Action may result in reaction, therefore people engage in pious acts in order to accrue merit. They wish to get good karma in this life or the next. 

![1000074515.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/julianhorack/AKDgLdJHKw5ic9PVW8VripADQhAqcst6Vy1SFMhtexTWTWJWfTSzjxESMmTewYj.jpg)

However, better than mundane reward is transcendence. Better than good karma is no karma because even good karma obliges one to return to the material world to receive the rewards. 

And the material world is a place of hard struggle for existence. Even the lucky must still face birth, old age, disease and death. 

Rather than accrue God karma, the yogi aspires to engage in karma free activity. The aspirant who is stepped in knowledge can see the world as it is and act accordingly. 

With the goal of Transcendence in mind, actions become transcendent and thus no karma is accrued. 

The fire of knowledge purifies one so that all karma is burned up forever. 

Bhagavad Gita ch4:37

***yathaidhāṁsi samiddho 'gnir
bhasma-sāt kurute 'rjuna
jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi
bhasma-sāt kurute tathā***

SYNONYMS
yathā—just as; edhāṁsi—firewood; samiddhaḥ—blazing; agniḥ—fire; bhasmasāt—turns into ashes; kurute—so does; arjuna—O Arjuna; jñāna-agniḥ—the fire of knowledge; sarva-karmāṇi—all reactions to material activities; bhasmasāt—to ashes; kurute—it so does; tathā—similarly.


TRANSLATION
As the blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.

PURPORT
Perfect knowledge of self and Superself and of their relationship is compared herein to fire. This fire not only burns up all reactions to impious activities, but also all reactions to pious activities, turning them to ashes. There are many stages of reaction: reaction in the making, reaction fructifying, reaction already achieved, and reaction a priori. But knowledge of the constitutional position of the living entity burns everything to ashes. When one is in complete knowledge, all reactious, both a priori and a posteriori, are consumed. In the Vedas it is stated: ubhe uhaivaiṣa ete taraty amṛtaḥ sādhv-asādhūnī: "One overcomes both the pious and impious interactions of work."

Bhagavad Gita ch4:38

***na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ
pavitram iha vidyate
tat svayaṁ yoga-saṁsiddhaḥ
kālenātmani vindati***

SYNONYMS
na—never; hi—certainly; jñānena—with knowledge; sadṛśam—in comparison; pavitram—sanctified; iha—in this world; vidyate—exists; tat—that; svayam—itself; yoga—devotion; saṁsiddhaḥ—matured; kālena—in course of time; ātmani—in himself; vindati—enjoys.

TRANSLATION
In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who has achieved this enjoys the self within himself in due course of time.

PURPORT
When we speak of transcendental knowledge, we do so in terms of spiritual understanding. As such, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Ignorance is the cause of our bondage, and knowledge is the cause of our liberation. This knowledge is the mature fruit of devotional service, and when one is situated in transcendental knowledge, he need not search for peace elsewhere, for he enjoys peace within himself. In other words, this knowledge and peace are culminated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the last word in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Reference: Bhagavad Gita As It Is, translation and commentary by Swami A C Bhaktivedanta, original MacMillan 1972 edition 

Image: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/ai-generated-dragon-creature-mystic-8343018/

Written and published from my mobile device onto the Hive blockchain for those who are fired up by access to all knowledge.