A brief history of yoga — part two
In 400 BCE the Mahabharata, the longest poem in history, was written, and it includes the Bhagavad Gita, which gives a detailed description of Jnana, Karma and Bhakti Yoga (the Yogas of wisdom, action and love).
In eighteen chapters of the discourse between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, the proper “Yoga Bhava” or “Yogic attitude” towards every human crisis is given. The nature of the attitude that is required is fundamental to yoga. You need perseverance if you are to ensure success in any field, but where does this perseverance come from? It comes from an unshakeable belief that the way, the manner, the attitude, matters. The outcome is immaterial, and not something over which you or anyone else has control.
Letting go of expectations is a really challenging practice but it is at the heart of the Gita. Ch 2 v 47: You have a right to your actions, but not to the fruits of your actions
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥ २-४७
Karmaya+eva+adhikarah+te
Or
Ch 2 v 47–48 “Let your concern be with action alone, and never with the fruits of action. Do not let the results of action be your motive, and do not be attached to inaction. Do your work in this world, oh Arjuna, as one established in…
