Devanagari
प्रकृतेर्गुणसम्मूढाः सज्जन्ते गुणकर्मसु ।
तानकृत्स्नविदो मन्दान्कृत्स्नविन्न विचालयेत् ॥ २९ ॥
Verse text
prakṛter guṇa-sammūḍhāḥ
sajjante guṇa-karmasu
tān akṛtsna-vido mandān
kṛtsna-vin na vicālayet
Synonyms
prakṛteḥ
—
of material nature
;
guṇa
—
by the modes
;
sammūḍhāḥ
—
befooled by material identification
;
sajjante
—
they become engaged
;
guṇa-karmasu
—
in material activities
;
tān
—
those
;
akṛtsna-vidaḥ
—
persons with a poor fund of knowledge
;
mandān
—
lazy to understand self-realization
;
kṛtsna-vit
—
one who is in factual knowledge
;
na
—
not
;
vicālayet
—
should try to agitate.
Translation
Bewildered by the modes of material nature, the ignorant fully engage themselves in material activities and become attached. But the wise should not unsettle them, although these duties are inferior due to the performers’ lack of knowledge.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
29. Those bewildered by the senses made of prakṛti are attached to the sense objects.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
29. Those bewildered by the senses made of prakṛti are attached to the actions of body and senses. One who knows the soul does not disturb those foolish persons who do not know ātmā.
Purport
Persons who are unknowledgeable falsely identify with gross material consciousness and are full of material designations. This body is a gift of the material nature, and one who is too much attached to the bodily consciousness is called manda, or a lazy person without understanding of spirit soul. Ignorant men think of the body as the self; they accept bodily connections with others as kinsmanship, the land in which the body is obtained is their object of worship, and they consider the formalities of religious rituals to be ends in themselves. Social work, nationalism and altruism are some of the activities for such materially designated persons. Under the spell of such designations, they are always busy in the material field; for them spiritual realization is a myth, and so they are not interested. Those who are enlightened in spiritual life, however, should not try to agitate such materially engrossed persons. Better to prosecute one’s own spiritual activities silently. Such bewildered persons may be engaged in such primary moral principles of life as nonviolence and similar materially benevolent work.
Men who are ignorant cannot appreciate activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa advises us not to disturb them and simply waste valuable time. But the devotees of the Lord are more kind than the Lord because they understand the purpose of the Lord. Consequently they undertake all kinds of risks, even to the point of approaching ignorant men to try to engage them in the acts of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which are absolutely necessary for the human being.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
One who knows everything does not disturb those foolish persons who do not know.
If the jīvas are separate from the senses and the sense objects, without relationship to them, then why is it seen that people are attached to the sense objects? This verse answers.
By absorption in the senses made of matter, jīvas become bewildered. Just like a man possessed by a ghost thinks himself a ghost, the jīvas absorbed in the senses made of matter think themselves to be the senses. Then they become attached to the sense objects (guṇa-karmaṣu). The man who knows all (kṛtsnavit) does not disturb those who are ignorant. He does not attempt to make them realize that they, as jīvas, are different from the senses, that they are not the senses. Instead he engages them in action without desire, which will remove the absorption in the senses. One does not cure a man possessed of a ghost even by instructing him even a hundred times, “You are a man, not a ghost!” Instead one cures him by use of mantras, jewels and medicines which will remove that affliction.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
This verse concludes the ideas presented in verse 26. Those who are bewildered by false ego (guṇa saṁmūḍhāḥ), which is a product of prakṛti, those who think the body to be the self, in the manner of a person possessed by a ghost, become attached to the actions of the body and senses (guṇa karmaṣu). One who has full knowledge of ātmā (kṛtsna vit) does not disturb those of little intelligence (akṛtsna vidaḥ), who are lazy in understanding ātmā (mandān). He should not desire to make such persons understand the truth by saying “You are not actions of the body and senses. You are the bliss of pure consciousness.” Rather, following their taste for action, through engaging them in a succession of Vedic duties, he should desire to arouse their interest in the ātmā.
Surrender Unto Me
And why shouldn't the wise unsettle them? Because people have to be engaged otherwise they get into more trouble when they are not engaged. They should engage in their duties and they should be encouraged to work in devotion and offer the fruits of their work in devotional service.
What happens who don't have knowledge and aren't engaged in activities? The result is "varna‑sankara", unwanted progeny.
Next text brings this niskama karma up to the platform of bhakti.