Hari Gopinath Das

Background

Having heard about the superiority of knowledge and renunciation, but also being instructed to fight, Arjuna questions which path is truly better: renunciation of work (sannyasa) or performance of work in devotion (karma-yoga). Lord Krishna clarifies this dilemma, ultimately establishing the superiority of karma-yoga for most people in the current age.

I. Renunciation of Action vs. Action in Devotion (Verses 1-6):

Arjuna’s Dilemma: Arjuna asks Krishna to definitively state which is better: renunciation of work (sannyasa) or work in devotion (karma-yoga).Krishna’s Verdict: Krishna declares that both paths lead to liberation, but work in devotional service is superior to renunciation of works.True Renunciation: A true sannyasi (renunciant) is not one who merely gives up activities, but one who neither hates nor desires the fruits of his activities. Such a person, free from dualities, is easily liberated.Difficulty of Dry Renunciation: Mere renunciation of activities without engaging in devotional service is difficult and often leads to a fall down. One needs a purified heart, which is achieved through action in Krishna consciousness.Oneness of Paths: The truly learned see that the goal achieved by sankhya-yoga (analytical study leading to renunciation) and karma-yoga (action in devotion) is ultimately the same. Therefore, one who applies himself to one properly achieves the results of both.

Prabhupada’s Purport: Srila Prabhupada emphasizes that external renunciation is not enough. True renunciation is internal – detachment from the fruits of action and an understanding that everything belongs to Krishna. He stresses that karma-yoga (working for Krishna) is the practical and more effective path for the conditioned soul, as it purifies the heart and naturally leads to higher knowledge and detachment.

II. The Consciousness of a Karma-Yogi (Verses 7-12):

The Unentangled Worker: One who works in devotion, with a purified soul and controlled mind and senses, is dear to everyone and never entangled, even while performing all sorts of actions.”I Do Nothing”: A person in divine consciousness, though seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping, and breathing, always knows that he is not the actual doer. He understands that only the material senses are engaged with their objects.The Lotus Leaf Analogy: One who performs duty without attachment, surrendering the results to the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, just as a lotus leaf is untouched1 by water.Purification through Action: Yogis act with body, mind, intelligence, and senses, abandoning attachment, solely for the purpose of purification.Attaining Peace: The steadily devoted soul attains perfect peace because he offers the results of all activities to Krishna, whereas the non-devoted, being greedy for results, becomes entangled.

Prabhupada’s Purport: Prabhupada explains that a karma-yogi doesn’t feel responsible for the results of his actions because he is simply an instrument of Krishna. This detachment, which comes from understanding that the senses are acting on their objects under the influence of material nature, keeps him free from karmic reactions. He stresses that working for Krishna, rather than for personal sense gratification, is the essence of true renunciation and the path to real peace.

III. The Happy Embodied Soul and the Source of Misery (Verses 13-23):The Master of the Body: The embodied living being, controlling his nature and mentally renouncing all actions, resides happily in the nine-gated city (the body), neither working nor causing work to be done.Krishna is Not the Doer: The Supreme Lord does not create activities, nor does He induce people to act, nor does He create the fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material nature.2 The Lord doesn’t take on anyone’s sinful or pious activities; rather, embodied beings are bewildered by ignorance.Knowledge Destroys Ignorance: When one is enlightened with the knowledge that destroys nescience, then his knowledge reveals everything, just as the sun lights up everything in the daytime.Symptoms of a Self-Realized Person: Such a person, whose intelligence, mind, faith, and refuge are all fixed in the Supreme, becomes fully cleansed of misgivings and proceeds straight on the path of liberation. He sees with equal vision a learned brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater.Avoiding Material Pleasures: The wise man does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses and are temporary.Conquering Desire and Anger: One who can tolerate the urges of the senses (desire and anger) even before giving up the body is a yogi and a happy person.

Prabhupada’s Purport: Prabhupada explains that ignorance is the cause of all suffering. Real knowledge reveals that the soul is distinct from the body and is not the doer of actions performed by the material senses. The Lord, being neutral, does not impose karma; it is due to one’s own ignorance and attachment. A truly realized soul develops equal vision because he sees the spiritual spark (soul) within all beings, regardless of their external coverings. Material sense enjoyment is ultimately a source of misery because it is temporary and always leads to suffering.

IV. The Path to Liberation and Ultimate Peace (Verses 24-29):Internal Happiness: One who is happy within, delights within, and is active within, is the perfect mystic. Such a person ultimately achieves liberation in the Supreme.Qualities of Liberated Souls: Those who are free from sins, dualities, and doubts, whose minds are disciplined, who work for the welfare of all beings, and who are self-realized, attain liberation in the Supreme.The Process of Meditation: Detaching oneself from external sense objects, fixing one’s gaze between the eyebrows, equalizing the incoming and outgoing breaths, and controlling the mind and senses – such a yogi becomes free from desire, fear, and anger.The Peace Formula: The ultimate peace formula is to know Krishna as the ultimate enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities.

Prabhupada’s Purport: Prabhupada concludes by presenting the “peace formula.” Real peace can only be achieved by understanding Krishna’s supreme position as the ultimate proprietor, enjoyer, and friend of all. This understanding, derived from transcendental knowledge and acted upon in Krishna consciousness, brings an end to all material anxieties and leads to complete liberation and true happiness.

In essence, Chapter 5 of “Bhagavad-gita As It Is” by Srila Prabhupada clarifies that karma-yoga (action in Krishna consciousness) is not inferior to mental renunciation (sannyasa), but is in fact a more practical and effective path to liberation for most. It emphasizes that true renunciation is internal detachment and performing all actions for the pleasure of Krishna, thereby remaining untouched by karmic reactions and ultimately achieving perfect peace.

5 Important Slokas

1

Bhagavad-gītā 5.2:श्रीभगवानुवाचसंन्यासः कर्मयोगश्च निःश्रेयसकरावुभौ ।तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते ॥२॥śrī-bhagavān uvācasannyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca niḥśreyasa-karāv ubhautayos tu karma-sannyāsāt karma-yogo viśiṣyateTranslation: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The renunciation of work and work in devotion are both good for liberation. But of the two, work in devotional service is better than renunciation of work.”

2

Bhagavad-gītā 5.7:योगयुक्तो विशुद्धात्मा विजितात्मा जितेन्द्रियः ।सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा कुर्वन्नपि न लिप्यते ॥७॥yoga-yukto viśuddhātmā vijitātmā jitendriyaḥsarva-bhūtātma-bhūtātmā kurvann api na lipyateTranslation: “One who works in devotion, who is a pure soul, and who controls his mind and senses, is dear to everyone, and everyone is dear to him. Though always working, such a man is never entangled.”

3

Bhagavad-gītā 5.8-9:नैव किञ्चित्करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्ववित् ।पश्यञ्छृण्वन्स्पृशञ्जिघ्रन्नश्नन्गच्छन्स्वपन्श्वसन् ॥८॥प्रलपन् विसृजन् गृह्णन्नुन्मिषन्निमिषन्नपि ।इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेषु वर्तन्त इति धारयन् ॥९॥naiva kiñcit karomīti yukto manyeta tattva-vitpaśyañ śṛṇvan spṛśañ jighrann aśnan gacchan svapan śvasanpralapan visṛjan gṛhṇann unmiṣan nimiṣann apiindriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu vartanta iti dhārayan

Translation: “A person in the divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping, and breathing, always knows within himself that he does nothing at all. For while speaking, evacuating, receiving, or opening or closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them.”

4

Bhagavad-gītā 5.18:विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि ।शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥१८॥vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastiniśuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥTranslation: “The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].”

5

Bhagavad-gītā 5.29:भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति ॥२९॥bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaramsuhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchatiTranslation: “A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.”

Jaya Srila Prabhupada!!