CH 3, Verse 17

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Chapter 3

Verse 17

 

Yas tv aatma-ratir eva syaad aatma-tRiptash cha

maanavaH /

aatmany eva cha sa.ntushhTastasya kaaryaM na vidyate

//

 

But the man who rejoices solely in the Self, and is

satisfied with the Self and contented in the Self

alone, has no duty to perform.

 

LESSONS FROM BHAGAVAD GITA – 20

As taught by Parama Pujya Sri Swamiji

 

“But the man who rejoices solely in the Self, and is

satisfied with the Self and contented in the Self

alone, has no duty to perform.”

 

The man who is given to the sense-world goes on

accumulating all objects of enjoyments without

respite. He does tremendous work in the world to

obtain such enjoyments. These worldly enjoyments give

him only momentary pleasures. So after satisfying one

enjoyment he is driven to the action required for

getting another enjoyment. It is in this way that a

man gets deluded and involved into the vortex of

action and enjoyment. Such a man given to sensuous

pleasures always remains discontented in spite of

enjoying pleasures many a time.

 

But the man who has given up attachment to worldly

enjoyments is pleased with his own Self. He finds

within his own Self all the enjoyments obtainable from

the entire sensuous and the supersensuous world. So

he takes delight in his own Self, remains contented

with his own Self and is gratified by his own Self.

Such a man has no duty to perform in this world. He

has attained the Highest Self. So by doing anything,

he has nothing to gain and by not doing anything, he

has nothing to lose.

 

The idea is, when a man finds all his enjoyments in

his Self and is satisfied with his Self, then there is

nothing for him to acquire from the outside world. So

this perfect man remains the same whether he does

works or abstains from them. His enjoyment is not

derived from any outside object. It springs from his

own Self. When he enjoys the Supreme Bliss within

him, why should such a self-realized man go in search

of enjoyments in the outside world? Therefore he has

no duty to perform in this world.

 

 

 

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