Acting for Krishna's satisfaction transforms all karma into akarma, binding action into liberating transcendence.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 4.18 — April 7, 1974, Bombay 740407BG-BOMBAY [37:55 Minutes] Bg-04.18_740407BG-BOMBAY Prabhupāda: [Chants jaya rādhā-mādhava] [break] [01:43] Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda has brief exchange in Hindi with Indian man while chanting is going on] karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsna-karma-kṛt [Bg. 4.18] [break] [04:36] Translation: "One who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is intelligent among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in all sorts of activities." Prabhupāda: karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsna-karma-kṛt [Bg. 4.18] I have been requested to simply translate this verse, Hindi. So...
[Hindi] Intelligent, buddhimān [Hindi]. The subject matter it very easy and difficult also. The example is given, just like a boy flying kite, and with that, what is called, reel, he is doing like that. But in one way the kite is coming down, and in the other way the kite is going up.
And one who is seeing from outside, he sees only the boy is moving the reel, that's all. Similarly, unless one is very intelligent, he cannot understand what is karma and akarma. That is the whole subject matter of Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna was thinking that "I am going to commit some sinful activities by killing my kinsmen, the other side—my brothers, my nephews, my master, my grandfather, my so many relatives." So he was seeing sinful activity in that fight. So long there is deliberation of sinful and pious activities, that is called karma.
Karma has got two results: either suffering or enjoying. Of course, in this material world there is no enjoyment. But with the hope of enjoyment, we agree to suffer. And that is called enjoyment.
Just like a businessman, he is working very hard whole day and night, and he gets some profit, say lakhs, some two lakhs; he thinks that he is very happy, he is enjoying. But actually, he is working very hard. But because he has no knowledge, he is thinking that "I am profiting. I am making profit.
This is my happiness." But in the śāstras, those who are working so hard simply for some sense gratification... Especially in Western countries we have seen, this is very factual. Even very old man, he is working very hard, very big business magnate, very big politician, working very hard, and at night he goes to the nightclubs, pays $50 for entrance fee, and then he spends for wine and women lots of money. So this is his happiness.
Even old man, eighty years old, he is also going to the club, because in the material world the happiness means wine and women, that's all. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham [SB 7.9.45]. Prahlāda Mahārāja said that the gṛhamedhi attached to this material life, gṛhamedhi... Gṛha means compact in a room. So I am the living entity, spirit soul; I am compact within this body, encaged, or I am encaged within this universe.