Shloka

यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः |
समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते ||४-२२||

Transliteration

yadṛcchālābhasantuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ .
samaḥ siddhāvasiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate ||4-22||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

4.22. Remaining contended wiht the gain brought by chance, transcending the dualities (pairs of opposites), entertaining no jealously, and remaning eal in success and in failure, he does not get bound, even when he acts.

Shri Purohit Swami

4.22 Content with what comes to him without effort of his own, mounting above the pairs of opposites, free from envy, his mind balanced both in success and failure; though he acts, yet the consequences do not bind him.

Sri Abhinav Gupta

4.22 Yadrccha-etc. He does not get bound even when he acts : Here nibadhyate ‘gets bound’ is a usage of transitive verb with its object functioning as the subject. [Hence] the meaning is : The Self binds Itself by undertaking the dirt of mental impressions for fruits [of action]. Otherwise [the usage would amount to attribute] freedom of actions to the insentient in binding [the Self] - a proposition which is not a very happy one.

Sri Ramanuja

4.22 Content with whatever chance may bring for the maintenance of the body; ‘rising above the pairs of opposites’ means enduring cold, heat and such other experiences until one has completed the practice of Karma Yoga; ‘free from ill-will?’ i.e., free from ill-will towards others, seeing his own Karma as the cause of his adversity; ’even-minded in success and failure,’ i.e., even-minded at success like victory in war, etc., and failure therein - such a person ‘is not bound,’ i.e., he does not fall into Samsara, though devoted to action without any exclusive practice of Jnana Yoga.

Sri Shankaracharya

4.22 Yadrccha-labha-santustah, remaining satisfied with what comes unasked for-yadrccha-labha means coming to possess something without having prayed for it; feeling contented with that-. Dvandva-atitah,having transcended the dualities-one is said to be beyond dualities when his mind is not distressed even when afflicted by such opposites as heat and cold, etc.-. Vimatsarah, being free from spite, from the idea of enmity; and samah, eipoised; siddhau ca asiddhau, is success and failure, with regard to things that come unasked for-. The monk who is such, who is eipoised, not delighted or sorrowful in getting or not getting food etc. for the sustenance of the body, who sees inaction etc. in action etc., who is ever poised in the realization of the Self as It is, who, with regard to the activities accomplished by the body etc. in the course of going about for alms etc. for the bare maintenance of the body, is ever clearly conscious of the fact, ‘I certainly do not anything; the organs act on the objects of the organs’ (see 5.8; 3.28), he, realizing the absence of agentship in the Self, certainly does not do any actions like going about for alms etc. But when, abserving similarly with common human behaviour, agentship is attributed to him by ordinary poeple, then he (apparently) becomes an agent with regard to such actions as moving about for alms etc. However, from the standpoint of his own realization which has arisen from the valid means of knowledge presented in the scriptures, he is surely not an agent. He, to whom is thus ascribed agentship by others, na nibadhyate, is not bound; api, even; krtva, by performing such actions as moving about for alms merely for the maintenance of the body, because action which is a source of bondage has been burnt away along with its cause by the fire of wisdom. Thus, this is only a restatement of what has been said earilier. When a person who has already started works becomes endowed with the realization of the identity of the Self with the actionless Brahman, then it follows that in the case of that man, who has experienced the absence of agentship, actions and purposes in the Self, actions become relinished. But if this becomes impossible for some reason and he continues to be engaged in those acitons as before, still he certainly does not do anything. This absence of action has been shown in the verse, ‘Having given up attachment to the results of action৷৷.’ (20). Of that very person with regard to whom has been shown the absence of aciton-

Swami Adidevananda

4.22 Content with what chance may bring, rising above the pairs of opposites, free from ill-will, even-minded in success and failure, though he acts, he is not bound.

Swami Gambirananda

4.22 Remaining satisfied with what comes unasked for, having transcended the dualities, being free from spite, and eipoised under success and failure, he is not bound even by performing actions.

Swami Sivananda

4.22 Content with what comes to him without effort, free from the pairs of opposites and envy, even-minded in success and failure, though acting, he is not bound.

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

4.22 यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टः content with what comes to him without effort? द्वन्द्वातीतः free from the pairs of,opposites? विमत्सरः free from envy? समः evenminded? सिद्धौ in success? असिद्धौ in failure? च and? कृत्वा acting? अपि even? न not? निबध्यते is bound.Commentary The sage is ite satisfied with what comes to him by chance. In verses IV. 18? 19? 20? 22? 22 and 23 there is only a reiteration of the results of the knowledge of the Self which is beyond action. The sage who identifies himself with the actionless Self is not bound as action and its cause which bind one to the round of birth and death have been burnt in the fire of the knowledge of the Self or BrahmaJnana. Just as a seed burnt in the fire cannot germinate? so also the Karmas or actions burnt by the fire of knowledge of the Self cannot produce future birth.Ordinary people think that the sage is also a doer of actions? an agent? active and therefore bound? when they see him doing actions. This is a mistake. From his own point of view and? in truth? he is not an agent at all. He really does no action at all. He feels and says? I do nothing at all. Nature does or the three alities of Nature do everything.He is not affected by heat and cold? pleasure and pain? success and failure? as he always has a balanced state of mind. He is not attached even to the things which are necessary for the bare maintenance of his body. He experiences neither pleasure nor pain? whether or not he obtains food and the other things which are reired for the maintenance of his body. The reason is that he is resting in his essential nature as ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute (SatchidanandaSvarupa) he is swimming in the ocean of bliss. So he does not care for his body and its needs.