April 3 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 4; Verses 4.16-4.17 (Day 94) Karma Yoga

 April 3 – Day 94

Verse 4.16-4.17

Action and Inaction

किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः ।

तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ॥ ४-१६॥ 

kiṁ karma kim akarmeti kavayo ’pyatra mohitāḥ
tat te karma pravakṣhyāmi yaj jñātwā mokṣhyase ’śhubhāt (4.16) 

கி¹ம் க¹ர்ம கி¹மக¹ர்மேதி¹ க¹வயோ‌ப்¹யத்¹ர மோஹிதா¹: |
த¹த்¹தே¹ க¹ர்ம ப்¹ரவக்ஷ்யாமி யஞ்ஞாத்¹வா மோக்ஷ்யஸே‌ஶுபா⁴த்¹ ||4.16|| 

16. What is action? What is inaction? As to this even the wise are confused. Therefore, I shall teach thee such action (the nature of action and inaction), by knowing which thou shalt be liberated from the evil (of Samsara, the world (wheel) of birth and death). 

कर्मणो ह्यपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं च विकर्मणः ।

अकर्मणश्च बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गतिः ॥ ४-१७॥ 

karmaṇo hyapi boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ cha vikarmaṇaḥ
akarmaṇaśh cha boddhavyaṁ gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ (4.17) 

க¹ர்மணோ ஹ்யபி¹ போ³த்³த⁴வ்யம் போத்³த⁴வ்யம் ச¹ விக¹ர்மண: |
அக¹ர்மணஶ்ச போ³த்³த⁴வ்யம் க³ஹனா க¹ர்மணோ க³தி¹: ||4.17 || 

17. For, verily the true nature of action (enjoined by the scriptures) should be known, also (that) of forbidden (or unlawful) action, and of inaction; hard to understand is the nature (path) of action. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda:  

People have asked themselves: “What should I do?” The self-arrogating ego has led them along the by-lanes of varied activities, often described as duties and scripturally ordained injunctions, and sometimes restrained them to a state of inaction on the assumption that all action is tainted with evil. Are actions good or evil in themselves, or are they to be judged by their results? If the latter, how is it possible for us to foresee the result? If the former, who is the judge to tell us which action is good and which evil and what are the criteria? These problems have worried even the great ones.

As a renowned saint of India declared: “The scriptures differ among themselves and even the sages differ among themselves. Truly, the secret of righteousness is hidden from mortal gaze. That path which the holy ones have trodden should be followed.” The Mahābhārata illustrates this riddle. The righteous Yudhiṣṭhira is often faced with this fundamental problem: “What is right action?” On top of all this, lord Kṛṣṇa himself suggests what appears on the surface to be decidedly unrighteous!

Yet, an action may be unrighteous from the standpoint of human law and righteous according to the divine law. The world has only too often witnessed diabolical rulers impose their will on their subjects with the sanctity and ‘cover’ of the divine law! Modern political and religious institutions have taught us that even man’s conscience can be so coloured as to regard man-made law with greater veneration than divine law which is deliberately obscured from his vision. What is right? 

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