Ramanuja Gita Bhashya - Chapter 3 -Karma Yoga - Sloka 16

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Adidevananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Wheel of Life 14-16

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 3 -Karma Yoga - Sloka 16

 At Nashik

Evam pravirtitam chakram na anu vartyati iha yah I
Agha ayuh indriya ramah mogham partha sah jivati II sloka 16

एवं प्रविर्तितं चक्रं न अनु वर्तयति इह यः ।
अघ आयुः इन्द्रिय रामः मोघं पार्थ सः जीवति ।। श्लोक १६ 


He who does not  follow the wheel thus set in motion here, lives in sin, satisfying the senses, O Arjuna. He lives in vain.


Thus this wheel is set in motion by the Supreme Person;From food arise embodied selves which are denoted by the word beings from rain food; from sacrifice rain; sacrifice from activities which constitute the exercise of an agent; and activity from the embodied self; and again the body endowed with life from food. In this manner there is a sequence which revolves like a wheel through the mutual relations of cause and effect.


Hence he who is engaged in spiritual practice - whether one is qualified for karma yagna or jnana yoga - if he doesnot  follow ie., does not keep in motionthe wheel which revolves in a circle through mutual relation of cause and effect -  that person by not maintaining his bodily subsistence by means of the 'remainder of sacrifice', lives in sin. His life begins  in sin or develops in sin, or is of both these kinds; he lives the life of sin. Thus he is a reveller in his senses and not in his self. The senses become the pleasure-gardens of one whose mind and mind are not nourished by the  'remainders of sacrifices'. Rajas and Tamas preponderate in his body. Being thus turned away from the vision of the self, he rejoices only in the enjoyment of the senses. Therefore, even if he were to attempt for the vision of the self, it will be fruitless. So he lives in vain, O Arjuna.