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GĪTĀ. TRANSLATION & COMMENTARY. CHAP. IV 947
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा। इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्माभर्न स बयते ॥१४॥ एवं ज्ञात्वा कृतं कर्म पूर्वैरपि मुमुक्षुभिः।।
कुरु कर्मैव तस्मात्त्वं पूर्वैः पूर्वतरं कृतम् ॥१५॥ described in the next stanza, He is necessarily a Non-Doer (akartā), (See Gītā. 5. 14). There are also other apparently inconsistent descriptions later on of the form of the Parameśvara, e.g., "sarvendriyagunābhūsam sarvendriyavivarjitam" (Gi. 13 14). See the description of the difference between the qualities of the four different castes later on in Chapter XVIII (18. 41-49). The Blessed Lord now explains the hidden meaning of the words, One Who does, and at the same time, does not do!, which the Blessed Lord has
used with reference to Himself(14) I am not touched by the lepa, (that is, the adverse effect) of Karma, because, My Desire is not in the Fruit of Action. He who knows Me in that way, is not affected by Karma.
[It has been stated above in the 9th stanza that "he who understands My birth and My Action attains Release". This stanza contains an elucidation of the principle of * Action' mentioned in that stanza. The word 'understands' means and includes understands and acts accordingly'. This stanza means that the Blessed Lord is not affected by the Action which He performs, because He does not perform the Action, entertaining the Hope of Fruit; and he who understands this principle and acts accordingly cannot be affected by Action. The Blessed Lord now fortifies the proposition laid down in this stanza
by an actual example(15) Knowing this, those who strove after Emancipation in ancient times, also performed Action; therefore, do you also perform the Action (Karma) performed by the ancients in the past,
[A definite advice has been given to Arjuna to perform Action, as there is no antagonism between Action and Release. But this gives rise to a doubt as to what is essentially
