Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter2

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19. yasya sarve samaarambhaaH kaamasankalpavarjithaaH

jnaanaagnidhagDha karmaaNam tham aahuH panditham

buDhaaH

The one, all activities of whom are free from desire and wish and hence all his actions are burnt in the fire of knowledge is called a wise man by those who has acquired true knowledge.

 

 

The knowledge of what is action and what is inaction resulting in the perception of action in inaction and vice versa, is like a fire. He, whose actions are devoid of desire, offers all his actions in this fire. Such a man alone can be called a panditha, a man of wisdom.

 

SamaarambhaaH means actions of a man of wisdom. Aarmbha is anything that is started meaning an action. The prefix `sam' is added to denote that all his actions are free from desire and wish and therefore well done,YogaH karmasu kousalam, (Ch2.50) the prefix `sam' denotes the high quality of anything such as in sampaSyathi samSrNothi etc. meaning right perception and right hearing .

 

Kaama and sankalpa- kama is desire and sankalpa usually means the will to do something. I have translated it as wish because willing could not be avoided in all actions good or bad, that is whether they are conducive to spiritual progress or not. Wish on the other hand could be synonymous with the sanga mentioned in the second chapter n the sloka `Dhyaayatho vishayaan pumsaH sangaH theshu upajaayathe sangaath sanjaayathe kaamaH.' This can be explained as follows.

 

When we see something tempting for instance our mind dwells on it and gets attached to the object and wish to get it is born. Then the desire for it is aroused. A typical example of this process could be seen in Ramayana. Ravana having heard, only heard of not even seen, the beauty of Seetha and he constantly thought about her and the wish to have her rose in his mind. Then the desire, kama, overpowered him which could not be controlled until he went and brought her, and finally destroyed himself illustrating the words of Krishna in the above sloka, budDhinaaSaath vinaSyati This is the case with all desire motivated activities.

 

But in the activities of the one who has perfect self control, both kama and sankalpa are absent. He does all his actions as his duty appropriate for the varna and asrama and the situation in which he finds himself in this world. He has offered all his actions to the real self, the brahman in Him and does not identify himself with his body, mind and intellect which causes delusion and kindles desire. This is what is meant by jnaagnidhagDha karmaaNam, the one whose actions are burnt in the fire of knowledge. When he seed is burnt no shoots come out of it. Similarly when the desire motivated actions are burnt in the fire of knowledge , that is, when the same actions are done without selfish motive and expectation of result they do not produce more karma. Such a man alone can be said to have acquired wisdom. This idea is elaborated in the rest of the chapter.