Verse 18.7

Verse 18.7: “As to the Renunciation of action that is obligatory, that does not stand to reason; and the relinquishing of it through infatuation is pronounced as Tamas-dominated. (178)

Commentary called Jnaneshwari by Jnaneshwar:

One who relinquishes all actions out of hatred for them, in the way one getting all wrath with the darkness should pierce his nails into his own eyes—I call this relinquishment on his part as Tamas-dominated, and it is like cutting one’s own head out of wrath arising from (pain of) shooting headache, Even though a road be difficult (rough and uneven etc.), one has got to try and make his feet ready to walk over it anyhow; would it be right (for him) to cut off the feet for the fault of the road? Some sort of food-hot or cold whatever it be—is laid before a hungry person: he will have to go without food starving himself, he kicks it off! In that way, the fettering effect of actions should be removed only by performing those actions. But the Tamas-dominated one does not know this touchy point, being under infatuation, since he relinquishes even such actions as come to his lot in natural course and acquires demerit (sin) resulting from the abandonment of actions under the influence of Tamas.