Verse 18.8

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 18.8:

दुःखम् इत्य् एव यत् कर्म काय-क्लेश-भयात् त्यजेत् ।
स कृत्वा राजसं त्यागं नैव त्याग-फलं लभेत् ॥ ८ ॥

duḥkham ity eva yat karma kāya-kleśa-bhayāt tyajet |
sa kṛtvā rājasaṃ tyāgaṃ naiva tyāga-phalaṃ labhet || 8 ||

duḥkham–a cause of misery; iti–as; eva–certainly; yat–which; karma–work; kāya-kleśa-bhayāt–out of fear of bodily suffering; tyajet–may give up; saḥ–one; kṛtvā–having performed; rājasam–in the quality of passion;tyāgam–renunciation; na eva–certainly does not; tyāga-phalam–the result of renunciation; labhet–obtain.

When a person considers his karma (scripturally prescribed duty) to be a source of misery and relinquishes it out of fear of bodily discomfort, then his renunciation is considered to be in the mode of passion, and he fails to obtain the actual result of renunciation.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

It is compulsory to perform one’s regular prescribed duty, the performance of which incurs a good result. No fault is incurred by its performance. Despite knowing this, some persons think, “But why should I perform that duty and give unnecessary pain to my body?” The renunciation of such persons is in the mode of passion. They do not attain knowledge, which is the result of renunciation.