Krishna’s advice on the knowledge of the self which He defines as the Sankhya system is valuable for every individual caught in Samsara. With a firm grasp of the system when one leads life according to its principles it becomes the yoga of life, pointed out Swami Parthasarathi in a discourse. When the truths of life are analysed in detail, and then a way of life based on this enquiry is adopted, the results are beneficial. The problem is that many do not enquire or analyse these matters. They blindly engage in action during their lifetime. Some others are interested in knowing these esoteric truths but do not relate it to their way of life. Ideally this yoga is gaining the knowledge and transforming it into action in daily life. Unlike the effort taken to achieve worldly goals which may or may not bring the desired result, this practice if followed even for a brief while is not a waste. It relieves one from fear and it does not lead to any harm or evil result.
Only when the intellect is trained and sharpened can it turn the knowledge and intelligence into valuable assets. The Euro tunnel, the Panama canal, etc, are path-breaking discoveries made possible when the individual intellectual ability is applied to the intelligence or proficiency in the respective fields acquired with great effort. Likewise being knowledgeable in the Veda sastras makes one aware of the samsara enveloped in the three gunas, Satva, Rajas and Tamas. In fact the entire Prakriti comprises a blend of the three gunas.
Krishna points out that with the intellect one should try to transcend the limitations of the Gunas and the pulls of likes and dislikes in samsara to understand and seek the abiding and everlasting self within.
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