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CHAPTER 18
SRIMAD BHAGAVADGITA
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मों विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् ।
स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ।। 47 ।।
सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमति न त्यजेत् ।
सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृता: ।। 48 ।।
असक्तबुद्धि: सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृह: ।
नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां सन्न्यासेनाधिगच्छति ।। 49 ।।
Translation:- (47) Though another religion may be easy of observance,
and one's own Action according to the four-class-arrangement
may be 'viguna (that is, faulty), yet, it is more proper; when
a person is performing his own inherently natural duty (that
is, the duty which has been ordained for him according to
the four-class-arrangement, based on natural inherent
qualities), he does not thereby incur (any) sin. (48) O Son
of Kunti! that Action, which is naturally (that is, by result
of birth) 'niyata' (that is, ordained—Trans.), according
to the division of the qualities, such Action, even
if improper, should not (ever) be given up; because, all
arambha (that is, activities) are enveloped in (some) fault
(or other), as fire in smoke.(49) (Therefore), when a man
behaves, without being attached to anything, and having
controlled his mind, and with a desireless heart, then, by
Renunciation (of the Fruit of Action), the highest Perfection
by Non-Action (naiskarmya-siddhi) is obtained.
Description:-[The ideas that "one's own religion is better than the
religion of another"[1], and that "in order to obtain
the naiskarmya-siddhi, it is not necessary to abandon Action"
[2], which had been mentioned before, have again
been made clear in this summarising Chapter. The
meaning of 'naiskarmya', and what true 'naiskarmya-siddhi'
is, have been made clear by me in my commentary on
Gi. 3. 4, to which the reader is referred. When one
remembers that persons following the Path of Renunciation
aim only at Release, whereas, the Blessed Lord aims
equally at Release and at Universal Welfare, the
importance of this principle becomes easily clear.
Universal Welfare, that is, 'the maintenance and sustenance
of society', needs the man endowed with Spiritual and
Empirical Knowledge, as much as the brave warrior, who
wins success on the battle-field by his sword, the agriculturist,
the merchant, the labourer, the carpenter, the
ironsmith, the potter, or even the butcher, who sells flesh.
And, if it is said that Release cannot be obtained unless
Action is abandoned, then, all these people will have to
give up their respective business, and become ascetics!
People, who adhere to the Path of Abandonment of Action
(karma-samnyasa) do not attach much importance to this;
but, the vision of the Gita is not narrow like that—]
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