% References :
% 1) Gita Bhashya and Gita Tatparya of Sri Madhvacharya, Kannada translation
% published in Gita Prasthana, Sarvamoola Series Vol 1, Akhila Bharata 
% Madhva Maha Mandala, Bangalore, India, 1987 
% 2) English Translation by Dr. Ramananda Prasad
% 3) Bhagvad Gita As It Is, A.C, Prabhupada of ISKCON
%
% Please, forward comments, questions errors to adurg@hotmail.com or
% adurg@msn.com

Arjuna said: If You consider that transcendental knowledge is
better than work then why do You want me to engage in this horrible
war, O Krishna? (3.01)||

You seem to confuse my mind by apparently conflicting words. Tell
me, decisively, one thing which is beneficial to me (3.02)||

The Supreme Lord said: In this world, O Arjuna, a twofold path of
Sadhana (or the spiritual practice) has been stated by Me in the
past. The path of knowledge (consists of japa, dhyana etc., and 
minimal karma) for the sages, and the path of unselfish
work (with main emphasis on submitting the results to God) for the
householders. (3.03)||

One does not attain Moksha by merely abstaining from work and there by
being free of the result of karma. No one attains perfection by 
merely giving up work (or accepting sainthood). (3.04)||

Because no one can remain action less even for a moment. Everyone,
being under the control of Him, is driven to action by the satvik, 
rajasik, tamasik, Gunas of nature.
(3.05)||

The deluded ones, who restrain their organs of action but mentally
dwell upon the sense enjoyment, are called hypocrites. (3.06)||

The one who controls the senses by the (trained and purified) mind
and engages the organs of action to do once duty with the results
dedicated to God (Nishkaama Karma-yoga), is superior (to the one 
who abandons action altogether), O Arjuna. (3.07)||

Perform your obligatory duty, because action is indeed better than
inaction. Even the maintenance of your body would not be possible
by inaction. (3.08)||

Human beings are bound by Karma (or works) other than those done to 
please Vishnu (Yajna=Vishnu). Therefore, O Arjuna, do your duty
efficiently to please Him, free from attachment to the fruits of
work. (3.09)||

Brahmaa, the creator, in the beginning created human beings
together with Yajna and said: By Yajna you shall prosper and Yajna
shall fulfill all your desires. (3.10)||

Please the Devas with Yajna, and the Devas will satisfy you. Thus
mutually satisfying one another you shall attain the Supreme goal. (3.11)||

The Devas, pleased by Yajna, will give you the desired objects.
One who enjoys the gift of the Devas without offering the objects
back to them (through yajna) is, indeed, a thief. (3.12)||

The righteous who eat the remnants of the Yajna are freed from all
sins, but the impious who cook food only for themselves (without
sharing with others in charity) verily eat sin. (3.13)||

The living beings are born from food, food is produced by rain 
(through sun), rain comes by performing Yajna. The Yajna results from 
Karma. (3.14)||

The Karma or duty is induced by God (brahma=God) and the God is known through
the Vedas (Akshara=Vedas) (Vedas are revealed to the souls there by a cycle
is complete). Thus the all-pervading Vishnu(Brahma=Vishnu) is ever present
in Yajna 
[(God inspires action)karma->yajna->rain->food->beings->Vedas(revealed
to beings)->God (known thru Vedas->(God inspires action) karma] (3.15)||

The one who does not follow this cycle by sacrificial duty,
and who rejoices in sense pleasures, that sinful person lives in vain,
O Arjuna. (3.16)||

The aparoksha gnyani (who has received the transcendental knowledge 
from the aatma=God=Vishnu)or the liberated soul who is pleased by the vision of 
Lord, who is satisfied by the grace of the Lord (who does not crave
for any other pleasure other than the pleasure of seeing the Lord),
who rejoices in the Lord alone, for such a person there is no duty
(That person does not need to leave his yogasamadhi state in order to
perform sandhya etc., daily karmas. A person who is not in the above
state has to compulsorily perform his prescribed duty)(3.17)||

Such a person (as mentioned in 3.17), does not attain any greater joy,
(than the bliss of the vision of the Lord he has in yogasamaadhi) by
leaving his samaadhi and doing his prescribed duties nor does he 
accrue any sin by not doing his prescribed duties as long as he is 
in the samaadhi. Such a person does not owe any obligation to the beings.
(eg., obligations of receiving/respecting friends/visitors/gurus.
Although, not obligated such a person performs actions out of his own
will not driven by the desire for fruits nor is he driven by the
rules/regulations)
(3.18)||

Therefore, (as only the person in the samaadhi or the mukta are free
from the obligation of duty, and you are not in samaadhi now) always
perform your duty (as a worship of the Lord) efficiently without attachment
to the results, because by doing work without attachment to the fruits there
of one attains the Supreme person. (3.19)||

King Janaka and others attained the realization of Him (with the help of 
knowledge obtained) by performing their duties. You ought to perform your
duty at least in order to encourage people to do their duties (which in turn
pleases the Lord)(3.20)||

Because, whatever a noble person does, others follow. Whatever
he follows as the standard or shows as the standard, the world
follows. (3.21)||

O Arjuna, there is nothing in the three worlds (earth, heaven, and
the upper regions) that should be done by Me, nor there is anything
unobtained that I should obtain, yet I engage in action. (3.22)||

If I do not engage in action carefully, O Arjuna, people would follow
My path in all respects. (3.23)||

These people would be put to ruination due to not performing their 
duties. I shall be the cause of mix of varnas and the destruction of
all these people. (3.24)||

As the ignorant work, O Arjuna, with attachment (to the fruits of
work), so the learned should work without attachment, in order to lead
people and for the welfare of the society. (3.25)||

The wise should not unsettle the mind of the ignorant who is
attached to the fruits of work, but the learned one should
inspire others by performing all works with mind set on Him and as
service to Him without attachment. (See also 3.29) (3.26)||

All works are being done by the Gunas (God's will, intrinsic nature
of souls, three qualities of nature),  but due to delusion of ego 
bewildered soul assumes himself/herself to be the doer. 
(See also 5.09, 13.29, and 14.19) (3.27)||

The one who knows the truth, O Arjuna, about the role of Guna (God's
qualities are independent where as the qualities of the soul are in 
the control of God) and action (God's actions are independent where as
actions of souls are dependent on God's will) does not get attached to 
(the material world/results) knowing that it is the senses that dwell in
the sense gratification objects. (one is not independent, thus the one
is acting on the influence of God, Prirkiti and ones past karmas and one's
own nature) (3.28)||

Those who are deluded, that the sense organs belong to them even
though the senses are born of nature(inanimate prikriti), engage
themselves in materialism. The wise should not disturb the mind of the
ignorant whose knowledge is imperfect. (See also 3.26) (3.29)||

With your mind set on Me, with no desire for fruits (expect My knowledge
and devotion), foregoing claims of your proprietorship on actions
(thinking that whatever you do, it is the Lord that makes you to do),
performing all your prescribed duties (as My worship), fight with no sorrow
(no mental disturbances).(3.30)||

Those (the ignorant) who always practice this teaching of Mine, with 
faith and free from resentment (that the Lord forces them to work) will 
also attain salvation. The fact that learned (aparOksha GNyanins) will
attain salvation needs no further assurance(3.31)||

But, those who out of resentment, do not follow My teaching, consider 
them as ignorant, having misunderstood of all knowledge that is to be understood,
senseless, and directed to hell and other miseries. (3.32)||

Even the learned who knows this teaching act according to their own
nature. All beings follow their nature.  What help does sense 
restraint provide? (The people even though they know these teachings
still are dictated by their nature and past deeds in what they follow.
The self restraint is of little help.  But, with VERY GREAT (ati maha 
praytna)effort one can bring some difference on the pull of the effects
of the past deeds).
(3.33)||

Raaga and Dwesha (or the attachments and aversions) for the sense
objects are situated in the senses. One should not come under the
control of these two, because they are two stumbling blocks on one's
path of realization, indeed.
(see also 3.33) (3.34)||

Performing one's prescribed duties, even if faultily performed is 
better than performing duties prescribed to others, even if carried out
with no fault.  Death in course of carrying out one's prescribed duty
is far better as performing duties prescribed to others is dangerous.
(See also 18.47) (3.35)||

Arjuna said: Now, O Krishna, what impels one (after the Lord and gods)
to commit sin as if unwillingly and forced against one's will? (3.36)||

The Supreme Lord said: It is Kaama, the one which generates anger,
the one which is born of Rajo Guna. Kaama is all devouring sinful 
(insatiable) enemy. (3.37)||

As the fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror by dust, and as an embryo by
the amnion, similarly the three types of jivas (saatvik, raajasik, taamasik)
get obscured (from the Lord) by Kaama . 
(As the smoke obscures fire, kaama obscures the Lord even though He 
is illuminating, as the dust tarnishes the image on a mirror, kaama
covers the inner heart of the soul the tarnishing the reflection of the
paramatma(bimba) on the soul, as the amnion covers the embryo, kaama covers
the souls and obscures him from the knowledge of the Lord. The three analogies
increasing in level of obscuring, indicating different levels of concealment
for the three types of jivas)(3.38)||

O Arjuna, Jnana of the learned gets covered by this insatiable fire of
Kaama the eternal enemy of Jnani (kaama not only prevents one from
getting jnana by the study of the scriptures but also prevents the
jnana obtained by the study of the scriptures in fetching
aparOkshajnana). (3.39)||

The senses, the mind, and the intellect are said to be the seats of
Kaama. Through them kaama covers the knowledge obtained by one and 
deludes the person. (3.40)||

Therefore, O Arjuna, by controlling the senses, mind and intellect
kill this devil (of material desire) that destroys knowledge obtained
through the guru and the special knowledge obtained through scriptures
and discrimination. (3.41)||

The senses are said to be superior to the body, the mind is superior
to the senses, the intellect is superior to the mind, and the Lord
is superior to the intellect. (The sense control deities are superior
to the body controllers, the mind controllers(rudra) are superior
to sense controllers (indra etc), the intellect controller(bharati,
saraswati devi) are superior to the mind controller, Lord is superior
to the intellect controllers (Also, Lord is superior to the avyakta
controller or lakshmi devi who is superior to the mahattatva controller
or brahma deva who is superior the intellect controllers) (3.42)||

Thus, knowing the Lord to be superior to the (avyakta, mahattatva and) 
intellect, steadying the mind by using the intellect, one must kill this
mighty enemy, Kaama, O Arjuna. 

		End of Chapter 3 - (3.43)||