अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रित: |
सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं तत: कुरु यतात्मवान् || 11||
athaitad apy aśhakto ’si kartuṁ mad-yogam āśhritaḥ
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān
atha—if; etat—this; api—even; aśhaktaḥ—unable; asi—you are; kartum—to work; mad-yogam—with devotion to Me; āśhritaḥ—taking refuge; sarva-karma—of all actions; phala-tyāgam—to renounce the fruits; tataḥ—then; kuru—do; yata-ātma-vān—be situated in the self
Translation:
If you are not able to do My yoga taking refugee in Me, then renounce all actions and the fruits there of, self-controlled.
Commentary:
The Lord suggests the easiest of all paths here. Man is engaged in a hundred actions day and night in the course of his life. While performing these actions, let him remember God, think of Him as the doer and himself a mere instrument, and surrender all works and their fruits entirely to God. That is, all work should be done in a spirit of self-surrender to God. Bad actions are not included here, because they are already prohibited by the Sastras. No one should do sinful acts. Worship of God, singing His name and glory, charity, works of social welfare, all these are good actions and they should be surrendered to God. (Isvararpanam, Ramarpanam, or Krishnarpanam). As several paths are suggested, each man may take up any practice suitable to his physical and mental predisposition. This last path is within the reach of all persons. While walking, let it be thought of as pradakshinam of God. While talking let it be thought of as singing His glory. This may be extended to all actions. By this, the Lord is constantly kept in view, and the mind, without any strain comes to entertain Godly ideas in a natural way. The Lord has already said “mamanusmara yudhya ca” – “Remember Me and fight.” So, this path is the easiest and the best-fitted for all sincere seekers on the spiritual path. All sin is destroyed, the mind becomes pure, and liberation is attained ultimately.
yatatmavan: The seeker should be self-controlled. Without it, the constant memory of God and self-surrender to Him are not possible. So the least that man can do is to cultivate that degree of self-control to remember the Lord while carrying on the various activities of life and surrender the fruits of actions to Him.
Question: What is the way for those who are not competent to do actions for His sake?
Answer: Self-controlled, man should surrender all actions with the fruits thereof to God. This is the least way for all people who are not competent for higher plights of yoga.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 12 🔻 (20 Verses)
