In
the fourth chapter of the Bhagavadgītā, Kr̥ṣṇa
discusses karma-akarma-vikarma. There are various interpretations for
these terms (and the related verses) by different commentators. Here we will base
our discussion on Śāṅkarabhāṣya.
Kr̥ṣṇa opens up the topic by saying "Even scholars are confused in
recognizing karma and akarma" (4.16) indicating that the concept is not
straightforward. In the subsequent verse he adds "vikarma" to it, and
further emphasizes that the nature of karma is very complex (4.17).
The
word "karma" refers to śāstravihita karma — activities prescribed by
the śāstras for your role in the society. This includes nitya-naimittika karma
(sandhyāvandana, agnihōtra etc.) that everyone should perform along with the specific
activities as per their varṇa and the stage of life (āśrama).
"Vikarma"
refers to niṣiddha or forbidden karma. For e.g. as discussed earlier, following
paradharma is vikarma. Similarly, if someone in student life performs
activities prescribed for householder life (mixing up of the āśrama dharma), it
is vikarma. And karma such as stealing is a vikarma for anyone.
"Akarma"
requires some explanation. Usually, the prefix "a" or "niḥ"
in Saṁskr̥ta signifies negation (like the "un" or "im" in
English). For e.g. anitya means impermanent. But in spiritual teachings these
prefixes sometimes indicate not mere negation, but transcendence. For e.g. nirguṇa
does not mean "devoid of guṇa", but means "transcendence from guṇa"
(guṇātīta). If a simple example has to be given: movies are projected on a
screen, but the screen transcends all the movies. The difference between
negation and transcendence is that in negation there is absence, whereas in
transcendence there is a leap to a higher context that supports the lower
context but is untouched by it.
Thus
the word akarma (or naiṣkarmya) can mean two things: 1) Inactivity (or
actionlessness) 2) Transcendence from karma. Throughout the Gītā both the connotations
are used by Kr̥ṣṇa and we should be careful to identify them. As a
rule whenever he condemns it he is referring to "inactivity" (e.g.
2.47), and whenever he appreciates it he is referring to transcendence (3.3;
18.48).
In fact, he had laid the foundation for the karma-akarma discussion in
the beginning of the third chapter. The phrase "naiṣkarmya sthiti/siddhi"
is popularly used as a synonym to ātmajñāna[1].
Therefore, when Arjuna questions him as to why he should engage in karma if
jñāna is the ultimate goal, although Arjuna did not explicitly use the word naiṣkarmya,
Kr̥ṣṇa, as though reading Arjuna's mind, clarifies "One cannot attain naiṣkarmya
by simply refraining from karma" (3.3). Here he is pointing out that naiṣkarmya
means not negation of karma, but transcendence from it. In the fourth chapter
he is addressing the same with special attention.
What
does transcendence from karma mean? How is ātmajñāna
a state of naiṣkarmya? We can look at it from two angles.
1)
What we call as karma is basically amplification.
For e.g. a car is designed in such a way that if I move my foot, an entire car
moves. Movement is amplified several million times. Similarly, if we take this a
step backward, it is the minute activity of the neurons that is amplified as
the movement of the foot. If we take this further backward, as per some modern
theories, it is the extremely minuscule spacetime events that cause neural
firing. Thus karma is getting amplified in several levels. But it cannot be
that it is an endless chain of smaller and smaller activity; there has to be an
end, and the natural mathematical end to this is stillness. This is what the scriptures conclusively affirm too; our
true nature is stillness. But it is not inert stillness; it is the source of
all karma! When we thus realize our true nature to be absolute stillness, we
transcend karma. We would be in naiṣkarmya although there is karma on the
surface.
2)
In ātmajñāna, extremes meet. De-identification from all specific entities leads
also to identification with the whole existence at once[2] (our
problem is that we are in between — identification with only a few particular things);
and all-inclusive identification too implies transcendence from karma. Karma
means an interaction of two entities. Any system has parts and when we are
identified with certain parts only, we see activity (interaction with other
parts). But when we embrace the whole system at once, karma is transcended. For
e.g. I say I eat food as I see myself as a specific body. But the body is a
piece of earth, so is the food I am eating. One part of earth is eating another
part of earth. From the perspective of earth as a whole no eating is happening;
the net effect is nil[3]. Therefore
an ātmajñāni, as he has an all-inclusive identification with the cosmos,
transcends karma. He sees that the consumed, the consumer, the process of
consumption etc. are all the same reality (4.24)
Now
we are ready to take on a riddle like statement from Kr̥ṣṇa:
कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येत् अकर्मणि च कर्म
यः ।
स बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत्
॥४.१८॥
karmaṇyakarma yaḥ
paśyēt akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ |
sa buddhimān manuṣyēṣu
sa yuktaḥ kr̥tsnakarmakr̥t ||4.18||
Meaning: He who sees akarma in karma and karma in akarma, he
is wise among men; he is a Yogi and performer of all actions.
Here
there are two parts:
a)
Seeing akarma in karma — here akarma is being used in the profound sense, i.e.
transcendence from karma. When someone has realized his true nature, he sees
himself as absolute stillness and is identified with nothing (or is identified
with the entire existence). Hence for him there is no karma at all even if he
is engaged in a lot of karma from a mundane standpoint (4.20).
b)
Seeing karma in akarma — here akarma is being used in the simpler sense, i.e.
inaction. For someone who has not realized his true nature, "I am not
doing" is also happening out of a strong individuality and doership. Thus,
this "not doing" is a doing; it is karma in the disguise of akarma
(3.6).
[1] Jñāna, Bhakti, Yōga and Naiṣkarmya are four names of the same
enlightened state from the perspective of the four streams of yōga — Jñāna yōga, Bhakti yōga, Rāja Yōga and Karma yōga.
[3] Homework for readers — "the entire Universe considered at once does not have a weight" — ponder over this and use it as an example here.
