Devanagari
श्रीभगवानुवाच
य एतान् मत्पथो हित्वा भक्तिज्ञानक्रियात्मकान् ।
क्षुद्रान् कामांश्चलै: प्राणैर्जुषन्त: संसरन्ति ते ॥ १ ॥
Verse text
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ya etān mat-patho hitvā
bhakti-jṣāna-kriyātmakān
kṣudrān kāmāṁś calaiḥ prāṇair
juṣantaḥ saṁsaranti te
Synonyms
śrī
—
bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
;
ye
—
those who
;
etān
—
these
;
mat
—
pathaḥ — means for achieving Me
;
hitvā
—
giving up
;
bhakti
—
devotional service
;
jṣāna
—
analytic philosophy
;
kriyā
—
regulated work
;
ātmakān
—
consisting of
;
kṣudrān
—
insignificant
;
kāmān
—
sense gratification
;
calaiḥ
—
by the flickering
;
prāṇaiḥ
—
senses
;
juṣantaḥ
—
cultivating
;
saṁsaranti
—
undergo material existence
;
te
—
they .
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Those who give up these methods for achieving Me, which consist of devotional service, analytic philosophy and regulated execution of prescribed duties, and instead, being moved by the material senses, cultivate insignificant sense gratification, certainly undergo the continual cycle of material existence.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The Supreme Lord said: Those who give up my methods, bhakti, jṣāna and niṣkāma-karma, and instead cultivate insignificant sense enjoyment by the fickle senses, undergo the continual cycle of material existence.
In the Twenty-first Chapter the good and bad aspects of those involved in karma are discussed and the meaning of the scriptures in this regard is explained. Sakāma-karma is criticized. Lack of proper ending on mat-pathaḥ is poetic license. Bhakti gives attainment of the Lord. Jṣāna gives attainment of impersonal Brahman. Niṣkāma-karma indirectly gives impersonal Brahman. Sakāma-karma gives Svarga or earthly kingdom.
Purport
As clearly explained by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the previous chapters, philosophical analysis and also the performance of prescribed duties are ultimately meant for achieving Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or pure love of God. Devotional service, based on hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, directly engages the conditioned soul in the Lord’s loving service and thus is the most efficient means of achieving the Lord. All three processes, however, share a common goal, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now the Lord describes those who, being completely absorbed in material sense gratification, do not adopt any authorized means to achieve the Lord’s mercy. Currently, hundreds of millions of unfortunate human beings fit squarely into this category and, as described here, perpetually suffer the bondage of material existence.