The Lord says that karmaṇo hy api boddhavyam. One should understand how to work and one should understand what is not to be done. Akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyam. Karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Karma, akarma and vikarma. There are three things. Karma means prescribed duties, prescribed duties. That is called karma. And akarma, vikarma means doing against the prescribed duties. That is called vikarma. And akarma means something doing which has no reaction. That is not. Of course, in the execution of such work, it appears to be working, but practically it has no reaction. That is vikarma. And that vikarma is when we act on account of the Supreme. That is when we... Kṛṣṇa-karma-kṛt. When we work under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, that has no reaction. Otherwise, karma, one should do prescribed duties, and one should not do which is not prescribed.
For example, for example, just like the state. The state has got some laws. Now, suppose if you commit murder, it will be hang, you will be hanged. That is the state law. So if you again, against the state law you commit some murder, you will be hanged. This is vikarma, and I should be cautious. But when the state orders, itself, that "You go and fight. Kill the enemy," that is neither karma nor vikarma. So similarly, when we act under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, that is akarma. That means that karma, that kind of activities, has no reaction. Otherwise, we shall have to act very cautiously so that I may not be entangled with the reaction of my karma.
- karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed
- akarmāṇi ca karma yaḥ
- sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu
- sa yuktaḥ kṛtsna-karma-kṛt
- (BG 4.18)
Now here is a nice verse. The Lord says, "One who can see karmāṇi, akarma, any work which is being done, but it has no reaction..." Karmāṇi, akarma yaḥ. "I am doing something, but the ultimate result of that work has no reaction." One who can see like that... Karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmāṇi ca yaḥ karma. And akarmāṇi means one who is trying to avoid the reaction of karma, but he is being entangled in karma. Sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu: (BG 4.18) "He is the most intelligent person." Sa yuktaḥ kṛtsna-karma-kṛt, sa: "He is dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore, after doing so many work..." Kṛtsna mean all sorts of work. Still, he is free. Karmaṇy akarma. Even working.
Just see, the Arjuna. Arjuna is fighting, and the other party, Duryodhana, is also fighting. Now, how you can understand that Arjuna is free from reaction but Duryodhana is not free from reaction? The fighting is both... Both parties are fighting. Externally, ephemerally, we can see simply that they are fighting. But who is bound up by reaction? Who is not bound up reaction? Arjuna is not bound up by reaction. Why? He is fighting under the order of Kṛṣṇa. So we have to see like that, who is working with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anyone who is working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should see that he is not being bound up. This is called karmaṇy akarma. Akarma means which has no reaction. So although I see somebody is working, but because he is working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore it should be understood that his work is not producing any reaction.
So this intelligent vision is recommended here by Kṛṣṇa that sa buddhimān: "Anyone who is working and who can see such work, who can understand such work," sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu (BG 4.18), "in the human society, he is very intelligent." He is very intelligent. Otherwise, sometimes bhakti, the devotional service of the Lord...
Just like I'll give you a crude example. Just like a boy. He is flying kite, and he is moving his reel containing the thread. Now, from a distant place, you'll find that he is moving his head, er, moving his reel, but sometimes, moving his reel, he is getting down the kite, and moving his reel, he is getting higher and higher the kite. So from distant place, we can see that there is moving of the reel, but the action is different.
Similarly, simply by seeing the movement of a person, that he is also acting, that is not final judgement. We have to see what sort of acting he is doing. If he's acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if we can see a person is acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we can understand that he's free from the reaction. And if he's not acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but externally, from our material estimation, we can see that "Oh, he is doing very good work. He's very doing good work..."
Just like Arjuna, when he first refused to work, refused to fight, that "My dear Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me to fight with my relatives, brothers. I am not going to fight," but from material estimation, this conclusion, this decision of Arjuna, is very good, very good. So materially, from material standing of, standpoint of view, that he is not going to commit nonviolence, violence—he is nonviolent—he's very good man. But from spiritual point of view, it is not so. From spiritual point of view, it is not so. So one has to see. Simply by external features, that one is working and one is not working, that we cannot... What is the standard of work? Under what consciousness he's working. If he's working in material consciousness, then he's being bound up. However good may be that work, he's being bound up.
Now, what is the binding reaction of good material work? Just try to understand. Good material work... Suppose you have done most charitable work, munificent work, and you have started so many, I mean to say, philanthropic institutions. That's all right. These are... From material estimation, these things are very good work. But you are being bound up. You are being bound up. In which way you are being bound up? That these things are called puṇya-karma, pious work. When you do pious work, you get four results. What are the four results? Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. If you do pious work, you can get reaction in four ways. You can get your birth in a very nice family. Just like in the family of a brāhmaṇa, in the family of a rich man. For pious work, one can get his janma. And aiśvarya. Aiśvarya means you can become very rich man by pious work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta (SB 1.8.26). Śruta means you can become very learned scholar. These are the results of pious work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta, and śrī. You can become very beautiful by pious work. These are the results of pious work.
Similarly, just the opposite, if you do vicious work, then you, you have to go to the lower class family or even the animal family, lower class birth, or become a fool, illiterate, and become not very good looking. So many things. These are the reactions of pious and vicious work.
Now, taking it for granted that I am doing all pious work. That's all right. And I am getting my birth in a very rich family or very pure family, just like brāhmaṇa family or something like that. I am getting myself very good education. I am very beautiful to see. And I am very rich man, all these. But our point is that suppose if you are rich man, suppose if you are very learned man, but you are not free from the stringent laws of material world. The whole point of vision should be targeted there, that "I am not going to be under the stricture of this material world." If we miss that point, then we shall be captivated by this aristocratic family or good education or beautiful body or richness.