Gita Bhashya (Sri Ramanujacharya) 2.38
Gita Bhashya (Sri Ramanujacharya) 2.38 · 2 · Verse 38
Sanskrit Original
।।2.38।।एवं देहातिरिक्तम् अस्पृष्टसमस्तदेहस्वभावं नित्यम् आत्मानं ज्ञात्वा युद्धे च अवर्जनीयशस्त्रपातादिनिमित्तसुखदुःखार्थलाभालाभजयपराजयेषु अविकृतबुद्धिःस्वर्गादिफलाभिसन्धिरहितः केवलकार्यबुद्ध्या युद्धम् आरभस्व। एवं कुर्वाणो न पापम् अवाप्स्यसि पापं दुःखरूपं संसारं न अवाप्स्यसि। संसारबन्धात् मोक्ष्यसे इत्यर्थः। एवम् आत्मयाथात्म्यज्ञानम् उपदिश्य तत्पूर्वकं मोक्षसाधनभूतं कर्मयोगं वक्तुम् आरभते
2.38 Thus, knowing the self to be eternal, different from the body and untouched by all corporeal alities, remaining unaffected by pleasure and pain resulting from the weapon-strokes etc., inevitable in a war, as also by gain and loss of wealth, victory and defeat, and keeping yourself free from attachment to heaven and such other frutis, begin the battle considering it merely as your own duty. Thus, you will incur no sin. Here sin means transmigratory existence which is misery. The purport is that you will be liberarted from the bondage of transmigratory existence. Thus, after teaching the knowledge of the real nature of the self, Sri Krsna begins to expound the Yoga of work, which, when preceded by it (i.e., knowledge of the self), constitutes the means for liberation.