April 23 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 5; Verses 5.14-5.15 (Day 114) Karma Yoga

April 23 – Day 114

Verse 5.14-5.15

न कर्तृत्वं न कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभुः ।

न कर्मफलसंयोगं स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते ॥ ५-१४॥ 

na kartṛitwaṁ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛijati prabhuḥ;
na karma-phala-saṅyogaṁ swabhāvas tu pravartate (14) 

ந க¹ர்த்¹ருத்¹வம் ந க¹ர்மாணி லோக¹ஸ்ய ஸ்ருஜதி¹ ப்¹ரபு⁴: |
ந க¹ர்மப²லஸந்யோக³ம் ஸ்வபா⁴வஸ்து¹ ப்¹ரவர்த¹தே¹||14 || 

14. Neither agency nor actions does the Lord create for the world, nor union with the fruits of actions. But it is Nature that acts. 

Commentary: The Lord does not create agency or doership.  He does not press anyone to do actions.  He never tells anyone, “Do this or do that”.  He does not bring about the union with the fruit of actions.  It is Prakriti or Nature that does everything.  (Cf. III.33) 

 

नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः ।

अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः ॥ ५-१५॥ 

nādatte kasyachit pāpaṁ na chaiva sukṛitaṁ vibhuḥ
ajñānenāvṛitaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ (15) 

நாத³த்¹தே¹ க¹ஸ்யசி¹த்¹பா¹ப¹ம் ந சை¹வ ஸுக்¹ருத¹ம் விபு⁴: |
அஞானேனாவ்ருத¹ம் ஞானம் தே¹ன முஹ்யன்தி¹ ஜன்த¹வ: ||15|| 

15. The Lord accepts neither the demerit nor even the merit of any; knowledge is enveloped by ignorance, thereby beings are deluded. 

Commentary: Knowledge is enveloped by ignorance.  Consequently man is deluded.  He thinks, “I act.  I enjoy.  I have done such and such a meritorious act.  I will get such and such a fruit.  I will enjoy in heaven.  I will get a birth in a rich family.”

Of anyone:  even of His devotees.

Man is bound when he identifies himself with Nature and its effects – body, mind, Prana or the life-force, and senses.  He attains freedom or Moksha when he identifies himself with the immortal, ‘actionless’ Self that dwells within his heart.

When ‘I’ does not act how can God accept good or evil deeds? (Cf. V.29) 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda: 

There is plenty of work to do in the Lord’s good world – but it is his world, his body. His life, power, nature or śakti is the motive force. His consciousness or intelligence is the guiding force. His own body, the universe, is the field. The innumerable microcosmic beings are cells in that body, joyously and purposefully participating in his work, sharing his life, power and nature, and united with his consciousness or intelligence. The individualised fraction is not the whole; but it is non-different from the whole and when it realises its true nature as such, it is indivisibly one with the whole.

Egoism is a mysterious deluding power. Individuation is inherent in the infinite as a potentiality all the time. Creation is the actualisation of this potentiality. Like the unperceivable dot on the circumference of a circle, like the raindrop which has not isolated itself from the rain-bearing cloud, it should be (and is) ever one with the infinite (though misunderstood to be only part of it). How this assumes independence of the infinite is a mystery! Is it ever independent of the infinite, in truth?

But, thank God, such division is a product of ignorance. When this ignorance is removed it will vanish. Even the law of cause and effect is based on this ignorant and egoistic idea of agency. In God, in his eyes, there is neither cause nor effect, neither merit nor demerit,

How does one wake up? WAKE UP! 

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