Gita 03.30 – Focus not on detaching from the entangling but on attaching to the liberating
mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi
sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā
nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā
yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ (Bg 3.30)
Word-for-word:
mayi — unto Me; sarvāṇi — all sorts of; karmāṇi — activities; sannyasya — giving up completely; adhyātma — with full knowledge of the self; cetasā — by consciousness; nirāśīḥ — without desire for profit; nirmamaḥ — without ownership; bhūtvā — so being; yudhyasva — fight; vigata-jvaraḥ — without being lethargic.
Translation:
Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight.
Explanation:
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa introduces Himself as the ultimate object of the process of karma-yoga. This is the first time in the chapter that He highlights the devotional dimension of karma-yoga. Until now, the emphasis has primarily been on detachment.
When one works in a spirit of detachment, one avoids entanglement. But if we are not working for our own gratification, then for whose satisfaction are we working? The answer is—for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction. Our actions are meant to be offered to Him.
This is how karma-yoga gradually blossoms into bhakti-yoga. In this chapter, Kṛṣṇa has briefly referred to His distinctive position—specifically in verse 3.22, where He says, na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana—indicating that He has no duty to perform in any of the three worlds. This points to the fact that He is not an ordinary person, but someone special. It is an indirect reference to His supreme position.
Even then, the emphasis there is: “Even I perform duty and karma.” In that context, Kṛṣṇa is portrayed more as an exemplar of karma-yoga—one who demonstrates how to live by its principles—rather than as the object of karma-yoga.
It is in this verse that the true object of karma-yoga is revealed—the one to whom the fruits of detached work are ultimately to be offered.
A similar idea was expressed earlier in verse 3.9—yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra—but there, the term yajña is a more generic reference. In contrast, here it is much more specific—mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi—“Surrendering all your actions unto Me.”
In Chapter 3, the mention of yajña is immediately followed by a description of the entire process of yajña, and how it plays a pivotal role in the cyclic cosmic cooperation that sustains the universe and all living beings. However, the connection between that yajña and Kṛṣṇa is not directly evident in the text—it must be brought out by the ācāryas.
Here, by contrast, the connection is explicit.
mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi: Surrender all your actions for My sake.
sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā: Let your consciousness be spiritual.
At the karma-kāṇḍa level, people may sometimes give charity—occasionally even a significant portion. They believe that whatever they give now will return to them tenfold in heaven. It is seen as a very good investment. However, even if such actions are motivated by thoughts of a future life, the mindset is still not ādhyātma-cetasā. The consciousness remains material—rooted in bodily identity and directed toward heavenly, which means bodily, pleasures.
But ādhyātma-cetasā means understanding that “I am a soul,” and recognizing that the only truly auspicious goal is liberation from material existence.
nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā: Kṛṣṇa speaks here of two essential renunciations—giving up desire (nirāśīr) and giving up proprietorship (nirmamaḥ). These are the two fundamental forces that bind us to the material world.
Becoming renounced and situated in spiritual consciousness means not desiring to enjoy anything of this world and not claiming proprietorship over what one possesses. This represents a deeper level of disconnection from the world.
Kṛṣṇa will later say “yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham” in 9.22. The implication there is that although a devotee is nirāśīḥ and nirmamaḥ—not desiring what they do not have and not claiming possessiveness over what they do have—Kṛṣṇa personally protects what they possess and provides what they lack.
Without the understanding that Kṛṣṇa is the protector, the instruction to be “nirāśīḥ nirmamaḥ” can seem like a prohibitive and even harsh demand. But when we understand Kṛṣṇa to be both the protector and the provider, our focus shifts. We are no longer absorbed in contemplating the futility or insubstantiality of material things. Instead, we begin to contemplate the glory of Kṛṣṇa and how we can attain Him.
At this stage, Kṛṣṇa emphasizes—work for Me, renounce desire, renounce possessiveness, and then fight (yudhyasva). How should one fight? Vigata-jvaraḥ—the word jvara can mean either lethargy or feverishness. In other words, give up whatever is obstructing you from performing your duty.
Kṛṣṇa is telling Arjuna: Set aside the obstacles and carry out your duty with full focus. Do your duty properly.
This verse can be analyzed in multiple ways. One perspective is that Kṛṣṇa is speaking about being situated at the transcendental level. The first line refers to transcendence—mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi. The phrase “sannyasyādhyātma-cetasā” points to a state of goodness that stretches toward transcendence. When one acts in goodness, one works with detachment, and from sattva arises knowledge—jñānam—including the knowledge of one’s spiritual identity.
The second line emphasizes being situated in goodness, while the third line discusses rejecting the mode of passion. The phrase “nirāśīr nirmamaḥ bhūtvā”—giving up desire and possessiveness—addresses the very forces that drag our consciousness down to the material level in pursuit of material pleasure. This is the essence of the mode of passion—consciousness trapped in material enjoyment.
The last line—yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ—addresses a common objection arising from the mode of passion: “If I am told I will gain nothing, what’s in it for me? If I am told I should desire nothing and possess nothing, why should I work at all?” Such thinking is rooted in the mode of ignorance.
Kṛṣṇa instructs us to give up that thought. By abandoning lethargy and laziness—both obstacles to action—we must fight. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the purport that Kṛṣṇa is, in effect, instructing Arjuna to fight with military discipline—the idea being to put aside lethargy that prevents diligent effort. We must set aside such obstacles and fight for Kṛṣṇa’s sake.
This verse describes a stage of consciousness that will eventually mature into pure devotional service. Here, however, it is still progressing from karma-yoga, where the emphasis is on distancing oneself from the body and bodily concerns, recognizing that these cause attachment and entanglement.
Karma-yoga primarily focuses on detachment—separating oneself from entanglement—whereas bhakti-yoga focuses on attachment to the disentangler. When we attach ourselves to Kṛṣṇa, the supremely all-attractive person, we naturally become disentangled from material existence as a by-product. As devotees, our attention shifts to serving Kṛṣṇa in every situation. If we can simply continue to serve Him faithfully, liberation from material existence will follow as a natural consequence.
In the next two verses, Kṛṣṇa will explain how faithfully abiding by His instructions leads to liberation, while faithlessness results in bondage and misery, contrasting the consequences of faithfulness and faithlessness.
But here, Kṛṣṇa gives a clarion call. This is not merely an informative or analytical verse—it is an imperative one. Yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ—Kṛṣṇa is instructing Arjuna directly. He urges Arjuna to give up lethargy, desire, and possessiveness, to situate himself in spiritual consciousness and renunciation, and when he fights, to do so for Kṛṣṇa’s sake, offering all his actions to Him.
The implication is clear—if Arjuna follows this instruction, he will attain perfection and liberation. This verse appears just ten verses after Kṛṣṇa provided the example of how someone attains liberation through work—karmaṇaiva hi saṁsiddhim āsthitā janakādayaḥ (Bhagavad-gītā 3.20). Just as King Janaka attained perfection, Arjuna will also attain perfection if he works in this way.
Thank you.
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