Gita : Ch-3. Slo-31.

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita :


Chapter-3. ( Karma-yogam )


Slokam-31. ( One who executes his duties according to My injunctions and who follows this teaching faithfully, without envy, becomes free from the bondage of fruitive actions.)




ye  me  matam-idam  nityam  anutishttanti  manavah,


Sraddhavanto-nasuyanto  mucyante  te-pi  karmabhih.




me  idam   matam  =  this  opinion  of   mine;

sraddhavantah  anasuyantah  =  with  faith  and  attention/devotion,  and  without  envy;

ye  manavah   =  any  human-being;

nityam  anutishttanti  =  daily  (always)  obeys;

te  api  karmabhih  =  they  too  from  the  relationships  of  kama/activity;

mucyante  =  (are)  freed. (freed  from  attacments  to  all  activities).  

Up until this slokam Lord Krishna presented the point of view that prescribed Vedic activities will not incur any fault if performed in yagna or worship in dedication to the Supreme Lord. This is because the doership of all souls are dependant solely on the Supreme Being as is confirmed in hundreds of scriptural verses from the Vedic scriptures such as: He is the soul of all. He the controller of all has entered inside each of them. He verily causes those to perform great works whom He intends to liberate from this world. Such passages are found in the Brhandaranyaka Upanisad and others. Now Lord Krishna points out the virtues in those who follow the pristine teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita accepting them as perfect with full faith without finding fault in performing actions without desires and attachment or blaspheming the speaker by critcising the idea of performing actions free from ego consciousness or speculating how can it be possible that by performing these instructions one becomes free from bondage of all actions and the cycle of birth and death. The teachings and instructions of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita are the essence and conclusion of all Vedic Scriptures and are given for the highest benefit of all mankind.

The advantage of performing prescribed Vedic activities is being stated by Lord Krishna. Those situated in karma yoga or performing prescribed Vedic actions that have faith in the pristine teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita and perform these instructions in their daily lives, without blaspheming the teachings by thinking that they are incorrect and unnecessary will also gradually be freed from all reactions which cause bondage in the material worlds the same as the person situated in jnana yoga or the cultivation of spiritual knowledge.

The word manavah means men. It is derived from Manu the father of mankind, who wrote the Manu Samhita which are the guidelines for the human race. Thus all mankind as the descendants of Manu are followers of Vedic scriptures. The great personalities like Manu contemplating and reflecting on the Vedas determine what is the main import of the Vedas, which is precisely the formulised will of the Lord act accordingly to this inner directive.

There are persons who although unable to practice the prescribed injunctions enjoined in the Vedic scriptures still have faith and believe in the tenets inculcated therein. There are others who although not fully understanding and believing still do not doubt the veracity and authority of the Vedic scriptures.

All these three classes of mankind shall be redeemed and delivered from the vast aggregate of past sins accumulated since time immemorial that keeps one locked in bondage to the material existence. Lord Krishna uses the words te api meaning they also to emphasise that these even those not fully believing if they remain passive and do not blaspheme they are also entitled to absolution from past sins which is the cause of bondage and gradually attain moksa or deliverance from the cycle of birth and death.

The next slokam tells the fate of the blasphemers and non-observers of this edict.

To be continued  ....