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Chapter 3
A striver should not take any action for pleasure and prosperity, or even for the maintenance of the body. If actions are performed for the maintenance of body, it means that there is a desire to live. Actions should be performed for the sake of sacrifice alone. Any action taken for personal welfare, leads to bondage. Indeed, the supreme striver is he who performs actions for the welfare of others, even without having a desire to attain salvation. The welfare of others also involves one's own welfare. Therefore, all the mundane and spiritual actions should be performed, for the welfare of others.
Action which is performed for one's own self, leads to bondage. Therefore, even actions such as remembrance, reflection, meditation and even a trance should be practised for the welfare of the world. Thus whatever a striver does with his physical, subtle and causal bodies, does only for others, not for himself. By doing so, his affinity for the world is renounced and he is united with God. This is known as Karmayoga.
Loko'yam karmabandhanah:-Only huinan beings are entitled to take action in the form of performing a duty (sacrifice), as has been described by the Lord relating to the topic, of the wheel of creation (3/14—16). He who performs actions with an interested motive is bound, while he, who performs actions, for the welfare of others, performs his duty and attains liberation from bondage. It is not action but attachment and selfishness, which bind him.
Tadartham karma kaunteya muktasangah samhcara:-Here the term 'muktasangah' (freedom from attachment) denotes, that actions should be performed without entertaining the feeling of 'mine', and attachment to actions, things, body, mind and intellect etc. If the feeling of 'mine' and attachment are renounced, actions are automatically performed for the welfare of others, and if a striver has no other actions to perform, he automatically gets established in the self. Consequently, only actions which are prescribed by the scriptures, are performed by him.
The renunciation of duty out of indolence and carelessness, is declared to be Tamas' (Gita 18/7) which results in delusion i.e., such a person is born in the wombs of the deluded. He who abandons a duty, because it is painful, such relinquishment is Rajas (Gita 18/8) the fruit is pain (Gita 14/16). Therefore, here Lord Krsna does not exhort Arjuna to renounce actions but He orders him to perform actions efficiently and enthusiastically renouncing selfishness, mineness, attachment, desire for fruit and partiality etc., according to the ordinance of the scriptures. Such relinquishment is regarded 'Sattvika' (GGita 18/9). The Lord Himself further declares that there is nothing in the three worlds that must be done by Him, yet He is engaged in action (3/22-23).
A person becomes slack in performing actions because of two factors-(1) It is in the nature of human beings that they perform action with a view to reaping the fruit. But when, according to the Discipline of Action, he realizes that actions are to be performed without the desire for fruit, he thinks why he should perform actions at all. (2) If having started action, he realizes that it will bear adverse fruit, he feels that he should not perform it.
A Karmayogi has neither any desire nor expectation of the perishable fruit of action, he performs actions, only in order to do good to the world. So there cannot be any slackness in the performance of duty.
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