Bhagavad Gita -Srila Prabhupada 537

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita As It Is -Shri Shrimad A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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Devotional Service
Chapter 12: Verse-11

athaitad apy asakto ’si kartum mad-yogam äsritah
sarva-karma-phala-tyägam tatah kuru yatätmavän[1]

TRANSLATION

If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.

PURPORT

It may be that one is unable even to sympathize with the activities of krsna consciousness because of social, familial or religious considerations or because of some other impediments. If one attaches himself directly to the activities of Krsna consciousness, there may be objections from family members, or so many other difficulties. For one who has such a problem, it is advised that he sacrifice the accumulated result of his activities to some good cause. Such procedures are described in the Vedic rules. There are many descriptions of sacrifices and special functions of puëya, or special work in which the result of one’s previous action may be applied. Thus one may gradually become elevated to the state of knowledge. It is also found that when one who is not even interested in the activities of krsna consciousness gives charity to some hospital or some other social institution, he gives up the hard-earned results of his activities. That is also recommended here because by the practice of giving up the fruits of one’s activities one is sure to purify his mind gradually, and in that purified stage of mind one becomes able tounder stand krsna consciousness. Of course krsna consciousness is not dependent on any other experience, because krsna consciousness itself canpurify one’s mind, but if there are impediments to accepting krsna consciousness, one may try to give up the results of his actions. In that respect, social service, community service, national service, sacrifice for one’s country, etc., may be accepted so that some day one may come to the stage of pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord. In[2]we find it is stated, yatah pravrttir bhütänäm: if one decides to sacrifice for the supreme cause, even if he does not know that the supreme cause is Krsna, he will come gradually to understand that krsna is the supreme cause by the sacrificial method.


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References

  1. atha=even though; etat=this; api=also; asaktah=unable; asi=you are;
    kartum=to perform; mat=unto Me; yogam=in devotional service; äsritah=taking refuge; sarva-karma=of all activities; phala=of the results;
    tyägam=renunciation; tatah=then; kuru=do; yata-ätma-vän=self-situated.
  2. Bhagavad-gita 18.46

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