April 1 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 4; Verses 4.13-4.14 (Day 92) Karma Yoga

 The Desireless Nature of God’s Work

April 1 – Day 92
Verse 4.13-4.14

चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।

तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ॥ ४-१३॥ 

chātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛiṣhṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśhaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhyakartāram avyayam (4.13) 

சா¹து¹ர்வர்ண்யம் மயா ஸ்ருஷ்ட¹ம் கு³ணக¹ர்மவிபா⁴க³ஶ: |
த¹ஸ்ய க¹ர்தா¹ரமபி¹ மாம் வித்³த்⁴ய¹க¹ர்தா¹ரமவ்யயம் ||4.13|| 

13. The fourfold caste has been created by Me according to the differentiation of Guna and Karma; though I am the author thereof, know Me as the non-doer and immutable. 

Commentary: The four castes are Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra. This division is according to the Guna and Karma. Guna is quality. Karma is the kind of work. Both Guna and Karma determine the caste of a man.

In a Brahmana, Sattwa predominates. He possesses serenity, purity, self-restraint, straightforwardness, and devotion.

In a Kshatriya, Rajas predominates. He possesses prowess, splendour, firmness, dexterity, generosity, and rulership.

In a Vaisya, Rajas predominates, and Tamas is subordinate to Rajas. He does the duty of ploughing, protection of cattle and trade.

In a Sudra, Tamas predominates, and Rajas is subordinate to the quality of Tamas. He renders service to the other three castes. Human temperaments and tendencies vary according to the Gunas.

Though the Lord is the author of the caste system, yet He is not the author as He is the non-doer.  He is not subject to Samsara.  Really Maya does everything.  Maya is the real author.  Society can exist in a flourishing state if the four castes do their duties properly.  Otherwise there will be chaos, rupture and fighting.  (Cf. 18:41) 

Action Without Attachment Does Not Lead to Bondage

न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा ।

इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ॥ ४-१४॥ 

na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛihā
iti māṁ yo ’bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate (4.14) 

ந மாம் க¹ர்மாணி லிம்ப¹ன்தி¹ ந மே க¹ர்மப¹லே ஸ்ப்¹ருஹா |
இதி¹ மாம் யோபி¹ஜானாதி¹ க¹ர்மபி⁴ர்ன ஸ ப³த்⁴யதே¹ ||4.14|| 

14. Actions do not taint Me, nor have I a desire for the fruits of actions. He who knows Me thus is not bound by actions. 

Commentary: As I have neither egoism nor desire for fruits, I am not bound by actions.  Worldly people think they are the agents and they perform actions.  They also expect fruits for their actions.  So they take birth again and again.  If one works without attachment, without egoism, without expectation of fruits, he too will not be bound by actions.  He will be freed from birth and death. (Cf, IX.9) 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda:

Men, desiring worldly rewards, work in different fields. Their inherent and predominant quality or nature (guṇa) leads them along these paths of activity (karma). God, as we noticed in the last two verses, ‘goes’ to them along those very paths. He provides them with the congenial atmosphere in which they can evolve with the help of their own guṇa and their own karma; the yoga of the Gītā does not demand transplantation, but only transmutation. This congenial atmosphere is the caste system in its pure and uncorrupted form.

God, being the centre of all, is equidistant from all, whatever their caste and whatever be their duty or activity. God-oriented performance of one’s own duty is the direct road to perfection. This path (the caste system) originates in his nature, but it should not be attributed to him (that is, it should not be regarded as the absolute!), because it is the individual’s nature that determines or paves it, and as this nature undergoes transmutation, the path might vanish in the destination!

God is not bound by anything in this universe. God is not even bound by this notion of ‘unbindability’; so he may incarnate himself and appear to be bound! He is beyond all concepts.

The second verse can also be used as a formula to meditate upon, in order to disentangle the soul from the mesh of our body and mind. The ‘me’, then, would refer to the soul, the witness consciousness, the true self which is not tainted by any action of the body and mind. This meditation will liberate us from bondage to karmā. 

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