How Ramanuja Turned a Crystal Clear Verse into Philosophical Confusion

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]In the fifth chapter, sixth verse of Bhagavad Gita, what is being talked about is sannyasa.

[00:00:06]How sannyasa is easy to accomplish and when sannyasa becomes difficult to accomplish. The whole fifth chapter talks about sannyasa. Therefore, the name of the fifth chapter is Karma Sannyasa Yoga.

[00:00:21]The sannyasa is typically understood as formal renunciation of karmas.

[00:00:28]But here, the sannyasa which is talked about is a sannyasa from all karmas, from all duality, which is in continuity with with what was said in the previous chapter, sannyasa is not karma kevala karma sannyasa, but this sannyasa is sarva karma sannyasa.

[00:00:50]So, here Bhagwan Krishna says, Sannyasastu Mahabaho Dukhamaptum Ayogatah.

[00:00:57]Without yoga, here yoga points to karma yoga, karma yoga phalam. Without gaining that which is to be gained by performance of karma with yoga buddhi, then sannyasa, which is sarva karma sannyasa, is dukhamaptum ayogatah, is difficult to gain and worse, impossible.

[00:01:18]So, what is made clear is a sequence that karma yoga phalam is required for pursuit of brahma jnanam.

[00:01:26]This karma yoga phalam is referred to in 18th chapter as siddhi, Siddhim Vindati Manavaha. And in the fifth chapter as atma shuddhi, Sangam Tyaktva Atma Shuddhaye Yoginah Karma Kurvanti.

[00:01:41]So, here, very cleanly, Bhagwan Krishna says, Without Yoga Phala, sannyasa, that is sarva karma sannyasa, that is the knowledge of Brahman, is difficult to accomplish. And the second line is with the san with the karma yoga phala, this sannyasa becomes easy to accomplish.

[00:02:01]So, that's what is said by these words, yoga yukto munir brahma karma yoga phalam easily attains brahman, doesn't take long to attain brahman. And here the word brahman means that brahman which is free from all karmas.

[00:02:19]That was revealed in the previous chapter, brahma arpanam brahma havir brahma agnau brahmana hutam. Karmani akarmani ca pasyati. Let's look at the simple meaning of the verse. Sannyasa is difficult to accomplish without yoga phalam. Sannyasa is easy to accomplish with yoga phalam.

[00:02:39]And here sannyasa is sarva karma sannyasa, which is another another word for brahma brahma jnana.

[00:02:46]This is how we understand the simple flow of Bhagavad Gita, what Bhagwan Krishna is saying.

[00:02:54]But when we look into the commentary of Ramanuja, it's very clear that this simple flow is complicated.

[00:03:02]Is made more complex.

[00:03:05]By introducing new concepts, by pushing new narratives.

[00:03:10]So, here when Bhagwan Krishna uses the word brahma in the second line, and Bhagwan Krishna used the word sannyasa in the first line, so these both are pointing out the same brahma.

[00:03:23]And not two different things. But as per Ramanuja, they are two different things.

[00:03:28]Because if they are taken to be one, then that brahman is gained here and now, and that is by knowledge, and it is karma yoga with which helps one in gaining knowledge. This teaching of Bhagwan Krishna would become evident.

[00:03:41]And to stop that from happening, the simple flow has to be made complex.

[00:03:47]So, for the word sannyasa in the first line, Ramanuja says "gyana yoga".

[00:03:54]And for the word Brahman in the second line, Ramanuja says "atma", the individual soul.

[00:04:01]Now, it it is really absurd to see why will Bhagwan Krishna, who is talking about the role of karma yoga in this verse, why will Bhagwan Krishna talk about without karma yoga phalam that gyana yoga is difficult, but without with karma yoga phalam gaining atma is easy.

[00:04:22]Why will Bhagwan Krishna talk about two different things in the same verse in the same context?

[00:04:29]This is a question Ramanuja needed to be asked. This is simple common sense question which arises looking at Ramanuja Bhashya. So, to escape from the teaching which is Advaita, the the real teaching of Gita, Ramanuja employs this method which I even talked about previously that the word Brahman should be taken as a conditioned individual soul. But no, the word Brahman here is that which was revealed in the previous chapter in the verse 4.24 Brahm Arpanam Brahma Agnau Brahmanahutam.

[00:05:02]And this Brahma Ganam is in the form of Sanyasa of Sarva Karma which was revealed by the verse 4.18 Karmany Akarmayah Pashyed Ityadi.

[00:05:14]So, the word Sanyasa and Brahman cannot mean two different things in the context of understanding what is the role of karma yoga.

[00:05:24]So, the role of karma yoga is for gaining the Siddhi as per 8.10 chapter Siddhim Vindati Manavah. And that Siddhi is in the form of Antahkarana Shuddhi or Atma Shuddhi which is pointed out by this chapter. And this is what is required for for knowledge to take place in that Buddhi. And that knowledge and for that knowledge what is required is Pramana.

[00:05:45]And the Pramana for Brahma Ganam is Vedanta shastra. So gyanam of atma is gyanam of atma as Brahman. So Brahma gyanam and atma gyanam are not two different things which Ramanuja concludes that Brahma gyanam is upasana of Brahman and entire Vedanta shastra is an upasana shastra and gyanam of atma is realizing I'm a tiny spark of consciousness and that he says that is a culmination that is where karma yoga culminates. So here he says he says this under the word muni.

[00:06:16]So sannyasastu mahabaho dukhamaptum ayogatah yogayukto munihi. For the word muni he says svayameva mananashilah.

[00:06:24]This knowledge of individual soul being conditioned and a tiny spark of consciousness which is a traveler after death going to vaikuntha is is going to take place by itself. For this no pramana is required. Karma yoga gives rise to this knowledge. This is what Ramanuja says without any basis. Going against the very teaching of Bhagwan Krishna, going against the very flow of the teaching, going against the very flow of this very verse 5 6 itself. So let's keep the teaching of Gita clean and simple without any sectarian coloring. Bhagwan Krishna says without karma yoga phalam sannyasa which is gaining of Brahman is difficult and with karma yoga phalam that gain is easy.

[00:07:07]Here when this is said this doesn't discount the pursuit of knowledge. The pursuit of knowledge is the only way to gain Brahman and the pursuit of knowledge is by going to a guru. Therefore previously Bhagavad Gita said that vidhi pranipatena may you know this by going to a guru.

[00:07:28]So it is guru's upadesha which gives rise to knowledge. Guru's upadesha is of what? Guru Guru's upadesha is of Vedanta shastra.

[00:07:38]And therefore if Ramanuja's interpretation is retained then the next verse becomes a challenge.

[00:07:45]Because if the word Brahman is to be taken as conditioned soul, this this jivatma who's a tiny spark of consciousness, then the next line Bhagwan Krishna uses the word sarva bhutatma bhutatma for a gyani.

[00:08:00]So, atmagyanam is certainly understanding atma as Brahman. So, for the word gyani, another word used by shastra here is sarva bhutatma bhutatma.

[00:08:12]Which I've already talked about in one of the videos in this in the same reputation series. The whole conditioned souls theory and then Narayana being para, a deity sitting in Vaikuntha, and prakriti being different, jivas being different, Narayana being being different, this whole dualistic theory, this dualistic framework of Vishishtadvaita created by Ramanuja falls by just one word sarva bhutatma bhutatma.

[00:08:41]So, as I already pointed out earlier, these are some tricks Ramanuja uses to escape from the direct teaching of Bhagavad Gita. Just pointing out the standard of Ramanuja Bhashya, Ramanuja Gita Bhashya not being up to the mark as they have marketed and worse pushes narratives into the Bhagavad Gita through the very commentary itself.

[00:09:03]Namaste.