Srimad
Bhagavad Gita
English Translation of
Sri Sankaracharya's Sanskrit Commentary
Swami Gambhirananda
भगवद्गीता/ज्ञानकर्मसंन्यासयोगः
चतुर्थोऽध्याय: ज्ञानकर्मसंन्यासयोग
ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।
मम
वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥४-११॥
काङ्क्षन्तः
कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवताः ।
क्षिप्रं
हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा ॥४-१२॥
चातुर्वर्ण्यं
मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।
तस्य
कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ॥४-१३॥
न
मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा ।
इति
मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ॥४-१४॥
एवं
ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैरपि मुमुक्षुभिः ।
कुरु
कर्मैव तस्मात्त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् ॥४-१५॥
किं
कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः ।
तत्ते
कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ॥४-१६॥
कर्मणो
ह्यपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं च विकर्मणः ।
अकर्मणश्च
बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गतिः ॥४-१७॥
कर्मण्यकर्म
यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः ।
स
बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥४-१८॥
यस्य
सर्वे समारम्भाः कामसंकल्पवर्जिताः ।
ज्ञानाग्निदग्धकर्माणं
तमाहुः पण्डितं बुधाः ॥४-१९॥
त्यक्त्वा
कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः ।
कर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि
नैव किंचित्करोति सः ॥४-२०॥
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥४-११॥
काङ्क्षन्तः कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवताः ।
क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा ॥४-१२॥
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ॥४-१३॥
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा ।
इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ॥४-१४॥
एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैरपि मुमुक्षुभिः ।
कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात्त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् ॥४-१५॥
किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः ।
तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ॥४-१६॥
कर्मणो ह्यपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं च विकर्मणः ।
अकर्मणश्च बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गतिः ॥४-१७॥
कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः ।
स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥४-१८॥
यस्य सर्वे समारम्भाः कामसंकल्पवर्जिताः ।
ज्ञानाग्निदग्धकर्माणं तमाहुः पण्डितं बुधाः ॥४-१९॥
त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः ।
कर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि नैव किंचित्करोति सः ॥४-२०॥
4.11 According to the manner in which
they
approach Me, I favour them in that very
manner. O
son of Partha, human beings follow My
path in
every way.
4.11 Yatha, according to the manner in
which, the
purpose for which, seeking, whatever
fruit;
prapadyante, they approach; mam, Me;
aham, I;
bhajami, favour; tan, them; tatha eva,
in that very
manner, by granting that fruit. This is
the idea. For
they are not seekers of Liberation. It
is certainly
impossible for the same person to be a
seeker of
Liberation and, at the same time, a
seeker of
rewards (of actions). Therefore, by
granting fruits
to those who hanker after fruits; by
granting
Knowledge to those who follow what has
been
stated (in the scriptures) and are
seekers of
Liberation, but do not hanker after
rewards; and by
granting Liberation to those who are
men of
wisdom and are monks aspiring for
Liberation;
and so also by removing the miseries of
those who
suffer- in these ways I favour them
just according
to the manner, in which they approach
Me. This is
the meaning. On the other hand, I do
not favour
anybody out of love or aversion, or out
of delusion.
Under all circumstances, O son of
Prtha,
manusyah, human beings; anuvartante,
follow;
sarvasah, in every way; mama, My;
vartma, path,
[The paths characterized by Knowledge
and by
action (rites and duties).] the path of
God who am
omnipresent. By 'human beings' are
meant those
people who become engaged in their
respective
duties to which they are qualified
according to the
results they seek. 'If Your wish to be
favourable is
the same towards all creatures on
account of the
absence of the defects of love and
aversion in You
who are God, and You are there with
Your
capacity to grant all rewards, why then
do not all,
becoming desirous of Liberation, take
refuge in
You alone with the very knowledge that
Vasudeva
is everything?' As to that, hear the
reason for this:
4.12 Longing for the fruition of
actions (of their
rites and duties), they worship the
gods here. For,
in the human world, success from action
comes
quickly.
4.12 Kanksantah, longing for, praying
for; siddim,
fruition, fructification of the
results; karmanam, of
actions; yajante, they worship; iha,
here, in this
world; devatah, the gods, Indra, Fire
and otherswhich
accords with the Upanisadic text,
'While he
who worships another god thinking,
"He is one,
and I am another," does not know.
He is like an
animal to the gods' (Br. 1.4.10). [This
text points out
that the reason for adoring other
deties is the
ignorance of the Self, which gives rise
to the ideas
of difference between the worshipped
and the
worshipper. As animals are beneficial
to human
beings, so also is the sacrificer to
the gods, because
through oblations he works for their
pleasure!] Hi,
for, in the case of those, indeed, who
sacrifice to
other gods and long for results;
(siddhih, success;
karmaja, from action;) bhavati, comes;
ksiparm,
quickly; manuse-loke, in the human
world,
because the authority of the scriptures
extends
only over the human world. By the
specific
statement, 'For, in the human world,
success comes
quickly,' the Lord shows that results
of actions can
accrue even in the other worlds. The
difference lies
in this that, in the human world
eligibility for [Ast.
and A.A. omit 'adhikara, elegibility
for', and read
karmani.-Tr.] actions is according to
castes, stages
of life, etc. The fruition of the
results of those
actions of persons who are eligible
according to
castes, stages of life, etc. comes
quickly. What is the
reason for the rule that the competence
for rites
and duties according to castes, stages
of life, etc.
obtains only in the human world, but
not in the
other worlds? Or:-It has been said,
'Human beings,
having such divisions as castes, stages
of life, etc.,
follow My path in every way.' For what
reason,
again, do they as a rule follow Your
path alone, but
not of others? This is being answered:
4.13 The four castes have been created
by Me
through a classification of the gunas
and duties.
Even though I am the agent of that (act
of
classification), still know Me to be a
non-agent and
changeless.
4.13 Catur-varnyam-meaning the same as
catvarah
varnah, the four castes; srstam, have
been created;
maya, by Me who am God, which accords
with
such Vedic texts as, 'The Brahmanas
were His
face...' (Rg. 10.90.12);
guna-karma-vibhagasah,
through a classification of the gunas
and duties.
[A.G. writes: guna-vibhagena
karma-vibhagah,
classification of the duties,
determined by the
classification of the gunas.-Tr] By the
gunas are
meant sattva, rajas and tamas (see note
under 2.45;
also see Chapter 14). As to that, the
control of the
mind and body, austerity, etc. are the
duties of the
Brahmanas, who are sattvika, i.e. have
a
predominance of the quality of sattva
(purity,
goodness, etc.). Courage, valour, etc.
are the duties
of the Ksatriyas, in whom sattva becomes
secondary and rajas (passion,
attachment, etc.)
preponderates. Agriculture etc. are the
duties of
the Vaisya, in whom tamas (indolence,
ignorance,
etc.) is secondary and rajas is
predominant. Service
is the only duty of the Sudra, in whom
rajas is
secondary and tamas predominates (see
chapters
14, 16,17 and 18). In this way, the
four castes have
been created by Me through a
classification of the
gunas and duties. This is the idea. And
these four
castes do not prevail in the other
worlds. Hence the
specification, 'in the human world'.
'Well, in that
caste, by virtues of Your being he
agent of the acts
of creation of the four castes,etc. You
become
subject tothe consequence of those
actions?
Therefore you are not eternally free
and the eternal
Lord!' This is being answered: Api,
even though; I
am kartaram, the agent; tasya, of that
act, from the
empirical standpoint of maya; still,
from the
highest standpoint, viddhi, know; mam,
Me; to be
akartaram, a non-agent; and therefore,
also know
Me to be avyayam, changeless, not
subject to the
cycle of births and deaths. 'In
reality, however, I
am not the agent of those actions of
which you
think I am the agent.' Because --
4.14 Actions do not taint Me; for Me
there is no
hankering for the results of actions.
One who
knows Me thus, does not become bound by
actions.
4.14 Because of the absence of egoism,
those
karmani, actions; na limpanti, do not
taint; mam,
Me, by becoming the originators of body
etc. And
me, for Me; na sprha, there is no
hankering for the
results of those actions. But in the
case of
transmigrating beings, who have
self-identification
in the form, 'I am the agent', and
thirst for actions
as also for their results, it is
reasonable that actions
should taint them. Owing to the absence
of these,
actions do not taint Me. Anyone else,
too, yah,
who; abhijanati, knows; mam, Me; iti,
thus, as his
own Self, and (knows), 'I am not an
agent; I have
no hankering for the results of
actions'; sah, he; na
badhyate, does not become bound;
karmabhih, by
actions. In his case also actions cease
to be the
originators of body etc. This is the
import.
4.15 Having known thus, duties were
performed
even by the ancient seekers of Liberation.
Thererfore you undertake action itself
as was
performed earlier by the ancient ones.
4.15 Jnatva, having known; evam, thus,
that 'I am
not an agent; I have no desire for the
results of
actions'; karma, duties; krtam, were
undertaken;
api, even; purvaih, by the ancient;
mumuksubhih,
seekers of Liberation. Tasmat,
therefore; tvam, you;
kuru, undertake; karma, action; eva,
itself. You
ought not to sit quietly, or even
renounce.
Therefore, you (undertake actions)
because they
were performed by the ancients as
well-if you have
no Self-knowledge, then (undertake
actions) for
self-purification; or, if you have
Self-knowledge,
then (undertake actions) in order to
prevent people
from going astray-, as were krtam,
performed;
purvataram, earlier; purvaih, by the
ancient ones,
Janaka and others; not actions as are
undertaken in
the present day. [This last portion of
the sentence is
translated by some as follows: You
should not
undertake actions which are done in the
present
manner (i.e. do not perform actions in
the manner
undertakne by people nowadays, which
neither
purifies the mind nor helps people).
(See G1. Pr. p.
114.) 'If action has to be undertaken
here, then I
shall do so following Your instruction
itself. What
is the use of specifying that it was
done earlier by
the ancient ones?' 'The answer is:
Because there is a
great difficult as regards actions.'
How?
4.16 Even the intelligent are
confounded as to what
is action and what is inaction. I shall
tell you of that
action by knowing which you will become
free
from evil.
4.16 Kavayah api, even the intelligent;
mohitah, are
confounded in this subject of action
etc.; iti atra, as
to; kim karma, what is action; and kim
akarma,
what is inaction. Therefore,
pravaksyami, I shall
tell; te, you; of karma, action; akarma
ca, as also of
inaction; jnatva, by knowing; yat,
which-action etc.;
moksyase, you will become free:
asubhat, from
evil, from transmigration. 'And you
should not
think thus: What is called karma is the
movement
of the body etc. as are well-known in
the world;
and akarma, inaction, is not doing
those, (i.e.)
sitting quietly. What is there to
understand
(further) in that regard?' 'Why?' The
answer is:
4.17 For there is something to be known
even about
action, and something to be known about
prohibited action; and something has to
be known
about inaction. The true nature of action
is
inscrutable.
4.17 Hi, for; there is something
boddhavyam, to be
known; api, even; karmanah, about
action enjoined
by the scriptures; and there is
certainly something
to be known vikarmanah, about
prohibited action;
so, also, there is something to be
known
akarmanah, about inaction, about
sitting quietly.
(The words 'there is' are to be
supplied in all the
three cases.) Because gatih, the true
nature, i.e. the
essential nature; karmanah, of
action-implying
karma etc., viz action, prohibited
action and
inaction; is gahana, inscrutable, hard
to
understand. 'What, again, is the
essential nature of
action etc. which has to be understood,
and about
which it was promised, "I shall
tell you..." (16)?'
This is being stated:
4.18 He who finds inaction in action,
and action in
inaction, he is the wise one [Possessed
of the
knowledge of Brahman] among men; he is
engaged
in yoga and is a performer of all
actions!
4.18 Since engagement and
non-engagement (in
action) depend on an agent, therefore,
yah, he who;
pasyet, ie. pasyati, finds; akarma,
inaction, absence
of action; karmani, in action-karma
means
whatever is done, action in general; in
tha action-;
and yah, who; finds karma, action;
akarmani, in
inaction, in the absence of action;
sah, he; is
buddhiman, a wise one; manusyesu, among
men.
All dealings involving an act,
accessories, etc. exist
certainly on the plane of ignorance,
[Both
engagement and non-engagement
presuppose
agentship and an act of some kind.
This, however,
holds good on the plane of ignorance,
but not on
that of Self-realization.] only so long
as one has not
attained to the Reality. He is a yogi,
yuktah,
engaged in yoga; and a
krtsna-karma-krt,
performer of all actions. One who
discriminates
between action and actions. One who
discriminates
between action and inaction is praised
thus.
Objection: Well, what is meant by this
contradictory statement, 'He who finds
inaction in
action', and 'action in inaction'? For
action cannot
become inaction, nor inaction action.
That being so,
how can a witness have (such) an
incongruous
perception? Vedantin: Is it not that
[Ast. reads na
in place of nanu.-Tr.] to an ordinary
foolsih
observer, that which is reality is
inaction appears
as action, and similarly, action itself
as inaction?
That being so, in order to show things
as they are
the Lord says, 'He who finds inaction
in action', etc.
Therefore there is no incongruity.
Besides, the
qualifications such as 'intelligent'
etc. (thus)
become logical. And by saying, 'there
is something
to be known', is implied the perception
of things as
they are. Moreover, freedom from evil
cannot
follow from an erroneous perception;
whereas it
has been said, 'by knowing which you
will become
free from evil'. Therefore, one account
of action
and inaction being perceived contrarily
by the
creatures, the Lord's utterance, 'he
who finds
inaction in action,' etc. is for
dispelling their
contrary perception. Not that in the
empirical
plane inaction has action as its
receptacle, like a
plum in a bowl! Nor even has action
inaction as its
receptacle, because inaction is a
negation of action.
Therefore, action and inaction are
actually
perceived contrarily by the ordinary
persons-like
seeing water in a mirage, or silver in
nacre.
Objection: Is it not that to every one
action is action
itself? Never is there an exception to
this. Vedantin:
That is not so, becuase when a boat is
moving,
motionless trees on the bank appear to
move in the
opposite direction to a man on the
boat; an absence
of motion is noticed in distant moving
things
which are not near one's eyes.
Similarly, here also
occurs the contrary perceptions, viz
seeing action
in inaction under the idea, 'I am
doing', [Ast. omits
'aham karomi iti, under the idea,
"I am doing"'.-Tr.]
and seeing, inaction in acion,-because
of which it is
said, 'He who finds inaction in
action,' etc. in order
to eliminate them. As such, although
this answer
has been given more than once, still a
man
becomes repeatedly deluded under the
influence of
a totally opposite perception. And
forgetting the
truth that has been heard again and
again, he
repeatedly raises false issues and
questions! And
therefore, observing that the subject
is difficult to
understand, the Lord gives His answer
again and
again. The absence of action in the
Self-well-known
from the Vedas, Smrtis and logic, as
stated in, '(It is
said that) This is unmanifest; This is
inconceivable'
(2.25), 'Never is this One born, and
never does It
die' (2.20; Ka. 1.2.18), etc.-has been
and will be
spoken of. The contrary perception of
action in that
actionless Self, i.e. in inaction, is
very deep-rooted,
owing to which 'even the intelligent
are
confounded as to what is action and
what is
inaction.' And as a consequence of the
superimposition of aciton pertaining to
the body
etc. on the Self, there arises such
ideas as, 'I am an
agent; this is my action; its result is
to be enjoyed
by me.' Similarly, with the idea, 'I
shall remain
quiet, whereby I shall be free from
exertion, free
from activity, and happy', and
superimposing on
the Self the cessation of activities
pertaining to the
body and organs and the resulting
happiness, a
man imagines, 'I shall not do anything;
I shall sit
quietly and happily.' That being so,
the Lord says,
'he who finds inaction in action,' etc.
with a view to
removing this contrary understanding of
man. And
here in this world, though action belonging
to the
body and organs continues to be action,
still it is
superimposed by everyone on the
acitonless,
unchanging Self, as a result of which
even a
learned person things, 'I act.'
Therefore, in action
(karmani), which is universally
considered by all
people to be inherent in the Self, like
the perception
of motion in the (stationary) trees on
the bank of a
river-(in that action) he who
contrariwise finds the
fact of inaction, like perceiving
absence of motion
in those trees-. And, in inaction (akarmani)
in the
cessation of the activities pertaining
to the body
and organs and ascribed to the Self in
the same
way that actions are ascribed-, in that
action, he
who sees action because of egoism being
implicit in
the idea, 'I am happily seated quietly,
without
doing anything'-; he who knows thus the
distinction between action and
inaction, is wise, is
learned among men; he is engaged in
yoga, he is a
yogi, and a performer of all actions.
And he, freed
from evil, attains fulfilment. This is
the meaning.
This verse is interpreted by some in
another way.
How? (Thus:) 'Since the daily
obligatory duties
(nityakarmas) certainly have no results
when
performed as a dedication to God,
therefore, in a
secondary sense, they are said to be
inaction.
Again, the non-performance of these
(nitya177
karmas) is inaction; since this
produces an evil
result, therefore it is called action,
verily in a
figurative sense. That being so, he who
sees
inaction in the daily obligatory duties
(nityakarmas)
owing to the obsence of their
results-in the
same way as a cow that does not yield
milk is said
to be not a cow, though in reality it
is so-so also, in
the non-performance of the daily
obligatory duties,
i.e. in inaction, he who sees action
since that yields
results such as hell etc...' This
explanation is not
logical, because freedom from evil as a
result of
such knowledge is unreasonable, and the
utterance
of the Lord in the sentence, '...by
knowing which
you will become freed from evil', will
be
contradicted. How? Even if it be that
liberation
from evil follows from the performance
of nityakarmas,
it cannot, however, follow from the
knowledge of the absence of their
results. For it has
not been enjoined (anywhere) that
knowledge of
the nityakarmas (themselves), leads to
the result of
freedom from evil. Nor has this been
stated here by
the Lord Himself. Hereby is refuted the
'seeing of
action in inaction' [As explained by
others.-Tr.], for
(according to the opponent) 'seeing of
action in
inaction' has not been enjoined here
[Here, in the
present verse.] as a duty, but (what
has been
enjoined is) merely that performance of
the
nityakarmas is obligatory. Moreover, no
result can
accrue from the knowledge that evil
arises from
non-performance of nityakramas. Nor
even has
non-performance of nityakarmas. been
enjoined as
something that should be known.
Besides, such
results as freedom from evil, wisdom,
engagement
in yoga, and being a performer of all
actions cannot
reasonably follow from a false
perception of action
as inaction. Nor is this a eulogy of
false perception.
[The stated results accrue from correct
knowledge,
not from false perception; and correct
knowledge
alone is praise-worthy.] Indeed, false
perception is
itself an abvious form of evil! How can
it bring
about liberation from another evil?
Surely,
darkness does not become the remover of
darkness! Opponent: Well, the seeing of
inaction in
action, or the seeing of action in
inaction-that is not
a false perception. Vadantin: What
then?
Opponent: It is a figurative statement
based on the
existence or the non-existence of
results. Vedantin:
Not so, because there is no such
scriptural
statement that something results from
knowing
action as inaction and inaction as
action, even in a
figurative sense. Besides, nothing particular
is
gained by rejecting what is heard of
(in the
scriptures) and imagining something
that is not.
Further, it was possible (for the Lord)
to express in
His own words that there is no result
from the
nityakarmas, and that by their non-performance
one would have to go to hell. Under
such
circumstances, what was the need of the
ambiguous statement, 'He who sees
inaction in
action,' etc., which is misleading to
others? This
being the case, such an explanation by
anyone will
be clearly tantamount to imagining that
statement
of the Lord as meant for deluding
people.
Moreover, this subject-matter
(performance of
nityakarmas) is not something to be
protected with
mystifying words. It is not even
logical to say that
the subject-matter will become easy for
comprehension if it is stated again and
again
through different words. For, the
subject-matter
that was stated more clearly in, 'Your
right is for
action alone' (2.47), does not need any
repetition.
And everwhere it is said that whatever
is good and
ought to be practised deserves to be
understood;
anything purposeloss does not deserve
to be
known. Besides, neither is false
knowledge worth
acquiring nor is the semblance of an
object
presented by it worth knowing. Nor even
can any
evil, which is an entity, arise from
the nonperformance
of nityakarmas, which is a non-entity,
for there is the statement, 'Of the
unreal there is no
being' (2.16), and (in the Upanisad) it
has been
pointed out, 'How can existence
originate from
nonexistence?' (Ch. 4.2.2). Since
emergence of the
existent from the nonexistent has been
denied,
therefore anyone's assertion that the
existent
originates from the nonexistent will
amount to
saying that a non-entity becomes an
entity, and an
entity becomes a non-entity! And that
is not
rational because it runs counter to all
the means of
valid knowledge. Further, the
scriptures cannot
enjoin fruitless actions, they being
naturally
painful; and it is illogical that what
is painful
should be done intentionally. Also, if
it is admitted
that falling into hell results from
their nonperformance
(i.e. of the nityakarmas), then that
too
is surely a source of evil. In either
case, whether
one undertakes them or not, the
scriptures will be
imagined to be useless. And there will
be a
contradiction with your own standpoint
when,
after holding that the nityakarmas are
fruitless, you
assert that they lead to Liberation.
Therefore, the
meaning of 'He who finds inaction in
action,' etc. is
just what stands out literally. And the
verse has
been explained by us accordingly. The
aforesaid
perception of 'inaction in action,'
etc. is being
praised:
4.19 The wise call him learned whose
actions are all
devoid of desires and their thougts,
[Kamasankalpa
is variously translated as 'desires and
purposes', 'plans and desires for
results',
'hankering for desires', etc. But
Sankarcarya shows
sankalpa as the cause of kama. -Tr.]
and whose
actions have been burnt away by the
fire of
wisdom.
4.19 Budhah, the wise, the knowers of
Brahman;
ahuh, call; tam, him; panditam,
learned, in the real
sense; yasya, whose, of the one who
perceives as
stated above; samarambhah,
actions-whatever are
undertaken; are sarve, all; kama-sankalpa-varjitah,
devoid of desires and the thoughts
which are their
(desires') causes (see 2.62)-i.e.,
(those actions) are
performed as mere movements, without
any selfish
purpose: if they are performed by one
(already)
engaged in actions, then they are for
preventing
people from going astray, and if they
are done by
one who has withdrawn from actions,
then they
are merely for the maintenance of the
body-; and
jnanagni-dagdha-karmanam, whose actions
have
been burnt away by the fire of wisdom.
Finding
inaction etc. in action etc. is jnana,
wisdom; that
itself is agnih, fire. He whose
actions, karma,
described as good and bad, have been
dagdhani,
burnt away by that fire of wisdom, is
jnana-agnidagdha-
karma. However, one who is a perceiver
of
'inaction' etc. [Perceiver of inaction
etc.: He who
knows the truth about action and
inaction as
explained before.-Tr.] is free from
actions owing to
the very fact of his seeing 'inaction'
etc. He is a
monk, who acts merely for the purpose
of
maintaining the body. Being so, he does
not engage
in actions although he might have done
so before
the dawn of discrimination. He again
who, having
been engaged in actions under the
influence of past
tendencies, later on becomes endowed
with the
fullest Self-knowledge, he surely
renounces (all)
[Ast. adds this word sarva, all.-Tr.]
actions along
with their accessories as he does nnot
find any
purpose in activity. For some reason,
if it becomes
impossible to renounce actions and he,
for the sake
of preventing people from going astray,
even
remains engaged as before in
actions-without
attachment to those actions and their
results
because of the absence of any selfish
purpose-, still
he surely does nothing at all! His
actions verily
become 'inaction' because of having
been burnt
away by the fire of wisdom. By way of
pointing
out this idea, the Lord says:
4.20 Having given up attachment to the
results of
action, he who is ever-contented,
dependent on
nothing, he really does not do anything
even
though engaged in action.
4.20 With the help of the
above-mentioned
wisdom, tyaktva, having given up the
idea of
agentship; and phala-asangam,
attachment to the
results of action; he who is
nitya-trptah, evertrptah,
ever-contented, i.e. has no hankering
for
objects; and nirasrayah, dependent on
nothing-.
Asraya means that on which a person
leans,
desiring to achieve some human goal.
The idea is
that he is dependent of any support
which may be
a means of attaining some coveted seen
or unseen
result. In reality, actions done by a
man of
Knowledge are certainly inactions,
since he is
endowed with the realization of the
actionless Self.
Actions together with their accessories
must be
relinquished by one who has become
thus, because
they have no end to serve. This being
so, api, even
though; he remains abhi-pravrttah,
engaged as
before; karmani, in actions-getting out
of those
(actions) being impossible-, either
with the
intention of preventing people from going
astray
or with a view to avoiding the censure
of the wise
people; sah, he; eva, really; na
karoti, does not do;
kincit, anything, because he is endued
with the
realization of the actionless Self.
[From the
subjective standpoint of the
enlightened there are
no actions, but ordinary people
mistakenly think
them to be actions, which in reality
are a mere
semblance of it.] On the other hand,
one who is the
opposite of the above-mentioned one,
(and) in
whom, even before undertaking works,
has
dawned the realization of his identity
with
Brahman, the all-pervasive, inmost,
actionless Self;
who,being bereft of solicitation for
desirable objects
seen or unseen, has renounced actions
along with
their accessories, by virtue of seeing
no purpose to
be served by undertaking actions meant
to secure
some seen or unseen result, and makes
effort only
for the maintenance of the body, he,
the monk
steadfast in Knowledge, becomes free.
Hence, in
order to express this idea the Lord
says:
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Bhagawan Sri Krishna
Paramathma ji, Parama Hamsa Parivrajaka Paramacharya Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavad
Pada ji and H H Sri Swamy Gambhirananda
ji for this devotional collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
भजगोविन्दम्
गुरुचरणाम्बुज निर्भर भकतः
संसारादचिराद्भव मुक्तः ।
सेन्द्रियमानस नियमादेवं
द्रक्ष्यसि निज हृदयस्थं देवम् ॥ ३१॥
मूढः कश्चन वैयाकरणो
डुकृञ्करणाध्ययन धुरिणः ।
श्रीमच्छम्कर भगवच्छिष्यै
बोधित आसिच्छोधितकरणः ॥ ३२॥
भजगोविन्दं भजगोविन्दं
गोविन्दं भजमूढमते ।
नामस्मरणादन्यमुपायं
नहि पश्यामो भवतरणे ॥ ३३॥
संसारादचिराद्भव मुक्तः ।
सेन्द्रियमानस नियमादेवं
द्रक्ष्यसि निज हृदयस्थं देवम् ॥ ३१॥
मूढः कश्चन वैयाकरणो
डुकृञ्करणाध्ययन धुरिणः ।
श्रीमच्छम्कर भगवच्छिष्यै
बोधित आसिच्छोधितकरणः ॥ ३२॥
भजगोविन्दं भजगोविन्दं
गोविन्दं भजमूढमते ।
नामस्मरणादन्यमुपायं
नहि पश्यामो भवतरणे ॥ ३३॥
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