Tyag

 

The Supreme Divine Personality said: Giving up of actions motivated by desire is what the wise understand as sanyās. Relinquishing the fruits of all actions is what the learned declare to be tyāg.

Commentary

Kavayaḥ are the learned. Shree Krishna states that learned people consider sanyās as the renunciation of works. Those who renounce works for material enjoyment and enter the renounced order are called karm sanyāsīs. They continue to do some of the nitya karm (daily works for the maintenance of the body), but they renounce kāmya karm (works related to acquisition of wealth, progeny, prestige, status, power, etc). Such works bind the soul further in the wheel of karma and lead to repeated rebirths in the samsara of birth and death.

Vichakṣhaṇāḥ are the wise. Shree Krishna states that wise people lay emphasis on tyāg, meaning “internal renunciation.” This implies not relinquishing the prescribed Vedic duties, rather renouncing the desires for enjoying their fruits. Therefore, the attitude of giving up attachment to the rewards of actions is tyāg, while the attitude of giving up works is sanyas. Both sanyās and tyāg seem plausible and reasonable options to pursue for enlightenment. Of these two courses of action.

If you are unable to even work for Me in devotion, then try to renounce the fruits of your actions and be situated in the self.

Commentary

Beginning with verse 12.8, Shree Krishna gave three ways for Arjun’s welfare.  In the third, He asked Arjun to work for Him.  However, that also requires a purified and resolute intellect.  Those who are not yet convinced about their relationship with God, and have not yet made God-realization the goal of their lives, may find it impossible to work for His pleasure.  Therefore, Shree Krishna now gives the fourth alternative for welfare.  He says, “Arjun keep doing your works as before, but become detached from the fruits of your actions.”  Such detachment will purify our mind from the modes of ignorance (tamas) and passion (rajas), and bring it to the mode of goodness (sattva).  In this way, renouncing the fruits of our efforts will help remove worldliness from our mind and strengthen the intellect.  Then, the purified intellect will more easily be able to comprehend transcendental knowledge, and we will be able to move to the higher levels of sādhanā.