184
Bhagavad  -    gītā    As It Is
[Ch. 3]
Krṣṇa consciousness, under proper guidance and without attachment to the result of the work, is certainly making progress toward the supreme goal of life. Arjuna is told that he should fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra for the interest of Krṣṇa because Krṣṇa wanted him to fight. To be a good man or a nonviolent man is a personal attachment, but to act on behalf of the Supreme is to act without attachment for the result. That is perfect action of the highest degree, recommended by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Krṣṇa. Vedic rituals, like prescribed sacrifices, are performed for purification of impious activities that were performed in the field of sense gratification. But action in Krṣṇa consciousness is transcendental to the reactions of good or evil work. A Krṣṇa conscious person has no attachment for the result but acts on behalf of Krṣṇa alone. He engages in all kinds of activities, but is completely nonattached.
TEXT 20 . . .
कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादयः । लोकसंग्रहमेवापि संपश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि ॥२०॥
karmanaiva hi samsiddhim 
    āsthitā janakādayaḥ 
    loka-saṅgraham evāpi 
    sampaśyan kartum arhasi
karmaṇā —by work;  eva —even;  hi —certainly;  saṁsiddhim —perfection;  āsthitāḥ —situated;  janaka-ādayaḥ —kings like Janaka and others;  loka-saṅgraham —educating the people in general;  eva —also;  api —for the sake of;  sampaśyan —by considering;  kartum —to act;  arhasi —deserve.
TRANSLATION
Even kings like Janaka and others attained the perfectional stage by performance of prescribed duties. Therefore, just for the sake of educating the people in general, you should perform your work.
PURPORT
Kings like Janaka and others were all self-realized souls; consequently they had no obligation to perform the prescribed duties in the  Vedas .