[Advaita-l] jnAna-karma samuccaya

[Shrinivas Gadkari]

Namaste Shri Bhattacharjya,
 
Thanks for your comments. Yes Gita is a great text. However as you point out,
parts of Gita can appear contradictory if not understood correctly. Taking help 
of 

different commentaries is most helpful in this regard. In the end however we 
need
to come up with our own reading of Gita that makes sense to us - resolves 
contradictions
in a manner that satisfies us.
 
Regards,
Shrinivas
 
 
---------------------
Namaste,
What you say is completely in line with the Bhagavad Gita. 
 
Adi Sankara had written in the beginning of his Gitabhashya as to what made him 
write the bhashya as he found that the earlier attempts by others did not 
succeed in resolving the seemingly controversial points. 

 
In chapter 6 the Lord  says that Yogi is higher than the Jnanai and also says 
that the yogi needs Kriya to reach the height of yoga but having reached the 
height he needs only to maintain  the calmness  and quietness.
The Lord says that Adhyatmavidys is the highest of all vidyas and in chapter 10 
he says that Dhyana or Meditation is higher than Jnana. 

As regards Bhakti or devotion the Lord says that he gives buddhiyoga to his 
devotees by which they go to him and later in chapter 14 the Lord says that by 
devoyion the bhakta knows him and knowing that they enter the Lord, This means 
even in the path of devotion the Lord himself provides the Jnana so that the 
devotee has no problem in being one with the Lord. Bhakti gives all the 
concentration needed. Being absorbed in bhakti to the Lord is not any different 
fron meditating on OM. 

In the Bhagavad Gita the Lord has shown that no path is inferior whether it is 
karma yoga, Bhaktiyoga, or Jnanayoga  or Yoga itself. One should read the 
Bhagavad Gita with Sankarbhashya more often and may find  new meanings many a 
times in each reading and one  should do thi particularly after reading any 
other Vedanta literatur. The Lord had granted the people living in the Kali yuga 
a great favour through his Gita, which was no available in the earlier yugas.
Regards,
Sunil K. Bhattacharjya