22||
Whereas that (knowledge by) which (one is) committed to one object, as though it is everything (and) which is illogical, without truth, and very limited, that (knowledge) is called tāmasa.
Here, one is committed to one object, as though it is everything. For example, that given object could be the physical body. Since everything is in one physical body, when the body is ill, I am ill; when the body is gone, I am gone. The body is ātmā and ātmā is the body. This is the contention of a cārvāka - a materialist.
There is a sect that thinks ātmā has to be purified in order for one to be released. They look upon ātmā as other than the body but then, consider it to have the size of the body, and as good as the body. Lord Krsna says that this kind of thinking is without reason - ahaitukam. Such tāmasika knowledge has no element of truth - atattvārthavadalpaṁ, but it is held to be true by them.
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