BhG 2.47

karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ‘stv akarmaṇi

Update Required
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.

analysis

syntax


karmaṇi eva (just in activity) te (your) adhikāraḥ (privilege) [astu] (it should be),
kadācana (at any time) phaleṣu (in results) [adhikāraḥ] (privilege) mā [astu] (it should not be!),
[tvaṁ] (you) karma-phala-hetuḥ (the cause of the fruitive work) mā bhūḥ (do not be!),
akarmaṇi (in inactivity) te (your) saṅgaḥ (attachment) mā astu (it should not be!).

 

grammar

karmaṇi – karman 7n.1 n. – in activity (from: √kṛ – to do);
eva – av. – certainly, just, merely;
adhikāraḥ – adhikāra 1n.1 m. – authority, right, privilege (from: adhi-√kṛ – to place at the head, to appoint);
te – yuṣmat sn. 6n.1 – your (shortened form of: tava);
mā – av. – not! (very strong negation mostly used with aorist deprived of  prefix ‘a-’);
phaleṣu – phala 7n.3 n. – in fruits, in results (from: √phal – to ripen);
kadā-cana – av. – whenever, at any time (from: kadā – when? at what time? -cana – indefinitive particle);
mā – av. – not! (very strong negation; mostly used with aorist deprived of  prefix ‘a-’);
karma-phala-hetuḥ – karma-phala-hetu 1n.1 m.; BV: yasya karmaṇaḥ phalānāṁ hetur asti saḥ – whose work is a cause of results (from: √kṛ – to do, karman – activity and its result; √phal – to ripen; phala – fruit, result; hetu – cause, motive, reason);
bhūḥ – √bhū (to be) Aor. P 2v.1 – used with particle mā loses prefix ‘a-’ and makes the imperative: do not be!
mā – av. – not! (very strong negation; mostly used with aorist deprived of  prefix ‘a-’);
te – yuṣmat sn. 6n.1 – your (shortened form of: tava);
saṅgaḥ – saṅga 1n.1m. – clinging, contact, relation, desire, attachment (from: sam-√gam – come together or √sañj – to attach, to stick, to embrace);
astu – √as (to be) Imperat. P 1v.1 – it should be;
akarmaṇi – a-karman 7n.1 n. – in inactivity (from: √kṛ – to do);

 

textual variants

karmaṇy evādhikāras te → karmaṇy astv adhikāras te (in activity is your privilege);

 
 


commentaries

Śāṃkara

The key:
an excerpt from the commented verse
quotes from the scriptures
starting polemic

And as for you,

 tava ca –

Thy concern is with action alone, never with results.
Let not the fruit of action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be for inaction.

 karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana |
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo’stv akarmaṇi ||47||

You are qualified for works alone, not for the path of knowledge. And then, while doing works, let there be no desire for the results of works under any circumstances whatever.

 karmaṇy evādhikāro na jñāna-niṣṭhāyāṃ te tava | tatra ca karma kurvataḥ mā phaleṣu adhikāro ’stu, karma-phala-tṛṣṇā mā bhūt kadācana kasyāṃcid apy avasthāyām ity arthaḥ |

If you should have a thirst for the results of works, you will have to reap those fruits. Therefore let not your motive be the fruits of your action. When a person performs works thirsting for the results of those works, then he will be subject to rebirth as the result of action.

 yadā karma-phale tṛṣṇā te syāt tadā karma-phala-prāpter hetuḥ syāḥ, evaṃ mā karma-phala-hetuḥ bhūḥ | yadā hi karma-phala-tṛṣṇā-prayuktaḥ karmaṇi pravartate tadā karma-phalasyaiva janmano hetur bhavet |

Neither may you be attached to inaction, thinking „Of what avail are these painful works if their fruits should not be desired?”

 yadi karma-phalaṃ neṣyate, kiṃ karmaṇā duḥkha-rūpeṇa ? iti mā te tava saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi akaraṇe prītir mā bhūt ||2.47||

 

Rāmānuja

ataḥ sattva-sthasya mumukṣor etāvad evopādeyam ity āha—karmaṇi iti | nitye naimittike kāmye ca kenacit phala-viśeṣeṇa saṃbandhitayā śrūyamāṇe karmaṇi nitya-sattva-sthasya mumukṣos te karma-mātre adhikāraḥ | tat-saṃbandhitayā avagateṣu phaleṣu na kadācid api adhikāraḥ | saphalasya bandha-rūpatvāt phala-rahitasya kevalasya mad-ārādhana-rūpasya mokṣa-hetutvāc ca |
mā ca karma-phalayor hetur bhūḥ | tvayā anuṣṭhīyamāne’pi karmaṇi nitya-sattva-sthasya mumukṣos tavākartṛtvam api anusandheyam | phalasyāpi kṣun-nivṛtty-ādeḥ na tvaṃ hetur ity anusandheyam | tad ubhayaṃ guṇeṣu vā sarveśvare mayi vā anusandheyam ity uttaratra vakṣyate | evam anusandhāya karma kuru | akarmaṇi ananuṣṭhāne na yotsyāmi iti yat tvayā abhihitaṃ na tatra te saṅgo’stu | uktena prakāreṇa yuddhādi-karmaṇy eva saṅgo’stu ity arthaḥ

 

Śrīdhara

tarhi sarvāṇi karma-phalāni parameśvarārādhanād eva bhaviṣyantīty abhisandhāya pravarteta | kiṃ karmaṇā ity āśaṅkya tad vārayann āha karmaṇy eveti | te tava tattva-jñānārthinaḥ karmaṇy evādhikāraḥ | tat-phaleṣu adhikāraḥ kāmo māstu | nanu karmaṇi kṛti tat-phalaṃ syād eva bhojane kṛte tṛptivat | ity āśaṅkyāha meti | mā karma-phala-hetur bhūḥ | karma-phalaṃ pravṛtti-hetur yasya sa tathābhūto mā bhūḥ | kāmyamānasyaiva svargāder niyojya-viśeṣaṇatvena phalatvād akāmitaṃ phalaṃ na syād iti bhāvaḥ | ataeva phalaṃ bandhakaṃ bhaviṣyatīti bhayād akarmaṇi karmākaraṇe ‚pi tava saṅgo niṣṭhā māstu

 

Madhusūdana

nanu niṣkāma-karmabhir ātma-jñānaṃ sampādya parānanda-prāptiḥ kriyate ced ātma-jñānam eva tarhi sampādyaṃ kiṃ bahvāyāsaiḥ karmabhir bahiraṅga-sādhana-bhūtair ity āśaṅkyāha karmaṇy eveti | te tavāśuddhāntaḥkaraṇasya tāttvika-jñānotpatty-ayogyasya karmaṇy evāntaḥkaraṇa-śodhake ‚dhikāro mayedaṃ kartavyam iti bodho ‚stu na jñāna-niṣṭhā-rūpaṃ vedānta-vākya-vicārādau | karma ca kurvatas tava tat-phaleṣu svargādiṣu kadācana kasyāṃcid apy avasthāyāṃ karmānuṣṭhānāt prāg ūrdhvaṃ tat-kāle vādhikāro mayedaṃ bhoktavyam iti bodho māstu |
nanu mayedaṃ bhoktavyam iti buddhy-abhāve ‚pi karma sva-sāmārthyād eva phalaṃ janayiṣyatīti cen nety āha mā karma-phala-hetur bhūḥ | phala-kāmanayā hi karma kurvan phalasya heteur utpādako bhavati | tvaṃ tu niṣkāmaḥ san karma-phala-hetur mā bhūḥ | na hi niṣkāmena bhagavad-arpaṇa-buddhyā kṛtaṃ karma phalāya kalpata ity uktam | phalābhāve kiṃ karmaṇety ata āha – mā te saṅgo ‚stv akarmaṇi | yadi phalaṃ neṣyate kiṃ karmaṇā duḥkha-rūpeṇety akaraṇe tava prītir mā bhūt

 

Viśvanātha

evam ekam evārjunaṃ sva-priya-sakhaṃ lakṣīkṛtya jñāna-bhakti-karma-yogān ācikhyāsur bhagavān jñāna-bhakti-yogau procya tayor arjunasyānadhikāraḥ vimṛśya niṣkāma-karma-yogam āha karmaṇīti | mā phaleṣv iti – phalākāṅkṣiṇo ‚py atyanta-śuddha-cittā bhavanti | tvaṃ tu prāyaḥ śuddha-citta iti mayā jñātvaivocyasa iti bhāvaḥ |
nanu karmaṇi kṛte phalam avaśyaṃ bhaviṣyaty eveti | tatrāha mā karma-phala-hetur bhūḥ phala-kāmanayā hi karma kurvan phalasya hetur utpādako bhavati | tvaṃ tu tādṛśo mā bhūr ity āśīr mayā dīyata ity arthaḥ | akarmaṇi sva-dharmākaraṇe vikarmaṇi pāpe vā saṅgas tava māstu, kintu dveṣa evāstv iti punar apy āśīr dīyata iti | atrāgrimādhyāye vyāmiśreṇaiva vākyena buddhiṃ mohayasīva me ity arjunokti-darśanād atrādhyāye pūrvottara-vākyānām avatārikābhir nātīva saṅgatir vidhitsiteti jñeyam | kintu tva-ājñāyāṃ sārathy-ādau yathāhaṃ tiṣṭhāmi, tathā tvam api mad-ājñāyāṃ tiṣṭheti kṛṣṇārjunayor mano ‚nulāpo ‚yam atra draṣṭavyaḥ

 

Baladeva

nanu karmabhir jñāna-siddhir iṣyate cet tarhi tasya śamādīny evāntaraṅgatvād anuṣṭheyāni santu kiṃ bahu prayāsais tair iti cet tatrāha – karmaṇy eveti | jātāv eka-vacanam | te tava sva-dharme ‚pi yuddhe ‚dharma-buddher aśuddha-cittasya tāvat karmasv eva yuddhādiṣv adhikāro ‚stu mayaitāni bhoktavyānīti tat phaleṣu bandhakeṣu tavādhikāro māstu mayaitāni bhoktavyānīti |
nanu phalecchā-virahe ‚pi tāni sva-phaair yojayeyur iti cet tatrāha mā karmeti | karma-phalānāṃ hetur utpādakas tvaṃ mābhūḥ kāmanayā kṛtāni tāni sva-phalair yojayanti kāmitānām eva phalānāṃ niyojya-viśeṣaṇatvena phalatvāmnātāt | ataeva bandhakāni phalāni āpatiṣyantīti bhayād akarmaṇi karmākaraṇe tava saṅgaḥ prītir māstu kintu vidveṣa evāstv ity arthaḥ | niṣkāmatayānuṣṭhitāni karmāṇi yaṣṭidhānyavad antar eva jñāna-niṣṭhāṃ niṣpādayiṣyanti | śamādīni tu tat-pṛṣṭha-lagnāny eva syur iti bhāvaḥ

 
 


translations

«
»
Both comments and pings are currently closed.