VERSE NUMBER 30 OF KARMA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF ACTION OR THE METHOD OF ACTION

HOLY GITA

CHAPTER THREE

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

VERSE NUMBER 30

Text in Transliteration:

mayi sarvaani karmaani samnyasyaa ‘dhyaatmachetasaa

niraaseer nirmamo bhootvaa yudhyasva vigatajvararah

Text in English:

Surrendering all actions to Me, with your thoughts resting on Self, freed from hope and selfishness and cured of mental fever, engage in battle.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

The more one attunes one’s mind to truth, the more one gains in equilibrium. The truth is, the Lord is the invisible propeller of all actions in the universe. He is the true owner of everything sentient and insentient. Man’s prerogative is to know this truth and adjust his life activities accordingly. His mental fever gets pacified in that way. Further efficiency in the execution of duty increases in him.

SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Iswara, the Lord of the universe smiles on two derisory occasions. When the son is sinking on his death bed, the doctor assures the desponding mother, Don’t be aftraid; I’m here to save your son.” This is the first occasion on which God is moved to smile. Two borthers survey and share a land saying, “That portion is yours and this mine.” This is the second occasion on which the Lord smiles.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

By self-surrender to the Lord who presides over tcosmic existence, and activity, we must engage in work. “Thy will be done” is to be our attitude in all work. We must do the work with the sense that we are the sevants of the Lord. See XVIII, 59—60 and 66.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:

Surrender all the actions to Me with the thought, “I perform all actions for the sake of the Lord.”

Fever means grief or sorrow. (Cf. V.10; XVIII.66)

Comments by the blogger:

Our ego sense is a stalwart one.  It is not easy to surrender all in front of the Lord. If that be so, surrendering all actions to the Lord is so much more impossible. Because we cannot surrender the most dearly lovable actions like eating, drinking, smoking and making love and such other daily actions to the Lord! This is in case of good folks. And bad folks indulge in all sorts of wicked things. So surrendering our actions and become Lord’s man/woman is not so very easy. That is the case of our ego. The camel may enter the hole of the needle but not our ego! We are fond of doing actions for ourselves. We want to enjoy this world first hand and for our own selves.

And some people, who are mainly preponderatingly Rajasic in guna think that even devotion is an evidence of weakness! They say we must be master of our own actions. And I am responsible for my actions. This tendency is there especially while the blood is young and thick, but the general foolishness that it is a weakness to have or develop devotion to the Lord persists till their last breath. How nice it would be if we can make them see and realize that far from being a weak streak in our mental make up, having unflinching faith in God is a great act of inner strength! But can we unbend and straighten the dog’s tail? Such people feel embarrassed if some devoty sing the glory of God in their presence! Such is their sense of individuality!

But blessed indeed are they who have the strength to have a little faith in the Maker. But they are king among us who can surrender themselves, surrender their all to the Lord’s wishes and direction!

The mental fever referred to Arjuna can be re-read in verses 28 till the end of the First Chapter and a few more in the Second Chapter.