Here Mahatma Gandhi explains the contents of Chapter 3-Karma Yoga, in his incomparably simple style. He asserts that The Gita is very much concerned with practical life. He connects the Yajna with the use of Charkha for producing yarn to be spun in a handloom, & bodily labour.

1. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
T K G NAMBOODHIRI
THIRUVALLA, KERALA
Presentation adapted from
The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi, Orient
Paperbacks,2011
T K G Namboodhiri

2. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
T K G Namboodhiri
CHAPTER 3
KARMA YOGA

3. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER 3
In Chapter 2, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna about the Sankhya philosophy
& the Yoga philosophy. At the end he explains the Sthita-prajna
state a man should attain. Gita would have ended here, if Arjuna
had not raised a doubt at this juncture. This lead to the expansion
of Gita into 18 chapters.
Sage Vyasa revealed the divine truth that all paths, whether
Sankhya or Yoga, Sannyasa or the life of a householder, are
essentially the same. Action & inaction mean the same thing. We
should understand this essential identity if our aim is to know God
& realize the unreality of all else. The way to know God is not to sit
cross-legged, but to work in a disinterested spirit.
A man does not become a yogi because he has performed a
thousand yajnas or made huge gifts. Was he free from attachment
to the ego & was willing to dance to the tune set by God. A yogi is
one who offers up to God everything he does, whether good or
indifferent, & he looks upon God as the sole author of everything.
T K G Namboodhiri

4. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.1 & 3.2
Arjuna asked the Lord: If, O Janardana, thou holdest that
the attitude of detachment is superior to action, then
why, O Keshava, dost thou urge me to dreadful action?
Thou dost seem to confuse my understanding with
perplexing speech; tell me, therefore, in no uncertain
voice, that alone whereby I may attain salvation.
First Sri Krishna put forward the logical argument, & then
he described the marks of the Sthita-prajna. He also
explained that yoga meant skill in action. Arjuna
complains here that Sri Krishna has confused his
judgement by such contradictory advice, & requests him
to tell him any one thing clearly & definitely.
T K G Namboodhiri

5. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.3 & 3.4
The Lord replies: I have spoken, before, O sinless one, of two
attitudes in this world- the Sankhya's, that of jnana-yoga and the
Yogi’s, that of karma-yoga.
Never does man enjoy freedom from action by not undertaking
action, nor does he attain that freedom by mere renunciation of
action.
Shri Krishna explains: There are two paths in this world,
Jnana-yoga used by Sankhyas & Karma-yoga by yogis.
Merely by refusing to work, one can never experience
freedom from work, or attain liberation. The word Karma,
used frequently in the Gita, means any action, any bodily
activity or motion, or even thought. Any motion, any
sound, even breathing, are forms of karma. Some of them
are unavoidable & involuntary. Human activity is impelled
by nature. Krishna tells Arjuna that even refraining from
karma is karma, & one cannot escape from karma by
sitting idle.
T K G Namboodhiri

6. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.5
For none ever remains inactive even for a moment;
for all are compelled to action by the Gunas
inherent in Prakriti.
No one can cease from karma even for a moment.
To listen & not to listen are forms of karma. Sattva,
rajas and tamas, the three forces or modes of
nature, drive every one to action. A tamasik man
works in a mechanical fashion, a rajasik man is
restless, always doing something or the other, & the
sattvik man works with peace in his mind. One is
always driven to work by one or another of these
three modes of nature or by a combination of them.
T K G Namboodhiri

7. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.6
He who curbs the organs of action but allows the mind to
dwell on the sense-objects– such a one, wholly deluded,
is called a hypocrite.
Anyone who curbs the organs of action outwardly, but
dwells all the time on the objects of senses & give free
rein to his fancies, is sunk in ignorance, & his claim of
worklessness is mere hypocrisy. The point of the verse is
that there should be no contradiction between thought &
action. It is wrong for anyone who mentally dwells on
sense-objects, & outwardly shuns them to call himself as
a sannyasi or yogi. It is the nature of the mind to be
ceaselessly active, thinking of one thing or the other. He
who strives ceaselessly to restrain it is sure to succeed.
That person is a true sannyasi & yogi between whose
thoughts & actions there is complete harmony.
T K G Namboodhiri

8. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.7
But he, O Arjuna, who keeping all the senses under
control of the mind, engages the organs in Karma yoga,
without attachment--- that man excels
The first point is that one should go on doing karma
through the respective organs of action, & the second is
that one should hold the same organs under one’s
control. Our organs are of two types. The ten organs are
the sentries; five of them function as spies, & the other
five carry out orders. The eyes, nose etc. are the spies,
which can be stopped if not in our control. We make the
other five sentries like hands, feet etc. to carry out our
orders. He who controls the functioning of his organs in
this manner & works without attachment, is the best
man.
T K G Namboodhiri

9. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.8 & 3.9
Do thou thy allotted task; for action is superior to inaction. With
inaction even life’s normal course is not possible.
This world of men suffers bondage from all actions save that which
is done for the sake of sacrifice; to this end, O Kaunteya perform
action without attachment.
One should carry out the assigned tasks, for action is
superior to inaction. None can cease all actions even for
a moment. We cannot even maintain our bodies without
working.
All work except those done as Yajna leads to bondage.
What is Yajna? As Gita is very much concerned with
practical life, here, all actions performed for the good or
service of others are forms of Yajna. Almost all other
religions also have this concept of Yajna, or meritorious
work. Yajna is something which is done to serve others’
good, but without causing suffering to any creature.
T K G Namboodhiri

10. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.10 & 3.11
Together with sacrifice did the Lord of beings create, of old,
mankind, declaring:
‘With this may you cherish the gods and may the gods cherish
you; thus cherishing one another may you attain the highest
good’.
The gods, here, symbolise different forms of energy – the
forces which sustain the universe. God in all its three
aspects – creative, protective and destructive – is
beneficial, & we should worship the sustaining energy of
the God in all its aspects. Here, the word Yajna may be
defined as any action performed with a view to achieving
public good. Any work dedicated to God helps one to
attain moksha. Along with Yajna the Lord created men-
the reference here is not to mental or intellectual work,
but bodily work. Real Yajna or service consists in
working for those whom we do not know personally. We
should look upon them as gods, & serve the whole world
T K G Namboodhiri

11. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.12 & 3.13
‘Cherished with sacrifice, the gods will bestow on you the
desired boons’. He who enjoys their gifts without rendering
aught unto them is verily a thief.
The righteous men who eat the residue of the sacrifice are
freed from all sins, but the wicked who cook for themselves
eat sin.
The gods (the society) gratified by the Yajna, your work
for the service of others, will grant you the means to
gratify your desires. Anyone who receives what the
society gives, but offers nothing to others is a thief.
Those holy persons who first offer to society & to God
what they get to eat, & only eat what is left behind,
become free from all sins. But those who work only for
selfish ends, cook food only for themselves, take in
nothing but sin when they eat. That is why one should
perform Yajna regularly & daily.
T K G Namboodhiri

12. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.14 & 3.15
From food springs all life, from rain is born food; from
sacrifice comes rain & sacrifice is the result of actions.
Know that action springs from Brahman, and Brahman from
the Imperishable; hence the all-pervading Brahman is ever
firm-founded on sacrifice.
Without rain there won’t be any food, & rain comes from
Yajna, peoples’ work. Karma springs from Brahman, and
the latter from Yajna. Brahman is that which dwells in the
hearts of all creatures. Wherever we find anyone filled
with the spirit of renunciation, who suffers when others
suffer, & who maintains a sameness of attitude towards
all, there Brahman is surely found. Mortification of the
body is the only means of self-realization & the only
Yajna for everyone in this world.
T K G Namboodhiri

13. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.16
He who does not follow the wheel thus set in motion here,
he, living in sin, satisfying his senses, lives, O Partha, in
vain.
Such a person’s life is a burden to others. One who is
always engaged in Yajna is not subject to the binding
effects of Karma. But he who is disinclined to work, &
quotes the scriptures in justification of his idleness, is
described by the Gita to be someone who lives in sin.
Yajna means any activity for the good of others. We
should work in a spirit of dedication to God. The original
idea behind Yajna was that people should do physical
work, & not simply pour oblation into fire. In the old days,
it was necessary to cut down trees & burn up the wood
in order to clear the land, so this activity became a
Yajna. If water is scarce, & we have to bring it from a
distance, then bringing water will be a Yajna. Do work as
a worship to God.
T K G Namboodhiri

14. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.17 & 3.18
But the man who revels in atman, who is content in
atman & who is satisfied only with atman, for him no
action exists.
He has no interest whatever in anything done, nor in
anything not done, nor has he need to rely on anything for
personal ends.
There is nothing for such a person to do; not that he does
nothing, but it makes no difference to him whether he
does or does not do it. He has no end to pursue through
other beings.
The man who lives in the self carries out the orders of
the self, & therefore, has his happiness in the self & lives
contended in it. If we follow only the voice of the self
inside, there is nothing for us to do because we are not
even aware of doing anything when we do it
spontaneously.
T K G Namboodhiri

15. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.19 & 3.20
Therefore, do thou ever perform without attachment the
work that thou must do; for performing action without
attachment man attains the Supreme.
For through action alone Janaka & others achieved
perfection; even with a view to the guidance of mankind
thou must act.
For a person no longer attached to his ego, there is
no karma; that he may do something & yet do
nothing.
Janaka, the King of Mythila is depicted as a saintly
king, who worked throughout his life in a selfless
fashion & attained liberation. One must act
ceaselessly without selfish motives & set an
example for others to follow.
T K G Namboodhiri

16. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.21 to 3.24
Whatever the best man does is also done by other men; what examples he
sets, the world follows,
For me, O Partha, there is naught to do in the three worlds, nothing worth
gaining that I have not gained; yet I am ever in action.
Indeed, for where I not, unslumbering ever in action, O Partha, men would
follow my example in every way.
If I were not to perform my task, these worlds will be ruined; I should be the
cause of chaos and of the end of all mankind.
If young people follow the bad example of their elders, it is the
elders who should be blamed. To Shri Krishna, the whole world
is a guest & he loves all the creatures in it. People look upon
him as Purushottam, so he must observe proper measure in
everything, otherwise the universe would perish. He has to be
busy every moment to see that the world goes on. As the ruler
of the world, Shri Krishna cannot rest from work. He must keep
the fire burning the whole day, otherwise there would be
confusion in the social order, & he would be responsible for the
destruction of society. We work so that we may please God, & if
we give up doing that, the people will observe no discipline, will
refuse to work & feel completely lost.
T K G Namboodhiri

17. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.25 & 3.26
Just as, with attachment, the unenlightened perform all
actions, O Bharata, even so, but without attachment, should
the enlightened man act, with a desire for the welfare of
humanity.
The enlightened may not confuse the mind of the
unenlightened, who are attached to action; rather must he
perform all actions unattached, & thus encourage them to
do likewise.
A wise man should be as industrious & work as hard as
ignorant people; only, he should work for the good of the
world, disinterestedly & without attachment. A wise man
should not confuse the judgement of ignorant people who
are attached to the work which they do. He should
continue doing his duty in the spirit of yoga, unattached
to the fruits of his work, & inspire others to work
likewise.
T K G Namboodhiri

18. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.27
All action is entirely performed by the gunas of prakriti.
Man, deluded by the sense of ‘I’ thinks ‘I am the doer’.
The man who is sunk in ignorance is proud, and believes
that his actions are his, whereas they are prompted by
his nature, by sattva, rajas, & tamas. But one who acts
as if he were a mere witness of his actions wins
admiration for everything he does. Unattached work
produces better results than the one done with
attachment to the ego. We should realize that we are no
more than servants bound to carry out another’s orders,
& should voluntarily act. He who eats simply to keep the
body alive does not think of pleasing his palate. Anyone
who lives in accordance with this law will forget his ego
completely & surrender to God in everything he does.
T K G Namboodhiri

19. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.28
But he, O Mahabahu, who understands the truth of the various
gunas & their various activities, knows that it is the gunas that
operate on the gunas; he does not claim to be the doer.
Everything is the result of gunas acting upon one another. One who
realizes this, does not get involved in their activities through
attachment to them. Only that person who has ceased to be attached to
any work, like Janaka, can say that he is not responsible for the actions
of his Prakriti. But the man who is full of attachment cannot take cover
behind this verse. Anyone who considers carefully how this world is
kept going will see that the different gunas are ceaselessly active &
doing their work. None can go on indulging himself & then argue that
his conduct was the result of the gunas doing their work. If we act like
an animal, we would become animals. But a man who reflects, will soon
realize that the laws of animal life do not apply to him. The laws of
prakriti are the basis of the laws of human life. His body is like a
machine acting according to the gunas. He should let his body work
mechanically, & will show no special interest in its functions. The
senses will not do evil of themselves, so long as the mind which
controls them does not wish to do evil.
T K G Namboodhiri

20. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.29
Deluded by the gunas of prakriti man becomes attached
to the activities of the gunas; he who knows the truth of
things should not unhinge the slow-witted who have not
the knowledge.
This world is Maya. It is a rotating wheel. Those who are
sunk in darkness remain attached to gunas & karma.
Under the spell of the gunas of prakriti, they are swayed
by all kinds of desires, & yield to grief & ignorant
attachments. The man of knowledge should not unsettle
the ignorant, he should not lift the ignorant & put him in
another place. The wise should not shake others from
their beliefs. He is a fool who seeks to change others,
who are following their own ways in life, suddenly. This,
of course, does not mean that we should not try & reform
a bad system
T K G Namboodhiri

21. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.30
Cast all thy acts on Me, with thy mind fixed on the
indwelling atman, & without any thought of fruit or sense of
‘mine’ shake off thy fever & fight.
Shri Krishna here tells Arjuna that he should dedicate every
action to God. Having purified his mind, having emptied it of
all desires, & having fixed it on his atman, Arjuna should,
without entertaining any thought of gain, do his karma as a
matter of duty & irrespective of whether or not he was likely
to benefit. You should shed your attachment to the ego &
work– work with the thought that you are not the doer & its
fruit is not meant for you to enjoy. One must do his duty
without aversions & attachments. A doctor performing
amputation of the leg of a patient does it without joy or
sadness, because his duty is to cure the patient. His
operation using knives & other instruments will not be
termed violence. Similarly, Arjuna’s ‘fight’ is not an act of
violence, but one of his duty.
T K G Namboodhiri

22. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.31
Those who always act according to the rule I have here laid
down, in faith & without cavilling--- they are released from
the bondage of their actions.
To do one’s duty means to fight & struggle. Since every
karma involves a choice, there is necessarily a struggle.
Caught in this way between opposites, you will have
transcended them if you dedicate every action to
Krishna, do everything without attachment or aversion,
have faith in God, & present every karma as a gift to Him.
If you believe God to be the author of all you do; you will
be touched neither by sin nor by virtue. Shri Krishna says
here that one, who accept my teaching, & acts
accordingly, without attachments & aversions, & without
partiality to anyone, is not bound by the effects of any
karma.
T K G Namboodhiri

23. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.32 & 3.33
But those who cavil at the rule & refuse to conform
to it are fools, dead to all knowledge; know that
they are lost.
Even a man of knowledge acts according to his
nature; all creatures follow their nature; what then
will constraint avail?
All creatures follow their nature. A person with the
nature of an animal cannot be reformed by another
through suppression. Imprisoning criminals &
beating them into submission, does not change the
criminals. Everyone has to look after himself, & try
to change himself. The intention here is not to
discourage man from struggling against his nature.
One must struggle to improve himself.
T K G Namboodhiri

24. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.34
Each sense has its settled likes & dislikes
towards its objects; man should not come under
the sway of these, for they are his besetters.
Attachment & aversion are an inseparable pair.
The senses feel either the one or the other
towards their objects. We should not be swayed
by them, for they are the thieves trying to rob
us. We must struggle continuously against
these. In fact, it is our duty to strive.
T K G Namboodhiri

25. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.35
Better one’s own duty, bereft of merit, than
another’s well-performed; better is death in the
discharge of one’s duty; another’s duty is fraught
with danger.
We should strive to the best of our ability in our
own sphere of work, but waste no effort on
anything which lies outside it. To speak the
truth is a dharma common to all. But the duties
pertain to individuals differ. It would not be
right for Arjuna, a Kshatriya, to think of retiring
to a forest & taking Sannyasa. His duty was to
fight & kill, and he should do it even if it is less
worthy than Sannyasa. He should act only as an
instrument.
T K G Namboodhiri

26. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.36 & 3.37
Arjuna asks the Lord: Then what impels man to sin, O
Varshneya, even against his will, as though by force
compelled?
Sri Krishna replied: It is Lust, it is Wrath, born of the guna
of rajas. It is the arch-devourer, the arch-sinner. Know
this to be man’s enemy here.
In reply to Arjuna’s query “how is that a person is often
driven to a wrong path against his will?”, Sri Krishna tells
him that the reasons are desire & anger, both born of
rajas. It is a man’s evil thoughts which drive him to evil
deeds. We get angry when we do not get the things we
desire. These two great enemies of man drive him to sin.
T K G Namboodhiri

27. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.38 & 3.39
As fire is obscured by smoke, a mirror by dirt, & the
embryo by the amnion, so is knowledge obscured by
lust.
Knowledge is obscured, O Kaunteya, by this eternal
enemy of the wise man in the form of lust, the
insatiable fire.
If there is any smoke, it stays only for a while. As
soon as it is gone, the fire gives full heat. The dirty
mirror has to be cleaned, & only then will it reflect
properly. But the foetus covered by the placenta can
do nothing about it. The man under the sway of
desire & anger passes through these 3 stages.
The lust or desire harms, like an enemy, even a man
of spiritual knowledge.
T K G Namboodhiri

28. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verses 3.40 to 3.42
The senses, the mind & the reason are said to be the seat of
lust; by means of these it obscures knowledge & stupefies man.
Therefore, O Bharatarshabha, bridle thou first the senses &
then rid thyself of this sinner, the destroyer of knowledge &
discrimination.
Subtle, they say, are the senses; subtler than the senses is the
mind, subtler than the mind is the reason; but subtler even than
the reason is He.
It is true indeed that the senses are powerful– they
control the body. The mind is stronger than the senses &
the intellect stronger than the mind. But stronger still is
the Atman which dwells in the body. The senses, the
mind & the intellect are the dwelling places of desire &
anger. But the Atman is higher than all of them. The
moment we think about the Atman- the Lord, we shall be
able to overcome all of them.
T K G Namboodhiri

29. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
Verse 3.43
Thus realizing Him to be subtler than the
reason, & controlling the self by the Self
(Atman), destroy, O Mahabahu, this enemy–
Lust, so hard to overcome.
Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that by overcoming the baser, the
demonic impulses in the mind through the Atman, i.e.,
through the Godward impulses, he should storm the fort
& seize it. If we gain the sovereignty, then we would be
able to subdue the mind, the intellect & the senses. If we
do not establish our rule over the body, it will yearn for
things which we do not approve of & we shall forfeit our
authority over it.
In summary, The Gita, tells us, in this chapter, that by
shedding all attachment & aversion, we escape the fruits
of our actions.
T K G Namboodhiri