न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा।
इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते।।4.14।।
4.14 Actions do not taint Me; for Me there is no hankering for the results of actions. One who knows Me thus, does not become bound by actions.
4.14 Actions do not taint Me, nor have I a desire for the fruit of actions. He who knows Me thus is not bound by actions.
4.14. Actions do not stain Me; nor do I have a desire for the fruits [of actions] also. Whosoever comprehends Me as such, he is not bound by actions.
4.14 न not? माम् Me? कर्माणि actions? लिम्पन्ति taint? न not? मे to Me? कर्मफले in the fruit of actions? स्पृहा desire? इति thus? माम् Me? यः who? अभिजानाति knows? कर्मभिः by actions? न not? सः he? बध्यते is bound.Commentary As I have neither egoism nor desire for fruits? I am not bound by actions. Wordly people think they are the agents and they perfrom actions. They also expect fruits for their actions. So they take birth again and again. If one works without attachment? without egoism? without expectation of fruits? he too will not be bound by actions. He will be freed from birth and death. (Cf.IX.9).
4.14 Because of the absence of egoism, those karmani, actions; na limpanti, do not taint; mam, Me, by becoming the originators of body etc. And me, for Me; na sprha, there is no hankering for the results of those actions. But in the case of transmigrating beings, who have self-identification in the form, I am the agent, and thirst for actions as also for their results, it is reasonable that actions should taint them. Owing to the absence of these, actions do not taint Me. Anyone else, too, yah, who; abhijanati, knows; mam, Me; iti, thus, as his own Self, and (knows), I am not an agent; I have no hankering for the results of actions; sah, he; na badhyate, does not become bound; karmabhih, by actions. In his case also actions cease to be the originators of body etc. This is the import.
4.13-14 Catur-varnyam etc. Na mam etc. How can there be taint of actions in Me Who remain like the ether ? The comparison with ether is due to the absence of desire [in both]. As such etc. : whosoever, with this sort of thought, takes refuge in the Bhagavat i.e. contemplates everywhere at all times on the Bliss-dense Supreme Lord as There exits nothing othe than Vasudeva [the Absolute] - for him can there be any bondage by actions ?
4.14 These actions of varied nature like creation etc., do not contaminate Me i.e., do not bind Me. For the distinctions of gods, men etc., are not brought about by Me, but by the particular Karmas, good and evil, of created beings. Therefore by the process of discriminating between the acired and the inherent, it will be found that I am not the author of this varied creations etc. The created or embodied selves, who are endowed with bodies and organs at the time of creation in accordance with their own Karmas springing from attachment to fruits etc., experience all enjoyments available in creation. Thus for them (embodied selves) alone there is desire for the results of creation etc., and for the results of their Karmas. There is no desire in Me for it. The Sutrakara says to the same effect: No partiality or cruelty on account of there being dependence (on the Karma of souls for inealities (Br. S., 2.1.34). Bhagavan Parasara also says so: He (the Lord) is only the operative cause in the creation of beings. That from which the creative forces spring constitutes the material cause. Leaving aside the material cause, the being that becomes embodied does not reire the help of any other thing whatever. A thing is led into the condition in which it is, O best of ascetics, only by its own potentiality (V. P., 1.4.51-2). The Supreme Person is only the operative cause with regard to the creation of those to be created, i.e., the selves in the bodies of gods etc. The material cause for the differences into gods etc., is the potentiality in the form of previous Karmas of the selves to be created. Therefore, leaving aside the operative cause, i.e., the Supreme Person, the creator, the embodied beings do not reire anything else for causing difference into conditions of gods etc. For these selves are led to take the forms of gods etc., by the potentiality of their own old Karma with which they are connected. Such is the meaning. He who knows Me thus to be the agent of creation etc., and still a non-agent, i.e., as one who has no desire for the results of the acts of creation etc., - such a person is not tied by previous actions, i.e., he is freed from the old Karmas which obstruct the undertaking of Karma Yoga by causing attachment to results. Such is the purport.
“Let all that be, but now you have appeared in a ksatriya family, and daily perform activities obligatory to the ksatriya. It seems you are subsisting as a ksatriya.” “But these activities do not contaminate me as they do for jiva. Nor do I have desire for results of those actions such as svarga. Being full of my own bliss because I am the Supreme Lord, the only reason for my doing these actions is to encourage mankind. He who knows this is not bound, but he who does not know is bound by karma.”
The very nature of transcendentalism is being shown here by Lord Krishna declaring that actions of any type never affect Him even if they are for the protection of the universe because He is not touched by egoism and although He is the origin of all He is unattached and desireless. What is the use of saying Lord Krishna is not touched by them when even His devotees who know He is free from desire to fruits of any action are not bound by their actions as well. This is because one who knows the cause of Lord Krishnas being untouched by actions is due to the absence of all egoism, desires and attachments subsequently has their own egoism, desires and attachments evaporated.
Lord Krishna is declaring that actions do not bind Him as He has no desires to the rewards of any actions. This is not to imply that He does not want the best for creation but only He is equipoise to prakriti or material nature. Even though the Supreme Lord wills the creation into existence and always is the protector of dharma or eternal righteousness and out of His causeless mercy has the best wishes for its development He is not attached to it. This knowledge of this attribute of the Supreme Lord removes ones own misconceptions of attachment and craving for rewards to the point where ones desires are not binding by performing prescribed Vedic activities exclusively. In this way a person of Vedic knowledge so inclined would able to attain moksa or freedom from the cycle of birth and death. It is not that moksa comes to everyone automatically in due course of time in that case the whole world would be attaining liberation without the prerequisite knowledge. Therefore one should realise the atma or soul within the heart by knowledge in the mind. By this eternal life is achieved by the spiritually wise. How is this eternity to be understood? As the atma is without beginning or ending , kala or time is without beginning or ending. Now begins the summation. To emphasise the distinction between Lord Krishna and other living entities He twice uses the word mam karmani meaning actions do not bind Me and mam abhijanati meaning one who knows Me in truth.
Whosoever understands Lord Krishna as being the origin of all as well as being transcendental to all will cease to entangle themselves with desires and attachments to rewards which results in acquiring karma or reactions to actions which binds one to samsara or the cycle of birth and death. It is from past karmas that one is existing in their present lifetime position. Such a person possessing such knowledge and acting upon it appropriately as described in these verses will no longer be bound by karma.
Whosoever understands Lord Krishna as being the origin of all as well as being transcendental to all will cease to entangle themselves with desires and attachments to rewards which results in acquiring karma or reactions to actions which binds one to samsara or the cycle of birth and death. It is from past karmas that one is existing in their present lifetime position. Such a person possessing such knowledge and acting upon it appropriately as described in these verses will no longer be bound by karma.
Na maam karmaani limpanti na me karmaphale sprihaa; Iti maam yo’bhijaanaati karmabhir na sa badhyate.
na—not; mām—me; karmāṇi—activities; limpanti—taint; na—nor; me—my; karma-phale—the fruits of action; spṛihā—desire; iti—thus; mām—me; yaḥ—who; abhijānāti—knows; karmabhiḥ—result of action; na—never; saḥ—that person; badhyate—is bound
