Gita 03.18 – The independent are bound to neither action nor renunciation

That even if you have transcended duties, still do duty for the benefit of others. naiva tasya krutena artha naiva tasya krutena artha Tasya of that person.

Who is that person that was mentioned in the previous verse? One who is self-satisfied. Tasya is a pronoun mentioned in that person. So that person has naiva, does not have krutena artha has no purpose for working.

So it is mentioned that that person has no duty because he is not self-satisfied. naiva tasya krutena artha has no reason to act at the same time. na krutene ha kashchena Nor does that person have any reason to not act.

na cha asya sarva bhuteshu Nor does that person towards all living beings kashchid artha vyapashrayaha does not have any purpose in taking shelter of other living beings. Krishna is analyzing the position of the person who delights within. He is stating that such a person being self-satisfied does not need to perform duties in this world.

So if we take from the world we have to give to the world. If we take facilities from the government we have to pay taxes to the government. If we take something from people we are expected to give something in return.

Similarly, so same principle applies here. That the person who is dependent, desirous of external gains, that person needs to do external duties also. The person who is satisfied within doesn't take external things and so is not obliged to do any external duties.

So, naiva tasya krten artha So for him krten, doing activities artha, there is no purpose for doing activities. We see in this world that if a person has adequate money and the person may say, okay now, I have got enough money for more than my lifetime for my family members also so why should I do any job now? Now some people may do a job because they will feel bored otherwise, they will not know what to do with their lives. But many other people may feel, oh, this job is such hard work, let me just give it up, let me relax now.

Now of course their conception of relaxation may be to get into often frivolous or even sinful activities. But for a devotee, devotee may, if once they say they have earned enough, they have enough savings, they may feel, oh, let me just focus on service to Krishna. Why do I need to work on such entangling and anxiety inducing and overall agitating occupations? So now that is a valid reasoning, more or less the worldly responsibilities have been executed when the devotee can move towards vanaprastha.

Here, although that reasoning is similar, here the case is slightly different because even the vanaprastha does interact with the world, sannyasi also interacts with the world, although not at the same level of involvement as is there for vanaprasthas. But here Krishna is talking about a jnana yogi who renounces everything and becomes utterly inactive. So even in the rare cases when that is possible, the person is so detached, he doesn't need anything from the world.

So that person has nothing to achieve because one is self-satisfied. But still Krishna says, on one side, that person has no reason to act, but on the other side, that person also has no reason to not act. That person has no reason to not act.

So what does it mean, no reason to not act? For that person the external world doesn't matter. So even if that person who is fully detached acts in the world, there is no danger because of being satisfied internally, the person will not be tempted externally. They will not become entangled externally.

It is like if a person is going through an area where drugs are very freely and easily available, the person is agitated with life or things, that person may want maybe the drugs will give me some quick relief. Or if the person is addicted to drugs and going through such areas, almost certainly the person will succumb to the temptation for drugs and indulge. But if a person is so satisfied internally, there is not even an inclination for taking drugs at all.

Then the temptation also won't act. Now for such a person, because there is no desire for drugs, there is no reason to go to the area where drugs are being sold. There is no purpose in going there.

At the same time, the person who is internally satisfied will have no intrinsic aversion from going there because it doesn't matter even if he has to go there. He is not going to become tempted. This is of course an extreme example, but Krishna will use this principle to illustrate that if there is no danger for that person, why not act? So that will set an example for others.

We will discuss that a little later in future verses. But here let's see what Krishna says in the last part. The person does not depend on any living being for any purposes of necessities or maintenance or anything like that.

What this essentially means is that So we all live in this world, we all act in this world. And our purpose in acting is reciprocation. We offer something to others, we take something that they offer to us.

In barter economies in the past, this would have was more informal. Still the principle of reciprocity was there. And now through most streamlined currency methods the reciprocation will have more structure and some specific forms.

But still we depend on others, others depend on us. Krishna is talking about the self-realized Jnani is not dependent on any living being. Normally sense gratification makes us dependent on although we think of sense gratification as freedom.

Nowadays people talk about sexual freedom. I want to enjoy the way I want to enjoy the time I want to enjoy. And that is my right.

That's what people consider sexual freedom. But actually the freedom of sense gratification takes away our freedom because it makes us dependent on the sense objects. If I develop an attachment to drinking then not only do I become dependent on the bottle of alcohol whichever brand it may be for drinking but I also become dependent on the people with whom I am employed to whom who is giving money by which I can buy alcohol.

So sense gratification actually makes us more and more dependent. And in that way we become dependent on other living beings. But when there is no desire for sense gratification then there is no dependence on other living beings.

One is satisfied. Satisfied within. And therefore that person has no duty towards others.

He is not dependent for shelter on other living beings. So other living beings does not include God over here. In the sense that those who are jnanis they usually consider God as an impersonal light.

In that sense their focus is not on depending on God because they don't consider God to be a person who will extend his mercy and lift us up. They consider God or the absolute truth to be more a state of consciousness that has to be attained by one's own internal practice. So in that sense this means that they are not dependent on any living beings.

For devotees of course this verse will apply in such a way that they are not dependent on any living being except Krishna. And of course Krishna is the representative of the spiritual master. But you don't have to worry too much about the opinions of the world or what will people think about this, what will people think about that.

No, it is focus on loving and serving Krishna and everything else Krishna will arrange to take care of. That is the devotee's singular focus on Krishna bhakti. The devotee also has no reason to go out into the world for the devotee does not need materialistic things for enjoyment.

But the devotee has no reason to not go into the world. The devotee is ours. If a service requires the devotee to interact with the world then the devotee will do that.

Understand? The essential principle will be that Krishna will draw us to the duty that is beneficial for yourself and beneficial for others. And the devotional duty of sharing, of living in the world and setting an example for others is what will be endorsed for Arjuna.