Chapter 2,Verse 45

trai-guṇya-viṣayā vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kṣema ātmavān Krishna advices a karma yogi who wants to use rleigious rituals in a beneficial manner. Veda purva bhaga deals with finite results and worldly benefits.May you transcend them.Hey Arjuna!,the pairs of opposites that are ever prevailant in the world(nirdvandvo bhava),develop tolerance towards them.May you abide by sattva guna in pursuing spiritual goals(nitya sattvastho bhava).For our survival,we need to acquire basic amenities like food,clothing and shelter.But then,out necessities are not satisfied with these three.Once we have clothes,we need a place to keep them(we go in for a cupboard),facilities to wash and dry them(we buy a washing machine).Likewise,we buy a refridgerator for our food.Thus,the tendency to gradually acquire things increases.If you keep increasing your acquistions and thereby maintenance,they will occupy all our time and mental energy.If you need time for spirituality,save your acquisions.A karma yogi is one who wants to lead a simple life.This value is called aparigraha.We accumulate more & more in a hope that they will give us security,but in reality it has nothing to do with possessions.You need possessions,but you must also know where to draw the line. Be mindful of your priorities in life.

Chapter 2,Verse 44

bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāḿ tayāpahṛta-cetasām vyavasāyātmikā buddhih samādhau na vidhīyate These religious materialistic people are very unfortunate because they are obsessed with worldly pleasures(bhoga aiswarya prasakthanam) and their discriminatory powers are taken away by the same materialism(taya apahritachetasam). For them, a firm spiritual resolve(vyavasayatmika buddhi) for attaining moksha is unattainable(na vidhiyate) in the intellect(samadhi). These people are to be condemned.

Chapter 2,Verse 43

kamatmanah svarga parah janma karma phalapradham kriya visesha bahulam bhogaisyarya gatimprati Materialistic people who do not know the existence of religious spirituality are full of worldly desires(kama atmanah) such as sense pleasures(bhoga) and material prosperity(aiswarya) even though materialistic pursuit is filled with loopholes. Materialistic accomplishments are subject to three types of limitations- 1.dhukha misrutatvam-Apart from being a source of plasure,they come along with a lot of pain too.The poor know the pain of poverty and think that wealth will rid them of the pain.Ask the rich,and they will say that wealth itself is a source of a different kind of pain. 2.athrupthikaratvam-Any amount of material poccession will not give complete satisfaction.Like the sacrificial fire that grows with every offering,desire grows with accumulation of materials. 3.bandhakatvam-The more a person possesses,the more he becomes dependent on them for his comfort and cannot extricate himself from them. Not only are these people interested in worldly pleasures,but also in the heavenly pleasures(svargaparah) described in the vedas and hemce want to involve in a variety of rituals,which have an even greater number of subsidary rituals attached to them(kriyaviseshabahulam).Little do they know that none of the benefits we enjoy in heaven are free,but are paid for by our repository of punyam(janma karma phalapradam).All this karma & karma-phalan will only lead to an unending cycle of birth & death(punarapi jananam,punarapi maranam).They only see the short term benefits and not the long term disadvantages.

Chapter 2,Verse 42

Yaam imam pushpitam vaacham pravadanti avipashchitaha veda-vada-ratah parthah nanyad astithi vadinaha Veda purva deals with a variety of religious practices(yagnas or pujas),which can be classified into 2-skama puja(focused towards worldly benefits) and niskhama puja(focussed towards spiritual wisdom).The former is filled with ahankara & mamakara(an ego of 'I' and 'Me') whreas the latter is devoid of both. People who cannot discriminate between material & spiritual success(avipashchitaha),who are drawn to special religious practices for special purposes(sakama karmani) which have flowery words(pushpitam vacham),have no knowledge of nishkama bakthi,atma jnana or moksha(nanyad astithi vadinaha).Vedas offer us this,to draw the attention of the materialistic human brain,but on geting to know them better,reveal their true purpose of spiritual enlightenment.Just like how prasadam is offerd at the end of a bhajan,an act which might draw a crowd,but is not the purpose of the bhajan,vedas do this to ensure that we take to them. Please understand this.

Chapter 2,Verse 41

Vyavasayatmika buddhihi ekeha kurunandana Bahushaka hyanantashcha buddhayo vyavasayinam A karma yogi must have a clear idea of the spiritual path he is taking to,its means & its end.Karma yoga is not directly meant for moksha.It is an important spiritual sadhana.It prepares a person for jnana yoga,which leads to liberation.He should have the clarity that he is in karma yoga now,and in future,he must enter into jnana yoga seriously,which will give him moksha.This clear & non-wavering mindset is called ‘vyavasatmika buddhi’.He must also realize that he is giving karma & jnana yoga equal importance,which will give him spiritual success in life.This he can do only if he is convinced that spiritual success is far superior than any material success. Why? Material successes depend on too many external factors,many of which are not known to us or are not under our control.There are people who are ready to do anything(moral or immoral) to achieve success,something which we may not be able to.We will have to face faliure as an integral part of our lives.Whereas,in the case of spiritual life,the number of external factors are far less.Spiritual success by itself can give great fultiment & we will know how to handle inevitable worldly failures.Therefore,Arjuna,vote for spiritual success. This informed karma yogi has got a clear knowledge of the primary goal of his life.Unless spiritual success is attained,old age will become miserable.A mind which does not have clarity(Avyavasayinam buddayaha) has many misunderstandings which are multipronged(bahushakha).