Let
there be peace and love among all beings of the universe. OM
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
"Whenever
there is a decline of righteousness, O Arjuna, and rise of
unrighteousness,
then I manifest Myself! For the protection of the good, for
the destruction of the wicked,
and for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in
every age."
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HE
Bhagavad
Gita is a 700-verse scripture that is one of the
world's spiritual classics and a guide to all on
the path of Truth. It was composed between the
fifth and second centuries BC and is part of the
sixth book of the epic poem, the
Mahabaratha.
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The
Mahabaratha tells of the Pandavas, Prince
Arjuna and his four brothers, growing up in north
India at the court of their uncle, the blind King
Dhritarashtra, after the death of their father, the
previous ruler. There is always great rivalry
between the Pandavas or sons of Pandu and the
Kauravas, the one hundred sons of Dhritarashtra.
Eventually the old king gives his nephews some land
of their own but his eldest son, Duryodhana,
defeats Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava, by
cheating at dice, and forces him and his brothers
to surrender their land and go into exile for
thirteen years. On their return, the old king is
unable to persuade his son Duryodhana to restore
their heritage and, in spite of efforts at
reconciliation by Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra's
charioteer; by Bhishma, his wise counsellor; and
even by the Lord Krishna himself, war cannot be
averted. The rival hosts face each other on the
field of Kurukshetra. It is at this point that the
Bhagavad Gita begins.
When Prince Arjuna surveys the battlefield, he is
overwhelmed with sorrow at the futility of war. The
teachings of the Bhagavad Gita are spoken by
the divine Lord Krishna, who is acting as the
prince's charioteer. They are overheard by Sanjaya
and reported back to King Dhritarashtra. Krishna,
through the course of the Gita, imparts to
Arjuna wisdom, the path to devotion, and the
doctrine of selfless action When Krishna has
finished speaking to Arjuna, the two armies engage.
The battle lasts eighteen days and by the end of it
nearly all of the warriors on both sides are dead
save Krishna and the five sons of Pandu.
The Mahabharata is traditionally ascribed to
the sage Ved Vyasa; the Bhagavad Gita, being
a part of the Mahabharata, is also ascribed
to him.
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1. OM. O
Bhagavad Gita, with which Partha was
illumined by Lord Narayana himself, and which was
composed within the Mahabharata by the
ancient sage, Vyasa, O divine Mother, the destroyer
of rebirth, the showerer of the nectar of Advaita,
and consisting of eighteen discourses – upon
Thee, O Gita, O affectionate Mother, I
meditate!
2. Salutations unto thee, O Vyasa, of broad
intellect and with eyes like the petals of a
full-blown lotus, by whom the lamp of knowledge,
filled with the oil of the Mahabharata, has
been lighted!
3. Salutations to Lord Krishna, the Parijata
or the Kalpataru or the bestower of all desires for
those who take refuge in Him, the holder of the
whip in one hand, the holder of the symbol of
divine knowledge and the milker of the divine
nectar of the Bhagavad Gita!
4. All the Upanishads are the cows;
the milker is Krishna; the cowherd boy, Partha
[Arjuna], is the calf; men of purified
intellect are the drinkers; the milk is the great
nectar of the Gita.
5. I salute Sri Krishna, the world-teacher,
son of Vasudeva, the destroyer of Kamsa and
Chanura, the supreme bliss of Devaki!
6. With Kesava as the helmsman, verily was
crossed by the Pandavas the battle-river, whose
banks were Bhishma and Drona, whose water was
Jayadratha, whose blue lotus was the king of
Gandhara, whose crocodile was Salya, whose current
was Kripa, whose billow was Karna, whose terrible
alligators were Vikarna and Asvatthama, whose
whirlpool was Duryodhana.
7. May this lotus of the Mahabharata,
born in the lake of the words of Vyasa, sweet with
the fragrance of the meaning of the Gita,
with many stories as its stamens, fully opened by
the discourses of Hari, the destroyer of the sins
of Kali, and drunk joyously by the bees of good men
in the world, become day by day the bestower of
good to us!
8. I salute that Madhava, the Source of
supreme bliss, whose Grace makes the dumb eloquent
and the cripple cross mountains!
9. Salutations to that God whom Brahma,
Indra, Varuna, Rudra and the maruts praise with
divine hymns, of whom the Sama-chanters sing by the
Vedas and their Angas [in the Pada and
Krama methods], and by the Upanishads;
whom the yogis see with their minds absorbed in Him
through meditation, and whose ends the hosts of
devas and asuras know not!
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I.
YOGA
OF
THE
DESPONDENCY
OF
ARJUNA
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1. The
King Dhritarashtra asked: "O Sanjaya! What happened
on the sacred battlefield of Kurukshetra, when my
people gathered against the Pandavas?"
DHRITARASHTRA asked:
1. What did the sons of Pandu and also my
people do when they had assembled together, eager
for battle on the holy plain of Kurukshetra, O
Sanjaya?
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SANJAYA
replied:
2. Having seen the army of the Pandavas drawn
up in battle array, King Duryodhana then approached
his teacher Drona and spoke these words:
3. "Behold, O Teacher, this mighty army of the
sons of Pandu, arrayed by the son of Drupada, thy
wise disciple!
4. "Here are heroes, mighty archers, equal
in battle to Bhima and Arjuna, Yuyudhana, Virata
and Drupada, of the great car [mighty
warriors],
5. "Drishtaketu, Chekitana and the valiant
king of Kasi, Purujit, and Kuntibhoja and Saibya,
the best of men,
6. "The strong Yudhamanyu and the brave
Uttamaujas, the son of Subhadra [Abhimanyu, the
son of Arjuna], and the sons of Draupadi, all
of great chariots [great heroes].
7. "Know also, O best among the twice-born,
the names of those who are the most distinguished
amongst ourselves, the leaders of my army! These I
name to thee for thy information.
8. "Thyself and Bhishma, and Karna and
Kripa, the victorious in war; Asvatthama, Vikarna,
and Jayadratha, the son of Somadatta.
9. "And also many other heroes who have given
up their lives for my sake, armed with various
weapons and missiles, all well skilled in
battle.
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10. "This
army of ours marshalled by Bhishma is insufficient,
whereas their army, marshalled by Bhima, is
sufficient.
11. "Therefore, do ye all, stationed in your
respective positions in the several divisions of
the army, protect Bhishma alone."
12. His glorious grandsire
[Bhishma], the eldest of the Kauravas, in
order to cheer Duryodhana, now roared like a lion
and blew his conch.
13. Then [following Bhishma], conches
and kettle-drums, tabors, drums and cow-horns
blared forth quite suddenly [from the side of
the Kauravas]; and the sound was
tremendous.
14. Then also, Madhava [Krishna], and
the son of Pandu [Arjuna], seated in their
magnificent chariot yoked with white horses, blew
their divine conches.
15. Hrishikesa blew the panchajanya and
Arjuna blew the devadatta, and Bhima, the doer of
terrible deeds, blew the great conch, paundra.
16. Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew the
anantavijaya; and Sahadeva and Nakula blew the
manipushpaka and sughosha conches.
17. The king of Kasi, an excellent archer,
Sikhandi, the mighty car-warrior, Dhristadyumna and
Virata and Satyaki, the unconquered,
18. Drupada and the sons of Draupadi, O Lord
of the Earth, and the son of Subhadra, the
mighty-armed, all blew their respective
conches!
19. The tumultuous sound rent the hearts of
Dhritarashtra's party, making both heaven and earth
resound.
20. Then, seeing all the people of
Dhritarashtra's party standing arrayed and the
discharge of weapons about to begin, Arjuna, the
son of Pandu, whose ensign was that of a monkey,
took up his bow and said the following to Krishna,
O Lord of the Earth!
ARJUNA said:
21-22. In the middle of the two armies,
place my chariot, O Krishna, so that I may behold
those who stand here, desirous to fight, and know
with whom I must fight when the battle begins.
23. For I desire to observe those who are
assembled here to fight, wishing to please in
battle Duryodhana, the evil-minded.
SANJAYA said:
24. Being thus addressed by Arjuna, Lord
Krishna, having stationed that best of chariots, O
Dhritarashtra, in the midst of the two armies,
25. In front of Bhishma and Drona and all
the rulers of the earth, said: "O Arjuna, behold
now all these Kurus gathered together!"
26. Then Arjuna beheld there stationed,
grandfathers and fathers, teachers, maternal
uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons and friends,
too.
27. [He saw] fathers-in-law and
friends also in both armies. The son of Kunti
– Arjuna – seeing all these kinsmen
standing arrayed, spoke thus sorrowfully, filled
with deep pity.
ARJUNA said:
28. Seeing these, my kinsmen, O Krishna,
arrayed, eager to fight,
29. My limbs fail and my mouth is parched
up, my body quivers and my hairs stand on end!
30. The [bow] "gandiva" slips from
my hand and my skin burns all over; I am unable
even to stand, my mind is reeling, as it were.
31. And I see adverse omens, O Kesava! I do
not see any good in killing my kinsmen in
battle.
32. For I desire neither victory, O Krishna,
nor pleasures nor kingdoms! Of what avail is a
dominion to us, O Krishna, or pleasures or even
life?
33. Those for whose sake we desire kingdoms,
enjoyments and pleasures, stand here in battle,
having renounced life and wealth.
34. Teachers, fathers, sons and also
grandfathers, grandsons, fathers-in-law, maternal
uncles, brothers-in-law and relatives –
35. These I do not wish to kill, though they
kill me, O Krishna, even for the sake of dominion
over the three worlds, leave alone killing them for
the sake of the earth!
36. By killing these sons of Dhritarashtra,
what pleasure can be ours, O Janardana? Only sin
will accrue by killing these felons.
37. Therefore, we should not kill the sons
of Dhritarashtra, our relatives; for, how can we be
happy by killing our own people, O Madhava
[Krishna]?
38. Though they, with intelligence
overpowered by greed, see no evil in the
destruction of families, and no sin in hostility to
friends,
39. Why should not we, who clearly see evil
in the destruction of a family, learn to turn away
from this sin, O Janardana [Krishna]?
40. In the destruction of a family, the
immemorial religious rites of that family perish;
on the destruction of spirituality, impiety
overcomes the whole family.
41. By prevalence of impiety, O Krishna, the
women of the family become corrupt and, women
becoming corrupted, O Varsneya [descendant of
Vrishni], there arises intermingling of
castes!
42. Confusion of castes leads to hell the
slayers of the family, for their forefathers fall,
deprived of the offerings of rice-ball and
water.
43. By these evil deeds of the destroyers of
the family, which cause confusion of castes, the
eternal religious rites of the caste and the family
are destroyed.
44. We have heard, O Janardana, that
inevitable is the dwelling for an unknown period in
hell for those men in whose families the religious
practices have been destroyed!
45. Alas! We are involved in a great sin in
that we are prepared to kill our kinsmen through
greed for the pleasures of a kingdom.
46. If the sons of Dhritarashtra, with
weapons in hand, should slay me in battle,
unresisting and unarmed, that would be better for
me.
SANJAYA said:
47. Having thus spoken in the midst of the
battlefield, Arjuna, casting away his bow and
arrow, sat down on the seat of the chariot with his
mind overwhelmed with sorrow.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the first discourse
entitled: Yoga of the Despondency of
Arjuna.
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SANJAYA
said:
1. Despondent, overwhelmed with compassion
[as he sat], his troubled eyes filled with
tears, Krishna, the slayer of Madhu spoke to
him.
The blessed LORD said:
2.
Whence is this perilous strait come upon thee, this
dejection which is unworthy of thee, disgraceful,
and which will close the gates of heaven upon thee,
O Arjuna?
3. Yield not to impotence, O Arjuna, son of
Pritha! It does not befit thee. Cast off this mean
weakness of the heart. Stand up, O scorcher of
foes!
ARJUNA said:
4.
How, O Madhusudana, shall I fight in battle with
arrows against Bhishma and Drona, who are fit to be
worshipped, O destroyer of enemies?
5. Better it is, indeed, in this world to
accept alms than to slay the most noble teachers.
But if I kill them, even in this world all my
enjoyments of wealth and desires will be stained
with [their] blood.
6. I can hardly tell which will be better:
that we should conquer them or they should conquer
us. Even the sons of Dhritarashtra, after slaying
whom we do not wish to live, stand facing us.
7. My heart is overpowered by the taint of
pity, my mind is confused as to duty. I ask Thee:
tell me decisively what is good for me. I am Thy
disciple. Instruct me who has taken refuge in
Thee.
8. I do not see that it would remove this sorrow
that burns up my senses even if I should attain
prosperous and unrivalled dominion on earth or
lordship over the gods.
SANJAYA said:
9. Having spoken thus to Hrishikesa
[Lord of the senses], Arjuna [the
conqueror of sleep], the destroyer of foes,
said to Krishna: "I will not fight", and became
silent.
10. To him who was despondent in the midst
of the two armies, Sri Krishna, as if smiling, O
Bharata, spoke these words!
The blessed LORD said:
11. Thou hast grieved for those that should
not be grieved for, yet thou speakest words of
wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor
for the dead.
12. Nor at any time indeed was I not, nor
these rulers of men, nor verily shall we ever cease
to be hereafter.
13. Just as in this body the embodied
[soul] passes into childhood, youth and old
age, so also does he pass into another body; the
firm man does not grieve thereat.
14. The contacts of the senses with the
objects, O son of Kunti, which cause heat and cold
and pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end;
they are impermanent; endure them bravely, O
Arjuna!
15. That firm man whom surely these afflict
not, O chief among men, to whom pleasure and pain
are the same, is fit for attaining Immortality!
16. The unreal has no being, the Real no
non-being. These two facts the Truth-seers
perceive.
17. Know That which pervades all this to be
Indestructible. That Immutable none can
destroy.
18. These bodies of the embodied Self, which
is eternal, indestructible and immeasurable, are
said to have an end. Therefore, fight, O
Arjuna!
19. He who takes the Self to be the slayer
and he who thinks He is slain, neither of them
knows; He slays not nor is He slain.
20. That is not born, nor does It ever die;
nor, having been, does It ever cease to be. That
unborn, eternal, abiding, primeval being is not
slain when the body is slain.
21. Whosoever knows Him to be
indestructible, eternal, unborn and inexhaustible,
how can That man slay, O Arjuna, or cause to be
slain?
22. Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes
and puts on new ones, so also the embodied Self
casts off worn-out bodies and enters others that
are new.
23. Weapons cut It not, fire burns It not,
water wets It not, wind dries It not.
24. Invulnerable He is, not to be burnt, not
to be drenched or dried. He is eternal,
all-pervading, changeless, motionless,
enduring.
25. This [Self] is said to be
unmanifested, unthinkable and unchangeable.
Therefore, knowing This to be such, thou shouldst
not grieve.
26. But, even if thou thinkest of It as
being constantly born and dying, even then, O
mighty-armed, thou shouldst not grieve!
27. For to him who is born death is indeed
certain, and to him who dies birth is certain.
Therefore you should not grieve for the
inevitable.
28. Beings are unmanifested in their
beginning, manifested in their middle state, O
Arjuna, and unmanifested again in their end! What
is there to grieve about?
29. One sees This [the Self] as a
wonder; another speaks of It as a wonder; another
hears of It as a wonder; yet, having heard, none
understands It at all.
30. This, the Indweller in the body of
everyone, is always Indestructible, O Arjuna!
Therefore, thou shouldst not grieve for any
creature.
31. Further, having regard to thy own duty,
thou shouldst not waver, for there is nothing
higher for a Kshatriya than a righteous war.
32. Happy are the Kshatriyas, O Arjuna, who
are called upon to fight in such a battle that
comes of itself as an open door to heaven!
33. But, if thou wilt not fight in this
righteous war, then, having abandoned thine duty
and fame, thou shalt incur sin.
34. People, too, will recount thy
everlasting dishonour; and to one who has been
honoured, dishonour is worse than death.
35. The great car-warriors will think that
thou hast withdrawn from the battle through fear;
and thou wilt be lightly held by them who have
thought much of thee.
36. Thy enemies also, cavilling at thy
power, will speak many abusive words. What is more
painful than this!
37. Slain, thou wilt obtain heaven;
victorious, thou wilt enjoy the earth; therefore,
stand up, O son of Kunti, resolved to fight!
38. Having made pleasure and pain, gain and
loss, victory and defeat the same, engage thou in
battle for the sake of battle; thus thou shalt not
incur sin.
39. This which has been taught to thee, is
wisdom concerning Sankhya. Now listen to wisdom
concerning yoga, endowed with which, O Arjuna, thou
shalt cast off the bonds of action!
40. In this there is no loss of effort, nor
is there any harm [the production of contrary
results or transgression]. Even a little of
this knowledge [even a little practice of this
yoga] protects one from great fear.
41. Here, O joy of the Kurus, there is a
single one-pointed determination! Many-branched and
endless are the thoughts of the irresolute.
42. Flowery speech is uttered by the unwise,
who take pleasure in the eulogising words of the
Vedas, O Arjuna, saying: "There is nothing
else!"
43. Full of desires, having heaven as their
goal, they utter speech which promises birth as the
reward of one's actions, and prescribe various
specific actions for the attainment of pleasure and
power.
44. For those who are much attached to
pleasure and to power, whose minds are drawn away
by such teaching, that determinate faculty is not
manifest that is steadily bent on meditation and
samadhi [the state of Superconscious].
45. The Vedas deal with the three
attributes [of nature or prakriti]; be thou
above these three attributes, O Arjuna! Free
yourself from the pairs of opposites and ever
remain in the quality of sattva [goodness],
freed from the thought of acquisition and
preservation, and be established in the Self.
46. To the Brahmana who has known the Self,
all the Vedas are of as much use as is a
reservoir of water in a place where there is a
flood.
47. Thy right is to work only, but never
with its fruits; let not the fruits of actions be
thy motive, nor let thy attachment be to
inaction.
48. Perform action, O Arjuna, being
steadfast in yoga, abandoning attachment and
balanced in success and failure! Evenness of mind
is called yoga.
49. Far lower than the yoga of wisdom is
action, O Arjuna! Seek thou refuge in wisdom;
wretched are they whose motive is the fruit.
50. Endowed with wisdom [evenness of
mind], one casts off in this life both good and
evil deeds; therefore, devote thyself to yoga; yoga
is skill in action.
51. The wise, possessed of knowledge, having
abandoned the fruits of their actions, and being
freed from the fetters of birth, go to the place
which is beyond all evil.
52. When thy intellect crosses beyond the
mire of delusion, then thou shalt attain to
indifference as to what has been heard and what has
yet to be heard.
53. When thy intellect, perplexed by what
thou hast heard, shall stand immovable and steady
in the Self, then thou shalt attain
Self-realisation.
ARJUNA said:
54. What, O Krishna, is the description of
him who has steady wisdom and is merged in the
Superconscious state? How does one of steady wisdom
speak? How does he sit? How does he walk?
The blessed LORD said:
55. When a man casts out all desires of the
mind, O son of Pritha, and is content in himself,
he is said to be steadfast in wisdom.
56. He whose mind is not shaken by
adversity, who does not hanker after pleasures, and
who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is
called a sage of steady wisdom.
57. He who is everywhere without attachment,
on meeting with anything good or bad, who neither
rejoices nor hates, his wisdom is fixed.
58. When, like the tortoise which withdraws
its limbs on all sides, he withdraws his senses
from the sense-objects, then his wisdom becomes
steady.
59. The objects of the senses turn away from
the abstinent man, leaving the longing
[behind]; but his longing also turns away
on seeing the Supreme.
60. The turbulent senses, O Arjuna, do
violently carry away the mind of a wise man though
he be striving [to control them]!
61. Having restrained them all he should sit
steadfast, intent on Me; his wisdom is steady whose
senses are under control.
62. When a man thinks of the objects,
attachment to them arises; from attachment desire
is born; from desire anger arises.
63. From anger comes delusion; from delusion
the loss of memory; from loss of memory the
destruction of discrimination; from the destruction
of discrimination he perishes.
64. But the self-controlled man, moving
amongst objects with the senses under restraint,
and free from attraction and repulsion, attains to
peace.
65. In that peace all pains are destroyed,
for the intellect of the tranquil-minded soon
becomes steady.
66. There is no knowledge of the Self to the
unsteady, and to the unsteady no meditation is
possible; and to the un-meditative there can be no
peace; and to the man who has no peace, how can
there be happiness?
67. For the mind which follows in the wake
of the wandering senses, carries away his
discrimination as the wind [carries away] a
boat on the waters.
68. Therefore, O mighty-armed Arjuna, his
knowledge is steady whose senses are completely
restrained from sense-objects!
69. That which is night to all beings, then
the self-controlled man is awake; when all beings
are awake, that is night for the sage who sees.
70. He attains peace into whom all desires
enter as waters enter the ocean, which, filled from
all sides, remains unmoved; but not the man who is
full of desires.
71. He attains peace who abandons all
desires, acting without attachment, free from "I"
and "mine".
72. This is the Brahmic seat [eternal
state], O son of Pritha! Attaining to this,
none is deluded. Being established therein, even at
the end of life one attains to oneness with Brahman
[Reality].
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the second discourse
entitled: Yoga of Knowledge.
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ARJUNA said:
1. If it be thought by Thee that knowledge
is superior to action, O Krishna, why then, O
Kesava, dost Thou ask me to engage in this terrible
action?
2. With these apparently perplexing words
Thou confusest, as it were, my understanding;
therefore, tell me that one way for certain by
which I may attain bliss.
The blessed LORD said:
3. In this world there is a twofold path, as
I said before, O sinless one – the path of
knowledge of the Sankhyas and the path of action of
the yogis!
4. Not by the non-performance of actions
does man reach actionlessness, nor by mere
renunciation does he attain to perfection.
5. Verily none can ever remain for even a
moment without performing action; for, everyone is
made to act helplessly indeed by the qualities born
of nature.
6. He who, restraining the organs of action,
sits thinking of the sense-objects in mind, he, of
deluded understanding, is called a hypocrite.
7. But whosoever, controlling the senses by
the mind, O Arjuna, engages himself in karma yoga
with the organs of action, without attachment, he
excels!
8. Do thou perform thy bounden duty, for
action is superior to inaction and even the
maintenance of the body would not be possible for
thee by inaction.
9. The world is bound by actions other than
those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou,
therefore, O son of Kunti, perform action for that
sake [for sacrifice] alone, free from
attachment!
10. The creator, having in the beginning of
creation created mankind together with sacrifice,
said: "By this shall ye propagate; let this be the
milch cow of your desires" [the cow which
yields the desired objects].
11. With this do ye nourish the gods, and
may the gods nourish you; thus nourishing one
another, ye shall attain to the highest good.
12. The gods, nourished by the sacrifice,
will give you the desired objects. So, he who
enjoys the objects given by the gods without
offering [in return] to them, is verily a
thief.
13. The righteous, who eat of the remnants
of the sacrifice, are freed from all sins; but
those sinful ones who cook food [only] for
their own sake, verily eat sin.
14. From food come forth beings, and from
rain food is produced; from sacrifice arises rain,
and sacrifice is born of action.
15. Know thou that action comes from Brahma,
and Brahma proceeds from the imperishable.
Therefore, the all-pervading [Brahma] ever
rests in sacrifice.
16. He who does not follow the wheel thus
set revolving, who is of sinful life, rejoicing in
the senses, he lives in vain, O Arjuna!
17. For him, however, who rejoices only in
the Self, is gratified with the Self and content
with the Self, no action is incumbent.
18. He has nothing to gain by actions done
or to lose by those undone. He is not dependent on
anyone for the achievement of any object.
19. Therefore, without attachment, do thou
always perform action which should be done; for, by
performing action without attachment man reaches
the Supreme.
20. Janaka and others attained perfection
verily by action only; even with a view to the
protection of the masses thou shouldst perform
action.
21. Whatsoever a great man does, that other
men also do; whatever he sets up as the standard,
that the world follows.
22. There is nothing in the three worlds, O
Arjuna, that should be done by Me, nor is there
anything unattained that should be attained; yet I
engage Myself in action!
23. For, should I not ever engage Myself in
action, unwearied, men would in every way follow My
path, O Arjuna!
24. These worlds would perish if I did not
perform action; I should be the author of confusion
of castes and destruction of these beings.
25. As the ignorant men act from attachment
to action, O Bharata [Arjuna], so should
the wise act without attachment, wishing the
welfare of the world!
26. Let no wise man unsettle the minds of
ignorant people who are attached to action; he
should engage them in all actions, himself
fulfilling them with devotion.
27. All actions are wrought in all cases by
the qualities of nature only. He whose mind is
deluded by egoism thinks: "I am the doer".
28. But he who knows the truth, O
mighty-armed Arjuna, about the divisions of the
qualities and their functions, knowing that the
gunas as senses move amidst the gunas as the
sense-objects, is not attached.
29. Those deluded by the qualities of nature
are attached to the functions of the qualities. A
man of perfect knowledge should not unsettle the
foolish one of imperfect knowledge.
30. Renouncing all actions in Me, with the
mind centred in the Self, free from hope and
egoism, and from [mental] fever, do thou
fight.
31. Those men who constantly practise this
teaching of Mine with faith and without cavilling,
they too are freed from actions.
32. But those who carp at My teaching and do
not practise it, deluded in all knowledge and
devoid of discrimination, know them to be doomed to
destruction.
33. Even a wise man acts in accordance with
his own nature; beings will follow nature; what can
restraint do?
34. Attachment and aversion for the objects
of the senses abide in the senses; let none come
under their sway, for they are his foes.
35. Better is one's own duty, though devoid
of merit, than the duty of another well discharged.
Better is death in one's own duty; the duty of
another is fraught with fear.
ARJUNA said:
36. But impelled by what does man commit
sin, though against his wishes, O Varshneya
[Krishna], constrained, as it were, by
force?
The blessed LORD said:
37. It is
desire, it is anger born of the quality of rajas,
all-sinful and all-devouring; know this as the foe
here [in this world].
38. As fire is enveloped by smoke, as
amirror by dust, and as an embryo by the amnion, so
is this enveloped by that.
39. O Arjuna, wisdom is enveloped by this
constant enemy of the wise in the form of desire,
which is unappeasable as fire!
40. The senses, mind and intellect are said
to be its seat; through these it deludes the
embodied by veiling his wisdom.
41. Therefore, O best of the Bharatas
[Arjuna], controlling the senses first, do
thou kill this sinful thing [desire], the
destroyer of knowledge and realisation!
42. Mighty, they say, are the senses,
mightier than these, the mind, mightier than that
the intellect, but mightier still is He.
43. Thus knowing Him who is beyond the
intellect, O mighty in arms, control your self by
the Self and slay the enemy in the form of desire,
hard though it may be.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the third discourse
entitled: Yoga of Action.
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The blessed LORD
said:
1. I taught this imperishable yoga to
Vivasvan; he told it to Manu; Manu proclaimed it to
Ikshvaku.
2. This, handed down thus in regular
succession, the royal sages knew. This yoga, by a
long lapse of time, has been lost here, O Parantapa
[burner of foes]!
3. That same ancient yoga has been today
taught to thee by Me, for, thou art My devotee and
friend; it is the supreme secret.
ARJUNA said:
4. Later
on was Thy birth, and prior to it was the birth of
Vivasvan [the Sun]; how am I to understand
that Thou didst teach this yoga in the
beginning?
The blessed LORD said:
5. Many births of Mine have passed, as well
as of thine, O Arjuna! I know them all but thou
knowest not, O Parantapa!
6. Though I am unborn and of imperishable
nature, and though I am the Lord of all beings,
yet, ruling over My own nature, I am born by My own
maya.
7. Whenever there is a decline of
righteousness, O Arjuna, and rise of
unrighteousness, then I manifest Myself!
8. For the protection of the good, for the
destruction of the wicked, and for the
establishment of righteousness, I am born in every
age.
9. He who thus knows in true light My divine
birth and action, after having abandoned the body
is not born again; he comes to Me, O Arjuna!
10. Freed from attachment, fear and anger,
absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, purified by
the fire of knowledge, many have attained to My
being.
11. In whatever way men approach Me, even so
do I reward them; My path do men tread in all ways,
O Arjuna!
12. Those who long for success in action in
this world sacrifice to the gods, because success
is quickly attained by men through action.
13. The fourfold caste has been created by
Me according to the differentiation of guna and
karma; though I am the author thereof, know Me as
the non-doer and immutable.
14. Actions do not taint Me, nor have I a
desire for the fruits of actions. He who knows Me
thus is not bound by actions.
15. Having known this, the ancient seekers
after freedom also performed actions; therefore, do
thou perform actions as did the ancients in days of
yore.
16. What is action? What is inaction? As to
this even the wise are confused. Therefore, I shall
teach thee such action [the nature of action
and inaction], by knowing which thou shalt be
liberated from the evil [of samsara, the world
of birth and death].
17. For, verily the true nature of action
[enjoined by the scriptures] should be
known, also [that] of forbidden [or
unlawful] action, and of inaction; hard to
understand is the nature [path] of
action.
18. He who seeth inaction in action and
action in inaction, he is wise among men; he is a
yogi and performer of all actions.
19. One whose undertakings are all free from
desire and whose activity has been purified in the
flame of wisdom is termed a sage by those who
know.
20. Having abandoned attachment to the fruit
of the action, ever content, depending on nothing,
he does not do anything though engaged in
activity.
21. Without hope and with the mind and the
self controlled, having abandoned all greed, doing
mere bodily action, he incurs no sin.
22. Satisfied with what comes to him by
chance, beyond the pairs of opposites, free from
envy, equal in success and failure, he is not bound
by his actions.
23. To one who is devoid of attachment, who
is liberated, whose mind is established in
knowledge, who works for the sake of sacrifice
[for the sake of God], the whole action is
dissolved.
24. Brahman is the oblation; Brahman is the
melted butter [ghee]; by Brahman is the
oblation poured into the fire of Brahman; Brahman
verily shall be reached by him who always sees
Brahman in action.
25. Some yogis perform sacrifice to the gods
alone, while others [who have realised the
Self] offer the Self as sacrifice by the Self
in the fire of Brahman alone.
26. Some again offer hearing and other
senses as sacrifice in the fire of restraint;
others offer sound and various objects of the
senses as sacrifice in the fire of the senses.
27. Others again sacrifice all the functions
of the senses and those of the breath [vital
energy or prana] in the fire of the yoga of
self-restraint kindled by knowledge.
28. Some again offer wealth, austerity and
yoga as sacrifice, while the ascetics of
self-restraint and rigid vows offer study of
scriptures and knowledge as sacrifice.
29. Others offer as sacrifice the outgoing
breath in the incoming, and the incoming in the
outgoing, restraining the courses of the outgoing
and the incoming breaths, solely absorbed in the
restraint of the breath.
30. Others who regulate their diet offer
life-breaths in life-breaths; all these are knowers
of sacrifice, whose sins are all destroyed by
sacrifice.
31. Those who eat the remnants of the
sacrifice, which are like nectar, go to the eternal
Brahman. This world is not for the man who does not
perform sacrifice; how then can he have the other,
O Arjuna?
32. Thus, various kinds of sacrifices are
spread out before Brahman [literally at the
mouth or face of Brahman]. Know them all as
born of action, and knowing thus, thou shalt be
liberated.
33. Superior is wisdom-sacrifice to
sacrifice with objects, O Parantapa! All actions in
their entirety, O Arjuna, culminate in
knowledge!
34. Know that by long prostration, by
question and by service, the wise who have realised
the Truth will instruct thee in [that]
knowledge.
35. Knowing that, thou shalt not, O Arjuna,
again become deluded like this; and by that thou
shalt see all beings in thy Self and also in
Me!
36. Even if thou art the most sinful of all
sinners, yet thou shalt verily cross all sins by
the raft of knowledge.
37. As a well lit fire consumes its fuel,
Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge reduce all
activity to ashes.
38. Verily there is no purifier in this
world like knowledge. He who is perfected in yoga
finds it in the Self in time.
39. One who has faith and concentration and
has subdued his senses attains [true]
knowledge. Having gained knowledge he speedily
attains supreme peace.
40. The ignorant, the faithless, the
doubting self proceeds to destruction; there is
neither this world nor the other nor happiness for
the doubting.
41. He who has renounced actions by yoga,
whose doubts are rent asunder by knowledge, and who
is self-possessed – actions do not bind him, O
Arjuna!
42. Therefore, with the sword of knowledge
[of the Self] cut asunder the doubt of the
self born of ignorance, residing in thy heart, and
take refuge in yoga; arise, O Arjuna!
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fourth discourse
entitled: Yoga of Wisdom.
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V.
YOGA
OF
RENUNCIATION
OF
ACTION
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ARJUNA said:
1. Renunciation of actions, O Krishna, Thou
praisest, and again yoga! Tell me conclusively
which is the better of the two.
The blessed LORD said:
2. Renunciation and the yoga of action both
lead to the highest bliss; but of the two, the yoga
of action is superior to the renunciation of
action.
3. He should be known as a perpetual
sannyasin who neither hates nor desires; for, free
from the pairs of opposites, O mighty-armed Arjuna,
he is easily set free from bondage!
4. Children, not the wise, speak of knowledge and
the yoga of action or the performance of action as
though they are distinct and different; he who is
truly established in one obtains the fruits of
both.
5. That place which is reached by the
sankhyas or the jnanis is reached by the
[karma] yogis. He sees who sees knowledge
and the performance of action [karma yoga]
as one.
6. But renunciation, O mighty-armed Arjuna,
is hard to attain without yoga; the yoga-harmonised
sage proceeds quickly to Brahman!
7. He who is devoted to the path of action,
whose mind is quite pure, who has conquered the
self, who has subdued his senses and who has
realised his Self as the Self in all beings, though
acting, he is not tainted.
8. "I do nothing at all" – thus will
the harmonised knower of Truth think – seeing,
hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going,
sleeping, breathing,
9. Speaking, letting go, seizing, opening
and closing the eyes – convinced that the
senses move among the sense-objects.
10. He who performs actions, offering them
to Brahman and abandoning attachment, is not
tainted by sin as a lotus leaf by water.
11. Yogis, having abandoned attachment,
perform actions only by the body, mind, intellect
and also by the senses, for the purification of the
self.
12. The united one [the well poised or
the harmonised], having abandoned the fruit of
action, attains to the eternal peace; the
non-united only [the unsteady or the
unbalanced], impelled by desire and attached to
the fruit, is bound.
13. Mentally renouncing all actions and
self-controlled, the embodied one rests happily in
the nine-gated city, neither acting nor causing
others [body and senses] to act.
14. Neither agency nor actions does the Lord
create for the world, nor union with the fruits of
actions; it is nature [prakriti] that
acts.
15. The Lord accepts neither the demerit nor
even the merit of any; knowledge is enveloped by
ignorance, thereby beings are deluded.
16. But in those whose unwisdom is destroyed
by wisdom, that wisdom like the sun, reveals the
Supreme [Param].
17. Their intellect absorbed in That, their
self being That; established in That, with That as
their supreme goal, they go whence there is no
return, their sins dispelled by knowledge.
18. Sages look with an equal eye on a
brahmin endowed with learning and humility, on a
cow, on an elephant, and even on a dog and an
outcaste.
19. Even here [in this world] birth
[everything] is overcome by those whose
minds rest in equality; Brahman is spotless indeed
and equal; therefore, they are established in
Brahman.
20. Resting in Brahman, with steady
intellect, undeluded, the knower of Brahman neither
rejoiceth on obtaining what is pleasant nor
grieveth on obtaining what is unpleasant.
21. With the self unattached to the external
contacts he discovers happiness in the Self; with
the self engaged in the meditation of Brahman he
attains to the endless happiness.
22. The enjoyments that are born of contacts
are generators of pain only, for they have a
beginning and an end, O Arjuna! The wise do not
rejoice in them.
23. He who is able, while still here in this
world to withstand, before the liberation from the
body, the impulse born of desire and anger –
he is a yogi, he is a happy man.
24. He who is ever happy within, who
rejoices within, who is illumined within, such a
yogi attains absolute freedom or moksha, himself
becoming Brahman.
25. The sages obtain absolute freedom or
moksha – they whose sins have been destroyed,
whose dualities [perception of dualities or
experience of the pairs of opposites] are torn
asunder, who are self-controlled, and intent on the
welfare of all beings.
26. Brahma Nirvana [absolute freedom or
Brahmic bliss] lies around those who have freed
themselves from anger and desire, who have subdued
their minds and have known the Self.
27. Shutting out [all] external
contacts and fixing the gaze between the eyebrows,
equalising the outgoing and incoming breaths moving
within the nostrils,
28. With the senses, mind and intellect
subdued, the saint who devoutly seeks liberation,
without desire, fear or wrath – he is indeed
ever liberated.
29. He who knows Me as the enjoyer of
sacrifices and austerities, the great Lord of all
the worlds and the friend of all beings, attains to
peace.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fifth discourse
entitled: Yoga of Renunciation of
Action.
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The blessed LORD
said:
1. He who
performs his bounden duty without depending on the
fruits of his actions – he is a sannyasin and
a yogi, not he who is without fire and without
action.
2. Do thou, O Arjuna, know yoga to be that
which they call renunciation; no one verily becomes
a yogi who has not renounced thoughts!
3. For a sage who wishes to attain to yoga,
action is said to be the means; for the same sage
who has attained to yoga, inaction
[quiescence] is said to be the means.
4. When a man is not attached to the
sense-objects or to actions, having renounced all
thoughts, then he is said to have attained to
yoga.
5. Let a man lift himself by his own Self
alone; let him not lower himself, for this self
alone is the friend of oneself and this self alone
is the enemy of oneself.
6. The self is the friend of the self for
him who has conquered himself by the Self, but to
the unconquered self, this self stands in the
position of an enemy like the [external]
foe.
7. The Supreme Self of him who is
self-controlled and peaceful is balanced in cold
and heat, pleasure and pain, as also in honour and
dishonour.
8. The yogi who is satisfied with the
knowledge and the wisdom [of the Self], who
has conquered the senses, and to whom a clod of
earth, a piece of stone and gold are the same, is
said to be harmonised [that is, is said to have
attained the state of Nirvikalpa samadhi or
Self-absorption ].
9. He who is of the same mind to the
good-hearted, friends, enemies, the indifferent,
the neutral, the hateful, the relatives, the
righteous and the unrighteous, excels.
10. Let the yogi try constantly to keep the
mind steady, remaining in solitude, alone, with the
mind and the body controlled, and free from hope
and greed.
11. In a clean spot, having established a
firm seat of his own, neither too high nor too low,
made of a cloth, a skin and kusha grass, one over
the other,
12. There, having made the mind one-pointed,
with the actions of the mind and the senses
controlled, let him, seated on the seat, practise
yoga for the purification of the self.
13. Let him firmly hold his body, head and
neck erect and perfectly still, gazing at the tip
of his nose, without looking around.
14. Serene-minded, fearless, firm in the vow
of a brahmachari, having controlled the mind,
thinking of Me and balanced in mind, let him sit,
having Me as his supreme goal.
15. Thus, always keeping the mind balanced,
the yogi, with the mind controlled, attains to the
peace abiding in Me, which culminates in
liberation.
16. Verily yoga is not possible for him who
eats too much, nor for him who does not eat at all;
nor for him who sleeps too much, nor for him who is
[always] awake, O Arjuna!
17. Yoga becomes the destroyer of pain for
him who is always moderate in eating and recreation
[such as walking, etc.], who is moderate in
exertion in actions, who is moderate in sleep and
wakefulness.
18. When the perfectly controlled mind rests
in the Self only, free from longing for the objects
of desire, then it is said: "He is united."
19. As a lamp placed in a windless spot does
not flicker – to such is compared the yogi of
controlled mind, practising yoga in the Self
[or absorbed in the yoga of the Self].
20. When the mind, restrained by the
practice of yoga, attains to quietude, and when,
seeing the Self by the Self, he is satisfied in his
own Self,
21. When he [the yogi] feels that
infinite bliss which can be grasped by the
[pure] intellect and which transcends the
senses, and, established wherein he never moves
from the Reality,
22. Which, having obtained, he thinks there
is no other gain superior to it; wherein
established, he is not moved even by heavy sorrow
–
23. Let that be known by the name of yoga,
the severance from union with pain. This yoga
should be practised with determination and with an
undesponding mind.
24. Abandoning without reserve all the
desires born of sankalpa, and completely
restraining the whole group of senses by the mind
from all sides,
25. One should gradually, gradually attain
quietude with the intellect held steadfast and the
mind sunk in the Self, allowing no thought to
arise.
26. To whatever side the restless, unsteady
mind wanders away, one should check it and bring it
back controlled to the Self.
27. Supreme bliss verily comes to this yogi
whose mind is quite peaceful, whose passion is
quieted, who has become Brahman, and who is free
from sin.
28. The yogi, always engaging the mind thus
[in the practice of yoga], freed from sins,
easily enjoys the infinite bliss of contact with
Brahman [the Eternal].
29. One who is thus integrated in yoga
[yoga yuktatma] sees all with an equal eye,
seeing himself in all beings and all beings in
himself.
30. He who sees Me everywhere and sees
everything in Me, he does not become separated from
Me nor do I become separated from him.
31. He who, being established in unity,
worships Me who dwells in all beings – that
yogi abides in Me, whatever may be his mode of
living.
32. He who, through the likeness of the
Self, O Arjuna, sees equality everywhere, be it
pleasure or pain, he is regarded as the highest
yogi!
ARJUNA said:
33. This yoga of equanimity taught by Thee,
O Krishna, I do not see its steady continuance,
because of restlessness [of the mind]!
34. The mind verily is restless, turbulent,
strong and unyielding, O Krishna! I deem it as
difficult to control as to control the wind.
The blessed LORD said:
35.
Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed Arjuna, the mind is
difficult to control and restless; but, by practice
and by dispassion it may be restrained!
36. I think that yoga is hard to be attained
by one of uncontrolled self, but the
self~controlled and striving one attains to it by
the [proper] means.
ARJUNA said:
37. He who
is unable to control himself though he has the
faith, and whose mind wanders away from yoga, what
end does he meet, having failed to attain
perfection in yoga, O Krishna?
38. Fallen from both, does he not perish
like a rent cloud, supportless, O mighty-armed
[Krishna], deluded on the path of
Brahman?
39. This doubt of mine, O Krishna, do Thou
completely dispel, because it is not possible for
any but Thee to dispel this doubt.
The blessed LORD said:
40. O
Arjuna, neither in this world, nor in the next
world is there destruction for him; none, verily,
who does good, O My son, ever comes to grief!
41. Having attained to the worlds of the
righteous and, having dwelt there for everlasting
years, he who fell from yoga is reborn in the house
of the pure and wealthy.
42. Or he is born in a family of even the
wise yogis; verily a birth like this is very
difficult to obtain in this world.
43. There he comes in touch with the
knowledge acquired in his former body and strives
more than before for perfection, O Arjuna!
44. By that very former practice he is borne
on in spite of himself. Even he who merely wishes
to know yoga transcends the Brahmic word.
45. But, the yogi who strives with
assiduity, purified of sins and perfected gradually
through many births, reaches the highest goal.
46. The yogi is thought to be superior to
the ascetics and even superior to men of knowledge
[obtained through the study of scriptures];
he is also superior to men of action; therefore, be
thou a yogi, O Arjuna!
47. And among all the yogis, he who, full of
faith and with his inner self merged in Me,
worships Me, he is deemed by Me to be the most
devout.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the sixth discourse
entitled: Yoga of Meditation.
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VII.
YOGA
OF
WISDOM
AND
REALISATION
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The blessed LORD
said:
1. O Arjuna, hear how you shall without
doubt know Me fully, with the mind intent on Me,
practising yoga and taking refuge in Me!
2. I shall declare to thee in full this
knowledge combined with direct realisation, after
knowing which nothing more here remains to be
known.
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3.
Among thousands of men, one perchance strives for
perfection; even among those successful strivers,
only one perchance knows Me in essence.
4. Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind,
intellect and egoism – thus is My nature
divided eightfold.
5. This is the inferior prakriti, O
mighty-armed [Arjuna]! Know thou as
different from it My higher prakriti
[nature], the very life-element by which
this world is upheld.
6. Know that these two [My higher and
lower natures] are the womb of all beings. So,
I am the Source and dissolution of the whole
universe.
7. There is nothing whatsoever higher than
Me, O Arjuna! All this is strung on Me as clusters
of gems on a string.
8. I am the sapidity in water, O Arjuna! I
am the light in the moon and the sun; I am the
syllable OM in all the Vedas, sound in
ether, and virility in men.
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9. I am
the sweet fragrance in earth and the brilliance in
fire, the life in all beings; and I am austerity in
ascetics.
10. Know Me, O Arjuna, as the eternal seed
of all beings; I am the intelligence of the
intelligent; the splendour of the splendid objects
am I!
11. Of the strong, I amthe strength devoid
of desire and attachment, and in [all]
beings, I am the desire unopposed to Dharma, O
Arjuna!
12. Whatever being [and objects]
that are pure, active and inert, know that they
proceed from Me. They are in Me, yet I am not in
them.
13. Deluded by these natures [states or
things] composed of the three qualities of
nature, all this world does not know Me as distinct
from them and immutable.
14. Verily
this divine illusion of Mine made up of the
qualities [of nature] is difficult to cross
over; those who take refuge in Me alone cross over
this illusion.
15. The evil-doers and the deluded, who are
the lowest of men, do not seek Me; they
whose knowledge
is destroyed by illusion follow the ways of
demons.
16. Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O
Arjuna! They are the distressed, the seeker
of knowledge,
the seeker of wealth, and the wise, O lord of the
Bharatas!
17. The foremost of these is the wise one
[jnani] who is ever steadfast and devoted
to the One. Very dear am I to the wise man and he
to Me.
18. Noble indeed are all these; but I deem
the wise man as My very Self; for, steadfast
in mind, he
is established in Me alone as the supreme goal.
19. At the end of many births the man of
wisdom comes to Me, realising that Vasudeva
[the innermost Self] is all. Such a great
soul is very rare to find.
20. Those
whose wisdom has been rent away by this or that
desire, go to other gods, following
this or that rite, led by their own nature.
21. Whatsoever form any devotee desires to
worship with faith – that [same] faith
of his I make
firm and unflinching.
22. Endowed
with that faith, he engages in the worship of that
[form], and from it he obtains
his desire, these
being verily ordained by Me [alone].
23. Verily the reward [fruit] that
accrues to those men of small intelligence is
finite. The worshippers
of the gods go to them, but My devotees come to
Me.
24. The foolish think of Me, the unmanifest,
as having manifestation, knowing not My
higher, immutable
and most excellent nature.
25. I am not manifest to all [as I
am], being veiled by the yoga maya. This
deluded world does
not know Me, the unborn and imperishable.
26. I know, O Arjuna, the beings of the
past, the present and the future, but no one knows
Me.
27. By the delusion of the pairs of
opposites arising from desire and aversion, O
Bharata, all beings
are subject to delusion at birth, O Parantapa!
28. But those men of virtuous deeds whose
sins have come to an end, and who are freed
from the delusion of
the pairs of opposites, worship Me, steadfast in
their vows.
29. Those who strive for liberation from old
age and death, taking refuge in Me, realise in full
that Brahman, the whole knowledge of the Self and
all action.
30. Those who know Me with the adhibhuta
[pertaining to the elements], the adhidaiva
[pertaining to the gods], and adhiyajna
[pertaining to the sacrifice], know Me even
at the time of death, steadfast in mind.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the seventh discourse
entitled: Yoga of Wisdom and
Realisation.
|
|
VIII.
YOGA
OF
THE
IMPERISHABLE
BRAHMAN
|
|
ARJUNA
said:
1. What is
that Brahman? What is adhyatma? What is action, O
best among men? What is declared to be adhibhuta?
And what is adhidaiva said to be?
2. Who and how is adhiyajna here in this
body, O destroyer of Madhu [Krishna]? And
how, at the time of death, art Thou to be known by
the self-controlled one?
The blessed LORD said:
3. Brahman is the imperishable, the Supreme;
His essential nature is called Self-knowledge; the
offering [to the gods] which causes
existence and manifestation of beings and which
also sustains them is called action.
4. Adhibhuta [knowledge of the
elements] pertains to My perishable nature, and
the Supreme Self [Purusha] or soul is the
adhidaiva; I alone am the adhiyajna here in this
body, O best among the embodied [men]!
5. And whosoever, leaving the body, goes
forth remembering Me alone at the time of death, he
attains My being; there is no doubt about this.
6. Whosoever at the end leaves the body,
thinking of any being, to that being only does he
go, O son of Kunti [Arjuna], because of his
constant thought of that being!
7. Therefore, at all times remember Me only
and fight. With mind and intellect fixed [or
absorbed] in Me, thou shalt doubtless come to
Me alone.
8. With the mind not moving towards any
other thing, made steadfast by the method of
habitual meditation, and constantly meditating, one
goes to the supreme person, the resplendent, O
Arjuna!
9. Whosoever meditates on the Omniscient,
the Ancient, the Ruler [of the whole
world], minuter than an atom, the supporter of
all, of inconceivable form, effulgent like the sun
and beyond the darkness of ignorance,
10. At the time of death, with unshaken
mind, endowed with devotion and by the power of
yoga, fixing the whole life-breath in the middle of
the two eyebrows, he reaches that resplendent
Supreme Self.
11. That which is declared imperishable by
those who know the Vedas, that which the
self-controlled [ascetics] and passion-free
enter, that desiring which celibacy is practised
– that goal I will declare to thee in
brief.
12. Having closed all the gates, confined
the mind in the heart and fixed the life-breath in
the head, engaged in the practice of
concentration,
13. Uttering the monosyllable OM – the
Brahman – remembering Me always, he who
departs thus, leaving the body, attains to the
supreme goal.
14. I am easily attainable by that
ever-steadfast yogi who constantly and daily
remembers Me [for a long time], not
thinking of anything else [with a single or
one-pointed mind], O Partha
[Arjuna]!
15. Having attained Me these great souls do
not again take birth [here], which is the
place of pain and is non-eternal; they have reached
the highest perfection [liberation].
16. [All] the worlds, including the
world of Brahma, are subject to return again, O
Arjuna! But he who reaches Me, O son of Kunti, has
no rebirth!
17. Those who know the day of Brahma, which
is of a duration of a thousand Yugas
[ages], and the night, which is also of a
thousand Yugas' duration, they know day and
night.
18. From the unmanifested all the manifested
[worlds] proceed at the coming of the
"day"; at the coming of the "night" they dissolve
verily into that alone which is called the
unmanifested.
19. This same multitude of beings, born
again and again, is dissolved, helplessly, O
Arjuna, [into the unmanifested] at the
coming of the night, and comes forth at the coming
of the day!
20. But verily there exists, higher than the
unmanifested, another unmanifested Eternal who is
not destroyed when all beings are destroyed.
21. This supreme state is called the
unmanifest imperishable [avyakto akshara].
That is My highest abode. For those who attain to
It, there is no return [to this cycle of births
and deaths].
22. That highest Purusha [Supreme
Self], O Arjuna, is attainable by unswerving
devotion to Him alone within whom all beings dwell
and by whom all this is pervaded.
23. Now I will tell thee, O chief of the
Bharatas, the times departing at which the yogis
will return or not return!
24. Fire, light, daytime, the bright
fortnight, the six months of the northern path of
the sun [northern solstice] –
departing then [by these], men who know
Brahman go to Brahman.
25. Attaining to the lunar light by smoke,
night-time, the dark fortnight or the six months of
the southern path of the sun [the southern
solstice], the yogi returns.
26. The bright and the dark paths of the
world are verily thought to be eternal; by the one
[the bright path] a person goes not to
return again, and by the other [the dark
path] he returns.
27. Knowing these paths, O Arjuna, no yogi
is deluded! Therefore, at all times be steadfast in
yoga.
28. Whatever fruits or merits is declared
[in the scriptures] to accrue from [the
study of] the Vedas, [the
performance of] sacrifices, [the practice
of] austerities, and [the offering of]
gifts – beyond all these goes the yogi, having
known this; and he attains to the supreme primeval
abode.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the eighth discourse
entitled: Yoga of the Imperishable
Brahman.
|
|
IX.
YOGA
OF
KINGLY
SCIENCE
AND
THE
KINGLY
SECRET
|
|
The blessed LORD
said:
1. I shall now declare to thee who does not
cavil, the greatest secret, the knowledge combined
with experience [Self-realisation]. Having
known this, thou shalt be free from evil.
2. This is the kingly science, the kingly
secret, the supreme purifier, realisable by direct
intuitional knowledge, according to righteousness,
very easy to perform and imperishable.
3. Those who have no faith in this Dharma
[knowledge of the Self], O Parantapa
[Arjuna], return to the path of this world
of death without attaining Me!
4. All this world is pervaded by Me in My
unmanifest aspect; all beings exist in Me, but I do
not dwell in them.
5. Nor do beings exist in Me [in
reality]: behold My divine yoga, supporting all
beings, but not dwelling in them, is My Self, the
efficient cause of beings.
6. As the mighty wind, moving everywhere,
rests always in the ether, even so, know thou that
all beings rest in Me.
7. All beings, O Arjuna, enter into My
nature at the end of a Kalpa; I send them forth
again at the beginning of [the next]
Kalpa!
8. Animating My nature, I again and again
send forth all this multitude of beings, helpless
by the force of nature.
9. These actions do not bind Me, O Arjuna,
sitting like one indifferent, unattached to those
acts!
10. Under Me as supervisor, Nature produces
the moving and the unmoving; because of this, O
Arjuna, the world revolves!
11. Fools disregard Me, clad in human form,
not knowing My higher being as the great Lord of
[all] beings.
12. Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain
knowledge and senseless, they verily are possessed
of the deceitful nature of demons and undivine
beings.
13. But the great souls, O Arjuna, partaking
of My divine nature, worship Me with a single mind
[with the mind devoted to nothing else],
knowing Me as the imperishable Source of
beings!
14. Always glorifying Me, striving, firm in
vows, prostrating before Me, they worship Me with
devotion, ever steadfast.
15. Others also, sacrificing with the
wisdom-sacrifice, worship Me, the all-faced, as
one, as distinct, and as manifold.
16. I am the kratu; I am the yajna
[sacrifice]; I am the offering
[food] to the manes; I am the medicinal
herb and all the plants; I am the mantra; I am also
the ghee or melted butter; I am the fire; I am the
oblation.
17. I am the father of this world, the
mother, the dispenser of the fruits of actions, and
the grandfather; the [one] thing to be
known, the purifier, the sacred monosyllable
[OM], and also the Rig, the
Sama, and Yajur Vedas.
18. I am the goal, the support, the Lord,
the witness, the abode, the shelter, the friend,
the origin, the dissolution, the foundation, the
treasure-house and the imperishable seed.
19. [As the sun] I give heat; I
withhold and send forth the rain; I am Immortality
and also death, existence and non-existence, O
Arjuna!
20. The knowers of the three Vedas,
the drinkers of soma, purified of all sins,
worshipping Me by sacrifices, pray for the way to
heaven; they reach the holy world of the Lord of
the gods and enjoy in heaven the divine pleasures
of the gods.
21. They, having enjoyed the vast heaven,
enter the world of mortals when their merits are
exhausted; thus abiding by the injunctions of the
three [Vedas] and desiring
[objects of] desires, they attain to the
state of going and returning.
22. To those, however, who dwell on Me in
single minded worship, I guarantee fulfilment of
their needs and security.
23. Even those devotees who, endowed with
faith, worship other gods, worship Me only, O
Arjuna, but by the wrong method!
24. [For] I alone am the enjoyer and
also the Lord of all sacrifices; but they do not
know Me in essence [in reality], and hence
they fall [return to this mortal
world].
25. The worshippers of the gods go to them;
to the manes go the ancestor-worshippers; to the
Deities who preside over the elements go their
worshippers; My devotees come to Me.
26. Whoever offers Me with devotion and a
pure mind [heart], a leaf, a flower, a
fruit or a little water – I accept [this
offering].
27. Whatever thou doest, whatever thou
eatest, whatever thou offerest in sacrifice,
whatever thou givest, whatever thou practiseth as
austerity, O Arjuna, do it as an offering unto
Me!
28. Thus shalt thou be freed from the bonds
of actions yielding good and evil fruits; with the
mind steadfast in the yoga of renunciation, and
liberated, thou shalt come unto Me.
29. The same am I to all beings; to Me there
is none hateful or dear; but those who worship Me
with devotion are in Me and I am also in them.
30. Even if the most sinful worships Me,
with devotion to none else, he too should indeed be
regarded as righteous, for he has rightly
resolved.
31. Soon he becomes righteous and attains to
eternal peace; O Arjuna, know thou for certain that
My devotee is never destroyed!
32. For, taking refuge in Me, they also,
who, O Arjuna, may be of sinful birth – women,
vaisyas [merchant caste] as well as sudras
[servant caste] – attain the supreme
goal!
33. How much more easily then the holy
brahmins and devoted royal saints [attain the
goal]; having obtained this impermanent and
unhappy world, do thou worship Me.
34. Fix thy mind on Me; be devoted to Me;
sacrifice unto Me; bow down to Me; having thus
united thy whole self with Me, taking Me as the
supreme goal, thou shalt verily come unto Me.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the ninth discourse
entitled: Yoga of the Kingly Science and the
Kingly Secret.
|
|
X.
YOGA
OF
THE
DIVINE
GLORIES
|
|
The
blessed LORD said:
1. Again, O mighty-armed Arjuna, listen to
My supreme word which I shall declare to thee who
art beloved, for thy welfare!
2. Neither the hosts of the gods nor the
great sages know My origin; for, in every way I
am the Source
of all the gods and the great sages.
3. He who knows Me as unborn and
beginningless, as the great Lord of the worlds,
he, among
mortals, is undeluded; he is liberated from all
sins.
4. Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion,
forgiveness, truth, self-restraint, calmness,
happiness, pain, birth or existence, death or
non-existence, fear and also fearlessness,
5. Non-injury, equanimity, contentment,
austerity, fame, beneficence, ill-fame –
[these] different
kinds of qualities of beings arise from Me
alone.
6. The seven great sages, the ancient four
and also the Manus, possessed of powers like Me
[on account of their minds being fixed on
Me], were born of [My] mind; from them
are these creatures born in this world.
7. He who in truth knows these manifold
manifestations of My being and [this]
yoga-power of Mine, becomes established in the
unshakeable yoga; there is no doubt about it.
8. I am the Source of all; from Me
everything evolves; understanding thus, the
wise, endowed
with meditation, worship Me.
9. With their minds and lives entirely
absorbed in Me, enlightening each other and alway
speaking of Me, they are satisfied and
delighted.
10. To them ever steadfast in loving
worship, I give the yoga of understanding by which
they attain to Me.
11. Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling
in their Heart, destroy the darkness born of
ignorance with the effulgent light of
knowledge.
ARJUNA said:
12. Thou art the Supreme Brahman, the
supreme abode [or the supreme light], the
supreme purifier, the eternal, divine person, the
primeval God, unborn and omnipresent.
13. All the sages have thus declared Thee,
as also the divine sage Narada; so also Asita,
Devala and Vyasa; and now Thou Thyself sayest so to
me.
14. I believe all this that Thou sayest to
me as true, O Krishna! Verily, O blessed Lord,
neither the gods nor the demons know Thy
manifestation [origin]!
15. Verily, Thou Thyself knowest Thyself by
Thyself, O supreme person, O Source and Lord of
beings, O God of gods, O ruler of the world!
16. Thou shouldst indeed tell, without
reserve, of Thy divine glories by which Thou
existeth, pervading all these worlds. [None
else can do so.]
17. How shall I, ever meditating, know Thee,
O Yogin? In what aspects or things, O blessed Lord,
art Thou to be thought of by me?
18. Tell me again in detail, O Krishna, of
Thy yogic power and glory; for I am not satisfied
with what I have heard of Thy life-giving and
nectar-like speech!
The blessed LORD said:
19. Very well, now I will declare to thee My
divine glories in their prominence, O Arjuna! There
is no end to their detailed description.
20. I am the Self, O Gudakesa, dwelling in
the Hearts of all beings. I am the beginning and
the middle and the end of all beings
21. Among the [twelve] adityas, I am
Vishnu; among the luminaries, the radiant sun; I
am Marichi
among the [seven or forty-nine] maruts;
among stars the moon am I.
22. Among the Vedas I am the Sama
Veda; I amVasava among the gods; among the
senses I am
the mind; and I am intelligence among living
beings.
23. And, among the rudras I am Shankara;
among the yakshas and rakshasas, the Lord of
wealth
[Kubera]; among the Vasus I am Pavaka
[fire]; and among the [seven]
mountains I am the Meru.
24. And, among the household priests [of
kings], O Arjuna, know Me to be the
chief, Brihaspati;
among the army generals I am Skanda; among lakes I
am the ocean!
25. Among the great sages I am Bhrigu; among
words I am the monosyllable OM; among
sacrifices I am the
sacrifice of silent repetition; among immovable
things the Himalayas I am.
26. Among the trees [I am] the
peepul; among the divine sages I am Narada;
among Gandharvas
I am Chitraratha; among the perfected the sage
Kapila.
27. Know Me as Ucchaisravas, born of nectar
among horses; among lordly elephants [I
am] the
Airavata; and among men, the king.
28. Among weapons I am the thunderbolt;
among cows I am the wish-fulfilling cow
called Surabhi;
I am the progenitor, the god of love; among
serpents I am Vasuki.
29. I am Ananta among the Nagas; I am Varuna
among water-deities; Aryaman among the
manes I am; I am
Yama among the governors.
30. And, I am Prahlad among the demons;
among the reckoners I am time; among beasts
I am their
king, the lion; and Garuda among birds.
31. Among the purifiers [or the
speeders] I am the wind; Rama among the
warriors am I; among
the fishes I am the shark; among the streams I am
the Ganga.
32. Among creations I amthe beginning, the
middle and also the end, O Arjuna! Among the
sciences I am the
science of the Self; and I am logic among
controversialists.
33. Among the letters of the alphabet, the
letter "A" I am, and the dual among the
compounds. I am
verily the inexhaustible or everlasting time; I am
the dispenser [of the fruits of
actions], having
faces in all directions.
34. And I am all-devouring death, and
prosperity of those who are to be prosperous;
among feminine
qualities [I am] fame, prosperity, speech,
memory, intelligence, firmness and forgiveness.
35. Among the hymns also I am the
Brihatsaman; among metres Gayatri am I; among
the months I
am Margasirsa; among seasons [I am] the
flowery season.
36. I am the gambling of the fraudulent; I
am the splendour of the splendid; I am victory;
I am
determination [of those who are
determined]; I am the goodness of the good.
37. Among Vrishnis I am Vasudeva; among the
Pandavas I am Arjuna; among sages I am
Vyasa; among poets I
am Usana, the poet.
38. Among the punishers I am the sceptre;
among those who seek victory I am
statesmanship; and
also among secrets I am silence; knowledge among
knowers I am.
39. And whatever is the seed of all beings,
that also am I, O Arjuna! There is no being,
whether moving or
unmoving, that can exist without Me.
40. There is no end to My divine glories, O
Arjuna, but this is a brief statement by Me of the
particulars of My divine glories!
41. Whatever being there is that is
glorious, prosperous or powerful, that know thou to
be a manifestation of a part of My splendour.
42. But of what avail to thee is the
knowledge of all these details, O Arjuna? I exist,
supporting this whole world by one part of
Myself.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the tenth discourse
entitled: Yoga of the Divine Glories.
|
|
XI.
YOGA
OF
THE
VISION
OF
THE
COSMIC
FORM
|
|
ARJUNA said:
1. By this explanation of the highest secret
concerning the Self, which Thou hast spoken out of
compassion towards me my delusion is gone.
2. The origin and the destruction of beings
verily have been heard by me in detail from Thee, O
lotus-eyed Lord, and also Thy inexhaustible
greatness!
3. [Now], O Supreme Lord, as Thou
hast thus described Thyself, O supreme person, I
wish to see Thy divine form!
4. If Thou, O Lord, thinkest it possible for
me to see it, do Thou, then, O Lord of the yogis,
show me Thy imperishable Self!
The blessed LORD said:
5. Behold, O Arjuna, My forms by the
hundreds and thousands, of different sorts, divine
and of various colours and shapes!
6. Behold the adityas, the vasus, the
rudras, the two asvins and also the maruts; behold
many wonders never seen before, O Arjuna!
7. Now behold, O Arjuna, in this, My body,
the whole universe centred in the one –
including the moving and the unmoving – and
whatever else thou desirest to see!
8. But thou art not able to behold Me with
these, thine own eyes; I give thee the divine eye;
behold My lordly yoga.
SANJAYA said:
9. Having thus spoken, O King, the great
Lord of yoga, Hari [Krishna], showed to
Arjuna His
supreme form as the Lord!
10. With numerous mouths and eyes, with
numerous wonderful sights, with numerous
divine ornaments,
with numerous divine weapons uplifted [such a
form He showed].
11. Wearing divine garlands and apparel,
anointed with divine unguents, the
all-wonderful, resplendent
[supreme being], endless, with faces on all
sides,
12. If the splendour of a thousand suns were
to blaze out at once [simultaneously] in
the sky, that
would be the splendour of that mighty being.
13. There, in the body of the God of gods,
Arjuna then saw the whole universe resting in the
One, with its many groups.
14. Then, Arjuna, filled with wonder and
with hair standing on end, bowed down his head to
the Lord and spoke with joined palms.
ARJUNA said:
15. I behold all the gods, O God, in Thy
body, and hosts of various classes of beings;
Brahma, the Lord, seated on the lotus, all the
sages and the celestial serpents!
16. I see Thee of boundless form on every
side, with many arms, stomachs, mouths and
eyes; neither the
end nor the middle nor also the beginning do I see,
O Lord of the universe, O cosmic
form!
17. I see Thee with the diadem, the club and
the discus, a mass of radiance shining
everywhere, very
hard to look at, blazing all round like burning
fire and the sun, and immeasurable.
18. Thou art the imperishable, the supreme
being, worthy of being known; Thou art the
great treasure-house
of this universe; Thou art the imperishable
protector of the eternal Dharma;
Thou art the Ancient
person, I deem.
19. I see Thee without beginning, middle or
end, infinite in power, of endless arms, the
sun and the
moon being Thy eyes, the burning fire Thy mouth,
heating the entire universe with Thy
radiance.
20. The space between the earth and the
heaven and all the quarters are filled by Thee
alone; having
seen this, Thy wonderful and terrible form, the
three worlds are trembling with fear, O
great-souled
being!
21. Verily, into Thee enter these hosts of
gods; some extol Thee in fear with joined
palms: "May
it be well." Saying thus, bands of great sages and
perfected ones praise Thee with complete
hymns.
22. The rudras, adityas, vasus, sadhyas,
visvedevas, the two asvins, maruts, the
manes and
hosts of celestial singers, yakshas, demons and the
perfected ones, are all looking at Thee in
great
astonishment.
23. Having beheld Thy immeasurable form with
many mouths and eyes, O mighty-armed,
with many arms,
thighs and feet, with many stomachs, and fearful
with many teeth, the worlds are terrified
and so am I!
24. On seeing Thee [the cosmic form]
touching the sky, shining in many colours,
with mouths
wide open, with large, fiery eyes, I am terrified
at heart and find neither courage nor peace,
O Vishnu!
25. Having seen Thy mouths, fearful with
teeth, blazing like the fires of cosmic
dissolution, I
know not the four quarters, nor do I find peace.
Have mercy, O Lord of the gods! O abode of
the universe!
26. All the sons of Dhritarashtra with the
hosts of kings of the earth, Bhishma, Drona
and Karna,
with the chief among all our warriors,
27. They hurriedly enter into Thy mouths
with terrible teeth and fearful to behold. Some
are found
sticking in the gaps between the teeth, with their
heads crushed to powder.
28. Verily, just as many torrents of rivers
flow towards the ocean, even so these heroes of
the world of
men enter Thy flaming mouths.
29. As moths hurriedly rush into a blazing
fire for [their own] destruction, so also
these creatures
hurriedly rush into Thy mouths for [their
own] destruction.
30. Thou lickest up, devouring all the
worlds on every side with Thy flaming mouths.
Thy fierce
rays, filling the whole world with radiance, are
burning, O Vishnu!
31. Tell me, who Thou art, so fierce in
form. Salutations to Thee, O God Supreme!
Have mercy; I
desire to know Thee, the original being. I know not
indeed Thy doing.
The blessed LORD said:
32. I am the mighty world-destroying time,
now engaged in destroying the worlds. Even
without thee, none
of the warriors arrayed in the hostile armies shall
live.
33. Therefore, stand up and obtain fame.
Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unrivalled
kingdom. Verily,
they have already been slain by Me; be thou a mere
instrument, O Arjuna!
34. Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna and
all the other courageous warriors – these
have already
been slain by Me; do thou kill; be not distressed
with fear; fight and thou shalt conquer thy
enemies in
battle.
SANJAYA said:
35. Having heard that speech of Lord
Krishna, the crowned one [Arjuna], with
joined palms, trembling,
prostrating himself, again addressed Krishna, in a
choked voice, bowing down, overwhelmed
with fear.
ARJUNA said:
36. It is meet, O Krishna, that the world
delights and rejoices in Thy praise; demons fly
in fear to
all quarters and the hosts of the perfected ones
bow to Thee!
37. And why should they not, O great soul,
bow to Thee who art greater [than all
else], the primal
cause even of [Brahma] the creator, O
infinite being! O Lord of the gods! O abode of
the universe!
Thou art the imperishable, the being, the non-being
and That which is the Supreme [beyond being and
non-being].
38. Thou art the primal God, the ancient
Purusha, the supreme refuge of this universe,
the Knower,
the Knowable and the supreme abode. By Thee is the
universe pervaded, O being of infinite
forms!
39. Thou art Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the
moon, the creator, and the
great-grandfather. Salutations,
salutations unto Thee, a thousand times, and again
salutations, salutations unto Thee!
40. Salutations to Thee from front and from
behind! Salutations to Thee on every side! O
All! Thou, infinite
in power and prowess, pervadest all; wherefore Thou
art all.
41. Whatever I have presumptuously uttered
from love or carelessness, addressing Thee
as O Krishna!
O Yadava! O Friend! regarding Thee merely as a
friend, unknowing of this, Thy greatness,
42. In whatever way I may have insulted Thee
for the sake of fun while at play, reposing,
sitting or at meals,
when alone [with Thee], O Achyuta, or in
company – that I implore Thee,
immeasurable one, to
forgive!
43. Thou art the Father of this world,
unmoving and moving. Thou art to be adored by
this world.
Thou art the greatest Guru; [for] none
there exists who is equal to Thee; how then can
there be
another superior to Thee in the three worlds, O
being of unequalled power?
44. Therefore, bowing down, prostrating my
body, I crave Thy forgiveness, O adorable
Lord! As a father
forgives his son, a friend his [dear]
friend, a lover his beloved, even so
shouldst Thou
forgive me, O God!
45. I am delighted, having seen what has
never been seen before; and yet my mind is
distressed with
fear. Show me that [previous] form only, O
God! Have mercy, O God of gods! O
abode of the
universe!
46. I desire to see Thee as before, crowned,
bearing a mace, with the discus in hand, in
Thy former
form only, having four arms, O thousand-armed,
cosmic form!
The blessed LORD said:
47. O Arjuna, this cosmic form has
graciously been shown to thee by Me by My own
yogic power;
full of splendour, primeval, and infinite, this
cosmic form of Mine has never been seen
before by anyone
other than thyself.
48. Neither by the study of the Vedas
and sacrifices, nor by gifts, nor by rituals, nor
by severe
austerities, can I be seen in this form in the
world of men by any other than thyself, O
great hero of
the Kurus [Arjuna]!
49. Be not afraid nor bewildered on seeing
such a terrible form of Mine as this; with thy
fear entirely
dispelled and with a gladdened heart, now behold
again this former form of Mine.
SANJAYA said:
50. Having thus spoken to Arjuna, Krishna
again showed His own form; and the great
soul [Krishna],
assuming His gentle form, consoled him who was
terrified [Arjuna].
ARJUNA said:
51. Having seen this Thy gentle human form,
O Krishna, now I am composed and restored
to my own
nature!
The blessed LORD said:
52. Very hard indeed it is to see this form
of Mine which thou hast seen. Even the gods
are ever
longing to behold it.
53. Neither by the Vedas, nor by
austerity, nor by gift, nor by sacrifice, can I be
seen in this form
as thou hast seen Me [so easily].
54.Only by unswerving devotion can I be
known and truly seen in this form, Arjuna, and even
be entered into, O tormentor of the foe.
55. He who does all actions for Me, who
looks upon Me as the Supreme, who is devoted
to Me, who is
free from attachment, who bears enmity towards no
creature, he comes to Me, O Arjuna!
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the eleventh discourse
entitled: Yoga of the Vision of the Cosmic
Form.
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ARJUNA said:
1. Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus
worship Thee and those also who worship the
imperishable and the unmanifested – which of
them are better versed in yoga?
The blessed LORD said:
2. Those who, fixing their minds on Me,
worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme
faith, these are the best in yoga in My
opinion.
3. Those who worship the imperishable, the
indefinable, the unmanifested, the
omnipresent, the
unthinkable, the eternal and the immovable,
4. Having restrained all the senses,
even-minded everywhere, intent on the welfare of
all beings
– verily they also come unto Me.
5. Greater is their trouble whose minds are
set on the unmanifested; for the goal –
the unmanifested
– is very difficult for the embodied to
reach.
6. But to those who worship Me, renouncing
all actions in Me, regarding Me as the supreme
goal, meditating on Me with single-minded yoga,
7. To those whose minds are set on Me, O
Arjuna, verily I become ere long the saviour
out of the
ocean of the mortal samsara!
8. Fix thy mind on Me only, thy intellect in
Me, [then] thou shait no doubt live in Me
alone hereafter.
9. If thou art unable to fix thy mind
steadily on Me, then by the yoga of constant
practice do thou
seek to reach Me, O Arjuna!
10. If thou art unable to practise even this
abhyasa yoga, be thou intent on doing actions
for My sake;
even by doing actions for My sake, thou shalt
attain perfection.
11. If thou art unable to do even this,
then, taking refuge in union with Me, renounce
the fruits of
all actions with the self controlled.
12. Better indeed is knowledge than
practice; than knowledge meditation is better;
than meditation
the renunciation of the fruits of actions; peace
immediately follows renunciation.
13. He who hates no creature, who is
friendly and compassionate to all, who is free
from attachment
and egoism, balanced in pleasure and pain, and
forgiving,
14. Ever content, steady in meditation,
possessed of firm conviction, self-controlled,
with mind and
intellect dedicated to Me, he, My devotee, is dear
to Me.
15. He by whom the world is not afflicted
and who is not afflicted by the world, who is free
from pleasure, anger, fear and anxiety – he is
dear to Me.
16. He who is free from wants, pure, expert,
unconcerned, and untroubled, renouncing all
undertakings or commencements – he who is
[thus] devoted to Me, is dear to Me.
17. He who neither rejoices, nor hates, nor
grieves, nor desires, renouncing good and
evil, and who
is full of devotion, is dear to Me.
18. He who is the same to foe and friend,
and in honour and dishonour, who is the same
in cold and
heat and in pleasure and pain, who is free from
attachment.
19. He to whom censure and praise are equal,
who is silent, content with anything, homeless, of
a steady mind, and full of devotion – that man
is dear to Me.
20. They verily who follow this immortal
Dharma [doctrine or law] as described
above, endowed with faith, regarding Me as their
supreme goal, they, the devotees, are exceedingly
dear to Me.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the twelfth discourse
entitled: Yoga of Devotion.
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XIII.
YOGA
OF
DISTINCTION
BETWEEN
THE
FIELD
AND
THE
KNOWER
OF
THE
FIELD
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ARJUNA said:
1. I wish to learn about nature
[matter] and the Spirit [soul], the
Field and the Knower of the Field, knowledge and
that which ought to be known.
The blessed LORD said:
2. This body, O Son of Kunti
[Arjuna], is known as the Field; and he who
is aware of it is called the Knower of the Field by
the wise.
3. And know that I am the Knower of the
Field in all the fields, O Bharata. The knowledge
of the Field and the Knower of that, in my opinion,
is true knowledge.
4. What the Field is and of what nature,
what Its modifications are and whence It is, and
also who He
is and what His powers are – hear all that
from Me in brief.
5. Sages have sung in many ways, in various
distinctive chants and also in the
suggestive words
indicative of the Absolute, full of reasoning and
decisive.
6. The great elements, egoism, intellect and
also unmanifested nature, the ten senses [the
five organs of knowledge – ears,
skin, eyes, tongue
and nose, and the five organs of action –
hand, feet, mouth, anus and generative
organ]
and one
[mind], and the five objects of the senses
[sound, touch, form colour, taste
and smell],
7. Desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, the
aggregate [the body], fortitude and
intelligence – the Field
has thus been described briefly with its
modifications.
8. Humility, unpretentiousness, non-injury,
forgiveness, uprightness, service of the
teacher, purity,
steadfastness, self-control,
9. Indifference to the objects of the
senses, also absence of egoism, perception of
[or reflection
on] the evil in birth, death, old age, sickness
and pain,
10. Non-attachment, non-identification of
the Self with son, wife, home and the rest,
and constant
even-mindedness on the attainment of the desirable
and the undesirable,
11. Unswerving devotion unto Me by the yoga
of non-separation, resort to solitary
places, distaste
for the society of men,
12. Constancy in Self-knowledge, perception
of the end of true knowledge – this is
declared to
be knowledge, and what is opposed to it is
ignorance.
13. I will declare that which has to be
known, knowing which one attains to Immortality,
the beginningless Supreme Brahman, called neither
being nor non-being.
14. With hands and feet everywhere, with
eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears
everywhere, He
exists in the worlds, enveloping all.
15. Shining by the functions of all the
senses, yet without the senses; unattached,
yet supporting
all; devoid of qualities, yet their
experiencer,
16. Without and within [all] beings,
the unmoving and also the moving; because of
His subtlety,
unknowable; and near and far away is That.
17. And undivided, yet He exists as if
divided in beings; He is to be known as the
supporter of
beings; He devours and He generates also.
18. That, the Light of all lights, is beyond
darkness; it is said to be knowledge, the
Knowable and
the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of
all.
19. Thus the Field as well as knowledge and
the Knowable have been briefly stated. My
devotee, knowing
this, enters into My being.
20. Know thou that nature and Spirit are
beginningless; and know also that all
modifications and
qualities are born of nature.
21. In the production of the effect and the
cause, nature [matter] is said to be the
cause; in the
experience of pleasure and pain, the soul is said
to be the cause.
22. The soul seated in nature experiences
the qualities born of nature; attachment to
the qualities
is the cause of his birth in good and evil
wombs.
23. The Supreme Soul in this body is also
called the spectator, the permitter, the
supporter, the
enjoyer, the great Lord and the Supreme Self.
24. He who thus knows Spirit and matter,
together with the qualities, in whatever
condition he
may be, he is not reborn.
25. Some by meditation behold the Self in
the Self by the Self, others by the yoga of
knowledge, and
others by the yoga of action.
26. Others also, not knowing thus, worship,
having heard of it from others; they, too,
cross beyond
death, regarding what they have heard as the
supreme refuge.
27. Wherever a being is born, whether it be
unmoving or moving, know thou, O best of the
Bharatas
[Arjuna], that it is from the union between
the Field and its Knower.
28. He who sees the Supreme Lord, residing
equally in all beings – the imperishable one
among the perishables – sees
[truly].
29. Because he who sees the same Lord
dwelling equally everywhere does not destroy
the Self by
the self, he goes to the highest goal.
30. He sees, who sees that all actions are
performed by nature alone and that the Self
is actionless.
31. When a man sees the whole variety of
beings as resting in the One, and spreading
forth from
That alone, he then becomes Brahman.
32. Being without beginning and devoid of
[any] qualities, the Supreme Self,
imperishable, though
dwelling in the body, O Arjuna, neither acts nor is
tainted!
33. Just as the all pervading ether, being
subtle, is not affected, [tainted or
contaminated by anything], even so, the Self
pervading the whole body is not tainted.
34. Just as the one sun illumines the whole
world, so also the Lord of the Field [the
Supreme Self] illumines the whole Field, O
Arjuna!
35. They who, through the eye of knowledge,
perceive the distinction between the Field and its
Knower, and also the liberation from the nature of
being, they go to the Supreme.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the thirteenth discourse
entitled: Yoga of Distinction between the Field
and the Knower of the Field.
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XIV.
YOGA
OF
THE
DIVISION
OF
THE
THREE
GUNAS
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The blessed LORD
said:
1. I will again declare [to thee]
that supreme knowledge, the best of all knowledge,
having known which all the sages have gone to the
supreme perfection after this life.
2. They who, having taken refuge in this
knowledge, attain to unity with Me, are neither
born at the time of creation nor are they disturbed
at the time of dissolution.
3. My womb is the great Brahma; in that I
place the germ; thence, O Arjuna, is the birth of
all beings!
4. Whatever forms are produced, O Arjuna, in
any womb whatsoever, the great Brahma is their womb
and I am the seed-giving father.
5. Purity, passion and inertia – these
qualities, O mighty-armed Arjuna, born of nature,
bind fast in the body, the embodied, the
indestructible!
6. Of these, sattva, which from its
stainlessness is luminous and healthy, binds
by attachment
to knowledge and to happiness, O sinless one!
7. Know thou rajas to be of the nature of
passion, the source of thirst [for
sensual enjoyment]
and attachment; it binds fast, O Arjuna, the
embodied one by attachment to action!
8. But know thou tamas to be born of
ignorance, deluding all embodied beings; it binds
fast, O
Arjuna, by heedlessness, sleep and indolence!
9. Sattva attaches to happiness, rajas to
action, O Arjuna, while tamas, shrouding
knowledge, attaches
to heedlessness only!
10. Now sattva prevails, O Arjuna, having
overpowered rajas and tamas; now rajas,
having overpowered
sattva and tamas; and now tamas, having overpowered
sattva and rajas!
11. When, through every gate [sense]
in this body, the wisdom-light shines, then it may
be known that
sattva is predominant.
12. Greed, activity, the undertaking of
actions, restlessness, longing – these arise
when rajas is
predominant, O Arjuna!
13. Darkness, inertness, heedlessness and
delusion – these arise when tamas is
predominant, O
Arjuna!
14. If the embodied one meets with death
when sattva has become predominant, then he
attains to the
spotless worlds of the knowers of the Highest.
15. Meeting death in rajas, he is born among
those who are attached to action; and dying
in tamas, he
is born in the womb of the senseless.
16. The fruit of good action, they say, is
sattvic and pure; the fruit of rajas is pain,
and ignorance
is the fruit of tamas.
17. From sattva arises knowledge, and greed
from rajas; heedlessness and delusion arise
from tamas, and
ignorance also.
18. Those who are seated in sattva proceed
upwards; the rajasic dwell in the middle;
and the
tamasic, abiding in the function of the lowest
guna, go downwards.
19. When the seer beholds no agent other
than the gunas, knowing that which is higher
than them, he
attains to My being.
20. The embodied one, having crossed beyond
these three gunas out of which the body is
evolved, is freed
from birth, death, decay and pain, and attains to
Immortality.
ARJUNA said:
21. What are the marks of him who has
crossed over the three qualities, O Lord? What is
his conduct and how does he go beyond these three
qualities?
The blessed LORD said:
22. Light, activity and delusion – when
they are present, O Arjuna, he hates not, nor
does he long
for them when they are absent!
23. He who, seated like one unconcerned, is
not moved by the qualities, and who, knowing
that the qualities
are active, is self-centred and moves not,
24. Alike in pleasure and pain, who dwells
in the Self, to whom a clod of earth, stone
and gold are
alike, to whom the dear and the unfriendly are
alike, firm, the same in censure and praise,
25. The same in honour and dishonour,
towards friends and foes; he who abandons the
initiative in all undertakings, is called one
beyond qualities.
26. And he who serves Me with unswerving
devotion, he, crossing beyond the qualities, is fit
for becoming Brahman.
27. For I am the abode of Brahman, the
Immortal and the Immutable, of everlasting Dharma
and of absolute bliss.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fourteenth discourse
entitled: Yoga of the Division of the Three
Gunas.
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XV.
YOGA
OF
THE
SUPREME
SPIRIT
|
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The blessed LORD
said:
1. They [the wise] speak of the
indestructible peepul tree, having its root above
and branches below, whose leaves are the metres or
hymns; he who knows it is a knower of the
Vedas.
2. Below and above spread its branches,
nourished by the gunas; sense-objects are its buds;
and below in the world of men stretch forth the
roots, originating action.
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3.
Its form is not perceived here as such, neither its
end nor its origin, nor its foundation nor resting
place; having cut asunder this firmly-rooted peepul
tree with the strong axe of non-attachment,
4. Then that goal should be sought after,
whither having gone none returns again. Seek refuge
in that primeval Purusha whence streamed forth the
ancient activity or energy.
5. The undeluded, those who are free from
pride and ignorance, who have overcome the evil of
attachment, who are ever devoted to the Self, who
have turned away from desires and are entirely
beyond the dualities of pleasure and pain, attain
that imperishable state.
6. Neither sun, nor moon, nor fire illumine
this state on attaining which one does not return.
And this is My supreme abode.
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7. An
eternal portion of Myself having become a living
soul in the world of life, draws to
[itself] the [five] senses with the
mind for the sixth, abiding in nature.
8. When the Lord obtains a body and when He
leaves it, He takes these and goes [with
them] as the wind takes the scents from their
seats [flowers, etc.].
9. Presiding over the ear, the eye, touch,
taste and smell, as well as the mind, he enjoys the
objects of the senses.
10. The deluded do not see Him who departs,
stays and enjoys; but they who possess the eye of
knowledge behold Him.
11. The yogis striving [for
perfection] behold Him dwelling in the Self;
but, the unrefined and unintelligent, even though
striving, see Him not.
12. That light which residing in the sun,
illumines the whole world, that which is in the
moon and in the fire – know that light to be
Mine.
13. Permeating the earth I support all
beings by [My] energy; and, having become
the watery moon, I nourish all herbs.
14. Having become the fire Vaisvanara, I
abide in the body of living beings and, associated
with the prana and apana, digest the fourfold
food.
15. And, I am seated in the hearts of all;
from Me are memory, knowledge, as well as their
absence. I am verily that which has to be known by
all the Vedas; I am indeed the author of the
Vedanta, and the knower of the Vedas am
I.
16. Two Purushas there are in this world,
the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are
the perishable, and the Kutastha is called the
imperishable.
17. But distinct is the Supreme Purusha
called the highest Self, the indestructible Lord
who, pervading the three worlds, sustains them.
18. As I transcend the perishable and am
even higher than the imperishable, I am declared as
the highest Purusha in the world and in the
Vedas.
19. He who, undeluded, knows Me thus as the
highest Purusha, he, knowing all, worships Me with
his whole being [heart], O Arjuna!
20. Thus, this most secret science has been
taught by Me, O sinless one! On knowing this, a man
becomes wise, and all his duties are accomplished,
O Arjuna!
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fifteenth discourse
entitled: Yoga of of the Supreme Spirit.
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XVI.
YOGA
OF
THE
DIVISION
BETWEEN
THE
DIVINE
AND
THE
DEMONIACAL
|
|
The blessed LORD
said:
1. Fearlessness, purity of heart,
steadfastness in yoga and knowledge, alms-giving,
control of the senses, sacrifice, study of
scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness,
2. Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger,
renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness,
compassion towards beings, uncovetousness,
gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness,
3. Vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity,
absence of hatred, absence of pride – these
belong to one born in a divine state, O Arjuna!
4. Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit,
harshness and also anger and ignorance, belong to
one who is born in a demoniacal state, O
Arjuna!
5. The divine nature is deemed for
liberation and the demoniacal for bondage. Grieve
not, O Arjuna, for thou art born with divine
properties!
6. There are two types of beings in this
world – the Divine and the demoniacal; the
Divine has been described at length; hear from Me,
O Arjuna, of the demoniacal!
7. The demoniacal know not what to do and
what to refrain from; neither purity nor right
conduct nor truth is found in them.
8. They say: "This universe is without
truth, without a [moral] basis, without a
God, brought about by mutual union, with lust for
its cause; what else?"
9. Holding this view, these ruined souls of
small intellects and fierce deeds, come forth as
enemies of the world for its destruction.
10. Filled with insatiable desires, full of
hypocrisy, pride and arrogance, holding evil ideas
through delusion, they work with impure
resolves.
11. Giving themselves over to immeasurable
cares ending only with death, regarding
gratification of lust as their highest aim, and
feeling sure that that is all,
12. Bound by a hundred ties of hope, given
over to lust and anger, they strive to obtain by
unlawful means hoards of wealth for sensual
enjoyment.
13. "This has been gained by me today; this
desire I shall obtain; this is mine and this wealth
too shall be mine in future."
14. "That enemy has been slain by me and
others also I shall slay. I amthe lord; I enjoy; I
am perfect, powerful and happy."
15. "I am rich and born in a noble family.
Who else is equal to me? I will sacrifice. I will
give [charity]. I will rejoice." –
thus, deluded by ignorance,
16. Bewildered by many a fancy, entangled in
the snare of delusion, addicted to the
gratification of lust, they fall into a foul
hell.
17. Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with
the intoxication and pride of wealth, they perform
sacrifices in name, through ostentation, contrary
to scriptural ordinances.
18. Given over to egoism, power,
haughtiness, lust and anger, these malicious people
hate Me in their own bodies and those of
others.
19. These cruel haters, the worst among men
in the world – I hurl all these evil-doers for
ever into the wombs of demons only.
20. Entering into demoniacal wombs and
deluded birth after birth, not attaining Me, they
thus fall, O Arjuna, into a condition still lower
than that!
21. Triple is the gate of this hell,
destructive of the self – lust, anger, and
greed – therefore, one should abandon these
three.
22. A man who is liberated from these three
gates to darkness, O Arjuna, practises what is good
for him and thus goes to the supreme goal!
23. He who abandons the injunctions of the
scriptures and behaves according to the impulses of
his desires, attains neither perfection, nor
happiness, nor the highest state of salvation.
24. Therefore, let the scripture be the
authority in determining what ought to be done and
what ought not to be done. Having known what is
said in the ordinance of the scriptures, thou
shouldst act here in this world.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the sixteenth discourse
entitled: Yoga of the Division between the
Divine and the Demoniacal.
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XVII.
YOGA
OF
THE
DIVISION
OF
THE
THREEFOLD
FAITH
|
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ARJUNA said:
1. Those who, setting aside the ordinances
of the scriptures, perform sacrifice with faith,
what is their condition, O Krishna? Is it that of
sattva, rajas or tamas?
The blessed LORD said:
2.
Threefold is the faith of the embodied, which is
inherent in their nature – the sattvic
[pure], the rajasic [passionate],
and the tamasic [dark]. Do thou hear of
it.
3. The faith of everyone is according to his
nature, O Bharata. Man is essentially endowed with
faith. What his faith is, that indeed is he.
4. The sattvic or pure men worship the gods;
the rajasic or the passionate worship the yakshas
and the rakshasas; the others [the tamasic or
the deluded] worship the ghosts and the hosts
of nature-spirits.
5. Those men who practise terrific
austerities not enjoined by the scriptures, given
to hypocrisy and egoism, impelled by the force of
lust and attachment,
6. Senseless, torturing all the elements in
the body and Me also, who dwells in the body –
know thou these to be of demoniacal resolves.
7. The food also which is dear to each is
threefold, as also sacrifice, austerity and
alms-giving. Hear thou the distinction of
these.
8. Foods which increase life, purity,
strength, health,joy and cheerfulness, which are
oleaginous and savoury, substantial and agreeable,
are dear to the sattvic people.
9. The foods that are bitter, sour, saline,
excessively hot, dry, pungent and burning, are
liked by the rajasic and are productive of pain,
grief and disease.
10. That which is stale, tasteless, putrid,
rotten and impure refuse, is the food liked by the
tamasic.
11. That sacrifice which is offered by men
without desire for reward as enjoined by the
ordinance [scripture], with a firm faith
that to do so is a duty, is sattvic
[pure].
12. The sacrifice which is offered, O
Arjuna, seeking a reward and for ostentation, know
thou that to be a rajasic yajna!
13. They declare that sacrifice to be
tamasic which is contrary to the ordinances of the
scriptures, in which no food is distributed, which
is devoid of mantras and gifts, and which is devoid
of faith.
14. Worship of the gods, the twice-born, the
teachers and the wise, purity, straightforwardness,
celibacy and non-injury – these are called the
austerities of the body.
15. Speech which causes no excitement and is
truthful, pleasant and beneficial, the practice of
the study of the Vedas, are called austerity
of speech.
16. Serenity of mind, good-heartedness,
purity of nature, self-control – this is
called mental austerity.
17. This threefold austerity practised by
steadfast men with the utmost faith, desiring no
reward, they call sattvic.
18. The austerity which is practised with
the object of gaining good reception, honour and
worship and with hypocrisy, is here said to be
rajasic, unstable and transitory.
19. The austerity which is practised out of
a foolish notion, with self-torture, or for the
purpose of destroying another, is declared to be
tamasic.
20. That gift which is given to one who does
nothing in return, knowing it to be a duty to give
in a fit place and time to a worthy person, that
gift is held to be sattvic.
21. And, that gift which is made with a view
to receive something in return, or looking for a
reward, or given reluctantly, is said to be
rajasic.
22. The gift which is given at the wrong
place and time to unworthy persons, without respect
or with insult, is declared to be tamasic.
23. "OM Tat Sat": this has been declared to
be the triple designation of Brahman. By that were
created formerly the brahmanas, the Vedas
and the sacrifices.
24. Therefore, with the utterance of OM are
the acts of gift, sacrifice and austerity as
enjoined in the scriptures always begun by the
students of Brahman.
25. Uttering Tat, without aiming at the
fruits, are the acts of sacrifice and austerity and
the various acts of gift performed by the seekers
of liberation.
26. The word Sat is used in the sense of
Reality and of goodness; and so also, O Arjuna, it
is used in the sense of an auspicious act!
27. Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity
and gift, is also called Sat, and also action in
connection with these [or for the sake of the
Supreme] is called Sat.
28. Whatever is sacrificed, given or
performed, and whatever austerity is practised
without faith, it is called asat, O Arjuna! It is
naught here or hereafter [after death].
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the seventeenth discourse
entitled: Yoga of the Division of the Threefold
Faith.
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XVIII.
YOGA
OF
LIBERATION
BY
RENUNCIATION
|
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ARJUNA said:
1. I desire to know severally, O
mighty-armed, the essence or truth of renunciation,
O Hrishikesa, as also of abandonment, O slayer of
Kesi!
The blessed LORD said:
2. The sages understand sannyas to be the
renunciation of action with desire; the wise
declare the abandonment of the fruits of all
actions as tyaga.
3. Some philosophers declare that all
actions should be abandoned as an evil, while
others declare that acts of gift, sacrifice and
austerity should not be relinquished.
4. Hear from Me the conclusion or the final
truth about this abandonment, O best of the
Bharatas; abandonment, verily, O best of men, has
been declared to be of three kinds!
5. Acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity
should not be abandoned, but should be
performed; sacrifice,
gift and also austerity are the purifiers of the
wise.
6. But even these actions should be
performed leaving aside attachment and the desire
for rewards, O Arjuna! This is My certain and best
conviction.
7. Verily, the renunciation of obligatory
action is improper; the abandonment of the
same from
delusion is declared to be tamasic.
8. He who abandons action on account of the
fear of bodily trouble [because it is
painful], he does
not obtain the merit of renunciation by doing such
rajasic renunciation.
9. Whatever obligatory action is done, O
Arjuna, merely because it ought to be done,
abandoning
attachment and also the desire for reward, that
renunciation is regarded as sattvic!
10. The man of renunciation, pervaded by
purity, intelligent and with his doubts cut
asunder, does not
hate a disagreeable work nor is he attached to an
agreeable one.
11. Verily, it is not possible for an
embodied being to abandon actions entirely; but he
who relinquishes
the rewards of actions is verily called a man of
renunciation.
12. The threefold fruit of action –
evil, good and mixed – accrues after death to
the non-abandoners,
but never to the abandoners.
13. Learn from Me, O mighty-armed Arjuna,
these five causes, as declared in the
Sankhya system
for the accomplishment of all actions!
14. The body, the doer, the various senses,
the different functions of various sorts, and
the presiding
deity, also, the fifth,
15. Whatever action a man performs by his
body, speech and mind, whether right or the
reverse, these five
are its causes.
16. Now, such being the case, he who, owing
to untrained understanding, looks upon his
Self, which is
isolated, as the agent, he of perverted
intelligence, sees not.
17. He who is ever free from the egoistic
notion, whose intelligence is not tainted by
[good or
evil], though he slays these people, he slayeth
not, nor is he bound [by the action].
18. Knowledge, the knowable and the knower
form the threefold impulse to action; the
organ, the action
and the agent form the threefold basis of
action.
19. Knowledge, action and the actor are
declared in the science of the gunas [the
Sankhya philosophy] to be of three kinds only,
according to the distinction of the gunas. Hear
them also duly.
20. That by which one sees the one
indestructible Reality in all beings, not separate
in all the separate
beings – know thou that knowledge to be
sattvic [pure].
21. But that knowledge which sees in all
beings various entities of distinct kinds as
different from
one another – know thou that knowledge to be
rajasic [passionate].
22. But that which clings to one single
effect as if it were the whole, without reason,
without foundation
in Truth, and trivial – that is declared to be
tamasic [dark].
23. An action which is ordained, which is
free from attachment, which is done without
love or
hatred by one who is not desirous of any reward
– that action is declared to be sattvic.
24. But that action which is done by one
longing for the fulfilment of desires or gain,
with egoism
or with much effort – that is declared to be
rajasic.
25. That action which is undertaken from
delusion, without regard to the consequences
of loss,
injury and [one's own] ability – that
is declared to be tamasic.
26. He who is free from attachment,
non-egoistic, endowed with firmness and
enthusiasm and
unaffected by success or failure, is called
sattvic.
27. Passionate, desiring to obtain the
rewards of actions, cruel, greedy, impure, moved
by joy and
sorrow, such an agent is said to be rajasic.
28. Unsteady, dejected, unbending, cheating,
malicious, vulgar, lazy and proscrastinating
– such an agent is called tamasic.
29. Hear thou the threefold division of the
intellect and firmness according to the gunas, as
I declare
them fully and distinctly, O Arjuna!
30. That which knows the path of work and
renunciation, what ought to be done and what ought
not to be done, fear and fearlessness, bondage and
liberation – that intellect is sattvic, O
Arjuna!
31. That by which one incorrectly
understands Dharma and adharma, and also what
ought to be
done and what ought not to be done – that
intellect, O Arjuna, is rajasic!
32. That which, enveloped in darkness, views
adharma as Dharma and all things
perverted –
that intellect, O Arjuna, is called tamasic!
33. The unwavering firmness by which,
through yoga, the functions of the mind, the
life-force and the
senses are restrained – that firmness, O
Arjuna, is sattvic!
34. But that firmness, O Arjuna, by which,
on account of attachment and desire for
reward, one
holds fast to Dharma, enjoyment of pleasures and
earning of wealth – that firmness, O
Arjuna, is
rajasic!
35. That by which a stupid man does not
abandon sleep, fear, grief, despair and also
conceit – that
firmness, O Arjuna, is tamasic!
36. Now hear from Me, O Arjuna, of the
threefold pleasure, in which one rejoices by
practice and surely
comes to the end of pain!
37. That which is like poison at first but
in the end like nectar – that pleasure is
declared to be
sattvic, born of the purity of one's own mind due
to Self-realisation.
38. That pleasure which arises from the
contact of the sense-organs with the objects,
which is at
first like nectar and in the end like poison –
that is declared to be rajasic.
39. That pleasure which at first and in the
sequel is delusive of the self, arising from
sleep, indolence
and heedlessness – such a pleasure is declared
to be tamasic.
40. There is no being on earth or again in
heaven among the gods that is liberated from
the three
qualities born of nature.
41. Of brahmanas, kshatriyas and vaishyas,
as also the sudras, O Arjuna, the duties are
distributed according to the qualities born of
their own nature!
42. Serenity, self-restraint, austerity,
purity, forgiveness and also uprightness,
knowledge, realisation
and belief in God are the duties of the brahmanas,
born of [their own] nature.
43. Prowess, splendour, firmness, dexterity
and also not fleeing from battle, generosity
and lordliness
are the duties of kshatriyas, born of [their
own] nature.
44. Agriculture, cattle-rearing and trade
are the duties of the vaishya [merchant
caste], born of
[their own] nature; and action consisting
of service is the duty of the sudra [servant
caste], born of
[their own] nature.
45. Each man, devoted to his own duty,
attains perfection. How he attains perfection
while being
engaged in his own duty, hear now.
46. He from whom all the beings have evolved
and by whom all this is pervaded,
worshipping Him with
his own duty, man attains perfection.
47. Better is one's own duty
[though] destitute of merits, than the duty
of another well performed.
He who does the duty ordained by his own nature
incurs no sin.
48. One should not abandon, O Arjuna, the
duty to which one is born, though faulty; for,
all undertakings
are enveloped by evil, as fire by smoke!
49. He whose intellect is unattached
everywhere, who has subdued his self, from
whom desire
has fled – he by renunciation attains the
supreme state of freedom from action.
50. Learn from Me in brief, O Arjuna, how he
who has attained perfection reaches
Brahman, that
supreme state of knowledge.
51. Endowed with a pure intellect,
controlling the self by firmness, relinquishing
sound and other objects and abandoning both hatred
and attraction,
52. Dwelling in solitude, eating but little,
with speech, body and mind subdued, always engaged
in concentration and meditation, taking refuge in
dispassion,
53. Having abandoned egoism, strength,
arrogance, anger, desire, and covetousness, free
from the notion of "mine" and peaceful – he is
fit for becoming Brahman.
54. Becoming Brahman, serene in the Self, he
neither grieves nor desires; the same to all
beings, he attains supreme devotion unto Me.
55. By devotion he knows Me in truth, what
and who I am; and knowing Me in truth, he forthwith
enters into the Supreme.
56. Doing all actions always, taking refuge
in Me, by My Grace he obtains the eternal,
indestructible state or abode.
57. Mentally renouncing all actions in Me,
having Me as the highest goal, resorting to
the yoga of
discrimination do thou ever fix thy mind on Me.
58. Fixing thy mind on Me, thou shalt by My
Grace overcome all obstacles; but if from
egoism thou wilt not
hear Me, thou shalt perish.
59. If, filled with egoism, thou thinkest:
"I will not fight", vain is this, thy resolve;
nature will
compel thee.
60. O Arjuna, bound by thy own karma
[action] born of thy own nature, that which
from delusion
thou wishest not to do, even that thou shalt do
helplessly!
61. The Lord resides in the Hearts of all, O
Arjuna, revolving all creatures by prakriti as if
mounted on a machine.
62. Surrender unto Him with all your heart,
O Bharata. Through His Grace you will attain
supreme peace and the perennial abode.
63. Thus has wisdom more secret than secrecy
itself been declared unto thee by Me; having
reflected over it
fully, then act thou as thou wishest.
64. Hear thou again My supreme word, most
secret of all; because thou art dearly beloved
of Me, I will
tell thee what is good.
65. Fix thy mind on Me, be devoted to Me,
sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Thou shalt
come even to Me;
truly do I promise unto thee, [for] thou
art dear to Me.
66. Abandoning all duties, take refuge in Me
alone; I will liberate thee from all sins; grieve
not.
67. This is never to be spoken by thee to
one who is devoid of austerities, to one who is
not devoted,
nor to one who does not render service, nor who
does not desire to listen, nor to one who
cavils at Me.
68. He who with supreme devotion to Me will
teach this supreme secret to My devotees,
shall doubtless come
to Me.
69. Nor is there any among men who does
dearer service to Me, nor shall there be another
on earth
dearer to Me than he.
70. And he who will study this sacred
dialogue of ours, by him I shall have been
worshipped by
the sacrifice of wisdom; such is My conviction.
71. The man also who hears this, full of
faith and free from malice, he, too, liberated,
shall attain to the happy worlds of those of
righteous deeds.
72. Has this been heard, O Arjuna, with
one-pointed mind? Has the delusion of thy ignorance
been fully destroyed, O Dhananjaya?
ARJUNA said:
73. Destroyed is my delusion as I have
gained my memory [knowledge] through Thy
Grace, O Krishna! I am firm; my doubts are gone. I
will act according to Thy word.
SANJAYA said:
74. Thus have I heard this wonderful
dialogue between Krishna and the high-souled
Arjuna, which causes the hair to stand on end.
75. Through the Grace of Vyasa I have heard
this supreme and most secret yoga direct from
Krishna, the Lord of yoga Himself declaring it.
76. O King, remembering this wonderful and
holy dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, I rejoice
again and again!
77. And remembering again and again also
that most wonderful form of Hari, great is my
wonder, O King! And I rejoice again and again!
78. Wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of
yoga, wherever there is Arjuna, the archer, there
are prosperity, happiness, victory and firm policy;
such is my conviction.
Hari OM Tat Sat
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious
Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,
the scripture of yoga, the dialogue between Sri
Krishna and Arjuna, ends the eighteenth discourse
entitled: Yoga of Liberation by
Renunciation.
OM! Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!
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