श्रीभगवानुवाच |
काम्यानां कर्मणां न्यासं सन्न्यासं कवयो विदु: |
सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं प्राहुस्त्यागं विचक्षणा: || 2||
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
kāmyānāṁ karmaṇāṁ nyāsaṁ sannyāsaṁ kavayo viduḥ
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ prāhus tyāgaṁ vichakṣhaṇāḥ
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Divine Personality said; kāmyānām—desireful; karmaṇām—of actions; nyāsam—giving up; sanyāsam—renunciation of actions; kavayaḥ—the learned; viduḥ—to understand; sarva—all; karma-phala—fruits of actions; tyāgam—renunciation of desires for enjoying the fruits of actions; prāhuḥ—declare; tyāgam—renunciation of desires for enjoying the fruits of actions; vichakṣhaṇāḥ—the wise
Translation:
The Blessed Lord Said : (O Arjuna !) the sages understand Sannyasa, as the renunciation of all desireful actions: the learned declare tyaga as the abandoning of fruits of all works.
Commentary:
The Gita defines Sannyasa as the renunciation of desireful actions; and not, going into forests and mountain caves in search of some unknown thing. The man who renounces actions prompted by personal desire for enjoyment is practically a sannyasi, though he lives with his wife and children as a householder. Similarly, the man who abandons the fruits of actions is a Tyagi whatever may be his social position.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
Swamiji: … No freedom without renunciation. Highest love for God can never be achieved without renunciation. Renunciation is the word — “नान्य: पन्था विद्यते अयनाय — There’s no other way than this.” Even the Gita says, “The sages know sannyasa to be the giving up of all work that has desire for its end.” Nobody attains freedom without shaking off the coils of worldly worries. The very fact that somebody lives the worldly life proves that he is tied down to it as the bondslave of some craving or other. Why otherwise will he cling to that life at all? He is the slave either of lust or of gold, of position or of fame, of learning or of scholarship. It is only after freeing oneself from all this thraldom that one can get on along the way of freedom. Let people argue as loud as they please, I have got this conviction that unless all these bonds are given up, unless the monastic life is embraced, none is going to be saved, no attainment of brahma-jnana is possible.
Disciple: Do you mean, sir, that merely taking up sannyasa will lead one to the goal?
Swamiji: Whether the goal is attained or not is not the point before us now. But until you get out of this wheel of samsara, until the slavery of desire is shaken off, you can’t attain either bhakti or mukti. To the knower of Brahman, supernatural powers or prosperity are mere trivialities.[Source]
THE WONDROUS SAGE ADI SANKARACHARYA
The great sage Sankaracharya worked unceasingly, starting from a very young age. At the age of eight, renouncing his only worldly tie, his dear mother, the boy Sankara walked thousands of miles to find a Brahmanishṭha Guru. When he was only eleven, his Guru gave him the mission of spreading the teaching throughout the country. From Madhya Pradesh, he crossed the majestic mountain ranges and reached Varanasi, Kasi. For two decades subsequently, his was a storm-like life of intense activity—walking across the length and breadth of the country more than once. Sankaracharya’s tremendous dynamism was instrumental in starting great renaissance movements in India. He gave many enlightening talks to various groups, wrote innumerable books on Vedanta and composed hundreds of beautiful stotras. It is amazing that a renunciate accomplished work of such a grand scale. By the age of thirty-two, the great sage had left the world. In twenty years, the sacrifice of a single person revolutionised the entire country! The impact is still evident along the length and breadth of India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Swami Vivekananda used to say, “Renunciation is power. Let a single person renounce completely, and the whole world will be revolutionised.” We see this amply demonstrated in the life of Sankaracharya.*
Why did he work at all, we might ask? There was no kāmya-karma at all; no motivated action. He derived no personal gain from all that work. He was not paid for it, nor was he aiming at gaining titles or publicity. His life was simply sacrificed for the sake of the world. That is sannyāsa, says Bhagavan Himself. (Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Elixir of Eternal Wisdom | Vol 3)
The driving force behind the action is certainly the desire for its fruit, and when action is over, the entire drive with which the action was performed takes the form of the fruit. However, the result of the action, whatever it might be—money or anything else—is sacrificed in its entirety at the altar of the Lord. When it is given away for a great cause or a good purpose, great excellence comes into one’s life.
OFFERING FRUITS OF ACTION TO THE LORD
There lived a well-known singer in Kerala, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, who was much loved by all. He took to singing at the age of nine. He was a great devotee of the Lord of Guruvayoor. One day, in his middle age, he lost his voice and could no longer sing. This continued for two years. Many physicians were consulted, and many treatments were done, but his voice did not return. One ekādaśi day at Guruvayoor, standing in front of the deity along with many other devotees, he implored the Lord, “O Krishna, are you fed up with my voice and my singing? Am I such a sinner that you do not want me to sing, and you do not want to listen to my songs?” There was a big crowd around him calling out the name of the Lord loudly, ‘Narayana, Narayana’—so no one could have heard him. But someone from behind tapped him on his shoulder and said, “Come with me.” He was an Ayurvedic physician. He took Chembai to a nearby place and gave him some medicines that morning and later that evening. Miraculously, his voice returned the next day, and he could sing again. In this manner, a touch of the Divine happened in his life; Grace displayed its power, and his Heart opened suddenly. This great singer, a very innocent person, decided that from then onwards, whatever money he got from his concerts would be offered to the Lord. Amazingly, he stuck to this decision his entire life. His family members said, “None of the money he earned by singing was ever brought home! It was all directly offered to the temple of Guruvayoor.” Such was his renunciation. Whenever he sang, all those who listened were stirred deeply. The secret behind this special attraction is his tyāga, sacrifice. It is not that there were no other singers more proficient than him—there were many, but there was something special in him. This is the essence of vicakṣaṇāḥ, which means excellence. The very dynamism of the action will be like a wave of samādhi. When we offer the fruit of work to the Lord, a strange divine force is infused into the action. (Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Elixir of Eternal Wisdom | Vol 3)
Question: What is Sannyasa?
Answer: Renunciation of all desireful actions is Sannyasa.
Question: What is Tyaga?
Answer: Abandoning the fruits of all works is Tyaga.