75 verses
Arjuna said: O Mighty-armed one, controller of the senses, killer of Keśī, I desire to know the true meaning of sannyāsa and the different meaning of tyāga.
The Lord said: The learned know that sannyāsa means to give up all actions performed for personal benefit. The learned say that tyāga means giving up the results of all actions.
Taking up the former idea first, the Lord explains the different derivations of the two words. To renounce (nyāsa) at the very root activities performed for fulfilling personal desires (kāmyānāṁ karmaṇām) is called sannyāsa. Personal desires are indicated in such statements as the following:
putra-kāmo yajeta, svarga-kāmo yajeta
One with a desire for a son should worship. One with desire for Svarga should worship. Āpastamba Śrauta Sūtra 3.9.4, 19.10.14
This does not mean that one should reject daily obligatory activities (nitya-karma) such as sandhya worship.
Tyāga means that one should give up the results of all activities in performance of actions with personal desire (kāmya-karma) or in performance of obligatory actions (nitya-karma), rather than to give up those activities completely.
For the śrutis also promise results even for the obligatory actions (nitya-karma).
karmaṇā pitṛloka
By the obligatory actions one goes to Pitṛloka. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.5
dharmeṇa pāpam apanudati
By following dharma, one eradicates sin. Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad 15.7
Therefore, in tyāga, one should perform all kāmya-karmas and nitya-karmas without seeking results, whereas in sannyāsa one performs only obligatory duties (nitya-karma) without the desire for results, and completely rejects rituals for personal gratification (kāmya-karma). This is the distinction of the two words sannyāsa and tyāga.
Some learned persons say that all actions should be given up because they are all faulty. Others say that activities like sacrifice, charity and austerity should not be given up.
In this verse, the Lord describes other opinions about the meaning of tyāga. The sāḍkhya philosophers (eke manīṣiṇaḥ) say that all activities described in the scripture, because of being defective by inclusion of violence or other bad qualities, should be given up completely. On the other hand, the Mīmāṁsakas (apare) say that activities such as sacrifice cannot be given up because they are prescribed by the scriptures.
Hear from Me the conclusion regarding tyāga, O best descendent of Bharata. O tiger among men, tyāga is said to have three types.
In this verse the Lord states His opinion. Tyāga has three types: in sattva, rajas and tamas. The Lord delays describing these three types till verse seven, and then starts with a description of tyāga in the mode of tamas. From the use of the word sannyāsa in describing tamasic tyāga in that verse, it is understood that tyāga and sannyāsa have the same meaning in the opinion of the Lord.
Sacrifice, charity and austerity should not be given up but should be performed, since they purify even the wise.
According to the Lord, even among kāmya-karmas (optional), those sacrifices, charities and austerities which are sattvic in nature, , should be performed without desire for results. This is explained in this verse. Sacrifice, austerity and charity must be done, because they cause purification of the consciousness.
These actions must be done, but without the misconception of being the doer and without longing for results. This is My final opinion.
In this verse the Lord shows the method by which these actions become purifying.
Giving up the misconception of being the doer (saḍgaṁ tyaktvā) and also giving up the quest for results (phalāni), one should perform those actions. Giving up the idea of being the doer and giving up seeking results is tyāga and this is also called sannyāsa.
It is not recommended to give up nitya-karmas even for the sannyāsī. Rejection arising from ignorance of scripture ends in ignorance. One who gives up the obligatory actions out of fear of bodily pain, thinking it is an unnecessary inconvenience for the body, performs tyāga in the mode of rajas, and does not attain the intended result of that tyāga.
Starting the description of the three types of tyāga, the Lord here describes tamasic tyāga. Giving up daily activities (niyatasya karmaṇaḥ) is not recommended. To reject the nitya-karmas out of ignorance of the meaning of scriptures (mohāt) is called tamasic tyāga. The sannyāsī can reject kāmya-karmas since they are not obligatory, but nitya-karmas are not to be rejected. That is the suggestion of the word tu. The result of such tamasic tyāga is ignorance, instead of attainment of knowledge, which was the very goal in rejecting the nitya-karma.
duḥkham ity eva yat karma kāya-kleśa-bhayāt tyajet
sa kṛtvā rājasaṁ tyāgaṁ naiva tyāga-phalaṁ labhet ||8|
Even though one knows that performance of nitya-karma is necessary and to do it is praiseworthy and to neglect to do it is a sinful, if one rejects the action thinking it is useless trouble to the body, it is known as rajasic tyāga. One will not attain the desired result of tyāga, knowledge, by doing so.
O Arjuna, that tyāga in which obligatory actions are performed out of duty, without sense of doership and desire for results, is considered tyāga in the mode of sattva.
Performing the nitya-karma (niyatam karma) thinking “this should be done” while rejecting doership and desired results is called sattvic tyāga. It is understood here that the result of renouncing the fruits and not renouncing the action in this sattvic tyāga is knowledge.
The wise renunciate situated in sattva, devoid of doubt, does not hate uncomfortable duties nor prefer comfortable duties.
This verse describes the characteristics of one fixed in such sattvic tyāga. Akuśalam means those activities which bring suffering to the body, such as bathing during the winter. Kuśala means those activities which are pleasurable for the body, such as bathing during the summer.
As it is not possible for one with a body to give up all actions completely, he who gives up the results of action is considered a tyāgī.
Therefore, actions ordained by scripture should not be given up. It is not possible for one with a body to give up activities. Śakyam is used for the proper word śakyāni. The Lord has already said that not for a moment can the person remain without doing action: na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt. (BG 3.5)
Those who do not renounce in the prescribed way get results in the form of hellish suffering, heavenly enjoyment or human birth in the next life. This is not so for one who renounces in the correct manner.
The fault of not following this process of tyāga is described. Those who do not renounce in the prescribed way get results in the form of suffering of hell (aniṣṭam), the pleasures of Svarga (iṣṭam) and human birth (miśram) in the next life (pretya).
O Mighty-armed one, learn from Me the five factors necessary for completion of action, which are mentioned in the Vedānta, which speaks about the destruction of karma.
“But how can doing action not give karmic results?”
In order to establish that there is no contamination of karma when performing actions without false identification, the Lord speaks five verses.
For the completion (siddhaye) of all actions, know these five factors from My words (me). Sāḍkhya means to speak (khyā) directly (samyak) about the Paramātmā. These five causes are mentioned in the Vedānta scriptures (sāḍkhye), whose purpose is to destroy karma (kṛtānte).
These five factors are the body, the false ego, the senses of various types, the life airs with various functions, and the Supersoul.
The five causes are listed. Adhiṣṭhānam means the body. Kartā means the ahaḍkāra, which ties together the soul with the body. Karaṇam means the senses of many types (pṛthag-vidham) such as eyes or ears. Ceṣṭā refers to the life airs such as prāṇa and apāna, which have various functions (pṛthak). Daiva refers to the antaryāmī who sets everything in motion.
These five are the causes of all actions both dharmic and adharmic that man performs with his body, words or mind. Though these five are the causes of action, the unintelligent fool who sees only himself as the doer does not see.
Actions are of three types: physical, vocal and mental. These are all of two types: following dharma (nyāyam) or not following dharma (viparītam). The five are causes of all these actions.
tatraivaṁ sati kartāram ātmānaṁ kevalaṁ tu yaḥ
paśyaty akṛta-buddhitvān na sa paśyati durmatiḥ
Then what happens? Though these five are causes of action (tatra evam), one who sees only that the self, the jīva, is the doer, though actually the jīva is not associated with action at all, does not see, being a fool (durmatiḥ), because of impure intelligence (akṛta-buddhitvāt). One may say that such a foolish person is blind.
He who does not think he is the doer, and is not attached to actions by thinking them good or bad, does not kill even though he kills, and is not bound.
Who then is intelligent with good eyes? One who does not have the nature of ahaḍkāra (ahaḍkṛto bhāvaḥ), who is not thinking himself the doer, who is not attached to actions by thinking the action will give good or bad results (yasya buddhir na lipyate), does not obtain reactions of karma. What else can be said? Though he may do pious or sinful acts, he does not do them. Though it may appear from ordinary vision that he has killed all these living beings, he does not kill, from his own vision, because he has no motive for the action. Therefore he is not bound. He does not receive the reactions of karma.
The rules for action are the process for knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knower. The factors in performance of action are the instrument, the object and the subject.
The sattvic tyāga or sannyāsa just described and approved by the Lord is for the jñānīs. The bhaktas however reject karma-yoga by its very nature. In the Eleventh Canto of Bhāgavatam it is said:
ājñāyaiva guṇān doṣān mayādiṣṭān api svakān
dharmān santyajya yaḥ sarvān māṁ bhajet sa ca sattamaḥ
He perfectly understands that the ordinary religious duties prescribed by Me in various Vedic scriptures possess favorable qualities that purify the performer, and he knows that neglect of such duties constitutes a discrepancy in one’s life. Having taken complete shelter at My lotus feet, however, a saintly person ultimately renounces such ordinary religious duties and worships Me alone. He is thus considered to be the best among all living entities. SB 11.11.32
Śrīdhara Svāmī has explained the meaning of the Bhāgavatam verse as follows.
“He who giving up his duties prescribed by Me in the form of the Vedas and worships Me is the best. Is not such a person ignorant or an atheist? No, though knowing that following the principles of dharma has good qualities like purification, and on the other hand, knowing the sin of not following dharma, he gives up these practices with the firm conviction that just by being My devotee, all will be accomplished, as these other things cause distraction to meditation upon Me.”
“Giving up dharma” in the verse does not mean mere giving up the results of those practices. It should be understood that there is no loss at all in giving up the results of those practices.
The meaning is this. Understanding of the statements of Bhāgavatam and the explanations of the commentators requires purity of the consciousness. In proportion to the degree of purification of the heart by niṣkāma-karma, there will be an awakening of knowledge. There is no other way. Therefore for attaining the awakening of knowledge even the sannyāsīs must perform karma-yoga. However, such karma is no longer necessary for those who have attained complete purification of the heart by such karma. It is said:
ārurukṣor muner yogaṁ karma kāraṇam ucyate
yogārūòhasya tasaiva śamaḥ kāraṇam ucyate
For one who is a neophyte in the eightfold yoga system, work is said to be the means; and for one who is already elevated in yoga, cessation of all material activities is said to be the means. BG 6.3
yas tv ātma-ratir eva syād ātma-tṛptaś ca mānavaḥ
ātmany eva ca santuṣṭas tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate
But for one who takes pleasure in the self, whose human life is one of self-realization, and who is satisfied in the self only, fully satiated—for him there is no duty. BG 3.17
But bhakti, being independent, supreme and most powerful, does not rely on purification of the heart.
It is said:
vikrīòitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ
śraddhānvito yaḥ śṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati parilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ
Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s playful affairs with the young gopīs of Vṛndāvana will attain the Lord’s pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart.
SB 10.33.39
Supreme bhakti enters from the beginning of practice (sādhana-bhakti) into a person afflicted with material disease, which causes suffering, and removes lust and other impurities.
praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṇa svānāṁ bhāva-saroruham
dhunoti śamalaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ salilasya yathā śarat
The sound incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul [i.e. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam], enters into the heart, sits on the lotus flower of his loving relationship, and thus cleanses the dust of material association, such as lust, anger and hankering. Thus it acts like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water. SB 2.8.5
Thus, if bhakti alone can purify the heart in such a way, why should the devotees perform prescribed duties?
Now let us get back to the text at hand. The process of knowledge means to do acts with understanding that one is different from his body (jñānam). The object of knowledge (jñeyam) is the whole subject of ātmā. The shelter of such knowledge is a jñānī, the knower (parijñātā). But this is not all. These three are related to action. Thus these should be understood by the sannyāsī. The verse explains this.
The word codana means “rule.” The learned say that codana means teaching or rule. The first half of the verse is explained in the second half as follows. Knowledge (jñāna) is the means of action or instrumental case (karaṇa), since knowledge literally means “that by which something is known.” What is to be known (jñeyam), jīvātmā tattva, is the object of action (knowing) or the accusative case (karma). The knower (parijñātā) is the subject (kartā) or nominative case. These—the instrumental, the accusative, and the nominative--are the three factors in bringing about action (trividham). These three are accepted in the performance of niṣkāma-karma (karma saṁgrahaḥ). Karma-saṁgraha therefore acts as an explanation of karma-codana. Thus, the process of knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knower act as a base for performance of niṣkāma-karma.
Hear about the three types of knowledge, action and the knower, which are described in the scriptures dealing with the guṇas.
Know that the process of knowledge is sattvic in nature when the individual indestructible soul with individual form is seen to exist successively in different bodies.
This verse speaks of sattvic process of knowing. Seeing one soul (ekam bhāvam), with one form (avibhaktam) which is indestructible (avyayam) residing successively in different forms (vibhakteṣu) such as human, devatā, or animal for the purpose of enjoying various fruits, which are temporary, through knowledge related to action (verse 18), is known as sattvic knowledge.
Know that knowledge to be rajasic in nature by which one understands various types of knowledge and various opinions concerning the soul which is claimed to be different in each body it accepts.
This verse speaks of rajasic knowledge. That knowledge which one sees the soul as different in each body that it accepts, accepting the asuric idea that the soul perishes with the body, with a different soul in every body that arises; that knowledge by which one knows various opinions arising from such asuric scriptures, such as “the soul is the shelter of happiness and distress, the soul is not the shelter of happiness and distress, the soul is unconscious, the soul is conscious, the soul is all pervasive , the soul is atomic, the souls are many, the soul is one” is known as rajasic knowledge.
That knowledge which is without reason, attached to one material action, not concerned with truth, and which is scant, is known as knowledge in tamo guṇa.
This verse speaks of tamasic knowledge. Knowledge which is speculative only (ahaitukam--not with reference to any scripture), which is extremely attached to performing one material activity such as eating or bathing, drinking or enjoying with a woman, with disregard for Vedic activities like sacrifice, with no idea of real truth (atattva artha vat), knowledge which is scant like that of an animal, is known as tamasic knowledge.
Knowledge of tat, which is different from the body is sattvic. Knowledge of scriptures of logic and such, which gives rise to various doctrines, is rajasic. Knowledge, which is only of bathing, eating and other material actions, is tamasic. This is a summary of the three types of knowledge.
That action which is done regularly, without attachment or repulsion, without desire for results, is called sattvic.
Having explained the three types of knowledge, the Lord now explains the three types of action. The work which is performed regularly (niyatam), which is without attachment (saḍga rahitam), performed with neither like or dislike (arāga-dveṣataḥ), done without desire for results (aphala-prepsunā), is called sattvic work.
That work is performed with desire for results, with little or great pride, with plenty of suffering, is called rajasic work.
That work which is performed with desire for results (kāma ipsunā), indicating a little pride, or with great pride (sāhaḍkārena) is called rajasic work.
That work leading to bondage, which is destructive, harmful to the self, and performed without prior consideration, is called tamasic work.
That work which leads to later bondage by the servants of Yama, by a king or by thieves (anubandham), which destroys dharma, knowledge and other good qualities (kṣayam), which destroys oneself (hiṁsām), which is performed without prior consideration (anapekṣya), which is performed only by materialistic persons (pauruṣam), commenced out of ignorance (mohāt), is called tamasic work.
The agent free from attachment and false ego, endowed with fortitude and enthusiasm, unperturbed in success or failure, is in sattva guṇa.
The three types of work have been described. Now, the three types of workers are described.
The agent who is attached to his work, who desires the results of his actions, who is attached to the enjoyment of the sense objects, who gives pain to others, who is unclean and subject to joy and sorrow, is known to be in the mode of rajas.
Rāgī means one who is attached to his work. Lubdha means one who is attached to enjoyment of sense objects.
One who does what should not be done, whose acts according his nature, who is indifferent to work, who is deceitful, who offends others, who is lazy, dejected, and delays the work, is known as a tamasic worker.
One who does what should not be done is ayuktaḥ. One who acts according his nature, so that whatever occurs in his mind he does, rather than according to the instruction of the guru is called prākṛtaḥ. One who offends others is naiṣkṛtikaḥ.
The jñānīs must perform the sattvic tyāga described here, must take shelter of the knowledge fixed in sattvic karma, must perform sattvic work, and must become a sattvic doer. This is the sannyāsa of the jñānī. This is essential meaning of the section.
The knowledge (jñānam) possessed by the devotees however is beyond the guṇas. Their work (karma) for Me, called bhakti-yoga, is beyond the guṇas. The doers (bhaktas) are also beyond the guṇas. This is stated by the Lord in the Bhāgavatam:
kaivalyaṁ sattvicṁ jñānaṁ rajo vaikalpikaṁ tu yat
prākṛtaṁ tāmasaṁ jñānaṁ man-niṣṭhaṁ nirguṇaṁ smṛtam
Absolute knowledge is in the mode of goodness, knowledge based on duality is in the mode of passion, and foolish, materialistic knowledge is in the mode of ignorance. Knowledge based upon Me, however, is understood to be transcendental. SB 11.25.24
lakṣaṇaṁ bhakti‑yogasya nirguṇasya hy udāhṛtam
The characteristics of bhakti-yoga which is beyond the guṇas are manifested.
SB 3.29.11
sattvicḥ kārako ’saḍgī rāgāndho rājasaḥ smṛtaḥ
tāmasaḥ smṛti-vibhraṣṭo nirguṇo mad-apāśrayaḥ
A worker free of attachment is in the mode of goodness; a worker blinded by personal desire is in the mode of passion; and a worker who has completely forgotten how to tell right from wrong is in the mode of ignorance. But a worker who has taken shelter of Me is understood to be transcendental to the modes of nature. SB 11.25.26
Not only these three items--the knowledge, action (bhakti-yoga) and doer (bhakta)--are beyond the guṇas, but rather everything related to bhakti is beyond the guṇas according to the philosophy of bhakti.
sāttviky ādhyātmikī śraddhā karma-śraddhā tu rājasī
tāmasy adharme yā śraddhā mat-sevāyāṁ tu nirguṇā
Faith directed toward spiritual life is in the mode of goodness, faith rooted in fruitive work is in the mode of passion, faith residing in irreligious activities is in the mode of ignorance, but faith in My devotional service is purely transcendental. SB 11.25.27
vanaṁ tu sāttviko vāso grāmo rājasa ucyate
tāmasaṁ dyuta-sadanaṁ man-niketaṁ tu nirguṇam
Residence in the forest is in the mode of goodness, residence in a town is in the mode of passion, residence in a gambling house displays the quality of ignorance, and residence in a place where I reside is transcendental.
SB 11.25.25
sattvicṁ sukham ātmotthaṁ viṣayotthaṁ tu rājasam
tāmasaṁ moha-dainyotthaṁ nirguṇaṁ mad-apāśrayam
Happiness derived from the self is in the mode of goodness, happiness based on sense gratification is in the mode of passion, and happiness based on delusion and degradation is in the mode of ignorance. But that happiness found within Me is transcendental. SB 11.25.29
Thus, for the devotees who are beyond the guṇas, things related to bhakti such as knowledge, action, faith, residence and the happiness derived from it, are all beyond the guṇas. For the jñānīs who are in the mode of sattva, things related to jñāna are all in the mode of sattva. Everything related to karmīs acting in the mode of rajas is rajasic. For the unrestrained person in the mode of tamas, everything related to their action is tamasic. This should be understood by looking over the contents of the Gītā .
It has also been stated in the fourteenth chapter that even the jñānī, at the last stage, after giving up jñāna, attains a position beyond the guṇas only by the power of pure bhakti, which remains at that point.
O conqueror of wealth, listen to the three types of intelligence and determination, which will be discussed completely and individually.
In order to show that the jñānīs should only accept sattvic items, the Lord now speaks of three types of intelligence and other items.
The intelligence of sattva-guṇa understands the difference between dharma and adharma, what should be done and what should not be done, what is to be feared and not feared, and the difference between bondage and liberation.
The person of sattvic intelligence understands the difference between fear caused by saṁsāra and fearlessness caused by freedom from saṁsāra.
That intelligence is of rajo-guṇa, which does not understand correctly what is dharma and adharma, and what is to be done as duty and what is not to be done as duty.
The person of rajasic intelligence does not correctly understand (ayathāvat) the distinctions.
That intelligence is in tamo-guṇa by which one considers adharma to be dharma, and sees all things contrary to the truth.
Yā manyate is used for yayā manyate. The intelligence by which one considers everything opposite of the truth is tamasic intelligence. The statements in these verses, such as this verse, which literally says “the intelligence which considers adharma to dharma” but actually means “the intelligence by which a man considers adharma to be dharma” are similar to saying, “The axe cuts the tree” instead of saying “the man cuts the tree using an axe.”
Determination by which one restrains the activities of the mind, life airs and senses, using unswerving concentration of mind, is in the mode of sattva.
Three types of determination are now described.
That determination desiring results, by which one restrains the senses and mind to attain dharma, artha and kāma with great attachment, is in the mode of rajas.
That determination by which one does not free oneself from sleep, fear, lamentation, dejection and passion is in the mode of tamas.
O best of Bharata’s lineage, hear from Me about the three types of happiness. That happiness which brings joy and destroys sorrow with practice, which appears to be poison in the beginning but becomes nectar, which arises from peace of mind concentrating on the self is in the mode of sattva.
Now sattvic happiness is described in one and a half verses. Only by constant practice (abhyāsāt) does such a person enjoy. This means that it is not like happiness derived from sense objects, which gives pleasure just on contact. Enjoying in that happiness, the person crosses over the suffering of saṁsāra (duḥkhāntam nigacchati). In the beginning, sattvic happiness is like poison, since restraining the senses and mind causes suffering.
That happiness which, arising from contact with objects of the senses, is like nectar in the beginning and like poison in the end, is known to be in the mode of rajas.
Rajasic happiness is like nectar in the beginning, as in the case of enjoying sex with others’ wives.
That happiness is said to be of tamo-guṇa, which arises from sleep, laziness and intoxication, and is an illusion for the self.
There is no living entity on earth or in heaven who is free from these three guṇas arising from prakṛti.
Including those things not mentioned, the Lord now summarizes this section. There is not anything, no living species or non-living things (sattvam), which is free from the three guṇas born of prakṛti. Everything in existence is composed of the three guṇas. The meaning of this section is that sattvic items are acceptable and those of rajas and tamas are not.
O afflicter of enemies, the activities of the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras have been designated precisely according to the guṇas arising from birth.
However, the living body filled with the three guṇas becomes successful by worshipping the Supreme Lord by prescribed activities according to the person’s nature. This is described in six verses. These activities or duties, designated precisely (pravibhaktāni) by the guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas, which manifest by birth (svabhāvena), are prescribed for the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras.
The natural activities of the brāhmaṇa are control of the mind, control of the external senses, austerity, cleanliness, tolerance, honesty, knowledge of scripture, realization, and faith in the scriptures.
This verse describes the natural activities of the brāhmaṇa who has a predominance of sattva. Control of the inner sense organ (śamaḥ), control of the external senses (damaḥ), austerity of body, mind and words, jñāna and vijñāna, which arise from understanding the scriptures, and firm faith in the purport of the scriptures (āstikyam) are the activities of the brāhmaṇa arising from his nature.
The natural activities of the kṣatriya are courage, confidence, fortitude, expertise in fighting, not fleeing from battle, charity and controlling others.
This verse describes the activities of the kṣatriya, in whom raja guṇa becomes prominent and sattva becomes secondary. Courage (śauryam), confidence (tejaḥ), fortitude (dhṛtiḥ), and controlling others (īśvara bhāvaḥ), and not fleeing from battle are the activities of the kṣatriya.
The natural duties of the vaiśya are agriculture, raising cows, and commerce. The natural duty of the śūdra is service to the other varṇas.
This verse describes the actions of the vaiśyas predominated by rajas with tamas as a secondary guṇa. Protecting the cows and commerce are the activities of the vaiśya. One who protects the cows is called go-rakṣaḥ. The state of protecting the cows is called go-rakṣyam. The verse also speaks of the śūdras in whom tamas predominates and rajas is secondary. Serving the vaiśyas, kṣatriyas and brāhmaṇas (paricaryātmikam) is the activity of the śūdra.
Man achieves complete success being engaged in his particular duties. Hear how one attains success by engagement in one’s duties.
Men achieve success by worshiping the Lord who is the origin of all entities and is spread everywhere, through mentally offering their prescribed duties.
Humans attain perfection by worshipping (abhyarcya) through their prescribed work Him alone, the Supreme Lord, from whom arise the activities of all living entities. The worship consists of offering the work in the mind, thinking, “By this work may the Lord be satisfied.”
It is better to perform one’s own duties with fault than to perform another’s duties perfectly. Doing your own duties according to your nature, you do not receive sin.
Looking at one’s own rajasic duties with its various activities, and not having a taste for them, one should not perform sattvic duties. It is better to do one’s own duties, inferior though they may be, though done imperfectly (viguṇa), than doing another’s duty (para-dharmāt), though it may be preferred because it can be executed easily (su anuṣṭhitāt). You should not give up your own work of fighting because of its fault of killing friends, and instead perform another’s dharma in the form of wandering around begging.
O son of Kuntī, one should not give up work, which is according to your nature, even if it has some fault. All undertakings are covered by fault, as fire is covered by smoke.
You should not think that only you have problems in executing your duties. There are problems in others’ duties also. You should not give up work according to your nature (sahajam), even with fault, because all actions performed now and in the future are covered by fault, just as fire is seen to be covered by smoke. Just as by removing the smoke, the heat of the fire is useful for removing darkness and cold, so by removing the faulty portion of your work, the good portion is useful for purification of your existence.
He whose intelligence is unattached, whose mind is under control, and who is devoid of desire for material happiness, attains the highest perfection by complete renunciation of action.
The first type of sannyāsī gives up the faults in his work, characterized by attachment to being the doer and attachment to the results. When that sannyāsī perfects his sādhana over time, then he reaches the yogārūòha stage. Then he gives up actions completely. That is the second type of sannyāsa, mentioned here.
He whose intelligence is free from all attachments to material objects (asakta buddhiḥ), whose mind is under control (jitātmā), who has no desire for the happiness even of Brahmaloka (vigata-spṛhaḥ), then, by complete renunciation of all activities (sannyāsena), attains the highest perfection of no action at all (naiṣkarmyam). In other words, at the stage of yogārūòha (no actions), with attainment of naiṣkarmyam, one reaches the highest perfection.
Understand from Me in brief, O son of Kuntī, how a person, having attained cessation of all work, attains Brahman, the final attainment of jñāna.
Understand by which method (yathā) one attains or realizes Brahman. This is the very highest stage of jñāna (jñānasya niṣṭhā parā). According to the Amara Kośa, niṣṭhā means consummation or final attainment.
The meaning is as follows: “Please understand the method by which, with the cessation of ignorance, and undertaking even the cessation of knowledge (vidyā)-- giving up even the process of jñāna completely--a person will realize Brahman.”
That person who is endowed with sattvic intelligence, with mind controlled by sattvic determination; who has given up all the sense objects such as sound; who has eliminated attachment and repulsion; who resorts to solitude, eats little, controls speech, body and mind; who is completely absorbed in contemplating the Lord; who has taken shelter of detachment; who is free from false ego; who is devoid of strength related to material attachment, devoid of pride, lust, anger, and possessions; who is free from possessive instinct; and who has reached a cessation of sattva guṇa, can attain Brahman.
That person who is endowed with sattvic intelligence, with mind controlled by sattvic determination; who has given up all the sense objects such as sound; who has eliminated attachment and repulsion; who resorts to solitude, eats little, controls speech, body and mind; who is completely absorbed in contemplating the Lord; who has taken shelter of detachment; who is free from false ego; who is devoid of strength related to material attachment, devoid of pride, lust, anger, and possessions; who is free from possessive instinct; and who has reached a cessation of sattva guṇa, can attain Brahman.
One should be endowed with sattvic intelligence (buddhyā viśuddhayā), controlling the mind (ātmānaṁ niyamya) with similar sattvic determination.
One should be completely devoted to thinking of Bhagavān (dhyāna-yoga-paraḥ).
One should be devoid of strength (bala) related to material attachment and desire, rather than devoid of physical strength.
With the cessation of ignorance (avidyā) characterized by freedom from ahaḍkāra, price, lust, anger and possessions, there is also the cessation of sattva-guṇa (śāntaḥ). This is the achievement of jñāna sannyāsa, giving up jñāna itself. This is understood from the statement in the Eleventh Canto of Bhāgavatam jñānam ca mayi sannyaset: one should offer all jñāna to Me. This means that without the cessation of both ignorance and knowledge (ajñāna and jñāna), there can be no attainment of Brahman realization. Being freed from all these, it is possible (kalpate) to realize (bhūyāya) Brahman.
Having attained the state of Brahman, being a pure soul, he does not lament in loss of what he had nor does he desire what he does not have, and looks upon all beings as equal. He then manifests prema-bhakti.
With the removal of all misconceptions or appearances (upādhi), one attains the state of Brahman (brahma-bhūtaḥ), by being in a state of uncovered consciousness. Because of the disappearance of the contamination of the guṇas, he is said to be pure (prasanna) and he is the soul (ātmā). And because of absence of misconceptions of body, when he loses something he does not lament and when he fails to attain something he does not hanker for it (na śocati na kaḍkṣati), unlike his previous state.
Like an innocent child, he regards all beings as equal whether good or bad, without looking at the externals.
With the cessation of jñāna, like a fire which dies without fuel, he attains indestructible bhakti to Me in the form of hearing chanting and other processes, arising after the cessation of jñāna, because, through the action of My svarūpa-śakti, bhakti alone does not disappear even with the disappearance of vidyā and avidyā, being different from the māyā-śakti. It is called param, being far superior to jñāna. Remaining after the disappearance of niṣkāma-karma, jñāna and any other process, it surpasses all others, and remains exclusively, pure. Thus param is equal to the word kevalam.
Though bhakti was previously present in a small proportion during practices such as jñāna and vairāgya, just in order to bring about liberation, bhakti was not clearly visible, being like the antaryāmī in all beings. Therefore the word labhate, meaning “discovers,” is the suitable word rather than produces, since it was already present within the person. Though a golden jewel remains hidden when mixed among grains of yellow dhal, when the grains are destroyed, separated from them, the indestructible golden jewel becomes kevalā , attaining its pure state.
At this particular time, there is also the possibility of attaining complete prema bhakti. The result of their practice in this case is not sāyujya. Thus, in that case, the phrase paraṁ bhaktim should be explained as meaning prema bhakti in this verse.
Only by bhakti can a person know Me as Brahman. Then, knowing Me as Brahman by that bhakti, he merges with Me.
“After attaining bhakti, then what happens to that person?” Giving a particular case of the general rule, the Lord speaks this verse. By bhakti alone one knows Me truly as either “that” or as “Me”. Thus, the jñānī knows Me as tat (Brahman) and the various devotees know Me as mām (Bhagavān). Since I have said that only by pure bhakti am I known (bhakyāham ekayā grahyaḥ), then the jñānī under discussion, after that (tad-anantaram), by that bhakti alone which functions after the cessation of vidyā, knowing Me, enters Me. He realizes the happiness of merging with Me (sāyujya). The meaning is that since I am beyond māyā and vidyā is part of māyā, I (even in the form of Brahman) cannot be known by vidyā.
But there may be objection, for in the Nārada Pañcarātra it is said:
sāḍkhya-yogau ca vairāgyaṁ tapo bhaktiś ca keśave pañca-parvaiva vidyā
Oh Keśava, there are five types of knowledge: sāḍkhya, yoga, vairāgya, tapas and bhakti.
Bhakti is thus said to be a function of vidyā in this verse. However, this actually means that some small portion of the hlādinī-śakti of bhakti enters into vidyā in order to give vidyā its results, just as bhakti also enters into karma-yoga in order give results of karma. This can be said because there are many statements saying that karma, jñāna, yoga and other processes are just useless labor without bhakti. Since nirguṇa bhakti is not a function of vidyā filled with sattva-guṇa, though vidyā is the cause of extinguishing avidyā, the cause of knowledge of tat is bhakti alone.
Moreover, the smṛti says sattvam sañjayate jñānam: sattva gives rise to jñāna. (BG 14.17) Knowledge, which arises from sattva, is called sattva. Just as the word sattva indicates vidyā, so knowledge arising from bhakti is often called bhakti. Sometimes it is called bhakti and other times it is called jñāna. Therefore, one should see that there are two types of knowledge. Giving up the first type of knowledge (sattva), by the second type of knowledge (bhakti), one will attains brahma-sāyujya. This can be understood by consulting the Bhāgavatam 11, twenty-fifth chapter.
Now, those who presume to be jñānīs, desiring sāyujya, by executing jñāna alone without bhakti at all, obtain only suffering as their fruit. They are the most heavily condemned.
There are others also who, knowing that one cannot attain liberation by jñāna alone without bhakti, practice jñāna mixed with bhakti. But they consider the form of bhagavan as a falsity (upādhi) created by māyā, and consider that the body of the Lord is made of the guṇas. Reaching the state of yogārūòha, they think themselves liberated. They too are condemned.
It is said:
mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha
catvāro jajñire varṇā guṇair viprādayaḥ pṛthak
Each of the four social orders, headed by the brāhmaṇas, was born through different combinations of the modes of nature, from the face, arms, thighs and feet of the Supreme Lord in His universal form. Thus the four spiritual orders were also generated. SB 11.5.2
ya evaṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād ātma-prabhavam īśvaram
na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ
If any of the members of the four varṇas and four āśramas fail to worship or intentionally disrespect the Personality of Godhead, who is the source of their own creation, they will fall down from their position into a hellish state of life. SB 11.5.3
The meaning is that both those who do not worship Me and as well those who do worship Me but also disrespect Me, even if they are sannyāsīs, have all their knowledge destroyed and fall.
It is also said:
ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas
tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ
āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ
patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aḍghrayaḥ
O lotus-eyed Lord, although non-devotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet. SB 10.2.32
The word “foot” (aḍghri) should be taken to indicate “with bhakti.” Thus the phrase would mean “those who do not accept Your feet with devotion.” They accept the Lord, but in the wrong way. The phrase anādṛta-yuṣmad-aḍghraya means that they disrespect the Lord by thinking that the Lord’s body is material.
It is also said:
avajānanti māṁ mūòhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
The fools do not know Me. They think I have taken the body of a material human. BG 9.11
Actually His form is human, but it is also sat-cid-ānanda. That form can be seen only by the influence of the Lord’s inconceivable kṛpā-śakti.
It is said in the Nārāyaṇa Adhyātma:
nityāvyakto’pi bhagavān īkṣ(y)ate nija-śaktitaḥ
tām ṛte paramānandaṁ kaḥ paśyet tam imaṁ prabhum
The Lord who is eternal and invisible can be seen through His own śakti. Other than by that means, who can see that Lord of the highest bliss?
That the Lord has a sat-cid-ānanda body is confirmed in the Gopāla Tāpanī Upaniṣad (1.33) with sat-cid-ānanda-vigraham śrī-vṛndāvana-sura-bhūruha-talāsīnam: that form of the Lord which is eternity knowledge and bliss was seated at the base of a desire tree in Vṛndāvana.
darśayām āsa taṁ kṣattaḥ śābdaṁ brahma dadhad vapuḥ
The Lord showed Himself to that Kardama Muni and displayed His transcendental form, which can be understood only through the Vedas. SB 3.21.8
Thus in the śrutis and smṛtis there are thousands of such authoritative statements indicating the Lord’s transcendental body. However, by such statements as the following, these jñānīs think that the Lord, Bhagavān, is a false creation of māyā (upādhi).
māyāṁ tu prakṛtiṁ vidyān māyinaṁ tu maheśvaram
Know this nature to be māyā. The great lord is also made of this māyā.
Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.2
However, this statement means that the Lord is endowed with an eternal śakti called māyā arising from His own svarūpa.
Madhvācārya quotes śruti to explain this statement.
ato māya-mayaṁ viṣṇuṁ pravadanti sanātanam
Thus they call the eternal Viṣṇu māyamayam.
Thus the word māyām in the Śvetāśvatara verse refers to the cit-śakti arising from the svarūpa of the Lord, not to the śakti of the three guṇas, which does not arise from His svarūpa. (The meaning would then be: Know this cit-śakti and the great lord who is the master of this śakti.)They do not consider this meaning of the śruti statement. Nor do they consider that the statement could mean “Durgā is māyā and Śiva is the possessor of māyā”.
Thus, though these jñānīs attain the status of jīvan-mukta, they fall down because of aparādha to the Lord. It is said in the Pariśiṣṭa Vacana of the Vāsanā Bhāṣya:
jīvan-muktā api punar yānti saṁsāra-vāsanām
yady acintya-mahā-śaktau bhagavaty aparādhinaḥ
The jīvan-muktas, if they are offenders to the Lord of inconceivable great śakti, again enter the illusions of saṁsāra.
Attaining their goal, they think sādhana is no longer proper, and thus at the time of rejecting jñāna, they reject not only jñāna, but also guṇī bhūtā bhakti, thinking that tangible realization (of form and qualities) is false. After bhakti disappears along with jñāna, because of offense to the form of the Lord, it cannot be again attained. Because they cannot realize tat without bhakti, they are therefore known only as persons who think they are liberated, having only false samādhi. This is stated in the verse ye’nye’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ.
But those who practice jñāna mixed with bhakti, and at the same time respect the sat-cid-ānanda form of Bhagavān, gradually, with the cessation of vidyā and avidyā, attain parā bhakti. Those liberated souls are of two types. One type, performing bhakti for obtaining sāyujya, attains sāyujya in the Lord’s form, realizing tat. These persons are praiseworthy.
The other type of person, such as Śukadeva, being greatly fortunate, gives up the desire for liberation by the influence of unpredicted association with kind, elevated devotees, and submerges himself completely in the taste of the sweetness of bhakti rasa. This is the most praiseworthy type. It is said:
ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim itthambhūta-guṇo hariḥ
All different varieties of ātmārāma, those who take pleasure in ātmā, or spirit self], especially those established on the path of self-realization, though freed from all kinds of material bondage, bondage; desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liberated souls. SB 1.7.10
Thus there are four types of jñānīs: two, reproachable, fall; and two, praiseworthy, cross saṁsāra.
But that person, who, though performing all types of actions, also takes shelter of Me predominantly, attains My indestructible, eternal abode, by My mercy.
It has thus been said that the jñānī step by step giving up the results of work, work itself and then jñāna, attains sāyujya. Now hear from Me how My devotee attains Me.
That devotee takes shelter of Me, even with evident material desires (vi apa āśrayaḥ). Vi stands for viśeṣataḥ, meaning “particularly,” and apa stands for apakṛṣṭa, meaning “low.” He is not even a niṣkāma-bhakta, for he performs all actions even material ones such as protecting wife and children as well as nitya, naimittika and kāmya-karmas. What is the question of his giving up karma, yoga, jñāna, worship of devatās, or other desires?
The word āśrayate means he completely serves. The prefix “ā” emphasizes the predominance of service. The use of the word api indicates inferiority of these other actions. Thus he performs these other activities, but as secondary actions. Thus, he has bhakti mixed with karma, rather than karma mixed with bhakti, which was already described in the first six chapters. There is no overlapping of actions with the previous descriptions. That bhakta attains My eternal dhāmas (padam), such as Vaikuṇṭha, Mathurā, Dvārakā, and Ayodhyā.
“But will those dhāmas remain after the pralaya?”
“They are indestructible (avyayam). At the time of mahāpralaya, My dhāmas will not disappear, because of My inconceivable power.”
“The jñānī, after many births, having undergone much suffering and austerities, having stopped the action of senses for sense objects, attains naiṣkarmya, and then sāyujya. How does this devotee, performing actions and having desires, attain Your eternal dhāmas just by taking shelter of You?”
“He attains it by My mercy (mat-prasādāt). Know that My mercy is inconceivable and most powerful.”
Offering all your activities to Me, making Me your only goal of life, taking shelter of bhakti-yoga with fixed intelligence, remember Me always, while doing your actions and at all other times.
“Now, what are you indicating to Me particularly? Am I an ananya-bhakta? Or am I the sakāma-bhakta just mentioned by You?”
“You do not have the strength to become the most excellent ananya-bhakta. And you should not be the sakāma-bhakta, the lowest among all the devotees. Therefore, be a madhyama devotee, a devotee intermediate between these two. While offering to Me all of your occupational activities and your duties of āśrama, you whose goal of life is only to attain Me (mat-paraḥ), in other words, being niṣkāma, remember Me always (mat-cittaḥ bhava), while doing those activities and at any other time also (satatam), being endowed with fixed intelligence, vyavasāyātmika buddhi (buddhi-yogam upāśritya).”
The Lord has previously said the same:
yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you sacrifice, whatever you give, whatever austerity you perform, offer it to Me, O son of Kuntī. BG 9.27
Fixing your mind on Me, you will cross over all obstacles by My mercy. If, on the other hand, you do not listen out of pride, you will perish.
Then what will happen? This verse describes the result: you will cross all obstacles.
If, influenced by false ego, you think “I will not fight,” that resolve is useless. Your nature will engage you in fighting.
“For me, a kṣatriya, the highest dharma is to fight. But being afraid of the sin incurred from killing friends, I do not desire to start fighting.”
The Lord scolds Arjuna in this verse. “Your nature (prakṛtiḥ) will make you fight. Now you do not respect My words. But when your irrepressible natural desire to fight arises, then while fighting, and automatically killing your elders like Bhīṣma, you will smile at Me!”
Being bound by actions arising from your nature, helplessly, you will do what you do not want to do out of bewilderment.
Here the Lord expands the meaning of what he has just said. You are fettered by your actions arising from previous life impressions that give you qualities of the kṣatriya (Svabhāva-jena).
O Arjuna, the Lord is situated in the heart of all living entities. He engages them in action by His energy, like dolls moving by strings.
Having stated the views of the advocates of innate nature (svabhāva) in two verses, the Lord now states His own view. The Lord, Nārāyaṇa, is the antaryāmī .
yaḥ pṛthivyāṁ tiṣṭhan pṛthivyā antaro, yaṁ pṛthivī na veda, yasya pṛthivī śarīraṁ, yaḥ pṛthivīm antaro yamayati
He is situated within the earth. The earth does not know Him. The earth is His body. He controls the earth from within. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.6.3
yac ca kiñcij jagaty asmin dṛśyate śrūyate’pi vā
antar-bahiś ca tat sarvaṁ vyāpya nārāyaṇaḥ sthitaḥ
Nārāyaṇa is spread everywhere inside and outside of everything seen or heard of in the universe. Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad 13.5
As is stated in these śrutis , the Lord is situated in the heart. What does He do? By His own śakti (māyayā) He makes all living entities engage in their respective actions (bhrāmayan). The living entities, like artificial dolls attached to a device with strings, are made to move by māyā. Or another meaning is: all living entities mounted in their bodies are made to move by māyā.
O descendent of Bharata, take refuge in the Paramātmā alone with complete devotion. Having extinguished both avidyā and vidyā, by My mercy, you will attain the eternal spiritual abode.
This verse explains the purpose of the knowledge just revealed: take shelter of that Lord. You will attain the cessation of vidyā and avidyā (parāṁ śāntim) and then you will attain My eternal place Vaikuṇṭha (śāśvataṁ sthānam). This surrender to the antaryāmī is for worshippers of the antaryāmī (Paramātmā) whereas the worshippers of Bhagavān surrender to Bhagavān, which will be explained later. This is the opinion of some concerning this verse.
“My Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is my guru, and give me instructions which are beneficial for my bhakti. I surrender unto Him.” In this way, a person will think.
Uddhava says:
naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa
brahmayusāpi kṛtam ṛddha-mudaḥ smarantaḥ
yo’ntar-bahis tanu-bhṛtām aśubhaṁ vidhunvan
ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā sva-gatiṁ vyanakti
O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science could not fully express their indebtedness to You, even if they were endowed with the prolonged lifetime of Brahmā, for You appear in two features—externally as the ācārya and internally as the Supersoul—to deliver the embodied living being by directing him how to come to You. SB 11.29.6
Thus I have explained a scripture more secret than the secret knowledge of karma, jñāna and aṣṭāḍga-yoga. Considering this thoroughly, do as you wish to do.
Here the Lord concludes the whole subject of Gītā .
Jñāna or knowledge consists of karma-yoga, aṣṭāḍga-yoga and jñāna-yoga. The word jñāna means “that by which one knows.” Thus jñāna refers to a process, in this case scriptures, which produce knowledge of these sādhanas.
I have revealed a scripture, jñāna, which is more secret than those scriptures (guhyād guhyataram), a process that has not been revealed in the scriptures written by authors such as Vasiṣṭa, Bādarāyaṇa or Nārada.
Another meaning is: In relation to their omniscience, I am infinite. Thus they cannot understand the knowledge because of its most confidential nature. I also did not teach them at all because of its intensely confidential nature. Considering this thoroughly (aśeṣeṇa), as is suitable to your taste, do what you want to do. Thus, the last six chapters concerning jñāna have been completed.
These three groups of six chapters, the Gītā , the crown jewel of all knowledge, are the box containing the most valuable secret treasure of bhakti. The first six chapters, concerning karma, are the lower covering made of gold. The last six chapters, concerning jñāna, are the lid made of gold and studded with jewels. Within the middle six chapters, resting within the container and the lid, shines the most excellent jewel of bhakti, more valuable than anything in the three worlds--which brings Śrī Kṛṣṇa under control. Bhakti’s servants consisting of two verses (65 and 66) of sixty-four syllables (jewels) embedded on the lid of the box (last six chapters) should also be understood to be pure.
Again hear from Me the highest words, the supreme secret. Since you are very dear to Me, I will speak for your benefit.
Glancing at Arjuna, His very dear friend, standing silently as he began to review the very deep meaning of the Gītā scripture, the Lord, His heart melting like butter due to His mercy, spoke.
“O My dear friend Arjuna, I will now speak the essence of the whole scripture in eight verses. Forget about the difficulties in having to review everything in order to understand it.”
Again (bhūyaḥ) hear the most secret knowledge. He says “again” because He said the same thing at the end of the ninth chapter:
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ BG 9.34
Those are the highest words (paramaṁ vacaḥ), the most secret (guhyatamam), the essence of even the Gītā , which is the essence of the meaning of all scriptures. There is no secret greater than this, in any place, from any cause, by any means.
He then gives the reason for speaking this. Because you are very (dṛòham) dear (iṣṭaḥ), My friend, I speak for your benefit. Without having such friendship no one speaks any most confidential topic. Dṛòha-matiḥ (with fixed mind) instead of dṛòham iti is another reading of the text.
Being My devotee, offer your mind to Me. Offer articles to Me in worship.. Offer respects to Me. I promise that you will come to Me without doubt, for you are most dear to Me.
The phrase bhava mad-bhakto means “Being My devotee, think of Me.” The Lord says this to exclude the other possibilities. He does not mean, “Be a jñānī or be a yogī and meditate on Me.”
Or the phrase man-manā can mean: “Give your mind as a gift to Me, Śyāmasundara, with moon-like face, with shining locks of hair and beautiful eye brows, raining nectar in the form of glances of sweet mercy.”
And then bhava mad-bhaktaḥ can mean, “And give all your senses such as the ears to Me. Perform worship of Me (bhava mad-bhaktaḥ) using all the senses with such services as hearing, chanting, seeing My mūrti, cleaning and anointing My temple, picking flowers, and offering Me garlands, ornaments, umbrella and cāmara.”
And then the Lord says, “Give Me objects such as gandha, flowers, incense, lamp and naivedya. Be My worshipper. Perform My worship.” (mad-yājī).
And then Lord says, “O, just give Me respects (māṁ namaskuru). Falling on the ground with the whole body, offer respects, by touching the body to the ground with eight limbs.”
“Of these four--thinking of Me with the mind, serving Me with the senses, worshipping Me with items and offering respects to Me with the whole body--do all of them or any of them, and you will attain Me (mām eva eṣyasi). Make an offering of your mind, your senses, or items of worship unto Me, and I make an oath to you (te satyam): I will give Myself to you.”
The word satyam implies something of which there is no doubt. According to the Amara Kośa, satyam means an oath and truth.
“Well, the people born in the land of Mathurā make such oaths in every sentence.”
That is true. In that case, under oath (pratijāne) I declare, “You are dear to Me. No one cheats a person dear to himself.”
Giving up all dharmas, just surrender unto Me alone. I will deliver you from all sins. Do not worry.
“Am I supposed to perform the meditation and other processes along with my varṇa āśrama duties or without them?”
“Giving up all duties of varṇa and āśrama (sarva-dharmān parityajya), surrender only to Me.”
One should not say that parityaja means sannyasya, to adopt the sannyāsa order, because Arjuna was a kṣatriya, not qualified for sannyāsa. As well it should not be said the Lord used Arjuna just to instruct all other people who are not kṣatriyas to take sannyāsa, for Arjuna was qualified to be the recipient of the Lord’s instructions which could not be taught to others. Nor should one explain the meaning of parityajya in this verse as merely “give up all the results of activities.”
For it is said:
devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nèṇāṁ pitèṇāṁ
nāyaṁ kiḍkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan
sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ
gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam
Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers. SB 11.5.41
martyo yadā tyakta‑samasta‑karmā
niveditātmā vicikīrṣito me
tadāmṛtatvaṁ pratipadyamāno
mayātma‑bhūyāya ca kalpate vai
A person who gives up all fruitive activities and offers himself entirely unto Me, eagerly desiring to render service unto Me, achieves liberation from birth and death and is promoted to the status of sharing My own opulences.
SB 11.29.35
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate
As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23] one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions. SB 11.20.9
ājñāyaiva guṇān doṣān mayādiṣṭān api svakān
dharmān santyajya yaḥ sarvān māṁ bhajet sa ca sattamaḥ
He perfectly understands that the ordinary religious duties prescribed by Me in various Vedic scriptures possess favorable qualities that purify the performer, and he knows that neglect of such duties constitutes a discrepancy in one’s life. Having taken complete shelter at My lotus feet, however, a saintly person ultimately renounces such ordinary religious duties and worships Me alone. He is thus considered to be the best among all living entities. SB 11.11.37
The meaning of the word should thus be explained using all these statements of the Lord with no contradiction. The meaning can indeed be understood correctly by the prefix pari which means “completely.”
“Surrender only to Me (mām ekaṁ śaraṇam vraja).” This means that there should be no worship of devatās, aṣṭāḍga-yoga, jñāna or dharma or other elements in that surrender.
“Previously I have said that you were not qualified for ananyā bhakti, the highest type of bhakti, and that you were qualified for karma-miśra-bhakti, when I said ‘Whatever you do, whatever you eat, do it as an offering to Me.’ But now, by My great mercy, you have qualification for ananyā bhakti. That ananyā bhakti can only be attained by the causeless mercy of My ekāntika-bhakta. Though that is a rule I myself have made, I am now giving the mercy Myself, breaking My own vow, as I did in the fight with Bhīṣma.
“And by following My orders you should not fear some loss on your part in giving up nitya and naimittika-karmas. The order to perform these nitya-karmas was given by Me in the form of the Vedas. Now, I am ordering you to give them all up completely. Is there sin in not performing your nitya-karmas? No, rather the opposite--in performing nitya-karmas you will commit sin, because of disobeying My direct order.”
“If someone surrenders to You, he becomes dependent, like an animal purchased for a price. He does whatever You make him do. If You put him in one place, he stays there. If You offer him food, he eats. These are the characteristics of surrender. But the Vāyu Purāṇa says:
ānukūlyasya saḍkalpaḥ pratikūlyasya varjanaṁ
rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso goptṛtve varaṇaṁ tathā
niḥkṣepaṇam akārpaṇyaṁ ṣaò-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ
Ānukūlya means conduct which is pleasing to the Lord and according to the scriptures. Pratikūlya means the opposite. Goptṛtva means to think of the Lord and no one else as ones protector. One should have faith (viśvasaḥ) that in times when ones own existence is threatened, the Lord will give protection, as in the case of Gajendra or Draupadī. Niḥkṣepaṇam means employment of ones gross and subtle bodies for Kṛṣṇa’s service. Akārpaṇya means that one should not make a show of ones own humility. Surrender (śaraṇa-gati) consists of performance of these six items in relation to the Lord.”
Then starting today, if I surrender to You, I should then do whatever You say whether it is good or bad. If You make me perform dharma, then I will not worry at all. But if You engage me in adharma, since You are the Supreme Lord and can do what You want, then what will happen to me? Please tell me.”
“I will free you from all sinful reactions--from whatever reactions exist from the far past and recent past, and from whatever reactions arise from acts I will make you perform in the future. This is not impossible for Me to do, though it cannot be done by anyone else to whom you surrender. Taking you as the means, I am giving instructions to the whole world. Do not feel grief for your own welfare or that of others. May you and all other people, giving up all dharmas--your own and everyone else’s--absorbing your thoughts and actions in Me, surrendering to Me, remain in contentment. I Myself have accepted the burden of freeing you from sin, and freeing you from saṁsāra.
ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham
But I carry the burden of supply and maintenance of those who desire constant association with Me, and who, thinking only of Me, worship only Me. BG 9.22
Do not lament thinking ‘Oh, I have thrown my own burden on my master!’ It is no strain at all for Me, who am most affectionate to My devotee. Nothing else remains to be instructed.”
Thus the scripture has been concluded.
This is not to be spoken to one without control of his senses, to one without true devotion, to one who does not render humble service, or to one who envies Me, thinking that I am material.
Having given the instructions of the scripture of the Gītā , the Lord now indicates the process for passing on the information, starting a sampradāya. Atapaskāya refers to one who does not control his senses.
The smṛti says:
manasaś cendriyāṇāṁ ca aikāgryaṁ paramaṁ tapaḥ
Concentration of the mind and senses on one object is the greatest austerity.
Mahābhārata, Śānti Parvā, 23
Even if a person controls the senses, if he is not a devotee, he should not be taught. Even if he is qualified with three good qualities just mentioned (sense control, devotion and obedience), he should not be taught if he is envious Me, if he thinks that I am a combination of material qualities contaminating the pure Brahman.
One who teaches this supreme secret to My devotees, attains the highest bhakti, and finally attains Me without doubt.
This verse and the next state the results of giving instructions on bhakti. The instructor first attains supreme bhakti (parāṁ bhaktim) and then the Lord Himself (mām eva eṣyati).
Among men there is no one so dear to Me. There will never be one dearer to Me than he.
There is no other whom I love so much as the person who teaches bhakti.
It is My conviction that he who studies this sacred conversation between us two will have worshipped Me through the sacrifice of knowledge.
This verse speaks of the results of studying this scripture.
Even that person who, being full of faith, without envy, just hears this teaching, will become free of sin and attain the auspicious world of devotees.
This verse states the results of hearing the Gītā .
O son of Pṛthā, have you heard this with close attention? O conqueror of wealth, have your ignorance and bewilderment been destroyed?
The Lord speaks this verse with the intention of teaching it again to Arjuna, if he were unable to grasp the meaning fully.
Arjuna said: My delusion has been destroyed, and my memory has been restored by Your mercy, O Acyuta. I remain without doubts, and will follow Your instructions.
“What else can I ask? Having given up all duties, surrendering to You completely, without worries, I now completely trust You.” Thus he speaks this verse.
“I am ready to follow You, who are worthy of surrender. That is the duty of me, who have surrendered to You. I have no use for following my varṇa and āśrama, nor jñāna-yoga or other processes. Starting today, I have given them all up.”
“Oh My dear friend Arjuna, I have some remaining work to do in relieving the burden of the earth. I want you to do that work.”
When the Lord said this, Arjuna, with Gāṇòīva bow in hand, rose to fight.
Sañjaya said: Thus I have heard this remarkable, hair-raising conversation between Vāsudeva and the son of Pṛthā, a great devotee of the Lord.
By the mercy of Vyāsa, I have heard this supreme secret of bhakti-yoga, directly from the master of yoga Kṛṣṇa while He personally spoke it.
O King, remembering this wonderful, sacred conversation between Keśava and Arjuna again and again, I rejoice again and again.
O King, remembering again and again that amazing form of Hari, I am filled with wonder, and rejoice again and again.
Where there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of yoga, and where there is Arjuna, the holder of the bow, there will be unfailing prosperity, victory, ever-increasing wealth, and righteousness. That is my conviction.
As for the commentary on the last five verses, which brings out the purport of the whole Gītā , they were written on two pages, which have been taken away by the carrier of Ganeśa (a rat). I have not bothered to write them again. They were a trifling matter. Let that be. Thus the commentaries on the Bhagavad Gītā called Sārārtha Darśinī have been completed.
May this shower of meanings of the essence of scripture, which give benefit to the whole world, delight the devotee cātaka birds with its sweetness and may the pleasure they derive from it light up my heart.
Thus end the commentaries on the eighteenth chapter of the Gītā for the pleasure of the devotees’ hearts, by the mercy of the ācāryas.
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The eighteenth chapter speaks of the three types of sannyāsa, jñāna and karma, defines liberation, and indicates bhakti as the highest secret of all.
“You stated in the previous chapter ‘Uttering the word tat, without seeking results, sacrifices, austerities and charities are performed by those with desire for liberation from the atat material world.’ Those with a desire for liberation are sannyāsīs. But there seems to be others who are detached from all the results of their work, as mentioned by You when you said sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān: give up all the result of your work with great attention. (BG 12.11) What is the tyāga of these others?” Wanting to know the distinction, Arjuna asks a question in this verse.
“If the words sannyāsa and tyāga have different meanings, I desire to know the distinct essence of these two. But if they mean the same thing, in Your opinion or others’ opinion, I desire to know what is that one meaning as well.
“O controller of the senses (hṛṣīkeśa), you have made this doubt arise in me since You are the instigator of my intelligence. O killer of Keśī (keśī-nisūdana), You will kill this doubt of mine just as You killed Keśī. O Mighty-armed one (mahā-bāho), You have great strength in Your arms, and I have insignificant strength in my arms. You have become friendly with an expansion such as me, rather than with Your other expansions with vast knowledge. Therefore I am not afraid to ask this question, since You have become somewhat friendly with me.”