Sunday, Nov 03, 2013. Srimad Bhagavadgeeta : Chapter-3.(Karmayogam) Slokam-16.:

Sunday, Nov 03, 2013.


Srimad Bhagavadgeeta :


Chapter-3.(Karmayogam)



Slokam-16.



Evam    pravarttitam    cakram    nanuvarttayateeha    yah,


Akkhayurindriyaramo    mokkham   partha   sa   jeevati.


Partha    =    Arjuna,

Evam   pravarttitam   cakkram    =    Thus active, the yajna-karma-wheel,

Iha   yah    =    Whom so ever in this world,

Na    anuvarttayatee    =    Not following,

Akkhayuh   indriyaramo    =    The sinner, and slave to sense-organ's materialistic pleasures,

Sa   mokkham   jeevati     =     He turns his life a mere wastage.



 Arjuna, a man who does not follow this prescribed Vedic system of sacrifice certainly leads a life of sin, for a person delighting only in the senses lives in vain.


One lives in vain who does not follow here the wheel thus set in motion, whose life is sinful, and who indulges in the senses.


Therefore it is so that he, who in his life fails to adopt the cyclic order of sacrifice as one finds in nature, in his catering to his senses is of a life full of trouble which is quite meaningless.


Thus it is so that one who in his life does not adopt this regular cakra ( wheel ) order as established in the Vedas, will lead a useless life full of sin and sense-gratification.


i.e. whose life is vile; and indriya-aramah, who indulges in the senses-who has his aroma, sport, enjoyment, with objects, indriyah, through the senses.


Hence, the gist of the topic under discussion is that action must be undertaken by one who is qualified (for action) but is unenlightened. In the verses beginning from, '(A person does not attain freedom from action by abstaining from action'  and ending with, 'You perform the obligatory duties....And, through inaction, even the maintenance of your body will not be possible' , it has been proved that before one attains fitness for steadfastness in the knowledge of the Self, it is the bounden duty of a person who is qualified for action, but is not enlightened, to undertake Karma-yoga for that purpose. And then, also in the verses commencing from '(This man becomes bound) by actions other than that action meant for God'  and ending with 'O Partha, he lives in vain,' many reasons [Such as, that it pleases God, secures the affection of the gods, and so on.] have been incidentally stated as to why a competent person has to undertake actions; and the evils arising from their non-performance have also been emphatically declared.

Such being the conclusion, the question arises whether the wheel thus set in motion should be followed by all, or only by one who is ignorant of the Self and has not attained to the steadfastness which is fit to be practised by the Sankhyas, the knowers of the Self, through the Yoga of Knowledge only, and which is acquired by one ignorant of the Self through the means of the practice of Karma-yoga mentioned above? Either anticipating Arjuna's question to this effect, or in order to make the meaning of the scripture (Geeta) clearly understood, the Lord, revealing out of His own accord that the following substance of the Upanisads-Becoming freed from false knowledge by knowing this very Self, the Brahmanas renounce what is a compulsory duty for those having false knowledge, viz, desire for sons, etc., and then lead a mendicant life just for the purpose of maintaining the body; they have no duty to perform other than steadfastness in the knowledge of the Self .


The philosophy of work very hard and enjoy sense gratification is condemned herein by the Lord. Therefore, for those who want to enjoy this material world, the above-mentioned cycle of performing yajnas is absolutely necessary. One who does not follow such regulations is living a very risky life, being condemned more and more. By nature's law, this human form of life is specifically meant for self-realization, in either of the three ways—namely karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, or bhakti-yoga. There is no necessity of rigidly following the performances of the prescribed yajñas for the transcendentalists who are above vice and virtue; but those who are engaged in sense gratification require purification by the above-mentioned cycle of yajna performances. There are different kinds of activities. Those who are not Paramatma conscious are certainly engaged in sensory consciousness; therefore they need to execute pious work. The yajna system is planned in such a way that sensory conscious persons may satisfy their desires without becoming entangled in the reaction of sense-gratificatory work. The prosperity of the world depends not on our own efforts but on the background arrangement of the Supreme Lord, directly carried out by the demigods. Therefore, the yajnas are directly aimed at the particular demigod mentioned in the Vedas. Indirectly, it is the practice of Lord's  consciousness, because when one masters the performance of yajnas, one is sure to become infinite conscious. But if by performing yajnas one does not become Easwaran  conscious, such principles are counted as only moral codes. One should not, therefore, limit his progress only to the point of moral codes, but should transcend them, to attain the Supreme  consciousness.