Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

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

Here we are discussing Gyana of Karma Yogi, how the Karma Yogi can situate himself by doing action by understanding the three modes of material nature with respect to the correlation with various elements of the action, so till the Gyana Ca Karam Ca Karta Ca that is mentioned in verse 19, and that is discussed in subsequent 9 verses, first talked about Gyana, then Karam then Karta. 

Now 29th verse is another transition verse, where the further elements of action will be mentioned, and those elements will be analyzed in a subsequent verses i.e. 30 onward till 39, buddhi, dhrti and sukham

18.19-39: analysis of action as per three modes

20-22: knowledge –first step in action

23-25: Karma –nature of action

26 -28: karta–nature of the doer / actor

30-32: buddhi –the understanding for action

33-35: dhrti–determination for action

36-39: sukha-fruit of action, that is, happiness

Bg 18.29

buddher bhedaṁ dhṛteś caiva
guṇatas tri-vidhaṁ śṛṇu
procyamānam aśeṣeṇa
pṛthaktvena dhanañ-jaya

Synonyms: 

buddheḥ — of intelligence; bhedam — the differences; dhṛteḥ — of steadiness; ca — also; eva — certainly; guṇataḥ — by the modes of material nature; tri–vidham — of three kinds; śṛṇu — just hear; procyamānam — as described by Me; aśeṣeṇa — in detail; pṛthaktvena — differently; dhanam–jaya — O winner of wealth.

Translation: 

O winner of wealth, now please listen as I tell you in detail of the different kinds of understanding and determination, according to the three modes of material nature.

 

buddher bhedaṁ dhṛteś caiva, 

bhedaṁ is differentiation, analysis, categorization,  

guṇatas tri-vidhaṁ śṛṇu, in terms of three modes, 

Bhedha of what? Buddhi and Dhrti.

śṛṇu, Arjuna please hear.

procyamānam aśeṣeṇa, I am going to speak it to you in detail, aśeṣeṇa, nothing left exhaustingly, detailed.  

pṛthaktvena dhanañ-jaya, in terms of their difference, 

So Krishna is saying now I will describe Bhudhi and Dhrti

So there will be another translational verse where He will talk about Shukam. That will be 36th verse.

So why specifically Bhuddhi and Dhrti are singled out for discussion?

Earlier Krishna talked about action in three terms Gyana, Karma and Karta. These are the elements of action with respect to what all we perceive in this world. 

  • Gyana: To act first of all we have to perceive what is happening in this world after we perceive i.e. knowledge, 
  • Karma: then we decide how we wanted to act i.e. Karma, 
  • Karta: then while we are doing a particular action there is a person who is doing the action that person is effected by modes in different ways.
  • Now apart form that when we are acting there is buddhi and dhrti which is also involved, 
  • buddhi is intelligence, knowledge, Gyana is often theoretical, intelligence means to see things in proper perspective. 

Suppose if I have to act, then how should I act? What should I do? What should I not do? We will see the differentiation, we will compare Gyana and Buddhi, 

  • Gyana is more in terms of perception and Buddhi is more in terms of action, 
  • and then there is Dhrti, Dhrti means determination. 

So once I understand this is how I should be acting, I should not only be intelligent to decide how I should be acting but after that I should be consistency, the persistence. 

For successful action in this world we should have intelligence and determination.

End of transcription.