RADHE KRISHNA 25-04-2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
1: [INDEX] Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra
2: [INDEX] Contents of the Gita Summarized
3: [INDEX] Karma-yoga
4: [INDEX] Transcendental Knowledge
5: [INDEX] Karma-yoga--Action in Krsna Consciousness
6: [INDEX] Sankhya-yoga
7: [INDEX] Knowledge of the Absolute
8: [INDEX] Attaining the Supreme
9: [INDEX] The Most Confidential Knowledge
10: [INDEX] The Opulence of the Absolute
11: [INDEX] The Universal Form
12: [INDEX] Devotional Service
13: [INDEX] Nature, the Enjoyer, and Consciousness
14: [INDEX] The Three Modes Of Material Nature
15: [INDEX] The Yoga of the Supreme Person
16: [INDEX] The Divine And Demoniac Natures
17: [INDEX] The Divisions of Faith
18: [INDEX] Conclusion--The Perfection of Renunciation
Bhagavad Gita Introduction Video -- Srila Prabhupada
The Yoga System Video -- Bhagavad Gita -- Srila Prabhupada
Bhagavad Gita 2.13 Class Video -- Srila Prabhuapda
Bhagavad Gita 4.13 Class Video -- Srila Prabhuapda
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Dhrtarastra
said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at
Kuruksetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous
to fight?
Chapter 1, Verse 2.
Sanjaya
said: O King, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of
Pandu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the
following words:
Chapter 1, Verse 3.
O
my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pandu, so expertly
arranged by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada.
Chapter 1, Verse 4.
Here
in this army there are many heroic bowmen equal in fighting to Bhima
and Arjuna; there are also great fighters like Yuyudhana, Virata and
Drupada.
Chapter 1, Verse 5.
There
are also great, heroic, powerful fighters like Dhrstaketu, Cekitana,
Kasiraja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Saibya.
Chapter 1, Verse 6.
There
are the mighty Yudhamanyu, the very powerful Uttamauja, the son of
Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. All these warriors are great
chariot fighters.
Chapter 1, Verse 7.
O
best of the brahmanas, for your information, let me tell you about
the captains who are especially qualified to lead my military force.
Chapter 1, Verse 8.
There
are personalities like yourself, Bhisma, Karna, Krpa, Asvatthama,
Vikarna and the son of Somadatta called Bhurisrava, who are always
victorious in battle.
Chapter 1, Verse 9.
There
are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my
sake. All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons,
and all are experienced in military science.
Chapter 1, Verse 10.
Our
strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by
Grandfather Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully
protected by Bhima, is limited.
Chapter 1, Verse 11.
Now
all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at
your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
Chapter 1, Verse 12.
Then
Bhisma, the great valiant grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, the
grandfather of the fighters, blew his conchshell very loudly like the
sound of a lion, giving Duryodhana joy.
Chapter 1, Verse 13.
After
that, the conchshells, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all
suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.
Chapter 1, Verse 14.
On
the other side, both Lord Krsna and Arjuna, stationed on a great
chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental
conchshells.
Chapter 1, Verse 15.
Then,
Lord Krsna blew His conchshell, called Pancajanya; Arjuna blew his,
the Devadatta; and Bhima, the voracious eater and performer of
Herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell called Paundram.
Chapter 1, Verse 16-18.
King
Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conchshell, the
Ananta-vijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosa and
Manipuspaka. That great archer the King of Kasi, the great fighter
Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna, Virata and the unconquerable Satyaki,
Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the others, O King, such as the
son of Subhadra, greatly armed, all blew their respective
conchshells.
Chapter 1, Verse 19.
The
blowing of these different conchshells became uproarious, and thus,
vibrating both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts
of the sons of Dhrtarastra.
Chapter 1, Verse 20.
O
King, at that time Arjuna, the son of Pandu, who was seated in his
chariot, his flag marked with Hanuman, took up his bow and prepared
to shoot his arrows, looking at the sons of Dhrtarastra. O King,
Arjuna then spoke to Hrsikesa [Krsna] these words:
Chapter 1, Verse 21-22.
Arjuna
said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies
so that I may see who is present here, who is desirous of fighting,
and with whom I must contend in this great battle attempt.
Chapter 1, Verse 23.
Let
me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the
evil-minded son of Dhrtarastra.
Chapter 1, Verse 24.
Sanjaya
said: O descendant of Bharata, being thus addressed by Arjuna, Lord
Krsna drew up the fine chariot in the midst of the armies of both
parties.
Chapter 1, Verse 25.
In
the presence of Bhisma, Drona and all other chieftains of the world,
Hrsikesa, the Lord, said, Just behold, Partha, all the Kurus who are
assembled here.
Chapter 1, Verse 26.
There
Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his
fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons,
grandsons, friends, and also his father-in-law and well-wishers--all
present there.
Chapter 1, Verse 27.
When
the son of Kunti, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends
and relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus:
Chapter 1, Verse 28.
Arjuna
said: My dear Krsna, seeing my friends and relatives present before
me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering
and my mouth drying up.
Chapter 1, Verse 29.
My
whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow
Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.
Chapter 1, Verse 30.
I
am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and
my mind is reeling. I foresee only evil, O killer of the Kesi demon.
Chapter 1, Verse 31.
I
do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this
battle, nor can I, my dear Krsna, desire any subsequent victory,
kingdom, or happiness.
Chapter 1, Verse 32-35.
O
Govinda, of what avail to us are kingdoms, happiness or even life
itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed in
this battlefield? O Madhusudana, when teachers, fathers, sons,
grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons,
brothers-in-law and all relatives are ready to give up their lives
and properties and are standing before me, then why should I wish to
kill them, though I may survive? O maintainer of all creatures, I am
not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three
worlds, let alone this earth.
Chapter 1, Verse 36.
Sin
will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not
proper for us to kill the sons of Dhrtarastra and our friends. What
should we gain, O Krsna, husband of the goddess of fortune, and how
could we be happy by killing our own kinsmen?
Chapter 1, Verse 37-38.
O
Janardana, although these men, overtaken by greed, see no fault in
killing one's family or quarreling with friends, why should we, with
knowledge of the sin, engage in these acts?
Chapter 1, Verse 39.
With
the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is
vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in
irreligious practice.
Chapter 1, Verse 40.
When
irreligion is prominent in the family, O Krsna, the women of the
family become corrupt, and from the degradation of womanhood, O
descendant of Vrsni, comes unwanted progeny.
Chapter 1, Verse 41.
When
there is increase of unwanted population, a hellish situation is
created both for the family and for those who destroy the family
tradition. In such corrupt families, there is no offering of
oblations of food and water to the ancestors.
Chapter 1, Verse 42.
Due
to the evil deeds of the destroyers of family tradition, all kinds of
community projects and family welfare activities are devastated.
Chapter 1, Verse 43.
O
Krsna, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession
that those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.
Chapter 1, Verse 44.
Alas,
how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful
acts, driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness.
Chapter 1, Verse 45.
I
would consider it better for the sons of Dhrtarastra to kill me
unarmed and unresisting, rather than to fight with them.
Chapter 1, Verse 46.
Sanjaya
said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his
bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with
grief.
Sanjaya
said: Seeing Arjuna full of compassion and very sorrowful, his eyes
brimming with tears, Madhusudana, Krsna, spoke the following words.
Chapter 2, Verse 2.
The
Supreme Person [Bhagavan] said: My dear Arjuna, how have these
impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who
knows the progressive values of life. They do not lead to higher
planets, but to infamy.
Chapter 2, Verse 3.
O
son of Prtha, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not
become you. Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O
chastiser of the enemy.
Chapter 2, Verse 4.
Arjuna
said: O killer of Madhu [Krsna], how can I counterattack with arrows
in battle men like Bhisma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship?
Chapter 2, Verse 5.
It
is better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost
of the lives of great souls who are my teachers. Even though they are
avaricious, they are nonetheless superiors. If they are killed, our
spoils will be tainted with blood.
Chapter 2, Verse 6.
Nor
do we know which is better--conquering them or being conquered by
them. The sons of Dhrtarastra, whom if we kill we should not care to
live, are now standing before us on this battlefield.
Chapter 2, Verse 7.
Now
I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of
weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what
is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto
You. Please instruct me.
Chapter 2, Verse 8.
I
can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my
senses. I will not be able to destroy it even if I win an unrivaled
kingdom on earth with sovereignty like the demigods in heaven.
Chapter 2, Verse 9.
Sanjaya
said: Having spoken thus, Arjuna, chastiser of enemies, told Krsna,
"Govinda, I shall not fight," and fell silent.
Chapter 2, Verse 10.
O
descendant of Bharata, at that time Krsna, smiling, in the midst of
both the armies, spoke the following words to the grief-stricken
Arjuna.
Chapter 2, Verse 11.
The
Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for
what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for
the living nor the dead.
Chapter 2, Verse 12.
Never
was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings;
nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.
Chapter 2, Verse 13.
As
the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to
youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at
death. A self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.
Chapter 2, Verse 14.
O
son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress,
and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and
disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense
perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them
without being disturbed.
Chapter 2, Verse 15.
O
best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness
and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for
liberation.
Chapter 2, Verse 16.
Those
who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent
there is no endurance, and of the existent there is no cessation.
This seers have concluded by studying the nature of both.
Chapter 2, Verse 17.
Know
that which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one is able
to destroy the imperishable soul.
Chapter 2, Verse 18.
Only
the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal
living entity is subject to destruction; therefore, fight, O
descendant of Bharata.
Chapter 2, Verse 19.
He
who thinks that the living entity is the slayer or that he is slain,
does not understand. One who is in knowledge knows that the self
slays not nor is slain.
Chapter 2, Verse 20.
For
the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does
he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying
and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.
Chapter 2, Verse 21.
O
Partha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible,
unborn, eternal and immutable, kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?
Chapter 2, Verse 22.
As
a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the
soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.
Chapter 2, Verse 23.
The
soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned
by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
Chapter 2, Verse 24.
This
individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither
burned nor dried. He is everlasting, all-pervading, unchangeable,
immovable and eternally the same.
Chapter 2, Verse 25.
It
is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable, immutable, and
unchangeable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.
Chapter 2, Verse 26.
If,
however, you think that the soul is perpetually born and always dies,
still you still have no reason to lament, O mighty-armed.
Chapter 2, Verse 27.
For
one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is
dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of
your duty, you should not lament.
Chapter 2, Verse 28.
All
created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their
interim state, and unmanifest again when they are annihilated. So
what need is there for lamentation?
Chapter 2, Verse 29.
Some
look at the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some
hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him,
cannot understand him at all.
Chapter 2, Verse 30.
O
descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body is eternal and can
never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any creature.
Chapter 2, Verse 31.
Considering
your specific duty as a ksatriya, you should know that there is no
better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and
so there is no need for hesitation.
Chapter 2, Verse 32.
O
Partha, happy are the ksatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities
come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.
Chapter 2, Verse 33.
If,
however, you do not fight this religious war, then you will certainly
incur sins for neglecting your duties and thus lose your reputation
as a fighter.
Chapter 2, Verse 34.
People
will always speak of your infamy, and for one who has been honored,
dishonor is worse than death.
Chapter 2, Verse 35.
The
great generals who have highly esteemed your name and fame will think
that you have left the battlefield out of fear only, and thus they
will consider you a coward.
Chapter 2, Verse 36.
Your
enemies will describe you in many unkind words and scorn your
ability. What could be more painful for you?
Chapter 2, Verse 37.
O
son of Kunti, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain
the heavenly planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly
kingdom. Therefore get up and fight with determination.
Chapter 2, Verse 38.
Do
thou fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or
distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat--and, by so doing, you
shall never incur sin.
Chapter 2, Verse 39.
Thus
far I have declared to you the analytical knowledge of sankhya
philosophy. Now listen to the knowledge of yoga whereby one works
without fruitive result. O son of Prtha, when you act by such
intelligence, you can free yourself from the bondage of works.
Chapter 2, Verse 40.
In
this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little
advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type
of fear.
Chapter 2, Verse 41.
Those
who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O
beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are
irresolute is many-branched.
Chapter 2, Verse 42-43.
Men
of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the
Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to
heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being
desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there
is nothing more than this.
Chapter 2, Verse 44.
In
the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and
material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the
resolute determination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does
not take place.
Chapter 2, Verse 45.
The
Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material
nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of
them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and
safety, and be established in the Self.
Chapter 2, Verse 46.
All
purposes that are served by the small pond can at once be served by
the great reservoirs of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the
Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them.
Chapter 2, Verse 47.
You
have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not
entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the
cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not
doing your duty.
Chapter 2, Verse 48.
Be
steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all
attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called
yoga.
Chapter 2, Verse 49.
O
Dhananjaya, rid yourself of all fruitive activities by devotional
service, and surrender fully to that consciousness. Those who want to
enjoy the fruits of their work are misers.
Chapter 2, Verse 50.
A
man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad
actions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, O Arjuna, which
is the art of all work.
Chapter 2, Verse 51.
The
wise, engaged in devotional service, take refuge in the Lord, and
free themselves from the cycle of birth and death by renouncing the
fruits of action in the material world. In this way they can attain
that state beyond all miseries.
Chapter 2, Verse 52.
When
your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you
shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is
to be heard.
Chapter 2, Verse 53.
When
your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the
Vedas, and when it remains fixed in the trance of self-realization,
then you will have attained the divine consciousness.
Chapter 2, Verse 54.
Arjuna
said: What are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged
in Transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How
does he sit, and how does he walk?
Chapter 2, Verse 55.
The
Blessed Lord said: O Partha, when a man gives up all varieties of
sense desire which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind
finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure
transcendental consciousness.
Chapter 2, Verse 56.
One
who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries, who is not
elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear
and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
Chapter 2, Verse 57.
He
who is without attachment, who does not rejoice when he obtains good,
nor lament when he obtains evil, is firmly fixed in perfect
knowledge.
Chapter 2, Verse 58.
One
who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the
tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is to be understood as
truly situated in knowledge.
Chapter 2, Verse 59.
The
embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the
taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by
experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
Chapter 2, Verse 60.
The
senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly
carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is
endeavoring to control them.
Chapter 2, Verse 61.
One
who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon Me, is
known as a man of steady intelligence.
Chapter 2, Verse 62.
While
contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment
for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger
arises.
Chapter 2, Verse 63.
From
anger, delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory.
When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when
intelligence is lost, one falls down again into the material pool.
Chapter 2, Verse 64.
One
who can control his senses by practicing the regulated principles of
freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord and thus become
free from all attachment and aversion.
Chapter 2, Verse 65.
For
one who is so situated in the Divine consciousness, the threefold
miseries of material existence exist no longer; in such a happy
state, one's intelligence soon becomes steady.
Chapter 2, Verse 66.
One
who is not in transcendental consciousness can have neither a
controlled mind nor steady intelligence, without which there is no
possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without
peace?
Chapter 2, Verse 67.
As
a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even one of the
senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man's intelligence.
Chapter 2, Verse 68.
Therefore,
O mighty-armed, one whose senses are restrained from their objects is
certainly of steady intelligence.
Chapter 2, Verse 69.
What
is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the
self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night
for the introspective sage.
Chapter 2, Verse 70.
A
person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires--that
enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is
always still--can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to
satisfy such desires.
Chapter 2, Verse 71.
A
person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who
lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship
and is devoid of false ego--he alone can attain real peace.
Chapter 2, Verse 72.
That
is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a
man is not bewildered. Being so situated, even at the hour of death,
one can enter into the kingdom of God.
The
Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to
the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father
of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku.
Chapter 4, Verse 2.
This
supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic
succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in
course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science
as it is appears to be lost.
Chapter 4, Verse 3.
That
very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today
told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend;
therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this
science.
Chapter 4, Verse 4.
Arjuna
said: The sun-god Vivasvan is senior by birth to You. How am I to
understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?
Chapter 4, Verse 5.
The
Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I
can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!
Chapter 4, Verse 6.
Although
I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and
although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in
every millennium in My original transcendental form.
Chapter 4, Verse 7.
Whenever
and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant
of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I
descend Myself.
Chapter 4, Verse 8.
In
order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well
as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself
millennium after millennium.
Chapter 4, Verse 9.
One
who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities
does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this
material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
Chapter 4, Verse 10.
Being
freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and
taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified
by knowledge of Me--and thus they all attained transcendental love
for Me.
Chapter 4, Verse 11.
All
of them--as they surrender unto Me--I reward accordingly. Everyone
follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha.
Chapter 4, Verse 12.
Men
in this world desire success in fruitive activities, and therefore
they worship the demigods. Quickly, of course, men get results from
fruitive work in this world.
Chapter 4, Verse 13.
According
to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them,
the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although
I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the
non-doer, being unchangeable.
Chapter 4, Verse 14.
There
is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action.
One who understands this truth about Me also does not become
entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.
Chapter 4, Verse 15.
All
the liberated souls in ancient times acted with this understanding
and so attained liberation. Therefore, as the ancients, you should
perform your duty in this divine consciousness.
Chapter 4, Verse 16.
Even
the intelligent are bewildered in determining what is action and what
is inaction. Now I shall explain to you what action is, knowing which
you shall be liberated from all sins.
Chapter 4, Verse 17.
The
intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one
should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and
what inaction is.
Chapter 4, Verse 18.
One
who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent
among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged
in all sorts of activities.
Chapter 4, Verse 19.
One
is understood to be in full knowledge whose every act is devoid of
desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker
whose fruitive action is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge.
Chapter 4, Verse 20.
Abandoning
all attachment to the results of his activities, ever satisfied and
independent, he performs no fruitive action, although engaged in all
kinds of undertakings.
Chapter 4, Verse 21.
Such
a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly
controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions
and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is
not affected by sinful reactions.
Chapter 4, Verse 22.
He
who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free
from duality and does not envy, who is steady both in success and
failure, is never entangled, although performing actions.
Chapter 4, Verse 23.
The
work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and
who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely
into transcendence.
Chapter 4, Verse 24.
A
person who is fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness is sure to attain
the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual
activities, in which the consummation is absolute and that which is
offered is of the same spiritual nature.
Chapter 4, Verse 25.
Some
yogis perfectly worship the demigods by offering different sacrifices
to them, and some of them offer sacrifices in the fire of the Supreme
Brahman.
Chapter 4, Verse 26.
Some
of them sacrifice the hearing process and the senses in the fire of
the controlled mind, and others sacrifice the objects of the senses,
such as sound, in the fire of sacrifice.
Chapter 4, Verse 27.
Those
who are interested in self-realization, in terms of mind and sense
control, offer the functions of all the senses, as well as the vital
force [breath], as oblations into the fire of the controlled mind.
Chapter 4, Verse 28.
There
are others who, enlightened by sacrificing their material possessions
in severe austerities, take strict vows and practice the yoga of
eightfold mysticism, and others study the Vedas for the advancement
of transcendental knowledge.
Chapter 4, Verse 29.
And
there are even others who are inclined to the process of breath
restraint to remain in trance, and they practice stopping the
movement of the outgoing breath into the incoming, and incoming
breath into the outgoing, and thus at last remain in trance, stopping
all breathing. Some of them, curtailing the eating process, offer the
outgoing breath into itself, as a sacrifice.
Chapter 4, Verse 30.
All
these performers who know the meaning of sacrifice become cleansed of
sinful reaction, and, having tasted the nectar of the remnants of
such sacrifice, they go to the supreme eternal atmosphere.
Chapter 4, Verse 31.
O
best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live
happily on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?
Chapter 4, Verse 32.
All
these different types of sacrifice are approved by the Vedas, and all
of them are born of different types of work. Knowing them as such,
you will become liberated.
Chapter 4, Verse 33.
O
chastiser of the enemy, the sacrifice of knowledge is greater than
the sacrifice of material possessions. O son of Prtha, after all, the
sacrifice of work culminates in transcendental knowledge.
Chapter 4, Verse 34.
Just
try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire
from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized
soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.
Chapter 4, Verse 35.
And
when you have thus learned the truth, you will know that all living
beings are but part of Me--and that they are in Me, and are Mine.
Chapter 4, Verse 36.
Even
if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you
are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge, you will be
able to cross over the ocean of miseries.
Chapter 4, Verse 37.
As
the blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire
of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.
Chapter 4, Verse 38.
In
this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental
knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And
one who has achieved this enjoys the self with himself in due course
of time.
Chapter 4, Verse 39.
A
faithful man who is absorbed in transcendental knowledge and who
subdues his senses quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.
Chapter 4, Verse 40.
But
ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do
not attain God consciousness. For the doubting soul there is
happiness neither in this world nor in the next.
Chapter 4, Verse 41.
Therefore,
one who has renounced the fruits of his action, whose doubts are
destroyed by transcendental knowledge, and who is situated firmly in
the self, is not bound by works, O conqueror of riches.
Chapter 4, Verse 42.
Therefore
the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be
slashed by the weapon of knowledge. Armed with yoga, O Bharata, stand
and fight.
Arjuna
said: O Krsna, first of all You ask me to renounce work, and then
again You recommend work with devotion. Now will You kindly tell me
definitely which of the two is more beneficial?
Chapter 5, Verse 2.
The
Blessed Lord said: The renunciation of work and work in devotion are
both good for liberation. But, of the two, work in devotional service
is better than renunciation of works.
Chapter 5, Verse 3.
One
who neither hates nor desires the fruits of his activities is known
to be always renounced. Such a person, liberated from all dualities,
easily overcomes material bondage and is completely liberated, O
mighty-armed Arjuna.
Chapter 5, Verse 4.
Only
the ignorant speak of karma-yoga and devotional service as being
different from the analytical study of the material world [sankhya].
Those who are actually learned say that he who applies himself well
to one of these paths achieves the results of both.
Chapter 5, Verse 5.
One
who knows that the position reached by means of renunciation can also
be attained by works in devotional service and who therefore sees
that the path of works and the path of renunciation are one, sees
things as they are.
Chapter 5, Verse 6.
Unless
one is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, mere
renunciation of activities cannot make one happy. The sages, purified
by works of devotion, achieve the Supreme without delay.
Chapter 5, Verse 7.
One
who works in devotion, who is a pure soul, and who controls his mind
and senses, is dear to everyone, and everyone is dear to him. Though
always working, such a man is never entangled.
Chapter 5, Verse 8-9.
A
person in the divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing,
hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping and
breathing, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing
at all. Because while speaking, evacuating, receiving, opening or
closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are
engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them.
Chapter 5, Verse 10.
One
who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results
unto the Supreme God, is not affected by sinful action, as the lotus
leaf is untouched by water.
Chapter 5, Verse 11.
The
yogis, abandoning attachment, act with body, mind, intelligence, and
even with the senses, only for the purpose of purification.
Chapter 5, Verse 12.
The
steadily devoted soul attains unadulterated peace because he offers
the result of all activities to Me; whereas a person who is not in
union with the Divine, who is greedy for the fruits of his labor,
becomes entangled.
Chapter 5, Verse 13.
When
the embodied living being controls his nature and mentally renounces
all actions, he resides happily in the city of nine gates [the
material body], neither working nor causing work to be done.
Chapter 5, Verse 14.
The
embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does not create
activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the
fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material
nature.
Chapter 5, Verse 15.
Nor
does the Supreme Spirit assume anyone's sinful or pious activities.
Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the ignorance
which covers their real knowledge.
Chapter 5, Verse 16.
When,
however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is
destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights
up everything in the daytime.
Chapter 5, Verse 17.
When
one's intelligence, mind, faith and refuge are all fixed in the
Supreme, then one becomes fully cleansed of misgivings through
complete knowledge and thus proceeds straight on the path of
liberation.
Chapter 5, Verse 18.
The
humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a
learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a
dog-eater [outcaste].
Chapter 5, Verse 19.
Those
whose minds are established in sameness and equanimity have already
conquered the conditions of birth and death. They are flawless like
Brahman, and thus they are already situated in Brahman.
Chapter 5, Verse 20.
A
person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor
laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent,
unbewildered, and who knows the science of God, is to be understood
as already situated in Transcendence.
Chapter 5, Verse 21.
Such
a liberated person is not attracted to material sense pleasure or
external objects but is always in trance, enjoying the pleasure
within. In this way the self-realized person enjoys unlimited
happiness, for he concentrates on the Supreme.
Chapter 5, Verse 22.
An
intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which
are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kunti, such
pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not
delight in them.
Chapter 5, Verse 23.
Before
giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of
the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is a
yogi and is happy in this world.
Chapter 5, Verse 24.
One
whose happiness is within, who is active within, who rejoices within
and is illumined within, is actually the perfect mystic. He is
liberated in the Supreme, and ultimately he attains the Supreme.
Chapter 5, Verse 25.
One
who is beyond duality and doubt, whose mind is engaged within, who is
always busy working for the welfare of all sentient beings, and who
is free from all sins, achieves liberation in the Supreme.
Chapter 5, Verse 26.
Those
who are free from anger and all material desires, who are
self-realized, self-disciplined and constantly endeavoring for
perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near
future.
Chapter 5, Verse 27-28.
Shutting
out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision
concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and
outward breaths within the nostrils--thus controlling the mind,
senses and intelligence, the transcendentalist becomes free from
desire, fear and anger. One who is always in this state is certainly
liberated.
Chapter 5, Verse 29.
The
sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and
austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the
benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from
the pangs of material miseries.
The
Blessed Lord said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work
and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life,
and he is the true mystic: not he who lights no fire and performs no
work.
Chapter 6, Verse 2.
What
is called renunciation is the same as yoga, or linking oneself with
the Supreme, for no one can become a yogi unless he renounces the
desire for sense gratification.
Chapter 6, Verse 3.
For
one who is a neophyte in the eightfold yoga system, work is said to
be the means; and for one who has already attained to yoga, cessation
of all material activities is said to be the means.
Chapter 6, Verse 4.
A
person is said to be have attained to yoga when, having renounced all
material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages
in fruitive activities.
Chapter 6, Verse 5.
A
man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The
mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.
Chapter 6, Verse 6.
For
him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but
for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest
enemy.
Chapter 6, Verse 7.
For
one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for
he has attained tranquility. To such a man happiness and distress,
heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.
Chapter 6, Verse 8.
A
person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a
yogi [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired
knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence
and is self-controlled. He sees everything--whether it be pebbles,
stones or gold--as the same.
Chapter 6, Verse 9.
A
person is said to be still further advanced when he regards all--the
honest well-wisher, friends and enemies, the envious, the pious, the
sinner and those who are indifferent and impartial--with an equal
mind.
Chapter 6, Verse 10.
A
transcendentalist should always try to concentrate his mind on the
Supreme Self; he should live alone in a secluded place and should
always carefully control his mind. He should be free from desires and
feelings of possessiveness.
Chapter 6, Verse 11-12.
To
practice yoga, one should go to a secluded place and should lay
kusa-grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft
cloth. The seat should neither be too high nor too low and should be
situated in a sacred place. The yogi should then sit on it very
firmly and should practice yoga by controlling the mind and the
senses, purifying the heart and fixing the mind on one point.
Chapter 6, Verse 13-14.
One
should hold one's body, neck and head erect in a straight line and
stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated,
subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one
should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate
goal of life.
Chapter 6, Verse 15.
Thus
practicing control of the body, mind and activities, the mystic
transcendentalist attains to the kingdom of God [or the abode of
Krsna] by cessation of material existence.
Chapter 6, Verse 16.
There
is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too
much, or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.
Chapter 6, Verse 17.
He
who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working and
recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga
system.
Chapter 6, Verse 18.
When
the yogi, by practice of yoga, disciplines his mental activities and
becomes situated in Transcendence--devoid of all material desires--he
is said to have attained yoga.
Chapter 6, Verse 19.
As
a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist,
whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on
the transcendent Self.
Chapter 6, Verse 20-23.
The
stage of perfection is called trance, or samadhi, when one's mind is
completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of
yoga. This is characterized by one's ability to see the self by the
pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous
state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and
enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one
never departs from the truth and upon gaining this he thinks there is
no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never
shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is
actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.
Chapter 6, Verse 24.
One
should engage oneself in the practice of yoga with undeviating
determination and faith. One should abandon, without exception, all
material desires born of false ego and thus control all the senses on
all sides by the mind.
Chapter 6, Verse 25.
Gradually,
step by step, with full conviction, one should become situated in
trance by means of intelligence, and thus the mind should be fixed on
the Self alone and should think of nothing else.
Chapter 6, Verse 26.
From
whatever and wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and
unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back
under the control of the Self.
Chapter 6, Verse 27.
The
yogi whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the highest happiness.
By virtue of his identity with Brahman, he is liberated; his mind is
peaceful, his passions are quieted, and he is freed from sin.
Chapter 6, Verse 28.
Steady
in the Self, being freed from all material contamination, the yogi
achieves the highest perfectional stage of happiness in touch with
the Supreme Consciousness.
Chapter 6, Verse 29.
A
true yogi observes Me in all beings, and also sees every being in Me.
Indeed, the self-realized man sees Me everywhere.
Chapter 6, Verse 30.
For
one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never
lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.
Chapter 6, Verse 31.
The
yogi who knows that I and the Supersoul within all creatures are one
worships Me and remains always in Me in all circumstances.
Chapter 6, Verse 32.
He
is a perfect yogi who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true
equality of all beings, both in their happiness and distress, O
Arjuna!
Chapter 6, Verse 33.
Arjuna
said: O Madhusudana, the system of yoga which You have summarized
appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless
and unsteady.
Chapter 6, Verse 34.
For
the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krsna,
and to subdue it is, it seems to me, more difficult than controlling
the wind.
Chapter 6, Verse 35.
The
Blessed Lord said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly
very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by
constant practice and by detachment.
Chapter 6, Verse 36.
For
one whose mind is unbridled, self-realization is difficult work. But
he whose mind is controlled and who strives by right means is assured
of success. That is My opinion.
Chapter 6, Verse 37.
Arjuna
said: What is the destination of the man of faith who does not
persevere, who in the beginning takes to the process of
self-realization but who later desists due to worldly-mindedness and
thus does not attain perfection in mysticism?
Chapter 6, Verse 38.
O
mighty-armed Krsna, does not such a man, being deviated from the path
of Transcendence, perish like a riven cloud, with no position in any
sphere?
Chapter 6, Verse 39.
This
is my doubt, O Krsna, and I ask You to dispel it completely. But for
Yourself, no one is to be found who can destroy this doubt.
Chapter 6, Verse 40.
The
Blessed Lord said: Son of Prtha, a transcendentalist engaged in
auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in this
world or in the spiritual world; one who does good, My friend, is
never overcome by evil.
Chapter 6, Verse 41.
The
unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets
of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous
people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.
Chapter 6, Verse 42.
Or
he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely
great in wisdom. Verily, such a birth is rare in this world.
Chapter 6, Verse 43.
On
taking such a birth, he again revives the divine consciousness of his
previous life, and he tries to make further progress in order to
achieve complete success, O son of Kuru.
Chapter 6, Verse 44.
By
virtue of the divine consciousness of his previous life, he
automatically becomes attracted to the yogic principles--even without
seeking them. Such an inquisitive transcendentalist, striving for
yoga, stands always above the ritualistic principles of the
scriptures.
Chapter 6, Verse 45.
But
when the yogi engages himself with sincere endeavor in making further
progress, being washed of all contaminations, then ultimately, after
many, many births of practice, he attains the supreme goal.
Chapter 6, Verse 46.
A
yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and
greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all
circumstances, be a yogi.
Chapter 6, Verse 47.
And
of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping
Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with
Me in yoga and is the highest of all.
Now
hear, O son of Prtha [Arjuna], how by practicing yoga in full
consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in
full, free from doubt.
Chapter 7, Verse 2.
I
shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge both phenomenal and
noumenal, by knowing which there shall remain nothing further to be
known.
Chapter 7, Verse 3.
Out
of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of
those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.
Chapter 7, Verse 4.
Earth,
water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego--all
together these eight comprise My separated material energies.
Chapter 7, Verse 5.
Besides
this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior
energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with
material nature and are sustaining the universe.
Chapter 7, Verse 6.
Of
all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know
for certain that I am both its origin and dissolution.
Chapter 7, Verse 7.
O
conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me.
Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.
Chapter 7, Verse 8.
O
son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun
and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in
ether and ability in man.
Chapter 7, Verse 9.
I
am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I
am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.
Chapter 7, Verse 10.
O
son of Prtha, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the
intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men.
Chapter 7, Verse 11.
I
am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex
life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the
Bharatas [Arjuna].
Chapter 7, Verse 12.
All
states of being--be they of goodness, passion or ignorance--are
manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything--but I am
independent. I am not under the modes of this material nature.
Chapter 7, Verse 13.
Deluded
by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world
does not know Me who am above the modes and inexhaustible.
Chapter 7, Verse 14.
This
divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material
nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto
Me can easily cross beyond it.
Chapter 7, Verse 15.
Those
miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose
knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic
nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.
Chapter 7, Verse 16.
O
best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render
devotional service unto Me--the distressed, the desirer of wealth,
the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the
Absolute.
Chapter 7, Verse 17.
Of
these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through
pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and
he is dear to Me.
Chapter 7, Verse 18.
All
these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is
situated in knowledge of Me I consider verily to dwell in Me. Being
engaged in My transcendental service, he attains Me.
Chapter 7, Verse 19.
After
many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders
unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is.
Such a great soul is very rare.
Chapter 7, Verse 20.
Those
whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods
and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according
to their own natures.
Chapter 7, Verse 21.
I
am in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one desires to
worship the demigods, I make his faith steady so that he can devote
himself to some particular deity.
Chapter 7, Verse 22.
Endowed
with such a faith, he seeks favors of a particular demigod and
obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by
Me alone.
Chapter 7, Verse 23.
Men
of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are
limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the
planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme
planet.
Chapter 7, Verse 24.
Unintelligent
men, who know Me not, think that I have assumed this form and
personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher
nature, which is changeless and supreme.
Chapter 7, Verse 25.
I
am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am
covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-maya]; and so the
deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.
Chapter 7, Verse 26.
O
Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that
has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and
all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but
Me no one knows.
Chapter 7, Verse 27.
O
scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conqueror of the foe, all living
entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of desire
and hate.
Chapter 7, Verse 28.
Persons
who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose
sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the
duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with
determination.
Chapter 7, Verse 29.
Intelligent
persons who are endeavoring for liberation from old age and death
take refuge in Me in devotional service. They are actually Brahman
because they entirely know everything about transcendental and
fruitive activities.
Chapter 7, Verse 30.
Those
who know Me as the Supreme Lord, as the governing principle of the
material manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying all the
demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices, can, with
steadfast mind, understand and know Me even at the time of death.
Arjuna
inquired: O my Lord, O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is the
self? What are fruitive activities? What is this material
manifestation? And what are the demigods? Please explain this to me.
Chapter 8, Verse 2.
How
does this Lord of sacrifice live in the body, and in which part does
He live, O Madhusudana? And how can those engaged in devotional
service know You at the time of death?
Chapter 8, Verse 3.
The
Supreme Lord said, The indestructible, transcendental living entity
is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called the self. Action
pertaining to the development of these material bodies is called
karma, or fruitive activities.
Chapter 8, Verse 4.
Physical
nature is known to be endlessly mutable. The universe is the cosmic
form of the Supreme Lord, and I am that Lord represented as the
Supersoul, dwelling in the heart of every embodied being.
Chapter 8, Verse 5.
And
whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone,
at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
Chapter 8, Verse 6.
Whatever
state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he
will attain without fail.
Chapter 8, Verse 7.
Therefore,
Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the
same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your
activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on
Me, you will attain Me without doubt.
Chapter 8, Verse 8.
He
who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind
constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O
Partha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.
Chapter 8, Verse 9.
One
should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows
everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is
smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who
is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is
always a person. He is luminous like the sun and, being
transcendental, is beyond this material nature.
Chapter 8, Verse 10.
One
who, at the time of death, fixes his life air between the eyebrows
and in full devotion engages himself in remembering the Supreme Lord,
will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Chapter 8, Verse 11.
Persons
learned in the Vedas, who utter omkara and who are great sages in the
renounced order, enter into Brahman. Desiring such perfection, one
practices celibacy. I shall now explain to you this process by which
one may attain salvation.
Chapter 8, Verse 12.
The
yogic situation is that of detachment from all sensual engagements.
Closing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind on the heart
and the life air at the top of the head, one establishes himself in
yoga.
Chapter 8, Verse 13.
After
being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred
syllable om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly
reach the spiritual planets.
Chapter 8, Verse 14.
For
one who remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of
Prtha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.
Chapter 8, Verse 15.
After
attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never
return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because
they have attained the highest perfection.
Chapter 8, Verse 16.
From
the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are
places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one
who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.
Chapter 8, Verse 17.
By
human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of
Brahma's one day. And such also is the duration of his night.
Chapter 8, Verse 18.
When
Brahma's day is manifest, this multitude of living entities comes
into being, and at the arrival of Brahma's night they are all
annihilated.
Chapter 8, Verse 19.
Again
and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and again
the night falls, O Partha, and they are helplessly dissolved.
Chapter 8, Verse 20.
Yet
there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to
this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never
annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains
as it is.
Chapter 8, Verse 21.
That
supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is the
supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That
is My supreme abode.
Chapter 8, Verse 22.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is greater than all, is
attainable by unalloyed devotion. Although He is present in His
abode, He is all-pervading, and everything is situated within Him.
Chapter 8, Verse 23.
O
best of the Bharatas, I shall now explain to you the different times
at which, passing away from this world, one does or does not come
back.
Chapter 8, Verse 24.
Those
who know the Supreme Brahman pass away from the world during the
influence of the fiery god, in the light, at an auspicious moment,
during the fortnight of the moon and the six months when the sun
travels in the north.
Chapter 8, Verse 25.
The
mystic who passes away from this world during the smoke, the night,
the moonless fortnight, or in the six months when the sun passes to
the south, or who reaches the moon planet, again comes back.
Chapter 8, Verse 26.
According
to the Vedas, there are two ways of passing from this world--one in
the light and one in darkness. When one passes in light, he does not
come back; but when one passes in darkness, he returns.
Chapter 8, Verse 27.
The
devotees who know these two paths, O Arjuna, are never bewildered.
Therefore be always fixed in devotion.
Chapter 8, Verse 28.
A
person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of
the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austere
sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive
activities. At the end he reaches the supreme abode.
The
Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of
Me, I shall impart to you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you
shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.
Chapter 9, Verse 2.
This
knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets.
It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of
the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is
everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.
Chapter 9, Verse 3.
Those
who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain
Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this
material world.
Chapter 9, Verse 4.
By
Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All
beings are in Me, but I am not in them.
Chapter 9, Verse 5.
And
yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic
opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities, and
although I am everywhere, still My Self is the very source of
creation.
Chapter 9, Verse 6.
As
the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, always rests in ethereal space,
know that in the same manner all beings rest in Me.
Chapter 9, Verse 7.
O
son of Kunti, at the end of the millennium every material
manifestation enters into My nature, and at the beginning of another
millennium, by My potency I again create.
Chapter 9, Verse 8.
The
whole cosmic order is under Me. By My will it is manifested again and
again, and by My will it is annihilated at the end.
Chapter 9, Verse 9.
O
Dhananjaya, all this work cannot bind Me. I am ever detached, seated
as though neutral.
Chapter 9, Verse 10.
This
material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, and it
is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this
manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.
Chapter 9, Verse 11.
Fools
deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My
transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.
Chapter 9, Verse 12.
Those
who are thus bewildered are attracted by demonic and atheistic views.
In that deluded condition, their hopes for liberation, their fruitive
activities, and their culture of knowledge are all defeated.
Chapter 9, Verse 13.
O
son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under
the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in
devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, original and inexhaustible.
Chapter 9, Verse 14.
Always
chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing
down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with
devotion.
Chapter 9, Verse 15.
Others,
who are engaged in the cultivation of knowledge, worship the Supreme
Lord as the one without a second, diverse in many, and in the
universal form.
Chapter 9, Verse 16.
But
it is I who am the ritual, I the sacrifice, the offering to the
ancestors, the healing herb, the transcendental chant. I am the
butter and the fire and the offering.
Chapter 9, Verse 17.
I
am the father of this universe, the mother, the support, and the
grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the
syllable om. I am also the Rg, the Sama, and the Yajur [Vedas].
Chapter 9, Verse 18.
I
am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the
refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the
annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the
eternal seed.
Chapter 9, Verse 19.
O
Arjuna, I control heat, the rain and the drought. I am immortality,
and I am also death personified. Both being and nonbeing are in Me.
Chapter 9, Verse 20.
Those
who study the Vedas and drink the soma juice, seeking the heavenly
planets, worship Me indirectly. They take birth on the planet of
Indra, where they enjoy godly delights.
Chapter 9, Verse 21.
When
they have thus enjoyed heavenly sense pleasure, they return to this
mortal planet again. Thus, through the Vedic principles, they achieve
only flickering happiness.
Chapter 9, Verse 22.
But
those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental
form--to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.
Chapter 9, Verse 23.
Whatever
a man may sacrifice to other gods, O son of Kunti, is really meant
for Me alone, but it is offered without true understanding.
Chapter 9, Verse 24.
I
am the only enjoyer and the only object of sacrifice. Those who do
not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down.
Chapter 9, Verse 25.
Those
who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those
who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings;
those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who
worship Me will live with Me.
Chapter 9, Verse 26.
If
one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or
water, I will accept it.
Chapter 9, Verse 27.
O
son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer
and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform,
should be done as an offering unto Me.
Chapter 9, Verse 28.
In
this way you will be freed from all reactions to good and evil deeds,
and by this principle of renunciation you will be liberated and come
to Me.
Chapter 9, Verse 29.
I
envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But
whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me,
and I am also a friend to him.
Chapter 9, Verse 30.
Even
if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in
devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is
properly situated.
Chapter 9, Verse 31.
He
quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunti,
declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.
Chapter 9, Verse 32.
O
son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower
birth--women, vaisyas [merchants], as well as sudras [workers]--can
approach the supreme destination.
Chapter 9, Verse 33.
How
much greater then are the brahmanas, the righteous, the devotees and
saintly kings who in this temporary miserable world engage in loving
service unto Me.
Chapter 9, Verse 34.
Engage
your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me.
Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
The
Supreme Lord said: My dear friend, mighty-armed Arjuna, listen again
to My supreme word, which I shall impart to you for your benefit and
which will give you great joy.
Chapter 10, Verse 2.
Neither
the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin, for, in
every respect, I am the source of the demigods and the sages.
Chapter 10, Verse 3.
He
who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as the Supreme Lord
of all the worlds--he, undeluded among men, is freed from all sins.
Chapter 10, Verse 4-5.
Intelligence,
knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness,
truthfulness, self-control and calmness, pleasure and pain, birth,
death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction,
austerity, charity, fame and infamy are created by Me alone.
Chapter 10, Verse 6.
The
seven great sages and before them the four other great sages and the
Manus [progenitors of mankind] are born out of My mind, and all
creatures in these planets descend from them.
Chapter 10, Verse 7.
He
who knows in truth this glory and power of Mine engages in unalloyed
devotional service; of this there is no doubt.
Chapter 10, Verse 8.
I
am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything
emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My
devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
Chapter 10, Verse 9.
The
thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered
to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one
another and conversing about Me.
Chapter 10, Verse 10.
To
those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the
understanding by which they can come to Me.
Chapter 10, Verse 11.
Out
of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the
shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.
Chapter 10, Verse 12-13.
Arjuna
said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode
and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You
are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the
unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Narada,
Asita, Devala, and Vyasa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself
are declaring it to me.
Chapter 10, Verse 14.
O
Krsna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither
the gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.
Chapter 10, Verse 15.
Indeed,
You alone know Yourself by Your own potencies, O origin of all, Lord
of all beings, God of gods, O Supreme Person, Lord of the universe!
Chapter 10, Verse 16.
Please
tell me in detail of Your divine powers by which You pervade all
these worlds and abide in them.
Chapter 10, Verse 17.
How
should I meditate on You? In what various forms are You to be
contemplated, O Blessed Lord?
Chapter 10, Verse 18.
Tell
me again in detail, O Janardana [Krsna], of Your mighty potencies and
glories, for I never tire of hearing Your ambrosial words.
Chapter 10, Verse 19.
The
Blessed Lord said: Yes, I will tell you of My splendorous
manifestations, but only of those which are prominent, O Arjuna, for
My opulence is limitless.
Chapter 10, Verse 20.
I
am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am
the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.
Chapter 10, Verse 21.
Of
the Adityas I am Visnu, of lights I am the radiant sun, I am Marici
of the Maruts, and among the stars I am the moon.
Chapter 10, Verse 22.
Of
the Vedas I am the Sama-veda; of the demigods I am Indra; of the
senses I am the mind, and in living beings I am the living force
[knowledge].
Chapter 10, Verse 23.
Of
all the Rudras I am Lord Siva; of the Yaksas and Raksasas I am the
Lord of wealth [Kuvera]; of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of
mountains I am Meru.
Chapter 10, Verse 24.
Of
priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brhaspati, the lord of
devotion. Of generals I am Skanda, the lord of war; and of bodies of
water I am the ocean.
Chapter 10, Verse 25.
Of
the great sages I am Bhrgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental om.
Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa], and of
immovable things I am the Himalayas.
Chapter 10, Verse 26.
Of
all trees I am the holy fig tree, and among sages and demigods I am
Narada. Of the singers of the gods [Gandharvas] I am Citraratha, and
among perfected beings I am the sage Kapila.
Chapter 10, Verse 27.
Of
horses know Me to be Uccaihsrava, who rose out of the ocean, born of
the elixir of immortality; of lordly elephants I am Airavata, and
among men I am the monarch.
Chapter 10, Verse 28.
Of
weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the surabhi, givers of
abundant milk. Of procreators I am Kandarpa, the god of love, and of
serpents I am Vasuki, the chief.
Chapter 10, Verse 29.
Of
the celestial Naga snakes I am Ananta; of the aquatic deities I am
Varuna. Of departed ancestors I am Aryama, and among the dispensers
of law I am Yama, lord of death.
Chapter 10, Verse 30.
Among
the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlada; among subduers I am
time; among the beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuda,
the feathered carrier of Visnu.
Chapter 10, Verse 31.
Of
purifiers I am the wind; of the wielders of weapons I am Rama; of
fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges.
Chapter 10, Verse 32.
Of
all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O
Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the self, and
among logicians I am the conclusive truth.
Chapter 10, Verse 33.
Of
letters I am the letter A, and among compounds I am the dual word. I
am also inexhaustible time, and of creators I am Brahma, whose
manifold faces turn everywhere.
Chapter 10, Verse 34.
I
am all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to
be. Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence,
faithfulness and patience.
Chapter 10, Verse 35.
Of
hymns I am the Brhat-sama sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am
the Gayatri verse, sung daily by Brahmanas. Of months I am November
and December, and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.
Chapter 10, Verse 36.
I
am also the gambling of cheats, and of the splendid I am the
splendor. I am victory, I am adventure, and I am the strength of the
strong.
Chapter 10, Verse 37.
Of
the descendants of Vrsni I am Vasudeva, and of the Pandavas I am
Arjuna. Of the sages I am Vyasa, and among great thinkers I am Usana.
Chapter 10, Verse 38.
Among
punishments I am the rod of chastisement, and of those who seek
victory, I am morality. Of secret things I am silence, and of the
wise I am wisdom.
Chapter 10, Verse 39.
Furthermore,
O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no
being--moving or unmoving--that can exist without Me.
Chapter 10, Verse 40.
O
mighty conqueror of enemies, there is no end to My divine
manifestations. What I have spoken to you is but a mere indication of
My infinite opulences.
Chapter 10, Verse 41.
Know
that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a
spark of My splendor.
Chapter 10, Verse 42.
But
what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a
single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.
Arjuna
said: I have heard Your instruction on confidential spiritual matters
which You have so kindly delivered unto me, and my illusion is now
dispelled.
Chapter 11, Verse 2.
O
lotus-eyed one, I have heard from You in detail about the appearance
and disappearance of every living entity, as realized through Your
inexhaustible glories.
Chapter 11, Verse 3.
O
greatest of all personalities, O supreme form, though I see here
before me Your actual position, I wish to see how You have entered
into this cosmic manifestation. I want to see that form of Yours.
Chapter 11, Verse 4.
If
You think that I am able to behold Your cosmic form, O my Lord, O
master of all mystic power, then kindly show me that universal Self.
Chapter 11, Verse 5.
The
Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, O son of Prtha, behold now My
opulences, hundreds of thousands of varied divine forms, multicolored
like the sea.
Chapter 11, Verse 6.
O
best of the Bharatas, see here the different manifestations of
Adityas, Rudras, and all the demigods. Behold the many things which
no one has ever seen or heard before.
Chapter 11, Verse 7.
Whatever
you wish to see can be seen all at once in this body. This universal
form can show you all that you now desire, as well as whatever you
may desire in the future. Everything is here completely.
Chapter 11, Verse 8.
But
you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give to you
divine eyes by which you can behold My mystic opulence.
Chapter 11, Verse 9.
Sanjaya
said: O King, speaking thus, the Supreme, the Lord of all mystic
power, the Personality of Godhead, displayed His universal form to
Arjuna.
Chapter 11, Verse 10-11.
Arjuna
saw in that universal form unlimited mouths and unlimited eyes. It
was all wondrous. The form was decorated with divine, dazzling
ornaments and arrayed in many garbs. He was garlanded gloriously, and
there were many scents smeared over His body. All was magnificent,
all-expanding, unlimited. This was seen by Arjuna.
Chapter 11, Verse 12.
If
hundreds of thousands of suns rose up at once into the sky, they
might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme Person in that universal
form.
Chapter 11, Verse 13.
At
that time Arjuna could see in the universal form of the Lord the
unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place although
divided into many, many thousands.
Chapter 11, Verse 14.
Then,
bewildered and astonished, his hair standing on end, Arjuna began to
pray with folded hands, offering obeisances to the Supreme Lord.
Chapter 11, Verse 15.
Arjuna
said: My dear Lord Krsna, I see assembled together in Your body all
the demigods and various other living entities. I see Brahma sitting
on the lotus flower as well as Lord Siva and many sages and divine
serpents.
Chapter 11, Verse 16.
O
Lord of the universe, I see in Your universal body many, many
forms--bellies, mouths, eyes--expanded without limit. There is no
end, there is no beginning, and there is no middle to all this.
Chapter 11, Verse 17.
Your
form, adorned with various crowns, clubs and discs, is difficult to
see because of its glaring effulgence, which is fiery and
immeasurable like the sun.
Chapter 11, Verse 18.
You
are the supreme primal objective; You are the best in all the
universes; You are inexhaustible, and You are the oldest; You are the
maintainer of religion, the eternal Personality of Godhead.
Chapter 11, Verse 19.
You
are the origin without beginning, middle or end. You have numberless
arms, and the sun and moon are among Your great unlimited eyes. By
Your own radiance You are heating this entire universe.
Chapter 11, Verse 20.
Although
You are one, You are spread throughout the sky and the planets and
all space between. O great one, as I behold this terrible form, I see
that all the planetary systems are perplexed.
Chapter 11, Verse 21.
All
the demigods are surrendering and entering into You. They are very
much afraid, and with folded hands they are singing the Vedic hymns.
Chapter 11, Verse 22.
The
different manifestations of Lord Siva, the Adityas, the Vasus, the
Sadhyas, the Visvedevas, the two Asvis, the Maruts, the forefathers
and the Gandharvas, the Yaksas, Asuras, and all perfected demigods
are beholding You in wonder.
Chapter 11, Verse 23.
O
mighty-armed one, all the planets with their demigods are disturbed
at seeing Your many faces, eyes, arms, bellies and legs and Your
terrible teeth, and as they are disturbed, so am I.
Chapter 11, Verse 24.
O
all-pervading Visnu, I can no longer maintain my equilibrium. Seeing
Your radiant colors fill the skies and beholding Your eyes and
mouths, I am afraid.
Chapter 11, Verse 25.
O
Lord of lords, O refuge of the worlds, please be gracious to me. I
cannot keep my balance seeing thus Your blazing deathlike faces and
awful teeth. In all directions I am bewildered.
Chapter 11, Verse 26-27.
All
the sons of Dhrtarastra along with their allied kings, and Bhisma,
Drona and Karna, and all our soldiers are rushing into Your mouths,
their heads smashed by Your fearful teeth. I see that some are being
crushed between Your teeth as well.
Chapter 11, Verse 28.
As
the rivers flow into the sea, so all these great warriors enter Your
blazing mouths and perish.
Chapter 11, Verse 29.
I
see all people rushing with full speed into Your mouths as moths dash
into a blazing fire.
Chapter 11, Verse 30.
O
Visnu, I see You devouring all people in Your flaming mouths and
covering the universe with Your immeasurable rays. Scorching the
worlds, You are manifest.
Chapter 11, Verse 31.
O
Lord of lords, so fierce of form, please tell me who You are. I offer
my obeisances unto You; please be gracious to me. I do not know what
Your mission is, and I desire to hear of it.
Chapter 11, Verse 32.
The
Blessed Lord said: Time I am, destroyer of the worlds, and I have
come to engage all people. With the exception of you [the Pandavas],
all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain.
Chapter 11, Verse 33.
Therefore
get up and prepare to fight. After conquering your enemies you will
enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My
arrangement, and you, O Savyasaci, can be but an instrument in the
fight.
Chapter 11, Verse 34.
The
Blessed Lord said: All the great warriors--Drona, Bhisma, Jayadratha,
Karna--are already destroyed. Simply fight, and you will vanquish
your enemies.
Chapter 11, Verse 35.
Sanjaya
said to Dhrtarastra: O King, after hearing these words from the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna trembled, fearfully offered
obeisances with folded hands and began, falteringly, to speak as
follows:
Chapter 11, Verse 36.
O
Hrsikesa, the world becomes joyful upon hearing Your name, and thus
everyone becomes attached to You. Although the perfected beings offer
You their respectful homage, the demons are afraid, and they flee
here and there. All this is rightly done.
Chapter 11, Verse 37.
O
great one, who stands above even Brahma, You are the original master.
Why should they not offer their homage up to You, O limitless one? O
refuge of the universe, You are the invincible source, the cause of
all causes, transcendental to this material manifestation.
Chapter 11, Verse 38.
You
are the original Personality, the Godhead. You are the only sanctuary
of this manifested cosmic world. You know everything, and You are all
that is knowable. You are above the material modes O limitless form!
This whole cosmic manifestation is pervaded by You!
Chapter 11, Verse 39.
You
are air, fire, water, and You are the moon! You are the supreme
controller and the grandfather. Thus I offer my respectful obeisances
unto You a thousand times, and again and yet again!
Chapter 11, Verse 40.
Obeisances
from the front, from behind and from all sides! O unbounded power,
You are the master of limitless might! You are all-pervading, and
thus You are everything!
Chapter 11, Verse 41-42.
I
have in the past addressed You as "O Krsna," "O
Yadava," "O my friend," without knowing Your glories.
Please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love. I have
dishonored You many times while relaxing or while lying on the same
bed or eating together, sometimes alone and sometimes in front of
many friends. Please excuse me for all my offenses.
Chapter 11, Verse 43.
You
are the father of this complete cosmic manifestation, the worshipable
chief, the spiritual master. No one is equal to You, nor can anyone
be one with You. Within the three worlds, You are immeasurable.
Chapter 11, Verse 44.
You
are the Supreme Lord, to be worshiped by every living being. Thus I
fall down to offer You my respects and ask Your mercy. Please
tolerate the wrongs that I may have done to You and bear with me as a
father with his son, or a friend with his friend, or a lover with his
beloved.
Chapter 11, Verse 45.
After
seeing this universal form, which I have never seen before, I am
gladdened, but at the same time my mind is disturbed with fear.
Therefore please bestow Your grace upon me and reveal again Your form
as the Personality of Godhead, O Lord of lords, O abode of the
universe.
Chapter 11, Verse 46.
O
universal Lord, I wish to see You in Your four-armed form, with
helmeted head and with club, wheel, conch and lotus flower in Your
hands. I long to see You in that form.
Chapter 11, Verse 47.
The
Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, happily do I show you this
universal form within the material world by My internal potency. No
one before you has ever seen this unlimited and glaringly effulgent
form.
Chapter 11, Verse 48.
O
best of the Kuru warriors, no one before you has ever seen this
universal form of Mine, for neither by studying the Vedas, nor by
performing sacrifices, nor by charities or similar activities can
this form be seen. Only you have seen this.
Chapter 11, Verse 49.
Your
mind has been perturbed upon seeing this horrible feature of Mine.
Now let it be finished. My devotee, be free from all disturbance.
With a peaceful mind you can now see the form you desire.
Chapter 11, Verse 50.
Sanjaya
said to Dhrtarastra: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, while
speaking thus to Arjuna, displayed His real four-armed form, and at
last He showed him His two-armed form, thus encouraging the fearful
Arjuna.
Chapter 11, Verse 51.
When
Arjuna thus saw Krsna in His original form, he said: Seeing this
humanlike form, so very beautiful, my mind is now pacified and I am
restored to my original nature.
Chapter 11, Verse 52.
The
Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, the form which you are now seeing
is very difficult to behold. Even the demigods are ever seeking the
opportunity to see this form which is so dear.
Chapter 11, Verse 53.
The
form which you are seeing with your transcendental eyes cannot be
understood simply by studying the Vedas, nor by undergoing serious
penances, nor by charity, nor by worship. It is not by these means
that one can see Me as I am.
Chapter 11, Verse 54.
My
dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood
as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in
this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.
Chapter 11, Verse 55.
My
dear Arjuna, one who is engaged in My pure devotional service, free
from the contaminations of previous activities and from mental
speculation, who is friendly to every living entity, certainly comes
to Me.
Arjuna
inquired: Which is considered to be more perfect, those who are
properly engaged in Your devotional service, or those who worship the
impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested?
Chapter 12, Verse 2.
The
Blessed Lord said: He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always
engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is
considered by Me to be most perfect.
Chapter 12, Verse 3-4.
But
those who fully worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the
perception of the senses, the all-pervading, inconceivable, fixed and
immovable--the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth--by
controlling the various senses and being equally disposed to
everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all, at last
achieve Me.
Chapter 12, Verse 5.
For
those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal
feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make
progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are
embodied.
Chapter 12, Verse 6-7.
For
one who worships Me, giving up all his activities unto Me and being
devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and
always meditating upon Me, who has fixed his mind upon Me, O son of
Prtha, for him I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and
death.
Chapter 12, Verse 8.
Just
fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage
all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without
a doubt.
Chapter 12, Verse 9.
My
dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me
without deviation, then follow the regulated principles of
bhakti-yoga. In this way you will develop a desire to attain to Me.
Chapter 12, Verse 10.
If
you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to
work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect
stage.
Chapter 12, Verse 11.
If,
however, you are unable to work in this consciousness, then try to
act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.
Chapter 12, Verse 12.
If
you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the
cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is
meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits
of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.
Chapter 12, Verse 13-14.
One
who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities,
who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego
and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and
engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and
intelligence are in agreement with Me--he is very dear to Me.
Chapter 12, Verse 15.
He
for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by
anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me.
Chapter 12, Verse 16.
A
devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities,
who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and who does
not strive for some result, is very dear to Me.
Chapter 12, Verse 17.
One
who neither grasps pleasure or grief, who neither laments nor
desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things,
is very dear to Me.
Chapter 12, Verse 18-19.
One
who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and
dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who
is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with
anything, who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in
knowledge and engaged in devotional service, is very dear to Me.
Chapter 12, Verse 20.
He
who follows this imperishable path of devotional service and who
completely engages himself with faith, making Me the supreme goal, is
very, very dear to Me.
Arjuna
said: O my dear Krsna, I wish to know about prakrti [nature], purusa
[the enjoyer], and the field and the knower of the field, and of
knowledge and the end of knowledge. The Blessed Lord then said: This
body, O son of Kunti, is called the field, and one who knows this
body is called the knower of the field.
Chapter 13, Verse 3.
O
scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in
all bodies, and to understand this body and its owner is called
knowledge. That is My opinion.
Chapter 13, Verse 4.
Now
please hear My brief description of this field of activity and how it
is constituted, what its changes are, whence it is produced, who that
knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are.
Chapter 13, Verse 5.
That
knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities
is described by various sages in various Vedic writings--especially
in the Vedanta-sutra--and is presented with all reasoning as to cause
and effect.
Chapter 13, Verse 6-7.
The
five great elements, false ego, intelligence, the unmanifested, the
ten senses, the mind, the five sense objects, desire, hatred,
happiness, distress, the aggregate, the life symptoms, and
convictions--all these are considered, in summary, to be the field of
activities and its interactions.
Chapter 13, Verse 8-12.
Humility,
pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona
fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control;
renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false
ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease;
nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and
even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and
unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment
from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of
self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute
Truth--all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary
to these is ignorance.
Chapter 13, Verse 13.
I
shall now explain the knowable, knowing which you will taste the
eternal. This is beginningless, and it is subordinate to Me. It is
called Brahman, the spirit, and it lies beyond the cause and effect
of this material world.
Chapter 13, Verse 14.
Everywhere
are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everything.
In this way the Supersoul exists.
Chapter 13, Verse 15.
The
Supersoul is the original source of all senses, yet He is without
senses. He is unattached, although He is the maintainer of all living
beings. He transcends the modes of nature, and at the same time He is
the master of all modes of material nature.
Chapter 13, Verse 16.
The
Supreme Truth exists both internally and externally, in the moving
and nonmoving. He is beyond the power of the material senses to see
or to know. Although far, far away, He is also near to all.
Chapter 13, Verse 17.
Although
the Supersoul appears to be divided, He is never divided. He is
situated as one. Although He is the maintainer of every living
entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops all.
Chapter 13, Verse 18.
He
is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the
darkness of matter and is unmanifested. He is knowledge, He is the
object of knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated
in everyone's heart.
Chapter 13, Verse 19.
Thus
the field of activities [the body], knowledge and the knowable have
been summarily described by Me. Only My devotees can understand this
thoroughly and thus attain to My nature.
Chapter 13, Verse 20.
Material
nature and the living entities should be understood to be
beginningless. Their transformations and the modes of matter are
products of material nature.
Chapter 13, Verse 21.
Nature
is said to be the cause of all material activities and effects,
whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and
enjoyments in this world.
Chapter 13, Verse 22.
The
living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life,
enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association
with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil amongst
various species.
Chapter 13, Verse 23.
Yet
in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer who is the
Lord, the supreme proprietor, who exists as the overseer and
permitter, and who is known as the Supersoul.
Chapter 13, Verse 24.
One
who understands this philosophy concerning material nature, the
living entity and the interaction of the modes of nature is sure to
attain liberation. He will not take birth here again, regardless of
his present position.
Chapter 13, Verse 25.
That
Supersoul is perceived by some through meditation, by some through
the cultivation of knowledge, and by others through working without
fruitive desire.
Chapter 13, Verse 26.
Again
there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge,
begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from
others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also
transcend the path of birth and death.
Chapter 13, Verse 27.
O
chief of the Bharatas, whatever you see in existence, both moving and
unmoving, is only the combination of the field of activities and the
knower of the field.
Chapter 13, Verse 28.
One
who sees the Supersoul accompanying the individual soul in all
bodies, and who understands that neither the soul nor the Supersoul
is ever destroyed, actually sees.
Chapter 13, Verse 29.
One
who sees the Supersoul in every living being and equal everywhere
does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he approaches the
transcendental destination.
Chapter 13, Verse 30.
One
who can see that all activities are performed by the body, which is
created of material nature, and sees that the self does nothing,
actually sees.
Chapter 13, Verse 31.
When
a sensible man ceases to see different identities, which are due to
different material bodies, he attains to the Brahman conception. Thus
he sees that beings are expanded everywhere.
Chapter 13, Verse 32.
Those
with the vision of eternity can see that the soul is transcendental,
eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the
material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is
entangled.
Chapter 13, Verse 33.
The
sky, due to its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although
it is all-pervading. Similarly, the soul, situated in Brahman vision,
does not mix with the body, though situated in that body.
Chapter 13, Verse 34.
O
son of Bharata, as the sun alone illuminates all this universe, so
does the living entity, one within the body, illuminate the entire
body by consciousness.
Chapter 13, Verse 35.
One
who knowingly sees this difference between the body and the owner of
the body and can understand the process of liberation from this
bondage, also attains to the supreme goal.
The
Blessed Lord said: Again I shall declare to you this supreme wisdom,
the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained
the supreme perfection.
Chapter 14, Verse 2.
By
becoming fixed in this knowledge, one can attain to the
transcendental nature, which is like My own nature. Thus established,
one is not born at the time of creation nor disturbed at the time of
dissolution.
Chapter 14, Verse 3.
The
total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and
it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of
all living beings, O son of Bharata.
Chapter 14, Verse 4.
It
should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are
made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the
seed-giving father.
Chapter 14, Verse 5.
Material
nature consists of the three modes--goodness, passion and ignorance.
When the living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes
conditioned by these modes.
Chapter 14, Verse 6.
O
sinless one, the mode of goodness being purer than the others, is
illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those
situated in that mode develop knowledge, but they become conditioned
by the concept of happiness.
Chapter 14, Verse 7.
The
mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of
Kunti, and because of this one is bound to material fruitive
activities.
Chapter 14, Verse 8.
O
son of Bharata, the mode of ignorance causes the delusion of all
living entities. The result of this mode is madness, indolence and
sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.
Chapter 14, Verse 9.
The
mode of goodness conditions one to happiness, passion conditions him
to the fruits of action, and ignorance to madness.
Chapter 14, Verse 10.
Sometimes
the mode of passion becomes prominent, defeating the mode of
goodness, O son of Bharata. And sometimes the mode of goodness
defeats passion, and at other times the mode of ignorance defeats
goodness and passion. In this way there is always competition for
supremacy.
Chapter 14, Verse 11.
The
manifestations of the mode of goodness can be experienced when all
the gates of the body are illuminated by knowledge.
Chapter 14, Verse 12.
O
chief of the Bharatas, when there is an increase in the mode of
passion, the symptoms of great attachment, uncontrollable desire,
hankering, and intense endeavor develop.
Chapter 14, Verse 13.
O
son of Kuru, when there is an increase in the mode of ignorance,
madness, illusion, inertia and darkness are manifested.
Chapter 14, Verse 14.
When
one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher
planets.
Chapter 14, Verse 15.
When
one dies in the mode of passion, he takes birth among those engaged
in fruitive activities; and when he dies in the mode of ignorance, he
takes birth in the animal kingdom.
Chapter 14, Verse 16.
By
acting in the mode of goodness, one becomes purified. Works done in
the mode of passion result in distress, and actions performed in the
mode of ignorance result in foolishness.
Chapter 14, Verse 17.
From
the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of
passion, greed develops; and from the mode of ignorance, foolishness,
madness and illusion develop.
Chapter 14, Verse 18.
Those
situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher
planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets;
and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.
Chapter 14, Verse 19.
When
you see that there is nothing beyond these modes of nature in all
activities and that the Supreme Lord is transcendental to all these
modes, then you can know My spiritual nature.
Chapter 14, Verse 20.
When
the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes, he can
become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can
enjoy nectar even in this life.
Chapter 14, Verse 21.
Arjuna
inquired: O my Lord, by what symptoms is one known who is
transcendental to those modes? What is his behavior? And how does he
transcend the modes of nature?
Chapter 14, Verse 22-25.
The
Blessed Lord said: He who does not hate illumination, attachment and
delusion when they are present, nor longs for them when they
disappear; who is seated like one unconcerned, being situated beyond
these material reactions of the modes of nature, who remains firm,
knowing that the modes alone are active; who regards alike pleasure
and pain, and looks on a clod, a stone and a piece of gold with an
equal eye; who is wise and holds praise and blame to be the same; who
is unchanged in honor and dishonor, who treats friend and foe alike,
who has abandoned all fruitive undertakings--such a man is said to
have transcended the modes of nature.
Chapter 14, Verse 26.
One
who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any
circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and
thus comes to the level of Brahman.
Chapter 14, Verse 27.
And
I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional
position of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable
and eternal.
The
Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward
and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who
knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.
Chapter 15, Verse 2.
The
branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the
three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the
senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to
the fruitive actions of human society.
Chapter 15, Verse 3-4.
The
real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can
understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation
is. But with determination one must cut down this tree with the
weapon of detachment. So doing, one must seek that place from which,
having once gone, one never returns, and there surrender to that
Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything has began and in
whom everything is abiding since time immemorial.
Chapter 15, Verse 5.
One
who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who
understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed
from the duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to
surrender unto the Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom.
Chapter 15, Verse 6.
That
abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by
electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.
Chapter 15, Verse 7.
The
living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental
parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with
the six senses, which include the mind.
Chapter 15, Verse 8.
The
living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions
of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.
Chapter 15, Verse 9.
The
living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type
of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about
the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.
Chapter 15, Verse 10.
The
foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor
can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of
the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can
see all this.
Chapter 15, Verse 11.
The
endeavoring transcendentalist, who is situated in self-realization,
can see all this clearly. But those who are not situated in
self-realization cannot see what is taking place, though they may try
to.
Chapter 15, Verse 12.
The
splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole
world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor
of fire are also from Me.
Chapter 15, Verse 13.
I
enter into each planet, and by My energy they stay in orbit. I become
the moon and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables.
Chapter 15, Verse 14.
I
am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of
life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of
foodstuff.
Chapter 15, Verse 15.
I
am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance,
knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas I am to be known;
indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the
Vedas.
Chapter 15, Verse 16.
There
are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the
material world every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world
every entity is called infallible.
Chapter 15, Verse 17.
Besides
these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Lord
Himself, who has entered into these worlds and is maintaining them.
Chapter 15, Verse 18.
Because
I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and
because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in
the Vedas as that Supreme Person.
Chapter 15, Verse 19.
Whoever
knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is
to be understood as the knower of everything, and He therefore
engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata.
Chapter 15, Verse 20.
This
is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one,
and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become
wise, and his endeavors will know perfection.
The
Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one's existence,
cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control,
performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and
simplicity; nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger;
renunciation, tranquility, aversion to faultfinding, compassion and
freedom from covetousness; gentleness, modesty and steady
determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom
from envy and the passion for honor--these transcendental qualities,
O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.
Chapter 16, Verse 4.
Arrogance,
pride, anger, conceit, harshness and ignorance--these qualities
belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Prtha.
Chapter 16, Verse 5.
The
transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the
demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Pandu,
for you are born with the divine qualities.
Chapter 16, Verse 6.
O
son of Prtha, in this world there are two kinds of created beings.
One is called the divine and the other demoniac. I have already
explained to you at length the divine qualities. Now hear from Me of
the demoniac.
Chapter 16, Verse 7.
Those
who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be
done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in
them.
Chapter 16, Verse 8.
They
say that this world is unreal, that there is no foundation and that
there is no God in control. It is produced of sex desire, and has no
cause other than lust.
Chapter 16, Verse 9.
Following
such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who
have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to
destroy the world.
Chapter 16, Verse 10.
The
demoniac, taking shelter of insatiable lust, pride and false
prestige, and being thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean
work, attracted by the impermanent.
Chapter 16, Verse 11-12.
They
believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime
necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their
anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust
and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense
gratification.
Chapter 16, Verse 13-15.
The
demoniac person thinks: "So much wealth do I have today, and I
will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it
will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I
have killed him; and my other enemy will also be killed. I am the
lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and
happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives.
There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform
sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice."
In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.
Chapter 16, Verse 16.
Thus
perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions,
one becomes too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and falls down
into hell.
Chapter 16, Verse 17.
Self-complacent
and always impudent, deluded by wealth and false prestige, they
sometimes perform sacrifices in name only without following any rules
or regulations.
Chapter 16, Verse 18.
Bewildered
by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demon becomes
envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in his
own body and in the bodies of others, and blasphemes against the real
religion.
Chapter 16, Verse 19.
Those
who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are
cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various
demoniac species of life.
Chapter 16, Verse 20.
Attaining
repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, such persons can
never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most abominable
type of existence.
Chapter 16, Verse 21.
There
are three gates leading to this hell--lust, anger and greed. Every
sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of
the soul.
Chapter 16, Verse 22.
The
man who has escaped these three gates of hell, O son of Kunti,
performs acts conducive to self-realization and thus gradually
attains the supreme destination.
Chapter 16, Verse 23.
But
he who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own
whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme
destination.
Chapter 16, Verse 24.
One
should understand what is duty and what is not duty by the
regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations,
one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.
Arjuna
said, O Krsna, what is the situation of one who does not follow the
principles of scripture but who worships according to his own
imagination? Is he in goodness, in passion or in ignorance?
Chapter 17, Verse 2.
The
Supreme Lord said, according to the modes of nature acquired by the
embodied soul, one's faith can be of three kinds--goodness, passion
or ignorance. Now hear about these.
Chapter 17, Verse 3.
According
to one's existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a
particular kind of faith. The living being is said to be of a
particular faith according to the modes he has acquired.
Chapter 17, Verse 4.
Men
in the mode of goodness worship the demigods; those in the mode of
passion worship the demons; and those in the mode of ignorance
worship ghosts and spirits.
Chapter 17, Verse 5-6.
Those
who undergo severe austerities and penances not recommended in the
scriptures, performing them out of pride, egoism, lust and
attachment, who are impelled by passion and who torture their bodily
organs as well as the Supersoul dwelling within are to be known as
demons.
Chapter 17, Verse 7.
Even
food of which all partake is of three kinds, according to the three
modes of material nature. The same is true of sacrifices, austerities
and charity. Listen, and I shall tell you of the distinctions of
these.
Chapter 17, Verse 8-10.
Foods
in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one's
existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such
nourishing foods are sweet, juicy, fattening and palatable. Foods
that are too bitter, too sour, salty, pungent, dry and hot, are liked
by people in the modes of passion. Such foods cause pain, distress,
and disease. Food cooked more than three hours before being eaten,
which is tasteless, stale, putrid, decomposed and unclean, is food
liked by people in the mode of ignorance.
Chapter 17, Verse 11.
Of
sacrifices, that sacrifice performed according to duty and to
scriptural rules, and with no expectation of reward, is of the nature
of goodness.
Chapter 17, Verse 12.
But
that sacrifice performed for some material end or benefit or
preformed ostentatiously, out of pride, is of the nature of passion,
O chief of the Bharatas.
Chapter 17, Verse 13.
And
that sacrifice performed in defiance of scriptural injunctions, in
which no spiritual food is distributed, no hymns are chanted and no
remunerations are made to the priests, and which is faithless--that
sacrifice is of the nature of ignorance.
Chapter 17, Verse 14.
The
austerity of the body consists in this: worship of the Supreme Lord,
the brahmanas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father
and mother. Cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence are
also austerities of the body.
Chapter 17, Verse 15.
Austerity
of speech consists in speaking truthfully and beneficially and in
avoiding speech that offends. One should also recite the Vedas
regularly.
Chapter 17, Verse 16.
And
serenity, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purity of thought are
the austerities of the mind.
Chapter 17, Verse 17.
This
threefold austerity, practiced by men whose aim is not to benefit
themselves materially but to please the Supreme, is of the nature of
goodness.
Chapter 17, Verse 18.
Those
ostentatious penances and austerities which are performed in order to
gain respect, honor and reverence are said to be in the mode of
passion. They are neither stable nor permanent.
Chapter 17, Verse 19.
And
those penances and austerities which are performed foolishly by means
of obstinate self-torture, or to destroy or injure others, are said
to be in the mode of ignorance.
Chapter 17, Verse 20.
That
gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a
worthy person, and without expectation of return, is considered to be
charity in the mode of goodness.
Chapter 17, Verse 21.
But
charity performed with the expectation of some return, or with a
desire for fruitive results, or in a grudging mood, is said to be
charity in the mode of passion.
Chapter 17, Verse 22.
And
charity performed at an improper place and time and given to unworthy
persons without respect and with contempt is charity in the mode of
ignorance.
Chapter 17, Verse 23.
From
the beginning of creation, the three syllables--om tat sat--have been
used to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth [Brahman]. They were
uttered by brahmanas while chanting Vedic hymns and during
sacrifices, for the satisfaction of the Supreme.
Chapter 17, Verse 24.
Thus
the transcendentalists undertake sacrifices, charities, and penances,
beginning always with om, to attain the Supreme.
Chapter 17, Verse 25.
One
should perform sacrifice, penance and charity with the word tat. The
purpose of such transcendental activities is to get free from the
material entanglement.
Chapter 17, Verse 26-27.
The
Absolute Truth is the objective of devotional sacrifice, and it is
indicated by the word sat. These works of sacrifice, of penance and
of charity, true to the absolute nature, are performed to please the
Supreme Person, O son of Prtha.
Chapter 17, Verse 28.
But
sacrifices, austerities and charities performed without faith in the
Supreme are nonpermanent, O son of Prtha, regardless of whatever
rites are performed. They are called asat and are useless both in
this life and the next.
Arjuna
said, O mighty-armed one, I wish to understand the purpose of
renunciation [tyaga] and of the renounced order of life [sannyasa], O
killer of the Kesi demon, Hrsikesa.
Chapter 18, Verse 2.
The
Supreme Lord said, To give up the results of all activities is called
renunciation [tyaga] by the wise. And that state is called the
renounced order of life [sannyasa] by great learned men.
Chapter 18, Verse 3.
Some
learned men declare that all kinds of fruitive activities should be
given up, but there are yet other sages who maintain that acts of
sacrifice, charity and penance should never be abandoned.
Chapter 18, Verse 4.
O
best of the Bharatas, hear from Me now about renunciation. O tiger
among men, there are three kinds of renunciation declared in the
scriptures.
Chapter 18, Verse 5.
Acts
of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up but should
be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the
great souls.
Chapter 18, Verse 6.
All
these activities should be performed without any expectation of
result. They should be performed as a matter of duty, O son of Prtha.
That is My final opinion.
Chapter 18, Verse 7.
Prescribed
duties should never be renounced. If, by illusion, one gives up his
prescribed duties, such renunciation is said to be in the mode of
ignorance.
Chapter 18, Verse 8.
Anyone
who gives up prescribed duties as troublesome, or out of fear, is
said to be in the mode of passion. Such action never leads to the
elevation of renunciation.
Chapter 18, Verse 9.
But
he who performs his prescribed duty only because it ought to be done,
and renounces all attachment to the fruit--his renunciation is of the
nature of goodness, O Arjuna.
Chapter 18, Verse 10.
Those
who are situated in the mode of goodness, who neither hate
inauspicious work nor are attached to auspicious work, have no doubts
about work.
Chapter 18, Verse 11.
It
is indeed impossible for an embodied being to give up all activities.
Therefore it is said that he who renounces the fruits of action is
one who has truly renounced.
Chapter 18, Verse 12.
For
one who is not renounced, the threefold fruits of action--desirable,
undesirable and mixed--accrue after death. But those who are in the
renounced order of life have no such results to suffer or enjoy.
Chapter 18, Verse 13-14.
O
mighty-armed Arjuna, learn from Me of the five factors which bring
about the accomplishment of all action. These are declared in sankhya
philosophy to be the place of action, the performer, the senses, the
endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul.
Chapter 18, Verse 15.
Whatever
right or wrong action a man performs by body, mind or speech is
caused by these five factors.
Chapter 18, Verse 16.
Therefore
one who thinks himself the only doer, not considering the five
factors, is certainly not very intelligent and cannot see things as
they are.
Chapter 18, Verse 17.
One
who is not motivated by false ego, whose intelligence is not
entangled, though he kills men in this world, is not the slayer. Nor
is he bound by his actions.
Chapter 18, Verse 18.
Knowledge,
the object of knowledge and the knower are the three factors which
motivate action; the senses, the work and the doer comprise the
threefold basis of action.
Chapter 18, Verse 19.
In
accordance with the three modes of material nature, there are three
kinds of knowledge, action, and performers of action. Listen as I
describe them.
Chapter 18, Verse 20.
That
knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all
existences, undivided in the divided, is knowledge in the mode of
goodness.
Chapter 18, Verse 21.
That
knowledge by which a different type of living entity is seen to be
dwelling in different bodies is knowledge in the mode of passion.
Chapter 18, Verse 22.
And
that knowledge by which one is attached to one kind of work as the
all in all, without knowledge of the truth, and which is very meager,
is said to be in the mode of darkness.
Chapter 18, Verse 23.
As
for actions, that action in accordance with duty, which is performed
without attachment, without love or hate, by one who has renounced
fruitive results, is called action in the mode of goodness.
Chapter 18, Verse 24.
But
action performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify his
desires, and which is enacted from a sense of false ego, is called
action in the mode of passion.
Chapter 18, Verse 25.
And
that action performed in ignorance and delusion without consideration
of future bondage or consequences, which inflicts injury and is
impractical, is said to be action in the mode of ignorance.
Chapter 18, Verse 26.
The
worker who is free from all material attachments and false ego, who
is enthusiastic and resolute and who is indifferent to success or
failure, is a worker in the mode of goodness.
Chapter 18, Verse 27.
But
that worker who is attached to the fruits of his labor and who
passionately wants to enjoy them, who is greedy, envious and impure
and moved by happiness and distress, is a worker in the mode of
passion.
Chapter 18, Verse 28.
And
that worker who is always engaged in work against the injunction of
the scripture, who is materialistic, obstinate, cheating and expert
in insulting others, who is lazy, always morose and procrastinating,
is a worker in the mode of ignorance.
Chapter 18, Verse 29.
Now,
O winner of wealth, please listen as I tell you in detail of the
three kinds of understanding and determination according to the three
modes of nature.
Chapter 18, Verse 30.
O
son of Prtha, that understanding by which one knows what ought to be
done and what ought not to be done, what is to be feared and what is
not to be feared, what is binding and what is liberating, that
understanding is established in the mode of goodness.
Chapter 18, Verse 31.
And
that understanding which cannot distinguish between the religious way
of life and the irreligious, between action that should be done and
action that should not be done, that imperfect understanding, O son
of Prtha, is in the mode of passion.
Chapter 18, Verse 32.
That
understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion
to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and
strives always in the wrong direction, O Partha, is in the mode of
ignorance.
Chapter 18, Verse 33.
O
son of Prtha, that determination which is unbreakable, which is
sustained with steadfastness by yoga practice, and thus controls the
mind, life, and the acts of the senses, is in the mode of goodness.
Chapter 18, Verse 34.
And
that determination by which one holds fast to fruitive result in
religion, economic development and sense gratification is of the
nature of passion, O Arjuna.
Chapter 18, Verse 35.
And
that determination which cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness,
lamentation, moroseness, and illusion--such unintelligent
determination is in the mode of darkness.
Chapter 18, Verse 36-37.
O
best of the Bharatas, now please hear from Me about the three kinds
of happiness which the conditioned soul enjoys, and by which he
sometimes comes to the end of all distress. That which in the
beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar
and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in
the mode of goodness.
Chapter 18, Verse 38.
That
happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their
objects and which appears like nectar at first but poison at the end
is said to be of the nature of passion.
Chapter 18, Verse 39.
And
that happiness which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion
from beginning to end and which arises from sleep, laziness and
illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance.
Chapter 18, Verse 40.
There
is no being existing, either here or among the demigods in the higher
planetary systems, which is freed from the three modes of material
nature.
Chapter 18, Verse 41.
Brahmanas,
ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras are distinguished by their qualities of
work, O chastiser of the enemy, in accordance with the modes of
nature.
Chapter 18, Verse 42.
Peacefulness,
self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom,
knowledge, and religiousness--these are the qualities by which the
brahmanas work.
Chapter 18, Verse 43.
Heroism,
power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity,
and leadership are the qualities of work for the ksatriyas.
Chapter 18, Verse 44.
Farming,
cow protection and business are the qualities of work for the
vaisyas, and for the sudras there is labor and service to others.
Chapter 18, Verse 45.
By
following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now
please hear from Me how this can be done.
Chapter 18, Verse 46.
By
worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is
all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain
perfection.
Chapter 18, Verse 47.
It
is better to engage in one's own occupation, even though one may
perform it imperfectly, than to accept another's occupation and
perform it perfectly. Prescribed duties, according to one's nature,
are never affected by sinful reactions.
Chapter 18, Verse 48.
Every
endeavor is covered by some sort of fault, just as fire is covered by
smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work which is born of his
nature, O son of Kunti, even if such work is full of fault.
Chapter 18, Verse 49.
One
can obtain the results of renunciation simply by self-control and by
becoming unattached to material things and disregarding material
enjoyments. That is the highest perfectional stage of renunciation.
Chapter 18, Verse 50.
O
son of Kunti, learn from Me in brief how one can attain to the
supreme perfectional stage, Brahman, by acting in the way I shall now
summarize.
Chapter 18, Verse 51-53.
Being
purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with
determination, giving up the objects of sense gratification, being
freed from attachment and hatred, one who lives in a secluded place,
who eats little and who controls the body and the tongue, and is
always in trance and is detached, who is without false ego, false
strength, false pride, lust, anger, and who does not accept material
things, such a person is certainly elevated to the position of
self-realization.
Chapter 18, Verse 54.
One
who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme
Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally
disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure
devotional service unto Me.
Chapter 18, Verse 55.
One
can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional
service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by
such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.
Chapter 18, Verse 56.
Though
engaged in all kinds of activities, My devotee, under My protection,
reaches the eternal and imperishable abode by My grace.
Chapter 18, Verse 57.
In
all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My
protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me.
Chapter 18, Verse 58.
If
you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of
conditional life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such
consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be
lost.
Chapter 18, Verse 59.
If
you do not act according to My direction and do not fight, then you
will be falsely directed. By your nature, you will have to be engaged
in warfare.
Chapter 18, Verse 60.
Under
illusion you are now declining to act according to My direction. But,
compelled by your own nature, you will act all the same, O son of
Kunti.
Chapter 18, Verse 61.
The
Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is
directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on
a machine, made of the material energy.
Chapter 18, Verse 62.
O
scion of Bharata, surrender unto Him utterly. By His grace you will
attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode.
Chapter 18, Verse 63.
Thus
I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge.
Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.
Chapter 18, Verse 64.
Because
you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you the most
confidential part of knowledge. Hear this from Me, for it is for your
benefit.
Chapter 18, Verse 65.
Always
think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage
unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this
because you are My very dear friend.
Chapter 18, Verse 66.
Abandon
all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver
you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.
Chapter 18, Verse 67.
This
confidential knowledge may not be explained to those who are not
austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who
is envious of Me.
Chapter 18, Verse 68.
For
one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional
service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.
Chapter 18, Verse 69.
There
is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there
ever be one more dear.
Chapter 18, Verse 70.
And
I declare that he who studies this sacred conversation worships Me by
his intelligence.
Chapter 18, Verse 71.
And
one who listens with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful
reactions and attains to the planets where the pious dwell.
Chapter 18, Verse 72.
O
conqueror of wealth, Arjuna, have you heard this attentively with
your mind? And are your illusions and ignorance now dispelled?
Chapter 18, Verse 73.
Arjuna
said, My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I
have regained my memory by Your mercy, and I am now firm and free
from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.
Chapter 18, Verse 74.
Sanjaya
said: Thus have I heard the conversation of two great souls, Krsna
and Arjuna. And so wonderful is that message that my hair is standing
on end.
Chapter 18, Verse 75.
By
the mercy of Vyasa, I have heard these most confidential talks
directly from the master of all mysticism, Krsna, who was speaking
personally to Arjuna.
Chapter 18, Verse 76.
O
King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between
Krsna and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.
Chapter 18, Verse 77.
O
King, when I remember the wonderful form of Lord Krsna, I am struck
with even greater wonder, and I rejoice again and again.
Chapter 18, Verse 78.
Wherever
there is Krsna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is
Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence,
victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is uniquely qualified to present this English translation and commentary on Bhagavad-gita. He is the world's foremost Vedic scholar and teacher, and he is also the current representative of an unbroken chain of fully self-realized spiritual masters begining with Lord Krishna Himself. Thus, unlike other editions of the Gita, this one is presented as it is--without the slightest taint of adulteration or personal motivation. This edition is certain to stimulate and enlighten with its ancient yet thoroughly timely message.
Bhagavad Gita Introduction Video -- Srila Prabhupada
The Yoga System Video -- Bhagavad Gita -- Srila Prabhupada
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His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
AS IT IS by His
Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter
1. Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra
Chapter
1, Verse 1.Dhrtarastra
said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at
Kuruksetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous
to fight?Chapter 1, Verse 2.
Sanjaya
said: O King, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of
Pandu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the
following words:Chapter 1, Verse 3.
O
my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pandu, so expertly
arranged by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada.Chapter 1, Verse 4.
Here
in this army there are many heroic bowmen equal in fighting to Bhima
and Arjuna; there are also great fighters like Yuyudhana, Virata and
Drupada.Chapter 1, Verse 5.
There
are also great, heroic, powerful fighters like Dhrstaketu, Cekitana,
Kasiraja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Saibya.Chapter 1, Verse 6.
There
are the mighty Yudhamanyu, the very powerful Uttamauja, the son of
Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. All these warriors are great
chariot fighters.Chapter 1, Verse 7.
O
best of the brahmanas, for your information, let me tell you about
the captains who are especially qualified to lead my military force.Chapter 1, Verse 8.
There
are personalities like yourself, Bhisma, Karna, Krpa, Asvatthama,
Vikarna and the son of Somadatta called Bhurisrava, who are always
victorious in battle.Chapter 1, Verse 9.
There
are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my
sake. All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons,
and all are experienced in military science.Chapter 1, Verse 10.
Our
strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by
Grandfather Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully
protected by Bhima, is limited.Chapter 1, Verse 11.
Now
all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at
your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.Chapter 1, Verse 12.
Then
Bhisma, the great valiant grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, the
grandfather of the fighters, blew his conchshell very loudly like the
sound of a lion, giving Duryodhana joy.Chapter 1, Verse 13.
After
that, the conchshells, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all
suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.Chapter 1, Verse 14.
On
the other side, both Lord Krsna and Arjuna, stationed on a great
chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental
conchshells.Chapter 1, Verse 15.
Then,
Lord Krsna blew His conchshell, called Pancajanya; Arjuna blew his,
the Devadatta; and Bhima, the voracious eater and performer of
Herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell called Paundram.Chapter 1, Verse 16-18.
King
Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conchshell, the
Ananta-vijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosa and
Manipuspaka. That great archer the King of Kasi, the great fighter
Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna, Virata and the unconquerable Satyaki,
Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the others, O King, such as the
son of Subhadra, greatly armed, all blew their respective
conchshells.Chapter 1, Verse 19.
The
blowing of these different conchshells became uproarious, and thus,
vibrating both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts
of the sons of Dhrtarastra.Chapter 1, Verse 20.
O
King, at that time Arjuna, the son of Pandu, who was seated in his
chariot, his flag marked with Hanuman, took up his bow and prepared
to shoot his arrows, looking at the sons of Dhrtarastra. O King,
Arjuna then spoke to Hrsikesa [Krsna] these words:Chapter 1, Verse 21-22.
Arjuna
said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies
so that I may see who is present here, who is desirous of fighting,
and with whom I must contend in this great battle attempt.Chapter 1, Verse 23.
Let
me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the
evil-minded son of Dhrtarastra.Chapter 1, Verse 24.
Sanjaya
said: O descendant of Bharata, being thus addressed by Arjuna, Lord
Krsna drew up the fine chariot in the midst of the armies of both
parties.Chapter 1, Verse 25.
In
the presence of Bhisma, Drona and all other chieftains of the world,
Hrsikesa, the Lord, said, Just behold, Partha, all the Kurus who are
assembled here.Chapter 1, Verse 26.
There
Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his
fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons,
grandsons, friends, and also his father-in-law and well-wishers--all
present there.Chapter 1, Verse 27.
When
the son of Kunti, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends
and relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus:Chapter 1, Verse 28.
Arjuna
said: My dear Krsna, seeing my friends and relatives present before
me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering
and my mouth drying up.Chapter 1, Verse 29.
My
whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow
Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.Chapter 1, Verse 30.
I
am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and
my mind is reeling. I foresee only evil, O killer of the Kesi demon.Chapter 1, Verse 31.
I
do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this
battle, nor can I, my dear Krsna, desire any subsequent victory,
kingdom, or happiness.Chapter 1, Verse 32-35.
O
Govinda, of what avail to us are kingdoms, happiness or even life
itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed in
this battlefield? O Madhusudana, when teachers, fathers, sons,
grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons,
brothers-in-law and all relatives are ready to give up their lives
and properties and are standing before me, then why should I wish to
kill them, though I may survive? O maintainer of all creatures, I am
not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three
worlds, let alone this earth.Chapter 1, Verse 36.
Sin
will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not
proper for us to kill the sons of Dhrtarastra and our friends. What
should we gain, O Krsna, husband of the goddess of fortune, and how
could we be happy by killing our own kinsmen?Chapter 1, Verse 37-38.
O
Janardana, although these men, overtaken by greed, see no fault in
killing one's family or quarreling with friends, why should we, with
knowledge of the sin, engage in these acts?Chapter 1, Verse 39.
With
the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is
vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in
irreligious practice.Chapter 1, Verse 40.
When
irreligion is prominent in the family, O Krsna, the women of the
family become corrupt, and from the degradation of womanhood, O
descendant of Vrsni, comes unwanted progeny.Chapter 1, Verse 41.
When
there is increase of unwanted population, a hellish situation is
created both for the family and for those who destroy the family
tradition. In such corrupt families, there is no offering of
oblations of food and water to the ancestors.Chapter 1, Verse 42.
Due
to the evil deeds of the destroyers of family tradition, all kinds of
community projects and family welfare activities are devastated.Chapter 1, Verse 43.
O
Krsna, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession
that those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.Chapter 1, Verse 44.
Alas,
how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful
acts, driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness.Chapter 1, Verse 45.
I
would consider it better for the sons of Dhrtarastra to kill me
unarmed and unresisting, rather than to fight with them.Chapter 1, Verse 46.
Sanjaya
said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his
bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with
grief.
Chapter
2. Contents of the Gita Summarized
Chapter
2, Verse 1.Sanjaya
said: Seeing Arjuna full of compassion and very sorrowful, his eyes
brimming with tears, Madhusudana, Krsna, spoke the following words.Chapter 2, Verse 2.
The
Supreme Person [Bhagavan] said: My dear Arjuna, how have these
impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who
knows the progressive values of life. They do not lead to higher
planets, but to infamy.Chapter 2, Verse 3.
O
son of Prtha, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not
become you. Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O
chastiser of the enemy.Chapter 2, Verse 4.
Arjuna
said: O killer of Madhu [Krsna], how can I counterattack with arrows
in battle men like Bhisma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship?Chapter 2, Verse 5.
It
is better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost
of the lives of great souls who are my teachers. Even though they are
avaricious, they are nonetheless superiors. If they are killed, our
spoils will be tainted with blood.Chapter 2, Verse 6.
Nor
do we know which is better--conquering them or being conquered by
them. The sons of Dhrtarastra, whom if we kill we should not care to
live, are now standing before us on this battlefield.Chapter 2, Verse 7.
Now
I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of
weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what
is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto
You. Please instruct me.Chapter 2, Verse 8.
I
can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my
senses. I will not be able to destroy it even if I win an unrivaled
kingdom on earth with sovereignty like the demigods in heaven.Chapter 2, Verse 9.
Sanjaya
said: Having spoken thus, Arjuna, chastiser of enemies, told Krsna,
"Govinda, I shall not fight," and fell silent.Chapter 2, Verse 10.
O
descendant of Bharata, at that time Krsna, smiling, in the midst of
both the armies, spoke the following words to the grief-stricken
Arjuna.Chapter 2, Verse 11.
The
Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for
what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for
the living nor the dead.Chapter 2, Verse 12.
Never
was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings;
nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.Chapter 2, Verse 13.
As
the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to
youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at
death. A self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.Chapter 2, Verse 14.
O
son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress,
and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and
disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense
perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them
without being disturbed.Chapter 2, Verse 15.
O
best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness
and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for
liberation.Chapter 2, Verse 16.
Those
who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent
there is no endurance, and of the existent there is no cessation.
This seers have concluded by studying the nature of both.Chapter 2, Verse 17.
Know
that which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one is able
to destroy the imperishable soul.Chapter 2, Verse 18.
Only
the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal
living entity is subject to destruction; therefore, fight, O
descendant of Bharata.Chapter 2, Verse 19.
He
who thinks that the living entity is the slayer or that he is slain,
does not understand. One who is in knowledge knows that the self
slays not nor is slain.Chapter 2, Verse 20.
For
the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does
he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying
and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.Chapter 2, Verse 21.
O
Partha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible,
unborn, eternal and immutable, kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?Chapter 2, Verse 22.
As
a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the
soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.Chapter 2, Verse 23.
The
soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned
by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.Chapter 2, Verse 24.
This
individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither
burned nor dried. He is everlasting, all-pervading, unchangeable,
immovable and eternally the same.Chapter 2, Verse 25.
It
is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable, immutable, and
unchangeable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.Chapter 2, Verse 26.
If,
however, you think that the soul is perpetually born and always dies,
still you still have no reason to lament, O mighty-armed.Chapter 2, Verse 27.
For
one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is
dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of
your duty, you should not lament.Chapter 2, Verse 28.
All
created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their
interim state, and unmanifest again when they are annihilated. So
what need is there for lamentation?Chapter 2, Verse 29.
Some
look at the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some
hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him,
cannot understand him at all.Chapter 2, Verse 30.
O
descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body is eternal and can
never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any creature.Chapter 2, Verse 31.
Considering
your specific duty as a ksatriya, you should know that there is no
better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and
so there is no need for hesitation.Chapter 2, Verse 32.
O
Partha, happy are the ksatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities
come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.Chapter 2, Verse 33.
If,
however, you do not fight this religious war, then you will certainly
incur sins for neglecting your duties and thus lose your reputation
as a fighter.Chapter 2, Verse 34.
People
will always speak of your infamy, and for one who has been honored,
dishonor is worse than death.Chapter 2, Verse 35.
The
great generals who have highly esteemed your name and fame will think
that you have left the battlefield out of fear only, and thus they
will consider you a coward.Chapter 2, Verse 36.
Your
enemies will describe you in many unkind words and scorn your
ability. What could be more painful for you?Chapter 2, Verse 37.
O
son of Kunti, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain
the heavenly planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly
kingdom. Therefore get up and fight with determination.Chapter 2, Verse 38.
Do
thou fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or
distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat--and, by so doing, you
shall never incur sin.Chapter 2, Verse 39.
Thus
far I have declared to you the analytical knowledge of sankhya
philosophy. Now listen to the knowledge of yoga whereby one works
without fruitive result. O son of Prtha, when you act by such
intelligence, you can free yourself from the bondage of works.Chapter 2, Verse 40.
In
this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little
advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type
of fear.Chapter 2, Verse 41.
Those
who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O
beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are
irresolute is many-branched.Chapter 2, Verse 42-43.
Men
of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the
Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to
heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being
desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there
is nothing more than this.Chapter 2, Verse 44.
In
the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and
material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the
resolute determination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does
not take place.Chapter 2, Verse 45.
The
Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material
nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of
them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and
safety, and be established in the Self.Chapter 2, Verse 46.
All
purposes that are served by the small pond can at once be served by
the great reservoirs of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the
Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them.Chapter 2, Verse 47.
You
have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not
entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the
cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not
doing your duty.Chapter 2, Verse 48.
Be
steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all
attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called
yoga.Chapter 2, Verse 49.
O
Dhananjaya, rid yourself of all fruitive activities by devotional
service, and surrender fully to that consciousness. Those who want to
enjoy the fruits of their work are misers.Chapter 2, Verse 50.
A
man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad
actions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, O Arjuna, which
is the art of all work.Chapter 2, Verse 51.
The
wise, engaged in devotional service, take refuge in the Lord, and
free themselves from the cycle of birth and death by renouncing the
fruits of action in the material world. In this way they can attain
that state beyond all miseries.Chapter 2, Verse 52.
When
your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you
shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is
to be heard.Chapter 2, Verse 53.
When
your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the
Vedas, and when it remains fixed in the trance of self-realization,
then you will have attained the divine consciousness.Chapter 2, Verse 54.
Arjuna
said: What are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged
in Transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How
does he sit, and how does he walk?Chapter 2, Verse 55.
The
Blessed Lord said: O Partha, when a man gives up all varieties of
sense desire which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind
finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure
transcendental consciousness.Chapter 2, Verse 56.
One
who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries, who is not
elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear
and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.Chapter 2, Verse 57.
He
who is without attachment, who does not rejoice when he obtains good,
nor lament when he obtains evil, is firmly fixed in perfect
knowledge. Chapter 2, Verse 58.
One
who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the
tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is to be understood as
truly situated in knowledge.Chapter 2, Verse 59.
The
embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the
taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by
experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.Chapter 2, Verse 60.
The
senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly
carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is
endeavoring to control them.Chapter 2, Verse 61.
One
who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon Me, is
known as a man of steady intelligence.Chapter 2, Verse 62.
While
contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment
for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger
arises.Chapter 2, Verse 63.
From
anger, delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory.
When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when
intelligence is lost, one falls down again into the material pool.Chapter 2, Verse 64.
One
who can control his senses by practicing the regulated principles of
freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord and thus become
free from all attachment and aversion.Chapter 2, Verse 65.
For
one who is so situated in the Divine consciousness, the threefold
miseries of material existence exist no longer; in such a happy
state, one's intelligence soon becomes steady.Chapter 2, Verse 66.
One
who is not in transcendental consciousness can have neither a
controlled mind nor steady intelligence, without which there is no
possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without
peace?Chapter 2, Verse 67.
As
a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even one of the
senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man's intelligence.Chapter 2, Verse 68.
Therefore,
O mighty-armed, one whose senses are restrained from their objects is
certainly of steady intelligence.Chapter 2, Verse 69.
What
is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the
self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night
for the introspective sage.Chapter 2, Verse 70.
A
person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires--that
enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is
always still--can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to
satisfy such desires.Chapter 2, Verse 71.
A
person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who
lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship
and is devoid of false ego--he alone can attain real peace.Chapter 2, Verse 72.
That
is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a
man is not bewildered. Being so situated, even at the hour of death,
one can enter into the kingdom of God.
BG
3.1: Arjuna said:
O Janardana,
O Kesava,
why do You want to engage me in this ghastly warfare, if You think
that intelligence is better than fruitive work?
BG
3.2:
My intelligence is bewildered by Your equivocal instructions.
Therefore, please tell me decisively which will be most beneficial
for me.
BG
3.3:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O sinless Arjuna,
I have already explained that there are two classes of men who try to
realize the self. Some are inclined to understand it by empirical,
philosophical speculation, and others by devotional service.
BG
3.4:
Not by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from
reaction, nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection.
BG
3.5:
Everyone is forced to act helplessly according to the qualities he
has acquired from the modes of material nature; therefore no one can
refrain from doing something, not even for a moment.
BG
3.6:
One who restrains the senses of action but whose mind dwells on sense
objects certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender.
BG
3.7:
On the other hand, if a sincere person tries to control the active
senses by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Krishna consciousness]
without attachment, he is by far superior.
BG
3.8:
Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not
working. One cannot even maintain one's physical body without work.
BG
3.9:
Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has
to be performed, otherwise work causes bondage in this material
world. Therefore, O son of Kunti,
perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way
you will always remain free from bondage.
BG
3.10:
In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth
generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Vishnu,
and blessed them by saying, "Be thou happy by
this yajna [sacrifice]
because its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for
living happily and achieving liberation."
BG
3.11:
The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you, and
thus, by cooperation between men and demigods, prosperity will reign
for all.
BG
3.12:
In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being
satisfied by the performance of yajna [sacrifice],
will supply all necessities to you. But he who enjoys such gifts
without offering them to the demigods in return is certainly a thief.
BG
3.13:
The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because
they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who
prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.
BG
3.14:
All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from
rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice],
and yajna is
born of prescribed duties.
BG
3.15:
Regulated activities are prescribed in the Vedas, and the Vedas are
directly manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Consequently the all-pervading Transcendence is eternally situated in
acts of sacrifice.
BG
3.16:
My dear Arjuna,
one who does not follow in human life the cycle of sacrifice thus
established by the Vedas certainly leads a life full of sin. Living
only for the satisfaction of the senses, such a person lives in vain.
BG
3.17:
But for one who takes pleasure in the self, whose human life is one
of self-realization, and who is satisfied in the self only, fully
satiated -- for him there is no duty.
BG
3.18:
A self-realized man has no purpose to fulfill in the discharge of his
prescribed duties, nor has he any reason not to perform such work.
Nor has he any need to depend on any other living being.
BG
3.19:
Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one
should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one
attains the Supreme.
BG
3.20:
Kings such as Janaka attained
perfection solely by performance of prescribed duties. Therefore,
just for the sake of educating the people in general, you should
perform your work.
BG
3.21:
Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever
standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.
BG
3.22:
O son of Pritha,
there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three planetary
systems. Nor am I in want of anything, nor have I a need to obtain
anything -- and yet I am engaged in prescribed duties.
BG
3.23:
For if I ever failed to engage in carefully performing prescribed
duties, O Partha,
certainly all men would follow My path.
BG
3.24:
If I did not perform prescribed duties, all these worlds would be put
to ruination. I would be the cause of creating unwanted population,
and I would thereby destroy the peace of all living beings.
BG
3.25:
As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to results, the
learned may similarly act, but without attachment, for the sake of
leading people on the right path.
BG
3.26:
So as not to disrupt the minds of ignorant men attached to the
fruitive results of prescribed duties, a learned person should not
induce them to stop work. Rather, by working in the spirit of
devotion, he should engage them in all sorts of activities [for the
gradual development of Krishna consciousness].
BG
3.27:
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks
himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by
the three modes of material nature.
BG
3.28:
One who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth, O mighty-armed, does
not engage himself in the senses and sense gratification, knowing
well the differences between work in devotion and work for fruitive
results.
BG
3.29:
Bewildered by the modes of material nature, the ignorant fully engage
themselves in material activities and become attached. But the wise
should not unsettle them, although these duties are inferior due to
the performers' lack of knowledge.
BG
3.30:
Therefore, O Arjuna,
surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me,
without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and
free from lethargy, fight.
BG
3.31:
Those persons who execute their duties according to My injunctions
and who follow this teaching faithfully, without envy, become free
from the bondage of fruitive actions.
BG
3.32:
But those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not
follow them are to be considered bereft of all knowledge, befooled,
and ruined in their endeavors for perfection.
BG
3.33:
Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for
everyone follows the nature he has acquired from the three modes.
What can repression accomplish?
BG
3.34:
There are principles to regulate attachment and aversion pertaining
to the senses and their objects. One should not come under the
control of such attachment and aversion, because they are stumbling
blocks on the path of self-realization.
BG
3.35:
It is far better to discharge one's prescribed duties, even though
faultily, than another's duties perfectly. Destruction in the course
of performing one's own duty is better than engaging in another's
duties, for to follow another's path is dangerous.
BG
3.36: Arjuna said:
O descendant of Vrishni,
by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if
engaged by force?
BG
3.37:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna,
which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later
transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy
of this world.
BG
3.38:
As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as
the embryo is covered by the womb, the living entity is similarly
covered by different degrees of this lust.
BG
3.39:
Thus the wise living entity's pure consciousness becomes covered by
his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and
which burns like fire.
BG
3.40:
The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of
this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living
entity and bewilders him.
BG
3.41:
Therefore, O Arjuna,
best of the Bharatas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of
sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of
knowledge and self-realization.
BG
3.42:
The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than
the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the
soul] is even higher than the intelligence.
BG
3.43:
Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses,
mind and intelligence, O mighty-armed Arjuna,
one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence
[Krishna consciousness]
and thus -- by spiritual strength -- conquer this insatiable enemy
known as lust.
Chapter
4. Transcendental Knowledge
Chapter
4, Verse 1.The
Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to
the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father
of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku.Chapter 4, Verse 2.
This
supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic
succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in
course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science
as it is appears to be lost.Chapter 4, Verse 3.
That
very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today
told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend;
therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this
science.Chapter 4, Verse 4.
Arjuna
said: The sun-god Vivasvan is senior by birth to You. How am I to
understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?Chapter 4, Verse 5.
The
Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I
can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!Chapter 4, Verse 6.
Although
I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and
although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in
every millennium in My original transcendental form.Chapter 4, Verse 7.
Whenever
and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant
of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I
descend Myself.Chapter 4, Verse 8.
In
order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well
as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself
millennium after millennium.Chapter 4, Verse 9.
One
who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities
does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this
material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.Chapter 4, Verse 10.
Being
freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and
taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified
by knowledge of Me--and thus they all attained transcendental love
for Me.Chapter 4, Verse 11.
All
of them--as they surrender unto Me--I reward accordingly. Everyone
follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha.Chapter 4, Verse 12.
Men
in this world desire success in fruitive activities, and therefore
they worship the demigods. Quickly, of course, men get results from
fruitive work in this world.Chapter 4, Verse 13.
According
to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them,
the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although
I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the
non-doer, being unchangeable.Chapter 4, Verse 14.
There
is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action.
One who understands this truth about Me also does not become
entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.Chapter 4, Verse 15.
All
the liberated souls in ancient times acted with this understanding
and so attained liberation. Therefore, as the ancients, you should
perform your duty in this divine consciousness.Chapter 4, Verse 16.
Even
the intelligent are bewildered in determining what is action and what
is inaction. Now I shall explain to you what action is, knowing which
you shall be liberated from all sins.Chapter 4, Verse 17.
The
intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one
should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and
what inaction is.Chapter 4, Verse 18.
One
who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent
among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged
in all sorts of activities.Chapter 4, Verse 19.
One
is understood to be in full knowledge whose every act is devoid of
desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker
whose fruitive action is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge.Chapter 4, Verse 20.
Abandoning
all attachment to the results of his activities, ever satisfied and
independent, he performs no fruitive action, although engaged in all
kinds of undertakings.Chapter 4, Verse 21.
Such
a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly
controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions
and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is
not affected by sinful reactions.Chapter 4, Verse 22.
He
who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free
from duality and does not envy, who is steady both in success and
failure, is never entangled, although performing actions.Chapter 4, Verse 23.
The
work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and
who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely
into transcendence.Chapter 4, Verse 24.
A
person who is fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness is sure to attain
the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual
activities, in which the consummation is absolute and that which is
offered is of the same spiritual nature.Chapter 4, Verse 25.
Some
yogis perfectly worship the demigods by offering different sacrifices
to them, and some of them offer sacrifices in the fire of the Supreme
Brahman.Chapter 4, Verse 26.
Some
of them sacrifice the hearing process and the senses in the fire of
the controlled mind, and others sacrifice the objects of the senses,
such as sound, in the fire of sacrifice.Chapter 4, Verse 27.
Those
who are interested in self-realization, in terms of mind and sense
control, offer the functions of all the senses, as well as the vital
force [breath], as oblations into the fire of the controlled mind.Chapter 4, Verse 28.
There
are others who, enlightened by sacrificing their material possessions
in severe austerities, take strict vows and practice the yoga of
eightfold mysticism, and others study the Vedas for the advancement
of transcendental knowledge.Chapter 4, Verse 29.
And
there are even others who are inclined to the process of breath
restraint to remain in trance, and they practice stopping the
movement of the outgoing breath into the incoming, and incoming
breath into the outgoing, and thus at last remain in trance, stopping
all breathing. Some of them, curtailing the eating process, offer the
outgoing breath into itself, as a sacrifice.Chapter 4, Verse 30.
All
these performers who know the meaning of sacrifice become cleansed of
sinful reaction, and, having tasted the nectar of the remnants of
such sacrifice, they go to the supreme eternal atmosphere.Chapter 4, Verse 31.
O
best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live
happily on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?Chapter 4, Verse 32.
All
these different types of sacrifice are approved by the Vedas, and all
of them are born of different types of work. Knowing them as such,
you will become liberated.Chapter 4, Verse 33.
O
chastiser of the enemy, the sacrifice of knowledge is greater than
the sacrifice of material possessions. O son of Prtha, after all, the
sacrifice of work culminates in transcendental knowledge.Chapter 4, Verse 34.
Just
try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire
from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized
soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.Chapter 4, Verse 35.
And
when you have thus learned the truth, you will know that all living
beings are but part of Me--and that they are in Me, and are Mine.Chapter 4, Verse 36.
Even
if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you
are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge, you will be
able to cross over the ocean of miseries.Chapter 4, Verse 37.
As
the blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire
of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.Chapter 4, Verse 38.
In
this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental
knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And
one who has achieved this enjoys the self with himself in due course
of time.Chapter 4, Verse 39.
A
faithful man who is absorbed in transcendental knowledge and who
subdues his senses quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.Chapter 4, Verse 40.
But
ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do
not attain God consciousness. For the doubting soul there is
happiness neither in this world nor in the next.Chapter 4, Verse 41.
Therefore,
one who has renounced the fruits of his action, whose doubts are
destroyed by transcendental knowledge, and who is situated firmly in
the self, is not bound by works, O conqueror of riches.Chapter 4, Verse 42.
Therefore
the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be
slashed by the weapon of knowledge. Armed with yoga, O Bharata, stand
and fight.
Chapter
5. Karma yoga--Action in Krsna Consciousness
Chapter
5, Verse 1.Arjuna
said: O Krsna, first of all You ask me to renounce work, and then
again You recommend work with devotion. Now will You kindly tell me
definitely which of the two is more beneficial?Chapter 5, Verse 2.
The
Blessed Lord said: The renunciation of work and work in devotion are
both good for liberation. But, of the two, work in devotional service
is better than renunciation of works.Chapter 5, Verse 3.
One
who neither hates nor desires the fruits of his activities is known
to be always renounced. Such a person, liberated from all dualities,
easily overcomes material bondage and is completely liberated, O
mighty-armed Arjuna.Chapter 5, Verse 4.
Only
the ignorant speak of karma-yoga and devotional service as being
different from the analytical study of the material world [sankhya].
Those who are actually learned say that he who applies himself well
to one of these paths achieves the results of both.Chapter 5, Verse 5.
One
who knows that the position reached by means of renunciation can also
be attained by works in devotional service and who therefore sees
that the path of works and the path of renunciation are one, sees
things as they are.Chapter 5, Verse 6.
Unless
one is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, mere
renunciation of activities cannot make one happy. The sages, purified
by works of devotion, achieve the Supreme without delay.Chapter 5, Verse 7.
One
who works in devotion, who is a pure soul, and who controls his mind
and senses, is dear to everyone, and everyone is dear to him. Though
always working, such a man is never entangled.Chapter 5, Verse 8-9.
A
person in the divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing,
hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping and
breathing, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing
at all. Because while speaking, evacuating, receiving, opening or
closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are
engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them.Chapter 5, Verse 10.
One
who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results
unto the Supreme God, is not affected by sinful action, as the lotus
leaf is untouched by water.Chapter 5, Verse 11.
The
yogis, abandoning attachment, act with body, mind, intelligence, and
even with the senses, only for the purpose of purification.Chapter 5, Verse 12.
The
steadily devoted soul attains unadulterated peace because he offers
the result of all activities to Me; whereas a person who is not in
union with the Divine, who is greedy for the fruits of his labor,
becomes entangled.Chapter 5, Verse 13.
When
the embodied living being controls his nature and mentally renounces
all actions, he resides happily in the city of nine gates [the
material body], neither working nor causing work to be done.Chapter 5, Verse 14.
The
embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does not create
activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the
fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material
nature.Chapter 5, Verse 15.
Nor
does the Supreme Spirit assume anyone's sinful or pious activities.
Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the ignorance
which covers their real knowledge.Chapter 5, Verse 16.
When,
however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is
destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights
up everything in the daytime.Chapter 5, Verse 17.
When
one's intelligence, mind, faith and refuge are all fixed in the
Supreme, then one becomes fully cleansed of misgivings through
complete knowledge and thus proceeds straight on the path of
liberation.Chapter 5, Verse 18.
The
humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a
learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a
dog-eater [outcaste].Chapter 5, Verse 19.
Those
whose minds are established in sameness and equanimity have already
conquered the conditions of birth and death. They are flawless like
Brahman, and thus they are already situated in Brahman.Chapter 5, Verse 20.
A
person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor
laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent,
unbewildered, and who knows the science of God, is to be understood
as already situated in Transcendence.Chapter 5, Verse 21.
Such
a liberated person is not attracted to material sense pleasure or
external objects but is always in trance, enjoying the pleasure
within. In this way the self-realized person enjoys unlimited
happiness, for he concentrates on the Supreme.Chapter 5, Verse 22.
An
intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which
are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kunti, such
pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not
delight in them.Chapter 5, Verse 23.
Before
giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of
the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is a
yogi and is happy in this world.Chapter 5, Verse 24.
One
whose happiness is within, who is active within, who rejoices within
and is illumined within, is actually the perfect mystic. He is
liberated in the Supreme, and ultimately he attains the Supreme.Chapter 5, Verse 25.
One
who is beyond duality and doubt, whose mind is engaged within, who is
always busy working for the welfare of all sentient beings, and who
is free from all sins, achieves liberation in the Supreme.Chapter 5, Verse 26.
Those
who are free from anger and all material desires, who are
self-realized, self-disciplined and constantly endeavoring for
perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near
future.Chapter 5, Verse 27-28.
Shutting
out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision
concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and
outward breaths within the nostrils--thus controlling the mind,
senses and intelligence, the transcendentalist becomes free from
desire, fear and anger. One who is always in this state is certainly
liberated.Chapter 5, Verse 29.
The
sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and
austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the
benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from
the pangs of material miseries.
Chapter
6. Sankhya-yoga
Chapter
6, Verse 1.The
Blessed Lord said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work
and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life,
and he is the true mystic: not he who lights no fire and performs no
work.Chapter 6, Verse 2.
What
is called renunciation is the same as yoga, or linking oneself with
the Supreme, for no one can become a yogi unless he renounces the
desire for sense gratification.Chapter 6, Verse 3.
For
one who is a neophyte in the eightfold yoga system, work is said to
be the means; and for one who has already attained to yoga, cessation
of all material activities is said to be the means.Chapter 6, Verse 4.
A
person is said to be have attained to yoga when, having renounced all
material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages
in fruitive activities.Chapter 6, Verse 5.
A
man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The
mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.Chapter 6, Verse 6.
For
him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but
for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest
enemy.Chapter 6, Verse 7.
For
one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for
he has attained tranquility. To such a man happiness and distress,
heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.Chapter 6, Verse 8.
A
person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a
yogi [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired
knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence
and is self-controlled. He sees everything--whether it be pebbles,
stones or gold--as the same.Chapter 6, Verse 9.
A
person is said to be still further advanced when he regards all--the
honest well-wisher, friends and enemies, the envious, the pious, the
sinner and those who are indifferent and impartial--with an equal
mind.Chapter 6, Verse 10.
A
transcendentalist should always try to concentrate his mind on the
Supreme Self; he should live alone in a secluded place and should
always carefully control his mind. He should be free from desires and
feelings of possessiveness.Chapter 6, Verse 11-12.
To
practice yoga, one should go to a secluded place and should lay
kusa-grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft
cloth. The seat should neither be too high nor too low and should be
situated in a sacred place. The yogi should then sit on it very
firmly and should practice yoga by controlling the mind and the
senses, purifying the heart and fixing the mind on one point.Chapter 6, Verse 13-14.
One
should hold one's body, neck and head erect in a straight line and
stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated,
subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one
should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate
goal of life.Chapter 6, Verse 15.
Thus
practicing control of the body, mind and activities, the mystic
transcendentalist attains to the kingdom of God [or the abode of
Krsna] by cessation of material existence.Chapter 6, Verse 16.
There
is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too
much, or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.Chapter 6, Verse 17.
He
who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working and
recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga
system.Chapter 6, Verse 18.
When
the yogi, by practice of yoga, disciplines his mental activities and
becomes situated in Transcendence--devoid of all material desires--he
is said to have attained yoga.Chapter 6, Verse 19.
As
a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist,
whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on
the transcendent Self.Chapter 6, Verse 20-23.
The
stage of perfection is called trance, or samadhi, when one's mind is
completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of
yoga. This is characterized by one's ability to see the self by the
pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous
state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and
enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one
never departs from the truth and upon gaining this he thinks there is
no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never
shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is
actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.Chapter 6, Verse 24.
One
should engage oneself in the practice of yoga with undeviating
determination and faith. One should abandon, without exception, all
material desires born of false ego and thus control all the senses on
all sides by the mind.Chapter 6, Verse 25.
Gradually,
step by step, with full conviction, one should become situated in
trance by means of intelligence, and thus the mind should be fixed on
the Self alone and should think of nothing else.Chapter 6, Verse 26.
From
whatever and wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and
unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back
under the control of the Self.Chapter 6, Verse 27.
The
yogi whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the highest happiness.
By virtue of his identity with Brahman, he is liberated; his mind is
peaceful, his passions are quieted, and he is freed from sin.Chapter 6, Verse 28.
Steady
in the Self, being freed from all material contamination, the yogi
achieves the highest perfectional stage of happiness in touch with
the Supreme Consciousness.Chapter 6, Verse 29.
A
true yogi observes Me in all beings, and also sees every being in Me.
Indeed, the self-realized man sees Me everywhere.Chapter 6, Verse 30.
For
one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never
lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.Chapter 6, Verse 31.
The
yogi who knows that I and the Supersoul within all creatures are one
worships Me and remains always in Me in all circumstances.Chapter 6, Verse 32.
He
is a perfect yogi who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true
equality of all beings, both in their happiness and distress, O
Arjuna!Chapter 6, Verse 33.
Arjuna
said: O Madhusudana, the system of yoga which You have summarized
appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless
and unsteady.Chapter 6, Verse 34.
For
the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krsna,
and to subdue it is, it seems to me, more difficult than controlling
the wind.Chapter 6, Verse 35.
The
Blessed Lord said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly
very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by
constant practice and by detachment.Chapter 6, Verse 36.
For
one whose mind is unbridled, self-realization is difficult work. But
he whose mind is controlled and who strives by right means is assured
of success. That is My opinion.Chapter 6, Verse 37.
Arjuna
said: What is the destination of the man of faith who does not
persevere, who in the beginning takes to the process of
self-realization but who later desists due to worldly-mindedness and
thus does not attain perfection in mysticism?Chapter 6, Verse 38.
O
mighty-armed Krsna, does not such a man, being deviated from the path
of Transcendence, perish like a riven cloud, with no position in any
sphere?Chapter 6, Verse 39.
This
is my doubt, O Krsna, and I ask You to dispel it completely. But for
Yourself, no one is to be found who can destroy this doubt.Chapter 6, Verse 40.
The
Blessed Lord said: Son of Prtha, a transcendentalist engaged in
auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in this
world or in the spiritual world; one who does good, My friend, is
never overcome by evil.Chapter 6, Verse 41.
The
unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets
of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous
people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.Chapter 6, Verse 42.
Or
he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely
great in wisdom. Verily, such a birth is rare in this world.Chapter 6, Verse 43.
On
taking such a birth, he again revives the divine consciousness of his
previous life, and he tries to make further progress in order to
achieve complete success, O son of Kuru.Chapter 6, Verse 44.
By
virtue of the divine consciousness of his previous life, he
automatically becomes attracted to the yogic principles--even without
seeking them. Such an inquisitive transcendentalist, striving for
yoga, stands always above the ritualistic principles of the
scriptures.Chapter 6, Verse 45.
But
when the yogi engages himself with sincere endeavor in making further
progress, being washed of all contaminations, then ultimately, after
many, many births of practice, he attains the supreme goal.Chapter 6, Verse 46.
A
yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and
greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all
circumstances, be a yogi.Chapter 6, Verse 47.
And
of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping
Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with
Me in yoga and is the highest of all.
Chapter
7. Knowledge of the Absolute
Chapter
7, Verse 1.Now
hear, O son of Prtha [Arjuna], how by practicing yoga in full
consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in
full, free from doubt.Chapter 7, Verse 2.
I
shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge both phenomenal and
noumenal, by knowing which there shall remain nothing further to be
known.Chapter 7, Verse 3.
Out
of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of
those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.Chapter 7, Verse 4.
Earth,
water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego--all
together these eight comprise My separated material energies.Chapter 7, Verse 5.
Besides
this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior
energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with
material nature and are sustaining the universe.Chapter 7, Verse 6.
Of
all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know
for certain that I am both its origin and dissolution.Chapter 7, Verse 7.
O
conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me.
Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.Chapter 7, Verse 8.
O
son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun
and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in
ether and ability in man.Chapter 7, Verse 9.
I
am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I
am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.Chapter 7, Verse 10.
O
son of Prtha, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the
intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men.Chapter 7, Verse 11.
I
am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex
life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the
Bharatas [Arjuna].Chapter 7, Verse 12.
All
states of being--be they of goodness, passion or ignorance--are
manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything--but I am
independent. I am not under the modes of this material nature.Chapter 7, Verse 13.
Deluded
by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world
does not know Me who am above the modes and inexhaustible.Chapter 7, Verse 14.
This
divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material
nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto
Me can easily cross beyond it.Chapter 7, Verse 15.
Those
miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose
knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic
nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.Chapter 7, Verse 16.
O
best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render
devotional service unto Me--the distressed, the desirer of wealth,
the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the
Absolute.Chapter 7, Verse 17.
Of
these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through
pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and
he is dear to Me.Chapter 7, Verse 18.
All
these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is
situated in knowledge of Me I consider verily to dwell in Me. Being
engaged in My transcendental service, he attains Me.Chapter 7, Verse 19.
After
many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders
unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is.
Such a great soul is very rare.Chapter 7, Verse 20.
Those
whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods
and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according
to their own natures.Chapter 7, Verse 21.
I
am in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one desires to
worship the demigods, I make his faith steady so that he can devote
himself to some particular deity.Chapter 7, Verse 22.
Endowed
with such a faith, he seeks favors of a particular demigod and
obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by
Me alone.Chapter 7, Verse 23.
Men
of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are
limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the
planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme
planet.Chapter 7, Verse 24.
Unintelligent
men, who know Me not, think that I have assumed this form and
personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher
nature, which is changeless and supreme.Chapter 7, Verse 25.
I
am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am
covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-maya]; and so the
deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.Chapter 7, Verse 26.
O
Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that
has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and
all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but
Me no one knows.Chapter 7, Verse 27.
O
scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conqueror of the foe, all living
entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of desire
and hate.Chapter 7, Verse 28.
Persons
who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose
sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the
duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with
determination.Chapter 7, Verse 29.
Intelligent
persons who are endeavoring for liberation from old age and death
take refuge in Me in devotional service. They are actually Brahman
because they entirely know everything about transcendental and
fruitive activities.Chapter 7, Verse 30.
Those
who know Me as the Supreme Lord, as the governing principle of the
material manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying all the
demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices, can, with
steadfast mind, understand and know Me even at the time of death.
Chapter
8. Attaining the Supreme
Chapter
8, Verse 1.Arjuna
inquired: O my Lord, O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is the
self? What are fruitive activities? What is this material
manifestation? And what are the demigods? Please explain this to me.Chapter 8, Verse 2.
How
does this Lord of sacrifice live in the body, and in which part does
He live, O Madhusudana? And how can those engaged in devotional
service know You at the time of death?Chapter 8, Verse 3.
The
Supreme Lord said, The indestructible, transcendental living entity
is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called the self. Action
pertaining to the development of these material bodies is called
karma, or fruitive activities.Chapter 8, Verse 4.
Physical
nature is known to be endlessly mutable. The universe is the cosmic
form of the Supreme Lord, and I am that Lord represented as the
Supersoul, dwelling in the heart of every embodied being.Chapter 8, Verse 5.
And
whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone,
at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.Chapter 8, Verse 6.
Whatever
state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he
will attain without fail.Chapter 8, Verse 7.
Therefore,
Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the
same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your
activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on
Me, you will attain Me without doubt.Chapter 8, Verse 8.
He
who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind
constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O
Partha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.Chapter 8, Verse 9.
One
should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows
everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is
smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who
is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is
always a person. He is luminous like the sun and, being
transcendental, is beyond this material nature.Chapter 8, Verse 10.
One
who, at the time of death, fixes his life air between the eyebrows
and in full devotion engages himself in remembering the Supreme Lord,
will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Chapter 8, Verse 11.
Persons
learned in the Vedas, who utter omkara and who are great sages in the
renounced order, enter into Brahman. Desiring such perfection, one
practices celibacy. I shall now explain to you this process by which
one may attain salvation.Chapter 8, Verse 12.
The
yogic situation is that of detachment from all sensual engagements.
Closing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind on the heart
and the life air at the top of the head, one establishes himself in
yoga.Chapter 8, Verse 13.
After
being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred
syllable om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly
reach the spiritual planets.Chapter 8, Verse 14.
For
one who remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of
Prtha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.Chapter 8, Verse 15.
After
attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never
return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because
they have attained the highest perfection.Chapter 8, Verse 16.
From
the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are
places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one
who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.Chapter 8, Verse 17.
By
human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of
Brahma's one day. And such also is the duration of his night.Chapter 8, Verse 18.
When
Brahma's day is manifest, this multitude of living entities comes
into being, and at the arrival of Brahma's night they are all
annihilated. Chapter 8, Verse 19.
Again
and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and again
the night falls, O Partha, and they are helplessly dissolved.Chapter 8, Verse 20.
Yet
there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to
this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never
annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains
as it is.Chapter 8, Verse 21.
That
supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is the
supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That
is My supreme abode.Chapter 8, Verse 22.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is greater than all, is
attainable by unalloyed devotion. Although He is present in His
abode, He is all-pervading, and everything is situated within Him.Chapter 8, Verse 23.
O
best of the Bharatas, I shall now explain to you the different times
at which, passing away from this world, one does or does not come
back.Chapter 8, Verse 24.
Those
who know the Supreme Brahman pass away from the world during the
influence of the fiery god, in the light, at an auspicious moment,
during the fortnight of the moon and the six months when the sun
travels in the north.Chapter 8, Verse 25.
The
mystic who passes away from this world during the smoke, the night,
the moonless fortnight, or in the six months when the sun passes to
the south, or who reaches the moon planet, again comes back.Chapter 8, Verse 26.
According
to the Vedas, there are two ways of passing from this world--one in
the light and one in darkness. When one passes in light, he does not
come back; but when one passes in darkness, he returns.Chapter 8, Verse 27.
The
devotees who know these two paths, O Arjuna, are never bewildered.
Therefore be always fixed in devotion.Chapter 8, Verse 28.
A
person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of
the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austere
sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive
activities. At the end he reaches the supreme abode.
Chapter
9. The Most Confidential Knowledge
Chapter
9, Verse 1.The
Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of
Me, I shall impart to you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you
shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.Chapter 9, Verse 2.
This
knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets.
It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of
the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is
everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.Chapter 9, Verse 3.
Those
who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain
Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this
material world.Chapter 9, Verse 4.
By
Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All
beings are in Me, but I am not in them.Chapter 9, Verse 5.
And
yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic
opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities, and
although I am everywhere, still My Self is the very source of
creation.Chapter 9, Verse 6.
As
the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, always rests in ethereal space,
know that in the same manner all beings rest in Me.Chapter 9, Verse 7.
O
son of Kunti, at the end of the millennium every material
manifestation enters into My nature, and at the beginning of another
millennium, by My potency I again create.Chapter 9, Verse 8.
The
whole cosmic order is under Me. By My will it is manifested again and
again, and by My will it is annihilated at the end.Chapter 9, Verse 9.
O
Dhananjaya, all this work cannot bind Me. I am ever detached, seated
as though neutral.Chapter 9, Verse 10.
This
material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, and it
is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this
manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.Chapter 9, Verse 11.
Fools
deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My
transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.Chapter 9, Verse 12.
Those
who are thus bewildered are attracted by demonic and atheistic views.
In that deluded condition, their hopes for liberation, their fruitive
activities, and their culture of knowledge are all defeated.Chapter 9, Verse 13.
O
son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under
the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in
devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, original and inexhaustible.Chapter 9, Verse 14.
Always
chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing
down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with
devotion.Chapter 9, Verse 15.
Others,
who are engaged in the cultivation of knowledge, worship the Supreme
Lord as the one without a second, diverse in many, and in the
universal form.Chapter 9, Verse 16.
But
it is I who am the ritual, I the sacrifice, the offering to the
ancestors, the healing herb, the transcendental chant. I am the
butter and the fire and the offering.Chapter 9, Verse 17.
I
am the father of this universe, the mother, the support, and the
grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the
syllable om. I am also the Rg, the Sama, and the Yajur [Vedas].Chapter 9, Verse 18.
I
am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the
refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the
annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the
eternal seed.Chapter 9, Verse 19.
O
Arjuna, I control heat, the rain and the drought. I am immortality,
and I am also death personified. Both being and nonbeing are in Me.Chapter 9, Verse 20.
Those
who study the Vedas and drink the soma juice, seeking the heavenly
planets, worship Me indirectly. They take birth on the planet of
Indra, where they enjoy godly delights.Chapter 9, Verse 21.
When
they have thus enjoyed heavenly sense pleasure, they return to this
mortal planet again. Thus, through the Vedic principles, they achieve
only flickering happiness.Chapter 9, Verse 22.
But
those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental
form--to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.Chapter 9, Verse 23.
Whatever
a man may sacrifice to other gods, O son of Kunti, is really meant
for Me alone, but it is offered without true understanding.Chapter 9, Verse 24.
I
am the only enjoyer and the only object of sacrifice. Those who do
not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down.Chapter 9, Verse 25.
Those
who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those
who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings;
those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who
worship Me will live with Me.Chapter 9, Verse 26.
If
one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or
water, I will accept it.Chapter 9, Verse 27.
O
son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer
and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform,
should be done as an offering unto Me.Chapter 9, Verse 28.
In
this way you will be freed from all reactions to good and evil deeds,
and by this principle of renunciation you will be liberated and come
to Me.Chapter 9, Verse 29.
I
envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But
whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me,
and I am also a friend to him.Chapter 9, Verse 30.
Even
if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in
devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is
properly situated.Chapter 9, Verse 31.
He
quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunti,
declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.Chapter 9, Verse 32.
O
son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower
birth--women, vaisyas [merchants], as well as sudras [workers]--can
approach the supreme destination.Chapter 9, Verse 33.
How
much greater then are the brahmanas, the righteous, the devotees and
saintly kings who in this temporary miserable world engage in loving
service unto Me.Chapter 9, Verse 34.
Engage
your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me.
Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
Chapter
10. The Opulence of the Absolute
Chapter
10, Verse 1.The
Supreme Lord said: My dear friend, mighty-armed Arjuna, listen again
to My supreme word, which I shall impart to you for your benefit and
which will give you great joy.Chapter 10, Verse 2.
Neither
the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin, for, in
every respect, I am the source of the demigods and the sages.Chapter 10, Verse 3.
He
who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as the Supreme Lord
of all the worlds--he, undeluded among men, is freed from all sins.Chapter 10, Verse 4-5.
Intelligence,
knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness,
truthfulness, self-control and calmness, pleasure and pain, birth,
death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction,
austerity, charity, fame and infamy are created by Me alone.Chapter 10, Verse 6.
The
seven great sages and before them the four other great sages and the
Manus [progenitors of mankind] are born out of My mind, and all
creatures in these planets descend from them.Chapter 10, Verse 7.
He
who knows in truth this glory and power of Mine engages in unalloyed
devotional service; of this there is no doubt.Chapter 10, Verse 8.
I
am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything
emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My
devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.Chapter 10, Verse 9.
The
thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered
to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one
another and conversing about Me.Chapter 10, Verse 10.
To
those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the
understanding by which they can come to Me.Chapter 10, Verse 11.
Out
of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the
shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.Chapter 10, Verse 12-13.
Arjuna
said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode
and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You
are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the
unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Narada,
Asita, Devala, and Vyasa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself
are declaring it to me.Chapter 10, Verse 14.
O
Krsna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither
the gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.Chapter 10, Verse 15.
Indeed,
You alone know Yourself by Your own potencies, O origin of all, Lord
of all beings, God of gods, O Supreme Person, Lord of the universe!Chapter 10, Verse 16.
Please
tell me in detail of Your divine powers by which You pervade all
these worlds and abide in them.Chapter 10, Verse 17.
How
should I meditate on You? In what various forms are You to be
contemplated, O Blessed Lord?Chapter 10, Verse 18.
Tell
me again in detail, O Janardana [Krsna], of Your mighty potencies and
glories, for I never tire of hearing Your ambrosial words. Chapter 10, Verse 19.
The
Blessed Lord said: Yes, I will tell you of My splendorous
manifestations, but only of those which are prominent, O Arjuna, for
My opulence is limitless.Chapter 10, Verse 20.
I
am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am
the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.Chapter 10, Verse 21.
Of
the Adityas I am Visnu, of lights I am the radiant sun, I am Marici
of the Maruts, and among the stars I am the moon.Chapter 10, Verse 22.
Of
the Vedas I am the Sama-veda; of the demigods I am Indra; of the
senses I am the mind, and in living beings I am the living force
[knowledge].Chapter 10, Verse 23.
Of
all the Rudras I am Lord Siva; of the Yaksas and Raksasas I am the
Lord of wealth [Kuvera]; of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of
mountains I am Meru.Chapter 10, Verse 24.
Of
priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brhaspati, the lord of
devotion. Of generals I am Skanda, the lord of war; and of bodies of
water I am the ocean.Chapter 10, Verse 25.
Of
the great sages I am Bhrgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental om.
Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa], and of
immovable things I am the Himalayas.Chapter 10, Verse 26.
Of
all trees I am the holy fig tree, and among sages and demigods I am
Narada. Of the singers of the gods [Gandharvas] I am Citraratha, and
among perfected beings I am the sage Kapila.Chapter 10, Verse 27.
Of
horses know Me to be Uccaihsrava, who rose out of the ocean, born of
the elixir of immortality; of lordly elephants I am Airavata, and
among men I am the monarch.Chapter 10, Verse 28.
Of
weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the surabhi, givers of
abundant milk. Of procreators I am Kandarpa, the god of love, and of
serpents I am Vasuki, the chief.Chapter 10, Verse 29.
Of
the celestial Naga snakes I am Ananta; of the aquatic deities I am
Varuna. Of departed ancestors I am Aryama, and among the dispensers
of law I am Yama, lord of death.Chapter 10, Verse 30.
Among
the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlada; among subduers I am
time; among the beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuda,
the feathered carrier of Visnu.Chapter 10, Verse 31.
Of
purifiers I am the wind; of the wielders of weapons I am Rama; of
fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges.Chapter 10, Verse 32.
Of
all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O
Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the self, and
among logicians I am the conclusive truth.Chapter 10, Verse 33.
Of
letters I am the letter A, and among compounds I am the dual word. I
am also inexhaustible time, and of creators I am Brahma, whose
manifold faces turn everywhere.Chapter 10, Verse 34.
I
am all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to
be. Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence,
faithfulness and patience.Chapter 10, Verse 35.
Of
hymns I am the Brhat-sama sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am
the Gayatri verse, sung daily by Brahmanas. Of months I am November
and December, and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.Chapter 10, Verse 36.
I
am also the gambling of cheats, and of the splendid I am the
splendor. I am victory, I am adventure, and I am the strength of the
strong.Chapter 10, Verse 37.
Of
the descendants of Vrsni I am Vasudeva, and of the Pandavas I am
Arjuna. Of the sages I am Vyasa, and among great thinkers I am Usana.Chapter 10, Verse 38.
Among
punishments I am the rod of chastisement, and of those who seek
victory, I am morality. Of secret things I am silence, and of the
wise I am wisdom.Chapter 10, Verse 39.
Furthermore,
O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no
being--moving or unmoving--that can exist without Me.Chapter 10, Verse 40.
O
mighty conqueror of enemies, there is no end to My divine
manifestations. What I have spoken to you is but a mere indication of
My infinite opulences.Chapter 10, Verse 41.
Know
that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a
spark of My splendor.Chapter 10, Verse 42.
But
what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a
single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.
Chapter
11. The Universal Form
Chapter
11, Verse 1.Arjuna
said: I have heard Your instruction on confidential spiritual matters
which You have so kindly delivered unto me, and my illusion is now
dispelled.Chapter 11, Verse 2.
O
lotus-eyed one, I have heard from You in detail about the appearance
and disappearance of every living entity, as realized through Your
inexhaustible glories.Chapter 11, Verse 3.
O
greatest of all personalities, O supreme form, though I see here
before me Your actual position, I wish to see how You have entered
into this cosmic manifestation. I want to see that form of Yours.Chapter 11, Verse 4.
If
You think that I am able to behold Your cosmic form, O my Lord, O
master of all mystic power, then kindly show me that universal Self.Chapter 11, Verse 5.
The
Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, O son of Prtha, behold now My
opulences, hundreds of thousands of varied divine forms, multicolored
like the sea.Chapter 11, Verse 6.
O
best of the Bharatas, see here the different manifestations of
Adityas, Rudras, and all the demigods. Behold the many things which
no one has ever seen or heard before.Chapter 11, Verse 7.
Whatever
you wish to see can be seen all at once in this body. This universal
form can show you all that you now desire, as well as whatever you
may desire in the future. Everything is here completely.Chapter 11, Verse 8.
But
you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give to you
divine eyes by which you can behold My mystic opulence.Chapter 11, Verse 9.
Sanjaya
said: O King, speaking thus, the Supreme, the Lord of all mystic
power, the Personality of Godhead, displayed His universal form to
Arjuna.Chapter 11, Verse 10-11.
Arjuna
saw in that universal form unlimited mouths and unlimited eyes. It
was all wondrous. The form was decorated with divine, dazzling
ornaments and arrayed in many garbs. He was garlanded gloriously, and
there were many scents smeared over His body. All was magnificent,
all-expanding, unlimited. This was seen by Arjuna.Chapter 11, Verse 12.
If
hundreds of thousands of suns rose up at once into the sky, they
might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme Person in that universal
form.Chapter 11, Verse 13.
At
that time Arjuna could see in the universal form of the Lord the
unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place although
divided into many, many thousands.Chapter 11, Verse 14.
Then,
bewildered and astonished, his hair standing on end, Arjuna began to
pray with folded hands, offering obeisances to the Supreme Lord.Chapter 11, Verse 15.
Arjuna
said: My dear Lord Krsna, I see assembled together in Your body all
the demigods and various other living entities. I see Brahma sitting
on the lotus flower as well as Lord Siva and many sages and divine
serpents.Chapter 11, Verse 16.
O
Lord of the universe, I see in Your universal body many, many
forms--bellies, mouths, eyes--expanded without limit. There is no
end, there is no beginning, and there is no middle to all this.Chapter 11, Verse 17.
Your
form, adorned with various crowns, clubs and discs, is difficult to
see because of its glaring effulgence, which is fiery and
immeasurable like the sun.Chapter 11, Verse 18.
You
are the supreme primal objective; You are the best in all the
universes; You are inexhaustible, and You are the oldest; You are the
maintainer of religion, the eternal Personality of Godhead.Chapter 11, Verse 19.
You
are the origin without beginning, middle or end. You have numberless
arms, and the sun and moon are among Your great unlimited eyes. By
Your own radiance You are heating this entire universe.Chapter 11, Verse 20.
Although
You are one, You are spread throughout the sky and the planets and
all space between. O great one, as I behold this terrible form, I see
that all the planetary systems are perplexed.Chapter 11, Verse 21.
All
the demigods are surrendering and entering into You. They are very
much afraid, and with folded hands they are singing the Vedic hymns.Chapter 11, Verse 22.
The
different manifestations of Lord Siva, the Adityas, the Vasus, the
Sadhyas, the Visvedevas, the two Asvis, the Maruts, the forefathers
and the Gandharvas, the Yaksas, Asuras, and all perfected demigods
are beholding You in wonder.Chapter 11, Verse 23.
O
mighty-armed one, all the planets with their demigods are disturbed
at seeing Your many faces, eyes, arms, bellies and legs and Your
terrible teeth, and as they are disturbed, so am I.Chapter 11, Verse 24.
O
all-pervading Visnu, I can no longer maintain my equilibrium. Seeing
Your radiant colors fill the skies and beholding Your eyes and
mouths, I am afraid.Chapter 11, Verse 25.
O
Lord of lords, O refuge of the worlds, please be gracious to me. I
cannot keep my balance seeing thus Your blazing deathlike faces and
awful teeth. In all directions I am bewildered.Chapter 11, Verse 26-27.
All
the sons of Dhrtarastra along with their allied kings, and Bhisma,
Drona and Karna, and all our soldiers are rushing into Your mouths,
their heads smashed by Your fearful teeth. I see that some are being
crushed between Your teeth as well.Chapter 11, Verse 28.
As
the rivers flow into the sea, so all these great warriors enter Your
blazing mouths and perish.Chapter 11, Verse 29.
I
see all people rushing with full speed into Your mouths as moths dash
into a blazing fire.Chapter 11, Verse 30.
O
Visnu, I see You devouring all people in Your flaming mouths and
covering the universe with Your immeasurable rays. Scorching the
worlds, You are manifest.Chapter 11, Verse 31.
O
Lord of lords, so fierce of form, please tell me who You are. I offer
my obeisances unto You; please be gracious to me. I do not know what
Your mission is, and I desire to hear of it.Chapter 11, Verse 32.
The
Blessed Lord said: Time I am, destroyer of the worlds, and I have
come to engage all people. With the exception of you [the Pandavas],
all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain.Chapter 11, Verse 33.
Therefore
get up and prepare to fight. After conquering your enemies you will
enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My
arrangement, and you, O Savyasaci, can be but an instrument in the
fight.Chapter 11, Verse 34.
The
Blessed Lord said: All the great warriors--Drona, Bhisma, Jayadratha,
Karna--are already destroyed. Simply fight, and you will vanquish
your enemies.Chapter 11, Verse 35.
Sanjaya
said to Dhrtarastra: O King, after hearing these words from the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna trembled, fearfully offered
obeisances with folded hands and began, falteringly, to speak as
follows:Chapter 11, Verse 36.
O
Hrsikesa, the world becomes joyful upon hearing Your name, and thus
everyone becomes attached to You. Although the perfected beings offer
You their respectful homage, the demons are afraid, and they flee
here and there. All this is rightly done.Chapter 11, Verse 37.
O
great one, who stands above even Brahma, You are the original master.
Why should they not offer their homage up to You, O limitless one? O
refuge of the universe, You are the invincible source, the cause of
all causes, transcendental to this material manifestation.Chapter 11, Verse 38.
You
are the original Personality, the Godhead. You are the only sanctuary
of this manifested cosmic world. You know everything, and You are all
that is knowable. You are above the material modes O limitless form!
This whole cosmic manifestation is pervaded by You!Chapter 11, Verse 39.
You
are air, fire, water, and You are the moon! You are the supreme
controller and the grandfather. Thus I offer my respectful obeisances
unto You a thousand times, and again and yet again!Chapter 11, Verse 40.
Obeisances
from the front, from behind and from all sides! O unbounded power,
You are the master of limitless might! You are all-pervading, and
thus You are everything!Chapter 11, Verse 41-42.
I
have in the past addressed You as "O Krsna," "O
Yadava," "O my friend," without knowing Your glories.
Please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love. I have
dishonored You many times while relaxing or while lying on the same
bed or eating together, sometimes alone and sometimes in front of
many friends. Please excuse me for all my offenses.Chapter 11, Verse 43.
You
are the father of this complete cosmic manifestation, the worshipable
chief, the spiritual master. No one is equal to You, nor can anyone
be one with You. Within the three worlds, You are immeasurable.Chapter 11, Verse 44.
You
are the Supreme Lord, to be worshiped by every living being. Thus I
fall down to offer You my respects and ask Your mercy. Please
tolerate the wrongs that I may have done to You and bear with me as a
father with his son, or a friend with his friend, or a lover with his
beloved.Chapter 11, Verse 45.
After
seeing this universal form, which I have never seen before, I am
gladdened, but at the same time my mind is disturbed with fear.
Therefore please bestow Your grace upon me and reveal again Your form
as the Personality of Godhead, O Lord of lords, O abode of the
universe.Chapter 11, Verse 46.
O
universal Lord, I wish to see You in Your four-armed form, with
helmeted head and with club, wheel, conch and lotus flower in Your
hands. I long to see You in that form.Chapter 11, Verse 47.
The
Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, happily do I show you this
universal form within the material world by My internal potency. No
one before you has ever seen this unlimited and glaringly effulgent
form.Chapter 11, Verse 48.
O
best of the Kuru warriors, no one before you has ever seen this
universal form of Mine, for neither by studying the Vedas, nor by
performing sacrifices, nor by charities or similar activities can
this form be seen. Only you have seen this.Chapter 11, Verse 49.
Your
mind has been perturbed upon seeing this horrible feature of Mine.
Now let it be finished. My devotee, be free from all disturbance.
With a peaceful mind you can now see the form you desire.Chapter 11, Verse 50.
Sanjaya
said to Dhrtarastra: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, while
speaking thus to Arjuna, displayed His real four-armed form, and at
last He showed him His two-armed form, thus encouraging the fearful
Arjuna.Chapter 11, Verse 51.
When
Arjuna thus saw Krsna in His original form, he said: Seeing this
humanlike form, so very beautiful, my mind is now pacified and I am
restored to my original nature.Chapter 11, Verse 52.
The
Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, the form which you are now seeing
is very difficult to behold. Even the demigods are ever seeking the
opportunity to see this form which is so dear.Chapter 11, Verse 53.
The
form which you are seeing with your transcendental eyes cannot be
understood simply by studying the Vedas, nor by undergoing serious
penances, nor by charity, nor by worship. It is not by these means
that one can see Me as I am.Chapter 11, Verse 54.
My
dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood
as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in
this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.Chapter 11, Verse 55.
My
dear Arjuna, one who is engaged in My pure devotional service, free
from the contaminations of previous activities and from mental
speculation, who is friendly to every living entity, certainly comes
to Me.
Chapter
12. Devotional Service
Chapter
12, Verse 1.Arjuna
inquired: Which is considered to be more perfect, those who are
properly engaged in Your devotional service, or those who worship the
impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested?Chapter 12, Verse 2.
The
Blessed Lord said: He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always
engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is
considered by Me to be most perfect.Chapter 12, Verse 3-4.
But
those who fully worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the
perception of the senses, the all-pervading, inconceivable, fixed and
immovable--the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth--by
controlling the various senses and being equally disposed to
everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all, at last
achieve Me.Chapter 12, Verse 5.
For
those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal
feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make
progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are
embodied.Chapter 12, Verse 6-7.
For
one who worships Me, giving up all his activities unto Me and being
devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and
always meditating upon Me, who has fixed his mind upon Me, O son of
Prtha, for him I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and
death.Chapter 12, Verse 8.
Just
fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage
all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without
a doubt.Chapter 12, Verse 9.
My
dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me
without deviation, then follow the regulated principles of
bhakti-yoga. In this way you will develop a desire to attain to Me.Chapter 12, Verse 10.
If
you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to
work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect
stage.Chapter 12, Verse 11.
If,
however, you are unable to work in this consciousness, then try to
act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.Chapter 12, Verse 12.
If
you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the
cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is
meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits
of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.Chapter 12, Verse 13-14.
One
who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities,
who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego
and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and
engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and
intelligence are in agreement with Me--he is very dear to Me.Chapter 12, Verse 15.
He
for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by
anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me.Chapter 12, Verse 16.
A
devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities,
who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and who does
not strive for some result, is very dear to Me.Chapter 12, Verse 17.
One
who neither grasps pleasure or grief, who neither laments nor
desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things,
is very dear to Me.Chapter 12, Verse 18-19.
One
who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and
dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who
is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with
anything, who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in
knowledge and engaged in devotional service, is very dear to Me.Chapter 12, Verse 20.
He
who follows this imperishable path of devotional service and who
completely engages himself with faith, making Me the supreme goal, is
very, very dear to Me.
Chapter
13. Nature, the Enjoyer, and Consciousness
Chapter
13, Verse 1-2.Arjuna
said: O my dear Krsna, I wish to know about prakrti [nature], purusa
[the enjoyer], and the field and the knower of the field, and of
knowledge and the end of knowledge. The Blessed Lord then said: This
body, O son of Kunti, is called the field, and one who knows this
body is called the knower of the field.Chapter 13, Verse 3.
O
scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in
all bodies, and to understand this body and its owner is called
knowledge. That is My opinion.Chapter 13, Verse 4.
Now
please hear My brief description of this field of activity and how it
is constituted, what its changes are, whence it is produced, who that
knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are.Chapter 13, Verse 5.
That
knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities
is described by various sages in various Vedic writings--especially
in the Vedanta-sutra--and is presented with all reasoning as to cause
and effect.Chapter 13, Verse 6-7.
The
five great elements, false ego, intelligence, the unmanifested, the
ten senses, the mind, the five sense objects, desire, hatred,
happiness, distress, the aggregate, the life symptoms, and
convictions--all these are considered, in summary, to be the field of
activities and its interactions.Chapter 13, Verse 8-12.
Humility,
pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona
fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control;
renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false
ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease;
nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and
even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and
unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment
from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of
self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute
Truth--all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary
to these is ignorance.Chapter 13, Verse 13.
I
shall now explain the knowable, knowing which you will taste the
eternal. This is beginningless, and it is subordinate to Me. It is
called Brahman, the spirit, and it lies beyond the cause and effect
of this material world.Chapter 13, Verse 14.
Everywhere
are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everything.
In this way the Supersoul exists.Chapter 13, Verse 15.
The
Supersoul is the original source of all senses, yet He is without
senses. He is unattached, although He is the maintainer of all living
beings. He transcends the modes of nature, and at the same time He is
the master of all modes of material nature.Chapter 13, Verse 16.
The
Supreme Truth exists both internally and externally, in the moving
and nonmoving. He is beyond the power of the material senses to see
or to know. Although far, far away, He is also near to all.Chapter 13, Verse 17.
Although
the Supersoul appears to be divided, He is never divided. He is
situated as one. Although He is the maintainer of every living
entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops all.Chapter 13, Verse 18.
He
is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the
darkness of matter and is unmanifested. He is knowledge, He is the
object of knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated
in everyone's heart.Chapter 13, Verse 19.
Thus
the field of activities [the body], knowledge and the knowable have
been summarily described by Me. Only My devotees can understand this
thoroughly and thus attain to My nature.Chapter 13, Verse 20.
Material
nature and the living entities should be understood to be
beginningless. Their transformations and the modes of matter are
products of material nature.Chapter 13, Verse 21.
Nature
is said to be the cause of all material activities and effects,
whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and
enjoyments in this world.Chapter 13, Verse 22.
The
living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life,
enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association
with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil amongst
various species.Chapter 13, Verse 23.
Yet
in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer who is the
Lord, the supreme proprietor, who exists as the overseer and
permitter, and who is known as the Supersoul.Chapter 13, Verse 24.
One
who understands this philosophy concerning material nature, the
living entity and the interaction of the modes of nature is sure to
attain liberation. He will not take birth here again, regardless of
his present position.Chapter 13, Verse 25.
That
Supersoul is perceived by some through meditation, by some through
the cultivation of knowledge, and by others through working without
fruitive desire.Chapter 13, Verse 26.
Again
there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge,
begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from
others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also
transcend the path of birth and death.Chapter 13, Verse 27.
O
chief of the Bharatas, whatever you see in existence, both moving and
unmoving, is only the combination of the field of activities and the
knower of the field.Chapter 13, Verse 28.
One
who sees the Supersoul accompanying the individual soul in all
bodies, and who understands that neither the soul nor the Supersoul
is ever destroyed, actually sees.Chapter 13, Verse 29.
One
who sees the Supersoul in every living being and equal everywhere
does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he approaches the
transcendental destination.Chapter 13, Verse 30.
One
who can see that all activities are performed by the body, which is
created of material nature, and sees that the self does nothing,
actually sees.Chapter 13, Verse 31.
When
a sensible man ceases to see different identities, which are due to
different material bodies, he attains to the Brahman conception. Thus
he sees that beings are expanded everywhere.Chapter 13, Verse 32.
Those
with the vision of eternity can see that the soul is transcendental,
eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the
material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is
entangled.Chapter 13, Verse 33.
The
sky, due to its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although
it is all-pervading. Similarly, the soul, situated in Brahman vision,
does not mix with the body, though situated in that body.Chapter 13, Verse 34.
O
son of Bharata, as the sun alone illuminates all this universe, so
does the living entity, one within the body, illuminate the entire
body by consciousness.Chapter 13, Verse 35.
One
who knowingly sees this difference between the body and the owner of
the body and can understand the process of liberation from this
bondage, also attains to the supreme goal.
Chapter
14. The Three Modes Of Material Nature
Chapter
14, Verse 1.The
Blessed Lord said: Again I shall declare to you this supreme wisdom,
the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained
the supreme perfection.Chapter 14, Verse 2.
By
becoming fixed in this knowledge, one can attain to the
transcendental nature, which is like My own nature. Thus established,
one is not born at the time of creation nor disturbed at the time of
dissolution.Chapter 14, Verse 3.
The
total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and
it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of
all living beings, O son of Bharata.Chapter 14, Verse 4.
It
should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are
made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the
seed-giving father.Chapter 14, Verse 5.
Material
nature consists of the three modes--goodness, passion and ignorance.
When the living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes
conditioned by these modes.Chapter 14, Verse 6.
O
sinless one, the mode of goodness being purer than the others, is
illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those
situated in that mode develop knowledge, but they become conditioned
by the concept of happiness.Chapter 14, Verse 7.
The
mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of
Kunti, and because of this one is bound to material fruitive
activities.Chapter 14, Verse 8.
O
son of Bharata, the mode of ignorance causes the delusion of all
living entities. The result of this mode is madness, indolence and
sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.Chapter 14, Verse 9.
The
mode of goodness conditions one to happiness, passion conditions him
to the fruits of action, and ignorance to madness.Chapter 14, Verse 10.
Sometimes
the mode of passion becomes prominent, defeating the mode of
goodness, O son of Bharata. And sometimes the mode of goodness
defeats passion, and at other times the mode of ignorance defeats
goodness and passion. In this way there is always competition for
supremacy.Chapter 14, Verse 11.
The
manifestations of the mode of goodness can be experienced when all
the gates of the body are illuminated by knowledge.Chapter 14, Verse 12.
O
chief of the Bharatas, when there is an increase in the mode of
passion, the symptoms of great attachment, uncontrollable desire,
hankering, and intense endeavor develop.Chapter 14, Verse 13.
O
son of Kuru, when there is an increase in the mode of ignorance,
madness, illusion, inertia and darkness are manifested.Chapter 14, Verse 14.
When
one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher
planets.Chapter 14, Verse 15.
When
one dies in the mode of passion, he takes birth among those engaged
in fruitive activities; and when he dies in the mode of ignorance, he
takes birth in the animal kingdom.Chapter 14, Verse 16.
By
acting in the mode of goodness, one becomes purified. Works done in
the mode of passion result in distress, and actions performed in the
mode of ignorance result in foolishness.Chapter 14, Verse 17.
From
the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of
passion, greed develops; and from the mode of ignorance, foolishness,
madness and illusion develop.Chapter 14, Verse 18.
Those
situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher
planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets;
and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.Chapter 14, Verse 19.
When
you see that there is nothing beyond these modes of nature in all
activities and that the Supreme Lord is transcendental to all these
modes, then you can know My spiritual nature.Chapter 14, Verse 20.
When
the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes, he can
become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can
enjoy nectar even in this life.Chapter 14, Verse 21.
Arjuna
inquired: O my Lord, by what symptoms is one known who is
transcendental to those modes? What is his behavior? And how does he
transcend the modes of nature?Chapter 14, Verse 22-25.
The
Blessed Lord said: He who does not hate illumination, attachment and
delusion when they are present, nor longs for them when they
disappear; who is seated like one unconcerned, being situated beyond
these material reactions of the modes of nature, who remains firm,
knowing that the modes alone are active; who regards alike pleasure
and pain, and looks on a clod, a stone and a piece of gold with an
equal eye; who is wise and holds praise and blame to be the same; who
is unchanged in honor and dishonor, who treats friend and foe alike,
who has abandoned all fruitive undertakings--such a man is said to
have transcended the modes of nature.Chapter 14, Verse 26.
One
who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any
circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and
thus comes to the level of Brahman.Chapter 14, Verse 27.
And
I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional
position of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable
and eternal.
Chapter
15. The Yoga of the Supreme Person
Chapter
15, Verse 1.The
Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward
and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who
knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.Chapter 15, Verse 2.
The
branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the
three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the
senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to
the fruitive actions of human society.Chapter 15, Verse 3-4.
The
real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can
understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation
is. But with determination one must cut down this tree with the
weapon of detachment. So doing, one must seek that place from which,
having once gone, one never returns, and there surrender to that
Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything has began and in
whom everything is abiding since time immemorial.Chapter 15, Verse 5.
One
who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who
understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed
from the duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to
surrender unto the Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom.Chapter 15, Verse 6.
That
abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by
electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.Chapter 15, Verse 7.
The
living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental
parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with
the six senses, which include the mind.Chapter 15, Verse 8.
The
living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions
of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.Chapter 15, Verse 9.
The
living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type
of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about
the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.Chapter 15, Verse 10.
The
foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor
can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of
the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can
see all this.Chapter 15, Verse 11.
The
endeavoring transcendentalist, who is situated in self-realization,
can see all this clearly. But those who are not situated in
self-realization cannot see what is taking place, though they may try
to.Chapter 15, Verse 12.
The
splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole
world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor
of fire are also from Me.Chapter 15, Verse 13.
I
enter into each planet, and by My energy they stay in orbit. I become
the moon and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables.Chapter 15, Verse 14.
I
am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of
life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of
foodstuff.Chapter 15, Verse 15.
I
am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance,
knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas I am to be known;
indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the
Vedas.Chapter 15, Verse 16.
There
are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the
material world every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world
every entity is called infallible.Chapter 15, Verse 17.
Besides
these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Lord
Himself, who has entered into these worlds and is maintaining them.Chapter 15, Verse 18.
Because
I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and
because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in
the Vedas as that Supreme Person.Chapter 15, Verse 19.
Whoever
knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is
to be understood as the knower of everything, and He therefore
engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata.Chapter 15, Verse 20.
This
is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one,
and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become
wise, and his endeavors will know perfection.
Chapter
16. The Divine And Demoniac Natures
Chapter
16, Verse 1-3.The
Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one's existence,
cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control,
performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and
simplicity; nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger;
renunciation, tranquility, aversion to faultfinding, compassion and
freedom from covetousness; gentleness, modesty and steady
determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom
from envy and the passion for honor--these transcendental qualities,
O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.Chapter 16, Verse 4.
Arrogance,
pride, anger, conceit, harshness and ignorance--these qualities
belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Prtha.Chapter 16, Verse 5.
The
transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the
demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Pandu,
for you are born with the divine qualities.Chapter 16, Verse 6.
O
son of Prtha, in this world there are two kinds of created beings.
One is called the divine and the other demoniac. I have already
explained to you at length the divine qualities. Now hear from Me of
the demoniac.Chapter 16, Verse 7.
Those
who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be
done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in
them.Chapter 16, Verse 8.
They
say that this world is unreal, that there is no foundation and that
there is no God in control. It is produced of sex desire, and has no
cause other than lust.Chapter 16, Verse 9.
Following
such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who
have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to
destroy the world.Chapter 16, Verse 10.
The
demoniac, taking shelter of insatiable lust, pride and false
prestige, and being thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean
work, attracted by the impermanent.Chapter 16, Verse 11-12.
They
believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime
necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their
anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust
and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense
gratification.Chapter 16, Verse 13-15.
The
demoniac person thinks: "So much wealth do I have today, and I
will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it
will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I
have killed him; and my other enemy will also be killed. I am the
lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and
happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives.
There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform
sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice."
In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.Chapter 16, Verse 16.
Thus
perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions,
one becomes too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and falls down
into hell.Chapter 16, Verse 17.
Self-complacent
and always impudent, deluded by wealth and false prestige, they
sometimes perform sacrifices in name only without following any rules
or regulations.Chapter 16, Verse 18.
Bewildered
by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demon becomes
envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in his
own body and in the bodies of others, and blasphemes against the real
religion.Chapter 16, Verse 19.
Those
who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are
cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various
demoniac species of life.Chapter 16, Verse 20.
Attaining
repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, such persons can
never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most abominable
type of existence.Chapter 16, Verse 21.
There
are three gates leading to this hell--lust, anger and greed. Every
sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of
the soul.Chapter 16, Verse 22.
The
man who has escaped these three gates of hell, O son of Kunti,
performs acts conducive to self-realization and thus gradually
attains the supreme destination.Chapter 16, Verse 23.
But
he who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own
whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme
destination.Chapter 16, Verse 24.
One
should understand what is duty and what is not duty by the
regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations,
one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.
Chapter
17. The Divisions of Faith
Chapter
17, Verse 1.Arjuna
said, O Krsna, what is the situation of one who does not follow the
principles of scripture but who worships according to his own
imagination? Is he in goodness, in passion or in ignorance?Chapter 17, Verse 2.
The
Supreme Lord said, according to the modes of nature acquired by the
embodied soul, one's faith can be of three kinds--goodness, passion
or ignorance. Now hear about these.Chapter 17, Verse 3.
According
to one's existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a
particular kind of faith. The living being is said to be of a
particular faith according to the modes he has acquired.Chapter 17, Verse 4.
Men
in the mode of goodness worship the demigods; those in the mode of
passion worship the demons; and those in the mode of ignorance
worship ghosts and spirits.Chapter 17, Verse 5-6.
Those
who undergo severe austerities and penances not recommended in the
scriptures, performing them out of pride, egoism, lust and
attachment, who are impelled by passion and who torture their bodily
organs as well as the Supersoul dwelling within are to be known as
demons.Chapter 17, Verse 7.
Even
food of which all partake is of three kinds, according to the three
modes of material nature. The same is true of sacrifices, austerities
and charity. Listen, and I shall tell you of the distinctions of
these.Chapter 17, Verse 8-10.
Foods
in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one's
existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such
nourishing foods are sweet, juicy, fattening and palatable. Foods
that are too bitter, too sour, salty, pungent, dry and hot, are liked
by people in the modes of passion. Such foods cause pain, distress,
and disease. Food cooked more than three hours before being eaten,
which is tasteless, stale, putrid, decomposed and unclean, is food
liked by people in the mode of ignorance.Chapter 17, Verse 11.
Of
sacrifices, that sacrifice performed according to duty and to
scriptural rules, and with no expectation of reward, is of the nature
of goodness.Chapter 17, Verse 12.
But
that sacrifice performed for some material end or benefit or
preformed ostentatiously, out of pride, is of the nature of passion,
O chief of the Bharatas.Chapter 17, Verse 13.
And
that sacrifice performed in defiance of scriptural injunctions, in
which no spiritual food is distributed, no hymns are chanted and no
remunerations are made to the priests, and which is faithless--that
sacrifice is of the nature of ignorance.Chapter 17, Verse 14.
The
austerity of the body consists in this: worship of the Supreme Lord,
the brahmanas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father
and mother. Cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence are
also austerities of the body.Chapter 17, Verse 15.
Austerity
of speech consists in speaking truthfully and beneficially and in
avoiding speech that offends. One should also recite the Vedas
regularly.Chapter 17, Verse 16.
And
serenity, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purity of thought are
the austerities of the mind.Chapter 17, Verse 17.
This
threefold austerity, practiced by men whose aim is not to benefit
themselves materially but to please the Supreme, is of the nature of
goodness.Chapter 17, Verse 18.
Those
ostentatious penances and austerities which are performed in order to
gain respect, honor and reverence are said to be in the mode of
passion. They are neither stable nor permanent.Chapter 17, Verse 19.
And
those penances and austerities which are performed foolishly by means
of obstinate self-torture, or to destroy or injure others, are said
to be in the mode of ignorance.Chapter 17, Verse 20.
That
gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a
worthy person, and without expectation of return, is considered to be
charity in the mode of goodness.Chapter 17, Verse 21.
But
charity performed with the expectation of some return, or with a
desire for fruitive results, or in a grudging mood, is said to be
charity in the mode of passion.Chapter 17, Verse 22.
And
charity performed at an improper place and time and given to unworthy
persons without respect and with contempt is charity in the mode of
ignorance.Chapter 17, Verse 23.
From
the beginning of creation, the three syllables--om tat sat--have been
used to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth [Brahman]. They were
uttered by brahmanas while chanting Vedic hymns and during
sacrifices, for the satisfaction of the Supreme.Chapter 17, Verse 24.
Thus
the transcendentalists undertake sacrifices, charities, and penances,
beginning always with om, to attain the Supreme.Chapter 17, Verse 25.
One
should perform sacrifice, penance and charity with the word tat. The
purpose of such transcendental activities is to get free from the
material entanglement.Chapter 17, Verse 26-27.
The
Absolute Truth is the objective of devotional sacrifice, and it is
indicated by the word sat. These works of sacrifice, of penance and
of charity, true to the absolute nature, are performed to please the
Supreme Person, O son of Prtha.Chapter 17, Verse 28.
But
sacrifices, austerities and charities performed without faith in the
Supreme are nonpermanent, O son of Prtha, regardless of whatever
rites are performed. They are called asat and are useless both in
this life and the next.
Chapter
18. Conclusion--The Perfection of Renunciation
Chapter
18, Verse 1.Arjuna
said, O mighty-armed one, I wish to understand the purpose of
renunciation [tyaga] and of the renounced order of life [sannyasa], O
killer of the Kesi demon, Hrsikesa.Chapter 18, Verse 2.
The
Supreme Lord said, To give up the results of all activities is called
renunciation [tyaga] by the wise. And that state is called the
renounced order of life [sannyasa] by great learned men.Chapter 18, Verse 3.
Some
learned men declare that all kinds of fruitive activities should be
given up, but there are yet other sages who maintain that acts of
sacrifice, charity and penance should never be abandoned.Chapter 18, Verse 4.
O
best of the Bharatas, hear from Me now about renunciation. O tiger
among men, there are three kinds of renunciation declared in the
scriptures.Chapter 18, Verse 5.
Acts
of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up but should
be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the
great souls.Chapter 18, Verse 6.
All
these activities should be performed without any expectation of
result. They should be performed as a matter of duty, O son of Prtha.
That is My final opinion.Chapter 18, Verse 7.
Prescribed
duties should never be renounced. If, by illusion, one gives up his
prescribed duties, such renunciation is said to be in the mode of
ignorance.Chapter 18, Verse 8.
Anyone
who gives up prescribed duties as troublesome, or out of fear, is
said to be in the mode of passion. Such action never leads to the
elevation of renunciation.Chapter 18, Verse 9.
But
he who performs his prescribed duty only because it ought to be done,
and renounces all attachment to the fruit--his renunciation is of the
nature of goodness, O Arjuna.Chapter 18, Verse 10.
Those
who are situated in the mode of goodness, who neither hate
inauspicious work nor are attached to auspicious work, have no doubts
about work.Chapter 18, Verse 11.
It
is indeed impossible for an embodied being to give up all activities.
Therefore it is said that he who renounces the fruits of action is
one who has truly renounced.Chapter 18, Verse 12.
For
one who is not renounced, the threefold fruits of action--desirable,
undesirable and mixed--accrue after death. But those who are in the
renounced order of life have no such results to suffer or enjoy.Chapter 18, Verse 13-14.
O
mighty-armed Arjuna, learn from Me of the five factors which bring
about the accomplishment of all action. These are declared in sankhya
philosophy to be the place of action, the performer, the senses, the
endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul.Chapter 18, Verse 15.
Whatever
right or wrong action a man performs by body, mind or speech is
caused by these five factors.Chapter 18, Verse 16.
Therefore
one who thinks himself the only doer, not considering the five
factors, is certainly not very intelligent and cannot see things as
they are.Chapter 18, Verse 17.
One
who is not motivated by false ego, whose intelligence is not
entangled, though he kills men in this world, is not the slayer. Nor
is he bound by his actions.Chapter 18, Verse 18.
Knowledge,
the object of knowledge and the knower are the three factors which
motivate action; the senses, the work and the doer comprise the
threefold basis of action.Chapter 18, Verse 19.
In
accordance with the three modes of material nature, there are three
kinds of knowledge, action, and performers of action. Listen as I
describe them.Chapter 18, Verse 20.
That
knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all
existences, undivided in the divided, is knowledge in the mode of
goodness. Chapter 18, Verse 21.
That
knowledge by which a different type of living entity is seen to be
dwelling in different bodies is knowledge in the mode of passion.Chapter 18, Verse 22.
And
that knowledge by which one is attached to one kind of work as the
all in all, without knowledge of the truth, and which is very meager,
is said to be in the mode of darkness.Chapter 18, Verse 23.
As
for actions, that action in accordance with duty, which is performed
without attachment, without love or hate, by one who has renounced
fruitive results, is called action in the mode of goodness.Chapter 18, Verse 24.
But
action performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify his
desires, and which is enacted from a sense of false ego, is called
action in the mode of passion.Chapter 18, Verse 25.
And
that action performed in ignorance and delusion without consideration
of future bondage or consequences, which inflicts injury and is
impractical, is said to be action in the mode of ignorance.Chapter 18, Verse 26.
The
worker who is free from all material attachments and false ego, who
is enthusiastic and resolute and who is indifferent to success or
failure, is a worker in the mode of goodness.Chapter 18, Verse 27.
But
that worker who is attached to the fruits of his labor and who
passionately wants to enjoy them, who is greedy, envious and impure
and moved by happiness and distress, is a worker in the mode of
passion.Chapter 18, Verse 28.
And
that worker who is always engaged in work against the injunction of
the scripture, who is materialistic, obstinate, cheating and expert
in insulting others, who is lazy, always morose and procrastinating,
is a worker in the mode of ignorance.Chapter 18, Verse 29.
Now,
O winner of wealth, please listen as I tell you in detail of the
three kinds of understanding and determination according to the three
modes of nature.Chapter 18, Verse 30.
O
son of Prtha, that understanding by which one knows what ought to be
done and what ought not to be done, what is to be feared and what is
not to be feared, what is binding and what is liberating, that
understanding is established in the mode of goodness.Chapter 18, Verse 31.
And
that understanding which cannot distinguish between the religious way
of life and the irreligious, between action that should be done and
action that should not be done, that imperfect understanding, O son
of Prtha, is in the mode of passion. Chapter 18, Verse 32.
That
understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion
to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and
strives always in the wrong direction, O Partha, is in the mode of
ignorance.Chapter 18, Verse 33.
O
son of Prtha, that determination which is unbreakable, which is
sustained with steadfastness by yoga practice, and thus controls the
mind, life, and the acts of the senses, is in the mode of goodness.Chapter 18, Verse 34.
And
that determination by which one holds fast to fruitive result in
religion, economic development and sense gratification is of the
nature of passion, O Arjuna.Chapter 18, Verse 35.
And
that determination which cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness,
lamentation, moroseness, and illusion--such unintelligent
determination is in the mode of darkness.Chapter 18, Verse 36-37.
O
best of the Bharatas, now please hear from Me about the three kinds
of happiness which the conditioned soul enjoys, and by which he
sometimes comes to the end of all distress. That which in the
beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar
and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in
the mode of goodness.Chapter 18, Verse 38.
That
happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their
objects and which appears like nectar at first but poison at the end
is said to be of the nature of passion.Chapter 18, Verse 39.
And
that happiness which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion
from beginning to end and which arises from sleep, laziness and
illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance.Chapter 18, Verse 40.
There
is no being existing, either here or among the demigods in the higher
planetary systems, which is freed from the three modes of material
nature.Chapter 18, Verse 41.
Brahmanas,
ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras are distinguished by their qualities of
work, O chastiser of the enemy, in accordance with the modes of
nature.Chapter 18, Verse 42.
Peacefulness,
self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom,
knowledge, and religiousness--these are the qualities by which the
brahmanas work.Chapter 18, Verse 43.
Heroism,
power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity,
and leadership are the qualities of work for the ksatriyas.Chapter 18, Verse 44.
Farming,
cow protection and business are the qualities of work for the
vaisyas, and for the sudras there is labor and service to others.Chapter 18, Verse 45.
By
following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now
please hear from Me how this can be done.Chapter 18, Verse 46.
By
worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is
all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain
perfection.Chapter 18, Verse 47.
It
is better to engage in one's own occupation, even though one may
perform it imperfectly, than to accept another's occupation and
perform it perfectly. Prescribed duties, according to one's nature,
are never affected by sinful reactions.Chapter 18, Verse 48.
Every
endeavor is covered by some sort of fault, just as fire is covered by
smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work which is born of his
nature, O son of Kunti, even if such work is full of fault.Chapter 18, Verse 49.
One
can obtain the results of renunciation simply by self-control and by
becoming unattached to material things and disregarding material
enjoyments. That is the highest perfectional stage of renunciation.Chapter 18, Verse 50.
O
son of Kunti, learn from Me in brief how one can attain to the
supreme perfectional stage, Brahman, by acting in the way I shall now
summarize.Chapter 18, Verse 51-53.
Being
purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with
determination, giving up the objects of sense gratification, being
freed from attachment and hatred, one who lives in a secluded place,
who eats little and who controls the body and the tongue, and is
always in trance and is detached, who is without false ego, false
strength, false pride, lust, anger, and who does not accept material
things, such a person is certainly elevated to the position of
self-realization.Chapter 18, Verse 54.
One
who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme
Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally
disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure
devotional service unto Me.Chapter 18, Verse 55.
One
can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional
service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by
such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.Chapter 18, Verse 56.
Though
engaged in all kinds of activities, My devotee, under My protection,
reaches the eternal and imperishable abode by My grace.Chapter 18, Verse 57.
In
all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My
protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me.Chapter 18, Verse 58.
If
you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of
conditional life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such
consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be
lost.Chapter 18, Verse 59.
If
you do not act according to My direction and do not fight, then you
will be falsely directed. By your nature, you will have to be engaged
in warfare.Chapter 18, Verse 60.
Under
illusion you are now declining to act according to My direction. But,
compelled by your own nature, you will act all the same, O son of
Kunti.Chapter 18, Verse 61.
The
Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is
directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on
a machine, made of the material energy.Chapter 18, Verse 62.
O
scion of Bharata, surrender unto Him utterly. By His grace you will
attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode.Chapter 18, Verse 63.
Thus
I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge.
Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.Chapter 18, Verse 64.
Because
you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you the most
confidential part of knowledge. Hear this from Me, for it is for your
benefit.Chapter 18, Verse 65.
Always
think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage
unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this
because you are My very dear friend.Chapter 18, Verse 66.
Abandon
all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver
you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.Chapter 18, Verse 67.
This
confidential knowledge may not be explained to those who are not
austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who
is envious of Me.Chapter 18, Verse 68.
For
one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional
service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.Chapter 18, Verse 69.
There
is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there
ever be one more dear.Chapter 18, Verse 70.
And
I declare that he who studies this sacred conversation worships Me by
his intelligence.Chapter 18, Verse 71.
And
one who listens with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful
reactions and attains to the planets where the pious dwell.Chapter 18, Verse 72.
O
conqueror of wealth, Arjuna, have you heard this attentively with
your mind? And are your illusions and ignorance now dispelled?Chapter 18, Verse 73.
Arjuna
said, My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I
have regained my memory by Your mercy, and I am now firm and free
from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.Chapter 18, Verse 74.
Sanjaya
said: Thus have I heard the conversation of two great souls, Krsna
and Arjuna. And so wonderful is that message that my hair is standing
on end.Chapter 18, Verse 75.
By
the mercy of Vyasa, I have heard these most confidential talks
directly from the master of all mysticism, Krsna, who was speaking
personally to Arjuna.Chapter 18, Verse 76.
O
King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between
Krsna and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.Chapter 18, Verse 77.
O
King, when I remember the wonderful form of Lord Krsna, I am struck
with even greater wonder, and I rejoice again and again.Chapter 18, Verse 78.
Wherever
there is Krsna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is
Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence,
victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.
கருத்துகள் இல்லை:
கருத்துரையிடுக