| 18. He who can
see inaction in action, who can also see action in inaction, he is wise
among men, he is devout he is the performer of all action.Action means what
is done, an act in general. Inaction can be seen in action. and action in
inaction, since both inaction (nivritti) and action (pravritti) presuppose
an agent! 1n fact all our experience of such things as action and agent
is possible only in a state of avidya, only when we have not yet attained
to the Real (vastu). He who sees inaction in action and who sees action
in inaction,he is wise among men, he is devout (yukta, yogin), he has done
all actionThus is he extolled who sees action in inaction and vice versa.(Objection):What
means this incongruity, who can see inaction in action and action in inaction?
Surely action can never realize such an incongruity ?(Answer):This objection
does not apply to our interpretation. To an ignorant man of the world, what
in reality is inaction appears as action, and what in reality is action
appears as inaction. With a view to teach what their real nature is, the
Lord says fie who can see inaction in action,. Hence no incongruity. It
must be a bare truth that the Lord means to teach here, inasmuch as He has
said that he who realizes this view of action and inaction is wise, and
has introduced the subject by saying that there is much to be learnt about
action and inaction, (iv.17). It has also been said that by knowing which
thou shalt be liberated from evil; and certainly freedom from evil cannot
be achieved by means of ,false knowledge. Wherefore, we should under stand
that action and inaction are misunderstood by all living beings and that
the Lord, wishing to remove this false view of them, teaches He whocan see
inaction in action. |
| 18. People have known that
we are the performers of Karma; is it not ? In truth, there is no Kartruthwa
(sense of agentship of action) at all in their true essence of Being; knowing
that we are performing Karma (action) is erroneous. Similarly, it is also
erroneous to think that to sit quiet without doing anything - that alone
is Akarma (non-action). Because, in the thought `I am sitting quiet, there
being the relationship of the ego, even this sitting quiet also is a kind
of Karma alone. Thus as people have understood Karma as Akarma and Akarma
as Karma, one who is wise should properly change this (misconception) and
understand (properly). Such a man will have achieved what is to be achieved
(He attains the goal of Life). |
