Devanagari
कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादयः ।
लोकसङ्ग्रहमेवापि सम्पश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
karmaṇaiva hi saṁsiddhim
āsthitā janakādayaḥ
loka-saṅgraham evāpi
sampaśyan kartum arhasi
Synonyms
karmaṇā
—
by work
;
eva
—
even
;
hi
—
certainly
;
saṁsiddhim
—
in perfection
;
āsthitāḥ
—
situated
;
janaka-ādayaḥ
—
Janaka and other kings
;
loka-saṅgraham
—
the people in general
;
eva api
—
also
;
sampaśyan
—
considering
;
kartum
—
to act
;
arhasi
—
you deserve.
Translation
Kings such as Janaka attained perfection solely by performance of prescribed duties. Therefore, just for the sake of educating the people in general, you should perform your work.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
20. Just by performance of prescribed actions, Janaka and others attained success. And just with the consideration of setting example for others, you should perform prescribed work.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
20. By prescribed actions as well as hearing, Janaka and others attained realization of ātmā. And just with the consideration of setting example for others, you should perform work.
Purport
Kings like Janaka were all self-realized souls; consequently they had no obligation to perform the prescribed duties in the Vedas. Nonetheless they performed all prescribed activities just to set examples for the people in general. Janaka was the father of Sītā and father-in-law of Lord Śrī Rāma. Being a great devotee of the Lord, he was transcendentally situated, but because he was the king of Mithilā (a subdivision of Bihar province in India), he had to teach his subjects how to perform prescribed duties. Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, the Lord’s eternal friend, had no need to fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, but they fought to teach people in general that violence is also necessary in a situation where good arguments fail. Before the Battle of Kurukṣetra, every effort was made to avoid the war, even by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the other party was determined to fight. So for such a right cause, there is a necessity for fighting. Although one who is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness may not have any interest in the world, he still works to teach the public how to live and how to act. Experienced persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can act in such a way that others will follow, and this is explained in the following verse.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
He gives proof of such actions in the first part of the verse. In the second part of the verse he says that if you think that you are qualified for jṣāna, even then, you should perform action in order to teach the people.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
In this verse the Lord gives proof of acting according to duty. Becoming pure in heart by means of prescribed action (karmaṇā eva), Janaka and others attained (ātshitāḥ) the perfection of seeing their own ātmā (saṁsiddhim). The word eva with karmaṇā, used to make distinction, indicating its excellence, rather that indicating complete separateness (as in the use of the word “only”). Thus prescribed actions of karma yoga do not exclude hearing and other devotional processes. Some say karma in this context has a more general meaning of hearing and other processes along with performance of sacrifice and other prescribed rites of karma, instead of prescribed duties.
“But you have said that when the saniṣṭha devotee attains vision of ātmā, here is no performance of action to see ātmā. Then why are you giving instructions to perform duties to Me who am fixed in seeing my ātmā and paramātmā (pari niṣṭhita devotee)?”
“Yes, you are such a pari niṣṭḥita devotee, but to teach the common people, I give you instructions to perform action. If both Arjuna and I perform prescribed actions, other people will also perform their prescribed duties. If I did not perform prescribed actions, ignorant people, following My example, would reject action and fall down. Protecting the people is the result of this type of action.”
Surrender Unto Me
Now Krsna is going to explain this point about educating the people in general and the reason why performing one's prescribed duty is necessary to help people in general.
Krsna is explaining here that one work to set a good example and if one renounces work and goes to the forest as Arjuna was sujjesting, then people will follow that example and they will fall down because their hearts are not yet clean.