Verse 18.2

Verse 18.2: The Exalted-one spake: “The renouncing of fruit-motivated actions the sages understand as ‘Renunciation’: while relinquishing the fruit of ALL actions is declared by discerning people to be ‘Relinquishment.’ (98)

Commentary called Jnaneshwari by Jnaneshwar:

Actions prompted by strong desires, involving performance of sacrifices such as Ashvamedha (aśvamedha) and others, or undertaking works such as constructing wells, paying out pleasure-gardens, or making (charitable) grants of lands and villages, and making a display of diverse vows and austerities-all such actions which have their origin in fruit-motive, fetter the doers and make them experience their fruit. One getting in a body-form cannot, Oh! Dhananjaya, escape the ordeals of birth and death; or one cannot efface what is written on his forehead (luck); or one cannot wash off his natural complexion—in all these ways one cannot evade experiencing the fruit of motived actions.

One cannot be free unless he pays off all his debts: in that way one has no escape from experiencing the fruit of his actions, since such fruit persists in getting experienced, or even if a fruit-motivated action gets casually performed without being specifically intended to be fruit-motived, it does become binding. Oh Son of Pandu, in the way a fight even with blunt arrows indulged in sportingly, does cause injury; or a piece of coarse sugar, put into mouth unknowingly, does taste sweet, or a live-coal thrust (into the mouth) taking it to be mere ashes does cause burning sensation. Fettering being the natural power in a fruit-motived action, a seeker after emancipation should not, even out of fun, take to it. Not only this, but such a fruit-motived action should, O Partha, be vomitted out as if it were poison: and such relinquishment is called renunciation,” said Lord Krishna—the discerner of all hearts.

(Lord Krishna further said), “The relinquishment of fruit-motived actions means rooting out the fruit-motive, in the way abandonment of riches (by a wayfarer) means removal of all fear of thieves (on the way). The religious observances on the occasions of eclipses of the Sun and the Moon, offering obsequial oblations in honour of the spirits of the departed parents on the anniversary of their death, or giving proper reception to a guest (atithi) coming uninvited at the meal hour all these are occasional actions. The thundering of the sky during monsoon, or trees getting into full blown foliage during the Spring, or the oozing on the part of the moon-stone touched by the Moon-beams or the lotuses getting fully opened out with the rise of the Sun’s rays—in all these reactions, nothing altogether new comes in, but objects that already exist get only expanded in the (respective) special conditions mentioned. In that way, ordinary day-to-day actions recurring on special occasions, rise to the higher rank of “Occasional” ones.

Actions that must necessarily be performed every morning, noon and evening have got nothing added to them by way of supplement, but are by themselves powerful enough, in the way vision is not a thing added to the eyes for seeing or in the way the feet have naturally got the motive power, without any new power acquired or in the way a lighted wick has naturally got lustre in it or in the way the sandalwood has got natural fragrance without any outside artificial scent applied to it. Such actions (as have no alternative but their performance) are called day-to-day actions. In this way are explained to you clearly, action i) that are from day-to-day and ii) that are occasional. These day-to-day and occasional actions, must necessarily be performed and hence are called by some as barren (unfruitful). A meal brings on contentment and also satisfies hunger; in that way these day-to-day and occasional actions bring on all-round fruition. When alloyed gold drops into fire, all its alloy gets burnt and then the gold increases in fineness. Those actions get such kinds of fruit,—all defects get removed, brightening (the doer’s) authority i.e. exalting his spiritual status, with the result that emancipation is secured forthwith. Even though the fruit of these day-to-day and occasional actions is so great, yet it should be relinquished in the way one abandons the child born during the Moon’s passage through ‘Mula’ (mūla—lunar mansion—nakṣatra).

The Mango trees and other creeper plants go on bearing new foliage in abundance, during the spring season, until they completely come to fruition; the spring season however drops all of them down without touching a single one of these fruits; in that way, one should attentively perform all the day-to-day and occasional actions, without transgressing their limits, and then should treat their fruit as nauseous and fit to be abandoned, as the very vomit. Such abandonment of action-fruit is called relinquishment. I have thus made you understand (hear) what are ‘renunciation and relinquishment.’ It is only when renunciation is followed, that the fruit-motived actions do not fetter (the doer). Actions, that have been prohibited, deserve in themselves to be abandoned.

When the head is rolled (loṭila [loṭile]) the trunk automatically follows suit, in that way, with the relinquishment of the actionfruit, the day-to-day and other actions, become as though not performed at all. With the coming to maturity of (food) grains, the crops wither away; in that way with the subsidence of actions (by relinquishment of fruit), the knowledge of Supreme Self automatically comes (to the doer) searching for him. Those who in such ways follow both relinquishment and renunciation, secure the very means of the attainment of the knowledge of Supreme Self. But such, as miss (in) these ways and follow reliquishment [relinquishment?] haphazardly, secure no (regular and proper) relinquishment at all, but get only entangled (in the meshes of fruit) all the more.

Any medicine administered without making a proper diagnosis of the disease, only proves (fatal like) poison; on the other hand, would not one perish of hunger were he to abandon food? Therefore, that which is not abandonable, should not be abandoned, while that which is abandonable should not be greedily sought. Total relinquishment done without realizing the real significance of relinquishment, proves only a hindrance (burden). Therefore, those that are really indifferent to worldly affairs, have ever to struggle against actions that are prohibited (viz. deserve to be relinquished).