Devanagari
नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन ।
न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रयः ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
naiva tasya kṛtenārtho
nākṛteneha kaścana
na cāsya sarva-bhūteṣu
kaścid artha-vyapāśrayaḥ
Synonyms
na
—
never
;
eva
—
certainly
;
tasya
—
his
;
kṛtena
—
by discharge of duty
;
arthaḥ
—
purpose
;
na
—
nor
;
akṛtena
—
without discharge of duty
;
iha
—
in this world
;
kaścana
—
whatever
;
na
—
never
;
ca
—
and
;
asya
—
of him
;
sarva-bhūteṣu
—
among all living beings
;
kaścit
—
any
;
artha
—
purpose
;
vyapāśrayaḥ
—
taking shelter of.
Translation
A self-realized man has no purpose to fulfill in the discharge of his prescribed duties, nor has he any reason not to perform such work. Nor has he any need to depend on any other living being.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
18. He does not gain by performance of action, nor lose by not performing action. For him, nothing in this world is worthy of pursuing for fulfilling his desires.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
18. He gains no results by performance of prescribed actions for seeing the ātmā, nor does he produce obstacles to seeing that ātmā by not performing those prescribed actions. For him, nothing in this world is a worthy object of prescribed actions for facilitating his vision of ātmā.
Purport
A self-realized man is no longer obliged to perform any prescribed duty, save and except activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not inactivity either, as will be explained in the following verses. A Kṛṣṇa conscious man does not take shelter of any person – man or demigod. Whatever he does in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sufficient in the discharge of his obligation.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
By performance of action there is no accrual of desired results. And by not performing the action there is no loss, because nothing in the whole universe, from Brahmā down to the inanimate objects, is a worthy object of shelter for fulfilling his goals.
The word vyapāśraya is used similarly in the Purāṇas as follows:
vāsudeve bhagavati bhaktim udvahatāṁ nṛṇām
jṣāna-vairāgya-vīryāṇāṁ neha kaścid vyapāśrayaḥ
Persons engaged in devotional service to Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, have naturally perfect knowledge and detachment from this material world. Therefore such devotees are not interested in the so-called happiness or so-called distress of this world. SB 6.17.31
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ
Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him. SB 2.4.18
argo ’syātha visargaś ca vṛtti-rakṣāntarāṇi ca
vaṁśo vaṁśānucarītaṁ saṁsthā hetur apāśrayaḥ
O brāhmaṇa, authorities on the matter understand a Purāṇa to contain ten characteristic topics: the creation of this universe, the subsequent creation of worlds and beings, the maintenance of all living beings, their sustenance, the rule of various Manus, the dynasties of great kings, the activities of such kings, annihilation, motivation and the supreme shelter. SB 12.7.9
From these statements it is seen that the addition of apa to āśraya has the meaning of “perfect shelter.”
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
There is no result (arthaḥ) by his performance of prescribed actions (krṭena) for the purpose of realizing the ātmā, and he incurs no obstacles for seeing ātmā, by non-performance of prescribed actions (akṛtena) for seeing the ātmā, because by his nature he sees the ātmā already.
It is not that he should fear obstacles from the devatas by neglecting prescribed actions (including devatā worship), and then attempt to please them by performing prescribed actions which entails worshipping them. The śrutis describe the devatās as being opposed to knowledge of ātmā.
tasmāt tad eṣāṁ devānāṁ na priyaṁ yad etan manuṣā vidur
That ātmā which men know is not dear to the devatās. Bṛhad Araṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.10
For one who has gained vision of ātmā, the person in knowledge, no person among all beings (sarva bhuteṣu), among humans and devas, is a worthy object of service (vyapāśrayaḥ) for the purpose of removing obstacles to his attraction to ātmā (artha), by performance of prescribed actions. Before the manifestation of knowledge, the devas create obstacles (for non-performance of duty), but after a person has attained a taste of the ātmā, they do not create obstacles for his seeing ātmā, since the taste of ātmā is influential. It is also said:
tasya ha na devāś ca nābhūtyā īśate ātmā hy eṣāṁ sambhavati
For only one who has realized ātmā, even the devas do not create obstacles, for the ātmā also becomes dear to them. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.10
Ha na in the upaniṣad verse are particles meaning api (even). Even the devas are not powerful enough to injure the taste for ātmā (bhūtyai) of one how has realized ātmā (tasya), because (hi) that ātmā also becomes dear to them.
Surrender Unto Me
Therefore, because one is not trying to get anything from doing his prescribed duties, Krsna says: