Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Essence – Sankhya Yoga, Preyas And Sreyas

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The Sankhya Yoga is among the six Darshanas of Sanatana Dharma. “Sankhya” deals with depending on knowledge for understanding reality, while “Yoga” stands for the discipline/path taken to comprehend reality.

The second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is devoted to Sankhya Yoga; it is one of the most important parts of The Bhagavad Gita. This chapter emphasizes the importance of the Sankhya Philosophy in dealing with confusing situations.

The initial ten verses of Bhagavad Gita’s second chapter are focused on explaining the emotional turmoil that Arjuna undergoes. He hesitates to fight against his kith and kin, and teachers. The remaining verses include the teachings of Lord Krishna pertinent to Sankhya Yoga and its related facets.
The Sankhya Yoga of Bhagavad Gita states that the most important is the atman, the Purusha the basis for all but also independent of all. Then, there is Prakriti which has 24 tattvas about existence. Since the list is long and needs logic to explain, we will not discuss it in this article. Out of all these, only atman or the purusha are infinite and pure; the remaining 24 tattvas are transitory and impure.
It is in the second chapter that Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna about associating with the indestructible atman or Purusha. The body can be destroyed but not the atman. The atman is indestructible. Just like everybody born has to die. Same way, a body that dies is born again; as the atman changes bodies after death.
Wordly things of opposites – pleasure and pain, happiness and sadness, gain and loss, victory and defeat. Such opposite circumstances need to be treated alike. A person needs to be firm of mind, and not be confused.
Krishna underlines the importance of performing actions as dictated by the dharma of an individual. In the case of Arjuna, the dharma in question is the Kshatriya Dharma – the duty of a warrior.
Bhagwan Krishna guides the confused Arjuna by stressing the truth that it’s just the body that perishes and not the soul. The soul is deathless.
The Sankhya philosophy that has been taught by Lord Krishna throws light on the value of a disciplined lifestyle and self-restraint, as well. These are the things that enable a person to maintain equanimity amid testing situations of life.

Preyas and Sreyas – theory significance in Bhagavad Gita:
This section of the write-up is going to detail the two important philosophical concepts of Sanatana Dharma and the Bhagavad Gita. These two concepts are Preyas and Sreyas.

Preyas can be considered to be a synonym for “pleasant” and “good” is the equivalent of Sreyas. Action carried out to satisfy the ego and that is within the comfort zone of an individual falls under Preyas. Likewise, Preyas include deeds/acts that are done with the primary goal of deriving pleasure, too. All these behaviors could be against the interests of society.
Sreyas encompass all actions that need not necessarily be pleasant for a person, but they address the common good of all the people. Sreyas can be treated to be conforming to the tenets of Dharma.
Motivated karma done for worldly gains is the inferior path. Arjuna was urged to perform his duties, fixed in yoga, renouncing attachments, and even-minded in success and failure, mental equilibrium is verily Yoga.
Before the start of the Kurukshetra war when Arjuna expressed his reluctance to fight, he was thinking only in terms of his Preyas. He momentarily forgot his duty as a Kshatriya. At that stage, Lord Krishna shared the insights of Sankhya Yoga with Arjuna and dispelled his doubts. Arjuna then realized that fighting against his near and dear was necessary to uphold Dharma. And, that is what is the Sreyas, which was for the welfare of mankind.