Contents
Shri Sankara's Gita Bhashya
(Sri Sankaracharya's Commentary on the Gita)
CHAPTER -6
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1. He who, without leaning to the fruit of action, performs his bounden duty, he is a sathnyāsin and a yogin: not he (alone) who is without fire and without action. He who, without leaning to the fruit of action, devoid of desire for the fruit of action. One who has the desire for the fruit of action becomes dependent on it, but the man in question is the opposite of him and is therefore not dependent on the fruit of action. He who is of this description and performs his bounden duty, i.e. the nityakarma, Agnihotra and others, the opposite of kāmya-karma (action done with motive for attaining some desired result): he who performs actions thus is superior to other performers of action. To convey this sense, the Lord says: He is a samnyāsin and a yogin. Sarhnyāsa is renunciation, and yoga is composure of mind; the person under reference must be deemed as one possessed of these virtues. It should not be thought that only he is a sarhnyāsin and a yogin who is without fire and without action-he who is bereft of the fires which are essential for the performance of rites, and who does not also engage in actions not requiring the sacrificial fires, such as austerities and munificence. |
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