Devanagari
नैष्कर्म्यमप्यच्युतभाववर्जितं
न शोभते ज्ञानमलं निरञ्जनम् ।
कुत: पुन: शश्वदभद्रमीश्वरे
न चार्पितं कर्म यदप्यकारणम् ॥ १२ ॥
Verse text
naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṁ
na śobhate jṣānam alaṁ niraṣjanam
kutaḥ punaḥ śaśvad abhadram īśvare
na cārpitaṁ karma yad apy akāraṇam
Synonyms
naiṣkarmyam
—
self-realization, being freed from the reactions of fruitive work
;
api
—
in spite of
;
acyuta
—
the infallible Lord
;
bhāva
—
conception
;
varjitam
—
devoid of
;
na
—
does not
;
śobhate
—
look well
;
jṣānam
—
transcendental knowledge
;
alam
—
by and by
;
niraṣjanam
—
free from designations
;
kutaḥ
—
where is
;
punaḥ
—
again
;
śaśvat
—
always
;
abhadram
—
uncongenial
;
īśvare
—
unto the Lord
;
na
—
not
;
ca
—
and
;
arpitam
—
offered
;
karma
—
fruitive work
;
yat api
—
what is
;
akāraṇam
—
not fruitive .
Translation
Knowledge of self-realization, even though free from all material affinity, does not look well if devoid of a conception of the Infallible [God]. What, then, is the use of fruitive activities, which are naturally painful from the very beginning and transient by nature, if they are not utilized for the devotional service of the Lord?
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Even the stage of jṣāna without the bondage of karma is not glorious if it is devoid of bhakti to the Supreme Lord. What is the use of having destroyed ignorance? What then to speak of sakāma-karma which causes suffering, both during practice and at the stage perfection, and niṣkāma-karma, when not offered to the Lord?
Purport
As referred to above, not only ordinary literatures devoid of the transcendental glorification of the Lord are condemned, but also Vedic literatures and speculation on the subject of impersonal Brahman when they are devoid of devotional service. When speculation on the impersonal Brahman is condemned on the above ground, then what to speak of ordinary fruitive work, which is not meant to fulfill the aim of devotional service. Such speculative knowledge and fruitive work cannot lead one to the goal of perfection. Fruitive work, in which almost all people in general are engaged, is always painful either in the beginning or at the end. It can be fruitful only when made subservient to the devotional service of the Lord. In the
Bhagavad-gītā
also it is confirmed that the result of such fruitive work may be offered for the service of the Lord, otherwise it leads to material bondage. The bona fide enjoyer of the fruitive work is the Personality of Godhead, and thus when it is engaged for the sense gratification of the living beings, it becomes an acute source of trouble.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Not only are the words important. If there is no bhakti, the work is useless. The realization coming from the words of the Vedas is useless without bhakti, what to speak of mere scriptural knowledge, and what to speak of niṣkāma-karma. And so much more, sakāma-karma is useless without bhakti. Even knowledge devoid of fruitive intentions does not appear wonderful without bhakti, in which one thinks of the Lord who has a form of knowledge and bliss (acyuta-bhāva). Even if bhakti is present in jṣāna and one thinks that the Lord and bhakti are mixed with māyā, then that does not produce liberation. Though devoid of ignorance (niraṣjanam), though one has realized knowledge, what is the use of that knowledge (alam)? What then to speak of unrealized scriptural knowledge! One should not say that you can achieve liberation just by destroying ignorance. By the inconceivable energy of the Lord, the destroyed ignorance again arises. The Pariśiṣtā-vacanam of the Vāsanā-bhāṣya says:
jīvan-muktā api punar bandhanaṁ yānti karmabhiḥ |
yady acintya-mahā-śaktau bhagavaty aparādhinaḥ |
Even the liberated persons again get bound by karma if they commit offense against the Lord, possessor of great, inconceivable powers.
There it also says:
jīvan-muktā prapadyante kvacit saṁsāra-vāsanām |
yogino na vilipyante karmabhir bhagavat-parāḥ ||
Liberated souls sometimes are subjected to birth and death, but the yogīs who surrender to the Lord are not touched by karma.
Thus the effect of jṣāna is destruction of karma. jṣānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi bhasmasāt kurute ’rjuna: O Arjuna, by the fire of knowledge all karmas are burned to ashes. (BG 4.33) But that is not so wonderful because it is also said concerning rathayātrā in Viṣṇu-bhakti-candrodaya of another Purāṇa:
nānuvrajati yo mohād vrajantaṁ jagad-īśvaram |
jṣānāgni-dagdha-karmāpi sa bhaved brahma-rākṣasaḥ ||
He who does not follow the Lord in his chariot when he moves becomes a brahma-rakṣasa even though he has destroyed all karmas with the fire of knowledge.
It will also be said later āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: after reaching the height of liberation with great difficulty, again they fall down because they do not worship the lotus feet of the Lord. (SB 10.2.32)
Since jṣāna is devoid of real bhakti to the Lord, the offense caused by thinking that the Lord is material is unavoidable. If such jṣāna devoid of bhakti is useless, what then to speak of karma which is filled with desires for enjoyment and which causes suffering (abhadram) at all times (śaśvat)--during practice and at the time of receiving the result. And even if the karma is without the goal of enjoyment (akāraṇam), because it is not offered to the Lord it is not successful.