This document provides a summary of chapters from the Bhagavad Gita commentary called Jnaneswari, written by Saint Jnaneswar in Marathi in the 13th century CE. It discusses how the Jnaneswari commentary has been translated into many Indian and European languages. It then proceeds to summarize verses from Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita commentary, focusing on Karma Yoga and how desires and anger can cloud knowledge, and the need to control the senses to attain self-realization.

1. BHAGAVAD GITA
Commentary by
Sant Jnaneswar
PROF. T. K. G. NAMBOODHIRI
Thiruvalla, Kerala, India

2. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
JNANESWARI
• Jnaneswari is the commentary on Bhagavad
Gita written by Saint Jnaneswar, who lived in
Maharashtra in the 13th Century AD.
• This very popular & simple commentary was
written in Marathi by Saint Jnaneswar when he
was only 15 years of age.
• The complete English translation of this
commentary is available at
http://www.bvbpune.org/contents1.html
T K G Namboodhiri

3. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
JNANESWARI
• The Marathi commentary Jnaneswari has been translated
into most Indian languages, English & other several
European languages.
• The Malayalam translation of Jnaneswari was prepared
by Shri M. P. Chandrasekharan Pillai (1924-1999),of
Thiruvalla, Kerala. After a devotional labour of 4 years,
referring several English & other translations, Shri. Pillai
completed his Malayalam Jnaneswari in 1990. During this
period, he was an inmate of Anandasram, Kanjangad,
Kerala, who published the commentary.
• This presentation is based entirely on this Malayalam
version of Jnaneswari
T K G Namboodhiri

4. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
CHAPTER 3
KARMA YOGA
T K G Namboodhiri

5. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
VERSES 3.1 & 3.2
Arjuna asks the Lord:
Dear Janardana, if you think that knowledge
is better than work, why are you advocating
me to fight this terrible war? You just told me
to discard all actions. Kindly do not confuse
me with your mixed-up words. You seem to
contradict yourself & lead me into a blind
alley. I am your humble student & so kindly
teach me the one way which will lead me to
the Highest.
T K G Namboodhiri

6. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.3
Sri Bhagawan Said: O sinless Arjuna, I have told you before that
there are two paths of practice in this world; 1) the path of
knowledge for the Samkhyas & 2)the path of action for Yogins.
Samkhyas capable of discrimination between the permanent &
impermanent, immerse in deep contemplation & gain perfect
knowledge & attain liberation. Yogins perform their worldly
duties selflessly, & attain knowledge & liberation. Whether the
food is cooked by you or by somebody else, it satisfies your
hunger. Similarly, both these paths lead to the same goal of
liberation. The seeker of knowledge adopts the path suited for
his temperament & reaches the goal. The Samkhyas, through
the path of knowledge, directly reaches the ultimate
Goal, while the Karma Yogins attain knowledge through their
selfless work,& through the knowledge reach the Absolute.
T K G Namboodhiri

7. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.4
Simply by not doing anything you do not attain the
state of worklessness. It is utter foolishness to
think that by not doing your required duties you will
become a renouncer. As long as your desires have
not vanished, you are forced to do worldly work.
When you are hungry, you have to eat food cooked
either by yourself, or by others. You cannot escape
from the bondage of work by simply avoiding your
duties. Only when you reach the state of permanent
bliss & satisfaction, your duties will vanish. If you
want to reach that state, you have to do all the work
assigned to you by your station in life.
T K G Namboodhiri

8. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.5
None ever remains completely inactive. All are
forced to be incessantly engaged under the
influence of the three nature-born Gunas or
constituents. By simply not doing your duty, you
cannot shut your senses. They continue to
hanker after their objects. Your ears will
continue to hear, eyes continue to see etc.
Everyone is compelled to work under the
influence of his nature, just like a man sitting
still in a chariot is transported as the chariot
moves. You cannot stop your activities as long
as you are in contact with the outside world.
T K G Namboodhiri

9. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.6
Whoever contemplates on sensual
pleasures while controlling only his work-
organs, is called a hypocrite. Some
renouncers just stop doing their ascribed
duties but keep on thinking about sensual
pleasures in their minds. Such people can
never become real renouncers. They
cannot expect to get liberated as they
remain entangled in sensual pleasures.
T K G Namboodhiri

10. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.7
One who uses his mind to control the senses,
who is not egoistic, & who engages in his
prescribed duties without any desire for its
fruits, he becomes wise & noble. Just as the
lotus leaf floating on water is not wetted, he
is not tainted by sensual pleasures, though
engaged in all worldly activities like an
ordinary person. While his organs-of-action
are engaged in performing his duties, his
mind is always fixed on the Infinite Reality
T K G Namboodhiri

11. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.8 & 3.9
Do all your prescribed duties because
action is nobler than inaction. Without
action none can even maintain one’s body.
Arjuna, all work except those done as
offering to God, binds beings to this world.
So one has to do his duty without any
desire for its fruits & as offering to God.
Such actions do not bind. Moreover such
persons eventually get liberated.
T K G Namboodhiri

12. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.10 & 3.11
In the beginning, the Lord created living
beings along with prescribed duties &
responsibilities to each. He exhorted
beings to progress through these
essential duties. If one performs such
duties selflessly & as offering to God, then
they fulfil all your needs. Living beings and
the natural forces, working in a mutually
benefitting fashion leads to all round well
being & harmony.
T K G Namboodhiri

13. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.12 & 3.13
Do your duty in accordance with natural laws
so that nature provides you wealth &
happiness. Use your wealth for helping others
& for the common welfare. Do not indulge in
wanton destruction of nature to satisfy your
greed & sensual pleasures. One who does not
follow these obligations perishes. As the soul
leaves the body at death, & as the light
vanishes when the lamp is extinguished, all
wealth & happiness of such renegades leave
them.
T K G Namboodhiri

14. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.14 to 3.16
All living beings require food to survive &
grow. Food grows with the help of
rain, which is produced through sacrifices.
Sacrifices originate as the fruits of
work, & work originates from the
Vedas, which are the manifestations of
the Brahman. Arjuna, one who breaks this
cycle of life & work, is a sinner & a slave
of his senses.
T K G Namboodhiri

15. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.17 & 3.18
One who leads a worldly life but finds
happiness in the Self, is not tainted by
his work. When he gains knowledge of
the Self, all his worldly duties vanish.
He becomes free & liberated from the
chains of worldly duties. He remains
in eternal bliss & is not required to
perform any duty. All duties end when
he gets Sel-Realization.
T K G Namboodhiri

16. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.19 & 3.20
One who sincerely carries out his duties
without any attachment to their results attains
liberation. People like King Janaka attained the
Ultimate by living in this world & doing his
duties. A normal person should guide blind
people to their destination. Similarly, a wise
man should engage in self-less work & set an
example for ignorant people to follow & become
wise. Even those who have attained self-
knowledge, should continue to work for
uplifting the ignorant people around him.
T K G Namboodhiri

17. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.21
Whatever a noble person does, others
imitate him. Whatever standards he
maintains, others will set as their
example & will follow. Whatever our
ancestors did, we consider them as
our righteous behaviour & work
accordingly. Hence
nobody, particularly the wise, should
work sincerely throughout their life.
T K G Namboodhiri

18. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.22 to 3.24
Arjuna, I have nothing to attain or to do in
the three worlds, yet I continue to work.
This I do, not for any selfish motive. If I
remain inactive, all the world will follow
my example to become lazy & all
righteous activities will come to a
standstill. The social order will be
destroyed. Thus I will be doing a great
disservice to the whole world.
T K G Namboodhiri

19. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.25 & 3.26
The wise should work without attachment in the same
way as the ignorant work with deep desire for the fruits
of action. They should engage in activities ordained by
the scriptures in such a fashion that common man will
not find them to be any different from him. The wise
should not confuse the commoners with instructions or
advise against their way of working. Instead they should
work & show righteousness for others to follow. An infant
digesting his mother’s milk only, should not be fed with
normal food. Similarly, ordinary people should not be
discouraged from their way of working, which is the only
way they know. Teach them the right way by setting
examples by your actions.
T K G Namboodhiri

20. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.27 & 3.28
All activities are done by & according to nature-
born tendencies. But the ignorant thinks that he
is doing the work. The three constituents Satwa,
Rajas & Tamas propel humans to do good as well
as bad actions. The wise realizing this fact is not
perturbed by these worldly activities. He does not
feel the doership of his actions & is not thus
bound by them. Though all the world runs on
Sun’s energy, Sun is not affected in the least by
what happens on earth. Similarly, the one with
self-realization is not tainted by the work done by
his body, mind & intellect.
T K G Namboodhiri

21. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.29 & 3.30
Ignorant people, completely under the control
of their natural tendencies, do work with selfish
motives. Hence they are drawn into the
cesspool of activities & remain under the
delusion of doership. Wise people should be
careful in not disturbing them from their
notions. Hence, the Lord advises Arjuna to do
all his duties as offerings to God constantly
thinking of Him & without any expectations for
the fruits of work. So get up & fight without any
mental disturbances or attachments & for the
welfare of the world.
T K G Namboodhiri

22. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.31 & 3.32
Those who believe My words & follow My
advice will be liberated from the bondage of
all types of work. However those who ridicule
My words & do not follow My instructions are
verily ignorant & stupid. Deluded & immersed
in sensual pleasures, such people do not
understand or follow My advice, which is like
Sunlight for the blind, or a diamond on a
corpse. Like the fire-flies burnt by the
fire, sensual pleasures eventually destroy
such people.
T K G Namboodhiri

23. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.33
Even those who have realized the Self act
according to their natural tendencies. All
living beings follow their in-born natural
qualities & impressions of previous work
accumulated in their minds. There is no
gain in forceful control of your sense
organs, which are ruled by the nature.
Realizing the transient nature of sensual
pleasures, wise people should always
withdraw from them.
T K G Namboodhiri

24. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.34
Each sense organ develops attachment to
things it like & hatred to those it doesn’t like.
The seeker after Truth should never become a
slave to these likes & dislikes because they
are enemies of his progress. Sensual
pleasures eventually lead to destruction just
like the fish which gets hooked by biting the
morsel of food kept on the hook. So never get
friendly with attachment & aversion , & keep
away from both.
T K G Namboodhiri

25. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.35
Activities natural to your qualities &
tendencies , though not of high values, are
definitely better than those, may be of
better values, which do not suit your basic
nature. It is better to live with the woman
you married, may be not that
beautiful, than going after a more
beautiful wife of another man. You will get
peace of mind & happiness by doing the
things you like & which suite your
temperament.
T K G Namboodhiri

26. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.36
After hearing the advice of Lord Krishna,
Arjuna wanted to clear some doubts in his
mind. He asked; Krishna, what prompts
people to do bad things, even against their
will? Even wise people, at times, lose their
moorings and descend to bad ways and
engage in uncharacteristic activities.
There seems to be some strong force
which make people do cruel things. What
is it? Kindly clear this doubt in my mind.
T K G Namboodhiri

27. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verse 3.37
Sri Krishna replied: Desire (lust) & anger
(wrath) are born of the natural quality of
Rajas & drag people into ignorance &
inaction. They are two ruthless diseases.
They prevent people from approaching
True Knowledge. They imprison the Soul
in sensual pleasures. They are insatiable
& prompt people to do undesirable things.
T K G Namboodhiri

28. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.38 & 3.39
Just as fire is enveloped by smoke,
mirror soiled by dirt, & foetus covered
by placenta, Knowledge is shielded by
Lust. Kindled by consumption, just as
fire enhanced by firewood, Desire
completely covers Self-Knowledge. So
only by subjugating lust, one can
attain True Knowledge.
T K G Namboodhiri

29. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.40 & 3.41
Senses, Mind, & Intellect are said to
be the seats of Lust. Using the
senses, it shields Self-Knowledge &
deludes the Self. Arjuna, hence, you
first control your senses & kill this
lust which destroys Self-Knowledge &
Self-Realization, & is an embodiment
of sin.
T K G Namboodhiri

30. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
Verses 3.42 & 3.43
Senses are said to be superior to the physical
body, mind superior to senses, & intellect even
superior to mind. But even superior to intellect
is the Self. Arjuna, thus knowing the superiority
of the Self, use your decisive intellect to subdue
the mind, & destroy the difficult-to-defeat
enemy of Lust. Control of the senses lead to a
calm mind & unfettered intellect, thus expelling
Lust from its haunts. Once lust & anger are
removed, Self-Knowledge will dawn in you &
you will attain bliss.
T K G Namboodhiri

31. BHAGAVAD GITA
JNANESWARI
T K G Namboodhiri