IV: 15

Chapter 4, Verse 15

"This is how actions were done
By liberated souls
In ancient times.
Follow their example.
Do your actions
And surrender the outcomes."

Swami Shivananda:

"Knowing that the Self has no desire for the fruits of action and therefore cannot be tainted by them, and knowing that no one can be tainted when working without egoism, attachment, and the expectation of fruits, perform your duties. If your heart is impure, perform actions for its purification. If you have made knowledge of the Self steady, work for the well-being of the world."

Sri Aurobindo:

"The Avatar comes as the divine personality which shall fill your consciousness so that you may be liberated from ego into infinity and universality. He comes as the divine power and love which calls you to itself so that you may take refuge in that and no longer in the insufficiency of your human will."

Paramahansa Yogananda:

"Never cease performing worthwhile actions! Krishna and Christ, among others, all worked and still work to administer to souls. Follow their examples, those patterns of right action, established by the great ones throughout the ages. Feel the divine presence."

[First, the task is to discern which of our activities are endorsed by our own personal example of choice, be it Ishta Deva (chosen form of God on which to concentrate), Guru, etc., and also which of those activities are deemed undesirable for spiritual growth. Second, we are to follow through on that discernment with our behavior. When there is discernment without following through, the sages say that the resulting Karmic knot is tighter than it is when we act unskillfully without discernment. As one of my teachers used to say, "If you ask for my advice, heed my words."]