त्याज्यं दोषवदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिण: |
यज्ञदानतप:कर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे || 3||
tyājyaṁ doṣha-vad ity eke karma prāhur manīṣhiṇaḥ
yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyam iti chāpare
tyājyam—should be given up; doṣha-vat—as evil; iti—thus; eke—some; karma—actions; prāhuḥ—declare; manīṣhiṇaḥ—the learned; yajña—sacrifice; dāna—charity; tapaḥ—penance; karma—acts; na—never; tyājyam—should be abandoned; iti—thus; cha—and; apare—others
Translation:
Some philosophers declare that action should be abandoned as an evil, and others (declare) that acts of yajna, and Tapas should not be abandoned.
Commentary:
The samkhya philosophers declare that all work (Karma) should be abandoned as an evil. They say that work implies the existence of the body, senses, and the mind (Upadhi) as the instruments of action. Atma is the eternal witness, and hence the upadhi is to be discarded as non-existent, and when there is no upadhi, no action can take place at all.
Others argue differently. They say that there is no other way except Karma to purify the mind. Even bare existence is impossible without Karma. So, they declare that righteous work, purifying acts like sacrifice, austerity and charity should be performed. They ought not to be abandoned. Thus there is a difference of view about the performance and non-performance of Karma. Having stated the difference, the Lord proceeds to give his decisive opinion on this question.
MASTER (to Manilal and the others): “It is wise to salute a person mentally. What need is there of touching his feet? Mental salutation doesn’t embarrass anybody.
“The attitude that my religion alone is right and all other religions are false is not good. I see that God Himself has become all these: men, images, and salagram. I see one alone in all these; I do not see two. I see only one.
“Many people think that their opinion alone is right and others’ opinions are wrong; that they alone have won and others have lost. But a person who has gone forward may be detained by some slight obstacle, and someone who has been lagging behind may then steal a march on him. In the game of golakdham one may advance a great deal, but still somehow one’s piece may fail to reach the goal.
“Triumph or defeat is in the hands of God. We cannot understand His ways. You must have noticed that the green coconut remains high in the tree and is exposed to the sun, but still its milk is cool. On the other hand the paniphal (A kind of aquatic fruit.) remains in the water, but when eaten it heats the body.
“Look at the body of man. The head is the root, and it is at the top.”
MANILAL: “What then is our duty?”
MASTER: “To remain somehow united with God. There are two ways: karmayoga and manoyoga. Householders practise yoga through karma, the performance of duty. There are four stages of life: brahmacharya, garhasthya, vanaprastha, and sannyas. Sannyasis must renounce those karmas which are performed with special ends in view; but they should perform the daily obligatory karmas, giving up all desire for results. Sannyasis are united with God by such karmas as the acceptance of the staff, the receiving of alms, going on pilgrimage, and the performance of worship and japa.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of action you are engaged in. You can be united with God through any action provided that, performing it, you give up all desire for its result.
“There is the other path: manoyoga. A yogi practising this discipline doesn’t show any outward sign. He is inwardly united with God. Take Jadabharata and Sukadeva, for instance. There are many other yogis of this class, but these two are well known. They shave neither hair nor beard.
“All actions drop away when a man reaches the stage of the paramahamsa. He always remembers the ideal and meditates on it. He is always united with God in his mind. If he ever performs an action it is to teach men.
“A man may be united with God either through action or through inwardness of thought, but he can know everything through bhakti. Through bhakti one spontaneously experiences kumbhaka. The nerve currents and breathing calm down when the mind is concentrated. Again, the mind is concentrated when the nerve currents and breathing calm down. Then the buddhi, the discriminating power, becomes steady. The man who achieves this state is not himself aware of it. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Question: What is the view of some philosophers about Karma?
Answer: They (the Samkhyas) say that Karma should be abandoned as an evil.
Question: What is the view of the others?
Answer: They declare that righteous acts like sacrifice, austerity, and charity should not be abandoned.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 18 🔻 (78 Verses)
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 |
| 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 |
| 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 |
