Devanagari
आरुरुक्षोर्मुनेर्योगं कर्म कारणमुच्यते ।
योगारूढस्यतस्यैव शम: कारणमुच्यते ॥ ३ ॥
Verse text
ārurukṣor muner yogaṁ
karma kāraṇam ucyate
yogārūḍhasya tasyaiva
śamaḥ kāraṇam ucyate
Synonyms
ārurukṣoḥ
—
who has just begun yoga
;
muneḥ
—
of the sage
;
yogam
—
the eightfold yoga system
;
karma
—
work
;
kāraṇam
—
the means
;
ucyate
—
is said to be
;
yoga
—
eightfold yoga
;
ārūḍhasya
—
of one who has attained
;
tasya
—
his
;
eva
—
certainly
;
śamaḥ
—
cessation of all material activities
;
kāraṇam
—
the means
;
ucyate
—
is said to be.
Translation
For one who is a neophyte in the eightfold yoga system, work is said to be the means; and for one who is already elevated in yoga, cessation of all material activities is said to be the means.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
3. For the sage wishing to attain yoga, action is said to be the cause of elevation. For the sage who has already attained yoga, cessation of action is said to be the cause of maintaining that state.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
3. For the sage wishing to attain yoga, action is said to be the cause of elevation. For who has already attained yoga, cessation of action is said to be the cause of maintaining that state.
Purport
The process of linking oneself with the Supreme is called yoga. It may be compared to a ladder for attaining the topmost spiritual realization. This ladder begins from the lowest material condition of the living entity and rises up to perfect self-realization in pure spiritual life. According to various elevations, different parts of the ladder are known by different names. But all in all, the complete ladder is called yoga and may be divided into three parts, namely jṣāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga. The beginning of the ladder is called the yogārurukṣu stage, and the highest rung is called yogārūḍha.
Concerning the eightfold yoga system, attempts in the beginning to enter into meditation through regulative principles of life and practice of different sitting postures (which are more or less bodily exercises) are considered fruitive material activities. All such activities lead to achieving perfect mental equilibrium to control the senses. When one is accomplished in the practice of meditation, he ceases all disturbing mental activities.
A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, however, is situated from the beginning on the platform of meditation because he always thinks of Kṛṣṇa. And, being constantly engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, he is considered to have ceased all material activities.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
“But then the practitioner of aṣṭāṅga-yoga would have to practice niṣkāma-karma-yoga for his whole life.”
This verse therefore speaks of the limits of karma-yoga. The practitioner of yoga (muneḥ), desiring to rise to the stage of steady meditation (yogam), produces his elevation by prescribed action, karma, because that purifies his heart. One who has attained steadiness in meditation (yogārūḍhasya) maintains that level by cessation (samaḥ) of all actions which produce agitation. In other words, the aspirant for steady meditation does not have complete purity of heart.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
“Then the aṣṭaṅga yogī should practice prescribed karmas all his life.”
“For the practitioner of yoga (muneḥ) who desires to attain steadiness in meditation, prescribed karmas are the cause of his elevation to that stage, since they purify the heart. For one who has attained steadiness in meditation (yogārūḍhasya), stoppage of those prescribed karmas because they interrupt his meditation is the cause of maintaining firm steadiness (śamaḥ).”
Surrender Unto Me
In the yoga‑ladder there are two particular stages:
(1) Yogaruruksu stage‑ in the beginning one has to work because one is not detached enough to give up work.
(2) Yogarudha stage‑ the highest stage of the yoga ladder.
‑In the 'astanga‑yoga' process there are 8 different stages:
(1) Yama and (2) Niyama, follow the rules and regulations. Then, when one learns how to follow the rules and regulations to a certain degree, one practices (3) Asana, or the sitting postures (which people commonly think of hatha‑yoga), then (4) Pranayama (only when one is expert on asanas should he practice the breathing exercises, otherwise he may cause lots of trouble to himself), then, (5) Pratyahara, withdrawing the mind from sense objects (there is very intimate connection between breathing and the mind), then (6) Dharana, (7) Dhyana which are different intensities of meditation, and finally (8) Samadhi, when the mind and the consciousness are fully focused on Brahman (if one is a jnani) or Paramatma (if he is a yogi) or in Krsna (if he is a bhakti‑yogi).
In this Text it describes how in the beginning, Yogaruruksu, one works in niskama karma and practices yoga part‑time. Then, when one is elevated in yoga, Yogarudha, he can give up niskama karma.