1 Gita Sloka Every Day - Chapter 18 - Moksha Sanyasa Yoga - Sloka 12

The entire content of this mail is from Shri V N Gopala Desikan's  Srimad Bhagavad Gita, published by Vishishtadvaita Research Centre, Chennai and The Bhagavad Gita by Swami Chidbhavananda published by Ramakrishna Mission

Tyaga of sattvika nature is indispensable 9-12

1 Gita Sloka  Every Day - Chapter 18 - Moksha Sanyasa Yoga - Sloka 12

Ram Durbar

Anishtam ishtam mishram cha trividham karmanah phalam I

Bhavati atyaginam pretya na tu sanyasinam kvachit II sloka 12

अनिष्टं इष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलं I 

भवति अत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु संयसिनां क्वचित् II श्लोक 12

The three fold fruit of action - evil, good and mixed - accrues after death to one who does not relinquish but there is none ever for the one who renounces

Arjuna, you may ask: The karmas like pancha maha yagna, agnihotra etc. give only temporary fruits like swarga, as stated in the shastras. Then why should a person who desires only moksha do these karmas?

The results of the karmas are of three kinds. ie. (i) undesirable, like suffering in hell; (ii) Desirable like enjoying swarga ; (iii) Mixed like pleasures in the world like wealth, cows sons etc. Experiences in this world are called mixed or mishra because they involve both pleasure and pain.

So a person who has not given up the fruits of his karmas, undergoes the results of his karmas, in one of the three ways mentioned above. These results of the karmas occur naturally after the performance of karmas.

But, he who has given up the doership and the results of his actions, ie., who has done sattvica tyagam (mentioned in sloka 9) does not experience the fruits of his actions, other than moksha at any time. 

The karmas like pancha maha yagna and agnihotra etc. are nitya karmas ie., compulsory. If these karmas are performed, with desire for fruits like swarga such fruits will be achieved. But if the same karmas are done without desire for fruits and for the pleausre of the Lord, then one will not get inferior fruits liek swarga. They will attain moksha in due course.

Thus the same karma gives different fruits, depending on the desire of the person concerned. How? The karmas do not directly give fruits. IT is only the Lord who is pleased with the karmas and grants fruits. So the Lord grants the desire of the person doing the karma.

Knowing this, a person should understand that he is not the doer and the Lord gets things done by him for his own pleasure. A parrot in a cage is given food and kept happy only for the pleasure of the king whose pet it is.

Similarly human beings and others perform actions only by the grave of the Lord and for his pleasure. The creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe is all sport of the Lord who bestows bodies and indriyas to individual beings.

Thus a person may not by himself achieve the fruits of his actions but actually by the grave of his Lord.