FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 4.15

ఏవం జ్ఞాత్వా కృతం కర్మ పూర్వైరపి ముముక్షుభిః । కురు కర్మైవ తస్మాత్త్వం పూర్వైః పూర్వతరం కృతమ్ ॥ ౧౫ ॥
evaṁ jñātvā kṛtaṁ karma
[evam jnaatvaa kritam karma]
pūrvair api mumukṣubhiḥ
[poorvair api mumukshubhih]
kuru karmaiva tasmāt tvaṁ
[kuru karmaiva tasmaat tvam]
pūrvaiḥ pūrva-taraṁ kṛtam
[poorvaih poorva-taram kritam]
Word-for-word
evam — thus jñātvā — knowing well kṛtam — was performed karma — work pūrvaiḥ — by past authorities api — indeed mumukṣubhiḥ — who attained liberation kuru — just perform karma — prescribed duty eva — certainly tasmāt — therefore tvam — you pūrvaiḥ — by the predecessors pūrva - taram — in ancient times kṛtam — as performed .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
evaṁ jñātvā kṛtaṁ karma
evam
thus
jñātvā
knowing well
kṛtam
was performed
karma
work
pūrvair api mumukṣubhiḥ
pūrvaiḥ
by past authorities
api
indeed
mumukṣubhiḥ
who attained liberation
kuru karmaiva tasmāt tvaṁ
kuru
just perform
karma
prescribed duty
eva
certainly
tasmāt
therefore
tvam
you
pūrvaiḥ pūrva-taraṁ kṛtam
pūrvaiḥ
by the predecessors
pūrva - taram
in ancient times
kṛtam
as performed .
Important Words
  • jñātvā — knowing
    Gerund — 'having known.' Action follows knowledge in the verse's grammar. The pūrvas did not stumble onto the right pattern; they understood first and acted from that understanding.
  • pūrvaiḥ — by the predecessors
    Instrumental plural — 'by those who came before.' The verse anchors the action-pattern in lineage. You are not inventing karma-yoga; you are joining a long procession.
  • mumukṣubhiḥ — by those desiring liberation
    From √muc — 'to release.' Desiderative form: 'those who desire to be released.' The predecessors were not casual seekers; they were sincerely after mokṣa. Their pattern is the right one to copy.
  • kuru — do, perform
    Second-person imperative of √kṛ. The verse does not say 'consider' or 'investigate' — it says 'do.' Knowledge of the pattern obligates action in the pattern.
  • pūrva - taram — still earlier
    Comparative form — 'earlier than the earlier.' Kṛṣṇa pushes the lineage back as far as it goes. Do not stop at the recent predecessors; the pattern reaches to the beginning.
All the liberated souls in ancient times acted with this understanding of My transcendental nature. Therefore you should perform your duty, following in their footsteps.
Purport

There are two classes of men. Some of them are full of polluted material things within their hearts, and some of them are materially free. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is equally beneficial for both of these persons. Those who are full of dirty things can take to the line of Kṛṣṇa consciousness for a gradual cleansing process, following the regulative principles of devotional service. Those who are already cleansed of the impurities may continue to act in the same Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that others may follow their exemplary activities and thereby be benefited. Foolish persons or neophytes in Kṛṣṇa consciousness often want to retire from activities without having knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Arjuna’s desire to retire from activities on the battlefield was not approved by the Lord. One need only know how to act. To retire from the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to sit aloof making a show of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is less important than actually engaging in the field of activities for the sake of Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna is here advised to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, following in the footsteps of the Lord’s previous disciples, such as the sun-god Vivasvān, as mentioned hereinbefore. The Supreme Lord knows all His past activities, as well as those of persons who acted in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the past. Therefore He recommends the acts of the sun-god, who learned this art from the Lord some millions of years before. All such students of Lord Kṛṣṇa are mentioned here as past liberated persons, engaged in the discharge of duties allotted by Kṛṣṇa.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
15. Those desiring liberation in ancient times performed actions knowing this. Therefore, perform action which the ancients performed.
Commentary

Understanding how I have acted without being bound, previously person like Janaka performed karma in order to promote it with the people.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
15. Knowing this about Me, those desiring liberation in ancient times performed actions without desire. Therefore perform action which the ancients performed, following after their predecessors.
Commentary

Knowing Me thus (evam), previous persons desiring liberation (pūrvaiḥ mumukṣubhiḥ), My students such as Vivasvān, who followed the teaching, performed niṣkāma karma. You also should indeed perform action, and not renounce action. If one is impure in heart one should perform these actions to purify the heart, which lead to jṣāna. If one is already pure in heart one should perform the action to teach others. How did the previous persons perform the actions? They performed actions, following the actions of people much previous to them, long ago (pūrvataram).

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Knowing Krsna's position and acting for Him ‑ therefore Arjuna should fight. But he should fight in knowledge about Krsna's position that Krsna wants him to fight. But yet Krsna is not like some clever politician instigating the fight to have his own ends met, because He said He is aloof, and He is not attached to the fruit of the work, therefore unlike the politician, He is unbounded by His actions and His position is completly transcendental. If one does his duty with understanding, he will attain liberation.

[ C . NISKAMA KARMA‑YOGA. UNDERSTANDING HOW TO WORK AS A SACRIFICE (4. 16‑24) Acts serving Krsna are akarma, actions without reactions. A person acting with mind and intelligence free from sense gratification, without a sense of propriertoship, attai sinful reactions. Free from dualities and envy, satisfied in both success and failure, one will attain the spiritual kin Thus Krsna has explained how karma can be seen as jnana. ] (Understanding karma on the platform of transcendental knowledge)

This Section is quite tricky and maybe a little more philosophical than the rest of this Chapter.

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

Previous liberated souls perform their Varnasrama dharma for Krishna’s pleasure, knowing Him to

be the transcendental creator of Varnasrama. Krishna advises Arjuna to do the same

Focus of Learning

(a) Krishna creates but is unaffected by the activities of the material world, living entities are

entangled because of the propensity to Lord over

Analogy: King not subject to state laws
Analogy: Proprietor not responsible for activities of workers
Similarly Lord is not interested in any kind of material happiness, even heavenly planets just like a proprietor is not interested in the low grade happiness of the workers

(b) Lord is aloof from material actions and reactions

e.g. Rains not responsible for different types of vegetations, although without rains, there is no possibility of vegetative growth
Lord only gives facilities through material nature, living entity is responsible
Ref. Vedic Smrti: Lord is only the Supreme cause, the immediate cause is material nature
Ref. Vedanta Sutra: Lord is never partial to any living entity, but living entity is responsible for his own acts; Lord only gives the facilities through material nature

(c) Who is an experienced man in Krishna consciousness

One who understands this transcendental nature of the Lord is an experienced man
Such a person fully conversant with all the intricacies of the ‘law of karma’, does not become affected by the results

(d) Who becomes entangled by misunderstanding the Lord

One who does not know the transcendental nature of the Lord
To think that the activities of the Lord are aimed at fruitive results like ordinary living entities
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
4.15 Jnatva, having known; evam, thus, that 'I am not an agent; I have no desire for the results of actions'; karma, duties; krtam, were undertaken; api, even; purvaih, by the ancient; mumuksubhih, seekers of Liberation. Tasmat, therefore; tvam, you; kuru, undertake; karma, action; eva, itself. You ought not to sit ietly, or even renounce. Therefore, you (undertake actions) because they were performed by the ancients as well-if you have no Self-knowledge, then (undertake actions) for self-purification; or, if you have Self-knowledge, then (undertake actions) in order to prevent people from going astray-, as were krtam, performed; purvataram, earlier; purvaih, by the ancient ones, Janaka and others; not actions as are undertaken in the present day. [This last portion of the sentence is translated by some as follows: You should not undertake actions which are done in the present manner (i.e. do not perform actions in the manner undertakne by people nowadays, which neither purifies the mind nor helps people). (See G1. Pr. p. 114.) 'If action has to be undertaken here, then I shall do so following Your instruction itself. What is the use of specifying that it was done earlier by the ancient ones?' 'The answer is: Because there is a great difficult as regards actions.' How?
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
4.15 Actions of the kind described above were performed even by the aspirants of old for liberation, who have become free from evil after knowing Me in this way. Therefore, after having got rid of the sins by knowledge of Me in the aforesaid way, perform actions in the same way as they were performed by those ancients like Vivasvan, Manu etc., in olden times, in the way in which their performance was taught by Me even then. I shall declare it again in what follows. Sri Krsna stresses the difficulty of undertaking the type of Karma that is going to be taught now.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
4.15 Evam etc. Therefore being purified by this [sort of] conviction you too should perform actions that are to be necessarily performed. But, if it is said that success would result just from the non-performance of action, that is not correct. For -
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
4.15 Having known this, the ancient seekers after freedom also performed action; therefore do thou also perform action, as did the ancients in days of yore.
Commentary

4.15 एवं thus? ज्ञात्वा having known? कृतम् (was) done? कर्म action? पूर्वैः by ancients? अपि also? मुमुक्षुभिः seekers after freedom? कुरु perform? कर्म action? एव even? तस्मात् therefore? त्वम् thou? पूर्वैः by ancients?,पूर्वतरम् in the olden time? कृतम् done.Commentary Knowing thus that the Self can have no desire for the fruits of actions and cannot be tainted by them? and knowing that no one can be tainted if he works without egoism? attachment and expectation of fruits? do thou perform your duty.If your heart is impure? perform actions for its purification. If you have attained AtmaJnana or the knowledge of the Self? work for the wellbeing of the world. The ancients such as Janaka and others performed actions in the days of yore. So do thou also perform action.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
4.15 Having known thus, duties were performed even by the ancient seekers of Liberation. Thererfore you undertake action itself as was performed earlier by the ancient ones.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
4.15 In the light of wisdom, our ancestors, who sought deliverance, performed their acts. Act thou also, as did our fathers of old.
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)
Related verses
BG 3.20 BG 3.19 BG 4.14 SB 9.13.27 SB 5.1.5 SB 11.29.13 CC Madhya 17.186 CC Madhya 22.79 CC Madhya 25.100 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.14Īśa Upaniṣad 2
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
All the liberated souls of antiquity acted with this understanding — therefore perform your prescribed duty as they did.
Practical Applications
  • Take liberated souls as your action-models, not contemporary opinion-leaders.
  • Read biographies of mahājanas regularly.
  • Imitate them in stance even when you can't yet match them in realization.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose biography would deepen my action-model right now?
  • What habit of a liberated soul am I genuinely imitating?
Analogy

A young pilgrim does not invent his route; he walks in the worn footprints of those who reached the summit before. The way the mahājanas before him performed work — full activity, no clinging — is the proven trail. Kṛṣṇa's instruction is: do not improvise; tread their groove.

Stories
Ambarīṣa's regulated life

King Ambarīṣa ruled the earth as a mahārāja and yet observed Ekādaśī with the discipline of a renunciate. Bhāgavatam describes how he fixed his mind on Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, his words on Kṛṣṇa's glories, his hands on cleaning Kṛṣṇa's temple, his ears on hearing about Kṛṣṇa, his eyes on seeing Kṛṣṇa's deity — and so on through every sense and faculty.

This is karma performed pūrvaiḥ pūrva-taram — as the earlier ones, even earlier than the earlier, performed it. Durvāsā Muni, who came to test him, learned from Viṣṇu's cakra that imitating the action-pattern of liberated souls makes one untouchable.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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