असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृहः।
नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां संन्यासेनाधिगच्छति।।18.49।।
18.49 He whose intellect remains unattached to everything, who has conered his internal organs and is desireless, attains through monasticism the supreme perfection consisting in the state of one free from duties.
18.49 He whose intellect is unattached everywhere, who has subdued his self, from whom desire has fled, he by renunciation, attains the supreme state of freedom from action.
18.49. He, whose mind entertains no attachment to anything, who is self-conered and is free from craving-he attains by means of renunciation the supreme success of actionlessness.
18.49 असक्तबुद्धिः whose intellect is unattached? सर्वत्र eveywhere? जितात्मा who has subdued his self? विगतस्पृहः whose desire has fled? नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिम् the perfection consisting in freedom from action? परमाम् the supreme? संन्यासेन by renunciaion? अधिगच्छति (he) attains.Commentary The mind of one who is free from attachment to wife? son? body and property? who has controlled his senses and the mind? who has no desire for the body? for life and for sensual pleasure? turns inwards towards God or the immortal Self. It is not attracted by the sensual objects of the world. It is filled with dispassion and discrimination.He gradually gets himself established in his own Self which is of the nature of ExistenceKnowledgeBliss. Such a person who has knowledge of the Self attains to the highest perfection? to pefect freedom from action by renunciation.Ignorance is destroyed by the attainment of the knowledge of the Self. There is cessation of activity. One may perform actions for the solidarity of the world and yet he will not be bound by actions as he has attained absolute freedom from action through the knowledge of the Self. The fire of knowledge has burnt the fruitbearing effects of Karmas or actions. He has no idea of agency as he is absolutely free from egoism? as he has identified himself with the Supreme Being.Naishkarmya siddhi may also mean the attainment of the state of Naishkarmya. In this exalted? magnanimous? ineffable state of divine splendour and glory? one remains as the actionless Self. This is the state of immediate liberation of the Vedantins (Kaivalya Moksha or Sadyomukti). This marvellous state is attained by renunciation or right knowledge or by the renunciation of all actions brought about by the attainment of the knowledge of the Self. Mentally renouncing all actions and selfcontrolled? the embodied one rests happily in the ninegated? city? neither acting nor causing others to act. (Cf.V.13)Now the Lord teaches in the next verse how a man who? having attained perfection as described above in verse 46? by doing his duty in the service of the Lord can attain perfect freedom from action. He gets discrimination? practises constant meditation and rests in the knowledge of the immutable Self.,(Cf.III.4and19)
18.49 Asakta-buddhih, he whose intellect, the internal organ, remains unattached; sarvatra, to everything, with regard to son, wife and others who are the cuases of attachment; jitatma, who has conered his internal organs; and vigata-sprhah, who is desireless, whose thirst for his body, life and objects of enjoyment have been eradicated;-he who is such a knower of the Self, adhigaccahti, attains; sannyasena, through monasticism, through perfect knowledge or through renunciation of all actions preceded by this knowledge; the paramam, supreme, most excellent; naiskarmya-siddhim, perfection consisting in the state of one free from duties. One is said to be free from duties from whom duties have daparted as a result of realizing that the actionless Brahman is his Self; his state is naiskarmyam. That siddhi (perfection) which is this naiskarmya is naiskarmya-siddhi. Or, this phrase means achievement of naiskarmya, i.e., achievement of the state of remaining established in ones own real nature as the actionless Self-which is different from the success arising from Karma (-yoga), and is of the form of being established in the state of immediate Liberation. Accordingly has it been said, ৷৷.having given up all actions mentally,৷৷.without doing or causing (others) to do anything at all (5.13). The stages through which one who has attained success-which has the aforesaid characteristics and which arises from the performance of ones own duties mentioned earlier as worship of God-, and in whom has arisen discriminative knowledge, achieves perfection-in the form of exclusive adherence to Knowledge of the Self and consisting in the state of one free from duties-have to be stated. With this is view the Lord says:
18.49 See Comment under 18.60
18.49 He whose understanding is, on all sides, without attachments, concerning fruits etc., whose self is conered, i.e., who has conered his mind; who, by contemplating on the agency of the Supreme Person, is free from the habit of attributing agency to the self; and who is thus eipped with Sannyasa which has been positively determined to be the same as Tyaga - such a man, performing actions, attains supreme perfection which is free from all activities. The meaning is that he attains devotion to Dhyana which is the consummation of even Jnana Yoga; he attains Dhyana Yoga (Yoga of meditation) consisting in the complete cessation of sensory activity, which is going to be described hereafter.
The first type of sannyasl gives up the faults in his work, characterized by attachment to being the doer and attachment to the results. When that sannyasl perfects his sadhana over time, then he reaches the yogarudha stage. Then he gives up actions completely. That is the second type of sannyasa, mentioned here. He whose intelligence is free from all attachments to material objects (asakta buddhih), whose mind is under control (jitatma), who has no desire for happiness even of Brahmaloka (vigata sprhah), then, by complete renunciation of all activities (samnyasena), attains the highest perfection of no action at all (naiskarmyam). In other words, at the stage of yogarudha (no actions), with attainment of naiskarmyam, one reaches the highest perfection.
Anticipating that the question may arise of how it is practically possible to accept only the positive and reject the negative, Lord Krishna responds by stating that one whose mentality is unfettered to anything mundane and material, devoid of attachment. Whose mind has conquered the false lure of desires and attraction to the objects of the senses. Who is bereft of egotism and is renounced and situated fully in sattva guna the mode of goodness; such a one achieves no reaction to actions, purity of mind and hence absence of activities. Although such a one may perform actions in actuality it is non-action because there is no conception as the doer. Chapter five verse 8 has already stated: That one who knows the absolute truth understands that they factually are not the doer and verse 13 states: The self controlled being who renounces all actions in their mind remains tranquil and serene and is considered to be topmost.
Perfection in renunciation entails relinquishing all desires for rewards thereof which is perfect equanimity. Perfection in renunciation of actions is abandoning all actions not connected to the Supreme Lord Krishna.
Lord Krishna explains that when buddhi or spiritual intelligence is unfettered meaning unattached to desires and rewards and the mind is controlled and senses conquered, with no conceptions of doership, established in renunciation even while performing prescribed Vedic activities one attains the supreme serene state of bhakti or exclusive loving devotion unto the Supreme Lord by dhyana or meditation in communion with Him internally as well as propitiation to Him with ones physical body externally such as japa or chanting His divine, holy names in ecstasy and promulgating His glories everywhere one goes throughout creation. By the wonderfulness of bhakti the mind and senses are already controlled and conquered quite easily and have surpassed the limits of jnana yoga or facilitating communion with the Supreme Lord by knowledge.
Lord Krishna explains that when buddhi or spiritual intelligence is unfettered meaning unattached to desires and rewards and the mind is controlled and senses conquered, with no conceptions of doership, established in renunciation even while performing prescribed Vedic activities one attains the supreme serene state of bhakti or exclusive loving devotion unto the Supreme Lord by dhyana or meditation in communion with Him internally as well as propitiation to Him with ones physical body externally such as japa or chanting His divine, holy names in ecstasy and promulgating His glories everywhere one goes throughout creation. By the wonderfulness of bhakti the mind and senses are already controlled and conquered quite easily and have surpassed the limits of jnana yoga or facilitating communion with the Supreme Lord by knowledge.
Asaktabuddhih sarvatra jitaatmaa vigatasprihah; Naishkarmyasiddhim paramaam sannyaasenaadhigacchati.
asakta-buddhiḥ—those whose intellect is unattached; sarvatra—everywhere; jita-ātmā—who have mastered their mind; vigata-spṛihaḥ—free from desires; naiṣhkarmya-siddhim—state of actionlessness; paramām—highest; sanyāsena—by the practice of renunciation; adhigachchhati—attain
