Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (30 page)

Bg 3.27

TEXT 27

TEXT

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

SYNONYMS

prakṛteḥ-
of material nature;
kriyamāṇāni-
all being done;
guṇaiḥ-
by the modes;
karmāṇi-
activities;
sarvaśaḥ-
all kinds of;
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍha-
bewildered by false ego;
ātmā-
the spirit soul;
kartā-
doer;
aham-
I;
iti-
thus;
manyate
-thinks.

TRANSLATION

The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.

PURPORT

Two persons, one in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and the other in material consciousness, working on the same level, may appear to be working on the same platform, but there is a wide gulf of difference in their respective positions. The person in material consciousness is convinced by false ego that he is the doer of everything. He does not know that the mechanism of the body is produced by material nature, which works under the supervision of the Supreme Lord. The materialistic person has no knowledge that ultimately he is under the control of Kṛṣṇa. The person in false ego takes all credit for doing everything independantly, and that is the symptom of his nescience. He does not know that this gross and subtle body is the creation of material nature, under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such his bodily and mental activities should be engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The ignorant man forgets that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as Hṛṣīkeśa, or the master of the senses of the material body, for due to his long misuse of the senses in sense gratification, he is factually bewildered by the false ego, which makes him forget his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

Bg 3.28

TEXT 28

TEXT

tattva-vit tu mahā-bāho

guṇa-karma-vibhāgayoḥ

guṇā guṇeṣu vartanta

iti matvā na sajjate

SYNONYMS

tattvavit-
the knower of the Absolute Truth;
tu-
but;
mahā-bāho-
O mighty-armed one;
guṇa-karma-
works under material influence;
vibhāgayoḥ-
differences;
guṇāḥ-
senses;
guṇeṣu-
in sense gratification;
vartante-
being engaged;
iti-
thus;
matvā-
thinking;
na-
never;
sajjate-
becomes attached.

TRANSLATION

One who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth, O mighty-armed, does not engage himself in the senses and sense gratification, knowing well the differences between work in devotion and work for fruitive results.

PURPORT

The knower of the Absolute Truth is convinced of his awkward position in material association. He knows that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and that his position should not be in the material creation. He knows his real identity as part and parcel of the Supreme, who is eternal bliss and knowledge, and he realizes that somehow or other he is entrapped in the material conception of life. In his pure state of existence he is meant to dovetail his activities in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. He therefore engages himself in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and becomes naturally unattached to the activities of the material senses, which are all circumstantial and temporary. He knows that his material condition of life is under the supreme control of the Lord; consequently he is not disturbed by all kinds of material reactions, which he considers to be the mercy of the Lord. According to
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
one who knows the Absolute Truth in three different features-namely Brahman, Paramātmā, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead-is called
tattvavit,
for he knows also his own factual position in relationship with the Supreme.

Bg 3.29

TEXT 29

TEXT

prakṛter guṇa-sammūḍhāḥ

sajjante guṇa-karmasu

tān akṛtsna-vido mandān

kṛtsna-vin na vicālayet

SYNONYMS

prakṛteḥ-
impelled by the material modes;
guṇa-saṁmūḍhāḥ-
befooled by material identification;
sajjante-
become engaged;
guṇa-karmasu-
in material activities;
tān-
all those;
akṛtsna-vidaḥ-
persons with a poor fund of knowledge;
mandān-
lazy to understand self-realization;
kṛtsna-vit-
one who is in factual knowledge;
na-
may not;
vicālayet-
try to agitate.

TRANSLATION

Bewildered by the modes of material nature, the ignorant fully engage themselves in material activities and become attached. But the wise should not unsettle them, although these duties are inferior due to the performers' lack of knowledge.

PURPORT

Persons who are unknowledgeable falsely identify with gross material consciousness and are full of material designations. This body is a gift of the material nature, and one who is too much attached to the bodily consciousness is called
mandān
, or a lazy person without understanding of spirit soul. Ignorant men think of the body as the self; bodily connections with others are accepted as kinsmanship; the land in which the body is obtained is the object of worship; and the formalities of religious rituals are considered ends in themselves. Social work, nationalism, and altruism are some of the activities for such materially designated persons. Under the spell of such designations, they are always busy in the material field; for them spiritual realization is a myth, and so they are not interested. Such bewildered persons may even be engaged in such primary moral principles of life as nonviolence and similar materially benevolent work. Those who are, however, enlightened in spiritual life, should not try to agitate such materially engrossed persons. Better to prosecute one's own spiritual activities silently.

Men who are ignorant cannot appreciate activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa advises us not to disturb them and simply waste valuable time. But the devotees of the Lord are more kind than the Lord because they understand the purpose of the Lord. Consequently they undertake all kinds of risks, even to the point of approaching ignorant men to try to engage them in the acts of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which are absolutely necessary for the human being.

Bg 3.30

TEXT 30

TEXT

mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi

sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā

nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā

yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ

SYNONYMS

mayi-
unto Me;
sarvāṇi-
all sorts of;
karmāṇi-
activities;
sannyasya-
giving up completely;
adhyātma-
with full knowledge of the self;
cetasā-
consciousness;
nirāśīḥ-
without desire for profit;
nirmamaḥ-
without ownership;
bhūtvā-
so being;
yudhyasva-
fight;
vigata-jvaraḥ-
without being lethargic.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with mind intent on Me, and without desire for gain and free from egoism and lethargy, fight.

PURPORT

This verse clearly indicates the purpose of the
Bhagavad-gītā.
The Lord instructs that one has to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious to discharge duties, as if in military discipline. Such an injunction may make things a little difficult; nevertheless duties must be carried out, with dependence on Kṛṣṇa, because that is the constitutional position of the living entity. The living entity cannot be happy independant of the cooperation of the Supreme Lord because the eternal constitutional position of the living entity is to become subordinate to the desires of the Lord. Arjuna was, therefore, ordered by Śrī Kṛṣṇa to fight as if the Lord were his military commander. One has to sacrifice everything for the good will of the Supreme Lord, and at the same time discharge prescribed duties without claiming proprietorship. Arjuna did not have to consider the order of the Lord; he had only to execute His order. The Supreme Lord is the Soul of all souls; therefore, one who depends solely and wholly on the Supreme Soul without personal consideration, or in other words, one who is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, is called
adhyātma-cetasā. Nirāśīḥ
means that one has to act on the order of the master. Nor should one ever expect fruitive results. The cashier may count millions of dollars for his employer, but he does not claim a cent for himself. Similarly, one has to realize that nothing in the world belongs to any individual person, but that everything belongs to the Supreme Lord. That is the real purport of
mayi,
or unto Me. And when one acts in such Kṛṣṇa consciousness, certainly he does not claim proprietorship over anything. This consciousness is called
nirmama,
or nothing is mine. And, if there is any reluctance to execute such a stern order which is without consideration of so-called kinsmen in the bodily relationship, that reluctance should be thrown off; in this way one may become
vigata-jvara,
or without feverish mentality or lethargy. Everyone, according to his quality and position, has a particular type of work to discharge, and all such duties may be discharged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as described above. That will lead one to the path of liberation.

Bg 3.31

TEXT 31

TEXT

ye me matam idaṁ nityam

anutiṣṭhanti mānavāḥ

śraddhāvanto 'nasūyanto

mucyante te 'pi karmabhiḥ

SYNONYMS

ye-
those;
me-
My;
matam-
injunctions;
idam-
this;
nityam-
eternal function;
anutiṣṭhanti-
execute regularly;
mānavāḥ-
humankind;
śraddhāvantaḥ-
with faith and devotion;
anasūyantaḥ-
without envy;
mucyante-
become free;
te-
all of them;
api-
even;
karmabhiḥ-
from the bondage of the law of fruitive action.

TRANSLATION

One who executes his duties according to My injunctions and who follows this teaching faithfully, without envy, becomes free from the bondage of fruitive actions.

PURPORT

The injunction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the essence of all Vedic wisdom, and therefore is eternally true without exception. As the
Vedas
are eternal, so this truth of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is also eternal. One should have firm faith in this injunction, without envying the Lord. There are many philosophers who write comments on the
Bhagavad-gītā
but have no faith in Kṛṣṇa. They will never be liberated from the bondage of fruitive action. But an ordinary man with firm faith in the eternal injunctions of the Lord, even though unable to execute such orders, becomes liberated from the bondage of the law of
karma.
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.

Bg 3.32

TEXT 32

TEXT

ye tv etad abhyasūyanto

nānutiṣṭhanti me matam

sarva-jñāna-vimūḍhāṁs tān

viddhi naṣṭān acetasaḥ

SYNONYMS

ye-
those;
tu-
however;
etat-
this;
abhyasūyantaḥ-
out of envy;
na-
do not;
anutiṣṭhanti-
regularly perform;
me-
My;
matam-
injunction;
sarva-jñāna-
all sorts of knowledge;
vimūḍhān-
perfectly befooled;
tān-
they are;
viddhi-
know it well;
naṣṭān-
all ruined;
acetasaḥ-
without Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

TRANSLATION

But those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not practice them regularly, are to be considered bereft of all knowledge, befooled, and doomed to ignorance and bondage.

PURPORT

The flaw of not being Kṛṣṇa conscious is clearly stated herein. As there is punishment for disobedience to the order of the supreme executive head, so there is certainly punishment for the disobedience of the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A disobedient person, however great he may be, is ignorant of his own self, of the Supreme Brahman, and Paramātmā and the Personality of Godhead, due to a vacant heart. Therefore there is no hope of perfection of life for him.

Bg 3.33

TEXT 33

TEXT

sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ

prakṛter jñānavān api

prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni

nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati

SYNONYMS

sadṛśam-
accordingly;
ceṣṭate-
tries;
svasyāḥ-
in one's own nature;
prakṛteḥ-
modes;
jñānavān-
the learned;
api-
although;
prakṛtim-
nature;
yānti-
undergo;
bhūtāni
-all living entities;
nigrahaḥ-
suppression;
kim-
what;
kariṣyati-
can do.