BG3.17

Today [3rd Aug, 2007] we are in the sannidhi of Sri Dhanvantari Perumal situated on the banks of Chandra Pushkarini on the way to Sri Thayar sannidhi, in Srirangam. Sri Dhanvantari is an avatar of Sri Narayana. He bears on the upper two arms the usual Discus and Conch and in the lower arms He carries Amrutha Kalash [Nectar pot] and a leech. Sri Narayana is our doctor and so He took this avatar to cure all our ills. When the milky ocean was churned to get Amrut, along with Uchairavas, the horse, Eiravatam, the Elephant and Sri Mahalakshmi. Sri Dhanvantari came out with Amrut Kalash. The leech in olden days was used by surgeons to suck out bad blood. He is the personal physician for Sri Ranganatha and every day dry ginger [sukku] and other medical materials are sent to Sri Ranganatha sannidhi. From here we will see the 17^th sloka:

yas tv atma-ratir eva syad
atma-trptas ca manavah
atmany eva ca santustas
tasya karyam na vidyate

"But for one who takes pleasure in the self, whose human life is one of self-realization, and who is satisfied in the self only, fully satiated—for him there is no duty."

Tasya karyam na vidyate= He does not need to do anything. From 10^th to 16^th sloka the activities we are to do were all listed. We are to perform yagna, we have to keep the life cycle rotating, everyone has a role and that has to be done properly and if not done such persons' lives are in vain. Now He says some are not to do anything. There is no contradiction to what Sri Krishna told till now and in the three slokas starting from the present one. He lists who all are not needed to do any karma. Earlier He told that those who are in the initial stages of Karma yoga and who desire to visualize atman are to perform yagna and keep the cycle rotating. But here the person who has already had atman sakshatkaram, he is not expected to do all these karma, like deva pooja. Ya= the one, manava =person, atma rati reva = desirous in visualizing atman, atma trptas= satisfied with such pleasure in atman, atman eva santhusta= derives happiness with atman. There are three things told: desire, satisfaction and happiness. These are explained by Swami Vedanta Desika in his Tatparya Chandrika made on the teachings of Swami Ramanuja. Three things are there: dharakam, poshakam and bhogyam. Dharakam is necessary to retain life in the body, like water. Poshakam is nourishment to body for growth, like food. Bhogyam is just for the tasting pleasure, like betel leaves used for chewing. The five sensual feelings are dharakam. Varieties of eating are poshakam. So the essential is in the five senses. Where we get satisfied by eating or dressing is poshakam. When we want to avoid summer by going to hill resorts are in the bhogyam category. The first one is desire. Poshakam is satisfaction and the third bhogyam is happiness or pleasure. A person who has had atman darshan, does not desire another, nor needs another to get satisfied and finally finds pleasure in atman darshan itself and does not need any other. The person who has all these three states, is not expected to do any yagna or devapooja.