Srimad Bhagavadgita -Ramsukhdas 213

Srimad Bhagavadgita Sadhaka Sanjivani -Swami Ramsukhdas

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Chapter 3

Links:-In the preceding verse, Lord Krsna declared that without performing action we cannot keep body and soul together. It proves that performance of action is essential. But actions lead to attachment and bondage. So how can a man be free from this bondage? The Lord, answers the question in the next verse.

yajnarthatkarmano'nyalra loko'yam karmabandhanah
tadartham karma kaunteya muktasangah samacara

The mankind is bound by actions other than those done for the sake of sacrifice. Therefore, 0 son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform action for that (yajna) sake, and without attachment. 9
Comment:-
Yajnarthatkarmano'nyatra:-According to the Gita, every duty is 'Yajna' (sacrifice). The term 'Yajna includes sacrifice, charity, penance, oblation, pilgrimage, fast, study of the Vedas and all physical, mundane and spiritual actions. Professions such as business, service and teaching etc., sanctioned by the scriptures, are also included in 'Yajna'. Other actions, which are performed in order to comfort others and for the welfare of others, are also included in the term 'Yajna. Attachment perishes very quickly by performing actions for the sake of sacrifice and all actions of a Karmayogi are dissolved (Gita 4/23) i.e., they instead of leading the person to bondage, reduce the stock of his past actions also to nothing.
In fact, a man's inclination is judged by his aim, rather than by his actions. As a businessman's aim while having a transaction is to ea money, and he thinks of money, as soon as he shut his shop, similarly, a striver who performs action for the sake of sacrifice, has the aim of God-realization and as soon as the action is over, he is inclined towards God.
The people of different Varnas (castes) have their allotted duties and actions. A Brahman (a member of the priest class) can depend on charity which is a source of his living, while it is not allowed for a Ksatriya (a member of the warrior class). Similarly, performance of actions without having any desire for fruit, is a man's own duty while performance of actions expecting their fruit is not his own duty. Similarly, forbidden actions are also not included in one's own duty, and so is the case, with actions which are performed in order to gain pleasure, honour, praise and comfort etc.[1] Therefore, a striver should take precaution lest the action should be performed with a selfish motive. In fact a striver is he, who is ever on the alert in this regard.
If a person receives a visitor with open arms, in order to create a good impression of his gentleness upon him, it means that the action has been performed, with a selfish motive. Therefore, such an action cannot be called a sacrifice. Similarly, if a person puts a question to an orator in a meeting or in a discourse in order to impress the orator and the audience, his action is not performed for the sake of sacrifice (Yajna). It means that a striver should perform action by renouncing his selfish motive and desire.




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References

  1. When a man performs actions for himself, it means that he has a desire for the fruit of actions and where there is desire for the fruit of actions, there is the possibility of the performance of forbidden actions.

Related Articles

Srimad Bhagavadgita Sadhaka Sanjivani -Swami Ramsukhdas
Verse No. Topic Page No.
First Chapter
1-11 Description of the names of the chief great-charioteers of the Pandava and the Kaurava army 1
12-19 Description of the sound of conch of the two armies 16
20-27 Survey of the army by Arjuna 28
28-47 Arjuna is filled with deep sorrow and unmanliness; he recounts the evil consequences of the destruction of the race and family traditions and Sanjaya describes Arjuna's condition that he is overwhelmed with grief 40
Metres used in the first chapter 51
Second Chapter
1-10 Sanjaya describes the dialogue between Lord Krsna and Arjuna mentioning Arjuna's sorrow and unmanliness 52
11-30 Description of Samkhya Yoga (Discipline of Knowledge) 68
31-38 Propriety of fighting a righteous war for a Ksatriya (member of the warrior class) 118
39-5 Description of the Discipline of Action 129
54-72 Description of the marks etc., of the stable in mind 159
Metres used in second chapter 192
Third Chapter
1-8 Necessity of the performance of duty, being free from attachment from the view-point of the Discipline of Knowledge and Action 193
9-19 Necessity of the performance of duty for the sake of sacrifice and for maintaining the

tradition of the cycle of creation

213
20-29 Necessity of the performance of duty to set examples for others 242
30-35 Inspiration for the performance of one's own duty, being free from attachment and aversion 262
36-43 Inspiration to kill desire, the root of sins 287
Metres used in the third chapter 309
Fourth Chapter
1-15 Tradition of the Discipline of Action and divine character of births and actions of God 310
16-32 Description about the reality of actions and different forms of sacrifices 359
33-42 Glory of the Disciplines of Knowledge and Action and inspiration to follow them 395
Words, letters and uvaca (said) in the fourth chapter 415
Fifth Chapter
1-6 Identity of the Disciplines of Knowledge and Action and glory of the Discipline of Action 416
7-12 Description of the Disciplines of Action and Knowledge 435
13-26 The Discipline of Knowledge with its fruit 454
27-29 Description of Meditation and Devotion Words, letters and uvaca (said) in the fifth chapter 487
Metres used in the fifth chapter 492
Sixth Chapter
1-4 The Discipline of Action and marks of the man who has attained to Yoga (equanimity) 493
5-9 Inspiration for redeeming the self; and the marks of the God-realized soul 507
10-15 Description of posture and meditation on God (with attributes and form) with its fruit 524
16-23 Description of riles and meditation on God with its fruit 534
24-28 Description of meditation on God who is attributeless and formless with its fruit 554
29-3 Experience of those who meditate on God Who is endowed with attributes and Who is attributeless 566
33-36 Subject of mind-control 577
37-47 Destiny of the man who has fallen from Yoga; and glory of the man of exclusive devotion 588
Metres used in the sixth chapter 614
Seventh Chapter
1-7 The Lord promises to describe His integral being and explains that all beings are born by the union of the two—higher and lower Natures while He is the root cause of all of them 615
8-12 God's manifestations in the form of cause 648
13-19 Description of those who take refuge in God and those who don't take refuge in Him 666
20-23 Description of the worship of other gods with its fruit 711
24-30 Condemnation of those who don't know God's influence and glories and eulogy of His devotees; and description of His integral being 721
Metres used in the seventh chapter 755
Eighth Chapter
1-7 Arjuna puts seven questions, the Lord answers them and exhorts him to think of Him at all times 756
8-16 Description of worship of God Who is with attributes and formless; attributeless and formless; and with attributes and form with fruit 780
17-22 Description of the duration of cosmic day and night and the glory of God and devotion 801
23-28 Description of Bright and Dark paths and glory of the Yogi who knows them 816
Metres used in the eighth chapter 829
Ninth Chapter
1-6 Description of Vijnana (Realization) with its glory 830
7-10 Description of New Creation and Final Dissolution 855
11-15 Condemnation of those who don't know God's glory; mention of those who embrace a demoniac, devilish and deluding nature and description of the worship of those devotees who embrace the divine nature 866
16-19 Description of God's glories in the form of effect and cause 879
20-25 Worship with and without an interested motive with fruit 887
26-34 Offering of objects and actions to God, the fruit of this offering; Description of those who are eligible for devotion and description of devotion 903
Metres used in the ninth chapter 950
Tenth Chapter
1-7 Mention of the glory and Yoga of the Lord and the reward of knowing them 952
8-11 Devotion to God and its fruit; and the glory of God's grace 972
12-18 Arjuna eulogizes the Lord and prays to Him to describe His Yoga and glories 986
19-42 Description of the Lord's glories and Yoga by Him 997
Metres used in the tenth chapter 1039
Eleventh Chapter
1-8 Arjuna requests the Lord to reveal His Cosmic Form; the Lord confers divine vision on him 1041
9-14 Sanjaya describes the Cosmic Form to Dhrtarastra 1061
15-31 Arjuna beholds the Cosmic Form and eulogizes it 1070
32-35 The Lord introduces His most terrible form and orders Arjuna to fight 1100
36-46 Arjuna eulogizes the Lord in His Cosmic Form and offers prayer to Him 1110
47-50 The Lord explains that the Cosmic Form is very rare indeed and consoles Arjuna who is terrified 1129
51-55 The Lord glorifies His four-armed form and the means by which it can be seen 1139
Metres used in the eleventh chapter 1150
Twelfth Chapter
1-12 The Lord pronounces His verdict who is superior the worshippers of God with attributes or without attributes; and mentions four spiritual paths which lead to God-realization 1153
13-20 Thirty-nine marks of the devotees who have realized God 1211
Metres used in the twelfth chapter 1244
Thirteenth Chapter
1-18 Discussion of Ksetra (body), Ksetrajna (soul), knowledge and worth-knowing (God) with devotion 1247
19-34 Discussion on Nature and soul 1307
Metres used in the thirteenth chapter 1350
Fourteenth Chapter
1-4 Glory of knowledge and emanation of creation from the union of Nature and soul 1351
5-18 Description of the three modes of Nature (of goodness, of passion and of ignorance) 1360
19-27 Means of God-realization; and marks of the man who has transcended the three modes of Nature 1399
Metres used in the fourteenth chapter 1422
Fifteenth Chapter
1-6 Description of the tree of creation; and surrender the self to God, having cut asunder this tree, and the Abode of God 1424
7-11 Reality about the soul (self) and description of those who know it and those who don't know it 1457
12-15 Description of the glory of God 1492
16-20 Description of Ksara (perishable, the mundane), Aksara, the imperishable (soul) and the Supreme Soul (God) and conclusion of the chapter 1510
Metres used in the fifteenth chapter 1526
Sixteenth Chapter
1-5 Description of divine and demoniac traits with their fruits 1530
6-8 Mention of the outlook of the people who embrace the demoniac nature, having a disinclination for virtuous actions 1572
9-16 Impure conduct and ambitions with fruit of the men embracing the demoniac nature 1583
17-20 Evil nature of the people possessing a demoniac disposition and their evil effect 1602
21-24 Inspiration to act according to the ordinance of the scriptures, by being free from desire, anger and greed which are the roots of all demoniac traits 1613
Metres used in the sixteenth chapter 1623
Seventeenth Chapter
1-6 Description of three kinds of faith and the people who possess a demoniac nature 1626
7-10 Description of tastes of food of the three types of persons of the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance 1641
11-22 Three kinds of sacrifice, austerity and charity 1654
23-28 Explanation of the sacred appellations Om, Tat and Sat; and description of the 'Asap (unreal or naught) action 1684
Metres used in the seventeenth chapter 1698
Eighteenth Chapter
1-12 Description of different views on renunciation; and the Discipline of Action 1703
13-40 Description of the Discipline of Knowledge 1754
41-48 Description of the Discipline of Action with devotion 1834
49-55 Description of the Discipline of Knowledge 1877
56-66 Description of devotion to God 1898
67-78 Glory of the Gita 1978
Metres used in the eighteenth chapter 2025