Bg. 5.6 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

सन्न्यासस्तु महाबाहो दु:खमाप्‍तुमयोगत: । योगयुक्तो मुनिर्ब्रह्म न चिरेणाधिगच्छति ॥ ६ ॥

Verse text

sannyāsas tu mahā-bāho duḥkham āptum ayogataḥ yoga-yukto munir brahma na cireṇādhigacchati

Synonyms

sannyāsaḥ — the renounced order of life ; tu — but ; mahā-bāho — O mighty-armed one ; duḥkham — distress ; āptum — afflicts one with ; ayogataḥ — without devotional service ; yoga-yuktaḥ — one engaged in devotional service ; muniḥ — a thinker ; brahma — the Supreme ; na cireṇa — without delay ; adhigacchati — attains.

Translation

Merely renouncing all activities yet not engaging in the devotional service of the Lord cannot make one happy. But a thoughtful person engaged in devotional service can achieve the Supreme without delay.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

6. Renunciation is difficult to attain without karma-yoga. The jṣānī engaged in karma-yoga quickly attains Brahman.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

6. Renunciation is difficult to attain without karma yoga. The jṣānī engaged in karma yoga quickly attains brahman.

Purport

There are two classes of sannyāsīs, or persons in the renounced order of life. The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are engaged in the study of Sāṅkhya philosophy, whereas the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs are engaged in the study of Bhāgavatam philosophy, which affords the proper commentary on the Vedānta-sūtras. The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs also study the Vedānta-sūtras, but use their own commentary, called Śārīraka-bhāṣya, written by Śaṅkarācārya. The students of the Bhāgavata school are engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, according to pāṣcarātrikī regulations, and therefore the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs have multiple engagements in the transcendental service of the Lord. The Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs have nothing to do with material activities, and yet they perform various activities in their devotional service to the Lord. But the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, engaged in the studies of Sāṅkhya and Vedānta and speculation, cannot relish the transcendental service of the Lord. Because their studies become very tedious, they sometimes become tired of Brahman speculation, and thus they take shelter of the Bhāgavatam without proper understanding. Consequently their study of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam becomes troublesome. Dry speculations and impersonal interpretations by artificial means are all useless for the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. The Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs, who are engaged in devotional service, are happy in the discharge of their transcendental duties, and they have the guarantee of ultimate entrance into the kingdom of God. The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs sometimes fall down from the path of self-realization and again enter into material activities of a philanthropic and altruistic nature, which are nothing but material engagements. Therefore, the conclusion is that those who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa conscious activities are better situated than the sannyāsīs engaged in simple speculation about what is Brahman and what is not Brahman, although they too come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, after many births.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Sannyāsa gives suffering for the jṣānī who cannot fix complete purity in his heart. Karma-yoga however gives pleasure. The intended meaning of what was spoken earlier is made clear. Because of not performing karma-yoga which can pacify the disturbance of the heart, sannyāsa may give rise to suffering, if it is accepted without proper qualification. Thus it is said by the writers of the Vārtikā: pramādino bahiś cittāḥ piśunāḥ kalahotsukāḥ sannyāsīno ’pi dṛśyante daiva-sandūṣitāśrayāḥ [Note: This is also quoted by Śrīdhara Svāmī. Vārtikā means a commentary.] One sees sannyāsīs who are absorbed in sense gratification, with evil minds, fond of arguing, who are contaminated shelters of spiritual life. The personified Vedas also says: yadi na samuddharanti yatayo hṛdi kāma-jaṭā Members of the renounced order who fail to uproot the last traces of material desire in their hearts remain impure, and thus You do not allow them to understand You. SB 10.87.39 Bhāgavatam also says: yas tv asaṁyata-ṣaḍ-vargaḥ pracaṇḍendriya-sārathiḥ jṣāna-vairāgya-rahitas tri-daṇḍam upajīvati surān ātmānam ātma-sthaṁ nihnute māṁ ca dharma-hā avipakva-kaṣāyo ’smād amuṣmāc ca vihīyate One who has not controlled the six forms of illusion, lust, anger, greed, excitement, false pride and intoxication, whose intelligence, the leader of the senses, is extremely attached to material things, who is bereft of knowledge and detachment, who adopts the sannyāsa order of life to make a living, who denies the worshipable demigods, his own self and the Supreme Lord within himself, thus ruining all religious principles, and who is still infected by material contamination, is deviated and lost both in this life and the next. SB 11.18.40 Therefore, the jṣānī (muniḥ) engaging in niṣkāma-karma-yoga (yoga-yuktaḥ) quickly attains Brahman.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

Because of the difficulty in performing jṣāna yoga, karma yoga is better. Jṣāna yoga, stopping the activities of the senses (saṁnyāsaḥ), brings about sorrow without also practicing karma yoga (ayogataḥ). Because of difficulty in performance and possibility of error, it will be a cause of suffering. He who practices niṣkāma karma yoga (yoga yuktaḥ), who is also contemplating the ātmā (muniḥ), quickly attains Brahman.

Surrender Unto Me

Why is Krsna recommending karma‑yoga or devotional service here? It is because if one renounces or gives up activities before his heart is clean, then that unclean heart will force him ‑ 'kama esa, krodha esa', lust and anger ‑ will force him to engage in improper activities. Therefore, because the senses aren't engaged when one is practicing either jnana or sankhya, this is very difficult ‑ to stop improper work. Krsna's recommendation is: "Keep the senses always engaged! Better then to purify your heart by work instead of practicing renunciation." It is also interesting to know that these verses in this section are true whether one is practicing to obtain Brahman realization, or Paramatma realization or Bhagavan realization. But Srila Prabhupada has translated for the devotees because that is Krsna's ultimate purpose ‑ to have the devotees engaged in achieving Him. SUMMARY: Niskama karma is equal to, but easier than renouncing work. Why? Because one's senses are engaged right from the very beginning. That makes it easier to detach because the senses need engagement. The soul is active by nature so the senses, practically must be engaged. It is easier than renunciati work in sankhya‑yoga or jnana (both known as 'karma sannyasi'= renunciation of work) [ B . WORKING WITH DETACHMENT ‑ PERFORMANCE OF NISKAMA KARMA (5. 7‑12) 1 . A pure soul doesn't become entangled because, although working, he fixes his consciousness upon Krsna. He knows that while the body acts, he does nothing: the material senses are simply engaged with their sense objects. (7‑ 9)] This section explains the performance of 'niskama karma'.