Anyone who gives up prescribed duties as troublesome or out of fear of bodily discomfort is said to have renounced in the mode of passion. Such action never leads to the elevation of renunciation.
One who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness should not give up earning money out of fear that he is performing fruitive activities. If by working one can engage his money in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or if by rising early in the morning one can advance his transcendental Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one should not desist out of fear or because such activities are considered troublesome. Such renunciation is in the mode of passion. The result of passionate work is always miserable. If a person renounces work in that spirit, he never gets the result of renunciation.
TEXT 9
कार्यमित्येव यत्कर्म नियतं क्रियतेऽर्जुन ।
सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलं चैव स त्यागः सात्त्विको मतः ।। 9 ।।
kāryam ity eva yat karma
niyataṁ kriyate ’rjuna
saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalaṁ caiva
sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥ
kāryam – it must be done; iti – thus; eva – indeed; yat – which; karma – work; niyatam – prescribed; kriyate – is performed; arjuna – O Arjuna; saṅgam – association; tyaktvā – giving up; phalam – the result; ca – also; eva – certainly; saḥ – that; tyāgaḥ – renunciation; sāttvikaḥ – in the mode of goodness; mataḥ – in My opinion.
O Arjuna, when one performs his prescribed duty only because it ought to be done, and renounces all material association and all attachment to the fruit, his renunciation is said to be in the mode of goodness.
Prescribed duties must be performed with this mentality. One should act without attachment for the result; he should be disassociated from the modes of work. A man working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in a factory does not associate himself with the work of the factory, nor with the workers of the factory. He simply works for Kṛṣṇa. And when he gives up the result for Kṛṣṇa, he is acting transcendentally.
TEXT 10
न द्वेष्ट्यकुशलं कर्म कुशले नानुषज्जते ।
त्यागी सत्त्वसमाविष्टो मेधावी छिन्नसंशयः ।। 10 ।।
na dveṣṭy akuśalaṁ karma
kuśale nānuṣajjate
tyāgī sattva-samāviṣṭo
medhāvī chinna-saṁśayaḥ
na – never; dveṣṭi – hates; akuśalam – inauspicious; karma – work; kuśale – in the auspicious; na – nor; anuṣajjate – becomes attached; tyāgī – the renouncer; sattva – in goodness; samāviṣṭaḥ – absorbed; medhāvī – intelligent; chinna – having cut off; saṁśayaḥ – all doubts.
The intelligent renouncer situated in the mode of goodness, neither hateful of inauspicious work nor attached to auspicious work, has no doubts about work.
A person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or in the mode of goodness does not hate anyone or anything which troubles his body. He does work in the proper place and at the proper time without fearing the troublesome effects of his duty. Such a person situated in transcendence should be understood to be most intelligent and beyond all doubts in his activities.
TEXT 11
न हि देहभृता शक्यं त्यक्तुं कर्माण्यशेषतः ।
यस्तु कर्मफलत्यागी स त्यागीत्यभिधीयते ।। 11 ।।
na hi deha-bhṛtā śakyaṁ
tyaktuṁ karmāṇy aśeṣataḥ
yas tu karma-phala-tyāgī
sa tyāgīty abhidhīyate
na – never; hi – certainly; deha-bhṛtā – by the embodied; śakyam – is possible; tyaktum – to be renounced; karmāṇi – activities; aśeṣataḥ – altogether; yaḥ – anyone who; tu – but; karma – of work; phala – of the result; tyāgī – the renouncer; saḥ – he; tyāgī – the renouncer; iti – thus; abhidhīyate – is said.
It is indeed impossible for an embodied being to give up all activities. But he who renounces the fruits of action is called one who has truly renounced.
It is said in Bhagavad-gītā that one can never give up work at any time. Therefore he who works for Kṛṣṇa and does not enjoy the fruitive results, who offers everything to Kṛṣṇa, is actually a renouncer. There are many members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness who work very hard in their office or in the factory or some other place, and whatever they earn they give to the Society. Such highly elevated souls are actually sannyāsīs and are situated in the renounced order of life. It is clearly outlined here how to renounce the fruits of work and for what purpose fruits should be renounced.
TEXT 12
अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम् ।
भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां क्वचित् ।। 12 ।।
aniṣṭam iṣṭaṁ miśraṁ ca
tri-vidhaṁ karmaṇaḥ phalam
bhavaty atyāgināṁ pretya
na tu sannyāsināṁ kvacit
aniṣṭam – leading to hell; iṣṭam – leading to heaven; miśram – mixed; ca – and; tri-vidham – of three kinds; karmaṇaḥ – of work; phalam – the result; bhavati – comes; atyāginām – for those who are not renounced; pretya – after death; na – not; tu – but; sannyāsinām – for the renounced order; kvacit – at any time.
For one who is not renounced, the threefold fruits of action – desirable, undesirable and mixed – accrue after death. But those who are in the renounced order of life have no such result to suffer or enjoy.
A person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness acting in knowledge of his relationship with Kṛṣṇa is always liberated. Therefore he does not have to enjoy or suffer the results of his acts after death.
TEXT 13
पञ्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे ।
सांख्ये कृतान्ते प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम् ।। 13 ।।
pañcaitāni mahā-bāho
kāraṇāni nibodha me
sāṅkhye kṛtānte proktāni
siddhaye sarva-karmaṇām
pañca – five; etāni – these; mahā-bāho – O mighty-armed one; kāraṇāni – causes; nibodha – just understand; me – from Me; sāṅkhye – in the Vedānta; kṛta-ante – in the conclusion; proktāni – said; siddhaye – for the perfection; sarva – of all; karmaṇām – activities.
O mighty-armed Arjuna, according to the Vedānta there are five causes for the accomplishment of all action. Now learn of these from Me.
A question may be raised that since any activity performed must have some reaction, how is it that the person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not suffer or enjoy the reactions of work? The Lord is citing Vedānta philosophy to show how this is possible. He says that there are five causes for all activities, and for success in all activity one should consider these five causes. Sāṅkhya means the stock of knowledge, and Vedānta is the final stock of knowledge accepted by all leading ācāryas. Even Śaṅkara accepts Vedānta-sūtra as such. Therefore such authority should be consulted.
The ultimate control is invested in the Supersoul. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ. He is engaging everyone in certain activities by reminding him of his past actions. And Kṛṣṇa conscious acts done under His direction from within yield no reaction, either in this life or in the life after death.
TEXT 14
अधिष्ठानं तथा कर्ता करणं च पृथग्विधम् ।
विविधाश्च पृथक्चेष्टा दैवं चैवात्र पञ्चमम् ।। 14 ।।
adhiṣṭhānaṁ tathā kartā
karaṇaṁ ca pṛthag-vidham
vividhāś ca pṛthak ceṣṭā
daivaṁ caivātra pañcamam
adhiṣṭhānam – the place; tathā – also; kartā – the worker; karaṇam – instruments; ca – and; pṛthak-vidham – of different kinds; vividhāḥ – various; ca – and; pṛthak – separate; ceṣṭāḥ – the endeavors; daivam – the Supreme; ca – also; eva – certainly; atra – here; pañcamam – the fifth.
The place of action [the body], the performer, the various senses, the many different kinds of endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul – these are the five factors of action.
The word adhiṣṭhānam refers to the body. The soul within the body is acting to bring about the results of activity and is therefore known as kartā, “the doer.” That the soul is the knower and the doer is stated in the śruti. Eṣa hi draṣṭā sraṣṭā (Praśna Upaniṣad 4.9). It is also confirmed in the Vedānta-sūtra by the verses jño ’ta eva (2.3.18) and kartā śāstrārthavattvāt (2.3.33). The instruments of action are the senses, and by the senses the soul acts in various ways. For each and every action there is a different endeavor. But all one’s activities depend on the will of the Supersoul, who is seated within the heart as a friend. The Supreme Lord is the supercause. Under these circumstances, he who is acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness under the direction of the Supersoul situated within the heart is naturally not bound by any activity. Those in complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness are not ultimately responsible for their actions. Everything is dependent on the supreme will, the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 15
शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म प्रारभते नरः ।
न्याय्यं वा विपरीतं वा पञ्चैते तस्य हेतवः ।। 15 ।।
śarīra-vāṅ-manobhir yat
karma prārabhate naraḥ
nyāyyaṁ vā viparītaṁ vā
pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ
śarīra – by the body; vāk – speech; manobhiḥ – and mind; yat – which; karma – work; prārabhate – begins; naraḥ – a person; nyāyyam – right; vā – or; viparītam – the opposite; vā – or; pañca – five; ete – all these; tasya – its; hetavaḥ – causes.
Whatever right or wrong action a man performs by body, mind or speech is caused by these five factors.
The words “right” and “wrong” are very significant in this verse. Right work is work done in terms of the prescribed directions in the scriptures, and wrong work is work done against the principles of the scriptural injunctions. But whatever is done requires these five factors for its complete performance.
TEXT 16
तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः ।
पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः ।। 16 ।।
tatraivaṁ sati kartāram
ātmānaṁ kevalaṁ tu yaḥ
paśyaty akṛta-buddhitvān
na sa paśyati durmatiḥ
tatra – there; evam – thus; sati – being; kartāram – the worker; ātmānam – himself; kevalam – only; tu – but; yaḥ – anyone who; paśyati – sees; akṛta-buddhitvāt – due to unintelligence; na – never; saḥ – he; paśyati – sees; durmatiḥ – foolish.
Therefore one who thinks himself the only doer, not considering the five factors, is certainly not very intelligent and cannot
