Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 18, Verse 26

मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित: |
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते || 26||

mukta-saṅgo ‘nahaṁ-vādī dhṛity-utsāha-samanvitaḥ
siddhy-asiddhyor nirvikāraḥ kartā sāttvika uchyate

mukta-saṅgaḥ—free from worldly attachment; anaham-vādī—free from ego; dhṛiti—strong resolve; utsāha—zeal; samanvitaḥ—endowed with; siddhi-asiddhyoḥ—in success and failure; nirvikāraḥ—unaffected; kartā—worker; sāttvikaḥ—in the mode of goodness; uchyate—is said to be

Translation:

An actor agent who is freed from attachment, non-egotistic, unaffected in success and failure, endued with firmness and enthusiasm, is called Sattvic (Karta).

Commentary:

As man is constantly acting in everyday life, it is necessary for him to know what the best qualities of an agent should be. Here, four conditions are prescribed for the Sattvic agent.

1. He should be free from longing for the fruits of his work. This detachment enables the agent to maintain his freedom in the midst of the work he is doing. In fact, it is this spirit of freedom which is to be safeguarded at every turn in this course of earthly life. Freedom is the very essence of spiritual realisation.

2. The absence of the egotistic feeling ‘I am the doer; I am doing this or that is the second quality of the Sattvic agent. It is a clear perception that all action is performed only by the Gunas and the instruments of action. When a man attains this clearness of understanding, he is finally aware that he is not the real actor or agent. He has no egotistic feeling. He remains a witness of all that he is doing with his body, senses and mind.

3. The third attribute of the Sattvic agent is firmness and enthusiasm. Timidity and despondence have no place in the spiritual field. Such a man cannot make any progress towards the goal. In fact it was despondence that overtook Arjuna on the battlefield as described in the opening chapter of the Gita. The effects of such low spirits are vividly described there. The message of the Gita is to lift up the fallen soul by asserting the inherent divinity of human beings. “I am the ever pure (suddha), intelligent (buddha) free (mukta) Atma”-this thought kept up frequently gives infinite strength and courage to man. In truth, man is not the perishable body or the fickle mind, or the deluded intellect. He is Atma, the indivisible ocean of Sat Chit Ananda. What can frighten and terrify him? So thinking and realising, man moves forward with courage and resolution.

4. The fourth attribute is equanimity in the midst of success and failure. If failure comes, he is not deterred but strives again and again till success comes to him. The seeker comes across severe hurdles in the course of his journey to the ultimate, but undaunted by obstacles which may appear superhuman, he moves forward, for he knows that the spirit shall finally triumph over matter. Thus the Sattvic agent is firm as a rock in the midst of the trials and shocks of life. He is full of hope and courage. He knows the ephemeral nature of the world and the reality of the Self, transcending all that is phenomenal in this world and in all the worlds altogether.

Question: What is the nature of the Sattvic Agent?

Answer:

1. He is unconcerned with the fruits of action;
2. He has abandoned the notion that he is the actor;
3. He is firm and enthusiastic in all work;
4. He is unaffected by success or failure.

Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 18 🔻 (78 Verses)

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