You have a right to perform your duty, but not to enjoy the fruits (Bg 2.47 to 2.53)
Arjuna has the right to perform his prescribed duties because that is his adhikāra or qualification. He is not qualified to meditate peacefully like a brāhmaṇa. He should not try to imitate.
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Verse 47: karmaṇy evādhikāras te, mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr, mā te sango ’stv akarmaṇi
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
Verse 48: yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi, sangam tyaktvā dhanañ-jaya
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā, samatvam yoga ucyate
Perform your duty equipoised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga.
Verse 49: dūreṇa hy avaram karma, buddhi-yogād dhanañ-jaya
buddhau śaranam anviccha, kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ
O Dhanañjaya, keep all abominable activities far distant by devotional service, and in that consciousness surrender unto the Lord. Those who want to enjoy the fruits of their work are misers.
Verse 50: buddhi-yukto jahātīha, ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte
tasmād yogāya yujyasva, yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad reactions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, which is the art of all work.
Verse 51: karma-jam buddhi-yuktā hi, phalam tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ
janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ, padam gacchanty anāmayam
By thus engaging in devotional service to the Lord, great sages or devotees free themselves from the results of work in the material world. In this way they become free from the cycle of birth and death and attain the state beyond all miseries [by going back to Godhead].
Verse 52: yadā te moha-kalilam, buddhir vyatitariṣyati
tadā gantāsi nirvedam, śrotavyasya śrutasya ca
When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard.
Verse 53: śruti-vipratipannā te, yadā sthāsyati niścalā
samādhāv acalā buddhis, tadā yogam avāpsyasi
When your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas, and when it remains fixed in the trance of self-realization, then you will have attained the divine consciousness.
An alternative reading of the first line of verse 47 (karmaṇy evādhikāras te) is: Your qualification (adhikāra) is to perform activities (karma). This can help to understand the translation of Srila Prabhupada.
Krsna tells Arjuna that he has the right to perform his prescribed duties because that is his adhikāra or qualification. He is not qualified to meditate peacefully like a brāhmaṇa, and therefore, he should not try to imitate this activity. Instead, he should perform his duty as a kṣatriya, but with the right consciousness. By executing his duty without attachment, as an offering to the Lord, there would be no question of karmic reaction. This would bring the best result to him and his relatives. Prescribed duties are prescribed not only because they are the activities that bring the best results for ourselves, but also because they bring benefits for the whole society. There are different levels of duty, some more elevated than others, but among all of them, surrendering to the Lord and working for Him in devotion is supreme. That's the path Krsna is bringing Arjuna to with His instructions.
These instructions are made clear in the other three lines of the verse, where Krsna gives three negatives (mā, never), indicating how the instruction of performing one's duties should be performed:
a) Mā phaleṣu kadācana: Never desire the results of your actions.
b) Mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr: Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities.
c) Mā te sango ’stv akarmaṇi: Never be attached to not performing your duty.
These instructions are explained in detail in the next chapters of the Gītā. Like in other topics, a summary is given in the 2nd chapter and the instructions are expanded and explained in the further chapters.
In his purport, Srila Prabhupada emphasizes the difference between prescribed duties, capricious work, and inaction (karma, vikarma, and akarma), which are terms very important for understanding the Gītā. We tend to think of karma as the results of our activities, but in the context of the Gītā, karma is used in the sense of activity, or in the sense of performing one's duties as prescribed in the scriptures. In this way, when Krsna says to Arjuna that his qualification is to perform karma, he is referring to his prescribed duties as a kṣatriya. Arjuna is qualified to perform the duties of a kṣatriya, fighting and managing the state, and not to meditate in the forest like a brāhmaṇa. Later in the Gītā, Krsna will explain to Arjuna the process of aṣṭānga-yoga, and Arjuna himself will reject it.
Apart from karma, or prescribed duties, there is capricious work, or vikarma: activities contrary to the prescriptions of the scriptures. The scriptures prescribe different types of work and different types of regulations to different people according to their natural qualities. This type of prescribed work assures one acts in ways that are positive for society, and at the same time acts as a medicine that helps one to gradually progress in spiritual realization. In other words, prescribed work consists of actions that are beneficial both to the individual and society and that result in positive karmic results. When we act against these recommendations, we perform vikarma, and become entangled in the sinful reactions of such damaging activities. One may make money by opening a nightclub or a liquor store, for example, without considering the damage it creates for others.
Finally, there is inaction (akarma), which has two meanings depending on the context. One form of inaction is action in Krsna Consciousness because work for Krsna does not result in any material reactions. The logic is similar to when we describe Krsna as avyakta (unmanifested) to indicate that He has no material form (even though He possesses a spiritual form). Because action in Krsna Consciousness brings only spiritual results, it is called akarma. Another form of akarma is to neglect one's duties. In this case, although one is not performing any physical action, one is becoming entangled in reactions for neglecting one's duties. For example, if a mother does nothing and her baby dies, she may go to jail, exactly for doing nothing. Our negligence affects other people, and thus we become entangled in the karmic consequences. Arjuna wanted to leave the battlefield to meditate under a tree, thinking that this was going to save him from reaction, but Krsna advises him: mā te sango ’stv akarmaṇi: Do not be attached to neglecting your duty (akarmaṇi), because this will entangle you in karmic reactions.
Another important point is indicated in the line mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr, “Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities". In reality, the soul has no power to perform any kind of material action. All the actions we perform are performed by the influence of the three material modes, acting through the subtle and physical bodies. In other words, all our actions are executed by the interaction of different energies of the Lord, under the sanction of the Supersoul. When we perform our activities according to the instructions of the Lord, without negligence, without being attached to the results, and without considering ourselves the cause of the activities, we act in true knowledge. As long as we see ourselves as just instruments of the Lord, acting according to His instructions, be it out of love or duty, we perform akarma, and there is no question of material reactions. However, when we claim credit for what we do, considering ourselves the cause and claiming the results, then we have to accept also the karmic results, good and bad. In other words, when we understand Krsna is acting and we just see ourselves as his representatives, Krsna takes away all the reactions, but when we consider ourselves the cause, then we take the reactions upon ourselves.
This topic of the intricacies of action will be thoroughly explained in other chapters of the Gītā. This is one of the main topics of the book. As Krsna mentions, even the intelligent are confused about the intricacies of this topic.
Another central topic in the Gītā is the word "yoga", indicated in verse 2.48. Often we use the word "yoga" in the sense of bodily exercises, or the process of aṣṭānga-yoga, but in the Gītā, Krsna uses the term in the sense of "connection with the Lord" or, in other words, "Krsna Consciousness". As He mentions, when we perform our duties with an equipoised mind, without attachment to the results, our work becomes the means for connecting ourselves to Krsna. We may not be able to surrender completely and think about Him twenty-four hours, and we may not even be able to follow all the regulations of the process of devotional service very strictly, but by just receiving the knowledge of the Bhagavad-gītā and working for Him, we can also attain perfection.
Technically speaking, the process Krsna describes in these verses is called karma-yoga, or action in Krsna Consciousness. When karma-yoga is performed with attachment to the fruits of work, it is called sākāma-karma-yoga; when it is practiced at a higher level, without attachment, it is called niṣkāma-karma-yoga, and when it is perfected through knowledge, it is called buddhi-yoga. Practically speaking, however, both sākāma-karma-yoga and niṣkāma-karma-yoga, as well as buddhi-yoga, are integral steps of the process of devotional service, therefore, Prabhupada consistently translates the terms as "devotional service". We can see that in verse 2.49, for example, he translates dūreṇa hy avaram karma, buddhi-yogād dhanañ-jaya (keep away all abominable activities by performing buddhi-yogā) as "O Dhanañjaya, keep all abominable activities far distant by devotional service".
In his purport, Prabhupada defines buddhi-yoga as "transcendental loving service to the Lord" and concludes that, except for work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all activities are abominable because they bind us to the cycle of birth and death. Vikarma is obviously bad because it results in sinful reactions that bring us in the direction of hell and animal life, but pious fruitive work according to the recommendation of the Vedas (karma-kanda) is also bad because the pious results force us to assume new material bodies to enjoy in the celestial planets or as rich persons. The only process that can completely free us from material contamination is the process of devotional service, and this is explained by the Lord throughout the Bhagavad-gītā.
This is further emphasized by the Lord in verse 2.50, when He says, "A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad reactions even in this life." By the process of devotional service, we burn through all our past karma and become free to go back to Godhead when our current body expires. More than just destroying our karma, devotional service is the linking process that brings us back to our original, constitutional position of service to Krsna.
The Lord emphasizes this idea in verse 2.51 when He directly mentions that "By thus engaging in devotional service to the Lord, great sages or devotees free themselves from the results of work in the material world."
What happens when they finish burning their past karma? Janma-bandha-vinirmuktā: they become free from the cycle of birth and death. Where do they go? Padam gacchanty anāmayam: They attain the supreme state, beyond all miseries. The verse does not directly indicate what is this supreme state, but Prabhupada reveals the secret by adding that they go back to Godhead, something that will be explained in detail in other verses.
Krsna concludes these instructions on the process of buddhi-yoga in the next two verses, by again emphasizing that Arjuna should be equipoised, and not be attracted to the promises of material enjoyment offered in the karma-kanda section of the Vedas to attract less intelligent people.
You may remember that just a few verses ago, Krsna defined the knowledge of fruitive sacrifices in the Vedas as being under the three modes of material nature. In the same context, He refers to this fruitive mentality as "the dense forest of delusion" in verse 2.52, implying that detachment and work in devotion are the right processes to become free from material illusion. The recommendation of fruitive activities in the Vedas follows the same logic of prescribing a medicine with side effects to a cancer patient, hoping that the positive effects will outweigh the risks. The Vedas prescribe fruitive activities and promise material benefits just to make the less intelligent classes of people acquire faith in Vedic knowledge and thus be gradually guided into the path of knowledge. Just like cancer medicine, it is just a temporary measure, and one is supposed to get out of it once his condition improves.
When Krsna says "you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard", it means that when Arjuna becomes free from illusion by the cultivation of transcendental knowledge, his intelligence will become fixed (vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ) and he will become indifferent to all material things. In this way, "nirvedam śrotavyasya śrutasya" (become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard) applies to material topics. A pure devotee remains interested in hearing about spiritual topics and acting on the spiritual platform, even after achieving this stage of material indifference. The logic is similar to the famous verse "atmaramas ca munayo" of the Srimad Bhagavatam: Liberated souls who achieved liberation from all that is material are still attracted by the transcendental qualities of Krsna.
Krsna concludes this part of His instructions in verse 2.53, by concluding that "When your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas, and when it remains fixed in the trance of self-realization, then you will have attained the divine consciousness."
The divine consciousness mentioned in the translation refers to the word "yogam" in the verse. It refers to spiritual consciousness connected with Krsna. The fruitive knowledge in the Vedas is defined as "vipratipannā" (confused, distracted, deviating), indicating that it is a distraction on the path to this ultimate goal. By fixing his mind in self-realization (samādhau) through the process of buddhi-yoga that Krsna will describe in the next verses, Arjuna will achieve self-realization and become free from all doubts. In verse 2.7, Arjuna had said: "Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me." Now Krsna is finally giving His answer.
Main points in the purports of Srila Prabhupada:
"You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty."
a) Karma, akarma and vikarma. Krsna instructed Arjuna to perform his duty instead of being neglectful (akarma), but not be attached to the result. Why? Because when one is attached to the result of his work, seeing himself as the cause of action, he has to accept also the resulting reactions, which entangle him in this material world.
b) When we speak about karma (prescribed duties), it can be classified into three types: routine work, emergency work, and desired activities. Routine work means regular duties according to one's position in the varṇāśrama system. When one executes these duties without attachment (as Krsna advises), this is considered action in the mode of goodness and gradually frees us. Emergency work means temporary measures we may execute in times of emergency, according to the circumstances, and desired activities mean when we execute our duties with attachment to the results. This brings us to the first point, since work executed with attachment binds us to the reactions and is thus ultimately inauspicious, even if prescribed in the scriptures. Ultimately, we should perform our duties, but without attachment.
c) Arjuna's lack of willingness to fight was actually due to attachment. He was attached to the outcome of the battle, fearing the loss of relatives, etc. Attachment to the result conditions one to the results of the activities, but in this case, the attachment of Arjuna was even worse, because it was preventing him from performing his duty, putting him on the path of inaction and negligence, which is sinful. The solution was to fight as a matter of duty, with a detached mindset.
"Perform your duty equipoised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga."
a) Yoga means to concentrate the mind upon the Lord by controlling the senses. Krsna is personally telling Arjuna to fight, and he should thus just act as an instrument of Krsna and fight without concern for the results. Gain or loss is Krsna's concern. Following the order of Krsna is Krsna Consciousness, the real yoga.
b) Ultimately, varṇāśrama-dharma means to act for the satisfaction of Krsna, therefore varṇāśrama duties should not be used as an excuse to not fight.
"O Dhanañjaya, keep all abominable activities far distant by devotional service, and in that consciousness surrender unto the Lord. Those who want to enjoy the fruits of their work are misers."
a) Devotional service to the Lord (buddhi-yoga) is the proper activity for everyone. One who is not in knowledge may work for himself and try to enjoy the results, but the result is that they remain entangled in material life. One who understands that gives up all other activities and becomes fully engaged in working for Krsna.
b) Apart from working for Krsna in devotional service, all other activities result in karmic reactions that entangle us in the material world. They are thus ultimately abominable. Everything we have, including material assets, energy, etc., should be used for Krsna. This will make our lives successful.
"A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad reactions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, which is the art of all work."
a) We remain forgetful of our original identity as pure souls due to the reactions of karma (both good and bad) accumulated since time immemorial. These reactions create new material bodies one after the other that keep us in ignorance.
b) This ignorance can be removed by transcendental knowledge. By Krsna consciousness we destroy all the accumulated karma, as well as the material desires that impel us to fruitive acts, making us free.
"By thus engaging in devotional service to the Lord, great sages or devotees free themselves from the results of work in the material world. In this way they become free from the cycle of birth and death and attain the state beyond all miseries [by going back to Godhead]."
a) Pure souls live in the spiritual world, away from all material misery.
b) Conditioned souls can't understand that this material world is a place of misery, and thus try to adjust to it in the hope of creating a permanent, happy situation that will never come to be.
c) If one, by transcendental knowledge, comes to understand his eternal position as a soul and the eternal position of the Lord, and thus practices devotional service with determination, he attains eternal life in the spiritual planets. Others who are not able to accept the supremacy of the Lord, on the other hand, remain in the material world.
"When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard."
a) Devotional service is higher than mere fruitive rituals prescribed in the scriptures. Therefore, great devotees who attain this supreme goal become indifferent to them, like in the case of Śrī Mādhavendra Purī.
b) Vedic rites and rituals are a path for gradually bringing materialistic people to the path of devotional service. Therefore, when one comes to the point of serving Krsna one should just concentrate on the devotional principles, without getting distracted by lower paths. On the other hand, one who just follows rules and rituals without coming to Krsna, simply wastes his time, going through all the trouble without getting the result.
"When your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas, and when it remains fixed in the trance of self-realization, then you will have attained the divine consciousness."
a) Samādhi means full realization of Krsna Consciousness, and realization of Krsna in all aspects (Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān). Krsna Consciousness means to see ourselves in our original position as eternal servitors of the Lord and engage ourselves in His service.
b) One striving to achieve this platform should not be distracted by the promises of a higher level of material enjoyment promised in the Vedas. The process of Krsna Consciousness offers us a much higher goal, direct association with Krsna. This can be attained by devotional activities and perfect knowledge, which come by carrying out the instructions of Krsna and the spiritual master.
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