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च विमुच्यते’ इति ।सत्यम्, तथापि ईश्वरार्थतया फलनिरपेक्षमनुष्ठीयमानानि न बन्धहेतूनि ।तथा चोक्तं भगवता—‘यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः ।तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर’ इति ।किमर्थं तर्हि तेषामनुष्ठानम् ? सत्त्वशुद्ध्यर्थमिति ब्रूमः ।तथा चोक्तं भगवता—‘कायेन मनसा बुद्ध्या केवलैरिन्द्रियैरपि ।योगिनः कर्म कुर्वन्ति सङ्गं त्यक्त्वात्मशुद्धये’ इति, ‘यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम्’ इति, ‘गतसङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञानावस्थितचेतसः ।यज्ञायाचरतः कर्म समग्रं प्रविलीयते’ इति च ।तथा च—‘कषायपक्तिः कर्माणि ज्ञानं तु परमा गतिः ।कषाये कर्मभिः पक्वे ततो ज्ञानं प्रवर्तते’ इति ।ननु कर्मणामपि मोक्षहेतुत्वं श्रूयते—‘विद्यां चाविद्यां च यस्तद्वेदोभयं सह’ इति, ‘कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच्छतं समाः’ इति च ।तथा च मनुः—‘तपो विद्या च विप्रस्य निःश्रेयसकरे उभे’ इति ।नैतत्, पूर्वापराननुसन्धाननिबन्धनोऽयं भ्रमः ।तथा हि—‘विद्यां चाविद्यां च यस्तद्वेदोभयं सह’ इत्युक्त्वा ‘अविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वा विद्ययामृतमश्नुते’ इति विद्याविद्ययोर्भिन्नविषयत्वेन समुच्चयाभावः श्रुत्यैव दर्शितः ।इममेवार्थं स्पष्टयन् भगवान्मनुः—‘तपो विद्या च विप्रस्य निःश्रेयसकरे उभे’
In plain words
True; yet actions performed as an offering to the Lord, without personal desire for their fruits, do not bind. As the Lord declared: 'Except for action done as a sacrifice, this world is bound by its own deeds. Therefore, son of Kunti, perform your duty free from attachment for that supreme purpose.' Why then perform them? To purify the mind. As He stated elsewhere: 'Yogis perform action with body, mind, intellect, and senses—abandoning attachment—purely for inner purification.' And again: 'Sacrifice, charity, and austerity are purifiers for the wise.' And: 'For the liberated one who is free from attachment, whose mind rests in wisdom, and who acts simply as an offering, all karma dissolves completely.' Likewise it is said: 'Actions cook away mental impurities, while knowledge is the supreme goal. Once impurities are burned away by action, knowledge dawns.' But does not scripture also declare actions lead to liberation: 'He who knows both knowledge and ignorance together...', and 'Performing actions here, one should wish to live a hundred years...'? And does not Manu say: 'Austerity and knowledge both bring supreme good to the brāhmaṇa'? Not so; this confusion comes from failing to harmonize the beginning and end of the text. After stating: 'He who knows both knowledge and ignorance together,' scripture explains: 'Crossing death through ignorance, one attains immortality through knowledge.' Thus, because knowledge and ignorance have entirely different scopes, the Veda itself shows they cannot be combined. Clarifying this very truth, Manu states: 'Austerity and knowledge are both instruments of supreme good.'
Close to the Sanskrit
And 'is liberated.' True, nevertheless actions performed without desiring fruit, intended for the Lord, are not causes of bondage. And so it is said by the Lord: 'Other than action done for sacrifice, this world is bound by action; for that purpose, O son of Kunti, perform action free from attachment.' For what purpose then is their performance? We say: for the purification of the mind. And so it is said by the Lord: 'Yogis perform action with body, mind, intellect, and mere senses, abandoning attachment, for the purification of the self', 'Sacrifice, charity, and austerity are the purifiers of the wise', 'Of one who is free from attachment, liberated, whose mind is established in knowledge, who acts for sacrifice, his entire action dissolves completely.' And similarly: 'Actions are the cooking of impurities; knowledge is the supreme goal. When impurities are cooked by actions, then knowledge arises.' Now, is not the causality of liberation for actions also heard: 'He who knows both knowledge and ignorance together...', 'Performing actions here indeed, one should desire to live a hundred years...'? And similarly Manu: 'Austerity and knowledge are both producers of ultimate good for a brāhmaṇa.' Not so, this delusion arises from not harmonizing earlier and later parts. For having said 'He who knows both knowledge and ignorance together,' and showing 'Crossing death by ignorance, one attains immortality by knowledge,' the absence of combination due to the distinct subjects of knowledge and ignorance is shown by the Sruti itself. Clarifying this very meaning, revered Manu says: 'Austerity and knowledge are both producers of ultimate good for a brāhmaṇa.'