BHAGAVAD-GITA 3:20

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 3:20

 

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 Krsna 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 Krsna 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 Krsna consciousness can

act in such a way that others will follow, and this is explained in

the following verse.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.