« The Song of God—Volume 1, chapters 1-6
Surrendering our work to Kṛṣṇa (Bg 3.30 to 3.35)
This section acts as a crucial turning point in the chapter. Kṛṣṇa gives us the essential formula of devotional work: the external action may remain the same, but the internal focus is transferred to Him. This simple and sublime system leads to liberation from the bondage of karma, while rejecting it in the name of artificial renunciation can lead to ruin. We are all more or less forced to act according to the particular nature we have acquired under the influence of the three material modes. Therefore, instead of a superficial show of detachment, Kṛṣṇa instructs us to follow the path given to us by the scriptures, regulating our activities and connecting them to Him. This also brings the discussion back to Arjuna’s personal situation: his path to perfection is not to renounce the battlefield, but to fight as an offering to Kṛṣṇa.
Text 30: mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi, sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā
nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā, yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ
Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight.
Text 31: ye me matam idaṁ nityam, anutiṣṭhanti mānavāḥ
śraddhāvanto ’nasūyanto, mucyante te ’pi karmabhiḥ
Those persons who execute their duties according to My injunctions and who follow this teaching faithfully, without envy, become free from the bondage of fruitive actions.
Text 32: ye tv etad abhyasūyanto, nānutiṣṭhanti me matam
sarva-jñāna-vimūḍhāṁs tān, viddhi naṣṭān acetasaḥ
But those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not follow them regularly are to be considered bereft of all knowledge, befooled, and ruined in their endeavors for perfection.
Text 33: sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ, prakṛter jñānavān api
prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni, nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati
Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone follows the nature he has acquired from the three modes. What can repression accomplish?
Text 34: indriyasyendriyasyārthe, rāga-dveṣau vyavasthitau
tayor na vaśam āgacchet, tau hy asya paripanthinau
There are principles to regulate attachment and aversion pertaining to the senses and their objects. One should not come under the control of such attachment and aversion, because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization.
Text 35: śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ, para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt
sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ, para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ
It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous.
After describing the process of karma-yoga in the previous sections as a cure for the false ego that binds us to this material world, Kṛṣṇa reiterates his conclusion that Arjuna should fight, performing his duty. As already explained, however, performance of duties alone does not bring perfection. Consciousness is crucial.
Kṛṣṇa thus adds that Arjuna should fight without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy. This means he should remain free from the influence of the modes of passion and ignorance.
The mode of passion makes us develop material ambition, wanting to become the masters of everything we see. Under this mentality, we are constantly trying to expand our dominions, performing actions that we think can bring us material gain. The mode of ignorance is even more dangerous, making us lethargic and prone to a life of vices and degradation. Both entangle us in the material world; only the mode of goodness brings us upward.
Kṛṣṇa will explain the symptoms of the three modes in detail starting from chapter fourteen, but by this simple instruction, He is already guiding Arjuna to ascend to the mode of goodness. On top of that, he should fight in full transcendental knowledge, dedicating all his activities to Him. With this, Kṛṣṇa gives instructions that elevate us even further, in the direction of the transcendental platform.
This gives us a map of the consciousness we should have when we perform our own activities. By studying the Bhagavad-gītā, we develop transcendental knowledge, and by applying this knowledge, we can act in perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The verse describes two platforms: performing our duties out of duty (niṣkāma-karma-yoga) and serving Kṛṣṇa out of transcendental love, which is full bhakti-yoga. We start from the platform of duty, and over time we can ascend to the platform of love.
In his purport to text 3.30, Prabhupāda emphasizes how we need to become Kṛṣṇa conscious in order to properly perform our duties for Kṛṣṇa. Again, this emphasizes the importance of transcendental knowledge. Mere sentimentality will not do. That’s why Prabhupāda wrote so many books, and we should study them in detail, in a continuous process, one after the other, starting from the Bhagavad-gītā.
The contents of text 30 are expanded in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 1.2.6:
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā, yayātmā suprasīdati
“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.”
This may sound very difficult, but this is the conclusion of the process, the qualities we aim to develop, and not our state at the start. In the beginning, we may have many faults, but if we continue practicing the process with faith, without resenting the instructions of Kṛṣṇa, or envying Him, we gradually progress.
In his purport to text 3.31, Prabhupāda reassures us:
“In the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one may not fully discharge the injunctions of the Lord, but because one is not resentful of this principle and works sincerely without consideration of defeat and hopelessness, he will surely be promoted to the stage of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”
Because of our current conditioned nature, working for Kṛṣṇa in a disciplined and detached way, may sound difficult, but as we become purified, the process becomes more or less automatic, as the eternal nature of the soul is awakened. In the beginning, however, we need to put in effort, accepting a certain service and performing it dutifully, “as if in military discipline,” to quick-start the process. This ends up being the determining factor in our spiritual progress. Devotees who are able to uphold their vows and continue practicing year after year make steady progress, while others who relax their practice over time tend to stagnate.
There is the other side, however: “But those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not follow them regularly are to be considered bereft of all knowledge, befooled, and ruined in their endeavors for perfection.”
The root cause of conditioned life is envy of Kṛṣṇa. Directly or indirectly, we desire to be the masters, and we resent His position as the supreme controller. When we love someone, the fact that he is rich, powerful, intelligent, etc., does not at all bother us. On the contrary, it makes us love even more. However, when we see someone as a competitor, these qualities awaken envy. This is the nature of material life: one wants to enjoy life separately from Kṛṣṇa and resents the regulations He gives for our own good. This envy prevents him or her from accepting His instructions, leading to the path described here. A materialist thus becomes more and more inclined in the direction of lust and anger, and gradually sinks more and more into the material pit. Instead of perfection, he gradually sinks in the direction of animal life.
We have then one of the most iconic verses of the Bhagavad-gītā:
“Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone follows the nature he has acquired from the three modes. What can repression accomplish?”
This verse emphasizes that the performance of duties in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the process for becoming free from the influence of the three modes.
Every conditioned soul develops a certain material nature that can’t be easily changed. We have thus to work with this conditioned nature until we reach the platform of liberation. The process to do that is the dutiful performance of duties in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that Kṛṣṇa just recommended. Trying to artificially force ourselves into a position that is against our nature—like Arjuna wanting to go to meditate in the forest like a brāhmana—is a process of repression that leads to the path of becoming a pretender. Better to be humble, accept our current conditioned condition, and follow the path given by Kṛṣṇa that can gradually free us from it.
As Prabhupāda explains in his purport:
“There are many so-called spiritualists who outwardly pose as advanced in the science but inwardly or privately are completely under particular modes of nature which they are unable to surpass. Academically, one may be very learned, but because of his long association with material nature, he is in bondage. Kṛṣṇa consciousness helps one to get out of the material entanglement, even though one may be engaged in his prescribed duties in terms of material existence. Therefore, without being fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one should not give up his occupational duties. No one should suddenly give up his prescribed duties and become a so-called yogī or transcendentalist artificially. It is better to be situated in one’s position and to try to attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness under superior training. Thus one may be freed from the clutches of Kṛṣṇa’s māyā.”
One could, however, argue that since everyone has to act according to his nature, and repression doesn’t achieve anything, everyone should just act according to their desires, a common conclusion in new-age groups. Kṛṣṇa, however, counters this with the next verse: “There are principles to regulate attachment and aversion pertaining to the senses and their objects. One should not come under the control of such attachment and aversion, because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization.”
One should act according to his nature, but within the regulations of the scriptures. A man who is too attracted to women should enter family life instead of pretending to be a sannyāsī, but once in family life, he should restrict himself to his duly married wife. In other words, the tendency to associate with a woman should not be artificially curbed, but the tendency to have illicit relationships with other women must be controlled. Everyone has to eat, but the tendency to eat improper foods must be controlled.
Both artificial restriction and hedonism are condemned. The path offered in the scriptures is of moderation, and this right balance is the divine system created by Kṛṣṇa to save us from material conditioning. As Prabhupāda explains in his purport to text 3.34:
“Unrestricted sense enjoyment is the cause of material encagement, but one who follows the rules and regulations of the revealed scriptures does not become entangled by the sense objects. For example, sex enjoyment is a necessity for the conditioned soul, and sex enjoyment is allowed under the license of marriage ties. According to scriptural injunctions, one is forbidden to engage in sex relationships with any women other than one’s wife. All other women are to be considered as one’s mother. But in spite of such injunctions, a man is still inclined to have sex relationships with other women. These propensities are to be curbed; otherwise they will be stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization. As long as the material body is there, the necessities of the material body are allowed, but under rules and regulations.”
Later in the purport, however, Prabhupāda alerts us to another danger: regulated sense gratification can also be a problem if we become attached to it. One may replace a certain substance for a less dangerous one, to cure his drug addiction, but if he becomes addicted to the second drug, the addiction can bring him back to the first. It is thus crucial that we accept whatever sense gratification is allowed according to our position in life with a spirit of detachment, understanding that we are accepting it for now, in order to keep the mind peaceful and thus have stability to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but that the ultimate goal is to renounce all forms of sense gratification and embrace our eternal spiritual identity.
Kṛṣṇa then concludes this section by again emphasizing that we should perform our duties in text 3.35. This is another characteristic of the Bhagavad-gītā: the knowledge is transmitted in waves, with the same explanation often being repeated in different contexts and with a growing level of depth.
Apart from reinforcing the previous conclusion, Kṛṣṇa adds another layer to the explanation: “It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly.”
How is that? If we can somehow perform another set of duties perfectly, why should we insist on doing what we can’t properly perform? The point is that prescribed duties are enjoined according to our psychophysical condition. If one is a householder, for example, it means one has a need for a wife and family relationships. As previously explained, a material need brings a certain set of duties that allow one to obtain it responsibly, and to gradually purify this tendency. Once there is a need for a family, one has to accept the duties of a householder. One may think that he is not very good at it, and conclude he could be better at performing the duties of a sannyasī, but Kṛṣṇa warns against it. Acting as a sannyasī will not cure his problem; it will rather accentuate it, making him restless, thinking about women. Therefore, this attempt would bring him destruction, instead of progress. It is simply the wrong medicine.
Duties can change only when the necessary purification of the heart is completed. If one later in life genuinely becomes detached, then the duties of a sannyasī may be accepted through the proper process. The same applies to the duties connected with the four varnas. This is emphasized by Prabhupāda in his purport:
“When one is under the spell of the modes of material nature, one should follow the prescribed rules for his particular situation and should not imitate others. For example, a brāhmaṇa, who is in the mode of goodness, is nonviolent, whereas a kṣatriya, who is in the mode of passion, is allowed to be violent. As such, for a kṣatriya it is better to be vanquished following the rules of violence than to imitate a brāhmaṇa who follows the principles of nonviolence. Everyone has to cleanse his heart by a gradual process, not abruptly.”
Apart from material duties, there are spiritual duties, connected with our service to Kṛṣṇa. These should be enjoined by the spiritual master, who can understand the nature and psychology of the disciple and help him or her to find proper engagement in the service of the Lord. Another dimension is that once one reaches the transcendental level, material distinctions can be dropped, and one may perform any set of duties according to what is necessary, under the supervision of the spiritual master. This is also explained by Śrīla Prabhupāda in his purport:
“However, when one transcends the modes of material nature and is fully situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he can perform anything and everything under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master. In that complete stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the kṣatriya may act as a brāhmaṇa, or a brāhmaṇa may act as a kṣatriya. In the transcendental stage, the distinctions of the material world do not apply. For example, Viśvāmitra was originally a kṣatriya, but later on he acted as a brāhmaṇa, whereas Paraśurāma was a brāhmaṇa but later on he acted as a kṣatriya. Being transcendentally situated, they could do so; but as long as one is on the material platform, he must perform his duties according to the modes of material nature. At the same time, he must have a full sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”
Main points in the purports of Śrīla Prabhupāda:
“Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight.”
a) To perform duties without attachment to the result may be difficult, but we should perform them, depending on Kṛṣṇa. This dependency is the constitutional position of the soul, that we are trying to uncover. Dependency means we follow the orders of Kṛṣṇa without hesitation.
b) We should resist both the tendency of giving up everything and becoming attached. Instead, we should perform our duties without seeing ourselves as the proprietors. Sacrificing everything means to use everything in the service of Kṛṣṇa, understanding that in reality everything belongs to Him. That’s true renunciation.
c) Prabhupāda makes five points that correspond to the five instructions of Kṛṣṇa in the verse: 1. Adhyātma-cetās (with full knowledge of Me) means to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious and depend exclusively on Kṛṣṇa, acting without separate personal consideration. 2. Nirāśīḥ (without desire for profit) means to fully understand that everything belongs to Him. Only when fully situated in this mentality can we work fully detached. A cashier may count millions of dollars for his employer, but he does not claim a cent for himself. 3. This same realization makes it possible to fulfill the next instruction: Mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi (surrender all your works unto Me). 4. When this is converted into practical action, the result is nirmama, to work without claiming ownership over anything. 5. Vigata-jvaraḥ (without lethargy) means to throw away all reluctance based on material considerations, such as bodily ties.
“Those persons who execute their duties according to My injunctions and who follow this teaching faithfully, without envy, become free from the bondage of fruitive actions.”
a) A person can benefit from the instructions of the Vedas only if one has faith in them, and one can follow Kṛṣṇa’s instructions in the Gītā only if he doesn’t envy the Lord. Even if one is not able to perfectly follow, just this combination of faith and humility is enough to bring progress. As long as one does not resent the process and continues practicing, success is assured, even if it may take some time.
“But those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not follow them regularly are to be considered bereft of all knowledge, befooled, and ruined in their endeavors for perfection.”
a) Just as one has to follow the laws of the state, one has to follow the universal laws created by Kṛṣṇa. If one disregards these laws, there is no hope of happiness or perfection.
“Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone follows the nature he has acquired from the three modes. What can repression accomplish?”
a) One can become free from the material influence only through Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even theoretical knowledge of the difference between body and soul is not sufficient. This explains how apparently learned persons in the spiritual science can still be under the modes and remain addicted to questionable habits.
b) Even on the conditioned platform, one can advance by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness while performing material duties. This is the safe platform to follow. One should not become a pretender. Until one becomes fully situated on the spiritual platform, one should not give up prescribed duties.
“There are principles to regulate attachment and aversion pertaining to the senses and their objects. One should not come under the control of such attachment and aversion, because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization.”
a) As long as we are not fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should restrict our sense enjoyment to only what is prescribed in the scriptures; this protects us against degradation. One can thus enter into family life and so on, to keep his or her mind in order. However, unlawful sense gratification that goes against the injunctions of the scriptures must be avoided. As long as the material body is there, the necessities of the material body are allowed, but under rules and regulations.
b) On the other hand, even lawful sense gratification should be accepted in a spirit of detachment; otherwise, it can still cause attachment and eventually lead one to fall into previous habits. Even if a road is considered safer, accidents can still happen if one is not careful.
c) Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the goal; that’s the thing we should never give up. On the contrary, we detach from everything else to attain this supreme goal.
“It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous.”
a) There are two types of duties: material duties, and spiritual duties connected with Kṛṣṇa’s service. Both should be performed in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
b) There are different duties on the material platform, but they share a common principle: to accept superior authority. Material duties should be performed according to our particular situation; we should not imitate others. Everyone has to cleanse his heart by a gradual process, not abruptly.
c) Once one becomes fixed in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however, one may perform any kind of duty enjoined by the spiritual master. In the transcendental stage, the distinctions of the material world do not apply. In the complete stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a kṣatriya may act as a brāhmaṇa, or a brāhmaṇa may act as a kṣatriya. However, as long as we are not in this stage, we must perform duties as prescribed.
Read the entire book:
« The Song of God—Volume 1, chapters 1-6
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