Bhagavad Gita · Karma Sannyasa YogaChapter 5, Shloka 28 (5.28)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
यतेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिर्मुनिर्मोक्षपरायणः
विगतेच्छाभयक्रोधो यः सदा मुक्त एव सः
॥ 5.28 ॥
yatendriyamanobuddhirmunirmokṣaparāyaṇaḥ
vigatecchābhayakrodho yaḥ sadā mukta eva saḥ
Translation
"(Taking up the steps of 5.27) — the sage whose senses, mind and intellect are under control, who is intent on liberation, from whom desire, fear and anger have gone — is forever free."
Interpretation
Three "enemies" — desire, fear, anger. This trio appeared in 2.56 as vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ and in 4.10 as well; here it comes a third time.
Shankaracharya. Mananāt muniḥ saṃnyāsī — a muni through contemplation, that is, a renunciate; mokṣa eva param ayanaṃ parā gatiḥ yasya — one whose supreme goal is moksha alone. Conclusion: yaḥ evaṃ vartate sadā saṃnyāsī mukta eva saḥ na tasya mokṣāyānyaḥ kartavyo'sti — the renunciate who always lives like this is free; nothing else remains for him to do for moksha.
Acharya Ramanuja. Ātmāvalokanād anyatra pravṛtty-anarhendriya-mano-buddhiḥ — one whose senses, mind and intellect do not go anywhere other than the vision of the self; tata eva vigatecchā-bhaya-krodhaḥ — for that very reason free of desire, fear and anger; mokṣaika-prayojanaḥ — with moksha as the sole purpose; and sādhya-daśāyām iva sādhana-daśāyām api mukta eva saḥ — just as in the state of the goal, even in the state of practice that person is free.
The difference: Shankara — for the renunciate no duty remains; Ramanuja — the practitioner too, during practice itself, is as good as free. And Ramanuja (end of 5.28) leads the chapter towards the suśakatā (ease) of karma yoga — 5.29.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.