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Chapter 3
In the Discipline of Action the Lord's main principle is "Action is superior to inaction." The some fact has been pointed out by the Lord, when he declares, "Let not thy attachment be to inaction" (Gita 2/47). The reason is, that he who shirks his duty wastes his time in heedlessness, laziness and sleep or performs forbidden actions, which mislead him to a downfall.
It is better to be detached from actions by performing them, rather than through their non-performance. A person is in bondage, due to desire, attachment, partiality etc., whether he performs actions or not. In the path of action, if a striver has the aim to renounce desire, it can be renounced very easily, through the performance of action for the good of others.
sarirayatrapi ca to na prasiddhyedakarmanah:- Arjuna had a misconception in his mind, that his affinity for actions would be automatically renounced, if he did not perform action. Therefore, Lord Krsna persuades him to perform actions by several pleas, one of these was, that even the maintenance of body would not be possible, by inaction. As in the Discipline of Knowledge, affinity for the world is renounced by discrimination, in the Discipline of Action, affinity is renounced by performing one's duty sincerely and thoroughly. Therefore, the Discipline of Action, should in no way be regarded as inferior to the Discipline of Knowledge. A Karmayogi, regarding the body as belonging to the world, uses it in rendering service to the world i.e., he has no sense of 'mineness', with it. He identifies the physical, subtle and causal bodies respectively, with the gross, subtle and causal world, while a Jnanayogi identifies himself with Brahma, the Absolute. Thus a Karmayogi, identifies the insentient elements while a Jnanayogi, identifies the sentient ones.
A Vital Fact Pertaining to Spiritual Discipline
Generally strivers such as Arjuna, commit an error, that they insist on non-performance of actions. Secondly, while practising spiritual discipline they want favourable circumstances, so that they may attain their aim quickly. But such a desire, is a stumbling block to their spiritual progress.
A striver who wants to attain bliss easily and quickly, is a pleasure-seeker rather than a striver, because by doing so he has an eye, not on the spiritual discipline but on its fruit. The result is, that he gets tired of spiritual discipline and thus attains his aim late.
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