Arjuna asks if knowledge is superior to karma then why should I war with kauravas? This can be analysed in various ways. In earlier posts we have said that Kauravas represent the evil within ourselves and if we know what evil is and what it is not, then this question would be how and why should one fight them. Can this not co-exist? Answer is pretty clear. Right?
Thinking more about it, if knowledge is superior then should not man try to seek knowledge only and not engage in karma (that too a karma like war).
Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga are not competetive but something to be practised serially. We should exhaust all our vasnas or desires by doing our karma selflessly. Samnyasa or renunciation of action or being actionless means a state where you are not bound by action. It is a proper understanding of who "I" am and what is it that "I" exist for. In Vedanata, ignorance is not knowing anything but knowing everything but the Supreme, that "I" am actually that parabrahma, that we are not different but the same. By exhausting all our vasanas we reach a state where we are no more affected by results of our actions. Our actions would be then merely to sustain our life, we would have finished doing all actions as per our roles or dharma.
One can link this to the chaturashramas prescribed where samnyasa follows the grihasthashrama. For a normal man, who lives in this material world it would be difficult rather impossible to remain actionless. This is because our senses will have to react to the influence of the three gunas Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. Being physically inactive but mentally being driven by them is also equivalent to state of being in action. And one who physically denounces actions but mentally follows them is a hypocrite.
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