18-7

नियतस्य तु संन्यासः कर्मणः नोपपद्यते ।
मोहात् तस्य परित्यागः तामसः परिकीर्तितः ॥ ७ ॥

niyatasya tu saMnyAsaH karmaNaH nopapadyate |
mohAt tasya parityAgaH tAmasaH parikIrtitaH || 7 ||

तु [tu] On the other hand, संन्यासः [saMnyAsaH] the renunciation नित्यस्य कर्मणः [nityasya karmaNaH] of routine, prescribed activities न उपपद्यते [na upapadyate] is not appropriate. परित्यागः [parityAgaH] Giving them up मोहात् [mohAt] in confusion परिकीर्तितः [parikIrtitaH] is said to be तामसः [tAmasaH] in the quality of tamas .

Don’t give up activity.

It isn’t appropriate to renounce or give up routine and prescribed activities. These are activities such as eating, breathing and worshipping.

As said in 3-8: ‘Even the journey through your body wouldn’t be achieved when you are inactive’ - Don’t give up activities in this journey through your body. This journey itself works to gain the knowledge that liberates us, by consuming the balance that remains from worship. Otherwise, as said in 3-13: ‘The kleptomaniacs who enjoy the results for their own sake will only experience misfortune’.

In this way, when the body is built from food other than the food that is derived from worship, it acts as a contaminant and forms the base of false knowledge.

Food nourishes the mind, as said in चान्दोग्य [cAndogya] , 6-5-4: ‘Son, the mind is constituted from the food we eat’. Again, as said in चन्दोग्य [candogya] , 7-26-2: ‘When the food is pure, the mind is not contaminated. A clean mind is capable of strong awareness. All knowledge can be released with the strength of this awareness’.

Thus, it is learnt that knowledge to realize the Self rests on the sanctity of the food we consume.

That’s why it’s not appropriate to give up routine, prescribed activities in this journey through the body. Routine activities such as eating and prescribed activities such as worship are meant for knowing the Self.

The quality of tamas gives rise to the misconception that these actions are binding in nature - though in reality, such actions actually lead to knowledge that liberates us. When we give up these activities due to such misconceptions, we remain in the quality of tamas . Indeed, the quality of tamas is the source of ignorance. As said in 14-17: ‘Mistakes, misconceptions and ignorance come from the quality of tamas ‘.

Ignorance is made from misconceptions that repel knowledge. Further in this chapter, it is said in 18-32: ‘People are overwhelmed by the quality of tamas when they understand their duty to be contrary to prescribed actions. Their intentions are born in the quality of tamas and go against any kind of achievement’.

In this way, misconceptions result in giving up routine and prescribed activities.