Verse 3
Some philosophers declare that all
actions should be abandoned as an evil, while others declare that acts of gift,
sacrifice and austerity should not be relinquished.
Verse 4
Hear from Me the conclusion or the final
truth about this abandonment, O best of the Bharatas; abandonment, verily, O
best of men, has been declared to be of three kinds!
Verse 5
Acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity
should not be abandoned, but should be performed; Sacrifice, gift and also
austerity are the purifiers of the wise.
Verse 6
But even these actions should be
performed leaving aside attachment and the desire for rewards, O Arjuna! This
is My certain and best conviction.
Arjuna nods in agreement of Lord’s
exposition and the Lord continues.
“Some wise ones say that every
action is defective. Sri Krishna himself says that any undertaking is defective
because we will come a cropper one day or the other, whatever be the project
that we undertake or the work that we do.
Because of the fact that there is a
defect in every kind of undertaking, in any kind of action, action should be
abandoned. This is the opinion of certain ancient Masters.
But other great ones tell us that
not all actions should be abandoned under the impression that they are all
defective, because there are certain actions which are purifying in their
nature, and they are obligatory on the part of every person. These
actions—namely, yajna, dana and tapas—are
very necessary for all people.
“I shall clinch the matter by
firmly telling you that yajna, dana and tapas should
not be abandoned under the impression that they are actions that have some
defect.” What is yajna, what
is dana, what is tapas?
Tapas pertains
to us, dana pertains to others, and sacrifice, or yajna, pertains
to the gods.
We have a duty towards ourselves, a
duty towards others, and a duty towards the Supreme Divinity manifesting itself
as the controlling power of the cosmos. Therefore, we cannot say that we shall
not do anything. We have to do something for our welfare, for others’ welfare,
and for the satisfaction of God Himself.
The sacrifice that we perform for
the satisfaction of the Supreme Divinity, which is the ultimate sacrifice, is
called yajna.
The charity that we do for the
pleasure of people and the welfare of people is called dana, or
philanthropic deeds.
However, while performing such
actions, one should give up the desires which motivate such acts.
For example, a rich man may give a
lot of wealth in charity, wanting at the same time, a lot of publicity. Far
better it is to offer charity with a noble feeling that it would bring relief
and comfort to the needy and also make the Lord (in the giver and in the
receiver) happy.
Tapas—inward austerity,
self-control, self-discipline, restraint of the mind and the sense organs—is a
duty of every person seeking God.
Therefore, we cannot say, “It is an
action; therefore, I will not do it”. We
have to do it because tapas is conducive to our welfare, charity
or dana is conducive to the welfare of others, and yajna or
sacrifice is conducive to the satisfaction of God Himself.
Therefore, I tell you, yajna, dana and tapas should
not be abandoned. They must be done; they are imperative duties.”
All these duties, when properly pursued, bring
about a brilliant discipline within and create conditions under which alone,
the highest spiritual unfoldment and the final experience of the Infinite are
possible.
Krishna says here that these can "purify even
thoughtful men." Men of evolutionary tendencies, who seek freedom from
their personality obsessions must, with devotion and the right attitude of
mind, perform Yajnas, Daana and Tapas. Thereby they can
discover an endless amount of inner peace and balance.
Love.
