Ways to attain God-Realisation

Yog of Knowledge and Action 

Chapter 4, Verse 27

 

sarvāṇ-īndriya karmāṇi 

prāṇa karmāṇi cāpare 

ātma-saṁyama yogāgnau 

juhvati jñāna-dīpite

 

Some offer the functions of the senses and the activity of the vital energy (prana) as oblation into the fire of the yoga of the controlled mind, kindled by knowledge.

 

Some yogis control the mind and the body through pranayama. By controlling the flow of the vital energy, one becomes detached from the expectations of the outside world and gets the knowledge of the Self; one attains the Supreme Brahman, where the sound OM is perceived. This is called God-Realisation. 

Here the Lord reminds Arjuna that there are many ways to attain God-Realisation. If you practice your pranayama, if you practice your spiritual sadhana, being detached from the result, you will reach God-Realisation. On the other hand, the people who are living in the outside world and practice a dharma which includes also the service – the seva they do, helping others, helping the temple, helping the society, not for the sake of their own self-gratification, but out of love for serving God, when they offer this service as an oblation, as a sacrifice, this also becomes yoga, the yoga of serving. In such a state of sacrifice, one is free.

Bhagavad Gita