अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मण: फलम् |
भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु सन्न्यासिनां क्वचित् || 12||
aniṣhṭam iṣhṭaṁ miśhraṁ cha tri-vidhaṁ karmaṇaḥ phalam
bhavaty atyāgināṁ pretya na tu sannyāsināṁ kvachit
aniṣhṭam—unpleasant; iṣhṭam—pleasant; miśhram—mixed; cha—and; tri-vidham—three-fold; karmaṇaḥ phalam—fruits of actions; bhavati—accrue; atyāginām—to those who are attached to persona reward; pretya—after death; na—not; tu—but; sanyāsinām—for the renouncers of actions; kvachit—ever
Translation:
The threefold fruits of action, evil, good and mixed accrue to the non-renouncer after death; but never to the renouncer.
Commentary:
The Lord further elaborates on the theme of non-attachment in action. This verse is an answer to those who argue that action should be abandoned because it causes future birth. To whom does Karma cause bondage? Not for all; Karma binds only those who have a sense of doership (Kartrtvabhavana) who have a desire for enjoying the fruits of work. But for those who have abandoned both these, Karma has no power to bind them in any way.
Threefold is the fruits of action. Evil actions cause low births like beasts and reptiles etc. Good actions cause higher births in the Devaloka. And action mixed with evil and good produce human birth. Such is the effect of action according to its nature. But these effects are felt only by those who are attached to work. They reap the good and evil effects of their actions in future birth after death.
But these effects are neutralised by the wise man who has no desire for enjoyment either here or hereafter, who has, therefore, no attachment for the fruits of actions, and who is freed from the delusion of egotism and doership. The word ‘kvachit’ implies that at no time is the Tyagi affected by the work which he has performed. He attains Moksha by the very power of his renunciation. There is no question of a future birth for him. The whole machinery of birth and death stops for him, or he has got out of the terrible wheel of samsara. How wonderful is the reward of Nishkamakarma! How the Lord loves this holy path to self-realisation!