Shloka 20
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
तथा कर्मसु विज्ञेयं फलं भवति वा न वा । पुरुषस्यात्मनि:श्रेय: शुभाशुभनिदर्शनम्
tathā karmasu vijñeyaṃ phalaṃ bhavati vā na vā | puruṣasyātmaniḥśreyaḥ śubhāśubhanidarśanam |
So too, in the sphere of actions, one should understand that a result may arise—or it may not. A person’s own highest good, realized within oneself, becomes the indicator of the auspicious and inauspicious impressions (saṃskāra) carried from prior lives: when one takes up the disciplines of yoga, attainment may come only with difficulty, or may even fail to manifest, according to those latent formations.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Results in action are not mechanically guaranteed; fruition may occur or may not. One’s inner progress toward niḥśreyas (highest good) reveals the force of prior auspicious and inauspicious saṃskāras, explaining why yogic attainment can be difficult or delayed for some.
Vāyudeva is instructing the listener on the moral psychology of karma and spiritual practice: he frames success in yogic discipline as conditioned by past-life impressions, and urges discernment that outcomes are contingent rather than assured.