व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन |
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम् || 41||
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śhākhā hyanantāśh cha buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām
vyavasāya-ātmikā—resolute; buddhiḥ—intellect; ekā—single; iha—on this path; kuru-nandana—descendent of the Kurus; bahu-śhākhāḥ—many-branched; hi—indeed; anantāḥ—endless; cha—also; buddhayaḥ—intellect; avyavasāyinām—of the irresolute
Translation:
O Arjuna! There is only one faith and thought for those who practice this Karma Yoga. The minds of others are divided into various branches, and their thoughts and speculations are endless.
Commentary:
Faith in Atma (God) is only one concentrated thought. It seeks for nothing else. It does not disperse itself and spread out like the branches of a tree. Though the man is engaged in a hundred tasks, yet the main affirmation of the mind is only one (i.e.) the universality of the Supreme Self. So in all that he does, his mind is firmly fixed in Atma. He sees the same Atma, in all that he does. This is faith. He surrenders the fruits of his work to God. He has no desire to enjoy anything of the fruits of his work. Those who have not cultivated this single-minded faith, attach their minds to various objects of the world, enjoy them in various ways, and go on hopping from one thing to another just as birds hop from one branch to another in search of leaf or fruit. They have no concentration of mind because they have no faith.
The different rays of the sun passing through a concave lens become one, and the heat produced by it is capable of burning up anything. When the rays are separate, they have no such power. In the same way, when the mind becomes one-pointed, it acquires tremendous power. Therefore it is necessary to collect one’s mind and bring it to a focal point. This is possible only when the man is not drawn by the various objects of the world, which he desires to possess and enjoy. So long as man desires worldly objects, there is no rest or peace for him. The only way to acquire such peace is the faith that Atma alone is the real, and everything else is a mere shadow. Having faith in this spiritual truth, the seeker should practice Karma Yoga.
