Chapter 5, Verse 13
Karma Sanyasa Yoga — Sanskrit shloka, transliteration, word meanings, English translation, and commentary.
Original Sanskrit verse
Transliteration
Word meanings
sarva—all; karmāṇi—activities; manasā—by the mind; sannyasya—having renounced; āste—remains; sukham—happily; vaśhī—the self-controlled; nava-dvāre—of nine gates; pure—in the city; dehī—the embodied being; na—never; eva—certainly; kurvan—doing anything; na—not; kārayan—causing to be done
English translation
Mentally renouncing all actions and being self-controlled, the embodied one happily rests in the nine-gated city, neither acting nor causing others (body and senses) to act.
— Swami Sivananda
Listen to Shloka 5.13
Commentary
All actions -- (1) Nitya Karmas These are obligatory duties. Their performance does not produce any merit but their nonperformance produces demerit. Sandhyavandana; etc.; belong to this category.(2) Naimittika Karmas These Karmas are performed on the occurrence of some special events such as the birth of a son; eclipse; etc.(3) Kamya Karmas These are optional. They are intended for the attainment of some special ends (for getting rain; son; etc.)(4) Nishiddha Karmas These are forbidden actions such as theft; drinking liour; etc.(5) Prayaschitta Karmas Actions performed to neutralise the effects of evil actions or sins. The man who has controlled the senses renounces all actions by discrimination; by seeing inaction in action and rests happily in this body of nine openings (the ninegated city); because he is free from cares; worries; anxieties and fear and his mind is quite calm and he enjoys the supreme peace of the Eternal. In this ninegated city the Self is the king. The senses; the mind; the subconscious mind; and the intellect are the inhabitants or subjects. The ignorant wordly man says; I am resting in the easychair. The man of wisdom who has realised that the Self is distinct from the body which is a product of the five elements; says; I am resting in this body. (Cf. XVIII.17; 50)
Commentary by Swami Sivananda
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