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.