abhyāse 'pyasamartho 'si matkarmaparamo bhava | madartham api karmāni kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi ||12.10||
If you do not have the capacity for the practice (of this yoga) either, may you become one for whom action dedicated to Me is paramount. Even doing actions for my sake you will gain success.
Suppose even practising eight limbs of raja yoga is impossible for one, then set aside this meditation on saguna-brahman, and just become one who dedicated one's action to Īśvara. Dedication to Īśvara is not a particular act of worship, but the awareness of Īśvara as dharma and conformity to that, by doing what is called for at any given time and in any particular situation. One can live a life of karma-yoga - matkarmaparamo bhava without meditate upon Īśvara - abhyāse 'pyasamarthah. kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi - by doing that you will gain moksa, in the sense that it is the means that one commits oneself for antahkaranaśuddhi - purity of the mind which is required for self-knowledge.
A karma-yogī acts accordingly to dharma rather than rāga-dvesa - likes and dislikes, in this way one subdues one's rāga-dvesa which rooted in ahankāra - I-ness which is a result of wrong notion about oneself. Initially it is a suppression, but when one has value for dharma, rāga-dvesa being exiled, and ahankāra being deflated. Then it is not suppression but success in the form of maturity and elevation of the person. It is suppression only if there is no understanding of dharma. This is why it is so important to understand the value of values. It is maturity in a human being implies the appreciation of dharma, where this choice is not available in animal. When the action one does is based on dharma which is the order of Īśvara alone, then that is bhakti to Īśvara.
Raksitah dharmah raksati tvam - if you protect dharma, it protects you. How does dharma protect you? Raksati means it protects not your life but your sukham - peace of mind. Protecting merely longevity is meaningless if one lives in distress. By the protection of dharma, one's peace of mind is protected then one's purusārtha - goal of life which is jñānam/moksa is also protected. Otherwise when one keeps feeding one's rāga-dvesa, there is no scope for jñānam.
If you still find that is not possible to set aside your rāga-dvesa, since there is still a lot of desire need to be fulfilled, don't worry. Lord Krsna offers an alternative in the next verse.
athaitadapyaśakto 'si kartum madyogam āśritah |
sarvakarmaphalatyāgam tatah kuru yatātmavān ||12.11||
If you are not able to do even this, being one whose commitment is dedicating all actions to Me, then, with a disciplined mind, give up the results of all actions (to Me).
Lord Krsna says even if you cannot commit to offer all actions to "me", there is still no problem if you have a disciplined mind - yatātmavān. If the mind is undisciplined and unsettled, this does not apply. One has to clear that up first. Since one needs some ability to direct over one's mind in good direction to fulfil one's rāga-dvesa, and give up the result of all actions - sarvakarmaphalatyāgam. Impelled by one's own likes and dislikes, go about doing karma even if they are self-centred, fulfilling them as long as they do not transgress dharma. But when the results come, renounce them all in the sense of graciously accepting them as grace - prasāda from Īśvara without complain.
Even this attitude needs understanding, then acknowledgement stay with us, not simply mechanically. Just like when we say "thanks" can be just mechanical or say it really with element of gratitude.
sarvakarmaphalatyāgam in this context is not renunciation of all karma because of knowing I am non-doer and non-enjoyer - jñāna-karma-sannyāsa, which is the context in fourth chapter. With self-knowledge one does not give up activity but while performing action one knows one is free from all actions.
Lord Krsna gives certainty in the next verse, that only to cultivate this prasāda-buddhi is no way inferior to other stages already mentioned because with it one gains sānti - peace of mind.
śreyo hi jñānamabhyāsājjñānāddhyānam viśisyate |
dhyānāt karmaphalatyāgastyāgacchāntiranantaram ||12.12||
Knowledge is better indeed than the practice of yoga; meditation is superior to knowledge; renunciation of the results of actions (is better) than meditation. Because of renunciation (there is) peace immediately.
jñānam here is the knowledge of vedānta without practice of meditation or contemplation. abhyāsāt here is practice of meditation without backing up by vedānta knowledge. Discipline itself is very good, but one needs to understand the purpose of those discipline. Therefore it is said that jñānam is better than abhyāsāt.
dhyānam here is meditation which backed up by vedānta teaching. Therefore it is superior to jñānam without meditation/contemplation.
Finally he says that even better than dhyānāt - meditation is renunciation of the results of action, karmaphalatyāgah. Why? Because by receiving any result of actions as grace of Īśvara, there is peace of mind immediately. And this peace of mind is needed for one who pursue ātmā-jñānam. This statement is also served as glorification to encourage people to start from this stage. Last but not least all glorification in every stage of sadhāna indicate that every stage has its own place to form a qualify person who ready for ātmā-jñānam.
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