गीताभ्यासे 4-14 न मां कर्माणि + 4-15 एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म
ॐ
नमो नम:
गीताभ्यासे 4-14 न मां कर्माणि + 4-15 एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म
A study by S. L. Abhyankar
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In the scripting below, orange highlighting indicates spots of पदच्छेदा:
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा ।
इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ॥ ४-१४॥
पदच्छेदैः - न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा । इति मां य: अभिजानाति कर्मभि: न स: बध्यते ॥
(2a) वाक्यांशशः विश्लेषणम् of (४-१४)
Note, the word इति in 3a makes clauses (1) and (2) adjectival of माम् in (3a). One may replace इति by saying यं कर्माणि न लिम्पन्ति यस्य कर्मफले स्पृहा च न भवति (तद्विधं) मां यः अभिजानाति सः कर्मभिः न बध्यते. This way (1), (2), (3a) and (3b) become a single sentence.
वाक्यांशः (3b) has कर्मणिप्रयोगः. In कर्तरिप्रयोगः it would be कर्माणि तं न बध्नन्ति. Comes to mind that कर्माणि are the police. They bind बध्नन्ति put the जीवात्मा in jail. That jail is the cycle of births and deaths.
बन्धनम् by कर्माणि is a corollary of being born. That is how बन्धनम् by कर्माणि is the jail in the cycle of births and deaths. Freedom from बन्धनम् by कर्माणि is not to be born again. That is emancipation मोक्षः. सः कर्मभिः न बध्यते means he attains मोक्षः.
One more interesting point is that whatever कर्माणि बध्नन्ति or न बध्नन्ति are of oneself only. So, it is oneself, who has to be alert that कर्माणि of oneself न बध्नन्ति.
Alertness does not mean that one may not do any कर्माणि, so that there is no opportunity for कर्माणि बध्नन्ति. The alertness is in cultivating and imbibing the culture of न कर्मफले स्पृहा.
If जीवात्मा has to be free of the anxiety of बन्धनम् an arrest by कर्माणि the police, he must not have कर्मफले स्पृहा same as श्रीकृष्णभगवान् also has न कर्मफले स्पृहा.
Note स्पृहा [स्पृह्-अञ्] Desire, eager desire, ardent wish, longing, envy, covetousness;
The phrase न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति brings to mind a similar quote in ईशोपनिषत् “न कर्म लिप्यते नरे”.
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति can be granted to श्रीकृष्णभगवान् because He is श्रीकृष्णभगवान्.
But how can “न कर्म लिप्यते नरे” be granted to all ?
I discussed this at quite some length at https://upanishadaabhyaasa.blogspot.com/2021/08/blog-post_19.html
I would like to copy-paste all that here, because it is quite relevant.
“... What I have not understood is न कर्म लिप्यते नरे Karma does not get anointed on the person.
In गीता
करणं कर्म कर्तेति त्रिविधः कर्मसङ्ग्रहः ॥ १८-१८॥
This line can be interpreted in two ways due to two meanings of the word सङ्ग्रहः - constituent, repository.
करणं कर्म कर्ता is the triad of constituents of कर्म.
करणं कर्म कर्ता is the triad of repositories of कर्म.
The second meaning is akin to कर्म लिप्यते नरे Karma does get anointed on the person.
For the first meaning i.e. in respect of constituents of कर्म, in 18-13 and 18-14, there are already five constituents of कर्म, not just three detailed →
पञ्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे ।
साङ्ख्ये कृतान्ते प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम् ॥ १८-१३॥
पञ्चैतानि कारणानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम् five essentials for fulfillment of any कर्म
अधिष्ठानं तथा कर्ता करणं च पृथग्विधम् ।
विविधाश्च पृथक्चेष्टा दैवं चैवात्र पञ्चमम् ॥ १८-१४॥
Among the five essentials are enumerated अधिष्ठानम् कर्ता करणम्. The fourth one विविधाश्च पृथक्चेष्टा is nothing but कर्म and the fifth one is दैवम्.
Hence meaning of 18-18 should be करणं कर्म कर्ता is the triad of repositories of कर्म. This then contradicts न कर्म लिप्यते नरे in ईशोपनिषत्.
(३) The statement न कर्म लिप्यते नरे seems to have been better endorsed in गीता in
ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः ।
लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा ॥ ५-१०॥
Here the phrase लिप्यते न is very much there. Here it is qualified by the condition सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा.
पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा is a very picturesque simile for न लिप्यते.
Actually the worry should not be for कर्म लिप्यते or न लिप्यते. The worry should be whether पापेन लिप्यते.
आचार्य विनोबा भावे in his ईशावास्यवृत्ति adds an interesting shade of meaning of the word नरे = नेतरि (नेतृ leader, one having leadership qualities पुं. 7/1). In गीता श्रीकृष्णभगवान् is नेता the leader, leading अर्जुनः to right action. See
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा ।
इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ॥ ४-१४॥
कर्माणि do not anoint Him, because He is a नेता, नरः. Live life as a नेता, नरः and proceed to become नारायणः
(४) Grammatically the sentence न कर्म लिप्यते नरे is in passive voice. There is significance in that also. A natural question in the instance of passive voice is “by whom ?” The answer is normally the subject word in active voice, which, in passive voice, is with the preposition “by”. In Sanskrit the word is in तृतीया विभक्तिः. But here there is no such word. Absence of such a word means that the action कर्म लिप्यते, न लिप्यते वा is not predetermined. Isn’t that grammatical smartness of employing passive voice, when the prerogative of an action is not to be vested with anyone, not with anyone else ?
(५) Taking clue from this we should rather read न कर्म लिप्यते नरे in ईशोपनिषत् as सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा कृतं कर्म नरे न लिप्यते i.e. any कर्म if it is done सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा with detachment of ego, then such कर्म नरे न लिप्यते.
Actually सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा is not just with detachment of ego but also with total disinterest in results of कर्म i.e. disinterest in कर्मफलम्. This advice to be disinterested in कर्मफलम् is there in गीता very emphatically and repeatedly. …”
Note, disinterest in कर्मफलम् is mentioned here also “न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा”.
Just a couple of words to be looked into grammatically and lexically.
लिम्पन्ति - लट् प्र. पु. बहु. of लिप् लिपँ उपदेहे ( to anoint, to besmear, to cover, to spread over, to stain) तुदादिः ०६.०१६९ उभयपदी सकर्मकः अनिट्
अभिजानाति - लट् प्र. पु. एक. of अभिज्ञा 9 U. 1 To recognize, discern; -2 To know, understand, be acquainted with, be aware of, perceive.
अभिज्ञा brings to mind the drama अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तलम् by महाकविः कालिदासः. The drama is mostly known only as शाकुन्तलम्. But कालिदासः must have given it the title as अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तलम् with some discernment.
Note, in Apte’s dictionary for the word अभिज्ञानम् it is detailed that अभिज्ञान is a combination of अनुभव or direct perception and स्मृति or recollection; a sort of direct perception assisted by the memory; as when we say 'this is the same man I saw yesterday' सोऽयं ह्यो दृष्टो नरः, अनुभव or direct perception leading to the identification expressed by अयम् and the memory leading to the reference to past action expressed by सः. In the drama king Duṣyanta marries Kaṇva's foster daughter Śakuntalā by the Gāndharva form of marriage, forgets all about her owing to the curse of Durvāsas, but ultimately recollects, at the sight of the token-ring (अभिज्ञान) that he had duly married her; अभिज्ञानेन स्मृता शकुन्तला अभिज्ञानशकुन्तला; तामधिकृत्य कृतं नाटकं अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तलम्.
So, अभिजानाति = जानाति, अनुभवति स्मरति च. Here न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति is something to be known and न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा is something to be recalled time and again. So, together, न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति and न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा इति मां य: अभिजानाति makes a perfect sentence with अभिजानाति.
(3) Overall meaning सारांशतः of (४-१४)
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति = I do not get anointed by कर्माणि
न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा = I have no interest in fruits of action
इति मां य: अभिजानाति = one, who knows, understands me as such
कर्मभि: न स: बध्यते = he also does not suffer bondage by कर्माणि.
(4) छन्दोविश्लेषणम् of (४-१४)
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति (८ अक्षराणि) “णि लिम्प(न्ति)” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-२
न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा (८ अक्षराणि) “फले स्पृ” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-१
इति मां योऽभिजानाति (८ अक्षराणि) “भिजाना” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-२
कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते (८ अक्षराणि) “स बध्य” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-१
अनुष्टुभ छन्दः in (४-१४)
Now let us study the next श्लोक:
एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैरपि मुमुक्षुभिः ।
कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात्त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् ॥ ४-१५॥
पदच्छेदैः - एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वै: अपि मुमुक्षुभिः । कुरु कर्म एव तस्मात् त्वम् पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् ॥
(2b) वाक्यांशशः विश्लेषणम् of (४-१५)
Notes -
Note in the वाक्यांशः एवं ज्ञात्वा, the word एवं by grammar is अव्ययम्, but is as good as कर्मपदीयम्. The word is also pronominal referring to what all is mentioned in the previous श्लोक:. That is the logic in taking these two श्लोकौ together.
2. Also the word मुमुक्षुभिः is synonymous to the thoughts of कर्माणि न लिम्पन्ति or कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते in the previous श्लोक:.
Note मुमुक्षुभिः is मुमुक्षु वि. 3/3
मुमुक्षु a. 1 Desirous of releasing or liberating. -2 Wishing to discharge. -3 About to shoot (arrows &c.); तस्यापरेष्वपि मृगेषु शरान् मुमुक्षोः R.9.58. -4 Wishing to be free from worldly existence, striving after final emancipation. -क्षुः A sage striving after final emancipation or beatitude;
3. In the श्लोक: the words पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् are so much together. But on deliberation it came to mind that पूर्वतरम् has a comparative degree. So, a related word should have पञ्चमी विभक्ति. The word पूर्वैः has तृतीया विभक्तिः. The word तस्मात् has पञ्चमी विभक्ति. So, I think it is good logic to have वाक्यांशः (3a) as पूर्वैः कृतम् and वाक्यांशः (3b) as तस्मात् पूर्वतरं कर्म एव त्वम् कुरु.
4. Of course the word तस्मात् also has the sense of ‘hence’.
5. The phrase पूर्वतरं कर्म एव त्वम् कुरु implies confidence of श्रीकृष्णभगवान् in अर्जुनः that whatever कर्म अर्जुनः has to do, he will certainly excel.
6. Alternatively by the phrase पूर्वतरं कर्म एव त्वम् कुरु meaning “do only that कर्म which will be better than what was done earlier”, श्रीकृष्णभगवान् wants to enthuse अर्जुनः, which was the basic purpose of गीता.
7. The phrase पूर्वैः मुमुक्षुभिः seems to be referring to the lineage परम्परा of ऋषयः राजर्षयः महर्षयः mentioned in (४-२) परम्परा of those who practised and passed on योगः, as first told by श्रीकृष्णभगवान् to विवस्वान्
(3) Overall meaning सारांशतः
पूर्वै: मुमुक्षुभिः अपि = sages of the old, who were desirous of emancipation
एवं ज्ञात्वा = by knowing (all) that (only)
कर्म कृतम् = did कर्म.
त्वम् = you too
पूर्वैः कृतम् = what and how the sages did
तस्मात् पूर्वतरं कर्म एव कुरु = do कर्म only better than what and how it was done earlier
(4) छन्दोविश्लेषणम्
एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म (८ अक्षराणि) “कृतं क(र्म)” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-२
पूर्वैरपि मुमुक्षुभिः (८ अक्षराणि) “मुमुक्षु” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-१
कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात्त्वं (८ अक्षराणि) “व तस्मा” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-२
पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् (८ अक्षराणि) “तरं कृ” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-१
अनुष्टुभ छन्दः in (४-१५)
(5) टिप्पण्यः Notes of self-study
(1) Notes have been jotted down already for both the श्लोकौ individually.
(2) The phrase एवं ज्ञात्वा in (४-१५) connects it with the previous श्लोक: (४-१४). That is the logic of studying the two श्लोकौ together. Let me recapitulate at least the overall meanings
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति = I do not get anointed by कर्माणि
न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा = I have no interest in fruits of action
इति मां य: अभिजानाति = one, who knows, understands me as such
कर्मभि: न स: बध्यते = he also does not suffer bondage by कर्माणि.
पूर्वै: मुमुक्षुभिः अपि = sages of the old, who were desirous of emancipation
एवं ज्ञात्वा = by knowing (all) that (only)
कर्म कृतम् = did कर्म.
त्वम् = you too
पूर्वैः कृतम् = what and how the sages did
तस्मात् पूर्वतरं कर्म एव कुरु = do कर्म only better than what and how it was done earlier
(3) The overall message is त्वम् कर्म एव कुरु not only for अर्जुनः but for all of us. In fact the message is पूर्वतरं कर्म एव कुरु. One eulogizing his forefathers, resting on their laurels does not himself become respectable. पूर्वतरं कर्म एव कुरु is the way to carry the flag high.
(४) पूर्वे मुमुक्षवः are not just the forefathers of a particular family stock. पूर्वे मुमुक्षवः are all ऋषयः मुनयः कवयः all अवताराः and all great personalities from time immemorial, who set great norms for the entire human race. The flag is of the great norms handed down by them. That flag has to be carried high by each one of us by ourselves doing पूर्वतरं कर्म एव.
शुभमस्तु !
-o-O-o-
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