Verse 18.3 : Moksha Sanyasa Yoga "Liberation and Renunciation"
“Some philosophers declare that all action should be abandoned as containing flaws, while other thinkers say that acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should never be abandoned.”
Krishna acknowledges the debates among ancient Indian philosophers. Some schools, like early Samkhya, argued that all action contains a seed of violence or imperfection (e.g., breathing kills microbes, harvesting crops harms soil life) and should be avoided. Others, like the Mimamsa school, argued that duties like charity and sacrifice are sacred and must never be abandoned.
Accept that every action you take will have some flaws; focus on the purity of your intent rather than chasing perfection.
- Since almost every action we take has some minor negative side-effect (e.g. stepping on bugs, driving cars), how do we make ethical choices?
- Why are charity, self-discipline, and sacrifice considered universally beneficial actions that should not be dropped?
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Shankara comments that the debate is between the Samkhya philosophers (who advocate for complete actionlessness for those seeking liberation) and the Mimamsaka ritualists (who insist that scriptural duties must be performed). He will show how Krishna integrates these views for different stages of growth.