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Chapter 18: Conclusion-The Perfection of Renunciation

Bg 18.49
TEXT 49
asakta-buddhih sarvatra
jitatma vigata-sprhah
naiskarmya-siddhim paramam
sannyasenadhigacchati
SYNONYMS
asakta-buddhih—unattached intelligence; sarvatra—everywhere; jita-atma—control of the mind, vigata-sprhah—without material desires; naiskarmya-siddhim—perfection of non-reaction; paramam—supreme; sannyasena—by the renounced order of life; adhigacchati—attains.
TRANSLATION
One can obtain the results of renunciation simply by self-control and by becoming unattached to material things and disregarding material enjoyments. That is the highest perfectional stage of renunciation.
PURPORT
Real renunciation means that one should always think himself part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Therefore he has no right to enjoy the results of his work. Since he is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, the results of his work must be enjoyed by the Supreme Lord. This is actually Krsna consciousness. The person acting in Krsna consciousness is really a sannyasi, one in the renounced order of life. By such mentality, one is satisfied because he is actually acting for the Supreme. Thus he is not attached to anything material; he becomes accustomed to not taking pleasure in anything beyond the transcendental happiness derived from the service of the Lord. A sannyasi is supposed to be free from the reactions of his past activities, but a person who is in Krsna consciousness automatically attains this perfection without even accepting the so-called order of renunciation. This state of mind is called yogarudha, or the perfectional stage of yoga, as confirmed in the Third Chapter: yas tv atma-ratir eva syat. One who is satisfied in himself has no fear of any kind of reaction from his activity.

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Copyright (c) 1972 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada