Shloka
दुःखमित्येव यत्कर्म कायक्लेशभयात्त्यजेत् |
स कृत्वा राजसं त्यागं नैव त्यागफलं लभेत् ||१८-८||Transliteration
duḥkhamityeva yatkarma kāyakleśabhayāttyajet .
sa kṛtvā rājasaṃ tyāgaṃ naiva tyāgaphalaṃ labhet ||18-8||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
18.8. He who would, out of fear of bodily exertion, relinish an action, just because it is painful-that person, having [thus] made relinishment, an act of the Rajas (Strand), would not at all gain the fruit of [that] relinishment.
Shri Purohit Swami
18.8 To avoid an action through fear of physical suffering, because it is likely to be painful, is to act from passion, and the benefit of renunciation will not follow.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
18.8 See Comment under 18.11
Sri Ramanuja
18.8 Although actions constitute the indirect menas for release, yet they produce mental depression, since they can be done only by collecting materials involving painful effort and since they cause bodily strain on account of their reiring strenuous exertion. If, on account of such fear, one decides that the practice of knowledge alone should be tried for perfection in Yoga, and abandons actions like the great sacrifices applicable to one’s station in life, he practises renunciation rooted in Rajas. Since that is not the meaning of the Sastras, one cannot win the fruit of renunciation in the form of the rise of knowledge. So it will be shown further one: ‘That reason by which one erroneously knows, O Arjuna, is Rajasika’ (18.31). In fact, actions do not directly cause purity of the mind but indirectly by winning the grace of God.
Sri Shankaracharya
18.8 Yat, whatever; karma, action; tyajet, one may relinish, eva, merely; iti, as being; kuhkham, painful; [As being impossible to accomplish.] kaya-klesa-bhayat, from fear of physical suffering, out of fear of bodily pain; sah, he; krtva, having resorted; tyagam, to renunciation; rajasam, based on rajas, arising from rajas; will eva, surely; na labhet (shuld rather be labhate), not acire; tyaga-phalam, fruits of renunciation, the result called Liberation, which follows from renunciation of all actions as a conseence of Illumination. Which, again, is the renunciation based on sattva?
Swami Adidevananda
18.8 He who renounces acts as painful from fear of bodily suffering, performs a Rajasika abandonment; he does not gain the fruit of abandonment.
Swami Gambirananda
18.8 Whatever action one may relinish merely as being painful, from fear of physical suffering, he, having resorted to renunciation based on rajas, will surely not acire the fruits of renunciation.
Swami Sivananda
18.8 He who abandons action on account of the fear of bodily trouble (because it is painful), does not obtain the merit of renunciation by doing such Rajasic renunciation.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
18.8 दुःखम् (it is) painful? इति thus? एव even? यत् which? कर्म action? कायक्लेशभयात् from fear of bodily trouble? त्यजेत् abandons? सः he? कृत्वा performing? राजसम् Rajasic? त्यागम् abandonment? न not? एव even? त्यागफलम् the fruit of abandonment? लभेत् obtains.Commentary Phalam Fruit or reward Moksha or emancipation which is the reward of renunciation of all actions accompanied with wisdom.Determination and persistence are reired for the performance of religious duties and actions. One may begin action but may relinish it before it is completed on account of some difficulties or physical suffering. What then is Sattvic renunciation The Lord says –