BG 04.17 karmano hy api boddhavyam... cited

Expressions researched:
"akarmanas ca boddhavyam" |"boddhavyam ca vikarmanah" |"gahana karmano gatih" |"karmano hy api boddhavyam"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 4.17, Translation and Purport:

The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is.

If one is serious about liberation from material bondage, one has to understand the distinctions between action, inaction and unauthorized actions. One has to apply oneself to such an analysis of action, reaction and perverted actions because it is a very difficult subject matter. To understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness and action according to its modes, one has to learn one's relationship with the Supreme; i.e., one who has learned perfectly knows that every living entity is an eternal servitor of the Lord and that consequently one has to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The entire Bhagavad-gītā is directed toward this conclusion. Any other conclusions, against this consciousness and its attendant actions, are vikarmas, or prohibited actions. To understand all this one has to associate with authorities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and learn the secret from them; this is as good as learning from the Lord directly. Otherwise, even the most intelligent persons will be bewildered.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.26.6, Purport:

Yamarāja is not a fictitious or mythological character; he has his own abode, Pitṛloka, of which he is king. Agnostics may not believe in hell, but Śukadeva Gosvāmī affirms the existence of the Naraka planets, which lie between the Garbhodaka Ocean and Pātālaloka. Yamarāja is appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to see that the human beings do not violate His rules and regulations. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.17):

karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ

boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ

akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ

gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

"The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is." One should understand the nature of karma, vikarma and akarma, and one must act accordingly. This is the law of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The conditioned souls, who have come to this material world for sense gratification, are allowed to enjoy their senses under certain regulative principles. If they violate these regulations, they are judged and punished by Yamarāja. He brings them to the hellish planets and properly chastises them to bring them back to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By the influence of māyā, however, the conditioned souls remain infatuated with the mode of ignorance. Thus in spite of repeated punishment by Yamarāja, they do not come to their senses, but continue to live within the material condition, committing sinful activities again and again.

SB Canto 6

SB 6.16.51, Purport:

All material activities are actually illusory, and progress in illusion is simply a waste of time. These illusory activities are called akārya, and one must learn of them from the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (4.17):

karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ

boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ

akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ

gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

"The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is." One must learn of these directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, as Anantadeva, is instructing King Citraketu because of the advanced stage of devotional service he achieved by following the instructions of Nārada and Aṅgirā.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

So anything—it does not matter what it is—when it is sanctioned by Kṛṣṇa, it has no reaction. That is the real work. Other, anything which we do, which may be very good work in the estimation of this material world, but that is bound to make you entangled in this material world. This secret one should learn.

karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ

boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ

akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ

gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

Karmaṇo gatiḥ, the path of karma, is very intricate. Therefore one should understand what is actually karma and what is akarma and what is vikarma. And knowing this, one should perform karma. But one thing is that if we simply engage ourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then everything becomes clear. Otherwise, we have to make discrimination, "What I should do, what I should not do so that I may not be entangled."

Just like in ordinary life we, whatever we do, we sometimes, we may unconsciously doing something which is against the law, and therefore we become bound up by the laws of the state and sometimes we are in trouble, similarly, in the laws of nature also, the laws of nature is very strict. There is no excuse. The laws of nature is very stringent. Just like the fire. Fire, it burns. That is natural. This is the law of nature. So even a child touches fire, the fire does not excuse, that "Because it is child, oh, his hand may be, may not be burned." No. That is not possible. So we have to make our work very cautiously. We have to select our work very cautiously. Otherwise, the stringent laws of nature will react, and we shall be bound by the laws of material nature and suffer.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

The Lord says that karmaṇo hy api boddhavyam. One should understand how to work and one should understand what is not to be done. Akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyam. Karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Karma, akarma and vikarma. There are three things. Karma means prescribed duties, prescribed duties. That is called karma. And akarma, vikarma means doing against the prescribed duties. That is called vikarma. And akarma means something doing which has no reaction. That is not. Of course, in the execution of such work, it appears to be working, but practically it has no reaction. That is vikarma. And that vikarma is when we act on account of the Supreme. That is when we... Kṛṣṇa-karma-kṛt. When we work under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, that has no reaction. Otherwise, karma, one should do prescribed duties, and one should not do which is not prescribed.

For example, for example, just like the state. The state has got some laws. Now, suppose if you commit murder, it will be hang, you will be hanged. That is the state law. So if you again, against the state law you commit some murder, you will be hanged. This is vikarma, and I should be cautious. But when the state orders, itself, that "You go and fight. Kill the enemy," that is neither karma nor vikarma. So similarly, when we act under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, that is akarma. That means that karma, that kind of activities, has no reaction. Otherwise, we shall have to act very cautiously so that I may not be entangled with the reaction of my karma.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

Pradyumna: Translation: "The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is."

Prabhupāda:

karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ

boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ

akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ

gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

The same principle of working order is being discussed by Kṛṣṇa again in this verse. The beginning was cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). We should remember the same principle always. Four classes are divided according to quality and karma. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, karmaṇo hy api boddhavyam. What is actually work. Boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Vikarmaṇaḥ means forbidden. This is the human life's business. He should know what is actual work and what is forbidden work.

Just like a good citizen knows what is lawful work and what is unlawful work. Lawful work is executed knows what is lawful work and what is unlawful work. Lawful work is executed by intelligent citizens, and unlawful work is executed by the criminals. He has to suffer. You can cheat the man-made government by hiding yourself, so-called hiding. You cannot hide yourself from, any vikarma or unlawful work, from the eyes of the Supreme Lord. That is not possible. You can hide yourself from the eyes of the police, man-made law, but it is not possible to hide yourself from the eyes of the Supreme. That is not possible. Because the Supreme is sitting within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). And He is sitting as anumantā and upadraṣṭā. He is simply seeing what you are doing, and He is giving sanction also. Even a thief who is going to act something criminally, without the sanction of the Supersoul, who is sitting within everyone's heart, he cannot do that.

That you have got experience. Suppose you are doing, going to do something which is not very good. The conscience is beating, "No, no, you should not do this. You should not do this." But because without the sanction of the Supreme, I cannot do anything, so if we persist to do something, then the sanction is given, "At your risk." That is going on. God does not give you sanction for doing anything criminal. But if we persist to do something criminal, then God gives sanction, "All right, do. Do it at your risk." That is going on. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Now, when we act something on account of my persistence by the sanction of the Lord, then I become subjected to the fruits of such resultant action.

And we get a different type of body. That is going on. In the śāstra it is said, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). Jantuḥ, of the living entity.... We are getting different types of bodies. Just like we are sitting, so many people, ladies and gentlemen. Everyone's bodily feature is different from the other. So why there are different features? We are all human being. Why we have got different types of bodies? Not only in human society. The animal society, the bird society.... It is all karmaṇā, by our personal fruitive action. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. This law we do not know. We work irresponsibly without knowing the result of our work. Therefore we are getting different types of bodies, different types of situation, different type of occupation, so many things. Therefore people should be trained, as Kṛṣṇa said in the beginning, that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13).

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

And jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Tāmasāḥ, tamo-guṇa, jaghanya, abominable, nasty, unclean, eating nasty things... Then jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. They go to the lower planetary system, Tala, Atala, Vitala, Pātāla, Rasātala, Talātala. There are so many planets. Or in the animal kingdom. So we are creating our next body, karmaṇā, by our work. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, karmaṇo hy api boddhavyam.

You must know, because you have to accept next body. You can talk foolishly, "No, there is no body." Bhasmī-bhūtasya... That is the atheistic theory, that after the body is burned into ashes, everything is finished. Big, big professors, big, big learned scholars, so-called scholars, they say like that, "Oh, there is no life. Everything is finished after this body is finished." But that is not a fact. If we have to accept the authority of Bhagavad-gītā... We have to accept it. If we don't accept, that is our foolishness.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

Just like I was a child, you were a child, but that we have forgotten. But that does not mean I did not have. Similarly, in the past I had a body, in the present I have got a body, so why not in the future? This is common sense. In future you must have a body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Kṛṣṇa says, authority. I may say, "There is no body," but Kṛṣṇa says, "There is body." And how this body is manufactured? Karmaṇā, by your work. If you work foolishly in the tamo-guṇa, then you get the body of ignorance, ugly body, abominable body, poor body, without any education, without any knowledge. These things are there. And if you work sattva-guṇa, then you get better body. And rajo-guṇa, then in the middle-class body. These are stated in the śāstra. You have to accept it.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Vikarmaṇaḥ means forbidden work, "You should not do this." Just like we are forbidding our students, no illicit sex. This is forbidden. No intoxication. This is forbidden in the śāstra. Yatra pāpaś catur-vidhāḥ, four kinds of sinful activities. These are the basic pillars, four pillars of sinful activities: illicit sex life and intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. Striya-sūnā-pāna-dyūta yatra pāpaś catur-vidhāḥ (SB 1.17.38), the four kinds of sinful activities. So if we act sinfully, then we get a body which is result of sinful action. By pious activities, we get janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrīḥ (SB 1.8.26). Janma, first-class family, first-class nation, janma. That is very important thing, to get birth in first-class family, enlightened family, brāhmaṇa family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). These are all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

Śuci means brāhmaṇa, and muci means cobbler. Muci means cobbler. There is a Bengali verse, śuci haya muci haya yadi kṛṣṇa tyaje. The first line is muci haya śuci haya yadi kṛṣṇa bhaje: "One who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even he is born in the family of cobbler, muci..." Everyone knows, Indians. So muci haya śuci haya, although he is born in the family of a muci, cobbler, he becomes śuci, a brāhmaṇa, by, yadi kṛṣṇa bhaje, if he is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, if he is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And muci haya śuci haya yadi kṛṣṇa bhaje or śuci haya muci haya yadi kṛṣṇa tyaje: "If one is born of a brāhmaṇa family, but gives up Kṛṣṇa bhajana, devotional life, he becomes a muci." Karmaṇā. Because he's changed his karma.

Therefore cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). So this education should be introduced. Guṇa. First of all, everyone should be educated to accept the sattva-guṇa, sāttvika, goodness. Everyone should be trained up, the first-class good man. Satyaṁ śamaḥ damaḥ titikṣā ārjava, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Everyone should be taught.... (break) ...if he remains like an animal, eating, sleeping and mating and dying like cats and dogs, that is not right. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that what type of karma should one execute? Karmaṇo hy api boddhavyam. One should learn, not foolishly do anything and anything.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

It is very simple to understand. Suppose this hand, my hand, but how long it is hand? So long it is attached to the service of the body. If this hand is cut off from this body, it may be called hand, but it has no meaning. Similarly, head also. The head is head so long it is attached to the body. If the head is cut off from the body, then what is the meaning of this head? It has no meaning.

Similarly, either you become brāhmaṇa or you become kṣatriya or you become vaiśya or śūdra, if you are not attached to the service of the supreme whole, then you are useless brāhmaṇa, useless kṣatriya, useless vaiśya. This is the purpose. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has begun that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Therefore one has to understand what is the meaning of these different types of activities. Karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Vikarmaṇaḥ means if you cannot work which will satisfy Kṛṣṇa, that is vikarma. That is vikarma, forbidden. Because the real purpose of working is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. He is the center. He is the center of all activities. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya saṁsiddhiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.46). Simply by satisfying the central point, Kṛṣṇa, then you get saṁsiddhi. It doesn't matter whether you are a śūdra or a brāhmaṇa or engineer or lawyer. The real point is how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

This is simply labor. It has no meaning, because you are creating, your own formation, next body, another body, that out of your responsibility, you are acting like a hog, you get the body of a hog. You are acting like a monkey, you get the body of a monkey. If you are acting like a god, demigod, you get your body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1).

Therefore one should know, "What class of work I shall be engaged in?" So the easy process is... It doesn't matter... According to your qualification, you engage yourself in any work, but try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. Otherwise it is śrama eva hi kevalam.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Vikarmaṇaḥ means sense gratification. I explained this verse from Bhāgavatam last night. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yat (SB 5.5.4). What is that vikarmaṇaḥ? Yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti. Anything which is done for sense gratification, that is vikarma. So people are engaged in vikarma. Everywhere, all over the world, the education, the scientific advancement, culture, everything.... Now culture means some dancing. Now it has become a culture. And what is that dancing? Sense gratification. Boys and girls, dancing ball dance, sense gratification. That is vikarma. But here, the same dancing before the Deity is bhakti. The same dancing. You dance in a theatrical performance, in a platform. That is also dancing. And here, in this stage, before the Deity, if you are dancing with Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then you are making bhakti, progress. And that dancing means you are becoming entangled in your karma. Because that dancing is sense gratification, vikarmaṇaḥ. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4).

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

Janma-mṛtyu-jarā. There are so many sufferings. In the process of birth. There are so many sufferings in the process of birth and death and old age. A rich man or poor man, when we are old, we have to suffer so many invalidity.

Similarly, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Jarā, jarā and vyādhi and mṛtyu. So we are not conscious about the suffering position of this material body. The śāstra says, "Don't accept again any material body." Na sādhu manye: "This is not good, that you are repeatedly getting this material body." Na sādhu manye yata ātmanaḥ. Ātmanaḥ, the soul is encaged in this material body. Yata ātmano 'yam asann api. Although temporary, I have got this body. Kleśada āsa dehaḥ.

So if we want to stop this miserable condition of getting another material body, then we must know what is karma, what is vikarma. That is Kṛṣṇa's proposal. Karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyam. Akarmaṇa means there is no reaction. Reaction. Karma, if you do nice work, it has got reaction. It has nice body, nice education, nice family, nice riches. This is also nice. We take it as nice. We want to go to the heavenly planet. But they do not know that even in the heavenly planet there is the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

So people have no information that Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, He has got His place and anyone can go. How one can go?

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā

yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām

(BG 9.25)

"If one becomes devoted to My worship, My business, bhakti-yoga, he comes to Me." In another place He says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi (BG 18.55).

So therefore our only business is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Yajñārthe karma. This is akarma. Here it is said, akarmaṇa, akarmaṇaḥ api boddhavyam, akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyam. Akarma means without reaction. Here, if we act for our sense gratification, the reaction is.... Just like a soldier is killing. He is getting gold medal. The same soldier, when comes home, if he kills one man, he is hanged. Why? He can say in the court, "Sir, when I was fighting in the battlefield, I killed so many. I got gold medal. And why you are hanging me just now?" "Because you are have done for your own sense gratification. And that you did for government sanction."

Therefore any karma, if you do it for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction, that is akarma it has no reaction. But if you do anything for your own sense gratification, you will have to suffer the resultant action, good or bad. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says,

karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ

boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ

akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ

gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

It is very difficult to understand what kind of action you should do. Therefore we have to take direction from Kṛṣṇa, from the śāstra, from guru. Then our life will be successful. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Reporter from Researchers Magazine -- July 24, 1973, London:

Reporter: Yeah. But what is the meaning of akarma?

Prabhupāda: Akarma means that does not produce another karma. Or sometimes akarma means laziness.

Reporter: No, no, (laughs), in the sense of Gītā.

Prabhupāda: Karmaṇo hy api boddhavyam. So akarma means, that is bhaktyā. Akarma means, just like yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. Anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ: when you become bound by the result, the action of the karma, that is karma. And when you act yajñārthe, for Viṣṇu, for Kṛṣṇa, that is not karma, that is akarma. It does not produce, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, "Those who are engaged in devotional service, they're not producing any more karma.

Reporter: Hm. Hm. But then why there are three words, karma, vikarma, akarma? There are three.

Prabhupāda: That... Vikarma means..., karma means you act according to the injunction of the śāstra. That is karma. And vikarma means when you violate the injunction of the śāstra.

Devotee: Violate.

Prabhupāda: Violate.

Reporter: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. "You should not do this." Just like in the śāstra it is said that you should not indulge in sinful activities.

Reporter: Hm. That's the vikarma.

Prabhupāda: That is vikarma. If you act sinfully, against the injunctions of the śāstra, then it is sinful, that is vikarma. And akarma means which does not produce any other result. That is akarma. Karma, akarma, vikarma. Yes. But generally we act, we indulge in karma to get some result. And that is karma. That is not vikarma. Vikarma, when you act against the principles of sinful activities, no, no, when you act as sinful activity, just like striyaḥ sūnā (Sanskrit). Four kinds of sinful activities are described in the śāstras: illicit sex life. You can not indulge in sex life without marriage, that is illicit, that is sinful. So killing animals unnecessarily, that is sinful. Then intoxication, that is sinful. And gambling. These are sinful activities. So when you do not obey the orders of the śāstra and engage yourself in sinful activities, that is vikarma, you're becoming bound up being entangled. Therefore bhakti is the safest platform, because you do not produce any more karma. Whatever karma you have to act, it is finished in this life. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). Otherwise, beginning from ant, up to the Brahmā, everyone is bound up by the reaction of karma.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Evening Darsana -- February 26, 1977, Mayapura:

Guest (1): That is actually what we have always taught, you know, to do it. Karmaṇy evādhikāras te.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Karmaṇy evā...

Guest (1): (Sanskrit)

Prabhupāda: No, simply you do not quote that verse. You first begin from ABCD. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. Unless you begin ABCD, you cannot go, immediately jump up to the M.A. class.

Guest (1): No, that karma itself is not something...

Prabhupāda: No, why do you quote karma? Why you do not quote the beginning, the beginning of ABCD? If you have no knowledge of the ABCD, then karma... The monkey is also very busy, jumping, but as soon as a monkey comes, "Eh! Get out! Get out! Get out!" But he is thinking he's very busy. That, such kind of karma, will simply create disturbance. We must know what is karma. Karmaṇo hy api boddhavyam. We should understand what is karma. So anyway...

Guest (1): We are very grateful to you for your very kind work, but we have got something to do for ourself.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...therefore writing so many books. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is we are presenting. The Sanskrit verses you have written? Oh, very good. Hm. Nice. You are studying Sanskrit?