Word meanings
- na
- neither
- dveṣṭi
- hate
- akuśalam
- disagreeable
- karma
- work
- kuśale
- to an agreeable
- na
- nor
- anuṣajjate
- seek
- tyāgī
- one who renounces desires for enjoying the fruits of actions
- sattva
- in the mode of goodness
- samāviṣṭaḥ
- endowed with
- medhāvī
- intelligent
- chinna-sanśayaḥ
- those who have no doubts
Translations
The man of renunciation, pervaded by purity, intelligent, and with his doubts cut asunder, does not hate an unpleasant task nor is he attached to a pleasant one.
The wise man who has attained purity, whose doubts are resolved, who is filled with the spirit of self-abnegation, does not shy away from action due to its pain, nor does he crave it due to its pleasure.
The man of renunciation, imbued with sattva, wise and free from doubts, does not hate unbecoming action, nor does he become attached to becoming activity.
जो अकुशल कर्मसे द्वेष नहीं करता और कुशल कर्ममें आसक्त नहीं होता, वह त्यागी, बुद्धिमान्, सन्देहरहित और अपने स्वरूपमें स्थित है।Commentary
All actions are eally welcome to the man of renunciation. He is not affected by either pleasure or pain. He is not elated at performing pleasant actions nor does he find unpleasantness when he does disagreeable actions. He does not hate the latter, nor is he attached to the former. Neither has he aversion to painful actions nor attraction to pleasant ones. As he has no attachment to any action or its rewards, he will do any action for the welfare of all beings. Akusalam Karma Disagreeable work or work done with expectation of reward, which becomes the cause of bondage to Samsara, by producing a body.
He does not hate an unpleasnt action, thinking? Of what use is it-Kusale To good ones which include obligatory daily duties. He has no attachment to them even with the notion that they lead to salvation by purifying the heart and conseently giving rise to the dawn of knowledge and devotion to it. When one abandons attachment to action and desire for its reward and performs actions vigorously, his heart is filled with Sattva or purity which produces discrimination between the Real and the unreal, the Eternal and the transient.
Then he attains knowledge of the Self which dispels all the doubts caused by ignorance. He now realises that the only means of attaining the spureme bliss or eternal peace or immortality is knowledge of the Self. This rends asunder all his doubts. What is the nature of doubt Does Brahman exist or not Do the Upanishads deal with Saguna Brahman or Nirguna Brahman Is the individual soul identical with the Supreme Being or not Will I be able to realise the Self or not Will any of the Karmas (Prarabdha?
Sanchita and Agami) affect me Does this Samsara whose nature is the feelings I do this and I enjoy this belong to the Self or to the mind and intellect What are the means for liberation -- Yoga, devotion? Karma or knowledge of the Self What is Moksha Is it Selfrealisation or the attainment of the Salokya? Samipya? Sarupya and Sayujya states (dwelling in the kingdom of God, proximity to Him, assuming the same form as the Lord and merging in Him)When a man practises Karma Yoga he gets purity of heart and through purity of heart knows himself to be the immutable actionless Self Who is destitute of birth, or remains without acting or causing others to act (Cf.V.13).
He attains devotion to the knowledge of the Self and freedom from all actions. The purpose of the Karma Yoga described above has been taught in this verse. Medhavi He who is endowed or united with wisdom. He is a Sthitaprajna. What is Medha, then It is the immediate knowledge of the identity of the individual soul and the Supreme Being by meditation on the right significance of the great sentence (I am Brahman or That thou art), which, is free from the three kinds of doubts, viz.?
Samsaya Bhavana (doubt)? Asambhavana (improbability) and Viparitabhavana (perversion), and by the practice of the four means and service of the Guru (who is versed in the scriptures and established in Brahman) and hearing the truths from him. Such a Medhavi will not think that prohibited actions which bind an ignorant man will be unfavourable to him. He will never think that they will bind him if he has to perform them, because he is above good and evil, virtue and vice, right and wrong.
He has no idea of agency (Kartritva Abhimana) he feels that he is a Kritakritya, one who has accomplished all actions. This does not mean that he will do wrong actions. As his will is one with the cosmic will, whatever action he performs will be in accordance with the scriptures. He will never deviate even a fraction of an inch from the rules of the scriptures. The Lord alone works through his mind and senses as he has no individual will. Raga-Dvesha (likes and dislikes) are the motives that induce a worldly man to actions.
As they are absent in a sage or a Medhavi, he can renounce the fruits of all actions and actions as well. As the ocean remains calm amidst stormy waves, even so a Sattvic man remains calm amidst adverse or stormy conditions of life. He recognises that the happenings of life are inevitable. He acts in a variety of ways but is not disturbed as he has a balanced and disciplined mind. There must be no hatred for unpleasant or disagreeable action that brings physical suffering, danger or unlucky results or untoward conseences, when it is the work that should be done.
You will have to accept such work also with a willing heart and work with hear and soul. You must have a profound and comprehensive understanding of its need and meaning also. Arjuna failed to understand in the beginning the deep significance and need of the work given by the Lord. He brought in his own foolish philosophy. He failed to do his bounden duty because, due to ignorance, he thought it was an unpleasant or disagreeable action to kill people but in the end when his eyes were opened by the valuable teachings of the Lord, he understood the need and the meaning of the work although it appeared to him as disagreeable and unpleasant in the beginning, and said My illusion is destroyed.
I have gained knowledge through Thy grace? O Krishna. I am firm, my doubts are gone. I will act according to Thy instructions.