VERSE NUMBER 20 OF KARMA YOGA OR YOGA OF ACTION OR THE METHOD OF ACTION

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTERE THREE

KARMA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF ACTION OR THE METHOD OF ACTION

VERSE NUMBER 20

Text in Transliteration:

karmanai ‘va hi samsidhim aasthitaa janakaadauah

lokasamgraham  evaa ‘pi sampasuaan kartum arhasi

Text in English:

Janaka and others indeed achieved perfection by action: having an eye to the guidance of men alos you should perform action.

COMMENTARY BY SWMAI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Raja-rishis such as Janaka and Asvapati were engaged in the active and efficient administrarion of their kingdoms. Incidentally they took part in several other activities conducive to people’s welfare. But their aim in life was more than that. That diligently applied themselves to Self-knowldge and got it.

There is an additional advantage in the spiritually enlightened taking to altruistic work. The ingnorant cannot guide society any more than the blind lead the blind. But the enlightened are the best servants of society. The nature of karma is also very well known to them. Efficient work on right lines can be turned out by them. Following in their duties in all earnestness. Taking this important factor into account, the elite shoud ever engage themelves in the discharge of their dharma to the best of thir ability.

The world goes int way waiting for guidance form nobody. A pertinent question may therefore be put whether concern for the world is not a self-created problem.                                     

 COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

Janaka was the king of Mithila and father of Sita, the wife of Rama. Janaka ruled, giving up his personal sense of being the worker. Even Shankara says the Janaka and others worked lest people at large might go astray, convinced that their sense were engaged in activity, gunaa gunaeshu vartante. Even those who have not known the truth might adopt works for self-purification. II, 10.

Lokasamgraha: world-maintenance. Lokaskgraha stands for the unity of the world, the interconnectedness of society. If the world is not to sink into a condition life is to be decent and dignified, religious ethics must control social action. The aim of religion is to spiritualize society, to establish a brotherhood on earth.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:

Samsiddhi is Moksha (perfection or liberation), Janaka, (asvapati) and others had perfect knowledge of the self, and they performed actions in order to set an example to the masses. They worked for the guidance of men

Comments of the blogger:

Here there are two posits by Sri Bhagavan; one, king Janaka and others like him attained perfection through performing action in a manner that did not tainted them. Instead, a great Raja did actions without expectation but with full commitment. He is a perfect Karma yogi.

Anothther is to Arjuna: the Lord reminds him that he must, like Janaka, indulge in action with a view to the protection of the masses. Ranged against his army are mostly wicked people who should be wiped out so that the masses might have the reign of dharma under Udhishtira and other Pandava kings.

For us, the point is, if a king like Janaka could make the bondage begetting actions into liberating one, can’t we at least try to do our self-ordained duties without expectation?