Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God - Chapter-3. 20 and & 21. - Swami Mukundananda.
Chinmaya Mission:
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August 22 at 5:02 PM
Chinmaya Mission Guyana, in collaboration with the High Commission of India and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Georgetown, Guyana, successfully conducted the National Bhagavad Gita Chanting Competition across Guyana between February and June. The initiative culminated in a special Award Ceremony held this past Sunday.
More than 70 children, youth, and adults dedicated themselves to learning to chant an entire chapter of the Bhagavad Gita during this period. Of these, 42 participants entered the final competition, and 35 were awarded medals of excellence in recognition of their outstanding chanting.
The Award Ceremony was graced by the presence of His Excellency Dr. Amit Telang and Madam Dr. Deepali Telang, whose support added great encouragement to the event.
Heartfelt congratulations were extended to all participants, with deep appreciation also expressed to their families for their encouragement and support throughout the program. Special gratitude was offered to the dedicated Bhagavad Gita Chanting teachers, described as the true gems behind the success of this initiative.
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Sunday 24, Aug 2025. 19:00.
Srimad Bhagavad Gita:
Chapter 3: Karma Yogam: (The Yogam of Action): 20&21.
Slogam-20&21.
Swami Mukundananda.
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20.
karmanaiva hi sansiddhim asthita janakadayah
loka-sangraham evapi sampashyan kartum arhasi
21.
yad yad acharati shreshthas tat tad evetaro janah
sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate
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karmaṇā—by the performance of prescribed duties.
eva—only.
hi—certainly.
sansiddhim—perfection.
āsthitāḥ—attained.
janaka-ādayaḥ—King Janak and other kings.
loka-saṅgraham—for the welfare of the masses.
eva api—only.
sampaśhyan—considering.
kartum—to perform.
arhasi—you should.
yat yat—whatever.
ācharati—does.
śhreṣhṭhaḥ—the best.
tat tat—that (alone).
eva—certainly.
itaraḥ—common.
janaḥ—people.
saḥ—they.
yat—whichever.
pramāṇam—standard.
kurute—perform.
lokaḥ—world.
tat—that;
anuvartate—pursues
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Translation:
BG 3.20-21:
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Commentary:
Humanity is inspired by the ideals that they see in the lives of great people. Such leaders inspire society by their example and become shining beacons for the masses to follow. Leaders of society thus have a moral responsibility to set lofty examples for inspiring the rest of the population by their words, deeds, and character. When noble leaders are in the forefront, the rest of society naturally gets uplifted in morality, selflessness, and spiritual strength. But in times when there is a vacuum of principled leadership, the rest of society has no standards to pursue and slumps into self-centeredness, moral bankruptcy, and spiritual lassitude. Hence, great personalities should always act in an exemplary manner to set the standard for the world. Even though they themselves may have risen to the transcendental platform, and may not need to perform prescribed Vedic duties, by doing so, they inspire others to perform prescribed Vedic actions.
If a great leader of society becomes a karm sanyāsī, and renounces work, it sets an errant precedent for others. The leader may be at the transcendental platform and therefore eligible to renounce work and engage completely in spirituality. However, others in society use their example as an excuse for escapism, to run away from their responsibilities. Such escapists cite the instances of the great karm sanyāsīs, such as Shankaracharya, Madhvacharya, Nimbarkacharya, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Following their lofty footsteps, these imposters also renounce worldly duties and take sanyās, even though they have not yet attained the purity of mind required for it. In India, we find thousands of such sadhus. They copy the examples of the great sanyāsīs and don the ochre robes, without the concurrent internal enlightenment and bliss. Though externally renounced, their nature forces them to seek happiness, and devoid of the divine bliss of God, they begin indulging in the lowly pleasure of intoxication. Thus, they slip even below the level of people in household life, as stated in the following: slogam
Sage Tulsidas says: “One who renounces worldly duties, without the concurrent internal enlightenment with divine knowledge, treads the quick path to hell.”
Instead, if a great leader is a karma yogi, at least the followers will continue to do their karm and dutifully perform their responsibilities. This will help them learn to discipline their mind and senses and slowly rise to the transcendental platform. Hence, to present an example for society to follow, Shree Krishna suggests that Arjun should practice karm yog. He now gives his own example to illustrate the above point.
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Continued
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