GITA VERSES

CHAPTER 3

THE UNITIVE WAY OF ACTION - Karma-Yoga

(1) Arjuna said: If you are of the opinion, 0 Janardana (Krishna),
that reason is superior to action, why then in an action that is ghastly do you enjoin me, 0 Kesava (Krishna)?

( 2) By words that appear to be mixed up you seem to confound my reasoning: Tell me after taking a decision of that one (way) by which I may obtain merit.

(3) Krishna said: There are two kinds of disciplines in this world as declared in ancient times by me, 0 Sinless One (Arjuna), by the unitive way of wisdom (jnana-yoga) of the Samkhyas, by the unitive way of action (karma-yoga) of the Yogis.

(4)  By refraining from initiating activities a person does not come to have (the attainment of) transcending action (naishkarmya) nor can one by renunciation alone come to perfection.

(5) Not even for a single instant can one ever remain engaged in no action at all. By virtue of modalities (gunas) born from nature, all are made to engage in action helplessly.

(6)  He who sits controlling the organs of activity while ruminating mentally over items of sensuous interest, such a lost soul is said to be one of spurious conduct.

(7)  He, on the other hand, who keeps the senses under control by means of the mind, and then commences unitive activity (karma-yoga) while still unattached, he excels.

(8) Do engage yourself in action that is necessary; activity is indeed better than non-activity and even the bodily life of yours would not progress satisfactorily through non-action.

(9)  Outside of activity with a sacrificial purpose, this world is bound by action.  Even with such a purpose, do engage in work, 0 Kaunteya (Arjuna), freed of all attachments.

(10) In ancient times, having created the peoples with sacrifice as pertaining to them (necessarily), Prajapati (the Lord of the peoples) said: "By this shall you grow and multiply:  let this be to you the milch-cow of all desires."

(11)  With this do you gratify the gods (devas) and they the gods gratify you; thus gratifying reciprocally you shall reach to supreme merit.

(12) Those gods shall bestow on you all gratifications you desire:   one who eats what is given to them without giving in turn to them, he is a thief indeed.

(13)  The good man who eats of the remnants of a sacrifice is absolved of all faults:  they, however, eat of evil (itself) the sinners who cook with themselves (alone) for motive.

(14)  Food is the cause of beings, and from rain food is produced; sacrifice has its effect in rain, and sacrifice has its origin in action

(15) Know that action arises from Brahma (god of creation) and that Brahma traces his being to the Imperishable (akshara) . Therefore the all-pervasive Absolute (Brahman is eternally bound up with sacrifice.
 
(16) He who leads a life here under that does not conform to the rotation of such a
wheel, such a man of vicious life-time lives, 0 Partha (Arjuna), in vain (indeed)

(17) But for him who happens to be attached to the Self alone, who finds full satisfaction in the Self, for such a man who is happy in the Self as such, too, there is nothing that he should do.

(18) Neither is there anything indeed for him resulting from work done
nor from any work omitted here, nor is there either for him any dependence in respect of anything derivable from any being whatsoever.

(19) Therefore always remaining detached, engage yourself in actions that are necessary; indeed performing actions with detachment man attains to the supreme.

(20) Janaka and others reached perfection even performing acts. Again, having due regard for the integration of the world too, you have to act.

(21) Whichever may be the way of life that a superior man may adopt, that very one is by other people too (followed). What he might make his guiding principle, the world too behaves even according to the same.

(22) There is nothing in the three worlds that I am obliged to do, 0 Partha (Arjuna), nor anything unaccomplished to be accomplished, while still I remain active (in principle).

(23) If I should not remain active (in principle) never relaxing, men in every walk of life, 0 Partha (Arjuna), would take to my way.

(24) These various worlds (value systems) would fall into ruin should I refrain from activity and I would become the agent of evolutive confusion (samkara) killing in effect the peoples.

(25) In the same manner as people uninstructed would take to activity with attachment, 0 Bharata (Arjuna), the instructed man likewise should act without attachment, interested (merely) in world order.

(26) The person who is wise should not give room for disruption in the way of thinking of those who have not attained to wisdom, but by behaving unitively he should render every kind of action enjoyable.

(27) Irrespective of the occasion, it is nature that through the gunas (three modalities) accomplishes every act.  One possessed of egoism, however, thinks himself as the actor.

(28) On the other hand,  0 Mighty-Armed (Arjuna), the one who knows the principle underlying guna (nature mode) as distinct from karma (its functional counterpart) holding the view that (subjective) modes inhere in (their corresponding) objective modes, is not affected.

(29) Those confounded by the modalities (gunas) of nature become attached to objective modalities existing in works. Such men who are not all-wise and are dull should not be unsettled by those who are all-wise.

(30) Renouncing in Me (the Absolute) all works, coming to be without expectations or possessiveness, with a full awareness about the Self, do fight with fever gone.

(31) They too who ever adhere to this doctrine of mine, men full of faith and free from any mistrust in respect of it, they gain release from works.

(32) On the other hand, those soulless ones who look upon this my doctrine with mistrust and adhere not to it, know them as shut away from all knowledge and as lost.

(33) Even a man of wisdom behaves in conformity with his own nature. creation goes on subject to nature. Of what avail is control?

 (34) Attraction-repulsion abide mutually as between the senses and their sense-objects. One should never come under their (double) sway. They indeed are one's (twin) path-hindering factors.

(35) Better is activity rightly conforming to one's own nature though lacking in superior quality than activity foreign to one's own nature although it may be well done (otherwise). (Even) death by the performance of what fits one properly has merit. Activity foreign to oneself is fraught with danger.

(36) Arjuna said: Then impelled by what does man lead such a life of sin even against his will, 0 Varshneya (Krishna), as if forcibly enjoined?

(37) Krishna said: Such is desire, such is anger, born out of the modality (guna) called active-affective (rajas), all-devouring, all-vitiating; know this to be the enemy here.

(38) As smoke shrouds fire, as a mirror (is beclouded) by dirt, as the foetus in enclosed in the amnion, likewise by such is This surrounded.

(39) Wisdom is enveloped by this which is the eternal enemy of the wise, remaining in the form of desire, 0 Kaunteya (Arjuna), which is a fire too that is difficult to satiate.

(40) This is said to be lodged in the senses, mind and in reason. By means of these, this (desire) bewilders the embodied one by veiling his wisdom.

(41 ) Therefore, 0 best of Bharatas (Arjuna), mastering first the senses, slay this which is of sin which can destroy both pure and practical wisdom.

(42) It is taught (in ancient tradition) that the senses are beyond (transcendental); beyond the senses is the mind, beyond the mind is reason and beyond reason is He (the Absolute).

(43) Thus knowing Him to be beyond reason, immobilizing the Self by the Self, 0 mighty-Armed (Arjuna),  kill that enemy in the form of desire (so) difficult to encounter.
Thus ends in the Upanishads of the Songs of God, in the Science of the Wisdom of the Absolute, in the Dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, the third chapter entitled Unitive Action.

CHAPTER 4

UNITIVE WISDOM - Jnana-Yoga

1) Krishna said: This perennial unitive wisdom (yoga) did I declare to Vivasvan (the Sun); Vivasvan taught it to Manu (law-giver) and Manu taught it to Ikshvaku (first king of the solar race).

2) Thus handed down the line in succession, this (wisdom) the king-sages (raja-rishis) understood; by great lapse of time here (however) this unitive wisdom (yoga) came to be lost, 0 Paramtapa (Arjuna).

(3) That very same ancient secret is being today declared to you by Me, seeing that you are both my devotee and friend.

(4) Arjuna said: Your birth it was posterior and the birth of Vivasvan that was anterior; how then have I to understand it that you declared it in the beginning?

( 5) Krishna said: Many are the lives that have gone past for me as also for you, 0 Arjuna; I am conscious of them all; you, 0 Paramtapa (Arjuna), are not conscious of them.

(6) Although I remain ever unborn as the never-diminishing Self, while I am the Lord of creation too, grounded on my own nature I assume being through the negative principle (maya) of my own Self.

(7) Whenever there comes to be laxity in regard to right life (dharma) 0 Bharata (Arjuna), and wrong coming to assert itself, then I bring about the creation of myself.

(8) To protect those who are good and to destroy evildoers, for establishing righteousness, I assume being, age by age.

(9) He who understands this divine nature of my birth and work consistently with basic principles, on leaving this body he does not attain to repeated birth, but (only) comes to Me, 0 Arjuna.

(10) Rid of attachments, fear and anger and wholly filled by Me alone, and surrendering to Me. many who have been purified by the discipline of wisdom, have entered into My (very) being.

(11) As each chooses to approach Me even accordingly do I have regard for him. My very path it is, 0 Bharata (Arjuna), that all men do tread from every (possible) approach.

(12) Desiring the benefits coming from actions and thus sacrificing to the gods, quick indeed are the results born of works in this world of men.

(13) The four-fold colour-grades (varnya) were created by myself on the basis of innate disposition (guna)  that accorded with each; know Me to be the maker of such as also to be its undoer, unexpended.

(14) 1 am not affected by works nor have I any interest in the benefit of works; he who understands Me in this manner comes no more under the bondage of works.

(15) That very kind of work that the ancients performed after knowing in this manner, even that work therefore do you also, as was performed by ancients desiring emancipation in times more ancient.
 
(16) On what is action and what is inaction even intelligent men here are confused. I shall indicate to you that action on knowing which you will be emancipated from evil.

(17) One has to understand about action and understand also what is wrong action; again one has to have a proper notion of non-action:  the way of action is elusively subtle (indeed).

(18)  One who is able to see action in inaction and inaction in action, he among man is intelligent; he is one of unitive attitude (yogi) while still engaged in every (possible) kind of work.

(19) That man whose works are all devoid of desire and wilful motive, whose (impulse of) action has been reduced to nothing in the fire of wisdom, he is recognized as a knowing person (pandit) by the wise.

(20)  Relinquishing attachment for the benefit of works, ever happy and independent, though such a man be engaged in work, he (in principle) does nothing at all.

(21) One free of all expectancy and of subjugated relational self-consciousness, who has given up all possessiveness, being engaged in actions that are merely bodily (automatic), he does not acquire evil.

(22) Satisfied with chance-gains, unaffected by conflicting pairs (of interests), non-competitive, remaining the same in gain or no gain, he remains unbound in spite of having been active.

( 23) In the case of one whose attachments are gone, who has gained freedom, whose spiritual being has been founded on wisdom, his works having a sacrificial character only, become wholly dissolved.

( 24) (For him) the Absolute is the act of offering, the Absolute is the substance offered into the Absolute which is the fire offered by (him) the Absolute, the and to be reached by him being even the Absolute by means of his peace supreme of absolutist action.

( 25) As referring to the gods (of the Vedas) is (the nature of) the sacrifice of some yogis (men of unitive discipline); others offer sacrifice into the fire of the Absolute by sacrifice itself.

(26) Some offer as sacrifice the ear and such other sense-organs into the fire of restraint; others offer the sacrifice of sound  and other sense organs into the fire of the senses.

(27) All the functions of the senses as also the vital functions, others make (as) an offering of both into the fire of unitive discipline (yoga) consisting of self-restraint.

(28)  Likewise are others of object-sacrifice and those of austerity-sacrifice, those who sacrifice unitive discipline (yoga) and those of self-study and wisdom-sacrifice, who are all man of self-control and (fully) accomplished vows.

(29)  Into the downward (inward) vital tendency others sacrifice the upward (outward) one and in the outward one the inward likewise, thus countering the tendencies, they remain ever as those (who resort to the way) of (vital) breath-control.

(30) Others abstemious in food make an offering of vital breaths into vital breaths. All these are connoisseurs of sacrifice who have got rid of evil through sacrifice.

(31) Those who partake of the immortal nectar of sacrificial remains go to the eternal Absolute. This world is not for one of no sacrifice.How can he have the next,  0 Best of Kurus (Arjuna)?

(32) Thus many and varied are the sacrifices spread in front of the Absolute. Know them all as originating in action. Thus understanding them, you shall gain release.

33) Superior to any sacrifice with (valuable) objects is the wisdom-sacrifice, 0 Paramtapa (Arjuna); all actions,  0 Partha have their culmination in wisdom.

(34) Learn this by prostration, by searching questioning and by service; they will instruct you (duly) in wisdom, those wise men who can see the basic principles

(35) Having known this, 0 Pandava (Arjuna), you will not give way to delusion thus any more; by this all beings without exception will be seen by you in the Self and thus in Me.

(36) Even if you should happen to be among evil-doers the most evil-doing man, by the very raft of wisdom you will be able to cross over sin.

(37) Just as fire when kindled reduces to ashes the fuel, 0 Arjuna, likewise the fire of wisdom reduces all works to ashes.

(38) There is nothing indeed here so purificatory as wisdom which same the man of perfection through unitive discipline (yoga) discovers in himself in due course.

(39) A man of faith comes to wisdom being intent on That (Absolute) and the senses subjugated. On obtaining wisdom he reaches without delay (the state of) supreme peace.

(40) The unwise man and the man without faith with the Self held in (the conflict of) doubt is destroyed: Neither is there this world for him nor the world beyond nor can there be any happiness for a man caught in doubt.

(41) For one of unitively-renounced action (by yoga) who by wisdom has sundered doubt, and come to full self-possession, works can no more bind him, 0 Dhanamjaya (Arjuna).

(42) Therefore sundering with the sword of Self-knowledge this ignorance- born doubt residing in the heart, stand firm in the unitive way (yoga) and stand up, 0 Bharata (Arjuna). Thus ends in the Upanishads of the Songs of God, in the Science of the Wisdom of the Absolute, in the Dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, the fourth Chapter entitled Unitive Wisdom.