Arjuna:
Krishna, I would like to know separately the true meaning of Sanyas and of Tyaga.
Krishna:
Sanyas, the learned say, is the giving up of all actions prescribed for getting desired things. However, other experts say, tyaga is giving up of expectation of results of all actions.
Some say that all actions are harmful and should be avoided, while others say that actions like sacrifice, offering, and penance should not be given up.
My decision regarding it is thus: tyaga is of different types. Sacrifice, giving, and penance should never be given up; they should definitely be carried out.
These actions serve to purify the mind. Even these actions should be done without attachment and without expectations, this is my firm conviction.
Giving up the obligatory duties is not correct. Giving them up because of ignorance is what would be called tamasic.
If an action is shunned because it is difficult, or because of fear that it may be tiring, then it would be rajasic and is of no good.
If the obligatory duties are done, because of conviction that they are to be done, without attachment and worry about result, it will be considered satvic.
A satvic wise tyagi, who has got over all his doubts, does not resent unpleasant actions, nor is he attached to pleasant ones.
It is not possible for any living creature to give up actions altogether. He who has renounced expectations of results is what is meant by tyagi.
Pleasant, unpleasant and mixed, are the three results of action in the hereafter for those other than tyagis. For a tyagi it is never so.
The causes of action are these five, I tell you; they are described as necessary concomitants for all actions, in the Sankhya philosophy,which has gone deeply into these things: site, agent, various instruments, different kinds of movements, and fifthly chance.
Whatever one does, bodily, oral or mental, lawful or unlawful, has these five for their cause. When it is so, if anybody considers the unattached self to be acting, such an untrained foolish man does not know the truth.
He who is not conscious of himself as the agent, and whose mind is not affected by self-interest, does not actually kill, and is not accountable for it, even if he destroys the whole world.
Knowledge, subject of knowledge, and the knower, are the threefold stimulus to action. Instrument, object of action and the person who acts constitute action.
Knowledge, action and the performer are also of three types, in the scheme of classification of Sankhya philosophy, and they are as follows.
That knowledge, which sees the one eternal principle in all beings,undivided in what appears divided, is satvic.
That knowledge, which sees the many different souls in beings, as separate, is rajasic.
The knowledge, trivial and superficial, which is stuck unreasonably in one thing as if it is the all, is tamasic.
Satvic action is that which is obligatory, done without attachment,without longing or revulsion, and without expectation of rewards.
That action done with great exertion, for the sake of rewards, or for pride, is rajasic.
The action done without any regard of consequences,capacity, loss, and harm to others, undertaken out of ignorance, is tamasic.
In addition, a satvic performer is he, who is energetic and enthusiastic, unmoved in success and failure, without attachments, and does not glorify himself.
The rajasic is ambitious, violent, unclean,seeks rewards of actions, and prone to cycles of jubilation and frustration.
The tamasic is careless, crude, boastful, obstinate,revengeful, indolent, depressed, and procrastinating.
In the same way, it is possible to classify judgment and perseverance into three types, which I shall fully describe:
The judgment is satvic, which discriminates between action, inaction,between right and wrong actions, and between what liberates, and what binds.
Rajasic does not see properly the difference between duty and its opposite, between what should be done and what should not be done.
The tamasic in his ignorance sees all perversely, mistaking wrong for right.
That perseverance, which sustains all actions, of the mind, body or the sense organs, in unfailing practice of yogic principles, is satvic.
Perseverance with which all family duties, enjoyments and wealth are pursued, all the time prepossessed with results, is rajasic.
That perseverance is tamasic, which inclines a man of low intelligence continuously to sleep, fear, sadness, depression, and intoxication.
Now I shall tell you about happiness, which also can be of three kinds.
Satvic happiness is such as with practice becomes enjoyable, and ends all sorrows. Seemingly like poison in the beginning, this happiness,coming from purity of mind, becomes like nectar in the end.
What is like nectar in the beginning, due to the sensuousness of objects, turns to poison, in the case of rajasic happiness.
That kind of happiness is tamasic, which comes from lethargy and sleep, and which is like poison, in the beginning as well as in the end.
There is indeed no living being that is devoid of these properties of nature, on earth or among gods in heaven.
Duties are distributed among brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, and shudras, according to their natural qualities.
Physical and mental restraint, cleanliness, patience, straightforwardness, knowledge of theory and practice, are the natural qualities of a Brahmin, determining his actions.
Valour, vigor, endurance, skill, not running away from battle, are a Kshatriya's natural qualities.
Farming, cattle breeding, and trade are the natural qualities of vaishyas, and assisting others is a shudra's natural quality.
Adhering to one's own duties, man gets success; I shall tell you how one succeeds by doing his duty.
Man achieves success by worshipping that from which all these actions originate and which pervades all this.
One's own duty, even when defective, is better than another's, though well done. No one will incur sin by doing what is dictated by one's character.
You should never give up the work, suited to your nature, even if it has faults. All ventures are accompanied by faults, just as fire is accompanied by smoke.
He, who has no attachments, who is his own master, and who has no longings, attains the ultimate liberation from the bonds of action by renunciation.
Listen to ME, briefly I shall tell you how a liberated man attains oneness with the universal soul, in which is centered all supreme knowledge.
He is ready for oneness with Brahma, who is possessed of a pure mind, perseveres in self-control, is not attached to sensual pleasures, has overcome longing and revulsion, loves solitude, eats lightly, restrains bodily, oral and mental activities, practices continuously introspection, finds no pleasure in material things, is devoid of egoism, strong-handedness, pride, passion, temper, greediness, and remains unselfish and calm.
Realizing his identity with Brahma, and always cheerful, he has no occasion to be sorry or to long for anything.
Considering all beings as equal, he attains the highest kind of devotion to Me. With that devotion, he understands what and how much I am, and knowing Me in full, enters the next, ultimate state.
He who always does, with full faith in Me, all one's work, attains the eternal unchanging state, by My grace.
Mentally leaving all your actions in My hands, and practicing the yoga of introspection, think always of Me.
With Me always in your mind, you will overcome by My grace all difficulties. However, if, out of egoism, you do not listen to Me, you will be the loser.
In addition, if you, out of egoism, think that you will not fight, it is a futile attempt; nature will force you.
Bound by your natural propensities to act, you will helplessly do what out of ignorance you do not want to do.
God resides in the hearts of all beings, propelling, by His magical power, all beings round and round as if seated in a revolving wheel.
Arjuna, seek refuge in Him alone whole-heartedly. By His grace, you will reach the ultimate state of eternal peace.
Thus, I have given you the secret knowledge beyond all secrets.Please examine it fully and then do as you consider right.
Listen to My final word on this greatest secret. I am again saying this, for your good, because you are very dear to Me.
Think of Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me, and prostrate before Me.You will certainly come to Me, I promise you. I love you very much. Forget all duties and come to Me for refuge; I will deliver you from all sins.
This should not be told to anybody who has no discipline, who has no devotion to Me, or who does not want to hear and is averse to Me.
He however, who tells this great secret among My devotees, will grow in his devotion to Me and will come to Me, no doubt about it.
There is not, and never will be, among all men anybody who has served Me more than him, and in this world nobody would be dearer to Me.
In addition, I will consider whoever studies this conversation of ours about duty, as having worshipped Me with a sacrifice of knowledge.
He too who will listen to this attentively and with no ill feeling, will go to the happy worlds of the pious.
Arjuna, have you listened to all this attentively? Is your ignorance,born out of delusion, dispelled?
Arjuna:
All delusion is gone. By your grace, I have got back my memory.
I have no more doubts. I will do as you say.
[The narrator Sanjaya concludes:
Thus, I heard the hair-raising wonderful dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. By the grace of Vyasa, I heard this secret yoga from Krishna, the master yogi himself, describing it in person.
Recalling repeatedly that wonderful form of Krishna, great is my wonder, and I continue to feel great joy! Where there is Krishna, the great yogi, and Arjuna the great archer, there is bound to be glory, victory, prosperity, nobility,righteousness, I am convinced!]
Friday, April 11, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 17
Arjuna:
Krishna, now what will happen to those who act in faith, but not in accordance with scientific teachings? In which category do they belong, satvic, rajasic, or tamasic?
Krishna:
There are three types of Faith, depending on individual nature, satvic, rajasic and tamasic. Everybody's faith is in accordance with his particular nature.
A person is what his faith is. If his faith is of a particular kind, that type he would be.
Satvic people worship devas, rajasic worship yakshas and rakshasas, tamasic worship ghosts and spirits.
Those who do terrible penances not prescribed in shastras, and full of haughtiness and egotism, senselessly weaken all beings and also ME residing in their own bodies, are of asuric nature.
Food is also similarly of three types, so is sacrifice, and offering of gifts; hear how they are different.
That food is preferred by satvic people, which promotes life, energy,strength, health, pleasure and appetite, and which is tasty, juicy,palatable and not easily spoiled.
And rajasic people like food which is bitter, salty, very hot, sharp, spicy and burningly pungent, and which causes discomfort, aches and diseases.
Food liked by the tamasicis cold, dry, smelly, stale and unclean leftovers.
The sacrifice, performed as a duty worth doing, without desire for result, and in accordance with the rules, is satvic.
Done with the desire for results, or for ostentation, it is rajasic.
The sacrifice done carelessly and without any rules, without mantras, and without feeding of the deserved, without paying for services, is tamasic.
Paying respect to gods, Brahmins, teachers, and other wise men,cleanliness, integrity, abstinence, and nonviolence constitute bodily penance.
Inoffensive, honest, pleasing and helpful speech, and study of holy texts, constitutes oral penance.
Cheerfulness, benevolence,silence, self-control and purity of feelings constitute mental penance.
The threefold penance is called satvic, if it is performed with full faith, and with no desire for result.
The penance done to get honours and approval, and out of pride, is what is called here rajasic.
That done with ignorant expectations and self-torture, or for hurting others is said to be tamasic.
The gift given as one's duty to a deserving person, who has not done anything for you, at proper time and place, is considered satvic.
That done reluctantly with expectations of return or for some other result is rajasic.
That given to the undeserving, at wrong time and place,unwelcome, and disregarded is tamasic.
Om, Tat, and Sat are the three accepted symbols of Brahma; brahmins,vedas and sacrifices are from old covered by them.
Therefore the sacrifices, offerings, penances, stipulated in scriptures, are always performed by the adherents of vedas with the word "Om."
Those, who seek liberation, perform the various types of sacrifices,offerings and penances, without regard for results, and say the word"Tat""Sat" is used in the senses of both real and good, as well as to indicate worthy deeds.
Performance of sacrifices, offerings, and penances are all therefore called sat; so also all acts to further them.
And all this done carelessly and without faith is called "asat"; with such no use here or in the other world.
Krishna, now what will happen to those who act in faith, but not in accordance with scientific teachings? In which category do they belong, satvic, rajasic, or tamasic?
Krishna:
There are three types of Faith, depending on individual nature, satvic, rajasic and tamasic. Everybody's faith is in accordance with his particular nature.
A person is what his faith is. If his faith is of a particular kind, that type he would be.
Satvic people worship devas, rajasic worship yakshas and rakshasas, tamasic worship ghosts and spirits.
Those who do terrible penances not prescribed in shastras, and full of haughtiness and egotism, senselessly weaken all beings and also ME residing in their own bodies, are of asuric nature.
Food is also similarly of three types, so is sacrifice, and offering of gifts; hear how they are different.
That food is preferred by satvic people, which promotes life, energy,strength, health, pleasure and appetite, and which is tasty, juicy,palatable and not easily spoiled.
And rajasic people like food which is bitter, salty, very hot, sharp, spicy and burningly pungent, and which causes discomfort, aches and diseases.
Food liked by the tamasicis cold, dry, smelly, stale and unclean leftovers.
The sacrifice, performed as a duty worth doing, without desire for result, and in accordance with the rules, is satvic.
Done with the desire for results, or for ostentation, it is rajasic.
The sacrifice done carelessly and without any rules, without mantras, and without feeding of the deserved, without paying for services, is tamasic.
Paying respect to gods, Brahmins, teachers, and other wise men,cleanliness, integrity, abstinence, and nonviolence constitute bodily penance.
Inoffensive, honest, pleasing and helpful speech, and study of holy texts, constitutes oral penance.
Cheerfulness, benevolence,silence, self-control and purity of feelings constitute mental penance.
The threefold penance is called satvic, if it is performed with full faith, and with no desire for result.
The penance done to get honours and approval, and out of pride, is what is called here rajasic.
That done with ignorant expectations and self-torture, or for hurting others is said to be tamasic.
The gift given as one's duty to a deserving person, who has not done anything for you, at proper time and place, is considered satvic.
That done reluctantly with expectations of return or for some other result is rajasic.
That given to the undeserving, at wrong time and place,unwelcome, and disregarded is tamasic.
Om, Tat, and Sat are the three accepted symbols of Brahma; brahmins,vedas and sacrifices are from old covered by them.
Therefore the sacrifices, offerings, penances, stipulated in scriptures, are always performed by the adherents of vedas with the word "Om."
Those, who seek liberation, perform the various types of sacrifices,offerings and penances, without regard for results, and say the word"Tat""Sat" is used in the senses of both real and good, as well as to indicate worthy deeds.
Performance of sacrifices, offerings, and penances are all therefore called sat; so also all acts to further them.
And all this done carelessly and without faith is called "asat"; with such no use here or in the other world.
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 16
Fearlessness, purity of mind, cultivation of knowledge,generousness, control, sacrifice, studiousness, nonviolence,truthfulness, keeping temper, readiness to give up, calmness, absence of maliciousness, sympathy towards beings, freedom from malice,softness, humility, absence of waywardness, energetic nature,patience, endurance, cleanliness, not being hurtful, and absence of self-glorification, are the qualities of those who have inherited the godly personality.
Haughtiness, pride, egotism, temper, roughness, ignorance are the qualities of those who have got the asuric, demoniac, personality.
The godly qualities lead to liberation; the asuric to bondage. Don't worry, Arjuna, you have surely inherited the godly nature.
There are two main types of created beings in the world: godly and demoniac. The godly nature has been elaborately described, now hear the demoniac.
Demoniac people do not know when to act and when not to; there is no cleanliness, or good conduct, no truthfulness in them.They consider the world to be false, without firm basis, anarchical,born at random, and with no cause other than chance.
Adhering to this view, these lost souls of low intelligence turn enemies of the world and do all sorts of terrible acts. Of insatiable greed, haughty, proud and passionate, they cling in their ignorance to false beliefs and engage in dirty habits.
Worrying till death and in no measure, indulging in enjoyments, they conclude that there is nothing else in life!
Bound by hundreds of wishful thoughts, slave to passion and temper,they try to accumulate wealth unlawfully for their enjoyment."I got this today, tomorrow I will get that, I have this much money,and I will have more still, I have killed this enemy, and I will kill others also, I am master of all, I have all I want, I am successful, I am powerful and happy, I am prosperous, I am aristocratic, who is there equal to me? I will perform sacrifices, give alms, and have a nice time."
So on they, deluded by their own ignorance, fall into the depths of hell, distracted by innumerable worries, caught in the coils of delusion, and interested only in pandering to their desires.
Glorifying themselves, stiff and intoxicated with wealth and honours,they perform sacrifices for name's sake and follow no rules.
Full of egotism, power, pride, passion, temper, and jealousy, they torture Me in their as well as others' bodies.
I will incessantly push these lowest of men, cruel and full of hatred, into asuric births. Born in asuric families, deluded birth after birth, they, without being able to reach ME, end in the lowest condition.
This self-annihilating gate to Hell is threefold: passion, temper and greed. Therefore these three should be avoided.
He, who, not obeying the scientific dictates, acts willfully, will not get success, happiness or progress.Therefore science should be your standard in deciding what is to be done or not done.
You must act in accordance with scientific teachings.Freed from these gates of darkness, man will do what is best for him,and will attain the highest of places.
Haughtiness, pride, egotism, temper, roughness, ignorance are the qualities of those who have got the asuric, demoniac, personality.
The godly qualities lead to liberation; the asuric to bondage. Don't worry, Arjuna, you have surely inherited the godly nature.
There are two main types of created beings in the world: godly and demoniac. The godly nature has been elaborately described, now hear the demoniac.
Demoniac people do not know when to act and when not to; there is no cleanliness, or good conduct, no truthfulness in them.They consider the world to be false, without firm basis, anarchical,born at random, and with no cause other than chance.
Adhering to this view, these lost souls of low intelligence turn enemies of the world and do all sorts of terrible acts. Of insatiable greed, haughty, proud and passionate, they cling in their ignorance to false beliefs and engage in dirty habits.
Worrying till death and in no measure, indulging in enjoyments, they conclude that there is nothing else in life!
Bound by hundreds of wishful thoughts, slave to passion and temper,they try to accumulate wealth unlawfully for their enjoyment."I got this today, tomorrow I will get that, I have this much money,and I will have more still, I have killed this enemy, and I will kill others also, I am master of all, I have all I want, I am successful, I am powerful and happy, I am prosperous, I am aristocratic, who is there equal to me? I will perform sacrifices, give alms, and have a nice time."
So on they, deluded by their own ignorance, fall into the depths of hell, distracted by innumerable worries, caught in the coils of delusion, and interested only in pandering to their desires.
Glorifying themselves, stiff and intoxicated with wealth and honours,they perform sacrifices for name's sake and follow no rules.
Full of egotism, power, pride, passion, temper, and jealousy, they torture Me in their as well as others' bodies.
I will incessantly push these lowest of men, cruel and full of hatred, into asuric births. Born in asuric families, deluded birth after birth, they, without being able to reach ME, end in the lowest condition.
This self-annihilating gate to Hell is threefold: passion, temper and greed. Therefore these three should be avoided.
He, who, not obeying the scientific dictates, acts willfully, will not get success, happiness or progress.Therefore science should be your standard in deciding what is to be done or not done.
You must act in accordance with scientific teachings.Freed from these gates of darkness, man will do what is best for him,and will attain the highest of places.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 15
They talk about the undecaying banyan tree, with its roots at top, and branches down, and its branches are the scriptures.
He, who understands this, understands the Vedas indeed.
Upwards and downwards in the mortal world, spread its branches,nourished by natural properties, sprouting objects of enjoyment; its action-inciting roots also grow upwards and downwards.
Its form, beginning or end, its base are not known. Cutting down this deep-rooted tree by means of detachment, should that path be searched, once in which there is no return.
That primordial Person,from whom start all actions from of old, is to be approached for guidance.
Only they, who have no ego-delusions, have overcome the weakness of attachments, have no passionate longings, and are free from the binding pairs of pain and pleasure, attain, without losing their way,that imperishable state.
And that state is such that no sun or moon illuminate it. There is no return, once that high state of MINE is reached!
It is only a part of ME, that in the mortal world takes the form of the soul, and it carries with it the natural powers of the six sense organs including the mind.
Whichever body this divine soul enters or leaves, it takes these along, just as the air takes the scents from inside of things.
It experiences the objects, through ear,eye, touch, tongue,nose and the mind. Deluded people do not perceive this soul with its qualities,as it enters, experiences and leaves; only those whose eyes are opened by knowledge perceive it.
The yogis who practise continuously see the soul inside themselves; the senseless people with no self-control never can do it, however much they try.
The energy in the sun that brightens up the whole world, that in the moon and in the fire, is all My energy.
I enter the world and support all beings. I become the Soma in the form of sap and nourish all plants.
I enter the world and, by my strength, support all beings. I become the fire in the bodies of living beings, and, with the help of life-forces, digest the four different types of food.
I am present in the hearts of all; from Me come memory and learning, as well as their loss; it is I alone who is the subject of all scriptures; I initiated the vedanthic philosophy and I alone understand the Vedas.
Thus I have told you the most secret of sciences. Anybody who understands this will be truly wise and will achieve his life-aim.
He, who understands this, understands the Vedas indeed.
Upwards and downwards in the mortal world, spread its branches,nourished by natural properties, sprouting objects of enjoyment; its action-inciting roots also grow upwards and downwards.
Its form, beginning or end, its base are not known. Cutting down this deep-rooted tree by means of detachment, should that path be searched, once in which there is no return.
That primordial Person,from whom start all actions from of old, is to be approached for guidance.
Only they, who have no ego-delusions, have overcome the weakness of attachments, have no passionate longings, and are free from the binding pairs of pain and pleasure, attain, without losing their way,that imperishable state.
And that state is such that no sun or moon illuminate it. There is no return, once that high state of MINE is reached!
It is only a part of ME, that in the mortal world takes the form of the soul, and it carries with it the natural powers of the six sense organs including the mind.
Whichever body this divine soul enters or leaves, it takes these along, just as the air takes the scents from inside of things.
It experiences the objects, through ear,eye, touch, tongue,nose and the mind. Deluded people do not perceive this soul with its qualities,as it enters, experiences and leaves; only those whose eyes are opened by knowledge perceive it.
The yogis who practise continuously see the soul inside themselves; the senseless people with no self-control never can do it, however much they try.
The energy in the sun that brightens up the whole world, that in the moon and in the fire, is all My energy.
I enter the world and support all beings. I become the Soma in the form of sap and nourish all plants.
I enter the world and, by my strength, support all beings. I become the fire in the bodies of living beings, and, with the help of life-forces, digest the four different types of food.
I am present in the hearts of all; from Me come memory and learning, as well as their loss; it is I alone who is the subject of all scriptures; I initiated the vedanthic philosophy and I alone understand the Vedas.
Thus I have told you the most secret of sciences. Anybody who understands this will be truly wise and will achieve his life-aim.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 14
Again I shall describe to you that knowledge above all knowledge, with which the sages have attained the highest of states.
Those who have become like ME, with the aid of this knowledge, will not be born at the time of creation, nor will they suffer at the dissolution of the world.
The great Nature is the womb, in which I place the seed from which is the birth of all beings. Arjuna, whatever forms come from different wombs, Nature is the common womb, and I the seed.-providing father.
The immortal soul is bound in the body by the natural qualities, satva, rajas, and tamas.Among them, satva is pure and shining, and does no harm. It binds through attachment to happiness and to knowledge.
Rajas is, it is to be understood, coloured and born out of greed, and it binds through attachment to action. Tamas is born out of ignorance, and is soporific, and binds through proneness to mistakes, laziness and sleepiness.
Satva inclines to happiness, rajas to activeness, and tamas, clouding the intelligence, to mistakes. Satva, overcoming the other two, comes forth sometimes; rajas sometimes overcomes the other two; and similarly tamas the others.
When in all the sense organs in the body, intelligence shines, then you know that satva is dominant; When rajas is dominant, come ambition, restlessness,venturesomeness,and inability to stop work. And when tamas is dominant, come dullness, inertia, mistakes, and confusion.
Satvic persons go up, rajasic remain where they are, and the tamasic, at the bottom of these qualities, go down.When the self understands that all actions are done by these Natural properties alone, and realizes the One beyond the senses, then he indeed becomes ME.
It is when the self rises beyond these properties belonging only to the body, that he becomes free of the miseries of birth, death and old age, and attains immortality.
Arjuna:
By what signs can can such a person beyond these natural laws be recognized? How will he conduct himself? And how can one overcome these laws?
Krishna:
He who has gone beyond these laws, is not upset when any of these,satvic, rajasic or tamasic appear, and never long for them when they disappear. As if indifferent, he is not shaken by them; remains firm knowing that this is only the operation of the laws of nature.
He remains same in happiness and sorrow, self-confident, same towards log, stone and gold, same in pain and pleasure, same to praise or censure, mature, same in honour and dishonour, and impartial to friend and foe, and not interested in new ventures.
He who serves ME with undiluted devotion, overcomes these natural laws and attains immortality. I am at the base of the immortal undecaying Brahma, of the eternal laws of Duty, and of the highest happiness.
Those who have become like ME, with the aid of this knowledge, will not be born at the time of creation, nor will they suffer at the dissolution of the world.
The great Nature is the womb, in which I place the seed from which is the birth of all beings. Arjuna, whatever forms come from different wombs, Nature is the common womb, and I the seed.-providing father.
The immortal soul is bound in the body by the natural qualities, satva, rajas, and tamas.Among them, satva is pure and shining, and does no harm. It binds through attachment to happiness and to knowledge.
Rajas is, it is to be understood, coloured and born out of greed, and it binds through attachment to action. Tamas is born out of ignorance, and is soporific, and binds through proneness to mistakes, laziness and sleepiness.
Satva inclines to happiness, rajas to activeness, and tamas, clouding the intelligence, to mistakes. Satva, overcoming the other two, comes forth sometimes; rajas sometimes overcomes the other two; and similarly tamas the others.
When in all the sense organs in the body, intelligence shines, then you know that satva is dominant; When rajas is dominant, come ambition, restlessness,venturesomeness,and inability to stop work. And when tamas is dominant, come dullness, inertia, mistakes, and confusion.
Satvic persons go up, rajasic remain where they are, and the tamasic, at the bottom of these qualities, go down.When the self understands that all actions are done by these Natural properties alone, and realizes the One beyond the senses, then he indeed becomes ME.
It is when the self rises beyond these properties belonging only to the body, that he becomes free of the miseries of birth, death and old age, and attains immortality.
Arjuna:
By what signs can can such a person beyond these natural laws be recognized? How will he conduct himself? And how can one overcome these laws?
Krishna:
He who has gone beyond these laws, is not upset when any of these,satvic, rajasic or tamasic appear, and never long for them when they disappear. As if indifferent, he is not shaken by them; remains firm knowing that this is only the operation of the laws of nature.
He remains same in happiness and sorrow, self-confident, same towards log, stone and gold, same in pain and pleasure, same to praise or censure, mature, same in honour and dishonour, and impartial to friend and foe, and not interested in new ventures.
He who serves ME with undiluted devotion, overcomes these natural laws and attains immortality. I am at the base of the immortal undecaying Brahma, of the eternal laws of Duty, and of the highest happiness.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 13
This body is called "kshetra", Arjuna, and that which is conscious of it is called "kshetrajna" by the knowing. This kshetrajna inside all bodies is ME only.
The distinguishing between kshetra and kshetrajna is what I would consider as knowledge.
Listen, Arjuna, what this kshetra is, of what kind, how it changes,from where it comes, I shall tell you in brief, and also of what power he is, the kshetrajna.
It has been sung by many seers of old, separately in various kinds of metre, as well as in the aphorisms of Brahmasootra based on reasoning.
Five elements, ego, intellect, basic nature of things, the ten senses,mind, and five objects of sense, like, dislike, pain, pleasure,body structure, consciousness, endurance are in brief kshetra, with all its manifestations.
Humility, absence of self-glorification, of haughtiness, and of violent temper, patience, straightforwardness, respectfulness towards teachers, cleanliness, steadfastness, self control, lack of attachment to objects of senses, absence of egoism, understanding the essential sadness of existence with its birth,death, decay, and disease, lack of attachment to, and identification with, wife, children, and home,equanimity at all times, undiluted and complete devotion to ME, love of solitude, aversion to crowds, constant study of spiritual texts,and finally contemplation of the fruits of self-realization, these are what is called knowledge.
Ignorance is the opposite of all these.
Now I shall tell you what is worth knowing, by which immortality is achieved. Beginning-less, supreme, it is Brahma; it cannot be said to exist or not to exist.
Legs and hands it has everywhere,it has face sand eyes and mouths everywhere, it has its ears everywhere, it surrounds everything.Exhibiting the properties of all senses, but devoid of all senses,unattached, but supporting all, itself devoid of personal qualities but cause of them, inside and outside of all beings, inert and at the same time active, unperceivable because of its smallness, far away and also near.
Pervading undivided all beings, it appears divided; it nourishes,destroys and produces everything.
Light of all lights, untouched by darkness, knowledge and the known,situated in the hearts of all .
I have thus explained concisely what kshetra, what true knowledge,what the ultimate object of knowledge are.
Know that Nature and universal Person are both without beginning. The various manifestations and their qualities are derived from Nature. Cause and effect relation is also a natural phenomenon. The Person it is who experiences.
The Person entering into Nature experiences the qualities inherent in Nature. That is because of his connection to the sense organs of high as well as low born beings.Watching, permitting, protecting, experiencing, dominating, this Person, also called the Supreme Soul, is quite different from Nature.
He who realizes this Person and Nature with its qualities, is never reborn, whatever and wherever he is.
By meditation, some see the Supreme Self in oneself through oneself;some by the Sankhya practice of reasoned thinking, some through detached action of Karmayoga.
There are others who without this knowledge, but hearing from others,practise.They also, following attentively what they heard, do overcome death.Whatever thing is born, animate or inanimate, is from the union of kshetra and kshetrajna, you may understand.
Only he sees, who sees equally in all beings that supreme Person who never dies when all others die.
He, who sees that supreme Power residing equally everywhere, does not weaken himself, and attains the supreme state.
Only he sees, who sees that all actions are done by Nature alone, and that the Self does not do anything.
When one realizes that all the various forms are of only One Reality and emanate from only it, he becomes united with Brahma.
This supreme immortal Soul, even as he resides in mortal bodies, doe snot act and is not affected, because he is without beginning, and he has no qualities.
Just as the all-pervading space, because of its fineness, is not affected, so the Self residing in all bodies, is not affected.
Just as the one sun illuminates the whole world, so the Self illuminates all the non-self, Arjuna.
Those who, through contemplation, know about this difference between the kshetrajna and the kshetra , and about the liberation from Nature, attain the highest.
The distinguishing between kshetra and kshetrajna is what I would consider as knowledge.
Listen, Arjuna, what this kshetra is, of what kind, how it changes,from where it comes, I shall tell you in brief, and also of what power he is, the kshetrajna.
It has been sung by many seers of old, separately in various kinds of metre, as well as in the aphorisms of Brahmasootra based on reasoning.
Five elements, ego, intellect, basic nature of things, the ten senses,mind, and five objects of sense, like, dislike, pain, pleasure,body structure, consciousness, endurance are in brief kshetra, with all its manifestations.
Humility, absence of self-glorification, of haughtiness, and of violent temper, patience, straightforwardness, respectfulness towards teachers, cleanliness, steadfastness, self control, lack of attachment to objects of senses, absence of egoism, understanding the essential sadness of existence with its birth,death, decay, and disease, lack of attachment to, and identification with, wife, children, and home,equanimity at all times, undiluted and complete devotion to ME, love of solitude, aversion to crowds, constant study of spiritual texts,and finally contemplation of the fruits of self-realization, these are what is called knowledge.
Ignorance is the opposite of all these.
Now I shall tell you what is worth knowing, by which immortality is achieved. Beginning-less, supreme, it is Brahma; it cannot be said to exist or not to exist.
Legs and hands it has everywhere,it has face sand eyes and mouths everywhere, it has its ears everywhere, it surrounds everything.Exhibiting the properties of all senses, but devoid of all senses,unattached, but supporting all, itself devoid of personal qualities but cause of them, inside and outside of all beings, inert and at the same time active, unperceivable because of its smallness, far away and also near.
Pervading undivided all beings, it appears divided; it nourishes,destroys and produces everything.
Light of all lights, untouched by darkness, knowledge and the known,situated in the hearts of all .
I have thus explained concisely what kshetra, what true knowledge,what the ultimate object of knowledge are.
Know that Nature and universal Person are both without beginning. The various manifestations and their qualities are derived from Nature. Cause and effect relation is also a natural phenomenon. The Person it is who experiences.
The Person entering into Nature experiences the qualities inherent in Nature. That is because of his connection to the sense organs of high as well as low born beings.Watching, permitting, protecting, experiencing, dominating, this Person, also called the Supreme Soul, is quite different from Nature.
He who realizes this Person and Nature with its qualities, is never reborn, whatever and wherever he is.
By meditation, some see the Supreme Self in oneself through oneself;some by the Sankhya practice of reasoned thinking, some through detached action of Karmayoga.
There are others who without this knowledge, but hearing from others,practise.They also, following attentively what they heard, do overcome death.Whatever thing is born, animate or inanimate, is from the union of kshetra and kshetrajna, you may understand.
Only he sees, who sees equally in all beings that supreme Person who never dies when all others die.
He, who sees that supreme Power residing equally everywhere, does not weaken himself, and attains the supreme state.
Only he sees, who sees that all actions are done by Nature alone, and that the Self does not do anything.
When one realizes that all the various forms are of only One Reality and emanate from only it, he becomes united with Brahma.
This supreme immortal Soul, even as he resides in mortal bodies, doe snot act and is not affected, because he is without beginning, and he has no qualities.
Just as the all-pervading space, because of its fineness, is not affected, so the Self residing in all bodies, is not affected.
Just as the one sun illuminates the whole world, so the Self illuminates all the non-self, Arjuna.
Those who, through contemplation, know about this difference between the kshetrajna and the kshetra , and about the liberation from Nature, attain the highest.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 12
Arjuna:
Of these devotees who always worship you thus, and of those who worship the eternal formless, who has understood best the essence of yoga?
Krishna:
They who worship ME with full faith and devotion are, I consider,the best of yogis.And they also come to ME, who, with all senses under control, worship the undecaying Truth, indescribable ,formless, all-pervading,impregnable, unshakable and constant, and who, regarding all as equals, are committed to the welfare of all beings.
It is however more difficult for them who are attached to the Formless; envisaging the formless is surely not easy for the body-bound souls.
They who do their deeds, leaving the results to ME in full faith, and worship ME, and contemplate on Me and ME alone, I will quickly lift them up from the ocean of birth-cycles.Let your mind and intellect remain fixed in ME.
Certainly you will remain in ME in the hereafter. However if you are not able to concentrate your mind on ME, then, Arjuna, you try to achieve it by practice.
And if you find it difficult to practise regularly, do all your actions for ME. They also who dedicate all actions to ME attain liberation.In case you cannot do even this, try to give up expectations of results while doing your deeds, trusting in ME and controlling your mind.
Reasoned knowledge is better than practice; better than that is contemplation; and renunciation of results is better still. From renunciation comes peace.
The devotee who hates no being, and is friendly, compassionate,unselfish, humble, composed in pain and pleasure, tolerant, always contented, diligently striving , self-controlled, firm in resolve,committed to ME in mind and will, is dear to ME.
He who upsets nobody and is upset by none, who is devoid of excessive joy, anger and fear, is dear to Me.
Independent of circumstances, pure in heart, dexterous, always striving, impartial, healthy, not seeking any gains, such a devotee is dear to ME.
He who is not overjoyed, who is not prone to anger or sorrow, who does not hanker after things, indifferent to good or bad outcome, and is devoted to ME is dear to ME.
Treating friend or foe equally, and same in honour and dishonour, same in heat or cold, in pain or pleasure, detached, same in praise or censure, reserved, satisfied with whatever he gets, not tied to particular place, of steady mind, such a man is dear to ME.
And those devotees who follow, attentively and in full faith, this rejuvenating way of righteousness, as told by ME, is extremely dear to ME.
Of these devotees who always worship you thus, and of those who worship the eternal formless, who has understood best the essence of yoga?
Krishna:
They who worship ME with full faith and devotion are, I consider,the best of yogis.And they also come to ME, who, with all senses under control, worship the undecaying Truth, indescribable ,formless, all-pervading,impregnable, unshakable and constant, and who, regarding all as equals, are committed to the welfare of all beings.
It is however more difficult for them who are attached to the Formless; envisaging the formless is surely not easy for the body-bound souls.
They who do their deeds, leaving the results to ME in full faith, and worship ME, and contemplate on Me and ME alone, I will quickly lift them up from the ocean of birth-cycles.Let your mind and intellect remain fixed in ME.
Certainly you will remain in ME in the hereafter. However if you are not able to concentrate your mind on ME, then, Arjuna, you try to achieve it by practice.
And if you find it difficult to practise regularly, do all your actions for ME. They also who dedicate all actions to ME attain liberation.In case you cannot do even this, try to give up expectations of results while doing your deeds, trusting in ME and controlling your mind.
Reasoned knowledge is better than practice; better than that is contemplation; and renunciation of results is better still. From renunciation comes peace.
The devotee who hates no being, and is friendly, compassionate,unselfish, humble, composed in pain and pleasure, tolerant, always contented, diligently striving , self-controlled, firm in resolve,committed to ME in mind and will, is dear to ME.
He who upsets nobody and is upset by none, who is devoid of excessive joy, anger and fear, is dear to Me.
Independent of circumstances, pure in heart, dexterous, always striving, impartial, healthy, not seeking any gains, such a devotee is dear to ME.
He who is not overjoyed, who is not prone to anger or sorrow, who does not hanker after things, indifferent to good or bad outcome, and is devoted to ME is dear to ME.
Treating friend or foe equally, and same in honour and dishonour, same in heat or cold, in pain or pleasure, detached, same in praise or censure, reserved, satisfied with whatever he gets, not tied to particular place, of steady mind, such a man is dear to ME.
And those devotees who follow, attentively and in full faith, this rejuvenating way of righteousness, as told by ME, is extremely dear to ME.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 11
Arjuna:
The words, expounding the secret knowledge concerning the Self, which you have out of love for me spoken, has dispelled my confusion.
The origin and end of creation, I have heard in detail from you,and the inexhaustible greatness of YOURS.
I would like to see YOUR lordly form just as YOU have described it to me, Krishna. If YOU, master of yoga, think that it is possible for me to see it, please show me YOUR immortal Self.
Krishna :
Look, Arjuna, see MY manifold forms, supernatural and of many colours and shapes, in hundreds and thousands.
You may see the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Aswins, and the Maruts. See the many never-before-seen wonders, Arjuna.
Here in MY body, see now all the whole world of animate and inanimate beings, together in one place, and whatever else you want to see.
You will not be able to see ME with these eyes of yours; I will give you divine eyes so that you can see MY extraordinary powers.
[The narrator Sanjaya continues:
And so saying, Krishna, the greatest of all yogis, revealed to Arjuna His supernatural incomparable form; of innumerable faces, innumerable eyes, full of innumerable wonders, decked in innumerable heavenly ornaments, carrying innumerable godly weapons, wearing heavenly garlands and clothes, exuding heavenly scents, wonderful beyond anything, angelic, limitless, filling the whole universe.
If a thousand suns rose up in the sky at the same time, that might equal the brightness of the supreme Lord!
There in one place, Arjuna saw the whole world with its many various parts in the body of the God of all gods. Then stunned by wonder, and hairs on end, Arjuna bowed low his head and said with folded hands]
Arjuna:
Lord, I see in your body all the gods, multitudes of all sorts of beings, the lotus-seated lordly Creator, all the prophets, and heavenly Serpents.
Countless arms, stomachs, faces, eyes, and all-pervading form, I see you everywhere. Lord of all worlds, revealed in the form of the universe, I see no beginning, middle or end to you.
Crowned, wielding mace and the toothed disc, massed energy glowing all round, dazzling to the eyes, bright as flaming fire and sun, I see you and am not able to make out.
You are the eternal supreme of all things to be known, you are the foundation of the universe, you are the eternal protector of righteousness, you are, I think, the most ancient Person.
I see before me, your form without beginning, middle or end, with innumerable arms, with the sun and moon for eyes, of unlimited majesty, mouth emitting glowing flames of fire, heating up the universe with the energy emitted by you.
All the space between space and earth, and all around in all directions, is filled by your one form. Seeing this terrible and wonderful form of yours, the three worlds look troubled, oh great Soul!
There, multitudes of gods enter into you; terrified, some of them with folded hands pray to you; sages and the realized souls hail you and praise you with copious hymns.
And stunned, rudras adityas, vasus sadhyas, vishwedevas aswins maruts heat-guzzling spirits gandharvas rakshasas asuras sidhas, all of them stare at you.
The whole world, as well as I, is very much disturbed by the sight of this terrible form of yours, with so many faces and eyes, so many hands thighs feet, so many stomachs, so many projecting teeth.
Seeing you, towering up to the sky, glowing multicoloured, with glowing big eyes, my innermost heart shaken, I am not able to stand steady, or to compose myself.
And seeing also so many faces of yours, with their projecting teeth, like to the fires at the world,s dissolution, I lose sense of direction, and find no peace. Lord of all gods, residing inside the whole world, have mercy on me!
And all the sons of Dhritharashtra, along with hordes of kings, and so Bhishma, Drona, this charioteer's son Karna, and also our great commanders of the army, rush hurrying into your fearsome mouths with projecting teeth. Some are seen caught in between the teeth and ground to powder,
Like to many water currents of rivers rushing into the sea, these valiant princes enter your flaming mouths.
Like to insects flying to perish in the glowing fire, even so these people hurry to perish with growing speed into your mouth.
You continuously sway your flaming tongues to catch all the people around you. The terrible glows from you spread their heat around and burn up the whole world,
Please tell me who you are of this terrible form.
I bow before you, have mercy on me, God of gods, I want to fully know you, the First of all existence. I don't at all understand what you are doing, all pervading Lord.
And Krishna said:
I am TIME, ready to consume the worlds, and am beginning now to destroy all here. Except for you, none assembled in these several armies will survive .
Therefore rise up, earn fame by defeating your enemies, and enjoy the rich kingdom. They have been effectively killed by Me already.
Arjuna, be you only the accidental cause of it, You kill Bhishma, Drona, Jayadrathha, and Karna, and all other valiant warriors, already killed by ME. Do not worry. Fight and you will definitely defeat your enemies.
{Sanjaya contiues:
Arjuna, hearing these words of Krishna, quivering with folded hands, again and again bowed before him and overwhelmed by fear spoke falteringly.}
Arjuna :
Krishna, it is indeed fit that the world takes pleasure in praising you and is attracted to you. Demons flee afraid in all directions, and all realized souls bow before you.
Why should they not bow before you, Great Soul. You are greater than the Creator and created the creator himself! You are the Eternal Truth, perceived and unperceived, and what is beyond, Limitless lord of gods, pervading all the worlds!
You are the first of gods, the most ancient Person, you are the ultimate resting-place of the universe, you are the only knower of all that is to be known, and the highest abode.
The universe is wrapped around by you, oh One of endless form! You are vayu, yama, varuna, moon, prajapathi, and the parent of all ancestors. Thousand times I bow to you, and still again and again I continue to bow before you.
From the front, from the rear, from all directions, bow I to you, All-encompassing One! Your power is limitless, and prowess is immeasurable, and that is why you are All-encompassing!
Taking you as a friend, I, without knowing your greatness, have often called you by name, Krishna, yadava, friend and so on, due to carelessness or out of love. And I have sometimes teased you for fun during meal, play and rest, alone or in front of others. I seek forgiveness of you for all that, Oh Unfathomable One!
You are the progenitor of all created things, animate or inanimate, you are the greatest teacher, and the most worshipful. Your powers are unequalled, there is no equal to you, what to say about anybody greater, in the three worlds!
Therefore I bow and prostrate before you, and propitiate you, praise-worthy Lord! Please forgive me, like a father his son, a friend his friend or a lover his beloved.
Looking at this hitherto-unseen figure, I feel great happiness, but my mind is also highly disturbed. Show me again your other form, all-pervading God of gods. I want to see you, in that four- armed form of yours, with the crown, mace and toothed wheel, oh thousand-armed omnipresent One.
Krishna:
Arjuna, I, by My magical powers, have happily shown you this great form of mine, which nobody other than you has ever seen, the universal limitless blazing primordial.
Not by study of vedas, not by practice of sacrifices, not by alms-giving, not by great penances, or any other rites, is it possible for any mortal to see this form of MINE.
Do not be perturbed, do not be perplexed, by having seen such a terrible form of MINE. Without fear, and with relieved mind, see again that form you wanted to see.
[ And saying this, Vasudeva again showed Arjuna that other mild form of his, and consoled him out of his fear.]
Arjuna spoke then:
I am relieved seeing this mild human form of yours, my mind is clear and I am myself again.
Krishna:
The inscrutable form of MINE you have seen is one which even the gods always yearn to see. I say again, not by vedas,penances, sacrifices or offerings,is it possible to see Me as you have seen ME.
Only by intense devotion it is possible to see ME, to know Me truly and to be one with ME.
He who, loving Me with all his heart, devotes all his actions to Me without other attachments, he who has no enmity to any being, comes to ME, Arjuna.
The words, expounding the secret knowledge concerning the Self, which you have out of love for me spoken, has dispelled my confusion.
The origin and end of creation, I have heard in detail from you,and the inexhaustible greatness of YOURS.
I would like to see YOUR lordly form just as YOU have described it to me, Krishna. If YOU, master of yoga, think that it is possible for me to see it, please show me YOUR immortal Self.
Krishna :
Look, Arjuna, see MY manifold forms, supernatural and of many colours and shapes, in hundreds and thousands.
You may see the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Aswins, and the Maruts. See the many never-before-seen wonders, Arjuna.
Here in MY body, see now all the whole world of animate and inanimate beings, together in one place, and whatever else you want to see.
You will not be able to see ME with these eyes of yours; I will give you divine eyes so that you can see MY extraordinary powers.
[The narrator Sanjaya continues:
And so saying, Krishna, the greatest of all yogis, revealed to Arjuna His supernatural incomparable form; of innumerable faces, innumerable eyes, full of innumerable wonders, decked in innumerable heavenly ornaments, carrying innumerable godly weapons, wearing heavenly garlands and clothes, exuding heavenly scents, wonderful beyond anything, angelic, limitless, filling the whole universe.
If a thousand suns rose up in the sky at the same time, that might equal the brightness of the supreme Lord!
There in one place, Arjuna saw the whole world with its many various parts in the body of the God of all gods. Then stunned by wonder, and hairs on end, Arjuna bowed low his head and said with folded hands]
Arjuna:
Lord, I see in your body all the gods, multitudes of all sorts of beings, the lotus-seated lordly Creator, all the prophets, and heavenly Serpents.
Countless arms, stomachs, faces, eyes, and all-pervading form, I see you everywhere. Lord of all worlds, revealed in the form of the universe, I see no beginning, middle or end to you.
Crowned, wielding mace and the toothed disc, massed energy glowing all round, dazzling to the eyes, bright as flaming fire and sun, I see you and am not able to make out.
You are the eternal supreme of all things to be known, you are the foundation of the universe, you are the eternal protector of righteousness, you are, I think, the most ancient Person.
I see before me, your form without beginning, middle or end, with innumerable arms, with the sun and moon for eyes, of unlimited majesty, mouth emitting glowing flames of fire, heating up the universe with the energy emitted by you.
All the space between space and earth, and all around in all directions, is filled by your one form. Seeing this terrible and wonderful form of yours, the three worlds look troubled, oh great Soul!
There, multitudes of gods enter into you; terrified, some of them with folded hands pray to you; sages and the realized souls hail you and praise you with copious hymns.
And stunned, rudras adityas, vasus sadhyas, vishwedevas aswins maruts heat-guzzling spirits gandharvas rakshasas asuras sidhas, all of them stare at you.
The whole world, as well as I, is very much disturbed by the sight of this terrible form of yours, with so many faces and eyes, so many hands thighs feet, so many stomachs, so many projecting teeth.
Seeing you, towering up to the sky, glowing multicoloured, with glowing big eyes, my innermost heart shaken, I am not able to stand steady, or to compose myself.
And seeing also so many faces of yours, with their projecting teeth, like to the fires at the world,s dissolution, I lose sense of direction, and find no peace. Lord of all gods, residing inside the whole world, have mercy on me!
And all the sons of Dhritharashtra, along with hordes of kings, and so Bhishma, Drona, this charioteer's son Karna, and also our great commanders of the army, rush hurrying into your fearsome mouths with projecting teeth. Some are seen caught in between the teeth and ground to powder,
Like to many water currents of rivers rushing into the sea, these valiant princes enter your flaming mouths.
Like to insects flying to perish in the glowing fire, even so these people hurry to perish with growing speed into your mouth.
You continuously sway your flaming tongues to catch all the people around you. The terrible glows from you spread their heat around and burn up the whole world,
Please tell me who you are of this terrible form.
I bow before you, have mercy on me, God of gods, I want to fully know you, the First of all existence. I don't at all understand what you are doing, all pervading Lord.
And Krishna said:
I am TIME, ready to consume the worlds, and am beginning now to destroy all here. Except for you, none assembled in these several armies will survive .
Therefore rise up, earn fame by defeating your enemies, and enjoy the rich kingdom. They have been effectively killed by Me already.
Arjuna, be you only the accidental cause of it, You kill Bhishma, Drona, Jayadrathha, and Karna, and all other valiant warriors, already killed by ME. Do not worry. Fight and you will definitely defeat your enemies.
{Sanjaya contiues:
Arjuna, hearing these words of Krishna, quivering with folded hands, again and again bowed before him and overwhelmed by fear spoke falteringly.}
Arjuna :
Krishna, it is indeed fit that the world takes pleasure in praising you and is attracted to you. Demons flee afraid in all directions, and all realized souls bow before you.
Why should they not bow before you, Great Soul. You are greater than the Creator and created the creator himself! You are the Eternal Truth, perceived and unperceived, and what is beyond, Limitless lord of gods, pervading all the worlds!
You are the first of gods, the most ancient Person, you are the ultimate resting-place of the universe, you are the only knower of all that is to be known, and the highest abode.
The universe is wrapped around by you, oh One of endless form! You are vayu, yama, varuna, moon, prajapathi, and the parent of all ancestors. Thousand times I bow to you, and still again and again I continue to bow before you.
From the front, from the rear, from all directions, bow I to you, All-encompassing One! Your power is limitless, and prowess is immeasurable, and that is why you are All-encompassing!
Taking you as a friend, I, without knowing your greatness, have often called you by name, Krishna, yadava, friend and so on, due to carelessness or out of love. And I have sometimes teased you for fun during meal, play and rest, alone or in front of others. I seek forgiveness of you for all that, Oh Unfathomable One!
You are the progenitor of all created things, animate or inanimate, you are the greatest teacher, and the most worshipful. Your powers are unequalled, there is no equal to you, what to say about anybody greater, in the three worlds!
Therefore I bow and prostrate before you, and propitiate you, praise-worthy Lord! Please forgive me, like a father his son, a friend his friend or a lover his beloved.
Looking at this hitherto-unseen figure, I feel great happiness, but my mind is also highly disturbed. Show me again your other form, all-pervading God of gods. I want to see you, in that four- armed form of yours, with the crown, mace and toothed wheel, oh thousand-armed omnipresent One.
Krishna:
Arjuna, I, by My magical powers, have happily shown you this great form of mine, which nobody other than you has ever seen, the universal limitless blazing primordial.
Not by study of vedas, not by practice of sacrifices, not by alms-giving, not by great penances, or any other rites, is it possible for any mortal to see this form of MINE.
Do not be perturbed, do not be perplexed, by having seen such a terrible form of MINE. Without fear, and with relieved mind, see again that form you wanted to see.
[ And saying this, Vasudeva again showed Arjuna that other mild form of his, and consoled him out of his fear.]
Arjuna spoke then:
I am relieved seeing this mild human form of yours, my mind is clear and I am myself again.
Krishna:
The inscrutable form of MINE you have seen is one which even the gods always yearn to see. I say again, not by vedas,penances, sacrifices or offerings,is it possible to see Me as you have seen ME.
Only by intense devotion it is possible to see ME, to know Me truly and to be one with ME.
He who, loving Me with all his heart, devotes all his actions to Me without other attachments, he who has no enmity to any being, comes to ME, Arjuna.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 10
Krishna:
Again, please, Arjuna, listen to my words of great importance,which I am telling you because you like to hear ME, and because I wish your well-being.
Neither the gods, nor the great Seers know MY origins. I am the the origin of the gods and the seers.
Among men, he, who, not deceived by maya, knows ME as the unborn beginning-less Lord of all the worlds, will be freed from all sins.
The various kinds of mental states found among beings, intelligence,knowledge, clarity of mind, patience, truth, mastery of body and mind,pleasure, pain, birth , death, fear, courage, nonviolence, equality,contentment, penance, generousness, fame, notoriety, are all derived from ME.
The ancient seven Maharshis and the four Manus, are MY mental manifestations; all this creation is their progeny.
When he who knows truly this greatness and power of MINE, his yoga will be unshakable, no doubt about it.
Wise men worship ME with devotion, knowing that I am the source of all things and that all things proceed from ME. They enjoy themselves, happily thinking of ME, all senses centred on ME, and talking about ME among themselves.
To those who, thus always devoted, worship ME with pleasure, I impart the knowledge by which they could come to ME. In compassion to them. I dispel the darkness of their ignorance by the bright light of knowledge.
Arjuna:
You are the supreme brahma, the supreme abode, the holiest of holies;and all the seers, Narada the godly saint, Asitha, Devala and Vyasahave all described you as the one eternal person, resplendent first god, all-pervading , without birth.
You yourself tell me so.I believe all this you tell me. Nobody, not the devas not the asuras,know your real nature. Only You know you completely, supreme Person,the creator and lord of all beings, god of all gods, and master of the worlds.
Please tell me all your divine powers in full, by means of which you spread yourself through all these worlds.
O master of yoga, how may I, constantly thinking about you, know you? In what forms should I think of you, lord? Please tell me again in detail all your yogic powers, Krishna. I am never satisfied,hearing your invigorating words.
Krishna:
Ah! I will tell you the most important of all MY divine powers,there is no limit if I narrate all.I am the Soul abiding in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning,middle and end of all existence.
I am Vishnu among the Aadityas, the Sun among all the stars, Marichi among the wind-gods, the Moon among planets. and Saamaveda among vedas.
I am Indra among devas, Mind among senses, Life in all beings, Shiva among the Rudras, Kubera among yakshas and rakshasas, Agni among the Vasus, Meru among the mountains, Brihaspathi among chief priests,Subrahmanya among the military commanders, Ocean among the seas,Bhrigu among the great seers.
I am Om among syllables, Japa-offering among all offerings,the Himalayas among the inanimate, Banyan tree among all trees, Narada among the heavenly saints, Chitrarathha among gandharvas, Kapila among all the realized.
I am Ucchhaisravas the nectar-born among horses, Airavata among great elephants, king among men, Thunderbolt among weapons, Kamadhenu among cows, Kamadeva that inspires life, Vasuki among snakes, Anantha among nagas, Varuna of all marine life, Aryama among the ancestral spirits,Yama among all law-enforcers, Prahlada among asuras, Time among all measurable things, lion among all beasts, Garuda among birds, Wind among all the moving, Rama among all warriors, whale among fish, the Ganges among rivers.
I am the beginning, middle and end of creation, spiritual knowledge of all knowledge, rhetoric in debates, A of all letters, dwandva among compound words.
I am also the never-ending Time, the all around Support, all-annihilating Death, Birth of all future, and among women, Fame,goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswathi, Memory, Intelligence, Perseverance,Patience.
I am the Brihadsama in Samaveda, Gayathri among the metrical hymns,April among months, and Spring among seasons.
I am Dice-Game of the gamblers, Valour of the valiant, I am Victory,Perseverence, Energy of the energetic.
I am among the vrishnis Vasudeva, and of the pandavas Arjuna, Vyasaamong all saints, of all seers Ushanas.
I am the Rod of those who chastise, Diplomacy of those who strive towin, Silence of those who keep secrets, Knowledge of the learned.
Whatever is the Seed of all beings, I am that, Arjuna. There isnothing, animate or inanimate, in this world, outside of ME.
There is no limit to MY divine powers, Arjuna. This is only a summaryI nave given of MY unlimited powers.
Whatever object possesses anyexcellence, nobility or power, you can take it that it is come from apart of MY energy.Or what is the use of knowing all this,Arjuna? I encompass this wholeuniverse with a small part of MINE.
Again, please, Arjuna, listen to my words of great importance,which I am telling you because you like to hear ME, and because I wish your well-being.
Neither the gods, nor the great Seers know MY origins. I am the the origin of the gods and the seers.
Among men, he, who, not deceived by maya, knows ME as the unborn beginning-less Lord of all the worlds, will be freed from all sins.
The various kinds of mental states found among beings, intelligence,knowledge, clarity of mind, patience, truth, mastery of body and mind,pleasure, pain, birth , death, fear, courage, nonviolence, equality,contentment, penance, generousness, fame, notoriety, are all derived from ME.
The ancient seven Maharshis and the four Manus, are MY mental manifestations; all this creation is their progeny.
When he who knows truly this greatness and power of MINE, his yoga will be unshakable, no doubt about it.
Wise men worship ME with devotion, knowing that I am the source of all things and that all things proceed from ME. They enjoy themselves, happily thinking of ME, all senses centred on ME, and talking about ME among themselves.
To those who, thus always devoted, worship ME with pleasure, I impart the knowledge by which they could come to ME. In compassion to them. I dispel the darkness of their ignorance by the bright light of knowledge.
Arjuna:
You are the supreme brahma, the supreme abode, the holiest of holies;and all the seers, Narada the godly saint, Asitha, Devala and Vyasahave all described you as the one eternal person, resplendent first god, all-pervading , without birth.
You yourself tell me so.I believe all this you tell me. Nobody, not the devas not the asuras,know your real nature. Only You know you completely, supreme Person,the creator and lord of all beings, god of all gods, and master of the worlds.
Please tell me all your divine powers in full, by means of which you spread yourself through all these worlds.
O master of yoga, how may I, constantly thinking about you, know you? In what forms should I think of you, lord? Please tell me again in detail all your yogic powers, Krishna. I am never satisfied,hearing your invigorating words.
Krishna:
Ah! I will tell you the most important of all MY divine powers,there is no limit if I narrate all.I am the Soul abiding in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning,middle and end of all existence.
I am Vishnu among the Aadityas, the Sun among all the stars, Marichi among the wind-gods, the Moon among planets. and Saamaveda among vedas.
I am Indra among devas, Mind among senses, Life in all beings, Shiva among the Rudras, Kubera among yakshas and rakshasas, Agni among the Vasus, Meru among the mountains, Brihaspathi among chief priests,Subrahmanya among the military commanders, Ocean among the seas,Bhrigu among the great seers.
I am Om among syllables, Japa-offering among all offerings,the Himalayas among the inanimate, Banyan tree among all trees, Narada among the heavenly saints, Chitrarathha among gandharvas, Kapila among all the realized.
I am Ucchhaisravas the nectar-born among horses, Airavata among great elephants, king among men, Thunderbolt among weapons, Kamadhenu among cows, Kamadeva that inspires life, Vasuki among snakes, Anantha among nagas, Varuna of all marine life, Aryama among the ancestral spirits,Yama among all law-enforcers, Prahlada among asuras, Time among all measurable things, lion among all beasts, Garuda among birds, Wind among all the moving, Rama among all warriors, whale among fish, the Ganges among rivers.
I am the beginning, middle and end of creation, spiritual knowledge of all knowledge, rhetoric in debates, A of all letters, dwandva among compound words.
I am also the never-ending Time, the all around Support, all-annihilating Death, Birth of all future, and among women, Fame,goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswathi, Memory, Intelligence, Perseverance,Patience.
I am the Brihadsama in Samaveda, Gayathri among the metrical hymns,April among months, and Spring among seasons.
I am Dice-Game of the gamblers, Valour of the valiant, I am Victory,Perseverence, Energy of the energetic.
I am among the vrishnis Vasudeva, and of the pandavas Arjuna, Vyasaamong all saints, of all seers Ushanas.
I am the Rod of those who chastise, Diplomacy of those who strive towin, Silence of those who keep secrets, Knowledge of the learned.
Whatever is the Seed of all beings, I am that, Arjuna. There isnothing, animate or inanimate, in this world, outside of ME.
There is no limit to MY divine powers, Arjuna. This is only a summaryI nave given of MY unlimited powers.
Whatever object possesses anyexcellence, nobility or power, you can take it that it is come from apart of MY energy.Or what is the use of knowing all this,Arjuna? I encompass this wholeuniverse with a small part of MINE.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 9
Krishna:
Arjuna, since you are so patient with me, I shall impart the most esoteric knowledge, spiritual as well as worldly, knowing which you will be free from all bad influences.
It is the most important of all learnings, deepest of all secrets, the most sacred, easy to comprehend, easy to practise, and conforming to righteousness.
Not paying attention to this philosophy, people return to the mortal cycle of life and death, without ever reaching ME.
This entire world is covered by MY invisible form; all beings are contained in ME, and I am in none of them. And they are however not a part of ME.
Look, Arjuna, owing to the powerful magic of MINE: though I bear and protect the world, I am not present really in this world.
Please understand that, in the same way as the air, spreading everywhere and limitless, exists in space, so are all the beings in ME.
At the time of final dissolution, all the beings merge into MY Nature and at the beginning of creation I release them. Through the power of MY Nature, I release again and again multitudes of beings, all helpless under its grip.
And these actions do not bind ME, Arjuna, since I remain neutral as if indifferent to them. With ME presiding, Nature gives birth to animate and inanimate objects; it is due to this that the world turns around, Arjuna.
Foolish people however think that I am in this mortal body; ignorant of MY true nature, which is all-powerful and unparalleled.
These mindless people, with their futile hopes, futile deeds, futile knowledge, remain bound to their numbing demoniac and asuric nature.
The mahatmas of angelic nature, on the other hand, worship ME and ME alone, knowing that I am the source of all life. Constantly chanting MY praises, striving firmly and observing the disciplines, submitting to ME with full devotion, they worship ME, with perseverance.
Others worship ME through the sacrifice of knowledge, as the only One,or as many, or as the all-pervading, in very many different ways.
I am the Vedic Sacrifice; I am that of the Smrithis, the funeral rites for dead ancestors; I am the medicinal herbs; I am the hymns; I am the ghee; I am the fire; I am the offering.
I am the father of all worlds, the mother, grandfather, and the creator. I am all that is worth knowing, the sacred symbol OM, I am the Rik, Sama and Yajur vedas.
I am the Goal, the Nourisher, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Protector, the Retreat, and the Friend. I am the Source, the Support, and the End. I contain everything, and I am the Eternal Seed.
I heat the earth, I cause the rain, and stop it; I sustain and destroy. I am the good and the bad.
Those who study the Vedas, pray for entry into the heaven, purified by partaking of the sacred soma juice offered in sacrifice to ME.
Those attaining the holy abode of gods experience all the divine enjoyments available there. After enjoying all the luxuries of the world of gods, when their accumulated merit is exhausted, they return to the world of men.
Thus those who, desirous of material enjoyments, follow the teachings of the Vedas, end up in the birth-and- rebirth cycle. Those who worship ME, dedicated to nobody else, I will look after their welfare
Even those who worship other gods, Arjuna, with devotion and faith, worship Me alone though not in the prescribed way.
It is I who accept all sacrifices, and reward them. They do not know ME truly, and so fall.
Those who worship the gods go to the gods; those who worship the ancestral spirits go to them; those who worship the demons go to them. And those who worship me come to ME.
Leaf, flower, fruit, water, whatever, if one, with devotion and purity of thought, offers, that I accept. Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you give, whatever you sacrifice, whatever penance you do, make it an offering to ME.
Thus, liberated by the true spirit of sanyas, you would be free of consequences, good and bad, of all deeds. To ME all are same; I have no hatred or partiality to anyone, whoever worships ME with devotion, is in ME, and I in them.
Even a sinner should be considered good, if he worships ME alone, and not others. Is he not on the right path!
Quickly his mind turns to righteousness, and he attains perennial peace. Arjuna, be assured, MY devotee will never perish.
Even those, of unprivileged birth, who depend on ME attain the highest state, be they women, traders, or workers. Then what to say about the pious brahmins, and devoted philosopher-kings!
Born into this ephemeral unhappy world, devote yourself to ME. Have ME in mind always, be devoted to ME, worship ME.
Composing the mind thus in full faith, you will attain ME.
Arjuna, since you are so patient with me, I shall impart the most esoteric knowledge, spiritual as well as worldly, knowing which you will be free from all bad influences.
It is the most important of all learnings, deepest of all secrets, the most sacred, easy to comprehend, easy to practise, and conforming to righteousness.
Not paying attention to this philosophy, people return to the mortal cycle of life and death, without ever reaching ME.
This entire world is covered by MY invisible form; all beings are contained in ME, and I am in none of them. And they are however not a part of ME.
Look, Arjuna, owing to the powerful magic of MINE: though I bear and protect the world, I am not present really in this world.
Please understand that, in the same way as the air, spreading everywhere and limitless, exists in space, so are all the beings in ME.
At the time of final dissolution, all the beings merge into MY Nature and at the beginning of creation I release them. Through the power of MY Nature, I release again and again multitudes of beings, all helpless under its grip.
And these actions do not bind ME, Arjuna, since I remain neutral as if indifferent to them. With ME presiding, Nature gives birth to animate and inanimate objects; it is due to this that the world turns around, Arjuna.
Foolish people however think that I am in this mortal body; ignorant of MY true nature, which is all-powerful and unparalleled.
These mindless people, with their futile hopes, futile deeds, futile knowledge, remain bound to their numbing demoniac and asuric nature.
The mahatmas of angelic nature, on the other hand, worship ME and ME alone, knowing that I am the source of all life. Constantly chanting MY praises, striving firmly and observing the disciplines, submitting to ME with full devotion, they worship ME, with perseverance.
Others worship ME through the sacrifice of knowledge, as the only One,or as many, or as the all-pervading, in very many different ways.
I am the Vedic Sacrifice; I am that of the Smrithis, the funeral rites for dead ancestors; I am the medicinal herbs; I am the hymns; I am the ghee; I am the fire; I am the offering.
I am the father of all worlds, the mother, grandfather, and the creator. I am all that is worth knowing, the sacred symbol OM, I am the Rik, Sama and Yajur vedas.
I am the Goal, the Nourisher, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Protector, the Retreat, and the Friend. I am the Source, the Support, and the End. I contain everything, and I am the Eternal Seed.
I heat the earth, I cause the rain, and stop it; I sustain and destroy. I am the good and the bad.
Those who study the Vedas, pray for entry into the heaven, purified by partaking of the sacred soma juice offered in sacrifice to ME.
Those attaining the holy abode of gods experience all the divine enjoyments available there. After enjoying all the luxuries of the world of gods, when their accumulated merit is exhausted, they return to the world of men.
Thus those who, desirous of material enjoyments, follow the teachings of the Vedas, end up in the birth-and- rebirth cycle. Those who worship ME, dedicated to nobody else, I will look after their welfare
Even those who worship other gods, Arjuna, with devotion and faith, worship Me alone though not in the prescribed way.
It is I who accept all sacrifices, and reward them. They do not know ME truly, and so fall.
Those who worship the gods go to the gods; those who worship the ancestral spirits go to them; those who worship the demons go to them. And those who worship me come to ME.
Leaf, flower, fruit, water, whatever, if one, with devotion and purity of thought, offers, that I accept. Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you give, whatever you sacrifice, whatever penance you do, make it an offering to ME.
Thus, liberated by the true spirit of sanyas, you would be free of consequences, good and bad, of all deeds. To ME all are same; I have no hatred or partiality to anyone, whoever worships ME with devotion, is in ME, and I in them.
Even a sinner should be considered good, if he worships ME alone, and not others. Is he not on the right path!
Quickly his mind turns to righteousness, and he attains perennial peace. Arjuna, be assured, MY devotee will never perish.
Even those, of unprivileged birth, who depend on ME attain the highest state, be they women, traders, or workers. Then what to say about the pious brahmins, and devoted philosopher-kings!
Born into this ephemeral unhappy world, devote yourself to ME. Have ME in mind always, be devoted to ME, worship ME.
Composing the mind thus in full faith, you will attain ME.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 8
Arjuna:
What is that brahma, what is “adhyatma”, what is “karma”, what is “adhibhootham”, and what is “adhidaivam”, you spoke about just now? And what and how is “adhiyajna” here in the body? How, at the time of death, are you to be known in the quietened mind?
Krishna:
Brahma is the supreme eternal principle; its presence in the living body is what is meant by adhyatma; karma is the action of creation and its progress, adhibhootham refers to all transitory things, adhidaivam is the universal divine Form; and it is only ME that is Adhiyajna, present inside all the bodies of the living.
What is that brahma, what is “adhyatma”, what is “karma”, what is “adhibhootham”, and what is “adhidaivam”, you spoke about just now? And what and how is “adhiyajna” here in the body? How, at the time of death, are you to be known in the quietened mind?
Krishna:
Brahma is the supreme eternal principle; its presence in the living body is what is meant by adhyatma; karma is the action of creation and its progress, adhibhootham refers to all transitory things, adhidaivam is the universal divine Form; and it is only ME that is Adhiyajna, present inside all the bodies of the living.
He, who, when he discards the body at the end of his life and goes from here, remembers ME alone, will be one with ME; there is no doubt about it.
Whatever one keeps in mind at the time of death, to that he goes, shaped as he is by those thoughts.
Therefore remember ME at all times, and fight on. He, whose mind and will are dedicated to me, will certainly come to ME.
By the single-minded recourse to practice and continuous contemplation, the supreme divine presence is realized, Arjuna.
He, who constantly contemplates with full devotion in his calm mind that all-knowing, most ancient, all-controlling, all-sustaining Power, smaller than the smallest, of unimaginable form, sunlike in its radiance, and beyond all darkness, attains, at the time of death, that supreme divine Power, his life-force gathered in between the brows by the strength of his yogic practice.
What the Vedic scholars call the undecaying, what the sanyasins devoid of attachments merge into, and for what the students undergo brahmacharya, that state, I will now tell you concisely.
He, who leaves the body, remembering ME in yogic contemplation and reciting the one syllable “OM” which is the symbol of brahma, with all sensory openings closed, the mind drawn inwards, the life-energy gathered in the head, attains the highest state.
To a yogi, who thinks of ME always single-mindedly, and who practises yoga with perseverance, I am easily accessible. The great souls who have come to ME are no more subject to the series of rebirth, which is the source of all misery.
Up to the world of the creator, all the worlds are subject to change; but there is no rebirth for anyone who is come to ME.
A day of the creator is equal to a thousand yugas of this world, and so also a night, another thousand yugas, according to those who know the science of calendar.
All individuals come into being from the unknown at the start of his day and vanish into the same unknown, at the start of night.
The same horde of beings appears again and again and helplessly vanishes at the start of night, to reappear at the start of day.
Beyond this unknown is another unknown of immemorial times, which does not perish when all others do perish.
That, is the eternal unknown, which, they say, is the ultimate goal. MY state is that from which there is no return.
That supreme PERSON, inside whom is contained all existence and by whom is all this wrapped around, is accessible only through single-minded devotion.
I shall now tell you the time, departing when, a yogi returns or does not return. Fire, light, day, bright fortnight, the six months of uthharaayana: departing under the influence of the gods who symbolize these time-periods, the realized will go to brahma.
Smoke, night, dark fortnight, six months of dakshinaayana: departing when, the yogi goes to the moon’s world, and returns.
These are said to be the two all-time paths in the world; taking one, you do not return, taking the other you return. Knowing these two paths, a yogi does not err.
Therefore at all times, practise yoga, Arjuna.
Whatever merit one gets from the vedas, sacrifices, penances, and offerings of alms, is all eclipsed by this knowledge, and the yogi who knows this attains the highest state.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 7
Listen to me how, when you practise yoga with faith in ME and with devotion, you will come to know ME in full and with certainty.
I will give you the complete knowledge, theoretical as well as practical; once you know that, there will be nothing more to know!
Only one in a thousand tries to attain liberation, and of those who try and win, only someone will come to know me truly.
Nature, which is also MINE, is made of eight substances, earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego. This is lower, and there is another higher Nature, the soul, and it is this Nature which keeps up the whole illusory world. Understand that it is the womb of all beings. I remain the source and the end of whole creation.
There is nothing higher than ME, Arjuna; in ME is all this attached like beads in a string. I am wetness in water, light of moon and sun, the holy syllable "OM" in the scriptures,
sound of ether, manliness of men, the pure smell in earth, heat of fire, life of all beings, and penance of those who do penance.
Arjuna, know ME as the original seed of all creation.
I am the strength of the strong, untainted by lust or greed; I am Love that is not contrary to righteousness.
All the basic attitudes of men, be they of the balanced type, or the restless or the inert, you must know, are from only ME;
I am not bound to them, they are in ME. The whole world is under the numbing influence of them and so do not recognize the eternal ME who is beyond them.
This divine magic of illusion, maaya, constituted of these three types of natural instinct, is difficult to overcome; only those who approach ME with devotion would be able to get beyond it.
The foolish evil-doing subhumans, their learning nullified by maaya, adopting demoniacal attitude, do not come to ME.
Four kinds of men, as a result of their past good deeds, come to me, Arjuna, those who suffer, those who want to get something, those seeking knowledge, and those who already know.
And of them, he who knows ME and is solely devoted to me, constantly keeping ME in mind, is the best; I am extremely dear to the man who knows, and in the same way he is dear to ME also.
They are all noble indeed; the man who knows is in MY view truly ME. Is he not with his entire mind dependent on ME as the only worthwhile goal!
At the end of several births he realizes that the whole universe is ME, "the Vasudeva", and merges into ME. Such a mahatma is very rare indeed.
Those, with their learning lost in their greed, approach other gods in accordance with their nature, and follow the prescribed rites.
Whoever worships in devotion and faith whichever form, I make his faith firm in that. He continues to worship that form with constant faith and get what he desires, which also are accorded by ME alone.
But that result, sought by these people of low intelligence, is only of short duration. Those who worship the gods go to them; those devoted to ME come to ME.
Fools consider the inscrutable ME as clear to them, because they do not know MY nature, which is eternal and beyond everything that is excellent.
Clouded by my magical illusion, I am not visible to all; the deluded people do not recognize the unborn undying ME.
I know the present past and future beings and no one knows ME, Affected by the binding pairs of like and dislike, all creatures undergo illusion at the time of creation.
Those, whose sins are ended, as the result of the good deeds they have done, and who are thus released from the illusion of like and dislike, will always be single-mindedly devoted to ME
Those, who with devotion to ME strive for liberation from decay and death, know that supreme Brahma, with all things relating to the soul, all the actions necessary for it.
And they who know ME as existing in earthly beings, gods, and sacrifices, will remember Me with devotion even at the time of death.
I will give you the complete knowledge, theoretical as well as practical; once you know that, there will be nothing more to know!
Only one in a thousand tries to attain liberation, and of those who try and win, only someone will come to know me truly.
Nature, which is also MINE, is made of eight substances, earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego. This is lower, and there is another higher Nature, the soul, and it is this Nature which keeps up the whole illusory world. Understand that it is the womb of all beings. I remain the source and the end of whole creation.
There is nothing higher than ME, Arjuna; in ME is all this attached like beads in a string. I am wetness in water, light of moon and sun, the holy syllable "OM" in the scriptures,
sound of ether, manliness of men, the pure smell in earth, heat of fire, life of all beings, and penance of those who do penance.
Arjuna, know ME as the original seed of all creation.
I am the strength of the strong, untainted by lust or greed; I am Love that is not contrary to righteousness.
All the basic attitudes of men, be they of the balanced type, or the restless or the inert, you must know, are from only ME;
I am not bound to them, they are in ME. The whole world is under the numbing influence of them and so do not recognize the eternal ME who is beyond them.
This divine magic of illusion, maaya, constituted of these three types of natural instinct, is difficult to overcome; only those who approach ME with devotion would be able to get beyond it.
The foolish evil-doing subhumans, their learning nullified by maaya, adopting demoniacal attitude, do not come to ME.
Four kinds of men, as a result of their past good deeds, come to me, Arjuna, those who suffer, those who want to get something, those seeking knowledge, and those who already know.
And of them, he who knows ME and is solely devoted to me, constantly keeping ME in mind, is the best; I am extremely dear to the man who knows, and in the same way he is dear to ME also.
They are all noble indeed; the man who knows is in MY view truly ME. Is he not with his entire mind dependent on ME as the only worthwhile goal!
At the end of several births he realizes that the whole universe is ME, "the Vasudeva", and merges into ME. Such a mahatma is very rare indeed.
Those, with their learning lost in their greed, approach other gods in accordance with their nature, and follow the prescribed rites.
Whoever worships in devotion and faith whichever form, I make his faith firm in that. He continues to worship that form with constant faith and get what he desires, which also are accorded by ME alone.
But that result, sought by these people of low intelligence, is only of short duration. Those who worship the gods go to them; those devoted to ME come to ME.
Fools consider the inscrutable ME as clear to them, because they do not know MY nature, which is eternal and beyond everything that is excellent.
Clouded by my magical illusion, I am not visible to all; the deluded people do not recognize the unborn undying ME.
I know the present past and future beings and no one knows ME, Affected by the binding pairs of like and dislike, all creatures undergo illusion at the time of creation.
Those, whose sins are ended, as the result of the good deeds they have done, and who are thus released from the illusion of like and dislike, will always be single-mindedly devoted to ME
Those, who with devotion to ME strive for liberation from decay and death, know that supreme Brahma, with all things relating to the soul, all the actions necessary for it.
And they who know ME as existing in earthly beings, gods, and sacrifices, will remember Me with devotion even at the time of death.
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 6
He who does his duties without depending on results is a real sanyasin as well as a yogi; not someone who forgoes all actions, be it religious or otherwise.
You must know that what is called sanyas is actually yoga, Arjuna. Without giving up contemplation of desired objects, there can be no yoga of any kind.
For one who is on the path of yoga, action is the means. For him who has attained yoga, the means is cessation of work.
When one is not attached to sensual activities, and his fancies do not roam over them,he can be called an accomplished yogi.
Everyone should try to raise himself by his one's own efforts, never weaken oneself. Your self can be your friend, and also your enemy.
The self is your friend, if you are its master; otherwise it would behave as an enemy.
A person who is master of himself and is free of passions will not be swerved in the midst of pain or pleasure, cold or heat, honour or dishonour.
Rich in learning and experience, firm, and master of senses, he is called a true yogi, for whom, log, stone and gold are the same.
The best is he who has the same attitude to all, whether it is well-wisher or friend, foe, indifferent, or impartial, enemy or cousin, sinner or saint.
Sitting alone in solitude, the yogi, controlling self and mind, without thought of possessions or wants, should engage in meditation.
Making a steady seat for himself, in a clean place, not too high, not too low, covered with cloth and deerskin, the aspirant, restraining the mind and senses from wandering, must sit and practise meditation with full concentration in order to purify himself.
Maintaining still in a straight line, body neck and head, directing your eyes towards the tip of nose, and not looking around, remain in control of mind, calm, fearless, committed to brahmacharya, and repose your mind in full trust on ME.
Thus practising yoga with concentration, the yogi attains the highest state of peace and becomes one with ME.
Yoga is not for those who indulge in eating too much, nor for those who abstain completely. Nor is it for those who are in the habit of sleeping too much or remaining awake too long.
Yoga will banish all the sorrows of a man who is moderate in food and rest, moderate in the performance of actions, moderate in sleep and wakefulness.
When the controlled mind finds its repose in self, and when no sense-object cause any longing in him, only then can one be called a yogi.
The analogy of a yogi, who has controlled his mind and sits in meditation absorbed in the supreme soul, is that of a still flame in a wind-sheltered place.
Where the mind bridled by the practice of yoga finally comes to rest, Where the self, seeing itself in the universal soul, is happy in itself,
Where the supreme happiness is realized which is beyond senses and felt only in the mind, Where once arrived no one would swerve from truth, And having attained which, no other thing will be considered more desirable, And where you will not be shaken by the heaviest blow, That state of complete eradication of even a trace of sorrow is what is called yoga.
This yoga should be steadfastly followed without any hesitation.
Giving up all desires born of fancy, restraining all the senses through will, slowly slowly you must withdraw the mind into your self with determination, and think of nothing.
Where ever where ever the mind, fickle and never still, wanders into; from there from there it should be stopped and brought back into self. The greatest happiness comes to such a yogi who has quietened his mind of all turbulence and impurities, and become one with Brahma.
A yogi, free from all blemishes, and always practising yoga in this manner, will easily enjoy unlimited happiness and merge in Brahma. Matured by practice of yoga, he sees himself in all beings and all beings in himself, considering all as equal.
Whoever sees ME everywhere, and all things in ME, I will never fail him, or he ME.
He, who views ME abiding in all beings, will always be with ME, whatever he does a complete yogi, according to me, is one who considers all the same as himself, in joy or sorrow.
Arjuna:
Regarding this yoga, Krishna, which you are teaching as complete equanimity, I do not find any stability for it, because of the wandering nature of the mind. The mind is known to be very fickle and volatile. To hold it is as difficult as to catch a wind.
Krishna:
No doubt, Arjuna, mind is never still and is difficult to catch. But it is possible to check it, by practice and by detachment from diversionary desires. My opinion is that yoga is impossible without mind-control. With mind-control, it is possible by effort.
Arjuna:
What will happen to a man, who sincerely tries, but fails in controlling the mind before succeeding in attaining yoga? Will he not perish, like a wind-scattered cloud, having lost both
and with no support base, directionless on the path to Brahma? Please clear this doubt of mine. I find nobody else who can do it.
Krishna:
Arjuna, neither here nor in the next world will such a person perish. My friend, be assured, anybody doing a good thing will never suffer.
The fallen from yoga will go to the worlds of the good, and after staying there for a long time, would be reborn in a pious prosperous family. Or he may be born in the family of realized yogis.
Such a birth is indeed more difficult to get in this world. And there he, retaining the memory of the previous birth, tries still harder to succeed.
Involuntarily would he be drawn by the latent force of his old practice, and would long to learn yoga, mastering all literature on it.
Putting more effort into the practice of yoga, and getting rid of all faults, he, in the course of several births, will succeed and attain the highest state.
To ME a yogi is superior to those who do penance, superior to the learned; he is superior to those who do the holy rites.
Therefore be a yogi, Arjuna. Among all the yogis, I consider him the best, who devotes himself to ME in full faith, and remembers me always.
You must know that what is called sanyas is actually yoga, Arjuna. Without giving up contemplation of desired objects, there can be no yoga of any kind.
For one who is on the path of yoga, action is the means. For him who has attained yoga, the means is cessation of work.
When one is not attached to sensual activities, and his fancies do not roam over them,he can be called an accomplished yogi.
Everyone should try to raise himself by his one's own efforts, never weaken oneself. Your self can be your friend, and also your enemy.
The self is your friend, if you are its master; otherwise it would behave as an enemy.
A person who is master of himself and is free of passions will not be swerved in the midst of pain or pleasure, cold or heat, honour or dishonour.
Rich in learning and experience, firm, and master of senses, he is called a true yogi, for whom, log, stone and gold are the same.
The best is he who has the same attitude to all, whether it is well-wisher or friend, foe, indifferent, or impartial, enemy or cousin, sinner or saint.
Sitting alone in solitude, the yogi, controlling self and mind, without thought of possessions or wants, should engage in meditation.
Making a steady seat for himself, in a clean place, not too high, not too low, covered with cloth and deerskin, the aspirant, restraining the mind and senses from wandering, must sit and practise meditation with full concentration in order to purify himself.
Maintaining still in a straight line, body neck and head, directing your eyes towards the tip of nose, and not looking around, remain in control of mind, calm, fearless, committed to brahmacharya, and repose your mind in full trust on ME.
Thus practising yoga with concentration, the yogi attains the highest state of peace and becomes one with ME.
Yoga is not for those who indulge in eating too much, nor for those who abstain completely. Nor is it for those who are in the habit of sleeping too much or remaining awake too long.
Yoga will banish all the sorrows of a man who is moderate in food and rest, moderate in the performance of actions, moderate in sleep and wakefulness.
When the controlled mind finds its repose in self, and when no sense-object cause any longing in him, only then can one be called a yogi.
The analogy of a yogi, who has controlled his mind and sits in meditation absorbed in the supreme soul, is that of a still flame in a wind-sheltered place.
Where the mind bridled by the practice of yoga finally comes to rest, Where the self, seeing itself in the universal soul, is happy in itself,
Where the supreme happiness is realized which is beyond senses and felt only in the mind, Where once arrived no one would swerve from truth, And having attained which, no other thing will be considered more desirable, And where you will not be shaken by the heaviest blow, That state of complete eradication of even a trace of sorrow is what is called yoga.
This yoga should be steadfastly followed without any hesitation.
Giving up all desires born of fancy, restraining all the senses through will, slowly slowly you must withdraw the mind into your self with determination, and think of nothing.
Where ever where ever the mind, fickle and never still, wanders into; from there from there it should be stopped and brought back into self. The greatest happiness comes to such a yogi who has quietened his mind of all turbulence and impurities, and become one with Brahma.
A yogi, free from all blemishes, and always practising yoga in this manner, will easily enjoy unlimited happiness and merge in Brahma. Matured by practice of yoga, he sees himself in all beings and all beings in himself, considering all as equal.
Whoever sees ME everywhere, and all things in ME, I will never fail him, or he ME.
He, who views ME abiding in all beings, will always be with ME, whatever he does a complete yogi, according to me, is one who considers all the same as himself, in joy or sorrow.
Arjuna:
Regarding this yoga, Krishna, which you are teaching as complete equanimity, I do not find any stability for it, because of the wandering nature of the mind. The mind is known to be very fickle and volatile. To hold it is as difficult as to catch a wind.
Krishna:
No doubt, Arjuna, mind is never still and is difficult to catch. But it is possible to check it, by practice and by detachment from diversionary desires. My opinion is that yoga is impossible without mind-control. With mind-control, it is possible by effort.
Arjuna:
What will happen to a man, who sincerely tries, but fails in controlling the mind before succeeding in attaining yoga? Will he not perish, like a wind-scattered cloud, having lost both
and with no support base, directionless on the path to Brahma? Please clear this doubt of mine. I find nobody else who can do it.
Krishna:
Arjuna, neither here nor in the next world will such a person perish. My friend, be assured, anybody doing a good thing will never suffer.
The fallen from yoga will go to the worlds of the good, and after staying there for a long time, would be reborn in a pious prosperous family. Or he may be born in the family of realized yogis.
Such a birth is indeed more difficult to get in this world. And there he, retaining the memory of the previous birth, tries still harder to succeed.
Involuntarily would he be drawn by the latent force of his old practice, and would long to learn yoga, mastering all literature on it.
Putting more effort into the practice of yoga, and getting rid of all faults, he, in the course of several births, will succeed and attain the highest state.
To ME a yogi is superior to those who do penance, superior to the learned; he is superior to those who do the holy rites.
Therefore be a yogi, Arjuna. Among all the yogis, I consider him the best, who devotes himself to ME in full faith, and remembers me always.
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 5
Arjuna:
Krishna, you commend renunciation of action, and at the same time its performance. Please tell me your considered opinion on which is better of the two.
And Krishna to this:
Renunciation and performance of action both lead to fulfilment. Of the two, performance is better.
A real sanyasin is he who has no strong likes or dislikes. One who is above these opposite pairs easily frees himself of all bonds.
It is the childish who talk about sankhya-yoga and karma-yoga as different, not the learned. Whoever properly follows one gets the result of both.
Whatever position is reached by the followers of sankhya is reached by the followers of yoga also. He really sees, who sees sankhya and yoga as one and the same.
Renunciation without yoga is very difficult, Arjuna. A sanyasin practising yoga reaches the ultimate in no time.
A practitioner of yoga, his mind purified, body and senses under control, and identifying himself with all creation, is not affected, whatever he does.
A yogi who realized the truth would think that he does nothing, seeing,hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, breathing, talking, holding, releasing, blinking, whatever, conscious that it is only the sense organs acting on their objects.
Who acts without attachment, dedicating his actions to God, will not be touched by sin, like a lotus leaf by water.
Yogis pursue without attachment their actions for self-purification, whether through body, mind or intellect, or through mere sense organs.
Such a person, not caring for results of actions, attains permanent peace.
On the other hand one, who does not practise yoga and wilfully does what he likes, would be enslaved by his obsession with results.
A self-disciplined man, mentally renouncing all actions remains at ease in his nine-gated fort, himself not doing, or causing others to do, anything.
God does not create actions or agents, nor does he award results to actions; it is only Nature that operates. He does not allot good or bad to anybody.
When intelligence is clouded by ignorance people err. When their ignorance is expelled by tue kowledge, the truth beyond will be revealed to them as if by the sun.
Their will, their mind, all their interests centered on It, fully in submission to It, all their sins blown away by knowledge, they attain immortality.
Whether it is a Brahmin, learned and trained, or a cow or elephant or dog, or a dog-eating low caste, all of them, will be same in the eyes of a self-realized man.
Here in this life are they liberated, whose mind is firmly grounded in equality.
Brahma is blemish-less and same to all, and so they also abide in Brahma.
One should not exult over getting the desired nor feel frustrated over the adverse. With a steady mind, unperturbed, and knowing the truth of Brahma, he abides in Brahma.
The joy one gets, unattached to the external senses, in one's own self, is his for ever, who becomes one with Brahma.
The sensual pleasures are sources of sorrow in the end, and are passing things. A wise man will find no pleasure in them.
Whoever is able to withstand, here before his death, the assault of lust and anger is a true yogi, and he is truly happy.
The yogi, who finds in himself happiness, entertainment and enlightenment, and who is steady in his devotion to Brahma, will be merged in Brahma.
The saints who have seen the truth, and, devoid of all blemishes, are no more subject to indecisiveness, who have full control over mind, and who are devoted to the happiness of all beings, will find eternal peace in union with the universal soul.
That peace of oneness with Brahma will embrace those self-realized sanyasins who have mastered their nature and overcome lust and angry feelings.
A yogi, in full control of senses, mind and intellect, and devoid of want, fear and frustration, who, distancing the external senses, focusing the eyes in the middle of the brows, and drawing his breath in harmony through the nose, devotes himself to the attainment of liberation, will be for ever free.
He, who understands that I am the sole receiver of all sacrifices and penances, and that I am the overlord of all the worlds, and that I am the friend of all beings, will find eternal peace.
Krishna, you commend renunciation of action, and at the same time its performance. Please tell me your considered opinion on which is better of the two.
And Krishna to this:
Renunciation and performance of action both lead to fulfilment. Of the two, performance is better.
A real sanyasin is he who has no strong likes or dislikes. One who is above these opposite pairs easily frees himself of all bonds.
It is the childish who talk about sankhya-yoga and karma-yoga as different, not the learned. Whoever properly follows one gets the result of both.
Whatever position is reached by the followers of sankhya is reached by the followers of yoga also. He really sees, who sees sankhya and yoga as one and the same.
Renunciation without yoga is very difficult, Arjuna. A sanyasin practising yoga reaches the ultimate in no time.
A practitioner of yoga, his mind purified, body and senses under control, and identifying himself with all creation, is not affected, whatever he does.
A yogi who realized the truth would think that he does nothing, seeing,hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, breathing, talking, holding, releasing, blinking, whatever, conscious that it is only the sense organs acting on their objects.
Who acts without attachment, dedicating his actions to God, will not be touched by sin, like a lotus leaf by water.
Yogis pursue without attachment their actions for self-purification, whether through body, mind or intellect, or through mere sense organs.
Such a person, not caring for results of actions, attains permanent peace.
On the other hand one, who does not practise yoga and wilfully does what he likes, would be enslaved by his obsession with results.
A self-disciplined man, mentally renouncing all actions remains at ease in his nine-gated fort, himself not doing, or causing others to do, anything.
God does not create actions or agents, nor does he award results to actions; it is only Nature that operates. He does not allot good or bad to anybody.
When intelligence is clouded by ignorance people err. When their ignorance is expelled by tue kowledge, the truth beyond will be revealed to them as if by the sun.
Their will, their mind, all their interests centered on It, fully in submission to It, all their sins blown away by knowledge, they attain immortality.
Whether it is a Brahmin, learned and trained, or a cow or elephant or dog, or a dog-eating low caste, all of them, will be same in the eyes of a self-realized man.
Here in this life are they liberated, whose mind is firmly grounded in equality.
Brahma is blemish-less and same to all, and so they also abide in Brahma.
One should not exult over getting the desired nor feel frustrated over the adverse. With a steady mind, unperturbed, and knowing the truth of Brahma, he abides in Brahma.
The joy one gets, unattached to the external senses, in one's own self, is his for ever, who becomes one with Brahma.
The sensual pleasures are sources of sorrow in the end, and are passing things. A wise man will find no pleasure in them.
Whoever is able to withstand, here before his death, the assault of lust and anger is a true yogi, and he is truly happy.
The yogi, who finds in himself happiness, entertainment and enlightenment, and who is steady in his devotion to Brahma, will be merged in Brahma.
The saints who have seen the truth, and, devoid of all blemishes, are no more subject to indecisiveness, who have full control over mind, and who are devoted to the happiness of all beings, will find eternal peace in union with the universal soul.
That peace of oneness with Brahma will embrace those self-realized sanyasins who have mastered their nature and overcome lust and angry feelings.
A yogi, in full control of senses, mind and intellect, and devoid of want, fear and frustration, who, distancing the external senses, focusing the eyes in the middle of the brows, and drawing his breath in harmony through the nose, devotes himself to the attainment of liberation, will be for ever free.
He, who understands that I am the sole receiver of all sacrifices and penances, and that I am the overlord of all the worlds, and that I am the friend of all beings, will find eternal peace.
Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 4
I taught this perennial philosophy to Vivaswan; he told it to Manu; Manu, in turn, to Ikshwaku. All the old philosopher-kings knew this philosophy transmitted through successive generations.
But it got lost in the long course of time. It is the same old teaching that I told you now. Because you are devoted to me and are my friend I have told you this greatest of secrets.
Arjuna:
Vivaswan lived a long time time back, and you are born much later. How can I believe that you first said it
Krishna:
Many births have we gone through, you and I, Arjuna. It is only that I remember all of them, but you don't.
Though I have neither birth nor death, though I am master of all that exist, I take form by my magical power of illusion, through My Nature.
Whenever Righteousness declines, and misconduct rears its head, then age after age, I create myself, to protect the good people and eliminate the evil, in order to re-establish righteousness.
Those, who understand this birth and divine activities of Mine, do not come back to this world, when they leave their bodies; they come to ME.
Many there are, devoid of all cravings, fear and anger, who have become one with Me, with full trust in Me, who have, purified by the disciplined search for knowledge, reached my state.
Whichever way people approach Me, the same way do I accept them. The paths which people take, all lead to Me
Men sacrifice to gods in order to get favourable results from their actions; quick indeed do actions in this world fructify.
The division of society into four classes is made by Me, based on people's inherent qualities and previous actions. Though I am the cause of it, know that I am not really the doer.
No action touches Me, I have no interest in its results. Who understands Me thus will never be bound by his deeds.
With this knowledge have the ancients pursued their actions in their search for salvation.
Therefore you must perform your duties as they were done by the ancients from immemorial times.
What is action, what is inaction? Even the greatest minds have been confused about it.
So I will explain to you regarding action, knowing which you would be free of all blemishes.
One must know what is action, what is bad action, and what is inaction. The course of action is indeed complicated.
Who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction: such a man is truly wise among men; he, doing all sorts of things remains focused, a yogi.
He all whose attempts are devoid of any thought of personal gain, his deeds purified in the fire of knowledge, such a one will be called a learned man by the wise.
Giving up attachment to the results of action, ever content, ever free, he is really not doing anything, even when engaged in action.
With no personal desires, his mind under control, he does not incur any guilt, when he performs his bare bodily functions.
Happy with whatever he gets by chance, taking in his stride both good and bad, envying nobody, indifferent to gain or loss, he is not bound by his past, whatever he does.
Fully detached, liberated from passions, mind engaged in acquiring knowledge, doing things only as an offering to god, all his actions are as unbinding as no action.
The act of offering, the thing offered, the one who offers, all are part of the universal soul for him; and such a man whose actions are centered on the universal soul, the Brahma, can go only to that universal soul.
The next paragraph appears quite crude and I don't know whether anybody can make any sense out of it. Yet I am leaving it as it came!
Some sacrifice to the gods; others burn away with dedication sacrifice itself in the fire of Brahma. Still others burn away the sense organs in the fire of self-control, and others burn away the objects of perception in the fire of the sense organs.
Others do burn away all the actions done by the body, and the workings of the life-forces inside the body in the fire of contemplation, sustained by spiritual knowledge.
The sacrifice which the holy men, undergoing various disciplinary routines, do, is sometimes with materials, sometimes in the form of penances, or mind-control exercises, or in the form of securing knowledge through the study of scriptures.
There are others whose sacrifice is breath-control, systematically breathing in, holding, and then out.
Others abstain from food withdrawing their life-energy from their organs. All of them understand the meaning of yajna, and become purified of all blemishes.
Partaking of the pure left-overs of sacrifice, they merge into the eternal universal truth. Even this world is lost to one who does not perform some sacrifice; what to say of the next!
Thus several types of sacrifice have been described in the holy texts. Know that they are all based on action, understanding this will lead to liberation.
Yajna in the form of knowledge is superior to the material. All work finds perfection in knowledge.
Know that this knowledge will beimparted to you, by the learned, who have realized the ultimate truth, if you approach them in humble spirit and request to be enlightened.
Knowing it , you will never again fall into such self-doubt, Arjuna. With this, you will see all beings in yourself and then in ME.
Even if you are the greatest of sinners, with the help of this raft of knowledge, you will be able to cross over the ocean of sin. In the same way as a blazing fire turns logs of wood into ashes, so the fire of knowledge turns to nothing all past deeds.
There is nothing so purifying as knowledge. One who has mastered yoga easily acquires it for himself in course of time.
A person with faith, with control over self and concentrated effort attains this knowledge. And with knowledge he gets in a short time full peace of mind.
Ignorant, having no conviction, always doubting –such a man has no future. To an irresolute person, there is neither this nor the other world.
He whose doubts are cleared by knowledge, and all actions directed towards yoga, and who is self-confident, is not bound by any of his actions, Arjuna.
Therefore, cutting off this self-doubt born of ignorance with the sword of knowledge, rise up, Arjuna, and follow this path of yoga.
But it got lost in the long course of time. It is the same old teaching that I told you now. Because you are devoted to me and are my friend I have told you this greatest of secrets.
Arjuna:
Vivaswan lived a long time time back, and you are born much later. How can I believe that you first said it
Krishna:
Many births have we gone through, you and I, Arjuna. It is only that I remember all of them, but you don't.
Though I have neither birth nor death, though I am master of all that exist, I take form by my magical power of illusion, through My Nature.
Whenever Righteousness declines, and misconduct rears its head, then age after age, I create myself, to protect the good people and eliminate the evil, in order to re-establish righteousness.
Those, who understand this birth and divine activities of Mine, do not come back to this world, when they leave their bodies; they come to ME.
Many there are, devoid of all cravings, fear and anger, who have become one with Me, with full trust in Me, who have, purified by the disciplined search for knowledge, reached my state.
Whichever way people approach Me, the same way do I accept them. The paths which people take, all lead to Me
Men sacrifice to gods in order to get favourable results from their actions; quick indeed do actions in this world fructify.
The division of society into four classes is made by Me, based on people's inherent qualities and previous actions. Though I am the cause of it, know that I am not really the doer.
No action touches Me, I have no interest in its results. Who understands Me thus will never be bound by his deeds.
With this knowledge have the ancients pursued their actions in their search for salvation.
Therefore you must perform your duties as they were done by the ancients from immemorial times.
What is action, what is inaction? Even the greatest minds have been confused about it.
So I will explain to you regarding action, knowing which you would be free of all blemishes.
One must know what is action, what is bad action, and what is inaction. The course of action is indeed complicated.
Who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction: such a man is truly wise among men; he, doing all sorts of things remains focused, a yogi.
He all whose attempts are devoid of any thought of personal gain, his deeds purified in the fire of knowledge, such a one will be called a learned man by the wise.
Giving up attachment to the results of action, ever content, ever free, he is really not doing anything, even when engaged in action.
With no personal desires, his mind under control, he does not incur any guilt, when he performs his bare bodily functions.
Happy with whatever he gets by chance, taking in his stride both good and bad, envying nobody, indifferent to gain or loss, he is not bound by his past, whatever he does.
Fully detached, liberated from passions, mind engaged in acquiring knowledge, doing things only as an offering to god, all his actions are as unbinding as no action.
The act of offering, the thing offered, the one who offers, all are part of the universal soul for him; and such a man whose actions are centered on the universal soul, the Brahma, can go only to that universal soul.
The next paragraph appears quite crude and I don't know whether anybody can make any sense out of it. Yet I am leaving it as it came!
Some sacrifice to the gods; others burn away with dedication sacrifice itself in the fire of Brahma. Still others burn away the sense organs in the fire of self-control, and others burn away the objects of perception in the fire of the sense organs.
Others do burn away all the actions done by the body, and the workings of the life-forces inside the body in the fire of contemplation, sustained by spiritual knowledge.
The sacrifice which the holy men, undergoing various disciplinary routines, do, is sometimes with materials, sometimes in the form of penances, or mind-control exercises, or in the form of securing knowledge through the study of scriptures.
There are others whose sacrifice is breath-control, systematically breathing in, holding, and then out.
Others abstain from food withdrawing their life-energy from their organs. All of them understand the meaning of yajna, and become purified of all blemishes.
Partaking of the pure left-overs of sacrifice, they merge into the eternal universal truth. Even this world is lost to one who does not perform some sacrifice; what to say of the next!
Thus several types of sacrifice have been described in the holy texts. Know that they are all based on action, understanding this will lead to liberation.
Yajna in the form of knowledge is superior to the material. All work finds perfection in knowledge.
Know that this knowledge will beimparted to you, by the learned, who have realized the ultimate truth, if you approach them in humble spirit and request to be enlightened.
Knowing it , you will never again fall into such self-doubt, Arjuna. With this, you will see all beings in yourself and then in ME.
Even if you are the greatest of sinners, with the help of this raft of knowledge, you will be able to cross over the ocean of sin. In the same way as a blazing fire turns logs of wood into ashes, so the fire of knowledge turns to nothing all past deeds.
There is nothing so purifying as knowledge. One who has mastered yoga easily acquires it for himself in course of time.
A person with faith, with control over self and concentrated effort attains this knowledge. And with knowledge he gets in a short time full peace of mind.
Ignorant, having no conviction, always doubting –such a man has no future. To an irresolute person, there is neither this nor the other world.
He whose doubts are cleared by knowledge, and all actions directed towards yoga, and who is self-confident, is not bound by any of his actions, Arjuna.
Therefore, cutting off this self-doubt born of ignorance with the sword of knowledge, rise up, Arjuna, and follow this path of yoga.
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