Srimad Bhagavadgita -Ramsukhdas 242

Srimad Bhagavadgita Sadhaka Sanjivani -Swami Ramsukhdas

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Chapter 3
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Link:-Has there been any person who attained perfection (God-realization) through the performance of action, without attachment? The Lord answers the question in the next verse.

karmanaiva hi samsiddhimasthita janakadayah
lokasangrahamevapi sampasyankartumarhasi

It was by action alone, that Janaka and others attained perfection. Than should perform selfless action, also for the good of the world. 20
Comment:-
Karmanaiva hi samsiddhimasthita janakadayah:-The term 'adi' stands for, 'beginning' as well as, 'like'. Here the former meaning does not apply because before Janaka, there had been great souls like Vivasvan, Vaivasvata Maim and king lksvaku, who had attained perfection through the performance of action (Gita 411-2). Therefore, here it is used in the latter sense which means that some great souls like Janaka, before and after him, leading householder's life attained salvation by action. This Discipline of Action is very old. By this discipline, Janaka and several other great souls have all its anyone at present or in all ts to realize God through the path of action, he without regarding the body and the objects as his own, should apply these in the service of the world by considering these as the world's. In fact, they belong to the world. By doing so one's affinity with the world is easily renounced and God is attained. Therefore, the Discipline of Action is an easy, good and independent means to realize God.
Here the expression, 'Karmana eva' stands for the expression 'Asakto hyicarankarma' i.e., performance of action without attachment. By performing the actions thus, a man is liberated from their bondage otherwise he is enslaved (Mahn., Santi. 241/7).
It is the characteristic of the style of the Gita, that the Lord briefly repeats the main idea of the preceding verse in the next one also, which is of great help to a striver. Performance of action without attachment explained in the preceding verse, is explained in brief in this verse by the expression 'Karmana eva'. Similarly, He will explain the main point, described in the sixth verse of the twelfth chapter, again in the seventh verse in brief, in the expression, "Whose mind is set on Me".
Here the Lord instead of the expresssion 'Karmany eva', could have used the expression 'Yogena eva'. But here the topic is of the performance of action without attachment. Therefore, the Lord has used this expression, which suits the context.
In fact, the sentient Lord cannot be realized through insentient actions alone. The stumbling block to God-realization is removed through the performance of action, without attachment. Then the all-pervading God is realized.


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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