2.42–44
Chapter 2, Verses 42–44
यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः। वेदवादरताः पार्थ नान्यदस्तीति वादिनः৷৷ कामात्मानः स्वर्गपरा जन्मकर्मफलप्रदाम्। क्रियाविशेषबहुलां भोगैश्वर्यगतिं प्रति৷৷ भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम्। व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते৷৷
yāmimāṅ puṣpitāṅ vācaṅ pravadantyavipaśicataḥ. vēdavādaratāḥ pārtha nānyadastīti vādinaḥ৷৷ kāmātmānaḥ svargaparā janmakarmaphalapradām. kriyāviśēṣabahulāṅ bhōgaiśvaryagatiṅ prati৷৷ bhōgaiśvaryaprasaktānāṅ tayāpahṛtacētasām. vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyatē৷৷
Translation
Verse 42
Only the ignorant speak in figurative language. It is they who extol the letter of the scriptures, saying, There is nothing deeper than this.'
Verse 43
Consulting only their own desires, they construct their own heaven, devising arduous and complex rites to secure their own pleasure and their own power; and the only result is rebirth.
Verse 44
While their minds are absorbed with ideas of power and personal enjoyment, they cannot concentrate their discrimination on one point.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
Verse 42
याम which, इमाम् this, पुष्पिताम् flowery, वाचम् speech, प्रवदन्ति utter, अविपश्चितः the unwise, वेदवादरताः takign pleasure in the eulogising words of the Vedas, पार्थ O Partha, न not, अन्यत् other, अस्ति is, इति thus, वादिनः saying. Commentary: Unwise people who are lacking in discrimination lay great stress upon the Karma Kanda or the ritualistic portion of the Vedas, which lays down specific rules for specific actions for,the attainment of specific fruits and ectol these actions and rewards unduly. They are highly enamoured of such Vedic passages which prescribe ways for the attainment of heavenly enjoyments. They say that there is nothing else beyond the sensual enjoyments in Svarga (heaven) which can be obtained by performing the rites of the Karma Kanda of the Vedas.There are two main divisions of the Vedas -- Karma Kanda (the section dealing with action) and Jnana Kanda (the section dealing with knowledge). The Karma Kanda comprises the Brahmanas and the Samhitas. This is the authority for the Purvamimamsa school founded by Jaimini. The followers of this school deal with rituals and prescribe many of them for attaining enjoyments and power here and happiness in heaven. They regard this as the ultimate object of human existence. Ordinary people are attracted by their panegyrics. The Jnana Kanda comprises the Aranyakas and the Upanishads which deal with the nature of Brahman or the Supreme Self.Life in heaven is also transitory. After the fruits of the good actions are exhausted, one has to come back to this earthplane. Liberatio or Moksha can only be attained by knowledge of the Self but not by performing a thousand and one sacrifices.Lord Krishna assigns a comparatively inferior position to the doctrine of the Mimamsakas of performing Vedic sacrifices for obtaining heaven, power and lordship in this world as they cannot give us final liberation.
Verse 43
कामात्मानः full of desires, स्वर्गपराः with heaven as their highest goal, जन्मकर्मफलप्रदाम् leading to (new) births as the result of their works, क्रियाविशेषबहुलाम् exuberant with various specifi actions, भोगैश्वर्यगतिम् प्रति for the attainment of pleasure and lordship. Commentary: No commentary.
Verse 44
भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानाम् of the people deeply attached to pleasure and lordship, तया by that, अपहृतचेतसाम् whose minds are drawn away, व्यवसायात्मिका determinate, बुद्धिः reason, समाधौ in Samadhi, न not, विधीयते is fixed. Commentary: Those who cling to pleasure and power cannot have steadiness of mind. They cannot concentrate or meditate. They are ever busy in planning projects for the acisition of wealth and power. Their minds are ever restless. They have no poised understanding.
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.