Bhagavd Gita Chapter 2 Verses 47 to 53 - Adi Shankara's Commentary

[Guest guest]

47. To work alone you have the right and never to the fruits (of

works). Don't b impelled by the fruits of works; (at the same time)

don't be tempted to withdraw from works.

 

47.1 You have the right only to perform work and not to undertake

the disciline of knowledge. While doing works, do not think you have

the right to claim their fruits. Never, in any state of life

whatsoever, should you crave for the fruits of your works-this is the

idea. When you crave for the fruits of your works, you make

yourselves liable to reap those fruits. (but) you should never be

the cause of such fruit-gathering, for when one works, impelled by

the craving for fruits, one has to reap the fruits of such works,

namely, birth in the world. 'If the fruits of works are not to be

desired, why should painful works be undertaken at all?' This thought

should not tempt you, Arjuna, to withdraw from all works, either.

 

48.0 If work, impelled by the desire for fruit, is not to be

performed, how should it, then, be performed? Listen:

 

48. Giving up attachment and established in Yoga, with evenness of

mind in success and failure, perform works, O Arjuna. This evenness

is Yoga.

 

48.1 Established in Yoga, do works, O Arjuna! just for the sake of

God. Give up even the desire to please God with such work. 'Success'

here is the attainment of knowledge born of mental purity, which,

performance of works without craving for thier fruits produces.

'Failure' is due to works of the oppositesort. As regards both

these, let there be evenness of mind and then do works. What is this

Yoga, established in which Arjuna is asked to do the works? It is

this very same thing-evenness of mind, both in success and failure.

 

49.0 Compared with this sort of work, performed with evenness of

mind, as an act of worship of God.

 

49. Work impelled by the desire for the fruit is indeed far

inferior, evenness of mind being far above it. O Arjuna! Take refuge

in the evenness of intelligence. Pitiful are those impelled by the

desire for the fruits of works.

 

49.1 Indeed, far inferior is work done by one impelled by desire

for its fruit, compared

with work inspired by the intelligence of evenness (Karma Yoga),

because the former is the cause of birth, death, and so forth.

Therefore, Arjuna! resort to the intelligence of this Yoga of

evenness, or to that of Samkhya, the mature form of the former. It

will produce fearlessness. "Seek refuge in the knowledge of the

supreme Reality"-this is the idea. Those who do inferior work are

pitiful. Impelled by cravings for the fruits of works, they have to

reap them i.e., undergo transmigratory life. Vide: "Gargi! Pitiful

is he who departs from this world, before knowing that imperishable

Atman" (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 3.8.10)

 

50.0 Know what fruit is gained by him who conforms to the law of

hislife with the intelligence of mind's evenness:

 

50. With the intelligence of evenness one discards (in this world)

both good and evil works (i.e. the merits and demerits of works).

Therefore, strive to secure this Yoga; Yoga is skill in works.

 

50.1 Rich in the intelligence of evenness, one discards this world

of both good and evil works, i.e. merit and demerit, by the process

of purifying the mind and attaining knwoledge. Therefore, strive to

win this intelligence of evenness. Yoga is skill in the performance

of works. That skill consists in maintaining the evenness of mind in

success and failure in the performance of works as one's duty, with

the mind dedicated to God. With such dedication should one work,

conforming to the law of one's life. That indeed is skill by which

works that bind, cease to do so, due to the intelligence of evenness.

Therefore, unite with the intelligence of evenness.

 

 

 

For,

 

51. Wise men, united with the intellligence of evenness, discard,

indeed, the fruits of works; they are liberated from the bondage of

birth and attain the status which is free from alll sufferings.

 

51.1 "Discarding the fruits of works"-thus these separate words

(in the verse) have to be construed. The fruit of works is pleasant

or unpleasant embodiment; karmaja (born of works) means that which

works yield. "Wise men" are those who possess the intelligence of

evenness; they discard the fruits of works, and, liberated from the

bondage of birth-for birth is bondage-attain the supreme status of

Visnu, i.e. emancipation. This status is free from all kinds of

sufferings.

 

51.2 Alternatively, in verses from 49 onwards, what is set forth

is knowledge, the realization of the metaphysical Reality, consequent

on the purification of the mind through Karma Yoga. This knowledge

corresponds to "the inundation all around" (2.46). because it is held

to obliterate all deeds, good and evil, alike.

 

52.0 When shall this intelligence (or knowledge), born of mind's

purification, be won, mental purification itself being the product of

Karma Yoga? Listen:

 

52. When your intellect goes beyond the mist of delusion, you will

win detachment from both what is to be heard and what has been heard.

 

52.1 When your intellect goes beyond the mist of non-

discriimnation, whose essence is the delusion obscuring the

distinction between the Self and non-Self, and drives the inner sense

towards the sphere of objects, i.e. when your intellect is thoroughly

cleansed, you will reach detachment form both 'what is to be heard

and what has been heard'. In other words, both knowledge already

gained and that which remains to be gained will stirke you as

unprofitable. This is the idea.

 

53.0 If you ask when, having won the discriminative knowledge of

the self through the destruction of the mist of delusion, you will

attain to Yoga proper (paramarthayoga), which attachment is the real

fruit of Karma Yoga-here is the answer:

 

53. You will win this supreme Yoga when your intelligence,

bewildered by Vedic texts, becomes firm and unwavering in

concentration.

 

53.1 'Bewildered by Vedic texts' referes to the intellect

distracted by the manifold directions of the Vedic texts. These

elucidate the links between the various ends and means, involving

activities and abstention therefrom. Becoming stable and stirless,

it rests in concentration (samadhi). Concentration is the Spirit, in

which the mind is concentrated. It (the concentrated mind) is

unwavering or free from all distractions. Intellect (buddhi) is the

inner sense. Then will you win uinon, the wisdom born of

discrimination. This is concentration, the content of the Spirit.