Bhagavad Gita-Chapter 5 Koramangala

Sloka 25

Rishis are those who have gained self knowledge. It does not refer to any ashrama (life style). The earlier karmas have helped them to get rid of impurities. One sloka says that in kali yuga people are with lot of impurities in their minds.Mind once exposed to the external world, is bound to get impurities. But in other yugas, there were means to remove them.Shastra tells the way to cleanse the mind.In kaliyuga, one does not use this means to clean the mind.Most of the people in this yuga, live for others' opinions, not for themselves.Bhagavadam mentions about Krishna dhanam (black money) which affects one's mind.Rishis,committed for the welfare of all beings, attain the brahma nirvanam.

Sloka 26

Kama, krodha and other emotions affect the intellect by their strong presence and blind a person from doing right things.Conquering these emotions depends on one's efforts and not on his previous karmas (Prarabda). Person  (rishi) who is not affected by kama, krodha and has control over his mind, gets Brahma Nirvanam in this life and after. Planning for the future is required but worrying about future  is not needed.

Slokas 27-29

The benefits of karma are always after one's death.When one plants a tree, he can get the fruits only after few years.There is a difference between spiritual (vedanta) sadhanas and other sadhanas.Karma phalam of vedanta sadhanas is immediate. Vedanta considers Moksha in three levels.- Krama Mukti, Jivan Mukti and Videha Mukti. Krama Mukti is like buying in instalments. Punyam earned by all good karmas will give you Brahmaloka. As per shashtras, Brahmaloka has the option of studying self-knowledge in addition to all other comforts. Jivan Mukti is better than Krama Mukti. The clarity of self-knowledge gives one to experience Mukti while he is living. Jivan muktah is like a lotus leaf, which is not affected by the water (samsara), while being in it. Prarabda is like the oil in a lighted lamp.The flame (life) will go once the oil (prarabda)is exhausted.

For a matured person, nothing is a problem, it is only a situation. For a confused one, everything is a problem. Pujya Swami Dayanandaji  was once asked " Is marriage  a word or "sentence"?  ". , This question drives the above point.

Shashtras ( in Shivaabarada Stotram),   says that samsara is created only to develop vairakyam  and not for suffering. Bhagavan Krishna has  two types of baktas- with expectations (artharti) and without expectations (Jnani). Once Lord Krishna visited two baktas, one is very rich and doing dhanas and worship with a wish to become  more rich; the other is poor living with a cow to earn. The rich one wished Bhagavan to give him more wealth and he granted his wish. The poor wished that he should always have His grace and Bhagavan told that his cow would die soon. When asked for reason, Bhagavan told the rich would be in Samsara with all his wealth while the poor bakta would reach him soon.

It is important to learn to manage one's life rather trying to manage the external things of his life. Generally mind has a tendency to remember the negatives while forgetting the positives. It is better to forget the negative things to keep the head clean.

The last two slokas are introductory to the next chapter 'Dyana Yoga". Desire, fear  and anger are not fixed and permanent. once encouraged will get bigger and bigger. One who controls these, can attain mukti. Bhagavan is always  a well wisher of all beings. One who understands this, will be at peace ( Shanti).