Chapter 3The Eternal Duties of a Human BeingsVerse 10

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Anvaya

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Commentaries of the Four Authorized Vaisnava Sampradayas

as confirmed in the Garga Samhita Canto 10, Chapter 61, Verses 23, 24, 25, 26
Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Visnuswami

Sridhara Swami's Commentary

So we see that not only Lord Krishna is stating this but also according to Prajapati or Brahma the creator of all material beings, that one who performs actions is superior to one who performs no actions. This is being explained in this and the next three verses. The words saha-yagnah-prajah means all progeny in existence in general but specifically the brahmans and ksatriyas who perform worship according to the Vedic scriptures. Verily remembering Lord Krishna and chanting His holy names is yagna or worship and by such sacrifice mankind will flourish and prosper. Here the word yagna means the time sacrificed to do the daily duties offered to the Supreme Lord and other obligatory activities such as following Ekadasi. Although there is no question of praising work that is done with desires it still exhibits that in general actions are better than inertness and lassitude which are more objectionable.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Madhvacarya
There is no commentary for this verse.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Ramanuja

Ramanuja's Commentary

In the Vedic scriptures the term Prajapati is unrestrictedly designated to the Supreme Lord Krishna, or any of duly authorised avatars or incarnations such as Narayana lord of all creation or Jagannatha lord of the universes. In the beginning of creation the Supreme Lord reflected on the plight of the living entities entangled in matter from time immemorial. These living entities were destitute of name, form and a distinction between one another as they were dormant within a portion of the Supreme Lords potency. Possessing an eternal soul they had the ability to fulfill great goals but they languishing inert like latent substances.

In this case Prajapati refers to Brahma, a duly authorised Guna avatar of the Supreme Lord who while reflecting on them out of His infinite mercy and for the sake of their ultimate redemption, inspired Brahma to project them into the material manifestation. Brahma worshipped the Supreme Lord as sacrifice and thus inaugurated the institution of yagna which will fulfill all ones highest ambitions granting moksa or libeartion in the spiritual worlds. How this will manifest will be further explained in the next verse.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Nimbaditya

Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary

Here Lord Krishna reveals the words of Prajapati or Brahma the creator of the forms and categories of material beings and the arranger of the material manifestation. Here it states that one desiring liberation should perform selfless actions with the thought of appeasement and propitiation to the Supreme Lord. Now Lord Krishna is infering that he teaches this knowledge of propitiatiopn to His devotees only. This is because Brahma has given facilty for beings other than the devotees to worship in appeasement lesser gods such as the demi-gods. Thus after Brahma created mankind he instructed the three twice born classes of brahmins, ksatriyas and vaisyas to perform selfless actions in the spirit of worship of the Supreme Lord and this will be for you sacrifice. Sacrifing the desires for reward and attachment to the results and in this way mankind will flourish and prosper. The actual understanding is that this spirit of sacrifice perfromed with faith acording to ones status and stage in life will bequeath all auspiciousness in this life and the next life. Such instructions for such wishfulfilling actions and the confusion that might arise to due to them from statements of non- attachment earlier in this chapter in verses four, seven and seventeen as well as refering to delighting in the atma or soul in this chapter in verses three and nineteen is empasising different approaches to the same goal based on qualification so there is no contradiction.

Thus ends commentaries of chapter 3, verse 10 of the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita.

Verse 10


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