Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 14 — Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga
Sanskrit
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा | इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ||४-१४||
Transliteration
na māṃ karmāṇi limpanti na me karmaphale spṛhā . iti māṃ yo.abhijānāti karmabhirna sa badhyate ||4-14||
Hindi Meaning
।।4.14।। कर्म मुझे लिप्त नहीं करते; न मुझे कर्मफल में स्पृहा है। इस प्रकार मुझे जो जानता है, वह भी कर्मों से नहीं बन्धता है।।
English Meaning
There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.
Commentary
As there are constitutional laws in the material world stating that the king can do no wrong, or that the king is not subject to the state laws, similarly the Lord, although He is the creator of this material world, is not affected by the activities of the material world. He creates and remains aloof from the creation, whereas the living entities are entangled in the fruitive results of material activities because of their propensity for lording it over material resources. The proprietor of an establishment is not responsible for the right and wrong activities of the workers, but the workers are themselves responsible. The living entities are engaged in their respective activities of sense gratification, and these activities are not ordained by the Lord. For advancement of sense gratification, the living entities are engaged in the work of this world, and they aspire to heavenly happiness after death. The Lord, being full in Himself, has no attraction for so-called heavenly happiness. The heavenly demigods are only His engaged servants. The proprietor never desires the low-grade happiness such as the workers may desire. He is aloof from the material actions and reactions. For example, the rains are not responsible for different types of vegetation that appear on the earth, although without such rains there is no possibility of vegetative growth. Vedic smṛti confirms this fact as follows: nimitta-mātram evāsau sṛjyānāṁ sarga-karmaṇi pradhāna-kāraṇī-bhūtā yato vai sṛjya-śaktayaḥ “In the material creations, the Lord is only the supreme cause. The immediate cause is material nature, by which the cosmic manifestation is made visible.” The created beings are of many varieties, such as the demigods, human beings and lower animals, and all of them are subject to the reactions of their past good or bad activities. The Lord only gives them the proper facilities for such activities and the regulations of the modes of nature, but He is never responsible for their past and present activities. In the Vedānta-sūtra (2.1.34) it is confirmed, vaiṣamya-nairghṛṇye na sāpekṣatvāt: the Lord is never partial to any living entity. The living entity is responsible for his own acts. The Lord only gives him facilities, through the agency of material nature, the external energy. Anyone who is fully conversant with all the intricacies of this law of karma, or fruitive activities, does not become affected by the results of his activities. In other words, the person who understands this transcendental nature of the Lord is an experienced man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and thus he is never subjected to the laws of karma. One who does not know the transcendental nature of the Lord and who thinks that the activities of the Lord are aimed at fruitive results, as are the activities of the ordinary living entities, certainly becomes entangled himself in fruitive reactions. But one who knows the Supreme Truth is a liberated soul fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Hinglish Commentary
Jaise duniya mein kuch constitutional laws hain, jismein yeh kaha jata hai ki raja kabhi galat nahi ho sakta, ya raja ko rajya ke kanoonon ka palan nahi karna padta, waise hi Bhagwan, jo is sansarik duniya ke srijanhaar hain, unka is duniya ke kaamkaji se koi sambandh nahi hai. Woh srijan karte hain aur apne srijan se alag rehte hain, jabki jeevatmaayein is sansar ke karmo ke phal mein uljhi rehti hain kyunki unka mann sansarik sukhon par hai. Ek establishment ka malik apne kaamgaron ke sahi ya galat kaamon ke liye zimmedar nahi hota, balki kaamgar khud apne karmo ke liye zimmedar hote hain. Jeevatmaayein apne sukh ki talash mein lagi rehti hain, aur yeh sab kaam Bhagwan ne nahi kaha hai. Yeh jeevatmaayein is duniya ke kaamon mein busy hain aur marne ke baad swarg ki khushi ki tamanna rakhte hain. Lekin Bhagwan, jo apne aap mein poorn hain, unhe aise swargik sukhon ki koi lalach nahi hai. Swarg ke demigods sirf unke sevak hain. Malik kabhi bhi kaamgaron ke chhote-mote sukhon ki tamanna nahi karta. Woh sansarik kaamon aur unke parinaamon se alag rehte hain. Jaise baarish zameen par alag-alag tarah ki vanaspatiyon ke liye zimmedar nahi hoti, lekin bina baarish ke vanaspatik vikas bhi nahi hota. Vedic smṛti is baat ko confirm karti hai ki Bhagwan sirf srijan ka mahamukhya karan hain, lekin turant karan prakriti hai, jo vishwa ko dikhati hai. Srijit prani, jaise demigods, insaan aur chhote prani, sab apne pichle achhe ya bure karmo ke parinaamon ke liye zimmedar hain. Bhagwan sirf unhe sahi suvidha dete hain aur prakriti ke gunon ke niyam dete hain, lekin unke pichle aur vartaman karmo ke liye kabhi bhi zimmedar nahi hote. Vedānta-sūtra mein yeh kaha gaya hai ki Bhagwan kabhi bhi kisi jeevatma ke liye pakshpaat nahi karte. Jeevatma apne karmo ke liye khud zimmedar hoti hai. Bhagwan sirf unhe suvidha dete hain, prakriti ke madhyam se. Jo vyakti karma ke is niyam ko achhe se samajhta hai, woh apne karmo ke parinaamon se prabhavit nahi hota. Matlab, jo vyakti Bhagwan ki is transcendental prakriti ko samajhta hai, woh Krishna bhakti mein anubhavi hota hai aur isliye woh karma ke niyamon se kabhi prabhavit nahi hota. Lekin jo vyakti is transcendental prakriti ko nahi samajhta aur sochta hai ki Bhagwan ke kaam bhi aam jeevon ki tarah phal dene wale hain, woh khud phal ke pratikriyaon mein uljha rehta hai. Par jo vyakti Supreme Truth ko jaanta hai, woh ek mukt atma hai jo Krishna consciousness mein sthir rehta hai.
Chinmaya Commentary
नित्य शुद्ध और परिपूर्ण आत्मा को किसी प्रकार की अपूर्णता का भान नहीं हो सकता जो किसी इच्छा को जन्म दे। इस दृष्टि से श्रीकृष्ण भगवान् कहते हैं कर्म मुझे दूषित नहीं कर सकते और न मुझे कर्मफल में कोई आसक्ति ही है। इच्छा अथवा कर्म का बन्धन जीवअहंकार के लिये ही हो सकता है। मन और बुद्धि की उपाधियों से युक्त चैतन्य आत्मा ही जीव कहा जाता है। इन उपाधियों के दोषयुक्त होने पर जीव ही दूषित हुआ समझा जाता है। इसे एक दृष्टान्त के द्वारा हम भली भांति समझ सकेंगे।यदि किसी पात्र में रखे जल में सूर्य प्रतिबिम्वित होता है तो उस प्रतिबिम्ब की स्थिति पूर्णतया उस जल की स्थिति पर निर्भर करती है। जल के शान्त अस्थिर अथवा मैले होने पर वह प्रतिबिम्ब भी स्थिर क्षुब्ध अथवा धुंधला दिखाई देगा। परन्तु महाकाश स्थित वास्तविक सूर्य पर इस चंचलता अथवा निश्चलता का कोई प्रभाव नहीं पड़ेगा। इसी प्रकार इच्छा आसक्ति आदि का प्रभाव अहंकार पर ही पड़ता है। नित्य मुक्त चैतन्य स्वरूप आत्मा इन सबसे किसी प्रकार भी दूषित नहीं होती।आत्मविकास की वैदिक साधना का यह अर्थ नवीन प्रतीत होता है। क्या इसके पूर्व किसी ने इसका आचरण किया था उत्तर है