BG 02.50 buddhi-yukto jahatiha... cited

Expressions researched:
"A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad reactions even in this life" |"Therefore strive for yoga, which is the art of all work" |"buddhi-yukto jahatiha" |"tasmad yogaya yujyasva" |"ubhe sukrta-duskrte" |"yogah karmasu kausalam"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "2.50" or "A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad reactions even in this life" or "Therefore strive for yoga, which is the art of all work" or "buddhi-yukto jahatiha" or "tasmad yogaya yujyasva" or "ubhe sukrta-duskrte" or "yogah karmasu kausalam"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 2.50, Translation and Purport:

A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad reactions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, which is the art of all work.

Since time immemorial each living entity has accumulated the various reactions of his good and bad work. As such, he is continuously ignorant of his real constitutional position. One's ignorance can be removed by the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā, which teaches one to surrender unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in all respects and become liberated from the chained victimization of action and reaction, birth after birth. Arjuna is therefore advised to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the purifying process of resultant action.

SB Canto 1

SB 1.15.24, Purport:

The established rule is that whatever we do, whatever we eat, whatever we sacrifice or whatever we give in charity must be done to the full satisfaction of the Lord. No one should do anything, eat anything, sacrifice anything or give anything in charity against the will of the Lord. Discretion is the better part of valor, and one must learn how to discriminate between actions which may be pleasing to the Lord and those which may not be pleasing to the Lord. An action is thus judged by the Lord's pleasure or displeasure. There is no room for personal whims; we must always be guided by the pleasure of the Lord. Such action is called yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam (BG 2.50), or actions performed which are linked with the Supreme Lord. That is the art of doing a thing perfectly.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.6 -- London, August 6, 1973:

Animal nature means their own satisfaction. There is no question of "My friend, my family members." Even, they do not share even with their own children. You might have seen. If there is some foodstuff, the dog and the dog's children, everyone is trying to take in his own side. This is animal. So when this thing is changed for Kṛṣṇa, that is human life. That is the distinction between animal life. So that is very difficult also. Therefore the whole education is there, Bhagavad-gītā, how to teach people, "Act for Kṛṣṇa, act for God, not for your personal interest. Then you'll be entangled." Yajñārthāt karmaṇaḥ anyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Anything you do, it will produce some reaction, and you have to enjoy or suffer that reaction. Anything you do. But if you do for Kṛṣṇa, there is no more reaction. That is your freedom. Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam (BG 2.50). That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yoga, when you are in contact with Kṛṣṇa, that is the secret of success in this material world, working. Otherwise whatever you are doing, whatever you are working, it will produce some reaction and you will have to enjoy or suffer.

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 47: "You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Neither consider yourself the cause of action, nor should you be attached to inaction (BG 2.47)." Purport: "There are three considerations here: prescribed duties, capricious work, and inaction. Prescribed duties means activities in terms of one's position in the modes of material nature. Capricious work means actions without the sanction of authority; and inaction means not performing one's prescribed duty. The Lord advised that Arjuna not be inactive, but that he be active in his duty without being attached to the result. One who is attached to the result of his work is also the cause of the action. Thus he is the enjoyer or sufferer of the result of such action. As far as prescribed duties are concerned, they can be fitted into three subdivisions: routine work, emergency work, and desired activities. Routine work in terms of the scriptural injunctions is done without desire for results. As one has to do it, obligatory work is action in the modes of goodness. Work with results becomes the cause of bondage, and so such work is not auspicious. Everyone has his proprietary right in regard to his duties, but should act without attachment to the result. Thus such disinterested obligatory duties helps to lead one to the path of liberation. Arjuna was advised by the Lord to fight as a matter of duty without attachment to the result. His nonparticipation in the battle is another side of attachment. Such attachment never leads one to the path of salvation. Any attachment, positive or negative, is cause for bondage. Inaction is sinful. Therefore fighting as a matter of duty was the only auspicious path to salvation for Arjuna." 48: "Be steadfast in your duty, O Arjuna, and abandon all attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called yoga (BG 2.48)."

Prabhupāda: This is the explanation of yoga, evenness of mind. Yoga-samatvam ucyate. If you work for Kṛṣṇa, then there is no cause of lamentation or jubilation. Jubilation is there because you are working for Kṛṣṇa, but there is no cause of lamentation. Yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi, yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam (BG 2.50). That is the secret of activities, how you can very diligently work at the same time you are not entangled with the actions. That is the secret.

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 49: "O Dhanañjaya, rid yourself of all fruitive activities by devotional service and surrender fully to that consciousness. Those who want to enjoy the fruits of their work are misers (BG 2.49)." 50: "A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad actions (BG 2.50)."

Prabhupāda: Now here it is... One significant word is there. One who wants to enjoy the result of his work, he is miser. He is miser. What is the opposite word of miser? Huh? What is the opposite word?

Viṣṇujana: Philanthropic?

Prabhupāda: Liberal, is it not? So those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are liberal. And those who are acting for his own benefit, they are miser. They are mahātmās who are working for Kṛṣṇa. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mahātmā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13).

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 50: "A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad actions even in this life. Therefore strive for this yoga, O Arjuna, which is the art of all work (BG 2.50)." 51: "The wise, engaged in devotional service, take refuge in the Lord and free themselves from the cycle of birth and death by renouncing the fruits of action in the material world (BG 2.51)."

Prabhupāda: Yes. There is purport?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. There's a little more to that śloka.

Prabhupāda: All right. Finish.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "In this way they can attain that state beyond all miseries."

Prabhupāda: Read it again.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "The wise, engaged in devotional service, take refuge in the Lord and free themselves from the cycle of birth and death by renouncing the fruits of action in the material world. In this way they can attain that state beyond all miseries."

Prabhupāda: How easy it is. You take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you overcome the cycle of birth and death. And as soon as you overcome the cycle of birth and death, you overcome all miseries. Because birth and death means this material body. The living entity, spirit soul, has no birth and death. And anyone who possesses this material body has to undergo the threefold miseries of the material world. A similar passage is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The other day, as I was speaking to you, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4).

Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

This is the instruction given. Buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ: "Don't be miser. Don't misuse this great opportunity."

buddhi-yukto jahātīha

ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte

tasmād yogāya yujyasva

yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam

(BG 2.50)

Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam. Kauśalam means expert trick, expert trick. Just like there are two men working. One man is very expert; another man is not so expert. Even in machinery. There is something wrong in the machine. The, the man who is not very expert, he's trying whole day-night, how to adjust it, but the expert comes and at once sees what is the defect, and he joins one wire, this way and that way, and machine becomes start. Hrzum, hrzum, hrzum, hrzum, hrzum, hrzum. You see? Just like sometimes we, we find difficulty in our, this tape recorder, and Mr. Carl or somebody comes and rectifies this. So everything requires some expert knowledge. So karma, karma means work. We have to work. Without working even our, this body and soul cannot go. It is a very misconception that for one who is a..., for spiritual realization he hasn't got to work. No, he has got to work more. Persons who are not for spiritual realization, they may be engaged in work for eight hours only, but those who are engaged for spiritual realization, oh, they are engaged twenty-four hours, twenty-four hours.

Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

So spiritual life is so sublime and so invigorating that you won't feel fatigued. Won't. Once... You have to be engaged. And as you are engaged actually in spiritual life, you won't feel fatigued. You'll be fearless, and your life will be always blissful. These are the symptoms. So yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam (BG 2.50). So Lord says that the, that this spiritual platform is the karmasu kauśalam. Kauśalam means expert service, expert, kauśalam. Kuśala. Kuśala means auspicious, and from kuśala, it comes to kauśala. That means if you learn the trick, how to work on the platform of yoga, then that is the highest technique of doing work. Buddhi-yukto jahā... And result of that work, what is that? Now, buddhi-yuktaḥ. When you work from the spiritual platform with your intelligence, then jahāti iha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte. Sukṛta-duṣkṛta. Now, for ordinary work, if you do good work, then you have to take good result. And if you do bad work, or sinful work, then if you have, you have to take the effect of such bad and sinful work. Sukṛta and duṣkṛta. But one who works from spiritual platform, he hasn't got to take the result of good work or bad work.