Ramanuja's Gita Bhashyam - Chapter 3 - Karma Yoga - sloka 25

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

What the spiritual aspirant must do - sloka 19-26

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 3 -Karma Yoga - Sloka 25

Krishna & Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Saktah karmany avidvamsah yatha kurvanti bharata I

Kuryat vidvan tatha asaktah chikirshurah loka samgraham II sloka 25

सक्तः कर्मण्य अविद्वांसः  यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत । 

कुर्यात विद्वान तथा असक्तः चिकिर्षुरः लोक संग्रहं ।। श्लोक २५ 

Just as the ignorant, attached to their work, act, O Arjuna, so too the learned should act without any attachment, and only for the welfare of the world.


The 'ignorant' are those people who do not know the entire truth about the self; 'attached to their work' means they are inseparably yoked to their work. because of their incomplete knowledge of the self. They are not qualified for jnana yoga which is of the nature of practising knowledge of the self. They are qualified for karma yoga only. As they should practise karma yoga for the vision of the self, in the same manner karma yoga should be practised by one who is recognised as virtuous;  who is unattached to work by reason of the vision of the self; and who wishes that his conduct should give guidance to others in virtuous conduct. In this way he should protect the world from chaos by his example. Such a person even though qualified for jnana yoga, should practise karma yoga.