3.Karma-yoga

Question 1

Sacrifice/Yajna - must be performed,

Answer 1

3.9
yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra
loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya
mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara

yajña-arthāt—only for the sake of Yajña, or Viṣṇu; karmaṇaḥ—work done; anyatra—otherwise;
lokaḥ—this world; ayam—this; karma-bandhanaḥ—bondage by work;
tat—Him; artham—for the sake of; karma—work; kaunteya—O son of Kuntī;
mukta-saṅgaḥ—liberated from association; samācara—do it perfectly.

Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.

Question 2

Sacrifice/Yajna - produces rain,

Answer 2

3.14
annād bhavanti bhūtāni
parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ
yajñād bhavati parjanyo
yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ

annāt—from grains; bhavanti—grow; bhūtāni—the material bodies;
parjanyāt—from rains; anna—food grains; sambhavaḥ—are made possible;
yajñāt—from the performance of sacrifice; bhavati—becomes possible; parjanyaḥ—rains;
yajñaḥ—performance of yajña; karma—prescribed duties; samudbhavaḥ—born of.

All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.

Question 3

Spiritual master/Guru - must set good example,

Answer 3

3.21
yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas
tat tad evetaro janaḥ
sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute
lokas tad anuvartate

yat—whatever; yat—and whichever; ācarati—does he act; śreṣṭhaḥ—respectable leader;
tat—that; tat—and that alone; eva—certainly; itaraḥ—common; janaḥ—person;
saḥ—he; yat—whichever; pramāṇam—evidence; kurute—does perform;
lokaḥ—all the world; tat—that; anuvartate—follow in the footsteps.

Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.

Question 4

Materialistic Persons - think themselves the doers,

Answer 4

3.27
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

prakṛteḥ—of material nature; kriyamāṇāni—all being done;
guṇaiḥ—by the modes; karmāṇi—activities; sarvaśaḥ—all kinds of;
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍha—bewildered by false ego; ātmā—the spirit soul;
kartā—doer; aham—I; iti—thus; manyate—thinks.

The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.

Question 5

Lust/kama - one’s worst enemy,

Answer 5

3.37
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
kāma eṣa krodha eṣa
rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ
mahāśano mahā-pāpmā
viddhy enam iha vairiṇam

śrī bhagavān uvāca—the Personality of Godhead said;
kāmaḥ—lust; eṣaḥ—all these; krodhaḥ—wrath; eṣaḥ—all these;
rajo-guṇa—the mode of passion; samudbhavaḥ—born of;
mahā-śanaḥ—all-devouring; mahā-pāpmā—greatly sinful;
viddhi—know; enam—this; iha—in the material world; vairiṇam—greatest enemy.

The Blessed Lord said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material modes of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.