#10 Dedicate all actions to Lord without expectations, attachment & regrets & fight for Dharma

Gita Chapter 3

Shloka 26 — न बुद्धिभेदं जनयेदज्ञानां कर्मसङ्गिनाम्।जोषयेत्सर्वकर्माणि विद्वान्युक्तः समाचरन् ।।२६।।

Shloka 27 — प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः। अहंकारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते ।।२७।।

Shloka 28 — तत्त्ववित्तु महाबाहो गुणकर्मविभागयोः । गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्त इति मत्वा न सज्जते ।।२८।।

Mudit,

Shloka 26 is not about advising selfish people, because a selfish person would not at all like to be advised to become selfless. This shloka is about not upsetting a person who is outwardly a sefless person but is not really so in his heart of hearts. Such a person need not be taunted about his hypocrisy, but should be helped to the extent possible discreetly.

Shloka 27 clarifies that all actions of a person any time are due to that person’s gunas according to his nature — satwik, rajasik & tamasik but he erroneously thinks that it is he who is the doer, which thought binds him for ever. Shloka 28 says, that on the other hand the wise person understands that it is not he but the gunas of his nature are acting amongst them selves, which thought does not bind him.

Shloka 29 — प्रकृतेर्गुणसम्मूढाः सज्जन्ते गुणकर्मसु । तानकृत्स्नविदो मन्दान्कृत्स्नविन्न विचालयेत् ।।२९।।

Shloka 30 — मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि संन्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा । निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः ।।३०।।

Shloka 29 is on how not to provoke the utterly selfish people who can become a headache for you; in other words, it is better to ignore them instead of getting into trouble with them. Shloka 30 is exhortation for a person who is devoted to the Lord, that he should dedicate all his actions to the Lord without expectations, without attachment & without regrets & continue his fight for Dharma. I was reading the Gita right from my class 11, and was always trying to live by its exhortations, both in my private life & later when I joined the IAS.

Shloka 31 — ये मे मतमिदं नित्यमनुतिष्ठन्ति मानवाः । श्रद्धावन्तोऽनसूयन्तो मुच्यन्ते तेऽपि कर्मभिः ।।३१।।

Shloka 32 — ये त्वेतदभ्यसूयन्तो नानुतिष्ठन्ति मे मतम् । सर्वज्ञानविमूढांस्तान्विद्धि नष्टानचेतसः ।।३२।।

Good to hear from you so regularly. Your question whether the Gita is a philosophical book — how can it be so? The Gita is a dialogue on the battlefield of Kurukshetra where a war is being waged between the forces of Dharma & Adharma. Every shade of human weakness & emotions has been talked about in this free & frank dialogue between Sri Krishna & Arjuna. While my contact with the Gita was initiated when I was in class 11, it became a passion with me since the year 2004 when our Ija passed away. I began reading it loudly every day without caring to understand what I was reading & must have read it over 500 times after which I began to read 10 shlokas every, taking care to understand every bit of what I read. Reciting Gita shlokas every day from morning to evening is now a daily routine with me.

It is good that you have been hitched to reading a few shlokas every day, while taking care to understand what you are reading so early in your life.This will be of immense benefit to you through out your life, if you manage to maintain this practice.as long as possible.

Shloka 33 — सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि । प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति ।।३३।।

Shloka 34 — इन्द्रियस्येन्द्रियस्यार्थे रागद्वेषौ व्यवस्थितौ । तयोर्न वशमागच्छेत्तौ ह्यस्य परिपन्थिनौ ।।३४।।

You are doing very well in your daily introspection & have improved a lot over the last few years. I notice that you are very conscious of need for you to keep improving. After all, what more can an individual do beyond what one can possibly do? This trend if continued by you, will soon become a habit & you will always continue to develop your personality.

Your question as to what I was like before I was initiated into the Gita — I was an average happy go lucky student till I crossed class 10. If you read my book — “‘Pandit Sriram Sharma Acharya As I Knew Him’ — Memoirs of a Civil Servant”, which is now an e-book, you would have answers to all your questions about my past.

Shloka 33 — implies that we are governed by the three gunas of our nature & we cannot change our nature easily nor should we be doing this forcibly, but if we keep doing noble actions deliberately & consciously without attachment, then we can improve ourselves gradually. Shloka 34 emphasizes that attachment & aversion reside in each one of our senses & we should not allow ourselves to come under their influence, because these two are every person’s sworn enemies, which are obstacles on his path of rectitude.