Bhagavad Gita 2.50

[Paramananda das]

TEXT 50

buddhi-yukto jahatiha ubhe sukrta-duskrte tasmad yogaya yujyasva yogah karmasu kausalam

SYNONYMS

buddhi-yuktah--one who is  engaged in devotional service; jahati--can get rid of; iha--in  this life; ubhe--in both; sukrta-duskrte--in good and bad results; tasmat--therefore; yogaya--for the sake of devotional service; yujyasva--be so engaged; yogah--Krsna consciousness; karmasu--in all activities; kausalam--art.

TRANSLATION

A man engaged in devotional  service rids himself of both good and bad actions even in this life. Therefore  strive for yoga, O Arjuna, which is the art of all work.

PURPORT

Since time immemorial each living entity  has accumulated the various reactions of his good and bad work. As such, he is  continuously ignorant of his real constitutional position. One's ignorance can  be removed by the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita which teaches one to  surrender unto Lord Sri Krsna in all respects and become liberated from the  chained victimization of action and reaction, birth after birth. Arjuna is  therefore advised to act in Krsna consciousness, the purifying process of  resultant action.

Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

Therefore endeavor for  the yoga as described here (yogaya yujyasva).  Between all actions done with or without desire (karmasu), action performed with indifference to results (yogah) is a skill (kausalam).

Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya: Visnuswami Sridhara Swami's Commentary But one who is engaged in actions performed in spiritual intelligence is  superior. By the grace of the Supreme Lord one acting in this way is relieved of  both good actions which leads to heaven and evil actions which lead to hell even  in this very life. Therefore verily one should always engage oneself in the  sacred science of one's individual consciousness attaining communion with the  Ultimate Consciousness by consecrating in righteousness all activities unto the  Supreme Lord for this. This is known as karma yoga. Because this sacred  science is the actual skill in performing all activities, is the formula for  righteous actions which turns even ordinary activities that normally lead to  bondage into the means of liberation by offering them in righteousness unto the  Supreme Lord Krishna.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya: Madhvacarya Madhvacarya's Commentary Lord Krishna speaks of directing one's consciousness by spiritual  intelligence. The merits one gains in the course of human existence such as  fame, relations, power and wealth though pleasant should not be deemed important  or be attached to. But those superior merits one has acquired by surrender and to the  Supreme Lord such as righteousness, compassion for all living entities, devotion  and love of God should be most attached to. For one whose consciousness is  situated in the ignorance of nescience, whatever sacrifice, charity, penance or  austerity one performs even for thousands of years are to no avail and bequeath  no benefit. This has been well delineated in many Vedic scriptures. Hence it is  clearly to be understood that the ignorant do not gain anything spiritual by  their actions. Vedic scriptures reveal that both merits and demerits are  destroyed if actions are performed in unfavourable circumstances. If merit gets  destroyed as well it is always detrimental; but there is no possibility for  destruction of any merit for one who is situated in spiritual intelligence even  if there is some remnant of desire present. If one completely liberated by the wisdom of spiritual intelligence happens  to desire the realm of the ancestors by his very wish they will be evoked before  him. If this liberated one wishes to enter higher planetary systems or even the  heavenly realms by his wish it is accomplished. Objectives deemed impossible by  relative perspectives which the liberated self desires manifests on its own  accord due to the inherent potency acquired by uniting one's individual  consciousness with the ultimate consciousness of the Supreme Lord and by  receiving the power of the Supreme Lords grace. It is not that one ever can lose their individual existence by uniting ones  individual consciousness to the Supreme Lords ultimate consciousness. The soul  is always connected with the Supreme Lord but those in the nescience of  ignorance are unaware of the souls existence. The difference between the Supreme  Lord and all living entities is eternal and thus the individual existence of all  living entities is established as being different from the Supreme Lord. The  Supreme Lords activities are beyond the parameters of the material existence  indicating his eternal transcendental position whereas all living entities in  the material existence are subject to the cycle of birth and death. By the dissolution of all illusions the reflection also ends and any and all  concepts of losing one's individual existence by merging, immediately is  terminated as knowledge of the eternal difference between the Supreme Lord and  all living entities is self-evident by self-realisation. Such conceptions of  merging are contrary to wisdom due to the distinct spiritual form of the Supreme  Lord. Not even with imagination can it be suggested that an object reflected is at  the same time united with its reflection although one determines the other. Nor  in the cessation of consciousness is there any evidence of merging of reflection  and reflected. Otherwise how would it be possible to experience the perception  of the duality between the two. The misery of the material existence is  definitely a reality. As long as the self is incarcerated within a physical body  this misery continues to be. Thus it can be understood that the self is also  eternal. So the Supreme Lord and the self or soul are eternal and other  statement concerning this are either temporary or symbolic. Narada Muni has personally seen liberated souls different as separate  individual beings from the Supreme Lord. The statements found of becoming one  with the Lord are indicating that one attains the qualitative spiritual  existence and association of the Supreme Lord. Different determinations are  found to be stated due to different angles of vision. When a man and a woman are  married it is often said that they have become one; but does that mean they have  each lost their separate individual existence? No not at all. The proper  rational and analysis must be exercised when differentiation is seen in the  statements of the scriptures and by doing so the basic principle is  strengthened. By proper understanding and rationalisation alone can  differentiation be harmonised. Like a river entering the ocean. It is all water  but the river maintains its own characteristics which are simultaneously one and  different from the ocean. Yet even if in those instances where difference is not accepted, it still  must be admitted that with the entry of the river the volume of the ocean has  definitely increased and cannot be denied. The Supreme Lord can be likened unto  the sea always open to receive; but because of the seas immensity the total  perception is restricted. Narada Muni has also gone on to declare that the Supreme Lord cannot be  attained by even Brahma, Shiva and all the host of demigods. By such words  Narada negates equality with the Supreme Lord. Similarly with the words yatra  nanyat pashyati, where nothing else is perceived even by such words then  deference and subservience to the Supreme Lord is always shown or else how is  known to be the Supreme. All these statement have been revealed to dispel  illusion and clarify reality and they have been deliberated and determined in  various scriptures by powerful summations and profound summations. These statements should not be considered contradictory as the demigods have  temporal physical bodies. Although eternal spiritual beings also have their  bodies they are not temporal being spiritually surcharged and being eternally  devoid of limitations by the power of devotion to and the power of mercy from  the Supreme Lord Krishna. Therefore in the Narayana Shatakshara Kalpa the 16  distinctive signs on the bodies of eternal spiritual beings is given. In normal parlance due to their exalted nature, eternal spiritual beings are  referred to as being beyond duality, beyond the influence of material nature and  transcendental to the material existence. Although material bodies are continuously perishing and returning to the  elements. The bodies of the eternal spiritual beings do not perish for they are  neither dependent on creation or destruction. But due to the fact that  externally they have similar forms that appear to be the same, words are used  that describe them in terms that are comprehensible according to time and  circumstances. When one hears of descriptions like dwellers of the spiritual  worlds possess no bodies and senses sometimes used by Narada Muni it should be  understood that these spiritual beings possess no physical bodies and senses as  we know of but possess only spiritual bodies filled with spiritual senses and  light and bliss. For eternal spiritual beings this very state itself is the verification for  mukti or liberation. What is the use of speaking more if liberation has not been  achieved and Swetadwipa has not been attained? According to Vedic scriptures one  is not a yogi until one is liberated. Other forms of liberation are negated in  the Aditya Purana. Even those demons terminated by Vausdeva Krishna like  Sishupal in the end finally get liberation but to attain Swetadwipa special  attributes are required. King Yudisthira asked about liberation and it was confirmed that the other  four forms of liberation based on merging with the Lord have been rejected. Only  similarity with the form of the Lord is the accepted form of liberation.  Achieving liberation and acquiring a spiritual body and through that body  entering the abode of the Lord and lovingly interacting in ones eternal position  with the Supreme Lord is understood to be liberation in similarity to Lord  Krishna and not merging into Him as confirmed in the Narayana Shatkakshara Kalpa Therefore by achieving liberation all undesirable qualities are destroyed at  the root and all things antagonistic to spiritual development are terminated.  Then without misery, devoid of all pains and worries, deliverance, beyond  sorrow, they go to the place where none returns beyond birth and death. These  special statements found in the Vedic scriptures prove that those who become  self-realised and achieve liberation do not perceive similarity with the Lord  but realise an affinity with the Supreme Lord and in the process by the sole  dissolution of their collective karma they enjoy closeness with the Supreme Lord  in uninterrupted bliss. Therefore it is written in Vedic scriptures that after becoming so qualified  one enters the eternal spiritual worlds without fail of this there is no doubt.  Hence all impurities are completely readicated and seperated from the eternal  spirit soul of the liberated spiritual being. Even Brahma prays to attain that  pure spiritual state according to his understanding.. "I desire to attain that  supreme state of Brahman. O Supreme Brahman, Lord Krishna, Janardana". Thus  Brahma and even Shiva duly pray for this Supreme state. Such a state is not only  the removal of all impurities but also the natural condition of eternal bliss. There is nothing comparable to liberation from the material existence in the  material worlds. Neither is there anything comparable to the experiences of this  superior bliss once one has achieved liberation. This all encompassing and all  pervading bliss transcends speech and is even not found within the mind. Thus it  is established that the bliss accompanying liberation is superior to the bliss  of brahman. Thus become firmly attuned to equanimity by yoga and getting wisdom  perform those excellent actions solely as a matter of duty as offerings to the  Supreme Lord Krishna. Now begins the summation. Knowledge of the Supreme Lord Krishna and by that knowledge renouncing the  fruits of ones actions neutralises the effects of ones actions and is known as  excellent actions. Knowledge of the Supreme Lord Krishna is known as spiritual  intelligence.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya: Ramanuja Ramanuja's Commentary Those whose activities are inherently protected under the secure guidance of  spiritual intelligence are released from the bondage of continuous rebirth in  the material existence. Hence one should undeviatingly remain steadfast in  spiritual intelligence. Although cultivating spiritual intelligence indeed takes  enormous effort to achieve, once attained is not difficult to maintain. All  actions performed from the platform of spiritual intelligence are not binding  and the mind is preserved in a perfectly equipoised state which can be compared  to a state of a blissful a genius sometimes experiences which is very wonderful.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya: Nimbaditya Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary After pointing out the defects of performing optional activities which are  not essential, Lord Krishna extols the virtues of equanimity in that it  neutralises all reactions without a doubt both positive and negative. Therefore  everyone should make a diligent endeavour to achieve this consciousness of  equanimity. For one expertly engaged in actions which do not incur reactions on  their path to attain liberation form the material existence and the ultimate  truth is the highest skill.