Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter3-karmayoga

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27.prakrtheH kriyamaaNaani gunaiH karmaaNi sarvaSaH

ahamkaaravimooDaathmaa karthaa aham ithi manyathe

All actions are due to the gunas of prakrthi in all respects. The one is deluded by ego thinks that he is the doer.

In this sloka Krishna explains why the ignorant act with attachment. The activities of the world are due to the three gunas , satthva rajas and tamas of which the prkrthi, the evolvent of the whole world of objects and beings is constituted. The evolutes of prakrthi consist of the indriyas , the elements and the mind. This includes the body which is the product of the five elements. Detailed explanation of prakrthi and its evolutes will be given in chapter 7.

The three gunas satthva , rajas and thamas, are in all beings in different proportions and also in the sense objects and sense organs. So when an action takes place it is the interaction of the gunas within and gunas outside. Depending on the gunas the attachment arises with different objects. But those who are ignorant identify themselves with the gunas and consider themselves as the doer which includes enjoyer as well. This is the meaning of the sloka and it is elaborated further in a subsequent sloka.

Now , when the term ignorant, ajna is defined as the one who does the activities according to his varna and asrama and other ritualistic works ordained by the Vedas, but with attachment to the results therein, there arises a question whether a man who is not aware of the Vedas and sastras and the works ordained therein, that is, a layman with no knowledge whatsoever, but acts with faith being told what to do by others or worships the Lord like the one in the example who worshipped the Lord in a tree, quoted in the previous sloka, is of no consequence.

The latter is included in the term ajna, but the purpose of mentioning the one who acts according to the injunction of the Vedas as ajna, is to emphasis that even such a one should not be disturbed but should be left to his own devices and the wise should guide only by their actions and not by words. This is known as dhanda apoopa nyaya, the maxim of the stick and cakes(vadas). When a cake is tied to a stick and it is said that the stick was pulled and bitten by the rat it goes without saying that the cake was also eaten by the rat.

Another point to be noted here is that if a person with no knowledge has faith and devotion to the Lord he need not do any karma laid down by the sastras but his pure devotion is enough. As such he could not be classified at all with ajna unless his devotion itself is desire motivated in which case it ceases to be devotion. Whatever he does with pure devotion becomes an offering to the Lord and he is already on the road to salvation. This is why all the saints and acharyas stressed that mere faith and devotion is enough as Purandaradasa puts it, japavondhariyenu thapavondhariyenu upavaasanariyenendhalaiya bhEdaa apaatramahima sree purandharavitalana upaayadhidhali nene manavE, you need not torment yourself with japa thapa etc which you do not know but Vittala is the only means of attaining salvation in kaliyuga where His nama is enough. Kaliyugathalli hari naamava nenadhare, His name will uplift you.