Verse 18.30

Verse 18.30: “(Right) activism and (right) abstention; what is proper to do and what is not proper to do; (what should inspire) fear and no-fear; (and the essence of) bondage and liberation: the intellect which discerns (all) this is, O Son of Pritha, Sattva-dominated. (699)

Commentary called Jnaneshwari by Jnaneshwar:

Therefore, day to day actions that you are qualified to do, and that have devolved on you in the natural course, are only the best ones to be performed, and these should be performed with an eye to the fruit (goal) viz. attainment of the ‘Self, even as a thirsty one drinks water with full concentration. The performance of these actions frees one from the danger of calamitous re-birth, and makes easy the attainment of liberation.

One doing this, becomes free from the fear of world affairs, and makes secure his share as a seeker, through the performance of actions. The intellect keeps firm faith in the attainment of liberation through actions and throws out a challenge (as to) why one should not dive in such (day to day) actions, raising activism high up on the basis of renunciation (of the fruit of the action). Water is the life (preserver) of the thirsty; or swimming (saves) one falling into floods; or the Sun’s rays (guide one) in a dark pit; or proper treatment and medicine (preserve life) of one choked with a disease; or water (is) the spring of life for the fish. In all these ways, abiding in activism (in regard to day-to-day actions) assuredly secures liberation. The intellect remains unerring in discerning what is worth doing and also what is worth discarding.

The intellect makes one’s inclinations turn back from afar, (from the very back side) from actions that are fruit-motived and create fear of world affairs and from actions tainted because (they are) prohibited, and as such are actually prohibited, and are worth being discarded, and form actions that are full of fear of re-birth. Oh, one cannot enter into fire, or take a leap into waters of fathomless depth, or hold in hand a red hot iron (bar), or put forth his hand (for catching) a black hissing cobra, or enter into a tiger’s den: in that way, the intellect certainly feels mightily afraid at seeing such actions as only deserve to be discarded.

One cannot escape from death, when served with poisoned food; in that way one knows that prohibited actions must bring on fettering. The intellect arranges for the renunciation of such prohibited actions as are full of fear of fettering. In that way the intellect makes a scrutiny, and tastes activisim [activism?] and renunciation, in the light of the desirability or otherwise of doing such actions, in the way genuine and counterfeit (gems) are tested. The intellect also knows too well what actions are worth being done and what are not; and that intellect (as is described above) is known as Sattvic intellect.