Bhakti Shastri (071) – Bhagavad Gita Chapter 04 Text 14 to 23

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Hare Krishna Welcome to the Bhagavad Gita Bhakti Shastri course Today we’ll continue with our discussion Of the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita We have discussed till now the first section And in the second section Of how Krishna is the Source and the goal of all paths He gives different paths Which are ultimately meant to come back to him So we discussed yesterday about God worship Let’s move forward and discuss the next verse today So So Krishna is studying over here Limpanthi means to be affected by Krishna is saying I am not affected by a work One who understands this about me One who understands me does So what is Krishna telling actually over here That he says I am not attached to So actually when we do work There are two things One is we do the work to get some result And that work is done outwards to get some result And inward it has an effect When we do a work We feel excited about it We feel burdened by it We feel annoyed by it We feel fearful about it We can have different emotions So we seek something outside And it has some effect inside Whatever work we do So Krishna is saying That neither of these happens to him That the work doesn’t affect me inwardly It doesn’t I don’t desire any result Why does Krishna not desire any result Because Krishna is complete He is complete He doesn’t have anything to gain specifically This is Krishna’s elaboration Of what he told in the previous verse That is 4.13 So 4.13 What he says over there is That actually I am the non-doer So how he is the non-doer He is explaining over here So he says that I don’t desire I am not affected internally by the work that I do Nor do I seek the external result of the work Now what is the point of studying this The point is that Krishna is transcendental That Krishna is Although he appears in the material realm Like the rest of the living beings He is not in the material realm He is transcendental Beyond His motivations are transcendental His aspirations are transcendental And therefore One who understands One who understands is Such a person will not be bound by karma Not be bound by karma So what is the implication of this That once we understand Krishna’s transcendental position Then we also become transcendental By gaining his understanding See transcendental understanding is not theoretical It’s an understanding based on transformation It’s an understanding When we understand Why does Krishna act If he is not materially motivated He acts out of love Now we may say is that Is love also not a karmapalespruha No When we use the word karma It is used in the material sense When we want something material as a result Of something that we have done That is karmapalespruha But Krishna doesn’t want the result of anything material So One who understands this about me So knowledge about Krishna is extraordinary As devotees We are not interested in say The battle of Waterloo Or the battle of There are so many historically important battles that happened Waterloo was a battle where Napoleon was defeated And England won the war against France Or there was a battle of Normandy Where they vacated Normandy So many battles are there throughout history There was a battle of Plassey And so many other battles But a devotee is not interested in those battles Then why are we interested in the battle of Kurukshetra Because it is connected with Krishna And why are we interested in Krishna Because Krishna is not an ordinary person He is a transcendental person And being a transcendental person means that He can make us transcendental So when we come to know Krishna We become purified And when we become purified Then we return to him So there is one important aspect to understand That is to know Krishna And to know about Krishna The two are different things To know Krishna And to know about Krishna What is the difference When a doctor examines a patient Say the patient is a small child And the patient has come with his mother So now the doctor examines the patient When the doctor examines the patient What does the doctor actually do? Doctor takes the blood pressure The heartbeat The pulse rate The various bodily parameters Now by that The doctor will come to know about the patient About the child Will the doctor know the child? To know the child The doctor has to strike a personal relationship So the mother may not know about the WBC count The platelet count The urine composition The similar physical parameters Technical physical parameters of the child She doesn’t know about the child But she knows the child Because she has a relationship of love with that child So the point here is That there is one can know about God And one can know God So a clinical approach towards God Can give us a lot of knowledge about God Okay God appeared over God came over here God did this God did that God does like this God acts like that That is theoretical knowledge That is not transformational knowledge We want not just theoretical knowledge But transformational knowledge What is the difference between The theoretical and transformational? Actually theoretical knowledge Just stays in the head Transformational knowledge Changes the direction of our love When we come to know Krishna Not just know about Krishna When we come to know Krishna Then we become purified When we become purified Then we redirect our love towards Krishna And we return back to Krishna by that So I am not materially motivated in any way So Prabhupada now quotes here This verse from the Smritis So So Karan is cause Pradhan is main So actually the supreme lord is the Pradhan Karan So So nimitta matra is the instrumental cause So there is a primary cause And there is an instrumental cause Pradhan Karani and Nimitta Matram Nimitta Matram is a word That will come later in the Bhagavad Gita 11.33 when Krishna says Nimitta Matram Bhava Saubhya Saachi Just become an instrument for me So here what is the context? What is Prabhupada saying over here? That actually when the things happen in the world Is the lord responsible for the things happening? For example say There is a place where there is There are three places One place where there is Is the appropriate quantity of rains And the crops go properly over there Another place where there is too much rain And there is flood over there Third place Where there is Very little Where there is Practically no rain and droughts are there So now actually speaking Is the lord responsible For why there are more rains here Less rains here No rains there at all No Actually it’s He is the ultimate cause But what happens over there Is ultimately the result of Is actually the result of karma So he is not responsible for the specifics The specifics are the reactions For the specific actions that people have performed Overall what essentially happens is That the lord is the overseer of the whole system He is not the specific cause It’s the judge Judge is not the cause of Specifically some person getting punishment And some person getting compensation It’s ultimately the supreme Who is the If the person who is responsible for Whatever that person gets So another example could be If we have a place where we get proper rains But at one place crops grow Another place weeds grow Why is that? Because at that place Different kind of seeds are sown So one place The seed were sown And the crop were tilled And another place nothing like that was done So there is a difference between the two So same way Actually there is a difference Between what kind of karma we have done To the same circumstances You know sometimes Two twins are born in the same family And one twin grows up to be a very cultured Gentlemanly person Other twin grows to be a uncultured Brutish sort of person Why the difference? It’s actually The parents offer a similar kind of love and care But they had different inclinations Coming from their previous lives So the lord is not responsible Prabhupada is saying That we have ourselves responsible for what we do So now Prabhupada quotes the Vedanta Sutra over here So Vaishamya is The lord doesn’t take any Paksha The lord is not partial to anyone So let’s understand this point better When he says lord is not partial What is he? He is reciprocal Reciprocal means As we approach So he rewards If the lord were just a Just a principle So for a principle Neutrality would be the ideal So is Krishna partial or impartial? For a force or a principle Neutrality is the ideal For a person Reciprocity is the ideal What does this mean? Now if we have the principle of gravity Now if I take a cell And I drop it It falls Then if I take a cloth It drops Now if there is a child within a 10-storey building If a cloth is dropped from there It will fall If a child jumps from there Child will also fall So gravity is a force And gravity is neutral entirely Now an object which we want to throw away and discard Throwing it away There is no loss in it We just get good returns of it But if a child falls There is a great loss A disaster A calamity for the parents But then it is neutral Because gravity is a force So for a force or a principle Neutrality is the ideal But if there is a person For a person Neutrality is not the ideal Imagine we meant to meet someone And that person had a stone-like face No matter whatever happened Now somebody goes and praises that person You are so kind You are so gentleman Absolute stone-like demeanour And somebody comes and chastises that person Scolds that person Buries that person Stone-like demeanour No matter whatever you do That person is stone-like Now at one level We may appreciate how stoic the person is But it won’t be much Developing a relationship with that person How will you develop any relationship with that person? And what makes a person lovable is reciprocity So Krishna reciprocates So those who approach him with love He reciprocates with them So this is a continuation of the point of Yatha maam prapadyante So Krishna’s reciprocity is not partiality If somebody becomes devoted to him Krishna reciprocates We’ll discuss about Krishna’s partiality and impartiality Later in the ninth chapter When we come to that verse Samoham sarvabhuteshu 9.29 But here the point is Reciprocity is not partiality Reciprocity is actually the effluence of personality A person has to be reciprocal Person is not reciprocal Then the personality doesn’t have any meaning Much meaning actually So moving forward now reciprocity Krishna says that I am reciprocal And he’s not So depending on the kind of seed that are sown Accordingly grow crops will grow So Krishna is not discriminating For this person I’ll give you grains This person I’ll give you weeds No, whatever you sow you will get So Krishna is saying I am not personally involved So whenever things happen in this world He is not personally involved in the sense that He doesn’t have favourites He doesn’t say I will do good for this person I’ll do bad for this person He just does whatever is required According to the laws of karma So Krishna is not under the laws of karma But he does not normally interfere with the laws of karma He is above the laws of karma And he lets them function And even when he acts He doesn’t come under the laws of karma He acts by his own transcendental principles of love So one who understands this transcendental position of Krishna Is actually liberated So now let’s look at the next verse So Prabhupada explains that Now Krishna says that actually It’s not just a theoretical statement I think many people have become liberated like this evam jnatva krtam karma purvair apimukshum hi kurukarmai vata smartham purvai purvataram krtam So evam jnatva I am knowing this krtam karma One who works accordingly evam jnatva krtam karma purvair apimumukshum hi In the past also those who were seeking liberation So what happened to them? kurukarmai vata smartham purvair apimumukshum hi So evam jnatva krtam karma purvair apimukshum hi means That those who were mukshibhi Those who were seeking liberation Mukshibhi is seekers of liberation Or those who wanted liberation Those who attained liberation Those who wanted liberation They acted in this way And they got liberation With this knowledge they acted jnatva krtam karma In the past purvair And therefore Krishna says Arjuna Therefore Arjuna you should also act like that kurukarmai vata Kuru means to do karmai vata Act similarly smartham Therefore you purvai purvata rankritam As the people in the past have acted So the point which Krishna is making is This is a time-tested process Like a doctor who said Yes these are all the patients who have been cured So you take this treatment You will also get cured So Krishna is saying this is a time-honoured process This is one of the wonderful things about Krishna consciousness It is not some newfangled notion It is not even Actually Krishna consciousness is neither Modern nor ancient It is eternal It is transcendental So of course it is transcendental and eternal At the same time It has been going on in history for also a long long time And in that sense It is something which is wonderful It is wonderful That Krishna consciousness has actually purified Many many people in the past And it has liberated people So of course Krishna is talking here about Karma yoga which will culminate in bhakti yoga So Prabhupada says that The important point of this verse is that Foolish persons or neophytes in Krishna consciousness Often want to retire from activities Without having knowledge of Krishna consciousness Arjuna’s desire to retire from activities Will not be approved by the lord One need only know how to act The point is Actually one doesn’t have to give up activities One simply needs to know how to act If we know how to act Then we will not be bound We will stay liberated Krishna is saying Arjuna you are concerned about karmic bondage I agree with your concern It’s an important concern But don’t assume that just by renouncing action You will be able to break free from bondage Or that just by doing action you will get bound There is a way to act By which one can stay free from bondage So it is not work that is binding It is the motivation that makes work binding So just like the Bhagavatam gives the example Well-known example That if a person takes too much milk Then the person gets a digestive disorder But then that same milk when it is transformed into curd That when a person takes the curd That curd helps to cure the digestive disorder Similarly work itself causes bondage But that work with a slight transformation It’s like curd is ultimately milk only With a transformation So that same milk which caused the disease Can cure the disease When it is transformed appropriately Similarly work that is done for fruitive intentions Causes bondage But work done with detachment With devotional intention Will bring about liberation So one simply needs to know how to act And that Krishna is going to tell So now here Krishna is saying that I teach dharma Now the next section will be Krishna will explain how Karma Yoga Will free one from bondage Karma Yoga is the dharma which Krishna has come to teach Karma Yoga as we said culminates in Bhakti Yoga We’ll discuss about the connection In Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga later But Karma Yoga is what Frees one from bondage That’s what Krishna is telling over here People have become freed So now Krishna will tell How one can practise this Karma Yoga So he will describe this in several verses By talking about How profound the knowledge of Karma is So he says I’ll explain things to you So what is Karma and what is Akarma? Kavayo means even the wise people In this subject Mohitaha They are deluded Even the wise people don’t know What is Karma and what is Akarma? Pravakshami means to speak So that Karma I will speak to you And Krishna is telling Making a very profound promise over here Big promises If you understand this You will become free from inauspiciousness What is inauspiciousness? Immediately he is talking about the Karmic bondage that will come from the battlefield You will not become karmically bound And ultimately he is talking about All karmic bondage You will become free from this Will be repeated the same One line from this verse Will be repeated by Krishna in the 9th chapter Pravakshamena suyave Gyanvigyan sahitam Gyanvigyan sahitam So in 9.1 Krishna says You will become free from bondage And that he gives more direct knowledge About his personality About his divinity About his supremacy and sweetness So the same point You will become free from inauspiciousness So Krishna is telling This is not an easy knowledge to understand Even the wise people get bewildered about it But if you understand it You will become free In the Mahabharata There is a very elaborate discussion After the Mahabharata war When the Kauravas and all the soldiers are killed And even the Pandavas side soldiers are killed Because of Ashwathama’s cowardly night attack So after that Krishna Yudhishthira feels very guilty Repented Remorseful And he tells Alas condemned am I That for my sake For the sake of Gaining a kingdom I became the cause of The death of thousands and thousands Millions of people And he says I have done such bad karma That I will not be able to free from it Even if I do many many fire sacrifices The best thing that I should do is Condemn Renounce to the forest And live a life of atonement So and he tells He almost makes it He says Bhima You can become the king He says I am going to renounce the world Bhima gets angry She says If this was your intention Then why did we have to fight the war You could have said this earlier You know in the Battle when we were waiting In the forest when we were waiting You also were waiting for the eventual Regaining of the kingdom And it is You consented to the war So Yudhishthira says Bhima Bhima you are a child You do not understand the complexities of Dharma You know I am going to renounce the world Then one by one All the Pandavas Arjuna Nakula Sahadev Draupadi All of them try to persuade him And then Krishna speaks Then there are various sages There are various Brahmins They speak Renunciate and say that Actually if it is just going to the forest That is going to free from bondage Then all the animals should be liberated souls She says not like that So they have very interesting arguments And then finally Bhima says Oh Yudhishthira I thought You were a real warrior And you are a Kshatriya You have won the battle against the Kauravas But now you are facing a tougher battle And you are losing that battle That is the battle against your uncontrolled mind So then Yudhishthira stiffens At the suggestion that his mind is uncontrolled And Yudhishthira Till then Yudhishthira will just be silently listening to everyone But now he starts countering He says Oh child it is not my mind that is uncontrolled The uncontrolled mind goes towards attachment If my mind had been uncontrolled I would have been attached and wanting to enjoy I am detaching, I am renouncing It is not that my mind is uncontrolled It is your mind that is uncontrolled Because of which you cannot see the ghastly karma that we have done And then the discussion goes on and on And finally there is no resolution to it It is finally when they go to Bhishma Pitamah And Bhishma Pitamah speaks And Bhishma Pitamah gives various Tells various schools of thought These people say this These people say this And ultimately he says that Actually what is the right course of action? It is doing the will of the Lord So it is the Lord’s will that this battle took place So that is why the battle took place And you were a part of that Now it is the Lord’s will that you become the king So therefore become the king So in this way essentially what he says is That be a part in the Lord’s plan Nobody can understand the Lord’s plan But if we act according to the Lord’s plan The Lord will ultimately bring about everything auspicious for us And Bhishma Pitamah gives an example of himself He says I had a difficult service fighting against the Lord Who would want to do such a service? But I did that and now what is the reward? So he says Because I remained his one-pointed devotee Doing whatever he wanted me to Okay just see Just see his mercy on you What is his mercy? Yenmey Syuns Tejathah Saakshat When I am about to leave my body Krishna himself has come to give me darshan Such is his blessing So the Lord will bless So don’t doubt Don’t doubt And just do the will of the Lord So the point is Even the wives get bewildered Even Yudhishthir who is Dharmaraj Who answered questions of Yaksha Of the Of Dharmaraj Dharma who was acting as a Yaksha in the forest Yudhishthir who was so learned that Actually even the Brahmins were impressed by his learning Sages were impressed by his learning But even Yudhishthir was bewildered God what is the actual duty to do? So Krishna is telling that Of course This incident of Yudhishthir getting bewildered Is going to come after the Mahabharata Bhavita has been spoken before the Mahabharata war Kurukshetra war But the point is This is something which always keeps happening Should we act or should we not act? As Shakespeare said in one of his plays To do or not to do That is the question So there is always the question How should we act in life? So Prabhupada calls that Actually he says we cannot determine it by our own efforts We have to know it from the Lord So we have to know it from the scripture So let us But scripture also teaches many things So Krishna goes on and says Now I will tell you further I will tell you three things What are the three things? Karmanohi api boddhavyam Boddhavyam chavi karmanaha Akarmanasya boddhavyam Gahana karmano gatihi Karmanohi api boddhavyam Boddhavyam means know Know what is karma Then know what is we karma And akarmanasya boddhavyam Know what is akarma Gahana karmano gati The working of karma is gahan Is complex Almost incomprehensible Gahan is dense or dark or difficult to fathom Difficult to penetrate with our intellect So he says the way karma works is very difficult to understand But essentially you understand three things What do you understand? What is the karma? What is we karma? And what is akarma? So we have discussed these three in our Ishopanishad study At the beginning of this course in mantra three When we discussed about Mantra two we discussed Kurva neveha karmani jiveshvatham samah Evam dvainanya te tosti Na karma lipyate nare There Prabhupada explains Karma is that is it refers to the actions that bring good reactions We karma is actions which are against scripture Which bring bad reactions And akarma is not inaction Akarma is action that brings no reaction So Krishna is saying the whole system of karma Which action will bring what reaction And what reaction is coming because of which action All that is very complex to understand But essentially understand three things Understand that certain actions produce good reactions Certain actions produce bad reactions And certain actions bring no material reactions So then Krishna will recommend after this to do akarma So Krishna starts this explanation by first giving Terms to understand And after these terms then he moves forward and talks about other things So now here Krishna uses Upanishadic style Where things are put in a complex way To titillate and tickle the minds of the intellectuals So karmanya akarmaya pasyed akarmani cha karmaya se buddhiman manusheshu so yukta krsna karma kret So karmanya akarmaya pasyed So first I’ll tell the literal meaning Then we’ll see how the literal meaning is confusing And then we’ll see how the meaning can be clarified So karmanya akarmaya pasyed So karmanya means inaction Now yaha pasyed means he who sees One who sees So one who sees karmanya that is action Akarma is inaction So one who sees inaction inaction So inaction inaction One who sees in karmanya akarma And then akarmani chakarmaya One who sees action in inaction So inakarma that is akarmani nature, that means in action, one who sees action.
So such a person is buddhimaan, manusheshu, such a person is buddhimaan. And such a person is yukta, such a person will be well situated, well connected, krchna karma krut, even such a person does different kinds of work. Krishna is saying that if a person you understand what is action, what is inaction, then even if you do different kinds of actions, like fighting a war, still, such a person will be yukta, such a person will be well situated, connected for attaining the absolute truth, such a person is buddhimaan.
Now when we hear the words like this, we will understand that we are not buddhimaan. One who sees action in action and inaction in action, such a person is wise. Now, this translation as well as this word is a tongue twister and a brain twister, both.
Tongue twister. One who sees action in action and inaction in action. To say it yourself is difficult.
Action in inaction and inaction in action. What does it mean? So first of all, saying it is a tongue twister and then it is a brain twister. What does it actually mean? So to understand what it means, we will have to first understand that the word karma and the word akarma have multiple meanings.
So let us look at the meanings of the word karma and akarma. So first of all, what is the word karma? It can have four meanings. First of all, karma can mean action.
In general, when we do some work, we are doing karma, that is action. And the word karma can also mean reaction. Reaction means when I do some action and I get some reaction.
So we say sometimes, oh, I am suffering because of my karma. And we are not suffering because of our karma in terms of actions, we are suffering in terms of reactions. Why am I sick now? Because of my karma.
So that is why we are talking of karma as reactions. Then we also use karma to refer to the system of action-reaction. So we have nobody can escape karma.
Nobody can escape the law of karma. So here we are referring to the law of karma. Here we refer to the system of action-reaction that is called as also known by the name of karma.
And then karma can also refer to one category within the three kinds of actions, what Krishna referred to in the previous verse. In 4.60 he says, karmanohi pibodhavyam. So there are three kinds of karma.
There is karma, the karma and akarma. So karma can refer to pious action also. So in this way, the word karma can have four meanings.
Action, reaction, system of action-reaction, and one kind of action that is pious action. Similarly, the word akarma can have two meanings. One is inaction.
So these two meanings are based on the first two meanings over here. They made into converse. So first meaning of karma is action, then akarma is inaction.
And then the second meaning of akarma will be action that produces no reaction. So action that produces no reaction. Now how can action not produce any reaction? When we do action on our own behalf, that produces reaction.
But when we do action on Krishna’s behalf, that doesn’t produce any reaction. How is that? We have discussed the example Prabhupada would often give that if a soldier goes in the war field and kills the enemy, at that time the soldier is not killed, the soldier is not punished, the soldier may be rewarded. The soldier is acting on behalf of the nation.
The soldier comes home and has a quarrel with the neighbour and shoots the neighbour. The soldier may put up the gallows for that. So the point is that there are certain actions which we do on behalf of a higher authority.
And if we do act on behalf of the Lord, then we don’t become bound by those actions. But if we don’t act on behalf of the Lord, when we act for our own sake, then we do get bound, we do get bound. So there is a difference between the two.
So action that produces no reaction means action which we do on behalf of Krishna, then because we are acting on behalf of Krishna, we don’t get bound by those actions. So with this understanding of the words karma and akarma, now let’s look at what the verse means. So, this is for any karmanya akarma ihapashet.
So in action, do karmanya akarma ihapashet. So to see inaction in action. So here what does it mean? Here akarma means not inaction in terms of inactivity.
Here it means no karmic reaction. So karmanya refers to activity or more preferably external activity. So see in external activity, no karmic reaction.
So what it means is that one who sees that, yeah, this kind of activity a person is doing, but that activity will not produce any reaction. And the example is, in this case, Arjuna is fighting. It will lead to no karmic reaction because Arjuna is not acting on one’s own behalf, he is acting under the instruction of the Lord.
So this is karmanya akarma ihapashet, karmanya akarma ihapashet. One who sees that inaction, there is actually no reaction going to come. There is no karmic reaction.
It is actually non-reactionary work. So here karmanya refers to action, in general action, the first meaning of the word action among the four meanings, any kind of action a person does. But akarma refers to not inaction.
It is not that action is inaction. Somebody is doing action and still that person is not doing action. No, that person is doing action.
But akarma refers to that there is no reaction going to come. Why? Because it is being done on behalf of the Lord. So normally for sannyasis say, sannyasis have actually broken free from the bondages of the world, at least externally, and they are not meant to get back into the bondage.
That is why it is said that sannyasis should not cross the ocean and go to the lands across the oceans, because they will get bound by karma. How they will get bound? Because those areas are said to be very materialistic, very contaminated, and thus sannyasis may also get material desires. And then those material desires will act as contamination, they will cause their fall down also.
So the traditional Hindu standard was that sannyasis should not cross the ocean and go to the lands over there. So that is true at one level. Sannyasis have to be careful about bad association because they don’t want to get contaminated.
But Srila Prabhupada had this karmanya karmaya passion. Prabhupada saw that I am not going there for any purpose of material enjoyment. I am going there for the service of the Lord.
I am going there for giving Krishna’s message and sharing Krishna’s love with people over there. So although he went to America, did he become contaminated? Far from that. He went to the most contaminated places and he transformed them into Vaikuntha.
He manifested his spiritual world wherever he went. So karmanya akarmaya pashet. So Prabhupada had that vision that even wherever he went, he transformed that into spiritual world.
One time the devotees took Srila Prabhupada for a morning walk and somehow they missed the roads, they are also new, and then they were supposed to go to a park but they came into slum area. So it was quite, it was dirty and it was smelly and it was not at all aesthetically pleasing. The devotees applied, Prabhupada, sorry we brought you to such a place.
Prabhupada said, no, this is Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha? What do you mean? Prabhupada said, you know, wherever the devotees are, we are all together and we are discussing Krishna Katha, that is Vaikuntha. So actually where a devotee goes, devotee may go to a filthy place also, but the devotee is interested in glorifying Krishna and that glorifier Krishna transforms that place to the transcendental level.
So karmanya akarmaya pashet. And then akarmani cha karmaya. Akarmani cha karmaya means what? Okay, yeah.
Akarmani cha karmaya means that one who acts. So here akarmani means person is not doing any external activity, but still there is karma. Here the word akarma refers to no physical activity, no external activity.
And karma refers to the reaction. So here karma doesn’t mean action, karma means reaction. So that means even when there is no external activity, still there will be reaction.
So akarmani cha karmaya, see in external activity karmic reaction. So Krishna has talked about this at the start of the third chapter also, when he said that karmendriyani sanyamya yasate manasasmaran indriyarthan vimuhatma vidhyacharas uchyate. So he is telling that if a person may give up external engagement in the world and the person may be externally acting like a meditator, like an announcer, but if that person is internally meditating on the sense objects and is craving for the sense objects, then that person is actually getting into karmic bondage.
Person is getting into karmic bondage. So therefore karmendriyani sanyamya yasate manasasmaran. So what is happening? Krishna is strongly connected with vidhyacharas.
Same point Krishna is telling over here in a different way, from the point of view of karma. There he was talking more from the moral standards, now he is talking from the karmic perspective. So he is saying that as a person, the person is not doing any external activity, but still the person will get bound.
So akarmanichakarmayah. So Arjuna, he may renounce the world and he may go to the forest, but internally Arjuna is Kshatriya and the Kshatriya nature is there, he has to act. So he will be desiring things related to Kshatriya nature and he will become bound by that.
So actually inactivity can also be criminally culpable. For example, if a patient is dying and at that time the doctor does not give any medicine and the patient dies, the doctor says I did not do anything. Not doing anything is a serious offence.
That is crime that is called guilty by negligence, guilt by negligence. That can be criminally culpable. So thieves are plundering a victim and the police just stayed by mutely watching, not doing anything.
Then the people are karmically, then actually it is karmically culpable, legally culpable there. Police, they can be guilty of negligence also. So that can be also criminally culpable situation.
So actually akarmanichakarmayah. So for a person who has a particular duty to perform, so Arjuna is a Kshatriya, if he does not do the duty, he may say that I am not doing anything, but that can cause bondage. And further if somebody renounces and is contemplating on sense gratification, then that is also, there is external activity, but internally there is contemplation and therefore the motivation is not truly renounced, the motivation is not truly pure and therefore there will be fruitive activity happening at the mental level, which will eventually lead to action in the physical level and will also lead to bondage.
So Krishna is saying basically the call of the verse is go beyond externals, go beyond superficials, look deeper, look within. See seriously what is actually happening and based on that vision act properly. So basically the whole import of the verse is to look deeper, look deeper.
And now after describing, such a person is wise. Now after this Krishna will describe, start describing how a karma yogi acts. So next five verses describe how a karma yogi acts.
So first he is giving general principles, see action in action, in action in action. Now he will describe further details. yasya sarve samarambha kama sankalpa varjitaha jnana vidagdha karmanam tamahu panditambudhaha So yasya sarve samarambhaha.
yasya sarve samarambha means that one who every endeavour is sarve samarambhaha arambha is attempt samarambha is attempt to begin sarve samarambha whatever actions a person does, every single action of a person kama sankalpa varjitaha it is free from the desire person’s gratification and that is not the sankalpa that is not the motivation of the person varjitaha, free from jnana vidagdha karmanam So the karma is like every action that we do is like a seed and the seed is going to produce some fruit afterwards. But if the seed is burnt, then the seed will not produce any fruit. So Krishna is saying jnana vidagdha karmanam that by the fire of knowledge, the seed of karma will be burnt and if a person acts that person will not be burnt.
Which a person is? tamahu panditambudhaha So Krishna uses two words to describe us. Panditam and budhaha. So both may mean the same thing.
But Krishna is saying budha are the enlightened. And the enlightened they consider a person to be pandita So why is Krishna using two words over here? Krishna is telling Arjuna indirectly that people who are not so wise, who are not budha, the opposite of budha is mudha. Budha is enlightened, mudha is ignorant.
So those who are having only superficial vision what they may see is oh this person is acting, this person is going to get bound. This person is active, this person is not going to get bound. This person is going to get liberated.
People who have superficial, they will see like this and then those people will think oh this person is acting, that person is ignorant this person is not acting, that person is wise. But that is only the vision of people with superficial knowledge. What the people with deep knowledge, people who are budha what they see is that this person is acting but this person is not selfishly motivated.
So the essence of this verse is, it is a call for us to sacrifice selfish motivation. It is a call for us to seek a higher motivation in life. It says So naturally we will not act if there is no desire in our hearts.
Desire is what makes us act, no doubt. But Krishna is talking here, kama refers to specifically it refers to lust generically it refers to selfish desire. So one does not have a selfish desire.
There can be multiple levels of selflessness and Krishna will talk ultimately about divine selflessness. Means acting for the good of God. Not the good of God, we cannot do any good to God.
For the pleasure of God, for the service of God. And the good of others. So this is a call that the one who, not one who renounces but one who not one who renounces action but one who renounces selfishness.
That person is considered pandita by the Buddha. The wise consider such a person to be intelligent. And Krishna is telling Arjuna, you become like this.
So Krishna is telling that yes you want to renounce, yes be meticulous renouncer. But renounce what? Don’t renounce action, renounce selfishness. And let no action be motivated by selfishness.
It says So then, Krishna will elaborate on this further. tyaktvā karmapalāsaṅgam nitya-trukto nirāśrayaḥ karmaññavipravṛttopi naiva kiñcit karoti saham tyaktvā karmapalāsaṅgam tyaktvā means to give up. karmapalāsaṅgam So saṅga is attachment.
So one who gives up attachment to the fruit of work. nitya-trukto nirāśrayaḥ nitya-trukto is the person who is satisfied always. nirāśrayaḥ That person doesn’t shake shelter of anyone else.
Anything else. That person is self-satisfied. karmaññavipravá¹›ttopi Even if that person acts in karma as he is, according to one’s nature, nirāśrayaḥ naiva kiñcit karoti saham Such a person doesn’t do anything.
naiva kiñcit karoti saham He is not doing anything. What does this mean actually? It essentially means that one should act with attachment. Krishna is reiterating the point that tyaktvā karmapalāsaṅgam tyaktvā karmapalāsaṅgam The criteria is not giving up karma.
The criteria is giving up attachment. Giving up selfishness. So nirāśrayaḥ.
Normally we say we have to take āśraya of Krishna. So why is he talking about nirāśraya over here? Actually he is talking about nirāśraya because right now he is not talking directly about a higher spiritual truth. About devotional principles.
Krishna has given knowledge about himself briefly starting from 4.5 till 4.14 where Krishna has talked about his supreme position. How he is transcendental. How he descends to the world.
How knowing him can free one from bondage. How he is the goal of all paths. So Krishna has given knowledge about himself.
But still if we look at the remaining chapter the focus is not on himself. Krishna speaks about himself in response to Arjuna’s question. But from 4.16 onwards Krishna is basically talking about karma yoga.
So where he left off at 3.35 from there onwards Krishna is talking on over here. So 3.35 was Å›reyāṁ sa dharmo vighunāḥ paradharmaḥ sa nuÅ›citāt Act according to one’s dharma. There a slight detour came off because Arjuna asked a question.
3.36 was the question. athakena prayuktoyam pāpam jarati puruṣaḥ What makes one act sinfully? And then 37 to 43 was the answer to that question. And then as Krishna was elaborating on the history of that knowledge Arjuna asked another question.
How could you have spoken to Sun God? He asked in 4.3 4.4 And then 4.5 to 4.15 Arjuna received the answer to that question from Krishna. And Krishna talks about his to respond to his question he talks about his supreme position. But essentially what Krishna is talking about is karma yoga.
And this karma yoga he explains that yes one person may act but if the person is not selfishly motivated person will not be bound. So nirāśraya doesn’t refer to not taking shelter of Krishna. Nirāśraya here refers to Krishna has not introduced himself as the ultimate āśraya right now.
The way he will introduce in later chapters. Like this He will introduce like that in the later chapters. But right now he is more focussing on be detached.
There are two aspects. One is be detached from worldly things and second is be attached to Krishna. So right now the focus of the message is be detached.
Be detached from worldly things. So nirāśraya means don’t take shelter of anyone. The same point Krishna had also talked about in 3.19 when he said नईवतस्ते कृते नार्थो नाकृते ने कश्चिणा नचास्ति सर्वभूतेशु कश्चिद अर्थव्या पाश्रयह The person doesn’t need to take shelter of anyone else.
So what Krishna is essentially telling over here 3.18 that don’t take shelter of anyone else means don’t become attached to anyone materially. So person is self satisfied is not dependent on anything else anyone else materially not attached to the force of work. Even if a person acts, that person will not be bound.
Now after describing this Krishna continues this description till verse 23 So nirāśraya, person is not motivated by selfish desire. Now the word nirāś in the vernacular languages in Hindi or Marathi nirāś means rejected. That is not the meaning in Sanskrit.
nirāś means nirāśa āśa doesn’t mean hope, it means desire. So nirāśa means one is without any selfish desire. यत चित्तात्मा one who is self-controlled mind of intelligence जित्तात्मा, mind and intelligence translated over here.
The person has no possessive mentality. Not that a person has no possessions, but a person has no possessive mentality. And then what is the motivation for action? Generally, we act.
Why do we act in the world? I study because I want to come first in the class or I want to get a good mark in the class or at least I want to get a job. So I need to have some degree. Like why do I work in my office? Because I want salary at the end.
Or I have some hobbies because I enjoy doing it. But anyway, we always do something because we have a desire. We have some desire for doing it.
But Krishna is studying over here. What is the motive for a person who is transcendentalist to act in the world? शारीरं केवलं कर्म Now, शारीरं केवलं कर्म at one level it means simply for bodily maintenance one should act. So now, we may wonder if Arjuna wins the war and becomes the king, he is not doing शारीरं केवलं कर्म.
He will be living in a palace. He will be having opulence. He will be eating delightful feasts.
Then how is he doing शारीरं केवलं कर्म? See, we shouldn’t have a stereotyped idea of शारीरं केवलं कर्म. Yes, we have to act for the maintenance of the body. But how we act will depend on one’s varna and ashrama.
So, if a person is a Kshatriya, the person has to live appropriately as a Kshatriya should. So, शारीरं केवलं कर्म will vary for different people. And कुर्वन नापनो तिकिल्विष्यम even if a person acts, will not be bound.
Now, Prabhupada writes in the purport of this, 4.21 that a Krishna So, he has no desire for sense gratification. So, निराशिर चिप्तात्मान् Prabhupada gives two examples. His example may seem a little disturbing.
He says he moves exactly like a part of a machine. As a machine part requires oiling and cleaning for maintenance. So, a Krishna conscious man maintains himself by his work just to remain fit for action in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
So, we wonder, you know, we are not machines. We are not meant to be just like mechanical. We are conscious.
So, what does it mean to be a part of a machine? The point is, here it is not to dehumanise us. It is not to say that we have to become mechanised. The point is coordination and cooperation.
Every example has an emphasis. So, the examples this example’s emphasis is that just as a part works in sync with the whole, similarly we should work in sync with the whole. But how do we work in sync with the whole? Not by just becoming like a machine, means forgetting our consciousness, forgetting our desires.
But that cooperation, that syncing happens because of love. When we understand that we are parts of Krishna and Krishna loves us and when we love him we will get the greatest happiness. So, then we will work in sync with him.
That is what is the example of a part, of a machine. And then, this is another example which may seem even more disturbing. Like an animal, he has no proprietorship even on his own body.
A cruel proprietor of an animal sometimes cues the animal’s position yet the animal does not protest. So, now, let me say, what kind of example, what kind of life is this? Whatever happens, are we supposed to be slaughtered? Like that? No, again the point is, not that somebody will slaughter us. Krishna is not like an animal slaughterer.
Krishna is never going to slaughter. The example’s point is our surrender. So, just like a faithful dog will be with the master till the last breath.
So, like that, we are faithful. So, now Prabhupada had, Prabhupada did not approve the western civilisation’s fascination with dogs as pets, having them in the house, having them on one’s bed. So, the dog is an unclean animal.
But at the same time, Prabhupada also recognised virtue there, there was virtue. So, dog was faithful to the master. So, the dog may even lay down its life for the sake of the master and it will always be with the master.
So, even if the master kicks the dog, the dog will still be there. That doesn’t mean the master should kick the dog. It’s not a justification of the master’s doing anything wrong.
It’s simply a acknowledgement of a virtue present in a particular animal. So, like that, a devotee is utterly devoted to the Lord. Sometimes it may appear to us as if the Lord is beating us.
Sometimes, even when we are seriously devoted to Krishna, still problems come up. This goes wrong, that goes wrong, there that happens, here this happens. We wonder, why are these things happening to me? What is actually going on? But if we stay fixed in Krishna consciousness, we will understand that the Lord has a plan and whatever He is doing is ultimately for our good, although we may not understand immediately.
So, the point of the example is to have faithfulness. Just like a dog has faithfulness, so like that we should have faithfulness towards the Lord. So, that is what Prabhupada is explaining this verse from a Krishna conscious perspective.
Then, So, means by divine arrangement, by higher arrangement, it is by its own accord, that means by the arrangement of nature. So, whatever love a person gets by one’s own accord, that person is Santushta with that. So, whatever comes of one’s accord is satisfied.
This is good, this is bad. This is all material and ultimately I have to go beyond this. Not envious.
I have this small house, that person has a bigger house. Why this person has a bigger house? I want a bigger house. So, this envy is something which will never be satisfied, which will never go away.
Because there will always be some other people who are better than us and that will make us envious. Actually, ultimately when we are envious of someone, we are envious of Krishna because Krishna has so much opulence and we want to be God. Material things cannot make me happy.
They cannot make anyone happy. So, why should I be envious of him? Because the person is not too possessive about the results of activity. He doesn’t get too excited.
If I get success, fine. If I don’t get success, okay. I’ll go on doing my duty.
Because I understand that success doesn’t come just by my efforts. It comes ultimately by my own past karmic reactions also. So, I’ll keep doing my duty.
Sometimes results may come, sometimes results may not come. But I’ll stay fixed in my duty. Even if such a person acts, that person will not be bound.
And then, in the next verse, Krishna concludes this description of Karma Yoga. Of a Karma Yogi. gatasangasya muktasya jnanavastitacetasaha yajnayacharatah karma samagram praviliyate So, gatasangasya muktasya.
Sangha is attachment. Gatasangha means one whose sangha has gone away. Muktasya, person is liberated.
jnanavastitacetasaha person is situated in Jnana, in knowledge. Consciousness is situated in knowledge. And what is the intention for work? Yajnayacharatah karma.
The person acts for Yajna. What will happen to such a person? samagram praviliyate samagram In totality, that person’s karma, activity, praviliyate, will merge. So, it’s significant.
What will merge? It is not the person will merge, the person’s work will merge. That means the work will become transcendental. Work wants to materialise.
And a very significant word here, in this verse is in 4.23c yajnayacharatah karma. So, Krishna has referred to the principle of Yajna in 3.9. He says, There, he says, So, work for the purpose of Yajna, then you will not stay bound. So, he mentioned that and he talked whole system of Yajna from 3.9 to 3.60 That whole section was there.
So, now Krishna is bringing that point and he is saying that, actually Yajna is not just some fire sacrifice. Yajna essentially means sacrifice, selfless sacrifice. So, when the person acts in the mood of Yajna, yajnayacharatah, means acts in the mood of sacrifice, then the person will stay bound, free from bondage.
And this verse, yajnayacharatah will be expanded in the next section from 4.24 till 4.33. That we will discuss.