Bhagavad Gita 4.17-18

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Sri:

Sri Lakshminrisimha Parabrahmane Namaha

Sri Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikaya Namaha

 

SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA

- translation by Sri.V.N.Gopala Desikan

 

Chapter IV

slOkA 17

 

karmanO hy api boddhavyam boddhavyam cha vikarmanah

akarmanash cha boddhavyam gahanA karmanO gatih

 

Translation :

karmanah api - (About) karmA also

boddhavyam - is to be known;

vikarmanah cha - its divisions

boddhavyam - are also to be known;

akarmanah cha - and (about) the knowledge in the

karmA also

boddhavyam - is to be known.

gatih - The ways

kamranah - of karmA

gahanA - are mysterious.

 

(About) karmA also is to be known; its divisions are

also to be known; and (about) the knowledge in the

karmA also is to be known. The ways of karmA are

mysterious.

 

Commentary : You must understand the nature of karmA or

action to be done , for attaining mOkshA. There are

various kinds of karmA or actions and these are nitya ,

naimittika and kAmya .

1 . Nitya karmAs are those which have to be compulsorily

done like sandhya vandhanA.

2. Naimittika karmAs are those which have to be done on

special occasions like tarpana during eclipse.

3. KAmya karmAs are those which have to be done for

achieving worldly objects like sons, cattle and food;

and also svargA. But these kAmya karmAs can also be

done , without desire for the fruits , but purely

for the pleasure of the Lord, and as a form of service

to the Lord.

So all the different activities have to be

understood; as also the methods of gathering the materials

required for doing these karmAs or activities. Proper

knowledge has also to be acquired in regard to these various

activities . In all such activities described above, the

desire for fruits must be given up completely. It should be

understood that sAstrAs teach us that attainment of mOkshA

is the sole purpose or fruit of human life. It is very

difficult to understand all these.

Here, " vikarmA " means the various activities

referred to above. " AkarmA " means that , which is not

karmA (i.e other than karmA) i.e the knowledge (referred

to above).

 

slOkA 18

 

karmany akarma yah pashyEd akarmani cha karma yah

sa buddhimAn manushyeshu sa yuktah krtsna karma krt

yah - He who

pashyEd - sees

akarma - knowledge

karmani - in action

yah - and he ( who sees )

karma cha - action

akarmani - in knowledge ;

sa - he

buddhimAn - is wise

manushyesu - among men;

sa - (and) he

yuktah - is fit for mOkshA.

karma krt - He has done

krtsna - everything.

 

He who sees knowledge in action ; and he (who sees)

action in knowledge; he is wise among men; (and) he

is fit for mOkshA. He has done everything.

 

Commentary : A person does various activities. He also

knows the true nature of the soul , as the agent of

these activities, done by the will of the Lord. So he has

(this) knowledge while doing karmA. In other words, he

sees knowledge in karmA.

Similarly , a person who meditates on his soul

also does the prescribed actions. So, he sees ( does)

karmA in knowledge (i.e, while meditating on the soul).

So, a person who sees knowledge in karmA

(i.e, while doing karmA) and who sees karmA in knowledge

( as described above) is really the wise among men. He is

also fit to attain mOkshA. He has fulfilled the purpose

of the sAstrAs.

 

adiyEn,

balaji

 

(Courtesy : Sri Visishtadvita Research centre)