Shrimad Bhagavad-gita

by Narayana Gosvami | 2013 | 327,105 words

The Bhagavad-gita Verse 2.40, English translation, including the Vaishnava commentaries Sarartha-varsini-tika, Prakashika-vritti and Rasika-ranjana (excerpts). This is verse 40 from the chapter 2 called “Sankhya-yoga (Yoga through distinguishing the Soul from the Body)”

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.40:

नेहाभिक्रम-नाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते ।
स्वल्पम् अप्य् अस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात् ॥ ४० ॥

nehābhikrama-nāśo'sti pratyavāyo na vidyate |
svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt || 40 ||

na–no; iha–in this (bhakti-yoga); abhikrama–endeavours; nāśaḥ–destruction; asti–there is; pratyavāyaḥ–flaw; na–no; vidyate–there is;su-alpam–a very little; api–even; asya dharmasya–of this yoga; trāyate–delivers; mahataḥ–from great; bhayāt–danger.

Endeavours on the path of bhakti-yoga are not fruitless, nor do they contain any flaw. Even a little practice frees one from the great danger of transmigrating endlessly within the cycle of repeated birth and death in this material world.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

O Arjuna, yoga (buddhi-yoga) is of two types: (1) bhakti-yoga in the form of hearing and chanting and (2) bhagavad-arpita-niṣkāma-karma-yoga, which entails surrendering the fruits of one’s selfless actions to Śrī Bhagavān. In the Gītā (2.47), Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, “O Arjuna, you have the qualification to perform action (karma) only.” Now, before karma-yoga is described, bhakti-yoga is being delineated. The Gītā (2.45) states, “O Arjuna, situate yourself beyond the three modes of material nature.” This statement certainly means that bhakti is beyond the three modes, because it is only by bhakti that a person can transcend the modes of nature. This is well known from the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Jñāna and karma are described as being in the modes of goodness and passion respectively, which proves that they are not beyond the three modes of nature.

Bhagavad-arpita-niṣkāma-karma-yoga is bhakti that is characterized by offering the fruits of one’s karma (action) to Śrī Bhagavān. It does not allow the karma to go in vain, as is the case with the performance of prescribed duty that is not offered to Bhagavān. However, because devotion is not predominant in such activities, they are not accepted as actual bhakti. If prescribed duty (karma) in which the fruits are offered to Śrī Bhagavān were accepted as bhakti, then what would constitute karma? If one says that karma is only action that is not offered to Śrī Bhagavān, that is not correct. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.12) states that one of the characteristics of brahma (the effulgence of Śrī Bhagavān) is that it is inactive (niṣkarma). Being identical with the mood of inactivity, it is called naiṣkarmya. Knowledge of brahma is without any material motivation and faultless, but even that is not praiseworthy because it is devoid of bhakti. How, then, can action that is performed with personal desire (sakāma-karma) and selfless action (niṣkāma-karma), be praiseworthy if they are not offered to Bhagavān, since they are troublesome in both the stages of practice and the final attainment?

According to the above-mentioned statement spoken by Śrī Nārada (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.12), karma that is not offered to Śrī Bhagavān is useless. Therefore, only that bhakti which is characterized by hearing and chanting has been accepted as the practice to attain the sweetness of the lotus feet of Śrī Bhagavān. Nevertheless, selfless action that is offered to Śrī Bhagavān, or niṣkāma-karma-yoga, is also worthy of consideration. Both types of yoga (bhakti-yoga and niṣkāma-karma-yoga) are to be understood by the word buddhi-yoga. This is evident from the statements of Bhagavad-gītā such as, “I bestow upon them that buddhi-yoga by which they can attain Me,” (Gītā 10.10) and “O Dhanañjaya, compared to buddhi-yoga, action with fruitive desire (sakāma-karma) is very insignificant” (Gītā 2.49).

Now, this verse beginning with neha explains the glory of devotion to Bhagavān that is free from the modes of material nature (nirguṇā-bhakti), which is characterized by hearing and chanting. Śrī Bhagavān says, “The benefit that comes from practising even the initial steps of bhakti-yoga can never be destroyed, and thus it does not have the fault of becoming lost. Conversely, if a person starts to perform karma-yoga but does not complete it, the result of whatever karma he has performed is lost, and fault is incurred.”

The question may be raised, “Can the result of bhakti be attained by those who desire to follow the process but are unable to perform it properly?” Śrī Kṛṣṇa responds with svalpam, which means that even if their practice of bhakti has only just begun, the result is never lost and one will be delivered from this material world. The life histories of Ajāmila and others are evidence of this. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.16.44) also states that just by once hearing Śrī Bhagavān’s name, even a low class dog-eater is freed from the great fear caused by material existence.

Moreover, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.29.20), it is stated:

na hy aṅgopakrame dhvaṃso mad-dharmasyoddhavāṇv api
mayā vyavasitaḥ samyaṅ nirguṇatvād anāśiṣaḥ

O Uddhava, because I have personally determined the trans-cendental nature of this dharma, even if one improperly performs selfless action performed for pure bhakti, in the form of hearing and chanting, there is no possibility of the slightest loss.

The purport of these statements of Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam seems to be the same, but the above statement of Bhāgavatam has a special characteristic. If an object is transcendental, it is never destroyed. This is the only point worthy of deliberation in this context. One may argue that selfless action offered to Śrī Bhagavān can also become transcendental to the modes of nature by His grace, but this is not a fact. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.25.23) gives evidence of this: “Obligatory and occasional duties (nitya and naimittika karma) that are performed without any fruitive desire and offered to Me are considered to be in the mode of goodness.” In other words, they are not transcendental to the three modes of material nature.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Here, buddhi-yoga is described as being of two types. The first is bhakti-yoga in the form of hearing and chanting, and the second is niṣkāma-karma-yoga, wherein the results of karma are offered to Śrī Bhagavān without motive. Of these two, the first is primary bhakti-yoga and the second is secondary bhakti-yoga. In fact, bhakti-yoga is completely transcendental to the modes of nature. No irregularities, faults or unwanted reactions can occur in the beginning of one’s practice nor in the course of one’s practice, even if for some reason one is unable to complete it. Rather, a little performance of bhakti-yoga delivers the practitioner from the terrible dangers of the material world and makes his life successful by giving him service to Śrī Bhagavān.

The following example can be cited. Because Bharata Mahārāja became attached to a deer, he was not able to complete the full process of bhakti. Although in his next birth he took the body of a deer, the influence of his previous life’s performance of bhakti enabled him to associate with pure devotees of Bhagavān. Taking birth again, he became the highest class of devotee, an uttama-bhāgavata, and performed service to Śrī Bhagavān. Therefore, Bhagavān says in the Gītā (6.40), “pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśas tasya vidyate–a person who has fallen from the path of bhakti is never lost in this world or in the next, nor does he ever obtain a miserable condition.”

On the other hand, in bhagavad-arpita-niṣkāma-karma-yoga, wherein the fruits of one’s actions are offered to Bhagavān, is still referred to as karma-yoga, not bhakti-yoga. By first performing karma-yoga, the heart becomes purified and eventually one attains bhakti-yoga. Therefore, this karma-yoga only aims at bhakti indirectly, from far away. Unlike pure bhakti, karma-yoga is not transcendental, nor is it free from material contamination. Rather, it is called karma in the mode of goodness. Moreover, if a person does not perform this karma perfectly or if he does not complete his practice, it may become lost and he will incur some unwanted reactions. However, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.25.23): mad-arpaṇaṃ niṣphalaṃ vā sāttvikaṃ nija-karma tat. If a practitioner of bhakti begins to perform this bhakti-yoga even slightly, but leaves the path due to his own incapability, or if his practices cease due to his sudden, untimely death while he is in either the beginning or intermediate stage, his endeavours in bhakti will never go in vain. In other words, his endeavours do not become faulty nor does he incur any sin, even if he is unable to complete the process. In his next life, the practitioner will continue from that same point from where his performance of bhakti-yoga was obstructed. The presiding deity of bhakti-yoga, Śrī Kṛṣṇa or Bhakti-devī herself, makes all these arrangements. In this context, there is one important point to note. If a practitioner has faith, but due to ignorance there are some irregularities in his performance, the results of bhakti-yoga will never be lost, nor does he incur sin. However, if someone offends the spiritual master, the Vaiṣṇavas or anything that belongs to Śrī Bhagavān or is related to Him, such as Tulasī, Yamunā or the holy dhāma, that person’s bhakti-yoga can be completely ruined.

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: