BG3.18

[I am at Madras and on 6th August, 2007, Podigai Channel, on which the Gita lectures are delivered, was not available on the TV set and so I missed that day’s lecture. However, for continuity I am reproducing the sloka without comments.]
The 18th sloka is:
naiva tasya krtenarthonakrteneha kascanana casya sarva-bhutesukascid artha-vyapasrayah
"A self-realized man has no purpose to fulfill in the discharge of his prescribed duties, nor has he any reason not to perform such work. Nor has he any need to depend on any other living being."


Today [7th August, 2007] we are in Thiruppernagar also known as Appakudathan temple. Nammalwar praises the Lord and seeks permanent service to the Lord. The Lord here is in a reclining posture and He will rescue anyone who clings to His feet, Nammalwar says. The Lord is placing His right hand on a rishi and a pot full of appam [a sweet dish made of rice flour]. Once the king of this place incurred the curse of sage Durvasa and to redeem from that curse the king was asked to feed 1000 persons. When the food for so many was made ready, the Lord in disguise appeared before the king and ate away all the food. Surprised that a single person could eat all the food prepared fro so many, the king asked whether He needed any more to eat and the Lord replied that He wanted a pot full of appam and that is how He got the name Appakudathan. His left hand is raised. Once the Consorts of the Lord desired to have the flower of Parijatam tree in Indra’s garden. When the Lord requested Indra, he denied and fight broke out between the Lord and Indra. When Indra tried to aim his Vajrayudha on the Lord, He with His left Middle finger suppressed it and this is depicted here by the raised left hand. With the blessings of the Lord and Sri Kamalavalli Thayar, we will see the 19th sloka:
tasmad asaktah satatamkaryam karma samacaraasakto hy acaran karmaparam apnoti purushah
"Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme."
Tasmad= therefore, asaktha=without attachment, satatham=till atma darshan is realized, karyam karma samagara= this action or Karma yoga has to be performed. Because, asakto= without attachment, karma acharan= the one practicing Karma yoga, paramapnoti= realizes atman darshan. In the last two slokas of 17th and 18th, Sri Krishna mentioned about the person who has had already atman darshan need not do Karma yoga. But here with the use of the word tasmad= therefore, He implies the one who has not yet got atman sakshatkaram. Tasmad has several interpretations. Since Arjuna has not yet got the atman darshan, therefore he has to do Karma yoga. It also means that all those who have not got atman darshan, therefore have to do Karma yoga. Because we are used to actions, to start Karma yoga control of senses is not a pre-requisite, there is no slippage as mind, word and action are all unified, even a Gyana yogi needs to perform Karma yoga and other reasons, we have to do Karma yoga. Therefore after Karma yoga only one could try Gyana yoga. Sri Krishna has already detailed who should do Karma yoga and who need not. A learner in music has to perform beats so that the music is proper. But an expert even without the aid of beats could sing properly. The learner cannot try to imitate the expert. Here also, the Gyana yogi has already got atma sakshatkaram and so he need not do Karma yoga. But a person yet to have atman darshan, on the other hand, will have to perform Karma yoga and cannot imitate Gyana yogi. Continuous performance of Karma yoga will control the senses and organs and then one could attempt for Gyana yoga. Therefore, duty has to be performed without any expectation of the rewards and dispassionately performed till one is able to control senses. Even a fight if done without expecting cheap rewards but done as a duty in His service is regarded as Karma yoga. This applies to all our actions. This body of us is given by Him and the proper functions are all destined by Him and so we owe a duty to think that all our actions’ results are His only. Such thought will make us to realize high reward of atman sakshatkaram. From 10th sloka it was told why we have to perform Karma yoga, when it was created by God, how it is an agreement of mutual help, and what is our duty to keep this cycle rotating. From 20th sloka Sri Krishna is going to give examples of great souls who have practiced Karma yoga.