THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 4, JNANA KARMA SANYASA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF RENUNCIATION OF ACTION IN KNOWLEDGE, OR THE WAY OF KNOWLEDGE, VERSE NUMBER 16

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER 4

JNANA KARMA SANYASA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF RENUNCIATION OF ACTION IN KNOWLEDGE OR THE WAY OF KNOWLEDGE:

VERSE NUMBER 16

Text in Transliteration:

kim karma kim akarme ‘ti kavayo  ‘py atra mohitaah

tat te karma pravakashyaami yaj jnaatvaa moksyase ‘subhaat

Text in English:

Sages too are perplexed as to what is action, what inaction. Therefore I shall tell you what action is, by knowing which you shall be freed from all evil.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:

The worst of all evils is that pertaining to the wheel of birth and death. To put an end to this endless evil, the way of action should be understood. It should not be thought that merely toiling to the utmost is the way of karma.

Comments by the blogger:

The chain or wheel of birth and death is described as evil by the Lord. It does not mean He hates those who are yoked by their selfish and even evil actions forever to the chain of birth and death. God is sat-chit-ananda. And He is full of compassion especially for those souls who are effectively waylaid by illusion, desire and non-stop selfish and even evil action. One of the Lord’s attributes is his ready accessibility. We can’t see our Chief Minister and Prime Minister as and when we desire. Indeed  we can never see them in person if we are ordinary average men. But God is accessible even to the rapist of Nirbhaya who at last pierced her stomach with a sharp instrument in order to delete the evidence! Such is God’s nature. Still, He time and time again describes the wheel of birth and death as evil! Because He wants us to strive our level best in escaping the vicious circle and wheel of births and deaths! It does not mean that He hates those who worship Him for worldly things and comforts. Because only He knows what a great comfort it is to escape the wheel. So easy accessibility is one of the Lord’s attributes! Because he knows in the face of  Nature or prakriti’s illusory power and our awkwardness even in the case of great men and women to safeguard against too many worldly desires. But one thing is sure; the constant study of the Holy Bhagavat Gita would make us become watchful and safeguard ourselves against the illusory pitfalls of this world, besides providing us with an inner peace of mind and harmony between thought, speech and action.

In this sloka or stanza, the Lord says the nature of action and inaction and speaks how even great sages have differing opinions about the same. So the Lord takes upon Himself to once and for all to put an end to all arguments even among scholars and sages.