Summary:

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 23: Krishna establishes that a true spiritual person chooses both the truth (Krishna) and active engagement in worldly responsibilities. This challenges conventional notions of spirituality that promote withdrawal from worldly duties. A rational spiritual practitioner recognizes there can only be one truth – that the mind is an active instrument for understanding reality, not something to be permanently stopped. Proper spiritual role models demonstrate that avoiding action amplifies problems because the mind ruminates on unresolved issues.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 24: Sanity involves maintaining objectivity, while insanity is dominated by subjectivity and personal projections that create disharmony. Insanity manifests through not knowing what's right, choosing expedient over necessary, mistaking internal stories for reality, repeating failed patterns while expecting different results, and seeking validation for problems rather than solutions. Sane individuals see difficulties as opportunities for growth, refuse to let situations become bigger than themselves.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 25: The unwise perform actions driven by rāga-dveṣas with attachment to anticipated outcomes, creating enthusiasm mixed with anxiety. They lack kartavya-buddhi (performing action simply because it is to be done) and instead operate from expectation-based thinking that reinforces the small individual. The wise (vidvān) who knows the self as everything performs actions with the same enthusiasm but without anxiety, experiencing two transformative shifts: performing action simply because it is kartavya (duty) since nothing remains to be gained or lost, and shifting purpose toward loka-saṅgraha (welfare of people) by actively adding value to others' lives. 

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 26: The world that produces disturbances, sufferings, disappointments – is the very place where you have to recognize presence of Ishvara.  Ishvara is impartial (doesn't favor a saint over a thief), impersonal (for example flu isn't personal, it's result of weakened immune system as result of neglecting your health), uninvolved (it doesn't interfear with your life, it offers itself as objects which you then use, misuse, and organize and receive corresponding results), and infallible (doesn't make mistakes). This understanding transforms one's relationship to Ishvara, seeing it as possibilities which you need to collapse through your choices. Rather than creating buddhi-bhedam (disturbance of understanding) in those attached to results, the wise person leads by example through dharmic actions and Socratic questioning.

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Revision:

Four core messages we've seen in Chapter 3 so far:

1. What Makes Someone Spiritual: You don't need to escape the world to be spiritual. Krishna teaches that spirituality is seeing NOW clearly and responding from understanding of what is each situation calling for. How well you handle life's ups and downs – that's your spiritual measure.
2. Universal Values (Samanya Dharma): There are ethical principles built into life itself. When you act in ways that harm or disturb others – even without meaning to – life has a way of bringing that disturbance back to you. When you contribute positively and uphold good values, you naturally receive benefits in return. 
3. Your Personal Duties (Svadharma): Beyond these universal principles, you have specific responsibilities based on your actual life situation – your family role, job, community position, and circumstances. You're simultaneously a child, maybe a parent, an employee, a citizen. Each role comes with its own duties because as humans, we get certain privileges that animals don't have, and those privileges come with responsibilities.
4. Leadership Responsibility: If you're in a leadership position (stated in V23-24), your actions carry more weight because they affect more people. That's why Arjuna couldn't just walk away as too many people depended on him. Leaders are watched for two things: what they say / do. When these don't match up, people lose trust.

NEXT VERSE: Jnani is not lazy nor encourages inaction, but proactive…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 23:
Lord says ‘no' to laziness or inaction.

यदि हि अहं न वर्तेयम् जातु कर्मणि अतन्द्रितः ।
मम वर्त्म अनुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ ३-२३॥
yadi hi ahaṃ na varteyam jātu karmaṇi atandritaḥ ।
mama vartma anuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ॥ 3-23॥

For, should I not ever engage myself in action, without being lazy, Pārtha (Arjuna)! people would follow my example in every way.

There Can't Be Two Truths: Be Active, Be Lazy!

Even wise beings must engage in work to set the right example. If they don’t, others will imitate their “way of inaction”, encouraging laziness. 

This challenges conventional view of a “spiritual person”. According to Krishna, a spiritual person not only chooses Krishna (the truth) over the army (possessions, power, fame) – but also actively engages in one's worldly duties.

This is why most don’t have a favourable view of “spiritual people”, as most spiritual seekers subscribe to half-baked notions in reference to living. To demonstrate why…

There can only be one truth. For example, scientist can’t say both, “Earth is flat. Earth is a globe”. One of them is false, and the other is true.

Similarly, a rational spiritual practitioner would never say both are equally true, “Use the mind. Stop the mind”. According to stories within Mahabharata, Ramayana, Yoga Vasishtha, Puranas, Upanishads – using the mind is true. Even during meditation, Vedanta doesn't tell you to stop the mind, but says meditation is a fertile environment to contemplate on the realities. Stop your mind when you sleep!

In fact, many yoga practitioners misunderstand samadhi (citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ) as permanently stopping thoughts to achieve enlightenment, leading them to withdraw from society. This creates difficulty accepting Vedanta, which views the mind as an active instrument for understanding reality. “Nirodha” actually means management, not stopping — the goal is correcting mental stories, not eliminating thoughts entirely.

Nor can you say both knowledge leads to moksha, and action leads to moksha. Non-moksha is because of ignorance of one's true nature. What opposes “not knowing” is knowledge; not action. Thus only one is true, the other is false. 

Meaning, a rational spiritual person knows what belongs where and why; he doesn't mix things up. 

So Krishna encourages us to choose your spiritual role model carefully, as that's who you'll emulate. 

Inactivity or Laziness is Discouraged by The Lord

If Krishna were to became inactive, spiritual seekers would follow his lead. They’d say, “Why work if even the Lord doesn’t!”

Avoiding actions doesn’t solve problems, but amplifies them because mind ruminates on unresolves things. The broken logic of no-action is as silly as saying “I'm going to avoid food food because eating sometimes causes problems”. Or “I'm avoiding talking to people as it'll eventually lead to drama” — it will also lead to learning opportunities. Or saying, “There's no point of action as it leads to entanglement” — action also leads to disentanglement. 

The Best Kind of Action

No matter what the action is, it needs to consider the well-being of yourself and whoever is involved, or whoever is on the receiving end from your action. For example, in Ramayana, Bharat could’ve suggested to father Dasharatha to ask the subjects if they prefer Bharat over Rama, instead of immediately obeying. 

Dharmic leadership is measured by how willing you choose the collective good over personal interests, when they conflict. That's exactly what Krishna was advising Arjuna to do; to think about repercussions of entire kingdom, and not get solely carried away by his emotions.

Why People Choose Inaction

People choose inaction because it seems easier than exerting willpower and long-term planning, appealing to the amygdala's basic survival instincts, bypassing the newer prefrontal cortex (thinking brain). Then when things go wrong or don't turn out efficiently, they justify to avoid accountability, with “Everything is perfect, it's up to Ishvara!”. We know this is self-deception because such pseudo-thinking vanishes when faced with critical situations like a child or parent in trouble, where they'd act with full force.

NEXT VERSE: Jñāni is not only proactive, but sane. Sanity vs. insanity…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 24:
Sanity vs. Insanity

उत्सीदेयुः इमे लोकाः न कुर्याम् कर्म चेत् अहम् ।
सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्याम् उपहन्याम् इमाः प्रजाः ॥ ३-२४॥
utsīdeyuḥ ime lokāḥ na kuryām karma cet aham ।
saṅkarasya ca kartā syām upahanyām imāḥ prajāḥ ॥ 3-24॥

If I were not to perform action, these people would perish. I would be the author of confusion (in the society) and I would destroy these beings.

Difference Between Sanity and Insanity:

Everyone is born of ignorance/error. So when you see an object, you never perceive it purely objectively, because subjectivity colors the interpretation/meaning. This makes subjective projection “natural” and objective appreciation “unnatural”.

Thus sanity is maintaining decent amount of objectivity, thus they don't author discomfort or disharmony. While insanity is dominated by subjectivity — authoring words and actions that produce discomfort for those around them.

However, even the most insane person has basic objectivity, such as eating food and not rocks.

An example of insanity most can relate is when you feel watched or punished by someone or some external force, when in truth noone is doing such thing – it's a mind orchestration.

What makes an insane person (governed by personal bubbles)?

1. Not knowing what's the right thing to be done. Reason is due to conflict of past rules (should's / shouldn'ts) overriding what's called for in the moment. 
2. Subscribing for easy-expedient, over hard-necessary.
3. Knowing there's a problem, and not doing anything about it, even though it's within your reach to resolve it.
4. Mistaking your internal stories for reality – believing your interpretations are facts.
5. Repeating failed patterns (such as wishing to form a connection with someone), while expecting different results.
6. Reacting from past wounds instead of responding to present reality.
7. Seeking validation for problems rather than solutions – becoming addicted to victim identity instead of actually solving issues.

Conversely, doing your duties strengthens your discrimination or critical-thinking skills — which in turn improves quality of actions — which improves quality of life. 

What makes a sane person?

• Seeing difficulties as opportunities to make adjustments in your behavior and thinking. To become a better man/woman next time it happens again.
• Refusing to let situations become bigger then you. Reminding yourself, “I am BIGGER then this situation“.
• Seeing life as possibilities that you're given to collapse and turn your life around. 
• Recognizing “freedom from suffering” is attained through quick-fix techniques, but aligning your existence to the rules of the game (dharma). 

NEXT VERSE: The most sane (vidvān; knower of the self) perform action to benefit the whole…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 25:
Wise person's desire to act is for sake of welfare…

सक्ताः कर्मणि अविद्वांसः यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत ।
कुर्यात् विद्वान् तथा असक्तः चिकीर्षुः लोक-संग्रहम् ॥ ३-२५॥
saktāḥ karmaṇi avidvāṃsaḥ yathā kurvanti bhārata ।
kuryāt vidvān tathā asaktaḥ cikīrṣuḥ loka-saṃgraham ॥ 3-25॥

Bhārata (Arjuna)! Just as the unwise, who are attached to the results, perform action, so too would the wise perform action, (but) without attachment, desirous of doing that which is for the protection of the people.

“Unwise perform actions, attached to results”

The unwise (avidvān) perform action driven by rāga-dveṣas with expectations like “such and such should happen to me.” They undertake activities purely for anticipated outcomes. Their enthusiasm mingles with anxiety/concern because no guarantees exist that actions will produce desired results.

They lack kartavya-buddhi, mentioned in v22, which is the attitude of “performing action simply because it is to be done”. Instead they operate from, “If I perform this action, I will gain this result” – which reinforces the small individual (karta/bhokta).

“Wise performs actions, without attachment”

The wise (vidvān) who knows self as everything, discover nothing remains to be accomplished in all the lokas.

Knowing yourself as the cause of the universe doesn’t make you not want to act any more, but transforms relationship to actions. You maintain the same enthusiasm as those attached to results, but without the accompanying anxiety.

Two attitude shifts happen in regards to action:

• 1. You perform action simply because it is to be done (kartavya). Because you have nothing to lose or gain by performing actions. The action itself gives satisfaction because you’ve taken care of insecurities, thus action isn’t coming from proving anything.
  2. Your purpose shifts to welfare of people (loka saṅgraha), actively adding value to other’s lives. You can only be a contributor when there's no lack in yourself. As long as there's lack, you need to fill it, making you a taker. The vidvān is driven by desire (cikīrṣu) to prevent others from falling into erroneous, tamasic and destructive ways.  

Krishna was an ideal example of loka-sangraha in action. He was deeply engaged in public matters while not taking on the loads, not letting his boundaries be violated. 

“…without attachment [to results]”:

Doesn’t mean actions are done without emotion, or without having expectation of positive results.

“Without attachment to results”, actually means mastery over emotions (results) that come up when life offers you situations.

Emotional mastery includes:

• 1. Dismiss insignificant: Letting emotion pass if it’s of insignificance, or a one time event.
  2. Change the recurring: If an emotion is recurring and is causing disturbance, then relook/undo the story attached to it.
  3. Cultivate healthy: Cultivate healthy emotions (care, empathy, accommodation, patience, love, etc).

NEXT VERSE: Vidvān (wise person) doesn’t actively disturb those lacking critical-thinking skills and following pseudo-spiritual ideas…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 26:
Wise person doesn't disturb the the disturbed…

न बुद्धि-भेदम् जनयेत् अज्ञानाम् कर्म-सङ्गिनाम् ।
जोषयेत् सर्व-कर्माणि विद्वान् युक्तः समाचरन् ॥ ३-२६॥
na buddhi-bhedam janayet ajñānām karma-saṅginām ।
joṣayet sarva-karmāṇi vidvān yuktaḥ samācaran ॥ 3-26॥

The one who knows (the ātman) should not create any disturbance in the understanding of the ignorant who are attached to the results of action. The wise person, steadfast in the knowledge, himself performing all the actions well, should encourage (the ignorant) into performing (all actions).

Recognizing Īśvara Where You See Problems

Instead of dismissing worldly experience as meaningless, or telling people material world is pointless — a vidvān (spiritual leader / teacher) shows the very place you experience disturbance, meaninglessness, and anxiety — is the very place where you have to start recognizing Īśvara.

Meaning, knowledge-power manifests as creation, sets the rules of the game (laws/orders), karma/dharma.

Ishvara is:

1. 1. Impartial (No Favorites, No Bias)
      • Īśvara connects causes to effects without preference. For example, gravity treats all objects equally. 
      • Example:
        • A tree doesn’t “decide” to hurt you when you rub against it. Hurt comes from your irresponsible decision.
        • Ishvara in form of gravity won't say, “I'm biased towards the saint. Thus I'll switch-off gravity so he doesn't fall and die. The murderer, I don't like, for him I'll make gravity extra strong!”
   2. Impersonal (Not a Person with Will or Agenda)
      • Īśvara is not a cosmic teacher testing you or scripting life events. It’s the laws themselves — biological, psychological, karmic. Ishvara, in form of biological law, doesn't have a personal agenda to make you sick. When biological order is disturbed or neglected due to improper exercise or nutrition, it's unable to ward of bacteria, and what ensues is a flu. The flu isn't personal. Thus you can't say “I'm being punished by Ishvara!”.
   3. Uninvolved (No Micromanagement of Outcomes)
      • Ishvara doesn’t “decide” your fate. Ishvara is in form of possibilities which you are constantly collapsing through actions. You are the author of your life, not some external entity. As far is Ishvara is involved, it's involved in sense of  supplying itself as objects in your life. But you still shuffle, use, misuse and organize those objects according to your decisions. So Ishvara isn't directly involved whether your actions cause you to fall or prosper.
      • Analogy: A river’s flow (Īśvara’s laws) carries your boat (your life), but you steer it.
   4. Infallible (Perfect Cause-Effect Machinery)
      • Every effect precisely matches its cause. No “mistakes” exist in Īśvara’s order — even if the cause is forgotten (e.g., a childhood action echoing decades later). So suffering isn’t “punishment”, but feedback from past causes.

In short, nothing is imposed by force, as Īśvara is not an entity that decides and writes the script for how things are going to turn out. Instead, everyone's contribution into the field creates the present state of affairs.

The Transformative Effect of This Understanding

When you understand this, your relationship to world changes, gives you trust in life, making you relaxed. You're living in a world of divinity which presents itself in the form of possibilities. If you carry anger, you have the possibility of resolving it.

Each time you resolve an issue, you remove a self-imposed limitation, thus giving your free-will additional choices.

Spiritual Leader Doesn’t Condemn Worldly Pursuits

A spiritual leader (vidvan) shows that all pursuits (artha, kāma, dharma, mokṣa) have a purpose. He doesn’t say “Material wealth won't give you anything”, because he knows they’re all required for a balanced life. He doesn’t discourage people who engage for sake of rewards (karma-saṅginā).

If a spiritual leader tells “World won't give you happiness, and there's only suffering in the world,” — then who would ever want to recognize presence of Īśvara (Oneness) in a world of suffering! It would make the practitioner project an “evil, samsaric place designed to pull me down”.  Yet the world is needed to mature and recognize the Truth (that which is available in past, present and future, and present in all things).

Additionally, most people have dominant tamasic dispositions (ie: lazy, quick-fix-mentality, max results with min effort). If a spiritual leader says world has nothing to offer, most will use it to justify their laziness. Instead, a spiritual leader first encourages them to become rajasic (active contributors, even if selfish). As energy and zest for life grows, some start cutting corners for instant results, as it’s in human nature. To those people, you can easily sell the benefits of being sattvic (naturally cheerful, sharp, peaceful + successful lifestyle). Eventually, a predominantly sattvic person is shown one’s nature is guṇa-tīta (free from three guṇas).

Spiritual Leader Doesn't Spread Black-White Messages

In Mahābhārata, Kṛṣṇa/Vidura/Vyāsa were all guṇa-tīta — yet lived different lifestyles. When you understand this, one won't spread black-white messages like “You have to relinquish the world. It's source of suffering. You have to give up desires, etc.”

Additionally, a vidvān, is accommodating and patient towards spiritual seekers, knowing they're all at different stages. 

For example, three people heard the Bhagavad Gita…

Arjuna was asking all the questions until he felt he understood. Sañjaya came to class, and just listening changed him forever, saying, “Wherever there's a teacher like Kṛṣṇa and a student like Arjuna, there can only be victory!” While Dhṛtarāṣṭra wasn't touched at all, being preoccupied by his bubble, as demonstrated in his questioning to Sañjaya: “Why is Kṛṣṇa telling Arjuna over and over to fight, when Arjuna wants to walk out!  Krishna isn't letting Arjuna do the right thing!” This shows Dhrtarastra's agenda was for Arjuna to walk out, thus Duryodhana gains the kingdom.

Now the verse…

“The one who knows (the ātman) should not create any disturbance in the understanding of the ignorant who are attached to the results of action.”

When you gain some knowledge of Vedanta, you might feel compelled to tell others that their rituals, prayers, and chanting are meaningless. Krishna warns against creating disturbance of understanding (buddhi-bhedam) in those who are acting for rewards and attached to results of action (karma-saṅginā).

These individuals lack discrimination and are not ready for karma-yoga teachings. 

Same advice applies to those thinking action is the answer to liberation, or pursuing spiritual experiences, into neo-vedanta, into pseudo-spiritual or new-age ideas, or dismissing advaita.

The way to handle them is to meet them where they're at, rather then providing facts or implying they're wrong. It will trigger defensiveness, doubling down on their beliefs. A better idea is to engage in Socratic questioning. Ask them questions to make them think.

“The wise person, steadfast in the knowledge, himself performing all the actions well, should encourage (the ignorant) into performing (all actions)”

Even though a vidvān / jñāni has no personal need for rituals, actions, spiritual sadhanas – Krishna advises the wise people to lead by example (to assume leadership role; śreṣṭha) – to continue to act in the world, to contribute, to engage in spiritual sadhanas.

Because combination of wise person's intelligence, wisdom and influence will rub off on others who still believe that moksha is attained by actions — even though vidvān knows all actions are limited and can never lead to a limitless results (which is what moksha is).

Additionally, the best possible way a vidvān can influence is through dharmic/harmonious actions.  Because knowing Brahman is not imitable in behaviour — it’s has to be conveyed by words.

NEXT VERSE: What keeps you stuck in sense of individuality, (a) not actively evolving with stages of life, and (b) making everything about me — taking ownership of actions that prakrti naturally performs — while missing out on witnessing consciousness…

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Course was based on Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.

Recorded 8 Aug, 2025