V: 10

Chapter 5, Verse 10

"Offering their actions to God,
Rajasic and Tamasic desire
Take a back seat.
The lotus leaf rests,
Unwetted by water.
They rest in action,
Untouched by it."

Sri Eknath Easwaran:

"The lotus is a favorite flower in the Sanskrit scriptures. It grows abundantly in the pools and lakes of India. Born in the mud at the bottom of the pool, the lotus grows up through the water, rises above its surface, and blossoms towards the Sun. The leaf of the lotus, which floats on the surface of the water, is a large one. In the villages it is used as a plate, because it is waterproof. You can pour water on it; and the water will not soak through, but will just run off. In the same way, when we offer our actions to the higher power and become instruments in its service, even though difficulties are sure to come, they will not cling to us."

Sri Aurobindo:

"Karma Yoga is the offering of all action to the Lord, which induces as its culmination an inner and not an outer, a spiritual and not a physical giving up of action. In this exalted state, though they act, they do nothing, for they have given up not only the fruits of their works, but the works themselves as well as the doing of them to the Lord. The Divine then takes the burden of works from them. The Supreme Self becomes the doer and the act and the result."