CH 3, Verse 30

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Chapter 3

Verse 30

 

Mayi sarvaaNi karmaaNi sa.nnyasy-aadhyaatma-chetasaa /

niraasheer nirmamo bhuutvaa yudhyasva vigata-jvaraH //

 

Renouncing all actions to Me, with mind fixed in the

Self, free from hope and egoism and without anguish,

do you fight.

 

LESSONS FROM BHAGAVAD GITA – 23

As taught by Parama Pujya Sri Swamiji

Compiled by: Swami Dattananda

Bhakti Mala, September 1994

 

The source and the basis of all the universal forces

of nature and its different objects, is God, the

Supreme Divine Spirit. I exist, you exist, the

planets, the stars, the five elements like air, fire,

water, sky and the earth and everything exist on this

common basis called God. Just as innumerable waves

exist in the same ocean, even so, all the objects of

different names and forms exist in the Supreme Divine

Spirit. As all these objects have a common background,

they have to work, exist or live in harmony with

others. Therefore no one should try to satisfy one's

desire at the cost of others. Everyone should work for

the general good. This is the only way to march to

perfection. But ordinary people cannot understand this

truth. They perform their works and duties with the

purpose of enjoying the results. If you ask them not

to act with a selfish motive and work for the general

good they will not listen. They may even give up the

work in frustration and spend their time idly.

 

Such people who want to enjoy the fruit of their work

may get the fruit and enjoy it. But they will be bound

by the law of action and reaction. Some of the results

of their works may come in their present lives, and

some in their next lives, and to enjoy those results

they will have to be born again and again. Thus they

will be subjected to the wheel of birth and death and

as such the chances of their liberation become remote.

But by some good fortune, they may come in touch with

some wise men and slowly, under their good influence,

they will realize the truth that this law of action

and reaction and the wheel of birth and death are a

great bondage and source of misery. They will then get

dissatisfied with this plane of existence and wish to

become free from the wheel of birth and death, and

from the bondage of nature. Their hearts will yearn

for something higher than this mundane life. To them

the Lord says, "Renouncing all actions to Me, with

mind fixed in the Self, free from hope and egoism and

without anguish, do you fight” (Chapter 3, Verse 30).

 

The first instruction of the Lord in this verse is

that one should renounce all actions to Him.

Renouncing all actions does not mean giving up all

actions and sitting quiet. It means performance of

actions in a spirit of dedication to the Lord. It is

the same thing as performing actions for the sake of

the Lord. A man who performs actions for himself

performs them for the sake of his personal enjoyment.

As he has selfish motive in the performance of his

actions he will have to experience the good or the bad

results of his actions. On the other hand the actions

of that man who performs them as a dedication to the

Lord will be free from the law of action and reaction.

 

 

The next instruction is to fix the mind in one's own

Self. The general tendency of the mind and the other

senses is to go out towards the objects of the world

in search of pleasure. They are not inclined towards

the Self. In the Kathopanishad it is said, "The

self-born Lord made the senses out-wending. Therefore

one sees the outside things and not the inner Self. A

rare discriminating man, desiring immortality, turns

his eyes away and then sees the indwelling Self".

Again in the next verse it says, "The ignorant people

follow the external desires. They get caught into the

square of death, which is spread out on all sides.

Therefore, the discriminating people, having known

that true immortality is in the midst of impermanent

things, do not long for the momentary enjoyments of

the objects of the senses." So a wise man does not

think of enjoying the objects of pleasure. He always

thinks of the Self. He is Adhyatmachetah, one with

his mind fixed on the Self. He enjoys eternal Bliss.

 

The third instruction is to be devoid of hope or

expectation. The man who wishes to enjoy sensual

pleasures will hope to secure fruit of his action.

Such a man will not hesitate even to do dishonest acts

to see that his aims are fulfilled. He will be full of

anxiety, pain and misery. Thus he will bring about his

downfall. So the Lord says, "cast off hope.”

 

Fourth instruction is to be free from all egoism or

the thought that this is 'mine.' We should realize

the truth that nothing in this world belongs to us.

Even the bodies that we call ours have to be given up

at the time of our death, leave alone relations,

wealth and other belongings. If a man loses his

wealth, he becomes broken-hearted, because he thinks

that the wealth is his. If his beloved wife or child

dies, he feels miserable, little realizing that he,

too, has to die sooner or later. This is because he

thinks that the wife or the child is his. If his

neighbor’s wife or child dies, he is not miserable.

 

This feeling of 'I and mine' is the root cause of all

our grief. If we can give up this 'I and mine' idea,

we will be free from all grief and pain. The man who

is free from all desires and the notion of 'I and

mine,’ whose mind is firmly fixed on the Lord and who

has dedicated all his actions to the Lord, will be

serene and peaceful. He will not be subjected to any

anguish whatsoever. Such a man can perform his duty

diligently and perfectly. So the Lord exhorts Arjuna

to become serene and peaceful and fight the battle.

 

When a man gives up the notion of 'I and mine,' he

will be free from selfishness. Then, even if he

engages himself in a war in which he has to kill

thousands, his act of killing becomes an act of

worship, as he is doing it as a dedication to God to

establish righteousness in the world. In fact, he is

doing God's work remaining as His instrument.

 

Since Arjuna is a Kshatriya, the Lord exhorts him to

fight. Although the teaching is given to Arjuna by the

Lord, it is also meant for all of us. The Lord wants

us to do the duties of our lives in a spirit of

dedication to Him. The teacher has to teach his

students, the doctor has to treat his patients, the

saint has to preach, the judge, the Government

official or the official of the private undertakings,

the minister, the President of a country, nay, even a

cobbler or a sweeper, everyone has to discharge his

duties as a dedication to God.

 

Here you have to realize that the Lord never advocates

inaction or giving up action and sitting quiet,

surrendering everything to fate. Hinduism is not based

on fatalism, as is understood by some misinformed

people. The Lord asks everyone to perform one's

actions or duties of life without any selfish idea and

without hope for fruit or the frustration of failure.

Then only one can perform one's duties of life

properly and march towards perfection.

 

 

 

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