MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 333
29th September 2025
Karma Yog is better
WISHING ALL THE READERS HAPPY NAVRATRI POOJA CELEBRATIONS.
Celebrate the passion in your work, your achievements on the Navami celebrations, as WORK IS WORSHIP.
Make the beginning of learning a new skill on Dasami celebration, as learning a new skill keeps your intellect powerful, as the intellect is superior to the body, the senses and the mind.
Let us choose our next #BhagavadGita sloka aligned to this concept ie #WorkIsWorship.
Action is better than Renunciation
Which is better, Action or Renunciation? Ambition or Contentment?
Many people believe and also advocate that one should renunciate material interests, and that is the better choice for spirituality. There is a belief that becoming a sanyasi is the safest option for spiritual enlightenment.
Arjuna was confused as Lord Krishna praised karma yog as well as karma sanyasayog in different slokas. As an inquisitive student, Arjuna interrupted Lord Krishna at multiple points whenever he got confused. Lord Krishna, as a sincere teacher, listened to Arjuna's questions and clarified his doubts. This sloka is one such situation.
Arjuna requested Krishna to clarify as to which one is better amongst the two, path of action and the path of renunciation. Difficult question?
श्रीभगवानुवाच | संन्यास: कर्मयोगश्च नि:श्रेयसकरावुभौ | तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते ||Bhagavad Gita 5.2||
śhrī bhagavān uvācha sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaśh cha niḥśhreyasa-karāvubhau tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt karma-yogo viśhiṣhyate (Bhagavad Gits 5.2)
Lord Krishna to Arjuna: Both the paths of karm sanyās (renunciation of actions) and karm yog (working in devotion) lead to the supreme goal. But karm yog is superior to karm sanyās.
Immediate affirmation from Lord Krishna was that karma yog is superior (vishishyate) to karma sanyasayog. Lord Krishna gives his justification for his answer.
Performing your duties with passion, without expecting immediate results, is the best approach. In comparison with doing the duties for material benefits, renunciation is better, but performing the duties with passion is superior to the path of renunciation. So, PASSION and not getting perturbed about the results make the difference.
A path of passionate work without desires for the results is safer and easier compared to renunciation, but both lead to the same goal ie enlightenment.
This verse ultimately points to a central teaching of the Gita: it's not what you do but how and why you do it that determines whether an action binds you or liberates you. By working in devotion, with awareness and without attachment to results, one can remain in the world yet not be of it—achieving the freedom of renunciation without physically abandoning action. This middle path addresses the practical reality of human life while honouring the spiritual goal of liberation.
That is why we celebrate work, work with passion and without result orientation as part of the pooja celebrations.
Lord Krishna further corroborates this in the first sloka of the next chapter ie 6.1
श्रीभगवानुवाच अनाश्रित: कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति य: । स सन्न्यासी च योगी च न निरग्निर्न चाक्रिय: ॥ Bhagavad Gita 6.1॥
Lord Krishna clarifies to Arjuna - One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic, not he who lights no fire and performs no duty.
One who does the work assigned to him and without bothering about the results of the work is actually a sanyasi and is better than those who cease work under the pretext that they have renounced.
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#PositiveNewsPage
I had an interesting discussion with the passionate YouTube blogger Joel John this week. He is going to publish an interview with me on his YouTube channel.
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Conceived, compiled and posted as a positive and inspirational weekly newsletter #MondayMusings in LinkedIn every Monday by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com).
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