Understanding karma's intricacies is essential; only devotion to Krishna liberates from the cycle of birth and death.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 4.17 — April 6, 1974, Bombay 740406BG-BOMBAY [41:47 Minutes] Bg-04.17_740406BG-BOMBAY Prabhupāda: [Chants jaya rādhā-mādhava] [break] [01:15] Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat, etc] karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ [Bg. 4.17] [break] [02:38] Translation: "The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is and what inaction is." Prabhupāda: karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ [Bg. 4.17] The same principle of working order is being discussed by Kṛṣṇa again in this verse. The beginning was cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. We should remember the same principle always.
Four classes are divided according to quality and karma. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, karmaṇo api boddhavyam, what is actually work. Boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Vikarmaṇaḥ means forbidden.
This is the human life's business. He should know what is actual work and what is forbidden work. Just like a good citizen knows what is lawful work and what is unlawful work. Lawful work is executed by intelligent citizens, and unlawful work is executed by the criminals.
So he has to suffer. You can cheat the man-made government by hiding yourself, so-called hiding. You cannot hide yourself from—any vikarma, or unlawful work—from the eyes of the Supreme Lord. That is not possible.
You can hide yourself from the eyes of the police, man-made law, but it is not possible to hide yourself from the eyes of the Supreme. That is not possible. Because the Supreme is sitting within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. And He is sitting as anumantā and upadraṣṭā. He is simply seeing what you are doing, and He is giving sanction also.
Even a thief who is going to act something criminally, without the sanction of the Supersoul, who is sitting within everyone's heart, he cannot do that. That you have got experience. Suppose you are doing..., going to do something which is not very good. The conscience is beating, "No, no, you should not do this.
You should not do this." But because without the sanction of the Supreme I cannot do anything, so if we persist to do something, then the sanction is given, "At your risk." That is going on. God does not give you sanction for doing anything criminal. But if we persist to do something criminal, then God gives sanction, "All right, do. Do it at your risk." That is going on.