मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि संन्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा |
निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वर: || 30||
mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi sannyasyādhyātma-chetasā
nirāśhīr nirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ
mayi—unto me; sarvāṇi—all; karmāṇi—works; sannyasya—renouncing completely; adhyātma-chetasā—with the thoughts resting on God; nirāśhīḥ—free from hankering for the results of the actions; nirmamaḥ—without ownership; bhūtvā—so being; yudhyasva—fight; vigata-jvaraḥ—without mental fever
Translation:
Renouncing all actions in Me with the mind fixed in Self, free from hope and egoism, fight without mental agitation.
Commentary:
Most people’s minds are filled with worldly knowledge and objective considerations. Such troubled minds cannot reflect the light of Paramatma. It is not a spiritual mind. It is the gross mind capable of apprehending only material things. The aspirant should cultivate a spiritualised mind, illumined by knowledge and devoted to the Lord. Such is the purified mind capable of apprehending the subtle Reality underlying all matter. With the mind thus spiritualised, man should surrender all actions and their fruits to God. All actions without exception should be surrendered. That is the Lord’s command.
Free from desire and egoism: Desire and egoism (personal selfishness) should be given up. Man should understand that there is only one Reality. God (Atma) is the universe. Knowing this man cannot have any attachment of I and Mine to anything in the world. He knows that the world is only a reflection and dreamlike projection of the mind, which is subject to change, growth and decay. Thus freeing himself from the burden of material things, man should surrender to the Lord and carry out the duties of life in a detached manner. Since Arjuna is a Kshatriya the Lord’s injunction to him is ‘fight’. It means that every individual, according to his position in the social structure should execute his duty prescribed by custom and tradition in a spirit of dedication to the Lord-the Supreme Being.
Without passion: “Fight, free from passion” – that is again the Lord’s command. The fever of life is of two kinds. One affects the body, another attacks the mind. The first could be cured by medicine. But the internal fever of the mind, being more subtle, requires a spiritual cure. Every man runs to a Doctor at the slightest touch of physical ill-health, but is he taking the same care of the mind and its fever? No. The fire and passion expressing itself in anger and hatred, which consume the internal man, can be cured and extinguished only by spiritual knowledge. To divert to God, to surrender the fruits of work to God, to give up all foolish desires, to have no feeling of I and Mine – these are steps to be taken by the seeker. These four aspects of spiritual discipline constitute the most powerful cure for life’s fitful fever.
It should be understood that the Lord insists on action and surrender. The terms ‘fight’ (Yuahyasva) and renouncing (Samnyasya) may appear apparently contrary, but it is not really so. If a wood-cutter or soldier or teacher or politician should realise the Truth, he should not for that reason change himself or something else in the social structure. He would still be a wood-cutter or a teacher etc., and would be performing all the duties that belong to his profession. Only he knows that it is not the same person who is doing the work. The Kshatriya continues to fight the enemy and defend his country, but he knows that he is not the same person who is doing the work. Thus the concept of Hinduism is not a negation of action, but a proper understanding of the feeling of action which enables the actor to act without passion, without elation of hope or the frustration of failure. Every man should surrender everything to the Lord and carry on the duties of life cheerfully and with courage.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
“Surrendering the fruits of work to God” is to take to ourselves neither credit nor blame, but to give up both to the Lord and be at peace.[Source]
The Gita teaches that all works should be done thus. He who is one with the Lord through yoga performs all his works by becoming immersed in concentration, and does not seek any personal benefit. Such a performance of work brings only good to the world, no evil can come out of it. Those who work thus never do anything for themselves.[Source]
Question: What is the highest good for man?
Answer: Surrendering to the Lord, and acting without desire is the highest good.