Part two is really Yoga of Equanimity. Samatvam Yoga, Karma yoga
Understanding the value of Action without preoccupation with the outcome, and performing all actions with equanility towards the desirable or undesirable outcomes.
Have firm resolve to achieve Him only. Avoid getting caught up in the actions which are driven by desire for gains in this life and in the next life, or go to Heaven. Practice of Karma yoga, Samtvam yoga, Equanimity will help
Even though Vedas have many rituals and routines, but they all lead to material gains here and hereafter, We all know from experience that all the worldly gains are temporary. many people do not realize heavenly gains are also temporary. After we have used up all the punyas residing in heaven we have tocome back to theis earth again. You should go beyond those vedic rituals which promise material gains here and Heaven after death. Because, just like if you have acquired the ocean than why would you want to acquire a pond. What ever is in the pond, many times more of that is in the ocean. When one is established in Brahman, the bliss and happiness that is experienced, is not only inclusive of worldly and heavenly pleasures, which are temporary, but that Brahmic Bliss and Happiness is infinitely more than anything else.
Karma yoga: You have control only on the performing of the action. You do not and can not have a control on the outcome. Once you have realized this and perform your actions with an equanimous mind you will be freed from the bondage that is bound to arise if you are focused on the outcome. Performing the action with full excellence without being focussed on the outcome is also called Yoga of Excellence. ( A form of Karma Yoga ). People get scared thinking that they do not want to be attached to the fruits of their actions. But if we really think about it, does being attached to the fruits of the actions guarantee a certain outcome ? the answer is NO. We all know that. How many times we perform an action but the out come is not the way we thought it would be. Sometimes the outcome is better than what we expectd and sometimes it is worse than what we expected. Simply because the out come depends on many other factors besides our actions. But if we focus so much on the outcome, it weakens our focus and concentration in the task at hand and that diversion itself would reduce the effectiveness of our actions. But if we are fully focussed on the task we are able to give it our 100% and it is more likely, although not guaranteed that we will get the outcome that is meant to be. Realizing this point and than perfoming the actions is Karma Yoga.
When we practice this Karma Yoga, we won't be influenced by the outcome of the action. Normally, when there is a favorable outcome we want more of it and that creates greed for more of that. ( when we go go a slot machine and it pays out lot of money, what happens, we play more and more hoping for a bigger payout, and most of us know what happens in the end. That greed for more ultimately causes us to not only lose what the machine gave us, we also lose everything we had in our pocket. ) And if the outcome is unfavorable we get distressed and troubled and unhappy with the outcome. That itself leads to lot of unhappiness. But if you do not care what the outcome would be than, when there is a positive outcome you will accept it as a God given gift and as Prasad and it there is an unfavorable outcome you accept it as Go'd will and accept it as such. Since neither of these are creating any greed or aversion, there is no long lasting effect on the mind and no new Sanakara for the future is created.
An individual who is able to live like this is called Sthitpragya. It means one who whose wisdom has become stable in himself, one whose wisdom has become self contained, one whose consciousness does not fluctuate from one to another. It does not jump from one sense object to another, one who has a mastery on his mind. He is like a tortoise who has retracted his limbs, he retracts his senses away from sense objects and stays equanimous in both and favorable and unfavorable outcomes and situations.
The one who is not Sthitpragya, his senses are constantly running after sense objects and just as a boat is bounced around by the wind, his mind is bounced around by the sense driven restlessness caused by running after the sense objects. Controlling the senses leads to calming of the mind and calming of the mind allows the intelect to stabilize. If you do not practice this way, than the unfulfilled desires will upset the mind, this will lead to anger which leads to loss of memory and the ability to discriminate between right and wrong VIVEKA. Once Viveka is lost it leads to loss of intelect ( BUDDHI ) and once a perosn has lost his intellect he will lose all his knowledge and that will lead to complete destruction.
Sthitpragya Muni is compared to an ocean where even with all the rivers flowing into the ocean, those rivers not change the nature of the ocean. Ocean stays the same. Similarly for a Sthitpragya even though he is going around living like any one else and the input from the sense objects into his senses, mind and intellect he is not adversely influenced like that ocean. He stays unperturbed and lives in this world. Such a person appears to be doing all those things that everyone else is doing, but he experiences adn is constantly is in touch with the unlimited Bliss and Tranquility that is inherent in Brahman. Such an individual even at the end of his physical existence leaves his physical body, while abiding in that Brahmi Bliss ( Brahman Shanti )
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