BG 2.49
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Devanagari
दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय ।
बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः ॥ ४९ ॥
Verse text
dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma
buddhi-yogād dhanaṣ-jaya
buddhau śaranam anviccha
kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ
Synonyms
dūreṇa
—
discard it at a long distance
;
hi
—
certainly
;
avaram
—
abominable
;
karma
—
activity
;
buddhi-yogāt
—
on the strength of Kṛṣṇa consciousness
;
dhanam-jaya
—
O conqueror of wealth
;
buddhau
—
in such consciousness
;
śaraṇam
—
full surrender
;
anviccha
—
try for
;
kṛpaṇāḥ
—
misers
;
phala-hetavaḥ
—
those desiring fruitive results.
Translation
O Dhanaṣjaya, keep all abominable activities far distant by devotional service, and in that consciousness surrender unto the Lord. Those who want to enjoy the fruits of their work are misers.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
49. O conqueror of wealth, actions with desire are far inferior to niṣkāma-karma-yoga. Surrender to this buddhi-yoga or niṣkāma-karma-yoga. Those who seek results from their work are wretched (and receive bondage).
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
49. O conqueror of wealth, actions with desire are far inferior to niṣkāma karma yoga. Surrender to this buddhi yogam, niṣkāma karma yoga. Those who seek results from their work are wretched (and receive bondage).
Purport
One who has actually come to understand one’s constitutional position as an eternal servitor of the Lord gives up all engagements save working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As already explained, buddhi-yoga means transcendental loving service to the Lord. Such devotional service is the right course of action for the living entity. Only misers desire to enjoy the fruit of their own work just to be further entangled in material bondage. Except for work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all activities are abominable because they continually bind the worker to the cycle of birth and death. One should therefore never desire to be the cause of work. Everything should be done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. Misers do not know how to utilize the assets of riches which they acquire by good fortune or by hard labor. One should spend all energies working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that will make one’s life successful. Like misers, unfortunate persons do not employ their human energy in the service of the Lord.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Kṛṣṇa here criticizes karma done with material desires (sakāma-karma). The actions done with material desire (avaraṁ karma) are far inferior to niṣkāma-karma-yoga offered to the Supreme Lord (buddhi-yogāt). Take shelter of niṣkāma-karma-yoga (buddhau). In this verse buddhi-yoga refers to niṣkāma-karma-yoga rather than bhakti-yoga.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
This verse speaks of the inferior nature of kāmya karma. Kāmya karma which causes problems such as birth and death is far inferior (dūreṇa avaram) to niṣkāma karma (buddhi yogād), which brings about the understanding (buddhi) of the true nature of ātmā. Because of this (hi), take shelter of understanding the ātmā (buddhau śaraṇam anviccha)—perform niṣkāma karma yoga. Those who desire results (pḥala hetavaḥ), who perform the inferior actions, are unfortunate and miserable (kṛpaṇaḥ), being under the control of the flow of birth and death caused by their kāmya karmas. You should not be such a kṛpaṇa.
The misers, greedy for some inexperienced morsel of happiness from their hard earned wealth, cannot give up their wealth, and are thus cheated of the great happiness of giving. Those persons who perform kāmya karmas, greedy for insignificant results from their great toil in performing actions, are cheated of the great happiness of realizing the ātmā. This is the indication of the word kṛpaṇa or miser.
Surrender Unto Me
What are the fruits of one who is trying to enjoy the fruits of his work actually? It is birth and death. That what one gets by being miser.