Bhagavad-gita As It Is
CHAPTER 3a: Karma-yoga
©1989, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
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TEXT 1
arjuna uvaca
jyayasi cet karmanas te
mata buddhir janardana
tat kim karmani ghore mam
niyojayasi kesava
WORD FOR WORD
arjunah uvaca -- Arjuna said; jyayasi -- better; cet
-- if; karmanah -- than fruitive action; te -- by You;
mata -- is considered; buddhih -- intelligence;
janardana -- O Krishna; tat -- therefore; kim -- why;
karmani -- in action; ghore -- ghastly; mam -- me;
niyojayasi -- You are engaging; kesava -- O Krishna.
TRANSLATION
Arjuna said: O Janardana, O Kesava, why do You want to engage me in this
ghastly warfare, if You think that intelligence is better than fruitive
work?
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna has very elaborately
described the constitution of the soul in the previous chapter, with a
view to delivering His intimate friend Arjuna from the ocean of material
grief. And the path of realization has been recommended:
buddhi-yoga, or Krishna consciousness. Sometimes Krishna
consciousness is misunderstood to be inertia, and one with such a
misunderstanding often withdraws to a secluded place to become fully
Krishna conscious by chanting the holy name of Lord Krishna. But without
being trained in the philosophy of Krishna consciousness, it is not
advisable to chant the holy name of Krishna in a secluded place, where one
may acquire only cheap adoration from the innocent public. Arjuna also
thought of Krishna consciousness or buddhi-yoga, or intelligence in
spiritual advancement of knowledge, as something like retirement from
active life and the practice of penance and austerity at a secluded place.
In other words, he wanted to skillfully avoid the fighting by using
Krishna consciousness as an excuse. But as a sincere student, he placed
the matter before his master and questioned Krishna as to his best course
of action. In answer, Lord Krishna elaborately explained
karma-yoga, or work in Krishna consciousness, in this Third
Chapter.
TEXT 2
vyamisreneva vakyena
buddhim mohayasiva me
tad ekam vada niscitya
yena sreyo 'ham apnuyam
WORD FOR WORD
vyamisrena -- by equivocal; iva -- certainly; vakyena
-- words; buddhim -- intelligence; mohayasi -- You are
bewildering; iva -- certainly; me -- my; tat --
therefore; ekam -- only one; vada -- please tell;
niscitya -- ascertaining; yena -- by which; sreyah --
real benefit; aham -- I; apnuyam -- may have.
TRANSLATION
My intelligence is bewildered by Your equivocal instructions. Therefore,
please tell me decisively which will be most beneficial for me.
PURPORT
In the previous chapter, as a prelude to the Bhagavad-gita, many
different paths were explained, such as sankhya-yoga, buddhi-yoga,
control of the senses by intelligence, work without fruitive desire, and
the position of the neophyte. This was all presented unsystematically. A
more organized outline of the path would be necessary for action and
understanding. Arjuna, therefore, wanted to clear up these apparently
confusing matters so that any common man could accept them without
misinterpretation. Although Krishna had no intention of confusing Arjuna
by any jugglery of words, Arjuna could not follow the process of Krishna
consciousness -- either by inertia or by active service. In other words,
by his questions he is clearing the path of Krishna consciousness for all
students who seriously want to understand the mystery of the
Bhagavad-gita.
TEXT 3
sri-bhagavan uvaca
loke 'smin dvi-vidha nistha
pura prokta mayanagha
jnana-yogena sankhyanam
karma-yogena yoginam
WORD FOR WORD
sri-bhagavan uvaca -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;
loke -- in the world; asmin -- this; dvi-vidha -- two
kinds of; nistha -- faith; pura -- formerly; prokta
-- were said; maya -- by Me; anagha -- O sinless one;
jnana-yogena -- by the linking process of knowledge;
sankhyanam -- of the empiric philosophers; karma-yogena --
by the linking process of devotion; yoginam -- of the devotees.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O sinless Arjuna, I have already
explained that there are two classes of men who try to realize the self.
Some are inclined to understand it by empirical, philosophical
speculation, and others by devotional service.
PURPORT
In the Second Chapter, verse 39, the Lord explained two kinds of
procedures -- namely sankhya-yoga and karma-yoga, or
buddhi-yoga. In this verse, the Lord explains the same more
clearly. Sankhya-yoga, or the analytical study of the nature of
spirit and matter, is the subject matter for persons who are inclined to
speculate and understand things by experimental knowledge and philosophy.
The other class of men work in Krishna consciousness, as it is explained
in the 61st verse of the Second Chapter. The Lord has explained, also in
the 39th verse, that by working by the principles of buddhi-yoga,
or Krishna consciousness, one can be relieved from the bonds of action;
and, furthermore, there is no flaw in the process. The same principle is
more clearly explained in the 61st verse -- that this buddhi-yoga
is to depend entirely on the Supreme (or more specifically, on Krishna),
and in this way all the senses can be brought under control very easily.
Therefore, both the yogas are interdependent, as religion and
philosophy. Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes
fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation. The
ultimate goal is Krishna, because the philosophers who are also sincerely
searching after the Absolute Truth come in the end to Krishna
consciousness. This is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. The whole
process is to understand the real position of the self in relation to the
Superself. The indirect process is philosophical speculation, by which,
gradually, one may come to the point of Krishna consciousness; and the
other process is directly connecting with everything in Krishna
consciousness. Of these two, the path of Krishna consciousness is better
because it does not depend on purifying the senses by a philosophical
process. Krishna consciousness is itself the purifying process, and by the
direct method of devotional service it is simultaneously easy and sublime.
TEXT 4
na karmanam anarambhan
naiskarmyam puruso 'snute
na ca sannyasanad eva
siddhim samadhigacchati
WORD FOR WORD
na -- not; karmanam -- of prescribed duties;
anarambhat -- by nonperformance; naiskarmyam -- freedom from
reaction; purusah -- a man; asnute -- achieves; na --
nor; ca -- also; sannyasanat -- by renunciation; eva
-- simply; siddhim -- success; samadhigacchati -- attains.
TRANSLATION
Not by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction,
nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection.
PURPORT
The renounced order of life can be accepted when one has been purified by
the discharge of the prescribed form of duties which are laid down just to
purify the hearts of materialistic men. Without purification, one cannot
attain success by abruptly adopting the fourth order of life
(sannyasa). According to the empirical philosophers, simply by
adopting sannyasa, or retiring from fruitive activities, one at
once becomes as good as Narayana. But Lord Krishna does not approve this
principle. Without purification of heart, sannyasa is simply a
disturbance to the social order. On the other hand, if someone takes to
the transcendental service of the Lord, even without discharging his
prescribed duties, whatever he may be able to advance in the cause is
accepted by the Lord (buddhi-yoga). Sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya
trayate mahato bhayat. Even a slight performance of such a principle
enables one to overcome great difficulties.
TEXT 5
na hi kascit ksanam api
jatu tisthaty akarma-krt
karyate hy avasah karma
sarvah prakrti-jair gunaih
WORD FOR WORD
na -- nor; hi -- certainly; kascit -- anyone;
ksanam -- a moment; api -- also; jatu -- at any time;
tisthati -- remains; akarma-krt -- without doing something;
karyate -- is forced to do; hi -- certainly; avasah
-- helplessly; karma -- work; sarvah -- all;
prakrti-jaih -- born of the modes of material nature; gunaih
-- by the qualities.
TRANSLATION
Everyone is forced to act helplessly according to the qualities he has
acquired from the modes of material nature; therefore no one can refrain
from doing something, not even for a moment.
PURPORT
It is not a question of embodied life, but it is the nature of the soul to
be always active. Without the presence of the spirit soul, the material
body cannot move. The body is only a dead vehicle to be worked by the
spirit soul, which is always active and cannot stop even for a moment. As
such, the spirit soul has to be engaged in the good work of Krishna
consciousness, otherwise it will be engaged in occupations dictated by
illusory energy. In contact with material energy, the spirit soul acquires
material modes, and to purify the soul from such affinities it is
necessary to engage in the prescribed duties enjoined in the
sastras. But if the soul is engaged in his natural function of
Krishna consciousness, whatever he is able to do is good for him. The
Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.17) affirms this:
tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer
bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim
ko vartha apto 'bhajatam sva-dharmatah
"If someone takes to Krishna consciousness, even though he may not service
properly, and even though he may fall down from the standard, there is no
loss or evil for him. But if he carries out all the injunctions for
purification in the sastras, what does it avail him if he is not
Krishna conscious?" So the purificatory process is necessary for reaching
this point of Krishna consciousness. Therefore, sannyasa, or any
purificatory process, is to help reach the ultimate goal of becoming
Krishna conscious, without which everything is considered a failure.
TEXT 6
karmendriyani samyamya
ya aste manasa smaran
indriyarthan vimudhatma
mithyacarah sa ucyate
WORD FOR WORD
karma-indriyani -- the five working sense organs; samyamya
-- controlling; yah -- anyone who; aste -- remains;
manasa -- by the mind; smaran -- thinking of;
indriya-arthan -- sense objects; vimudha -- foolish;
atma -- soul; mithya-acarah -- pretender; sah -- he;
ucyate -- is called.
TRANSLATION
One who restrains the senses of action but whose mind dwells on sense
objects certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender.
PURPORT
There are many pretenders who refuse to work in Krishna consciousness but
make a show of meditation, while actually dwelling within the mind upon
sense enjoyment. Such pretenders may also speak on dry philosophy in order
to bluff sophisticated followers, but according to this verse these are
the greatest cheaters. For sense enjoyment one can act in any capacity of
the social order, but if one follows the rules and regulations of his
particular status, he can make gradual progress in purifying his
existence. But he who makes a show of being a yogi while actually
searching for the objects of sense gratification must be called the
greatest cheater, even though he sometimes speaks of philosophy. His
knowledge has no value, because the effects of such a sinful man's
knowledge are taken away by the illusory energy of the Lord. Such a
pretender's mind is always impure, and therefore his show of yogic
meditation has no value whatsoever.
TEXT 7
yas tv indriyani manasa
niyamyarabhate 'rjuna
karmendriyaih karma-yogam
asaktah sa visisyate
WORD FOR WORD
yah -- one who; tu -- but; indriyani -- the senses;
manasa -- by the mind; niyamya -- regulating;
arabhate -- begins; arjuna -- O Arjuna;
karma-indriyaih -- by the active sense organs; karma-yogam
-- devotion; asaktah -- without attachment; sah -- he;
visisyate -- is by far the better.
TRANSLATION
On the other hand, if a sincere person tries to control the active senses
by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Krishna consciousness] without
attachment, he is by far superior.
PURPORT
Instead of becoming a pseudo transcendentalist for the sake of wanton
living and sense enjoyment, it is far better to remain in one's own
business and execute the purpose of life, which is to get free from
material bondage and enter into the kingdom of God. The prime
svartha-gati, or goal of self-interest, is to reach Vishnu. The
whole institution of varna and ashrama is designed to help us
reach this goal of life. A householder can also reach this destination by
regulated service in Krishna consciousness. For self-realization, one can
live a controlled life, as prescribed in the sastras, and continue
carrying out his business without attachment, and in that way make
progress. A sincere person who follows this method is far better situated
than the false pretender who adopts show-bottle spiritualism to cheat the
innocent public. A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the
charlatan meditator who meditates only for the sake of making a living.
TEXT 8
niyatam kuru karma tvam
karma jyayo hy akarmanah
sarira-yatrapi ca te
na prasiddhyed akarmanah
WORD FOR WORD
niyatam -- prescribed; kuru -- do; karma -- duties;
tvam -- you; karma -- work; jyayah -- better;
hi -- certainly; akarmanah -- than no work; sarira --
bodily; yatra -- maintenance; api -- even; ca --
also; te -- your; na -- never; prasiddhyet -- is
effected; akarmanah -- without work.
TRANSLATION
Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not working. One
cannot even maintain one's physical body without work.
PURPORT
There are many pseudo meditators who misrepresent themselves as belonging
to high parentage, and great professional men who falsely pose that they
have sacrificed everything for the sake of advancement in spiritual life.
Lord Krishna did not want Arjuna to become a pretender. Rather, the Lord
desired that Arjuna perform his prescribed duties as set forth for
ksatriyas. Arjuna was a householder and a military general, and
therefore it was better for him to remain as such and perform his
religious duties as prescribed for the householder ksatriya. Such
activities gradually cleanse the heart of a mundane man and free him from
material contamination. So-called renunciation for the purpose of
maintenance is never approved by the Lord, nor by any religious scripture.
After all, one has to maintain one's body and soul together by some work.
Work should not be given up capriciously, without purification of
materialistic propensities. Anyone who is in the material world is
certainly possessed of the impure propensity for lording it over material
nature, or, in other words, for sense gratification. Such polluted
propensities have to be cleared. Without doing so, through prescribed
duties, one should never attempt to become a so-called transcendentalist,
renouncing work and living at the cost of others.
TEXT 9
yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra
loko 'yam karma-bandhanah
tad-artham karma kaunteya
mukta-sangah samacara
WORD FOR WORD
yajna-arthat -- done only for the sake of Yajna, or Vishnu;
karmanah -- than work; anyatra -- otherwise; lokah --
world; ayam -- this; karma-bandhanah -- bondage by work;
tat -- of Him; artham -- for the sake; karma -- work;
kaunteya -- O son of Kunti; mukta-sangah -- liberated from
association; samacara -- do perfectly.
TRANSLATION
Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed, otherwise work
causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform
your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will
always remain free from bondage.
PURPORT
Since one has to work even for the simple maintenance of the body, the
prescribed duties for a particular social position and quality are so made
that that purpose can be fulfilled. Yajna means Lord Vishnu, or
sacrificial performances. All sacrificial performances also are meant for
the satisfaction of Lord Vishnu. The Vedas enjoin: yajno vai
visnuh. In other words, the same purpose is served whether one
performs prescribed yajnas or directly serves Lord Vishnu. Krishna
consciousness is therefore performance of yajna as it is prescribed
in this verse. The varnashrama institution also aims at satisfying
Lord Vishnu. Varnashramacaravata purusena parah puman/ visnur
aradhyate (Vishnu Purana 3.8.8).
Therefore one has to work for the satisfaction of Vishnu. Any other work
done in this material world will be a cause of bondage, for both good and
evil work have their reactions, and any reaction binds the performer.
Therefore, one has to work in Krishna consciousness to satisfy Krishna (or
Vishnu); and while performing such activities one is in a liberated stage.
This is the great art of doing work, and in the beginning this process
requires very expert guidance. One should therefore act very diligently,
under the expert guidance of a devotee of Lord Krishna, or under the
direct instruction of Lord Krishna Himself (under whom Arjuna had the
opportunity to work). Nothing should be performed for sense gratification,
but everything should be done for the satisfaction of Krishna. This
practice will not only save one from the reaction of work, but also
gradually elevate one to transcendental loving service of the Lord, which
alone can raise one to the kingdom of God.
TEXT 10
saha-yajnah prajah srstva
purovaca prajapatih
anena prasavisyadhvam
esa vo 'stv ista-kama-dhuk
WORD FOR WORD
saha -- along with; yajnah -- sacrifices; prajah --
generations; srstva -- creating; pura -- anciently;
uvaca -- said; praja-patih -- the Lord of creatures;
anena -- by this; prasavisyadhvam -- be more and more
prosperous; esah -- this; vah -- your; astu -- let it
be; ista -- of all desirable things; kama-dhuk -- bestower.
TRANSLATION
In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth
generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Vishnu, and
blessed them by saying, "Be thou happy by this yajna [sacrifice] because
its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for living
happily and achieving liberation."
PURPORT
The material creation by the Lord of creatures (Vishnu) is a chance offered
to the conditioned souls to come back home -- back to Godhead. All living
entities within the material creation are conditioned by material nature
because of their forgetfulness of their relationship to Vishnu, or Krishna,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are to help us
understand this eternal relation, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. The Lord says that the purpose of
the Vedas is to understand Him. In the Vedic hymns it is said:
patim visvasyatmesvaram. Therefore, the Lord of the living entities
is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. In the
Srimad-Bhagavatam also (2.4.20) Srila Sukadeva Gosvami describes
the Lord as pati in so many ways:
sriyah patir yajna-patih praja-patir
dhiyam patir loka-patir dhara-patih
patir gatis candhaka-vrsni-satvatam
prasidatam me bhagavan satam patih
The praja-pati is Lord Vishnu, and He is the Lord of all living
creatures, all worlds, and all beauties, and the protector of everyone.
The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to
learn how to perform yajnas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of
Vishnu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably
without anxiety and after finishing the present material body they can
enter into the kingdom of God. That is the whole program for the
conditioned soul. By performance of yajna, the conditioned souls
gradually become Krishna conscious and become godly in all respects. In
the Age of Kali, the sankirtan-yajna (the chanting of the names of
God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental
system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in
this age. Sankirtan-yajna and Krishna consciousness go well
together. Lord Krishna in His devotional form (as Lord Caitanya) is
mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.32) as follows, with
special reference to the sankirtan-yajna:
krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtan-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah
"In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence
will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by
performance of sankirtan-yajna." Other yajnas prescribed in
the Vedic literatures are not easy to perform in this Age of Kali, but the
sankirtan-yajna is easy and sublime for all purposes, as
recommended in Bhagavad-gita also (9.14).
TEXT 11
devan bhavayatanena
te deva bhavayantu vah
parasparam bhavayantah
sreyah param avapsyatha
WORD FOR WORD
devan -- demigods; bhavayata -- having pleased; anena
-- by this sacrifice; te -- those; devah -- demigods;
bhavayantu -- will please; vah -- you; parasparam --
mutually; bhavayantah -- pleasing one another; sreyah --
benediction; param -- the supreme; avapsyatha -- you will
achieve.
TRANSLATION
The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you, and thus,
by cooperation between men and demigods, prosperity will reign for all.
PURPORT
The demigods are empowered administrators of material affairs. The supply
of air, light, water and all other benedictions for maintaining the body
and soul of every living entity is entrusted to the demigods, who are
innumerable assistants in different parts of the body of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Their pleasures and displeasures are dependent on
the performance of yajnas by the human being. Some of the
yajnas are meant to satisfy particular demigods; but even in so
doing, Lord Vishnu is worshiped in all yajnas as the chief
beneficiary. It is stated also in the Bhagavad-gita that Krishna
Himself is the beneficiary of all kinds of yajnas: bhoktaram
yajna-tapasam. Therefore, ultimate satisfaction of the
yajna-pati is the chief purpose of all yajnas. When these
yajnas are perfectly performed, naturally the demigods in charge of
the different departments of supply are pleased, and there is no scarcity
in the supply of natural products.
Performance of yajnas has many side benefits, ultimately leading to
liberation from material bondage. By performance of yajnas, all
activities become purified, as it is stated in the Vedas: ahara-suddhau
sattva-suddhih sattva-suddhau dhruva smrtih smrti-lambhe sarvagranthinam
vipramoksah. By performance of yajna one's eatables become
sanctified, and by eating sanctified foodstuffs one's very existence
becomes purified; by the purification of existence finer tissues in the
memory become sanctified, and when memory is sanctified one can think of
the path of liberation, and all these combined together lead to Krishna
consciousness, the great necessity of present-day society.
TEXT 12
istan bhogan hi vo deva
dasyante yajna-bhavitah
tair dattan apradayaibhyo
yo bhunkte stena eva sah
WORD FOR WORD
istan -- desired; bhogan -- necessities of life; hi
-- certainly; vah -- unto you; devah -- the demigods;
dasyante -- will award; yajna-bhavitah -- being satisfied by
the performance of sacrifices; taih -- by them; dattan --
things given; apradaya -- without offering; ebhyah -- to
these demigods; yah -- he who; bhunkte -- enjoys;
stenah -- thief; eva -- certainly; sah -- he.
TRANSLATION
In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being
satisfied by the performance of yajna [sacrifice], will supply all
necessities to you. But he who enjoys such gifts without offering them to
the demigods in return is certainly a thief.
PURPORT
The demigods are authorized supplying agents on behalf of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. Therefore, they must be satisfied by the
performance of prescribed yajnas. In the Vedas, there are
different kinds of yajnas prescribed for different kinds of
demigods, but all are ultimately offered to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. For one who cannot understand what the Personality of Godhead is,
sacrifice to the demigods is recommended. According to the different
material qualities of the persons concerned, different types of
yajnas are recommended in the Vedas. Worship of different
demigods is also on the same basis -- namely, according to different
qualities. For example, the meat-eaters are recommended to worship the
goddess Kali, the ghastly form of material nature, and before the goddess
the sacrifice of animals is recommended. But for those who are in the mode
of goodness, the transcendental worship of Vishnu is recommended. But
ultimately all yajnas are meant for gradual promotion to the
transcendental position. For ordinary men, at least five yajnas,
known as panca-maha-yajna, are necessary.
One should know, however, that all the necessities of life that the human
society requires are supplied by the demigod agents of the Lord. No one
can manufacture anything. Take, for example, all the eatables of human
society. These eatables include grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, sugar,
etc., for the persons in the mode of goodness, and also eatables for the
nonvegetarians, like meats, none of which can be manufactured by men. Then
again, take for example heat, light, water, air, etc., which are also
necessities of life -- none of them can be manufactured by the human
society. Without the Supreme Lord, there can be no profuse sunlight,
moonlight, rainfall, breeze, etc., without which no one can live.
Obviously, our life is dependent on supplies from the Lord. Even for our
manufacturing enterprises, we require so many raw materials like metal,
sulphur, mercury, manganese, and so many essentials -- all of which are
supplied by the agents of the Lord, with the purpose that we should make
proper use of them to keep ourselves fit and healthy for the purpose of
self-realization, leading to the ultimate goal of life, namely, liberation
from the material struggle for existence. This aim of fife is attained by
performance of yajnas. If we forget the purpose of human life and
simply take supplies from the agents of the Lord for sense gratification
and become more and more entangled in material existence, which is not the
purpose of creation, certainly we become thieves, and therefore we are
punished by the laws of material nature. A society of thieves can never be
happy, because they have no aim in life. The gross materialist thieves
have no ultimate goal of life. They are simply directed to sense
gratification; nor do they have knowledge of how to perform yajnas.
Lord Caitanya, however, inaugurated the easiest performance of
yajna, namely the sankirtan-yajna, which can be performed
by anyone in the world who accepts the principles of Krishna
consciousness.
TEXT 13
yajna-sistasinah santo
mucyante sarva-kilbisaih
bhunjate te tv agham papa
ye pacanty atma-karanat
WORD FOR WORD
yajna-sista -- of food taken after performance of yajna;
asinah -- eaters; santah -- the devotees; mucyante --
get relief; sarva -- all kinds of; kilbisaih -- from sins;
bhunjate -- enjoy; te -- they; tu -- but;
agham -- grievous sins; papah -- sinners; ye -- who;
pacanti -- prepare food; atma-karanat -- for sense
enjoyment.
TRANSLATION
The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they
eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food
for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.
PURPORT
The devotees of the Supreme Lord, or the persons who are in Krishna
consciousness, are called santas, and they are always in love with
the Lord as it is described in the Brahma-samhita (5.38):
premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu
vilokayanti. The santas, being always in a compact of love with
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda (the giver of all pleasures),
or Mukunda (the giver of liberation), or Krishna (the all-attractive
person), cannot accept anything without first offering it to the Supreme
Person. Therefore, such devotees always perform yajnas in different
modes of devotional service, such as sravanam, kirtanm, smaranam,
arcanam, etc., and these performances of yajnas keep them
always aloof from all kinds of contamination of sinful association in the
material world. Others, who prepare food for self or sense gratification,
are not only thieves but also the eaters of all kinds of sins. How can a
person be happy if he is both a thief and sinful? It is not possible.
Therefore, in order for people to become happy in all respects, they must
be taught to perform the easy process of sankirtan-yajna, in full
Krishna consciousness. Otherwise, there can be no peace or happiness in
the world.
TEXT 14
annad bhavanti bhutani
parjanyad anna-sambhavah
yajnad bhavati parjanyo
yajnah karma-samudbhavah
WORD FOR WORD
annat -- from grains; bhavanti -- grow; bhutani --
the material bodies; parianyat -- from rains; anna -- of
food grains; sambhavah -- production; yajnat -- from the
performance of sacrifice; bhavati -- becomes possible;
parjanyah -- rain; yajnah -- performance of yajna;
karma -- prescribed duties; samudbhavah -- born of.
TRANSLATION
All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains.
Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna is born
of prescribed duties.
PURPORT
Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, a great commentator on the
Bhagavad-gita, writes as follows: ye indrady-angatayavasthitam
yajnam sarvesvaram visnum abhyarcya tac-chesam asnanti tena tad
deha-yatram sampadayanti, te santah sarvesvarasya yajna-purusasya bhaktah
sarva-kilbisair anadi-kala-vivrddhair atmanubhava-prati bandhakair
nikhilaih papair vimucyante. The Supreme Lord, who is known as the
yajna-purusa, or the personal beneficiary of all sacrifices, is the
master of all the demigods, who serve Him as the different limbs of the
body serve the whole. Demigods like Indra, Candra and Varuna are appointed
officers who manage material affairs, and the Vedas direct
sacrifices to satisfy these demigods so that they may be pleased to supply
air, light and water sufficiently to produce food grains. When Lord
Krishna is worshiped, the demigods, who are different limbs of the Lord,
are also automatically worshiped; therefore there is no separate need to
worship the demigods. For this reason, the devotees of the Lord, who are
in Krishna consciousness, offer food to Krishna and then eat -- a process
which nourishes the body spiritually. By such action not only are past
sinful reactions in the body vanquished, but the body becomes immunized to
all contamination of material nature. When there is an epidemic disease,
an antiseptic vaccine protects a person from the attack of such an
epidemic. Similarly, food offered to Lord Vishnu and then taken by us makes
us sufficiently resistant to material affection, and one who is accustomed
to this practice is called a devotee of the Lord. Therefore, a person in
Krishna consciousness, who eats only food offered to Krishna, can
counteract all reactions of past material infections, which are
impediments to the progress of self-realization. On the other hand, one
who does not do so continues to increase the volume of sinful action, and
this prepares the next body to resemble hogs and dogs, to suffer the
resultant reactions of all sins. The material world is full of
contaminations, and one who is immunized by accepting prasadam of
the Lord (food offered to Vishnu) is saved from the attack, whereas one who
does not do so becomes subjected to contamination.
Food grains or vegetables are factually eatables. The human being eats
different kinds of food grains, vegetables, fruits, etc., and the animals
eat the refuse of the food grains and vegetables, grass, plants, etc.
Human beings who are accustomed to eating meat and flesh must also depend
on the production of vegetation in order to eat the animals. Therefore,
ultimately, we have to depend on the production of the field and not on
the production of big factories. The field production is due to sufficient
rain from the sky, and such rains are controlled by demigods like Indra,
sun, moon, etc., and they are all servants of the Lord. The Lord can be
satisfied by sacrifices; therefore, one who cannot perform them will find
himself in scarcity -- that is the law of nature. Yajna,
specifically the sankirtan-yajna prescribed for this age, must
therefore be performed to save us at least from scarcity of food supply.
TEXT 15
karma brahmodbhavam viddhi
brahmaksara-samudbhavam
tasmat sarva-gatam brahma
nityam yajne pratisthitam
WORD FOR WORD
karma -- work; brahma -- from the Vedas; udbhavam --
produced; viddhi -- you should know; brahma -- the Vedas;
aksara -- from the Supreme Brahman (Personality of Godhead);
samudbhavam -- directly manifested; tasmat -- therefore;
sarva-gatam -- all-pervading; brahma -- transcendence;
nityam -- eternally; yajne -- in sacrifice;
pratisthitam -- situated.
TRANSLATION
Regulated activities are prescribed in the Vedas, and the Vedas are
directly manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Consequently
the all-pervading Transcendence is eternally situated in acts of
sacrifice.
PURPORT
Yajnartha-karma, or the necessity of work for the satisfaction of
Krishna only, is more expressly stated in this verse. If we have to work
for the satisfaction of the yajna-purusa, Vishnu, then we must find
out the direction of work in Brahman, or the transcendental Vedas.
The Vedas are therefore codes of working directions. Anything
performed without the direction of the Vedas is called
vikarma, or unauthorized or sinful work. Therefore, one should
always take direction from the Vedas to be saved from the reaction
of work. As one has to work in ordinary life by the direction of the
state, one similarly has to work under direction of the supreme state of
the Lord. Such directions in the Vedas are directly manifested from
the breathing of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said, asya
mahato bhutasya nisvasitam etad yad rg-vedo yajur-vedah samavedo
'tharvangirasah. "The four Vedas -- namely the Rg Veda,
Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda -- are all emanations
from the breathing of the great Personality of Godhead."
(Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 4.5.11) The Lord, being omnipotent, can
speak by breathing air, for as it is confirmed in the
Brahma-samhita, the Lord has the omnipotence to perform through
each of His senses the actions of all other senses. In other words, the
Lord can speak through His breathing, and He can impregnate by His eyes.
In fact, it is said that He glanced over material nature and thus fathered
all living entities. After creating or impregnating the conditioned souls
into the womb of material nature, He gave His directions in the Vedic
wisdom as to how such conditioned souls can return home, back to Godhead.
We should always remember that the conditioned souls in material nature
are all eager for material enjoyment. But the Vedic directions are so made
that one can satisfy one's perverted desires, then return to Godhead,
having finished his so-called enjoyment. It is a chance for the
conditioned souls to attain liberation; therefore the conditioned souls
must try to follow the process of yajna by becoming Krishna
conscious. Even those who have not followed the Vedic injunctions may
adopt the principles of Krishna consciousness, and that will take the
place of performance of Vedic yajnas, or karmas.
TEXT 16
evam pravartitam cakram
nanuvartayatiha yah
aghayur indriyaramo
mogham partha sa jivati
WORD FOR WORD
evam -- thus; pravartitam -- established by the Vedas;
cakram -- cycle; na -- does not; anuvartayati -- adopt;
iha -- in this life; yah -- one who; agha-ayuh --
whose life is full of sins; indriya-aramah -- satisfied in sense
gratification; mogham -- uselessly; partha -- O son of Prtha
(Arjuna); sah -- he; jivati -- lives.
TRANSLATION
My dear Arjuna, one who does not follow in human life the cycle of
sacrifice thus established by the Vedas certainly leads a life full of
sin. Living only for the satisfaction of the senses, such a person lives
in vain.
PURPORT
The mammonist philosophy of "work very hard and enjoy sense gratification"
is condemned herein by the Lord. Therefore, for those who want to enjoy
this material world, the above-mentioned cycle of performing yajnas
is absolutely necessary. One who does not follow such regulations is
living a very risky life, being condemned more and more. By nature's law,
this human form of life is specifically meant for self-realization, in
either of the three ways -- namely karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, or
bhakti-yoga. There is no necessity of rigidly following the
performances of the prescribed yajnas for the transcendentalists
who are above vice and virtue; but those who are engaged in sense
gratification require purification by the abovementioned cycle of
yajna performances. There are different kinds of activities. Those
who are not Krishna conscious are certainly engaged in sensory
consciousness; therefore they need to execute pious work. The yajna
system is planned in such a way that sensory conscious persons may satisfy
their desires without becoming entangled in the reaction of
sense-gratificatory work. The prosperity of the world depends not on our
own efforts but on the background arrangement of the Supreme Lord,
directly carried out by the demigods. Therefore, the yajnas are
directly aimed at the particular demigods mentioned in the Vedas.
Indirectly, it is the practice of Krishna consciousness, because when one
masters the performance of yajnas one is sure to become Krishna
conscious. But if by performing yajnas one does not become Krishna
conscious, such principles are counted as only moral codes. One should
not, therefore, limit his progress only to the point of moral codes, but
should transcend them, to attain Krishna consciousness.
TEXT 17
yas tv atma-ratir eva syad
atma-trptas ca manavah
atmany eva ca santustas
tasya karyam na vidyate
WORD FOR WORD
yah -- one who; tu -- but; atma-ratih -- taking
pleasure in the self; eva -- certainly; syat -- remains;
atma-trptah -- self-illuminated; ca -- and; manavah
-- a man; atmani -- in himself; eva -- only; ca --
and; santustah -- perfectly satiated; tasya -- his;
karyam -- duty; na -- does not; vidyate -- exist.
TRANSLATION
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.
PURPORT
A person who is fully Krishna conscious, and is fully satisfied by
his acts in Krishna consciousness, no longer has any duty to perform. Due
to his being Krishna conscious, all impiety within is instantly cleansed,
an effect of many, many thousands of yajna performances. By such
clearing of consciousness, one becomes fully confident of his eternal
position in relationship with the Supreme. His duty thus becomes
self-illuminated by the grace of the Lord, and therefore he no longer has
any obligations to the Vedic injunctions. Such a Krishna conscious person
is no longer interested in material activities and no longer takes
pleasure in material arrangements like wine, women and similar
infatuations.
TEXT 18
naiva tasya krtenartho
nakrteneha kascana
na casya sarva-bhutesu
kascid artha-vyapasrayah
WORD FOR WORD
na -- never; eva -- certainly; tasya -- his;
krtena -- by discharge of duty; arthah -- purpose; na
-- nor; akrtena -- without discharge of duty; iha -- in this
world; kascana -- whatever; na -- never; ca -- and;
asya -- of him; sarva-bhutesu -- among all living beings;
kascit -- any; artha -- purpose; vyapasrayah --
taking shelter of.
TRANSLATION
A self-realized man has no purpose to fulfill in the discharge of his
prescribed duties, nor has he any reason not to perform such work. Nor has
he any need to depend on any other living being.
PURPORT
A self-realized man is no longer obliged to perform any prescribed duty,
save and except activities in Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness
is not inactivity either, as will be explained in the following verses. A
Krishna conscious man does not take shelter of any person -- man or
demigod. Whatever he does in Krishna consciousness is sufficient in the
discharge of his obligation.
TEXT 19
tasmad asaktah satatam
karyam karma samacara
asakto hy acaran karma
param apnoti purusah
WORD FOR WORD
tasmat -- therefore; asaktah -- without attachment;
satatam -- constantly; karyam -- as duty; karma --
work; samacara -- perform; asaktah -- unattached; hi
-- certainly; acaran -- performing; karma -- work;
param -- the Supreme; apnoti -- achieves; purusah --
a man.
TRANSLATION
Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should
act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the
Supreme.
PURPORT
The Supreme is the Personality of Godhead for the devotees, and liberation
for the impersonalist. A person, therefore, acting for Krishna, or in
Krishna consciousness, under proper guidance and without attachment to the
result of the work, is certainly making progress toward the supreme goal
of life. Arjuna is told that he should fight in the Battle of Kuruksetra
for the interest of Krishna because Krishna wanted him to fight. To be a
good man or a nonviolent man is a personal attachment, but to act on
behalf of the Supreme is to act without attachment for the result. That is
perfect action of the highest degree, recommended by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna.
Vedic rituals, like prescribed sacrifices, are performed for purification
of impious activities that were performed in the field of sense
gratification. But action in Krishna consciousness is transcendental to
the reactions of good or evil work. A Krishna conscious person has no
attachment for the result but acts on behalf of Krishna alone. He engages
in all kinds of activities, but is completely nonattached.
TEXT 20
karmanaiva hi samsiddhim
asthita janakadayah
loka-sangraham evapi
sampasyan kartum arhasi
WORD FOR WORD
karmana -- by work; eva -- even; hi -- certainly;
samsiddhim -- in perfection; asthitah -- situated;
janaka-adayah -- Janaka and other kings; loka-sangraham --
the people in general; eva api -- also; sampasyan --
considering; kartum -- to act; arhasi -- you deserve.
TRANSLATION
Kings such as Janaka attained perfection solely by performance of
prescribed duties. Therefore, just for the sake of educating the people in
general, you should perform your work.
PURPORT
Kings like Janaka were all self-realized souls; consequently they had no
obligation to perform the prescribed duties in the Vedas.
Nonetheless they performed all prescribed activities just to set examples
for the people in general. Janaka was the father of Sita and father-in-law
of Lord Sri Rama. Being a great devotee of the Lord, he was
transcendentally situated, but because he was the king of Mithila (a
subdivision of Bihar province in India), he had to teach his subjects how
to perform prescribed duties. Lord Krishna and Arjuna, the Lord's eternal
friend, had no need to fight in the Battle of Kuruksetra, but they fought
to teach people in general that violence is also necessary in a situation
where good arguments fail. Before the Battle of Kuruksetra, every effort
was made to avoid the war, even by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but
the other party was determined to fight. So for such a right cause, there
is a necessity for fighting. Although one who is situated in Krishna
consciousness may not have any interest in the world, he still works to
teach the public how to live and how to act. Experienced persons in
Krishna consciousness can act in such a way that others will follow, and
this is explained in the following verse.
TEXT 21
yad yad acarati sresthas
tat tad evetaro janah
sa yat pramanam kurute
lokas tad anuvartate
WORD FOR WORD
yat yat -- whatever; acarati -- he does; sresthah --
a respectable leader; tat -- that; tat -- and that alone;
eva -- certainly; itarah -- common; janah -- person;
sah -- he; yat -- whichever; pramanam -- example;
kurute -- does perform; lokah -- all the world; tat
-- that; anuvartate -- follows in the footsteps.
TRANSLATION
Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever
standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.
PURPORT
People in general always require a leader who can teach the public by
practical behavior. A leader cannot teach the public to stop smoking if he
himself smokes. Lord Caitanya said that a teacher should behave properly
before he begins teaching. One who teaches in that way is called
acarya, or the ideal teacher. Therefore, a teacher must follow the
principles of sastra (scripture) to teach the common man. The
teacher cannot manufacture rules against the principles of revealed
scriptures. The revealed scriptures, like Manu-samhita and similar
others, are considered the standard books to be followed by human society.
Thus the leader's teaching should be based on the principles of such
standard sastras. One who desires to improve himself must follow
the standard rules as they are practiced by the great teachers. The
Srimad-Bhagavatam also affirms that one should follow in the
footsteps of great devotees, and that is the way of progress on the path
of spiritual realization. The king or the executive head of a state, the
father and the school teacher are all considered to be natural leaders of
the innocent people in general. All such natural leaders have a great
responsibility to their dependents; therefore they must be conversant with
standard books of moral and spiritual codes.
TEXT 22
na me parthasti kartavyam
trisu lokesu kincana
nanavaptam avaptavyam
varta eva ca karmani
WORD FOR WORD
na -- not; me -- Mine; partha -- O son of Prtha;
asti -- there is; kartavyam -- prescribed duty; trisu
-- in the three; lokesu -- planetary systems; kincana --
any; na -- nothing; anavaptam -- wanted; avaptavyam
-- to be gained; varte -- I am engaged; eva -- certainly;
ca -- also; karmani -- in prescribed duty.
TRANSLATION
O son of Prtha, there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three
planetary systems. Nor am I in want of anything, nor have I a need to
obtain anything -- and yet I am engaged in prescribed duties.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in the Vedic literatures
as follows:
tam isvaranam paramam mahesvaram
tam devatanam paramam ca daivatam
patim patinam paramam parastad
vidama devam bhuvanesam idyam
na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate
na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate
parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate
svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca
"The Supreme Lord is the controller of all other controllers, and He is
the greatest of all the diverse planetary leaders. Everyone is under His
control. All entities are delegated with particular power only by the
Supreme Lord; they are not supreme themselves. He is also worshipable by
all demigods and is the supreme director of all directors. Therefore, He
is transcendental to all kinds of material leaders and controllers and is
worshipable by all. There is no one greater than Him, and He is the
supreme cause of all causes.
"He does not possess bodily form like that of an ordinary living entity.
There is no difference between His body and His soul. He is absolute. All
His senses are transcendental. Any one of His senses can perform the
action of any other sense. Therefore, no one is greater than Him or equal
to Him. His potencies are multifarious, and thus His deeds are
automatically performed as a natural sequence." (Svetasvatara
Upanisad 6.7-8)
Since everything is in full opulence in the Personality of Godhead and is
existing in full truth, there is no duty for the Supreme Personality of
Godhead to perform. One who must receive the results of work has some
designated duty, but one who has nothing to achieve within the three
planetary systems certainly has no duty. And yet Lord Krishna is engaged
on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra as the leader of the ksatriyas
because the ksatriyas are duty-bound to give protection to the
distressed. Although He is above all the regulations of the revealed
scriptures, He does not do anything that violates the revealed scriptures.
Texts 23 to 43
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