CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - THE PERFECTION OF RENUNCIATION [Krsna explains the meaning of renunciation and the effects of the modes of nature on human consciousness and activity. He explains Brahman realization, the Glories of the Bhagavad-gi ta, and the ultimate conclusion of the Gita: the highest path of religion is absolute, unconditional loving surrender unto Lord Krsna, which frees one from all sins, brings one to complete enlightenment, and enables one to return to Krsna's eternal spiritual abode.] [A. ACTING WITH DETACHMENT IS TRUE RENUNCIATION AND BRINGS FREEDOM FROM REACTION (18. 1-12) 1. A true sannyasi does not renounce his activities, but renounces the fruits of his activities. (1-6) ] (cn) Krsna will now begin summarizing the enti re Bhagavad-gita. As Arjuna in the beginning of Chapter Eigtheen asks a question that should sound familiar to each and everyone of us: TEXT 1 arj una uvaca sannyasasya maha-baho tattvam i cchami vedi tum tyagasya ca hrsi kesa prthak kesi -nisudana arjunah uvaca--A rj una sai d; sannyasasya--of renunciation; maha- baho--O mighty-armed one; tattvam--the truth; icchami--I wish; veditum--to understand; tyagasya--of renunciation; ca--al so; hrsi kesa--O master of the senses; prthak--di f f erentl y; kesi - nisudana--O killer of the Kesi demon. TRANSLATION Arjuna said: O mighty-armed one, I wish to understand the purpose of renunciation [tyaga] and of the renounced order of life [sannyasa], O killer of the Kesi demon, master of the senses. (cn) In order to emphasize the goal of the all Bhagavad-gita, which is surrender to K rsna, Krsna is now going to summarize more or less everything that He already told before. And He will begin by going over again that question that He has answered in many occasions - what is Krsna recommending between renunciation of work and the renunciation of the fruits of one's work? Krsna is going to give His final prescription in His summary here: to renounce the fruits of one's work. But this is just one basic step in the relationship with 1 K rsna summari zi ng the Bhagavad-gi ta and l eadi ng us agai n to surrender to Krsna's lotus f eet. This particualar question is interesting. " I wish to understand the purpose of renunciation (tyaga) and of the renounced order of life (sannyasa)." What Arjuna is asking is: ''are the sannyasi or the renouncing order of life and tyaga or renunciati on, are they the same thi ng? Are they two words meaning the same thing or are they two different words meaning two di f f erent thi ngs? I s any di f f erence between tyaga and sannyasa or are they the same?" A rj una i s aski ng K rsna what is His opinion about this, and also in His reply, Krsna, is going to give the opinion of others as well. We are already familiar with this: whether one should perform jnana-yoga and renounce the acti vi ti es, or perf orm ni skama karma- yoga. In the second verse, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, says: TEXT 2 sri -bhagavan uvaca kamyanam karmanam nyasam sannyasam kavayo vi duh sarva-karma-phala-tyagam prahus tyagam vi caksanah sri -bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; kamyanam--wi th desi re; karmanam--of acti vi ti es; nyasam--renunciation; sannyasam--the renounced order of life; kavayah--the learned; viduh--know; sarva--of al l ; karma--activities; phala--of resul ts; tyagam--renunciation; prahuh--cal l ; tyagam--renunciati on; vi caksanah--the experi enced. TRANSLATION T he Supr eme Per sonality of Godhead said: The giving up of activities that are based on mater ial desir e is what gr eat lear ned men call the r enounced or der of life [sannyasa]. And giving up the results of all activities is what the wise call renunciation [tyaga]. (cn) This is the opinion of others, the opinion of the wise and learned. This is not exactly Krsna's opinion. According to this opinion of the learned and the wise, are tyaga and renunciation or tyaga and sannyasa the same or di f f erent? - They are not the same al though similar. The giving up of acti vi ti es based on materi al desi res i s sannyasa, and renunci ation is giving up the results of al l acti vi ti es. They are di f f erent according to the opinion of the learned and the wise. What are acti vi ti es based on materi al desi res are the acti vi ti es of the karma-kanda section of the V edas; and tyaga, according to this definition, is giving up the fruit. In the next verse is the opinion of others. TEXT 3 2 tyajyam dosa-vad i ty eke karma prahur mani si nah yaj na-dana-tapah-karma na tyaj yam i ti capare tyaj yam--must be given up; dosa-vat--as an evi l ; i ti --thus; eke--one group; karma--work; prahuh--they say; mani si nah--great thi nkers; yaj na--of sacri f i ce; dana--chari ty; tapah--and penance; karma--works; na--never; tyaj yam--are to be given up; iti--thus; ca--and; apare--others. TRANSLATION Some lear ned men declare that all kinds of fruitive activities should be given up as faulty, yet other sages maintain that acts of sacrifice, charity and penance should never be abandoned. (cn) What kind of lerned men declare that? Those who follow the sankhya philosophy and the followers of jnana-yoga whi ch are al most the same. A l l f rui ti ve acti vi ti es shoul d be gi ven up as f aul ty because those who are engaged i n karma-kanda acti vi ti es they are engaged i n sacri f i ces and maybe they have to ki l l ani mals and things like that...; so there are faults in these things, therefore they should be given up. "Yet other sages... (here is the third opinion), maintain that acts of sacrifice, charity and penance should never be abandoned." This is the opinion of the karma-mi mansas, they say: 'don't give up sacrifice, charity and penance.' What is the question of, they say, of being faulty or violent - they are V edi c. They j ust f ol l ow the V edi c f ormul as, the sastras, we should never give up these things. A f ter heari ng these three opi nions, Krsna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will give His own opinion. TEXT 4 ni scayam srnu me tatra tyage bharata-sattama tyago hi purusa-vyaghra tri-vi dhah sampraki rti tah ni scayam--certainty; srnu--hear; me--from Me; tatra--therei n; tyage--i n the matter of renunciation; bharata-sat-tama--O best of the Bharatas; tyagah--renunciation; hi--certai nl y; purusa-vyaghra--O tiger among human beings; tri-vidhah--of kinds; samprakirtitah--i s decl ared. TRANSLATION 3 O best of the Bharatas, now hear M y judgment about renunciation. O tiger among men, renunciation is declared in the scriptures to be of three kinds. (cn) A rj una repl i es here: " I asked what i s the di f f erence between tyaga and sannyasa, and Your answer is that there is three types of tyaga." And Krsna says: "Don't worry, now I'll tell you definitively!" TEXT 5 yaj na-dana-tapah-karma na tyaj yam karyam eva tat yaj no danam tapas cai va pavanani mani si nam yaj na--of sacri f i ce; dana--chari ty; tapah--and penance; karma--activity; na--never; tyaj yam--to be given up; karyam--must be done; eva--certai nl y; tat--that; yaj nah--sacri f i ce; danam--chari ty; tapah--penance; ca--al so; eva--certai nl y; pavanani--purifying; mani si nam--even f o great soul s. TRANSLATION Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. I ndeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls. (cn) The acaryas mention in their explanation that: 'as a lotus stem has fibers inside, these three acti vi ti es have the f i ber of j nana, or knowl edge, i nsi de. Do these acti vi ti es as K rsna's prescriptions and become purified in the heart and thereby you will attain knowledge.' TEXT 6 etany api tu karmani sangam tyaktva phal ani ca kartavyani ti me partha ni sci tam matam uttamam etani --al l these; api --certainly; tu--but; karmani--acti vi ti es; sangam--association; tyaktva--renouncing; phalani--resul ts; ca--al so; kartavyani --should be done as duty; iti--thus; me--My; partha--O son of Prtha; niscitam--def i ni te; matam--opinion; uttamam--the best. TRANSLATION All these activities should be performed without attachment or any expectation of result. They should be performed as a matter of duty, O son of Prtha. That is My final opinion. 4 (cn) The opinion that Krsna gives here, because it is His opinion it is superior to the opinions of others that Krsna presented previously. And Krsna explains here that all these activities should be performed without attachment, without any expectation of result. This is His opinion and this means that is not the activity that has to be given up, is not the activity that causes one trouble.