Gita 18.05 To be mana-isha, we need not just a mana free from ishvara-bhava, but a mana fixed on ishvara

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Bhagavad Gita 18.5 yajna dana tapa karma yajam karyam evatan yajna dana tapasyaiva pavanani manishinam yajna dana tapa karma Krishna speaks over here that these three kinds of activities should not be given up yajam karyam evatan why not yajna dana tapasyaiva because these three activities pavanani manishinam they are purifying and they purify even the manishinam even the wise people those who are purified so this verse is coming as Krishna’s conclusion of a discussion that started two verses earlier 18.3 stated that tyajam dosha vadye ke karma prahur manishinah yajna dana tapa karma tyajam itchapare some people say that because all karma is dosha vada therefore it must be given up and such this is what some manishinas say and some say that no actually it will purify us so this should not be given up and Krishna says that yes it will purify and it will purify even the manishina therefore it should not be given up renunciation is often exalted because of the capacity of giving up the world and its pleasures which enables people to focus on transcendence sometimes however renunciation itself is made into a virtue even if there is no focus on transcendence and Krishna throughout the Bhagavad Gita narrative make sure that the focus stays on transcendence and then he describes how that transcendence can be accessed even in this world through the practice of purification it is not that action entangles and renunciation disentangles it is rather that our cravings entangle us our cravings for this world entangle us and being purified from those cravings is what disentangles us so it is not that work in itself is it is the impurities within us which make work flawed and if we can be freed from those impurities then we can become then work becomes no longer stays flawed rather then work starts elevating us work starts liberating us the thrust of the Gita is on encouraging us to do the work that will elevate and liberate and that work is the work in which we are internally focused on transcendence so if renunciation is a result of purification of renunciation results in purification and that renunciation is good but purification is what is important and activities such as Yajna Tapa they are essentially purifying and that is why Krishna is saying Natyajam Karamevatam these are prescribed duties and they are not to be given up because they are purifying they are uplifting they are liberating to the extent we focus on this purpose of liberation to that extent we are elevated whatever be the situation we are in be it engaged or be it renounced further if you consider the overall context the word Manishinam is significant you will see that you would think that without control of the mind how can there be purification or rather if somebody has controlled the mind aren’t they already purified so Pavanani Manishinam to be Manish to be in control of the mind means that we should already be purified but if we aren’t purified how can we have control over the mind you can see that control over the mind comes in various degrees degrees it’s not a one zero situation where either we possess control or we don’t possess control rather it is a situation where there can be degrees of control and these degrees can be increased by steady practice so to the extent we learn to harmonize with our innate nature as souls who are parts of Krishna to that extent we are pure so to be a Manish is not just to have mana that is say that is good but to be truly a Manish we need to have mana fixed on the Isha so that means somebody may be pure in the sense that they may not have lust, anger, greed in that sense their mind may not go wild here and there but that degree of Manisha is not enough for the highest liberation, not for mukti that degree of Manisha may prevent further entanglement in the material world though of course it is easy that when we are free from lust, anger, greed and everyone else is captivated by it then it is easy to become proud and if you don’t want to become proud then it is vital that we take care of our priorities and understand that the foremost priority of life is not just freedom from the negative but it is being filled with the positive being permeated with attraction to the supreme positive reality Krishna so if yajna and tapa are done with the awareness or at least to foster the awareness that we are parts of a higher reality and we need to harmonize with that higher reality that they are empowering and uplifting and they need to be encouraged in every possible way so that is the primary purpose with which we engage in spiritual activities we engage so that we learn to stay connected and to become increasingly connected and till connection metamorphosis into absorption whereby our life becomes enriched with pure love for Krishna so any craving of the heart other than the craving for Krishna is a contamination in the ultimate sense and so if we are having any sadhasachki if we are not yet having that longing for Krishna then we still need pavanani, we still need purification and that’s why it is said pavitranam pavitramyo mangalanam chamangalam Krishna is the purest among all pure things he is the wisest among all wise things, he is the most mangalanam chamangalam pure he is the most auspicious among all auspicious things by that understanding the purpose of life we can ensure that renunciation if it is adopted helps us in that purpose of absorption in Krishna renunciation doesn’t become an obstacle to absorption