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GĪTĀ, TRANSLATION & COMMENTARY, CHAP. II 885
88 नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते । स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात् ॥ ४० ॥
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each other, and the followers of these paths are known respectively as 'Samkhya'' Samnyasa-margin' and 'Yoga'= Karma-Yoga-margin' (Gi. 5. 5). As the followers of the Samkhya-niṣṭhā out of these consider it more meritorious to give up Action in the end completely some time or other, the philosophy of this path does not completely answer Arjuna's question : Why should I fight?". Therefore, the Blessed Lord now starts to impart the Knowledge pertaining to the Nistha of Karma-Yoga, or shortly Yoga, according to which true manhood consists in continuing to perform Action lifelong, with a disinterested frame of mind, and without adopting Samnyasa, even after the acquisition of true Knowledge; and this Path of Action has been emphasised from now on right to the last chapter of the Gita, by showing many reasons for following that path and by giving satisfactory explanations of many doubts. When one bears in mind this explanation of the exposition of the subject-matter of the Gita, given by the Blessed Lord Himself, there remains no doubt any more that the Gitā supports the path of Karma-Yoga. The Blessed Lord first states the most important propositions of Karma-Yoga-]
(40) Here, (that is, in this path of Karma-Yoga), Action (once) commenced is not destroyed, (and afterwards) obstacles do not arise; even a little (practice) of this. religion protects (one) from great danger.
[The importance of this doctrine has been shown in Chapter X of the Gita-Rahasya (p. 392, bottom); and a fuller explanation is also given later on in the Gita (GI. 6. 40-46). This stanza means that according to the path of Karma-Yoga, even if perfection is not reached in one life, the Action performed is not wasted, but comes in useful in the subsequent births, and the merit being thus accumulated from birth to birth, true Release is reached ultimately, sometime or other. The Blessed Lord now propounds the second important doctrine of Karma-Yoga-]
