We have seen how certain gnostic ascetics, perceiving the fragility of karmic fruits, the degradation of the agent, the binding nature of action, and such other defects, once counseled the renunciation of all manner of work. The ascetics of this order called themselves action-renouncers. They engaged in no form of work—neither eternal, nor occasional, nor chosen; they abandoned both obligatory and forbidden action alike. It is to these that the Gita speaks—
त्याज्यं दोषबदित्येके कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः।
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यमिति चापरे॥ (18/3)
That is: Some philosophers declare that all action is tainted with fault, and therefore must be abandoned. "All action is tainted"—action itself is the cause of bondage. Therefore, one must renounce action, become a renunciate, and dedicate oneself to self-knowledge—these are the seekers or those pursuing direct communion with Brahman (engaged in the quest for Brahman or self-knowledge). Their view is that just as one must cast off the inner impurities—desire, wrath, passion, aversion, pride, arrogance, conceit, ego—so too must one abandon all chosen actions.
Those lacking dedication to self-knowledge, if they renounce action and become renouncates, would find only suffering thereby. The Lord speaks of this: "Renunciation without desireless action-yoga, O mighty-armed one, becomes a cause of distress" (5/6)—"O mighty-armed, it is impossible to attain that supreme renunciation grounded in knowledge, apart from the yoga of desireless action." Let this be unpacked. Self-knowledge is itself the very nature of renunciation. For this reason, renunciation is conveyed by the term 'Brahman Supreme.' The Vedic action-yoga is called the means to it, and yoga too is decorated with the name of renunciation. And without action-yoga, the attainment of knowledge is impossible—in this life or in previous lives, the performance of desireless action is necessary. (Gita, 18/45-46, 50-55, and Brahma Sutras, 3/4/26 and 4/1/18)
Those who are agents should perform action, renouncing the desire for fruits, free from ego, for the sake of the divine. They should perform sacrifice, gift-giving, and austerity. But those who wish to renounce action out of sluggishness of intellect or fear of bodily hardship—to them the Lord says: do not renounce sacrifice, gift-giving, and austerity. That is to say, here emphasis is placed upon the disposition of the agent's mind. This verse does not speak of those steadfast in knowledge, those renouncates devoted to self-knowledge, but rather of the ignorant who lack self-knowledge.
Those possessing self-awareness within a living body cannot practice total renunciation of all action. The Lord says, "No one can remain actionless even for an instant" (3/5)—"No one (save the yogi absorbed in supreme knowledge) can stand inactive for even a moment—bound by the influence of the three qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas, one is compelled to act." To renounce action before reaching the state of absorption is nothing but adopting the lethargy of a serpent.
Again, in 18/11 the Lord says, "One who is embodied cannot renounce action entirely"—"A person possessed by body-consciousness or delusion cannot accomplish the complete renunciation of action." In this case, even the seeker after knowledge, the aspirant renunciate, must perform action, for he is merely in pursuit of supreme knowledge—he has not yet attained it.
The Lord declares in verse 12/12: "Meditation is higher than knowledge of scriptures; renunciation of the fruits of action is higher than meditation; from renunciation comes peace most quickly." Knowledge gained through scripture surpasses the practice of postures, breath-control, and chanting done without understanding; meditation surpasses scriptural knowledge; renunciation of karmic fruits and desires surpasses meditation; and peace comes most swiftly through renunciation. The reason is this: when one renounces the fruits of action, the heart becomes purified; then arise both scriptural knowledge and meditation upon the Brahman expounded in scripture; and only those perfected in meditation attain peace in Brahman's liberation. Thus does the Lord praise the renunciation of karmic fruits.
Since the embodied cannot renounce action entirely, the praise here is directed toward the renunciation of desire and the renunciation of the fruits of action. In the third chapter itself, the Lord declares: "Those who delight, are satisfied, and rest content in the Self alone—they have no work to do." (3/17). Self-satisfaction is akin to death, for one who is satisfied in the Self has no inclination toward action.
The Lord speaks thus from the mouth of the Gita at 3/4—
Na karmānāmanarambhān naiṣkarmyaṃ puruṣo'śnute.
Na ca sannyasanādeva siddhiṃ samadhigacchati.
Meaning: Without performing action, no one attains the perfection of actionlessness—that is, the stability of the Self in the state of inaction. Without the purification of mind and the attainment of self-knowledge through action, one does not arrive at knowledge-steadfastness (Gita, 18/49) or the perfection of actionlessness, even through Vedic renunciation. Here "purification of mind" refers to the attainment of fitness for the practice of knowledge-yoga. Sacrificial and other desirable actions, along with obligatory duties, become instruments or aids to purification of mind and thus to self-knowledge and liberation. Since dedication to action is the cause of dedication to knowledge, action itself becomes, indirectly, the fundamental means to liberation. From the mouth of the Gita, the Lord declares—
Asaktabuddhi, sarvatra, jita-ātmā, vigata-spṛha.
Naiṣkarmya-siddhim, paramām, sannyāsena, adhigacchati.
(Gita, 18/49)
Meaning: One who is unattached to all things, whose senses are conquered (without ego), and who is free from all desire—that person, the knower of Self, attains the supreme perfection of actionlessness through renunciation, which is the renunciation of the fruits of action; that is, he becomes liberated from the bondage of action.
Action itself is the cause of imperfection and bondage. The fruit of action leads to embodiment, and embodiment leads to action. There is no end to this cycle of birth and action. The very foundation of all spiritual philosophy is this: how can the individual soul escape from this cycle of action? The teaching of the means to liberation. This state is called actionlessness, and freedom from the bondage of action is called "the perfection of actionlessness." What is the means to it?
The renunciationist Vedantist says: There is no liberation from the bondage of action without self-knowledge, and knowledge does not arise while action persists; therefore, renouncing all action and embracing the path of withdrawal or renunciation is the sole means to attaining immortality—"By action the creature is bound; by knowledge the creature is set free" (Mahabharata, Book of Peace, 240/7)—"the creature is bound by action and freed by knowledge"; "Only through renunciation alone is immortality attained" (Shvetashvatara Upanishad, Shankara's commentary)—"through renunciation alone can immortality be attained"; "Though swept in the current of karmic existence, one who performs one's duties remains untainted. / Though claiming agency everywhere, O Raghava, one does not become bound" (Adhyatma Ramayana, 2/4/42)—"A human being fallen into the stream of action-filled existence remains unstained even while performing all external duties." Thus they interpret "the perfection of actionlessness" as the condition of being free from action, or renunciation of action, and the attainment of knowledge following renunciation. The Gita is right to say: there is no liberation without knowledge; but that knowledge is not independent of action and devotion. The attainment of actionlessness does not come merely through renouncing action; in fact, the embodied soul cannot renounce action entirely (3/4-5; 18/11). The cause of action's binding power is desire or attachment; renounce attachment and perform action in the spirit of surrender to the Lord, and the perfection of actionlessness is attained—that is, freedom from the bondage of action is achieved—without the need to renounce action itself.
Here the word 'sannyāsena'—'by renunciation'—does not mean the renunciation of action itself, but rather the renunciation of fruit—that is, the abandonment of the fruits of action or the offering of all deeds to God. In this sense, the words 'sannyāsa,' 'sannyāsī,' and 'sannyasta' appear many times in the Gita (3/30; 4/41; 6/1; 9/28). Indeed, in the very preceding verse (18/48), Sri Bhagavān has said that even if one's inborn duty is flawed (as in the slaying of men in a warrior's work, the killing of insects in agriculture, and so forth), it should not be abandoned. Just as fire is obscured by smoke, so too is action itself inherently flawed. How then can action be purified of its flaw?—this is explained in verse 18/49. Later, in verse 18/56, it is stated clearly that by performing all actions through divine grace (by means of desireless action), one attains the eternal, imperishable state or liberation. Therefore, there is no question here of renouncing action altogether.
The venerable Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, in his work the Gita-Rahasya, speaks to this matter thus: when one performs action yet it is as if one performs it not—that is, when the doer is not bound by the sin or merit that accrues from the action—that state alone is called 'naiskarma,' or actionlessness. What was previously described in various places through expressions such as 'seeing inaction in action' is precisely this state (Gita, 4/18-23).
Indeed, that 'naiskarma' does not mean the renunciation of action becomes abundantly clear from the discussion in the Shrimad Bhāgavata—
A. "Nārāyaṇo nar-rṣi-pravaraḥ praśāntaḥ naiskarma-lakṣaṇam uvācha cachāra karma" (11/4/6)—Here, speaking of Lord Naranarayan, the foremost sage and first teacher of the Bhāgavata dharma, it is said that he taught action marked by naiskarma (desireless action) and himself practiced such action. In other words, he did exactly what Sri Krishna is expounding in the Gita.
B. Vedokta-meva kurvāṇo niḥsaṅgo 'rpita-īśvare।
Naiskarmaṁ labhate siddhiṁ rochana-rthā phala-śrutih॥ (11/3/46)
Here it is said that by performing action (the 'niyata karma' or daily duties described in Gita 3/8) with a heart free from attachment and with the consciousness of offering to God, one attains naiskarma.
C. "Tantraṁ sātvata-mā-chāṣṭa naiskarmaṁ karmaṇāṁ yataḥ." (1/3/8)
In the commentary of Śrīdhara Swāmī—here, concerning the Sātvata dharma, it is said that therein lies the naiskarma of action, that is, action is freed from its binding nature (Gita, 4/17-23).
To perform action with an unattached mind and with the consciousness of offering to God—this alone is the state of naiskarma; it is not a state devoid of action. All explanations given in the view that 'Bhāgavata dharma is monastic' by accepting the meaning of 'naiskarma' as 'renunciation of action' must be rejected here. The fundamental spirit of the Gita's karma-yoga is not the renunciation of action, but the renunciation of desire for its fruits.
By treading the path of desirelessness and becoming free from ego, one must perform one's obligatory duties; otherwise the mind is not purified. When the mind is purified, love for God arises. Only then does a person's yearning for the knowledge of dharma become intense. Through this, gradually self-knowledge dawns. Therefore, one does not attain perfection merely by renouncing action outwardly. One must do what is appropriate; much labor is required. Dharmic action purges one of sin; thus, should one seek the state of naiskarma, one must first engage in desireless action. Without this, the mind will not be purified, nor will one gain the capacity to practice the yoga of knowledge.
Often a being keeps the body restrained from action while keeping the mind engaged in action—while outwardly exercising control over the senses, inwardly meditating upon objects of desire. The Gita calls such a renunciate of action a deceiver or hypocrite—
One who restrains the organs of action outwardly, O Arjuna, yet dwells in mind upon the objects of the senses—such a man, deluded in soul, is called a hypocrite. (3/6)
Meaning: The unwise man who keeps his five organs of action externally controlled yet in his mind fantasizes about sensual pleasures is called a hypocrite.
From this we see that the Gita repeatedly emphasizes the composition of the doer's mind and the intention at the moment of action. In the very next verse, the Lord speaks thus—
But he who, controlling the senses by the mind, O Arjuna, engages the organs of action in the path of work without attachment—he excels. (3/7)
Meaning: He who restrains the five senses through the mind and performs his duties through the organs of action without attachment is superior to the aforesaid hypocrite.
To understand the matter of performing duties, let us turn to verse 18/7 of the Gita—
The renunciation of prescribed duty is not proper; such abandonment out of delusion is declared to be of the dark quality.
Meaning: One must not abandon the eternal duties incumbent upon all, for these duties purify the heart. To abandon eternal duty out of ignorance is called renunciation of the dark quality.
Not to know that eternal duty is binding is itself ignorance. The five great sacrifices—the study of the Vedas, the fire sacrifice, offerings to the ancestors, gifts to living creatures and alms to the hungry, and hospitality to guests—daily worship, self-study through the reading and contemplation of the Vedas and other scriptures, charity, and austerity: if one forsakes these, nothing remains that would elevate the heart. Even eternal duties bear fruit, yet they must be performed without desire for that fruit—for it is desire for fruit that binds, and without its renunciation, liberation is impossible for the soul. In the name of renunciation, the abandonment of duty out of delusion is but renunciation of the dark quality, leading only to degradation.
When steadfast and firm knowledge of the Self takes root in the mind, or when the knowledge of Brahman is attained, one no longer needs even eternal duties. Can he who is always intoxicated with love of God ever remember to perform his evening prayers? What need would he have? Once one approaches the nearness of Brahman, the performance of outward rituals becomes superfluous. But if that state of mind has not yet arrived, forced abandonment of duty will produce the opposite of benefit.
Sri Ramakrishna used to say: "If you tear the scab from a fresh wound, the wound will worsen. When the wound has healed of itself, the scab will fall away naturally; there is no need to force it." He himself never deliberately abandoned his duties; intoxicated with love of God, there came a time when he could no longer perform prescribed rituals. Absorbed in meditation, how could he think of eating? He could not perform the libation; his hand would bend and the water would spill.
Attachment to action is as much a fault as attachment to inaction. In verse 2/47, the Gita proclaims—
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
Meaning: You have a claim to action alone, not to its fruits; do not act in pursuit of the reward that action yields, yet do not let your mind turn toward inaction—toward idleness or the abandonment of duty.
A thought may arise: since there is no claim to the fruits, I should not desire them—and therefore, why act at all? If we fear that someone we have helped may later bring us sorrow, and so we cease to do good, how then shall merit be earned? The Lord inspires even those who cannot meditate upon the Absolute to engage in righteous work without attachment to reward—that is to say, one must always perform good deeds without grasping for their results. It is our anxiety for the fruits of action and such cravings that diminish our will to work—therefore, without desire, anxiety too dissolves. When I exhaust my capacity and make the utmost effort in the proper manner, whatever outcome follows—this is the very foundation of self-trust. In a heart utterly free from craving, the presence of God descends, provided that righteous work is undertaken with joy and reverence.
In the writings of Swami Vivekananda, I find—
"...One should not despise even the most humble work. He who does not know how to work for a higher purpose—let him work for selfish ends, for fame and glory. Each person must always strive to advance from what is high to what is higher, and must endeavor to understand what those higher purposes are. 'We have a claim to action alone, not to its fruits'—whatever the outcome may be. Why worry about the result? When you help another, do not concern yourself with what that person's attitude toward you will be. If you wish to perform some noble or righteous deed, do not be anxious about the consequences."
We must begin from the beginning. Whatever work comes before us, we must do it, and day by day we must become increasingly selfless. We must act, and we must observe the intention that lies behind our action. If we do so, we shall see almost everywhere that at first our intentions are always selfish; but through persistent effort, this selfishness gradually diminishes. At last there comes a time when we become capable of truly selfless action. Then our hope will be that, as we advance along the path of life, there will come a moment when we can become wholly unselfish. And in the moment we attain that state, all our powers will be concentrated and our latent knowledge will be revealed.
The teaching of the Gita on this matter is as follows—
Niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jyayo hy akarmanah
Sharir-yatra-api cha te na prasiddhyed akarmanah (3/8)
Meaning: Perform the obligatory duties prescribed by the scriptures. Action is nobler than inaction; without action, even the maintenance of your body cannot be accomplished.
"One should not abandon sacrifice, gift, and austerity—these must be performed. When sacrifice, gift, and austerity are done without seeking fruit, inspired by the pursuit of the Divine, they purify the heart of the wise." (Gita, 18/5) What is the nature of such action? Let us see what the Gita teaches—
अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोहध्यात्ममुच्यते।
भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः।। (8/3)
Meaning: The imperishable is called the Supreme Brahman. That which is the innermost self dwelling within each body as Brahmic consciousness—this is called the Self. The offering of substances to the deities who bring forth all beings, in the form of sacrifice, is called action.
By the power of the Self, the restlessness of the five senses and the movement of the soul toward external objects are checked. When the senses attain stillness—like a lamp undisturbed in windless space—this restraining power becomes the seed of all dharma, that which sustains human life. Just as fruit springs from a tree when water is poured upon it, so too from this restraining power, through the practice of sacrifice and vows, spring forth the various forms of dharma, both spiritual and transcendent. This seed-like sacrifice yields, through the processes of rainfall and nourishment, all that is fixed and moving in the world—that is, through the fulfillment of one's own duty and calling, all beneficial things for the world are brought forth.
In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad we find: "By the command of this imperishable, O Gargi, the sun and moon stand firm and held in their courses" (3/8/9). In Sridhara Swami's commentary it is written: "Nature is the dwelling of Brahman as a portion within all beings"—that is, Brahman alone exists within all living creatures.
Let us examine the verses 3/(14-16) of the Gita—
अन्नाद् भवन्ति भूतानि पर्जन्यादन्नसम्भवः।
यज्ञाद् भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञः कर्मसमुद्भवः॥ (14)
कर्म ब्रह्मोद्भवं विद्धि ब्रह्माक्षरसमुद्भवम्।
तस्मात् सर्वगतं ब्रह्म नित्यं यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम्॥ (15)
एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः।
अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति॥ (16)
Meaning: From food arise all living beings; from rain arises food; from sacrifice arises rain; and sacrifice is born of action, which springs from the ordinances of the Vedas. (14)
The Manusmriti declares: When oblations are duly poured into the sacrificial fire, they ascend to the sun. From the sun comes rain, from rain comes food, and from food arise all living bodies.
Know that sacrifice and other actions spring from the Vedas—they are Vedic in origin. The Vedas themselves arise from the imperishable, the Brahman of infinite forms. Therefore, the all-pervading Supreme Brahman dwells eternally established in sacrifice. (15)
(The Samhita portion of the Vedas prescribes primarily the rites of sacrifice—hence the Vedas are said to be established in sacrifice. From these Vedic sacrifices arose, in the subsequent Puranic age, the practice of the five great sacrifices and numerous other ritual observances; and the sacrificial rites performed today are all abbreviated versions of the grand Vedic sacrifices—forms condensed to suit the times and circumstances. Since sacrifice is expounded through the karma-kanda, the ritualistic portion, of the faultless and authorless Vedas, sacrifice is therefore obligatory.)
The word 'Brahman' has one meaning: the Vedas. From the Supreme Self, the Vedas emanate as effortlessly as breath from the body—thus the Vedas, being entirely free from defect and revealing all truths, serve as proof in matters transcending the senses. "This indeed is the breath exhaled by that great being—that which is the Rigveda…" and so forth. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 2/4/10)
In the Vedic age, for Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas who were householders, the daily rite was the Agnihotra sacrifice. The principal ceremony of Vedic society was the performance of sacrifice. Every boy of these three classes had to go to a teacher's house to receive instruction in the Vedas. This was called Upanayana—approaching. Living in the teacher's house and studying the Vedic knowledge, then returning home with the teacher's permission was called Samavartana, the homecoming. (The concept of Samavartana originated in the Vedic age itself.) Since 'Brahman' and 'Veda' are synonymous, he who engages in the study of the Veda in the teacher's house is called a Brahmachari—a student of the sacred. The ensemble of rules and observances that the Brahmachari followed was called Brahmacharya. Those students who remained in the teacher's house devoted entirely to the study of Vedic knowledge were called Naishtika Brahmacharys; while some, wishing to spend their lives in meditation on Brahman through the study of the jnana-kanda, the knowledge portion of the Vedas, without entering the householder's dharma, would take a vow before fire, renouncing sacrificial work, and become fire-less renunciates, Sannyasis. Except for these lifelong celibates and renunciates, all others would perform the Samavartana, return home, and marry. For the welfare of the realm, save for these two classes, marriage was obligatory for all after Samavartana. Through marriage, the one who had completed Vedic learning would be received in society as a householder and would gain the right to perform all the duties prescribed by the Vedas. After Samavartana, one had to establish a fire. Upon taking a wife, sacrifices and oblations would be performed in this fire. This fire was called the domestic fire, the household fire, or the fire of custom—through it all the customary rites of the householder were performed.
There was yet another class of Vedic rites. They were called the Śrauta sacrifices—Agnihotra, Agnistoma, Aśvamedha, Rājasūya, and the like. The Śrauta fire was established after marriage. An unmarried person had no right to establish the Śrauta fire. Only those householders who had kindled the sacred fire—the āhitāgni or sāgnika Brahmins—had the right to perform Śrauta rites, worship of the gods, and worship of the ancestors. The gods and ancestors are the regulators of human life, the bestowers of fortune and misfortune. The gods partake of the oblations offered to them with devotion; the ancestors receive libations of water and rice-balls. Oblations to the gods are made with the mantra "Svāhā" and oblations to the ancestors with the mantra "Svadhā." Humanity is indebted to both the gods and the ancestors—that debt must be repaid. Therefore, one must strive to satisfy them. (Derived from Rāmendrasundara Trivedi) Herein lies the very essence of what the Bhagavad Gītā, in verses 9 through 12 of the third chapter, conveys when the Lord commands action for the sake of sacrifice, when He declares that "Prajāpati created the creatures through sacrifice" and "Pleasing the gods through sacrifice, by their grace obtain the prosperity, and offer it before them, consuming only what remains"—and when He says that one who cooks for oneself alone, giving nothing to the gods, becomes an eater of sin—we grasp the fundamental harmony of this teaching. Further, when He speaks of the cycle wherein creatures arise from food, food from rain, rain from sacrifice, sacrifice from action, action from the Vedas, and the Vedas finally from the Imperishable Brahman, I too understood the underlying chord of that great wheel. For this reason, the Vedic religion came to be conceived and received as sacrifice and other rites, embodied in a form grounded in ultimate truth. The concrete expression of this conception was the practice of sacrifice itself.)
Thus, whoever does not maintain the turning of this cosmic wheel set in motion (that is, whoever does not lend support to the turning of this world through the performance of sacrifices and other rites) lives enslaved to sensual pleasure and follows the way of sin; O Pārtha, such a person lives in vain. (16)
(For it is impossible for such a one to attain the supreme good (Gītā, 3/11). Therefore, for the ignorant, action alone is dharma; those who wish to become knowers of the Self must first perform action with desire. Gradually, the disposition toward action without desire will arise.)
Following the commentary of Śrīdhara Svāmī, in verse 3/15, the word "Brahman" in the first quarter is understood as "Veda," and "Brahman" in the second quarter is understood as "Parabrahman." "Brahman" also means "Prakṛti" (Gītā, 14/3).
Śrī Rāmānuja Āchārya and Lokamānya Tilak, in all instances of this verse, have taken the word "Brahman" to mean "Prakṛti." In that case, the meaning is this: Action originates from Prakṛti, and Prakṛti originates from the Supreme Lord, and the entire creation of the world ("Sarvagataṁ Brahman") endures by being grounded in sacrifice—"Anuyajña jagat sarvam" (Mahābhārata, Śāntiparva, 267).
Śrī Aurobindo interprets the word "Brahman" as: "The Brahman with attributes, active in Prakṛti." ("The Sacrifice in the Gītā")
The meaning of verses fourteen through sixteen of the third chapter of the Gītā may thus be written together as follows—
"All creatures are born from food; food is born from rain; rain comes forth from sacrifice; sacrifice originates from action; know that action is born of the Vedas, and the Vedas spring from the Infinite Brahman. Therefore, the all-pervading Brahman is ever established in sacrifice. He who does not follow the wheel of the world thus set in motion—that is, he who does not aid in the turning of this cosmic wheel through sacrifice and other works—lives for the senses alone, bound to sin and wasted life. O Partha, such a one lives in vain."
The current of action set in motion by the Divine turns like a wheel, propelling the world forward; thus it is called the cosmic wheel, or samsara. Let us see how this wheel moves. How does the body of a living creature come into being?—from food or nourishment. The food consumed transforms into semen and blood, and from these the life of the creature arises. Food, or grain, is born from clouds. Clouds are born from sacrifice. How?—from the smoke of sacrifice come clouds, which bring forth rain. The gods, nourished by sacrifice, give rain—so the saying goes. Whence does sacrifice arise? From the specific actions of the priest and the sacrificer—sacrifice itself is but action, and thus action is the source of sacrifice. From whence does action arise? From the Vedas. Whence the Vedas? From the Infinite Brahman—the Vedas manifest of themselves as the breath of the Supreme Brahman; the seers are but witnesses of mantras, not their creators. Thus moves the cosmic wheel. Without sacrifice and other works, this wheel of creation cannot be sustained.
That rain comes from sacrifice—this is certainly not scientific truth in the strict sense. Yet we must remember: both water-vapor and sacrificial vapor form clouds. In simple terms—the gods through rain work for the welfare of mankind; therefore man's duty is to nourish the realm of the gods. There is but one way to do this: the performance of sacrifice. The sage Sri Aurobindo's commentary will make this entirely clear.
Ritual sacrifice is indeed fruitful, but it does not grant liberation, nor is it approved in the Gita (2:42-44; 8:27; 9:2, 20-21). Yet in the verses cited earlier (3:10-16), the works of sacrifice prescribed in the Vedas are declared to be our duty. Elsewhere in the Gita, too, there is praise of sacrifice and related deeds (4:31-32; 17:24-25). Whether sacrifice and its kin are duties or not—though these various views seem at first to contradict one another—they do not, in fact. The Gita opposes *desire-laden* sacrifice, not *dispassionate* sacrifice. Sacrifice, giving, and austerity—these deeds purify the heart, and are therefore necessary duties. Yet they must be performed in renunciation of attachment and desire for fruit; this is the Gita's teaching (18:5-6). All other sacrifices too are duties performed for the sake of the Divine, not from craving for reward; and He alone is the enjoyer of all sacrifice—so too the scripture says (9:24, 27). In truth, detachment, renunciation of desire for fruit, and surrender of all deeds to Sri Krishna (the Supreme Self)—all that is essential to dispassionate action applies equally to sacrificial work. In the five great sacrifices mentioned earlier, all are acts of renunciation, not acts of desire. Therefore they do not conflict with the dharma taught in the Gita. In the Fourth Chapter, the word 'sacrifice' is used in a broader sense; at their root lie renunciation and restraint (4:25-33).
On this point, Sri Aurobindo remarks that if we understand the sacrifice prescribed in these verses merely as ritual ceremony, we shall not grasp the doctrine of action set forth in the Gita aright. In truth, these verses contain a profound and hidden meaning. In the fifteenth verse it is said that action springs forth from Brahman. By the word 'Brahman' here is not meant the Word-Brahman or the Vedas—"this Brahman is the active 'Saguna Brahman' situated within the workings of Prakriti—It is the Akshara, the Even, the Peaceful, the Actionless Brahman from which It is emanated, that is, a manifestation of That—It is the creator and source of all action in the perishable world—the Purusha active in Prakriti. (The 'Nirguna Brahman' remains ever actionless.) The Supreme Purusha has two manifestations—the Akshara beyond all qualities is His state of equipoise—from That springs His self-expression in the qualities of Prakriti and the world-play. From this Purusha dwelling in Prakriti, from this Saguna Brahman—the origin of all the works of cosmic force. From this action the principle of sacrifice is born. Even the exchange of substances between gods and men follows the course of this principle. For instance, the rain from which food is produced depends upon this action, and from food arises the body of living beings, for all the workings of Prakriti are in truth sacrifice, and the Lord Himself is the enjoyer of all action and sacrifice and the Maheshvara of all beings.
(Bhokta rajnashtapasam sarvalokamahesvaram |
Suhrdam sarvabhutanam jnatvä mäm shäntim ricchati ||
(Bhagavad Gita, 5/29)
Meaning: The liberated yogi comes to supreme peace knowing Me (that is, the Saguna Lord in the form of Krishna) as the enjoyer of the fruits of sacrifice and austerity, the Supreme Lord of all worlds, and the intimate friend of all beings—that is to say, he attains liberation in the form of eternal peace.
From this verse it is evident that all the works of Prakriti are contained within sacrifice. Thus the matter that from sacrifice clouds are born and from them rain falls is also included in the cycle of Prakriti, that is, in sacrifice itself. Therefore the statement in Gita 3/14, "From sacrifice come forth clouds and rain," is true in every sense.
To know this Supreme established in sacrifice—this is true Vedic knowledge. The highest good is attained only when one performs sacrifice not merely for the gods, but for that Supreme Lord established in the all-pervading sacrifice. The highest good comes when a man renounces the desires of lower nature, when he renounces the pride that says "I am the doer of all"—when he comes to understand that Prakriti itself is the true agent of all action and sacrifice, and when he ceases to regard himself as the enjoyer and recognizes the Universal Self, the Supreme Purusha, as the true enjoyer of all Prakriti's works. Then not in personal enjoyment but in the Supreme Self he finds supreme peace, satisfaction, and spotless bliss. Then in action and inaction alike he knows neither gain nor loss—rather does he perform action as a sacrifice for the Lord alone, freed from attachment and desire. Thus sacrifice becomes for him the path to the highest good.
In the Vedanta Ratna, Hirendranath Datta writes—sacrifice, in truth, is the primary substance of yajna. In the Purusha Sukta, there is an allusion to that great cosmic ritual through which Prajapati created this world. That supreme sacrifice is nothing other than God's immense self-abnegation for the welfare of all beings. For such nourishment of the world, the sacrifice directed toward the attributeless Brahman—our ancestors called this yajna. We have now transformed yajna into a 'yogi-ite'; in our eyes, yajna has become a matter of pomp and circumstance, of fanfare. But the original meaning of yajna was not thus. The essence of yajna is sacrifice.
(The Purusha Sukta is found in the Vedic texts: Rigveda (10/90), Atharvaveda (19/6), Samaveda (6/4), Yajurveda (Bajasaneyi, 31/1–6), and the Taittiriya Aranyaka (3/12,13). Its interpretation appears in the Satapatha Brahmana, Taittiriya Brahmana, Shvetashvatara Upanishad, and Mudgala Upanishad. In modern Hinduism, alongside the Gayatri mantra, this is one of the few Rigvedic hymns in circulation. The Bajasaneyi Samhita (31/1–6), Samaveda Samhita (6/4), and Atharvaveda Samhita (19/6) contain the sukta with explanatory interpretation. In Puranic literature, the Bhagavata Purana (2/5/35 through 2/6/1–29) and the Mahabharata (Moksha-Dharma Parva, 351 and 352) provide exegesis of this verse—the Purusha Sukta describes the spiritual unity or non-dual nature of the cosmos. In explaining the nature of Purusha or Brahman Absolute, the sukta speaks of Him as endowed with qualities, simultaneously the creator of this universe and pervading within it.)
Question: Whatever the original meaning of yajna, the rajasic "pomp and circumstance" surrounding yajna existed even in ancient times. Great kings performed the Rajasuya and Ashvamedha sacrifices with elaborate ceremony. The righteous Yudhishthira too performed the Rajasuya sacrifice and other rites, and these were accomplished with the approval and counsel of Sri Krishna himself. Where then is the reconciliation with the dharma spoken of in the Gita?
Answer: It is true that desire-driven royal sacrifices existed then. The Gita itself mentions three kinds of yajna—sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic—and praises the sattvic sacrifice performed as an obligatory duty without desire for fruits (17/11–13). There is no place in the Gita for action tainted with desire. The Rajasuya is indeed a 'kamya-karma'—an action prompted by desire—and Yudhishthira performed it by Krishna's counsel, yet he performed it without attachment, moved by duty alone. (Note that in the Gita, in all matters of sacrifice and action, the disposition, intention, and mental state of the performer receive paramount importance.) Let us see what Yudhishthira himself says on this—
Naham karma-phalānveshi rājaputri charāmyuta.
Dadāmi deyamityeva yajne yashtavyamityuta.
Dharma-vānijyako hīno jaghanya-dharma-vādinām.
(Mahabharata, Vana Parva, 31/45)
Meaning: O princess, I do not act as one seeking the fruits of action. I give because giving is a duty; I perform sacrifice because sacrifice is a duty—he who desires fruit in return for the practice of dharma is a merchant of dharma, who makes dharma a commodity; he is base, contemptible.
It is true that one devoted to Sri Krishna would speak thus—a fitting utterance from a devotee of Sri Krishna. Yet what is the nature of this absolute duty in the fruitless Rajasuya sacrifice? One grasps it from Sri Krishna's teaching (Mahabharata, Sabha Parva, chapters 14-15). Its chief purpose is to subdue or slay the 'asuras'—those impious, tyrannical kings like Jarasandha and Sisupala—and thereby establish an undisputed kingdom of dharma (Gita, 4/8). This Jarasandha had arranged to conduct a terrible Rajasuya, or 'royal sacrifice,' by offering a hundred kings. For this, ninety-six monarchs had been defeated, captured, and bound, awaiting death. Once the hundred was complete, this savage sacrifice would be enacted. Yudhishthira's Rajasuya prevented it from happening.
After the war ended, Yudhishthira also performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice, at Sri Krishna's behest. The incomparable dharma-teaching Sri Krishna gave concerning this became known as the 'Kama-Gita.' The renunciation of desire and ego is its essential theme. To the grief-stricken Dharma-Raja, prepared to withdraw to the forest, Sri Krishna said: "Renouncing objects does not renounce desire; do not go to the forest, but fulfill the duties of a king without attachment. Through sattvic sacrifices, charity, austerity, and other works that purify the heart, strive to abandon desire." It is, as it were, the prescription of remedy suited to the nature of the disease. This is the teaching of the Gita itself, and thus it stands in perfect harmony with Gita-ordained dharma. Yet that the excellence of pure, self-renouncing human sacrifices and guest-service is no less than that of Yudhishthira's Ashvamedha is made clear in the Mahabharata's tale of the golden mongoose.
A mongoose came to the site of Yudhishthira's Ashvamedha and rolled upon the ground. It was seen that half the mongoose's face and body had turned to gold. When asked the reason for this strange creature's strange conduct, the mongoose spoke: I saw at Kurukshetra a Brahmin who lived by humble means rolling in the dust—yet he gave away all the barley flour he had stored in his house to a guest, even though he fasted with his family. The guest's bowl held but a pittance, mere leftovers; and through contact with that sacred morsel, half my face and body became golden ('those who eat the remnant of sacrifice,' 'those who partake of the nectar of sacrifice's remainder,' 3/13, 4/30). Seeking to gild the rest of my body, I rolled at various sacrifice sites, and here as well; yet I found that all sacrifices together could not match that Brahmin's barley-sacrifice, for nowhere else did my remaining half transform to gold.