Bg 3.4
na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣkarmyaṁ puruṣo ’śnute
na ca sannyasanād eva siddhiṁ samadhigacchati
Bg 3.5
na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt
kāryate hy avaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ
Translation:
4. Not by non-performance of actions does man reach 'actionlessness' ; nor by mere renunciation does he attain 'Perfection. '
5. Verily, none can ever remain, even for a moment, without performing action; for, everyone is made to act helplessly, indeed, by the qualities born of PRAKRITI.
Commentary Excerpts:
As the desires in us, so are our thoughts; thoughts are the disturbances created in our mental zone by our desires. At every moment, the texture and quality of our thoughts are directly conditioned and controlled by our desires. Thoughts in an individual, expressed in the outer world-of-objects, become his actions; actions are nothing other than the actor's thoughts projected and expressed in the world. Thus, in this chain-of-'ignorance,' constituted of desires, thoughts, and actions, each one of us is caught and bound.
If we observe them a little more closely, we find that these are not so many different factors, but are, in fact, different expressions of one and the same spiritual IGNORANCE. This ignorance (Avidya), when it functions in the intellect, expresses itself as DESIRES. When the desires, which are nothing other than the 'ignorance,' function in the mental zone, they express themselves as THOUGHTS. These thoughts, when they express in the outer world, become ACTIONS. Naturally, therefore, if the Supreme can be defined as "the experience beyond ignorance," it must necessarily be true that the Self is "the State of "DESIRELESS-NESS" or "the Condition of THOUGHTLESS-NESS" or "the Life of ACTIONLESS-NESS."
By mere 'renunciation of action' (Samnyasa) no one attains Perfection. Running away from life is not the way to reach the highest goal of evolution. Arjuna's intention, you may remember, was to run away from the war-front, and, therefore, this misguided Hindu was to be re-educated in the right understanding of the immortal culture of the Vedas. For this purpose was the Divine Song given out by Krishna.
Through action, to a purification of the inner instrument, applying which the seeker walks the 'Path-of-Knowledge' to reach ultimately the spiritual destination of self-development as indicated in this stanza. Hence it has been often quoted by all great writers on Hinduism.
Man is ever agitated under the influence of the triple tendencies of Unactivity (Sattwa), Activity (Rajas) and Inactivity (Tamas) inherent in him. Even for a single moment he cannot remain totally inactive. Total inactivity is the character of utterly insentient matter. Even if we are physically at rest, mentally and intellectually we are active all the time, except during the state of deep-sleep. So long as we are under the influence of these three mental tendencies (gunas), we are helplessly prompted to labour and to act.
Therefore, not to act at all is to disobey the laws of nature which shall, as we all know, bring about a cultural deterioration in ourselves. If there is a creature who remains inactive physically, he will get dissipated in his thoughts. Therefore, the Geeta advises him to act vigorously with a right attitude of mind, so that he may avoid all internal waste of energy and learn to grow in himself.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣkarmyaṁ puruṣo ’śnute
na ca sannyasanād eva siddhiṁ samadhigacchati
Bg 3.5
na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt
kāryate hy avaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ
Translation:
4. Not by non-performance of actions does man reach 'actionlessness' ; nor by mere renunciation does he attain 'Perfection. '
5. Verily, none can ever remain, even for a moment, without performing action; for, everyone is made to act helplessly, indeed, by the qualities born of PRAKRITI.
Commentary Excerpts:
As the desires in us, so are our thoughts; thoughts are the disturbances created in our mental zone by our desires. At every moment, the texture and quality of our thoughts are directly conditioned and controlled by our desires. Thoughts in an individual, expressed in the outer world-of-objects, become his actions; actions are nothing other than the actor's thoughts projected and expressed in the world. Thus, in this chain-of-'ignorance,' constituted of desires, thoughts, and actions, each one of us is caught and bound.
If we observe them a little more closely, we find that these are not so many different factors, but are, in fact, different expressions of one and the same spiritual IGNORANCE. This ignorance (Avidya), when it functions in the intellect, expresses itself as DESIRES. When the desires, which are nothing other than the 'ignorance,' function in the mental zone, they express themselves as THOUGHTS. These thoughts, when they express in the outer world, become ACTIONS. Naturally, therefore, if the Supreme can be defined as "the experience beyond ignorance," it must necessarily be true that the Self is "the State of "DESIRELESS-NESS" or "the Condition of THOUGHTLESS-NESS" or "the Life of ACTIONLESS-NESS."
By mere 'renunciation of action' (Samnyasa) no one attains Perfection. Running away from life is not the way to reach the highest goal of evolution. Arjuna's intention, you may remember, was to run away from the war-front, and, therefore, this misguided Hindu was to be re-educated in the right understanding of the immortal culture of the Vedas. For this purpose was the Divine Song given out by Krishna.
Through action, to a purification of the inner instrument, applying which the seeker walks the 'Path-of-Knowledge' to reach ultimately the spiritual destination of self-development as indicated in this stanza. Hence it has been often quoted by all great writers on Hinduism.
Man is ever agitated under the influence of the triple tendencies of Unactivity (Sattwa), Activity (Rajas) and Inactivity (Tamas) inherent in him. Even for a single moment he cannot remain totally inactive. Total inactivity is the character of utterly insentient matter. Even if we are physically at rest, mentally and intellectually we are active all the time, except during the state of deep-sleep. So long as we are under the influence of these three mental tendencies (gunas), we are helplessly prompted to labour and to act.
Therefore, not to act at all is to disobey the laws of nature which shall, as we all know, bring about a cultural deterioration in ourselves. If there is a creature who remains inactive physically, he will get dissipated in his thoughts. Therefore, the Geeta advises him to act vigorously with a right attitude of mind, so that he may avoid all internal waste of energy and learn to grow in himself.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
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