अथाग्रे ऋषय: कर्माणीहन्तेऽकर्महेतवे । ईहमानो हि पुरुष: प्रायोऽनीहां प्रपद्यते ॥ १४ ॥
athagre rsayah karman- ihante ’karma-hetave ihamano hi purusah prayo ’niham prapadyate
- atha
- therefore
- agre
- in the beginning
- rsayah
- all learned rsis, saintly persons
- karmani
- fruitive activities
- ihante
- execute
- akarma
- freedom from fruitive results
- hetave
- for the purpose of
- ihamanah
- engaging in such activities
- hi
- indeed
- purusah
- a person
- prayah
- almost always
- aniham
- liberation from karma
- prapadyate
- attains.
Therefore, to enable people to reach the stage of activities that are not tinged by fruitive results, great saints first engage people in fruitive activities, for unless one begins by performing activities as recommended in the sastras, one cannot reach the stage of liberation, or activities that produce no reactions.