FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 3.18

నైవ తస్య కృతేనార్థో నాకృతేనేహ కశ్చన । న చాస్య సర్వభూతేషు కశ్చిదర్థవ్యపాశ్రయః ॥ ౧౮ ॥
naiva tasya kṛtenārtho
[naiva tasya kritenaartho]
nākṛteneha kaścana
[naakriteneha kashchana]
na cāsya sarva-bhūteṣu
[na chaasya sarva-bhooteshu]
kaścid artha-vyapāśrayaḥ
[kashchid artha-vyapaashrayah]
Word-for-word
na — never eva — certainly tasya — his kṛtena — by discharge of duty arthaḥ — purpose na — nor akṛtena — without discharge of duty iha — in this world kaścana — whatever na — never ca — and asya — of him sarva - bhūteṣu — among all living beings kaścit — any artha — purpose vyapāśrayaḥ — taking shelter of .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
naiva tasya kṛtenārtho
na
never
eva
certainly
tasya
his
kṛtena
by discharge of duty
arthaḥ
purpose
nākṛteneha kaścana
na
nor
akṛtena
without discharge of duty
iha
in this world
kaścana
whatever
na cāsya sarva-bhūteṣu
na
never
ca
and
asya
of him
sarva - bhūteṣu
among all living beings
kaścid artha-vyapāśrayaḥ
kaścit
any
artha
purpose
vyapāśrayaḥ
taking shelter of .
Important Words
  • kṛtena — by discharge of duty
    Instrumental of the past participle of √kṛ. The very *having-done* of an act normally produces puṇya, an outcome; for the realized one, even that mechanism is silent.
  • arthaḥ — purpose
    From √arth, to aim at. The verse drains both directions — no aim achieved by doing, no aim violated by not-doing. The realized one has no remaining *aim* in the karma-system.
  • akṛtena — without discharge of duty
    Negative past participle. Even non-action does not harm him. Both poles are equally inert for the self-fixed one — a state most claim and few inhabit.
  • sarva - bhūteṣu — among all living beings
    Locative plural. The realized one has no *vyapāśraya* — no taking-shelter — in any being. He is shelter-less in the social sense and yet fully sheltered in the self. The verse marks an emancipation that is also a great solitude.
  • vyapāśrayaḥ — taking shelter of
    Compound: vi-apa-ā-√śri, to lean upon and away. A precise word — not just dependence but the leaning of one's weight onto another. The realized one leans his weight on no creature.
A self-realized man has no purpose to fulfill in the discharge of his prescribed duties, nor has he any reason not to perform such work. Nor has he any need to depend on any other living being.
Purport

A self-realized man is no longer obliged to perform any prescribed duty, save and except activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not inactivity either, as will be explained in the following verses. A Kṛṣṇa conscious man does not take shelter of any person – man or demigod. Whatever he does in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sufficient in the discharge of his obligation.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
18. He does not gain by performance of action, nor lose by not performing action. For him, nothing in this world is worthy of pursuing for fulfilling his desires.
Commentary

By performance of action there is no accrual of desired results. And by not performing the action there is no loss, because nothing in the whole universe, from Brahmā down to the inanimate objects, is a worthy object of shelter for fulfilling his goals. The word vyapāśraya is used similarly in the Purāṇas as follows: vāsudeve bhagavati bhaktim udvahatāṁ nṛṇām jṣāna-vairāgya-vīryāṇāṁ neha kaścid vyapāśrayaḥ Persons engaged in devotional service to Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, have naturally perfect knowledge and detachment from this material world. Therefore such devotees are not interested in the so-called happiness or so-called distress of this world. SB 6.17.31 kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him. SB 2.4.18 argo ’syātha visargaś ca vṛtti-rakṣāntarāṇi ca vaṁśo vaṁśānucarītaṁ saṁsthā hetur apāśrayaḥ O brāhmaṇa, authorities on the matter understand a Purāṇa to contain ten characteristic topics: the creation of this universe, the subsequent creation of worlds and beings, the maintenance of all living beings, their sustenance, the rule of various Manus, the dynasties of great kings, the activities of such kings, annihilation, motivation and the supreme shelter. SB 12.7.9 From these statements it is seen that the addition of apa to āśraya has the meaning of “perfect shelter.”

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
18. He gains no results by performance of prescribed actions for seeing the ātmā, nor does he produce obstacles to seeing that ātmā by not performing those prescribed actions. For him, nothing in this world is a worthy object of prescribed actions for facilitating his vision of ātmā.
Commentary

There is no result (arthaḥ) by his performance of prescribed actions (krṭena) for the purpose of realizing the ātmā, and he incurs no obstacles for seeing ātmā, by non-performance of prescribed actions (akṛtena) for seeing the ātmā, because by his nature he sees the ātmā already. It is not that he should fear obstacles from the devatas by neglecting prescribed actions (including devatā worship), and then attempt to please them by performing prescribed actions which entails worshipping them. The śrutis describe the devatās as being opposed to knowledge of ātmā. tasmāt tad eṣāṁ devānāṁ na priyaṁ yad etan manuṣā vidur That ātmā which men know is not dear to the devatās. Bṛhad Araṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.10 For one who has gained vision of ātmā, the person in knowledge, no person among all beings (sarva bhuteṣu), among humans and devas, is a worthy object of service (vyapāśrayaḥ) for the purpose of removing obstacles to his attraction to ātmā (artha), by performance of prescribed actions. Before the manifestation of knowledge, the devas create obstacles (for non-performance of duty), but after a person has attained a taste of the ātmā, they do not create obstacles for his seeing ātmā, since the taste of ātmā is influential. It is also said: tasya ha na devāś ca nābhūtyā īśate ātmā hy eṣāṁ sambhavati For only one who has realized ātmā, even the devas do not create obstacles, for the ātmā also becomes dear to them. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.10 Ha na in the upaniṣad verse are particles meaning api (even). Even the devas are not powerful enough to injure the taste for ātmā (bhūtyai) of one how has realized ātmā (tasya), because (hi) that ātmā also becomes dear to them.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Therefore, because one is not trying to get anything from doing his prescribed duties, Krsna says:

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Self-realized soul is free from all material duties – Yes, one with no material desires and

who is already purified has no need of material duties nor has he any aversion to them

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 3.17 – 3.18

Sastra and guru assigns one duty according to his material attachments
One is given activities to purify him while letting him fulfill his desires in a regulated way
The only person free from duties is the self-realisation man because he has no desires to fulfill, nor any purification to achieve

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION IV

One in full knowledge is above material attachment. He does not need prescribed duties for

purification. Still he acts, setting the example for those who are less knowledgeable

Focus of Learning

(a) Condemns the ‘Mammonist Philosophy’ of “Work very hard and enjoy sense gratification”

(b) The cycle of performing yajna is an absolute necessity

Yajna is important for happiness in this world
Also, it helps one in spiritual elevation which is the purpose of human life.
Yajna process gradually purifies to bring one to the platform of Krishna consciousness –Therefore indirectly it is the practice of Krishna consciousness
If by performing yajnas, one does not become Krishna conscious, such principles are counted as moral codes
One should not therefore limit his progress only to the point of moral codes, but should transcend them, to attain Krishna consciousness

(c) Nature’s law for human life – Human life is specifically meant for self-realisation in either of the

three ways: karma-yoga, jnana-yoga or bhakti-yoga

Exception – No necessity to rigidly follow the prescribed yajnas for those transcendentalist who are above vice and virtue
But those engaged in sense gratification require purification by performance of yajna
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
3.18 Moreover, tasya, for him, who rejoices in the supreme Self; na, there is no; artham, concern; eva, at all; krtena, with performing action. Objection: In that case, let there be some evil called sin owing to non-performance! Reply: Iha, here, in this world; na, nor is there; for him kascana, any (concern); akrtena, with nonperfromance. Certainly there is no evil in the form of incurring sin or in the form of self-destruction. Ca, moreover; asya, for him; na asti, there is no; kascit artha-vyapasrayah sarva-bhutesu, dependence on any object, from Brahma to an unmoving thing, to serve any purpose. Vyapasrayah is the same as vyapasrayanam, dependence, which is possible of being created by action promted by necessity. (For him) there is no end to gain by depending on any praticular object, due to which there can be some action for that purpose. 'You (Arjuna) are not established in this fullest realization which is comparable to a flood all around.'
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
3.18 Thus, for such a one there is no purpose, i.e., nothing to be gained from work done as a means for the vision of the self, nor is he subject to any evil or calamity from work left undone, because his vision of the self does not rest on any external means. To such a person who has turned by himself away from non-intelligent matter which is different from the self, there is nothing acceptable as a purpose to be gained from the constituents of Prakrti and their products; only if there were such a purpose, there would be the need for the means of retreat therefrom. For, the adoption of the means is only for effecting such a retreat. But he is verily liberated. Non-pursuit of the means for vision of the self is only for that person whose vision of the self no longer depends on any means. But Karma Yoga is better in gaining the vision of the self for one who is in pursuit of the means for that vision, because it is easy to perfom, because it is secure from possible error, because the contemplation of the true nature of the self is included in it, and because even for a Jnana Yogin the performance of minimum activity is necessary. For these reasons, Karma Yoga is better as a means for the vision of the Atman.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
3.18 See Comment under 3.19
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
3.18 For him there is no interest whatever in what is done or what is not done; nor does he depend on any being for any object.
Commentary

3.18 न not? एव even? तस्य of hi? कृतेन by action? अर्थः concern? न not? अकृतेन by actions not done? इह here? कश्चन् any? न not? च and? अस्य of this man? सर्वभूतेषु in all beings? कश्चित् any? अर्थव्यपाश्रयः depending for any object.Commentary The sage who is thus rejoicing in the Self does not gain anything by doing any action. For him really no purpose is served by an action. No evil (Pratyavaya Dosha) can touch him from inaction. He does not lose anything from inaction. He need not depend upon anybody to gain a particular object. He need not exert himself to get the favour of anybody.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
3.18 For him there is no concern here at all with performing action; nor any (concern) with nonperformance. Moreover, for him there is no dependence on any object to serve any purpose.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
3.18 He has nothing to gain by the performance or non-performance of action. His welfare depends not on any contribution that an earthly creature can make.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 2.46 BG 3.17 BG 6.4 SB 5.5.1 SB 1.7.10 SB 11.7.9 CC Madhya 24.205 CC Madhya 25.138 CC Madhya 8.227 Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.5.1Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.9
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
For the realized one, there is nothing to gain by action and nothing to lose by inaction — yet this is rare; until then, act.
Practical Applications
  • Accept that you are still in the position where action matters.
  • Don't outsource your duty by appealing to the realized soul's freedom.
  • Use action as the field for ripening, not for evading.
Reflection Questions
  • How honest am I about my current spiritual position?
  • What duty am I avoiding by appeal to a state I don't yet inhabit?
Analogy

A person who has graduated has neither use for the textbook nor any aversion to it — they can pick it up to help others or set it down. The realized soul holds prescribed duty with that same lightness; the rest of us are still reading for the exam.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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