2.14 Analytical Knowledge
71. In this verse, Shree Krishna lists the things that disturb one's peace, and then asks Arjun to give them up.
Material desires. The moment we harbor a desire, we walk into the trap of greed and anger. Either way, we get trapped. So the path to inner peace does not lie in fulfilling desires, but instead in eliminating them.
Greed. Firstly, greed for material advancement is a great waste of time. Secondly, it is an endless chase. In developed countries, very few people are deprived of enough to eat and wear, and yet they remain disturbed; this is because their hankering is still unsatisfied. Thus, those who possess the wealth of contentment possess one of the biggest treasures of life.
Ego. Most of the quarrels that erupt between people stem from the ego. Mark H McCormack, author of What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School writes: "Most corporate executives are one giant ego, with a couple of arms and legs sticking out." Statistics reveal that a majority of executives, who lose their jobs in the senior management level, do so not because of professional incompetence, but because of interpersonal issues. The way to peace is not to nurture and increase pride, but to get rid of it.
Proprietorship. The feeling of proprietorship is based upon ignorance because the whole world belongs to God. We came empty-handed in the world, and we will go back empty-handed. How then can we think of worldly things as ours?
72. Brahman means God, and Brāhmī sthiti means the state of God-realization. When the soul purifies the heart (the mind and intellect are sometimes jointly referred to as the heart), God bestows his divine grace, as mentioned in verse 2.64. By his grace, he grants divine knowledge, divine bliss, and divine love to the soul. All these are divine energies that are given by God to the soul at the time of God-realization.
At the same time, he liberates the soul from the bondage of Maya. The sañchit karmas (account of karmas of endless lifetimes) are destroyed. The avidyā, ignorance within, from endless lifetimes in the material world, is dispelled. The influence of tri-guṇas, three modes of material nature, ceases. The tri-doṣhas, three defects of the materially conditioned state come to an end. The pañch-kleśhas, five defects of the material intellect, are destroyed. The pañch-kośhas, five sheaths of the material energy, are burnt. And from that point onward, the soul becomes free from the bondage of Maya for the rest of eternity.
When this state of God-realization is achieved, the soul is said to be jīvan mukt, or liberated even while residing in the body. Then, at the time of death, the liberated soul finally discards the corporeal body, and it reaches the Supreme Abode of God. The Rig Veda states:
"Once the soul attains God, it always remains in union with him. After that, the ignorance of Maya can never overpower it again." That state of eternal liberation from Maya is also called nirvāṇ, mokṣha, etc. As a result, liberation is a natural consequence of God-realization.