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1140
GĪTĀ-RAHASYA OR KARMA-YOGA
Karma is eternal; destroying this Karma means giving up the feeling of Attachment to it: it is not possible to destroy it in any other way; because, by its very nature, it is eternal and inexhaustible. All this subject-matter has been discussed in Chap. X of the Gītā-Rahasya at pp. 394 to 401, to which the reader is referred. The doctrine that Karina is eternal has been expressed in the words, “one cannot ascertain the true form of it; nor does one find its end, or commencement”, in stanza 2 ; and it has been stated later on that Non-Attachment is the only means for destroying the Tree of Karma. Besides, a man gets results according to the conviction of his mind at the time of worshipping (Gi. 8. 6). Therefore, stanza 4 describes the conviction (bhāvanā) one should have in one's mind while this process of cutting this Karma-Tree is going on. This interpretation has to be put on this stanza, because, in the reading adopted in the Sāmkarabhāsya, namely," tam eva cūdyam purusam prapadye", the verb “prapadge" in the first person singular present tense has been used; and some such word as 'ti' has to be taken as implied If one accepts the reading mentioned in the Rāmānuja-bhāsya, namely, "tam eva cãdyum purusan prapadyed yatah pravrttih etc.”, in order to get over this difficulty, it is possible to translate the stanza as: one should find out the Seat, having gone where, there is no return; (and) one should go and reach That, from which this Cosmos was created". But, as the root prapad' is an ātmane pada root, it cannot get the udhyarthi third person form 'prapadyet'. 'prapadyet' is a parasnai pada form, which is grammatically incorrect; and that is why this reading has not been adopted in the Sāmkarabhāsya; and that was the right thing to do. The word 'prapadye' has been used in some hymns in the Chandogyopanisad in this way, implying 'ti' (See Chăn. 8. 14. 1). I need not point out that though the verb 'prapadye' is in the first person, it cannot be taken to refer to the speaker, namely, to Sri Krsna, Who is giving the advice. The Blessed Lord now explains what beneficial result is to be obtained by acting in this manner
