soldier has to execute it. He does not consider whether it is pious or impious. That
does not matter. He simply has to act, then he is a real soldier. He acts in that way
and he gets his reward. He gets title and honor. He doesn’t care. The commander
says, Just go and kill the enemy, and he is rewarded. Do you think that by killing one
gets reward? No—it is for the duty discharged.

Similarly, here the situation is that Krsna is instructing Arjuna. Krsna is the
supreme consciousness. I am consciousness, the part and parcel of the supreme
consciousness. So my duty is to act according to that supreme consciousness. For
example, I consider my hand as a part of my body. Now, it is moving in its own way.
“As I want, let my hand be moved. Let my legs be moved. Let my eyes be opened and
see.” So, I am dictating, and these parts are working. Similarly, we are all parts and
parcels of the Supreme. When we train ourselves to move and act in accordance
with supreme consciousness, then we become transcendental to all these pious or
impious activities. That is the technique. What will the result of this technique be?
We become free from the bondage of birth and death. No more birth and death.

Modern scientists and philosophers do not think about these four things: birth,
death, disease, and old age. They set them aside. “Oh, let us be happy. Let us enjoy
this life.” But human life is meant for finding a solution to this bondage of birth,
death, disease and old age. If any civilization has not found a solution to these four
problems, then that is not a human civilization. Human civilization is meant for
finding a complete solution to these things.

So herein the Bhagavad-gita, the Lord says, Karmajam buddhi-yuktah. Karmajam
means whenever there is action there will be some reaction. If one acts in badness,
there will be a bad reaction. But reaction, either good or bad, is, in the higher sense,
all suffering. Suppose that by good action I get a good birth, fine bodily features, and
a good education. All these good things I may have, but that does not mean that I am
free from material pains. The material pains are birth, death, old age and disease.
Even if I am a rich man, a beautiful man, an educated man, born in an aristocratic
family, etc., I still cannot avoid death, old age, and disease.

So, we must not be concerned with pious activities or impious activities. We must
be concerned with transcendental activities only. That will save us from this
bondage of birth, death, old age and disease. That should be our aim in life. We
should not be hankering after good or bad things. For example, suppose one is
suffering from some disease. He is lying in bed, eating, passing nature’s call
uncomfortably, and taking bitter medicines. He always has to be kept clean by the
