GITA 3.20

GITA 3.20

Thiruppernagar Sri Appakudathan has been praised by Nammalwar, Perialwar, Thirumzhisai Alwar and Thirumangai Alwar. Nammalwar sang in praise of this Lord only at the conclusion of Thiruvaimozhi. Sri Krishna lists the great persons who practiced Karma yoga, and the first to be mentioned is the King Janaka in the 20th sloka. we will see 20th sloka first part as the second part and 21st sloka are of same content.

karmanaiva hi samsiddhimasthita janakadayah

Even kings like Janaka and others attained the perfectional stage by performance of prescribed duties. 

karmanaiva hi= by Karma yoga alone, samsiddhim= atman darshan, asthidah= they attained, janakadayah= persons like Janaka. This implies that we have to follow our ancestors and elders. In a light way some say that Sri Krishna cites Janaka as example, as in His earlier avatar He wanted to praise His father-in-law Janaka, but the opportunity has come now only. Here, we have to note that though Janaka was fully qualified to practice Gyana yoga, he preferred to attain atman sakshatkaram by Karma yoga alone. We have to note that Karma yoga is easier to practice, and the atman sakshatkaram attained by Karma yoga is not inferior to the one attained by Gyana yoga.
King Janaka kept his Shiva Dhanush [bow] as the wager for getting his daughter Sri Sita married, and Sri Rama came to Mithila and broke the bow to win Sri Sita. For the marriage, King Dasaratha and sage Vasishta and all had come. During the offering of his daughter Sri Sita to Sri Rama, Janaka said the famous verse "iyam sita mama sutha...". He said    " this is my daughter Sri Sita and She will follow Sri Rama in dharma,and if He happens to drift away She will correct Him, and follow. I bless you with all auspiciousness". There is an interesting commentary by a great Acharya Periavachan Pillai. Janaka was a karma yogi and he never considered anything as his and thus he was totally detached. His teacher used to commence lectures only after the arrival of Janaka, and other students thought that the teacher was so doing because Janaka was the king. The teacher wanted the other students to realize the greatness of Janaka and so out of his yoga power, he created an illusion that city of Mithila, the Kingdom of Janaka, was on fire. All students thought the fire to be real, and ran away from the classroom, to save their small clothes and others. But Janaka remained unperturbed. When the teacher asked him why he was not rushing to save his property and kingdom, he said with a cool mind that he considered nothing as his and atman could never be burnt away. All the students understood the greatness of Janaka. Such a person was proud of Sri Sita, as his daughter, and told the great qualities of Sri Sita. So when Janaka practiced Karma yoga, it shows how great Karma yoga is.

                                                                                              (continued)