Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Now Krishna will give analysis of Tyaga in terms of three modes. 

Bg 18.7

niyatasya tu sannyāsaḥ
karmaṇo nopapadyate
mohāt tasya parityāgas
tāmasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ

Synonyms: 

niyatasya — prescribed; tu — but; sannyāsaḥ — renunciation; karmaṇaḥ — of activities; na — never; upapadyate— is deserved; mohāt — by illusion; tasya — of them; parityāgaḥ — renunciation; tāmasaḥ — in the mode of ignorance; parikīrtitaḥ — is declared.

Translation: 

Prescribed duties should never be renounced. If one gives up his prescribed duties because of illusion, such renunciation is said to be in the mode of ignorance.

niyatasya tu sannyāsaḥ, niyatasya means nitya Karam what is prescribed, Krishna  says earlier that this should not be given up but if somebody gives it up, 

karmaṇo nopapadyate, that which is not worthy of being given up.

mohāt tasya parityāgas, such tyaga is out of illusion, 

tāmasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ, that is declared to be in the mode of ignorance. parikīrtitaḥ, it is known to be. 

Generally we think renunciation is good it is quite glorified in Vedic scriptures and we see that even great kings has respected renunciate but BG penetrated beyond the superficial analysis where it says that one should describe that even renunciation can be in three modes, and renunciation in the mode of ignorance doesn’t lead to elevation, renunciation ultimately means to facilitate devotion to facilitate liberation, Srila Prabhupda said even hippies has done Serva Dharman Paritajya but that didn’t make them followers of BG they also have to do second part ☺, 

So just giving up once activity is not renunciation or it is tamasik renunciation, Krishna condemns it mohāt tasya parityāgas, this is out of illusion, this mohat is important because earlier also it is used to characterized mode of ignorance,  Prakasm Ca Pravritim Ca Moha eva pandava 

Krishna used one word each to characterized the modes, He has used Prakasa, illumination for goodness, Pravriti, action for passion and Moha delusion or illusion for ignorance, so Krishna used same word Mohat over here so generally speaking. Generally most people in pious culture think that if a person become renounced then what is the reason for renunciation? O this person has got some great wisdom, may be this person is enlightened, may be this person has got some extra ordinary knowledge and illumination of that the person become renounced, but Krishna is underscoring that renunciation is not always because of illumination it can be because of illusion also, that means one has some duty but one reject those duty and responsibility, and that is tamasik, and Krishna doesn’t at all recommend that.

End of transcription.