Bhagavadhgîthâ
CHAPTER 10 (Vibhûthi Yoga)
The Lord Said:
1. Yet once more, O Mahâbâhu, hear My supreme word, which I will utter to thee, gratified one, for thy benefit.
2. Neither the gods nor the great seers know My origin; for I am, every way, the origin of them both.
3. He who knows Me, the great lord of the worlds, as birthless and without beginning, he among mortals, undeluded, is released from sins.
4. Discernment, knowledge, freedom from delusion, long suffering, truth, self-restraint, inward calm, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear and fearlessness;
5. Non-violence, even-mindedness, contentment, austerity, beneficence, good and ill fame -- all these various attributes of creatures proceed verily from Me.
6. The seven great seers, the ancient four, and the Manus too were born of Me and of My mind, and of them were born all the creatures in the world.
7. He who knows in truth My immanence and My yoga becomes gifted with unshakable yoga; of this there is no doubt.
8. I am the source of all, all proceeds from me; knowing this, the wise worship Me with hearts full of devotion.
9. With me in their thoughts, their whole soul devoted to Me, teaching one another, with me ever on their lips, they live in contentment and joy.
10. To these, ever in tune with Me worshipping me with affectionate devotion, I give the power of selfless action, whereby they come to Me.
11. Out of every compassion for them, I who dwell in their hearts, destroy the darkness, born of ignorance, with the refulgent lamp of knowledge.
Arjuna Said:
12. Lord! Thou art the supreme Brahman, the supreme Abode, the supreme Purifier! Everlasting Celestial Being, the Primal God, Unborn, All-pervading.
13. Thus have all the seers -- the divine seer Nâradha, Asitha, Dhevala, Vyâsa -- declared Thee; and Thou Thyself dost tell me so.
14. All that Thou tellest me is true, I know, O Keshava, verily, Lord, neither the gods nor the demons know Thy manifestation.
15. Thyself alone Thou knowest by Thyself, O Purushoththama, O Source and Lord of all beings, God of Gods, O Ruler of the universe.
16. Indeed Thou oughtest to tell me of all Thy manifestations, without a remainder, whereby Thou dost pervade the worlds.
17. O Yogin! constantly meditating on Thee, how am I to know Thee? In what various aspects am I to think of Thee, O Lord?
18. Recount to me yet again, in full detail, Thy unique power and Thy immanence, O Janârdhana! For my ears cannot be sated with listening to Thy life-giving words.
The Lord Said:
19. Yea, I will unfold to thee, O Kurushreshta, My divine manifestations -- the chiefest only; for there is no limit to their extent.
20. I am the Âthman, O Gudâkesha, seated in the heart of every being; I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.
21. Of the Âdhithyas I am Vishnu; of luminaries, the radiant Sun; of Maruths, I am Marîci; of constellations, the moon.
22. Of the Vedhas I am the Sâma Vedha; of the gods Indhra; of the senses I am the mind; of beings I am the consciousness.
23. Of Rudhras I am Shankara; of Yakshas and Râkshasas Kubera; of Vasus I am the Fire; of mountains Meru.
24. Of priests, O Pârtha, know Me to be the chief Brhaspathi; of army captains I am Kârthikeya; and of waters the ocean.
25. Of the great seers I am Bhrgu; of words I am the one syllable 'AUM'; of sacrifices I am the Japa sacrifice; of things immovable, the Himâlaya.
26. Of all trees I am Ashvaththa; of the divine seers, Nâradha; of the heavenly choir I am Cithraratha; of the perfected I am Kapila the ascetic.
27. Of horses, know Me to be the Uccaihshravas born with Amrtha; of mighty elephants I am Airâvatha; of men, the monarch.
28. Of weapons, I am Vajra; of cows, Kâmadhenu; I am Kandharpa, the god of generation; of serpants I am Vâsuki.
29. Of cobras I am Anantha; of water-dwellers I am Varuna; of the manes I am Aryamân; and of the chastisers, Yama.
30. Of demons I am Prahlâdha; of reckoners, the time; of beasts I am the lion; and of birds, Garuda.
31. Of cleansing agents I am the Wind; of wielders of weapons, Râma; of fishes I am the crocodile; of rivers the Gangâ.
32. Of creations I am the beginning, end and middle, O Arjuna; of sciences, the science of spiritual knowledge; of debators, the right argument.
33. Of letters, the letter A; of compounds I am the dvandhva; I am the imperishable Time; I am the creator to be seen everywhere.
34. All-seizing Death am I, as the source of things to be; in feminine virtues I am Kîrthi (glory), Shrî (beauty), Vâk (speech), Smrthi (memory), Medhâ (intelligence), Dhrthi (constancy) and Kshamâ (forgiveness).
35. Of Sâman hymns I am Brhath Sâman; of metres, Gâyathrî; of months I am Mârgashîrsha; of seasons, the spring.
36. Of deceivers I am the dice-play; of the splendid the splendour; I am victory, I am resolution, I am the goodness of the good.
37. Of Vrshnis I am Vâsudheva; of Pândavas Dhananjaya; of ascetics I am Vyâsa; and of seers, Ushanas.
38. I am the rod of those that punish; the strategy of those seeking victory; of secret things I am silence, and the knowledge of those that know.
39. Whatever is the seed of every being, O Arjuna, that am I; there is nothing, whether moving or fixed, that can be without Me.
40. There is no end to my divine manifestations; what extent of them I have told thee now is only by way of illustration.
41. Whatever is glorious, beautiful and mighty know thou that all such has issued from a fragment of My splendour.
42. But why needest thou to learn this at great length, O Arjuna? With but a part of Myself I stand upholding this universe.
Thus ends the tenth discourse, entitled 'Vibhûthi Yoga' in the converse of Lord Krshna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga, as part of the knowledge of Brahman, in the Upanishadh called the Bhagavadhgîthâ.
CHAPTER 11 (Vishvarûpadharshana Yoga)
Arjuna Said:
1. Out of Thy grace towards me, thou hast told me the supreme mystery revealing the knowledge of the Supreme; it has banished my delusion.
2. Of the origin and destruction of beings I have heard from Thee in full detail, as also Thy imperishable majesty, O Kamala-pathrâksha!
3. Thou art indeed as Thou hast described Thyself, Parameshvara! I do crave to behold, now, that form of Thine as Îshvara.
4. If, Lord, thou thinkest it possible for me to bear the sight, reveal to me, O Yogeshvara, Thy imperishable form.
The Lord Said:
5. Behold, O Pârtha, my forms divine in their hundreds and thousands, infinitely diverse, infinitely various in color and aspect.
6. Behold the Âdhithyas, the Vasus, the Rudhras, the two Ashvins, the Maruths; behold, O Bhâratha, numerous marvels never revealed before.
7. Behold today, O Gudâkesha, in my body, the whole universe, moving and unmoving, all in one, and whatever else thou cravest to see.
8. But thou canst not see Me with these thine own eyes. I give thee the eye divine; behold My sovereign power!
Sanjaya Said:
9. With these words, O King, the great Lord of Yoga, Hari, then revealed to Pârtha His supreme form as Îshvara.
10. With many mouths and many eyes, many wondrous aspects, many divine ornaments, and many brandished weapons divine.
11. Wearing divine garlands and vestments, anointed with divine perfumes, it was the form of God, all-marvelous, infinite, seen everywhere.
12. Were the splendour of a thousand suns to shoot forth all at once in the sky that might perchance resemble the splendour of that Mighty One.
13. Then did Pândava see the whole universe in its manifold divisions gathered as one in the body of that God of gods.
14. Then Dhananjaya, wonderstruck and thrilled in every fibre of his being, bowed low his head before the Lord, addressing Him thus with folded hands.
Arjuna Said:
15. With Thy form, O Lord, I see all the gods and the diverse multitudes of beings, the Lord Brahmâ, on his lotus-throne and all the seers and serpents divine.
16. With many arms and bellies, mouths and eyes, I see Thy infinite form everywhere. Neither Thy end, nor middle, nor beginning, do I see, O Lord of the Universe, Universal-formed!
17. With crown and mace and disc, a mass of effulgence, gleaming everywhere I see Thee, so dazzling to the sight, bright with the splendour of the fiery sun blazing from all sides -- incomprehensible.
18. Thou art the Supreme Imperishable worthy to be known; Thou art the final resting place of this universe; Thou art the changeless guardian of the Eternal Dharma; Thou art, I believe, the Everlasting Being.
19. Thou hast no beginning, middle nor end; infinite is Thy might; arms innumerable; for eyes, the sun and the moon; Thy mouth a blazing fire, overpowering the universe with Thy radiance.
20. By Thee alone are filled the spaces between heaven and earth and all the quarters; at the sight of this Thy wondrous terrible form, the three worlds are sore oppressed, O Mahâthman!
21. Here, too, the multitudes of gods are seen to enter Thee; some awe-struck praise Thee with folded arms; the hosts of great seers and sidhdhas, 'All Hail' on their lips, hymn Thee with songs of praise.
22. The Rudhras, Âdhithyas, Vasus, Sâdhyas, all the gods, the twin Ashvins, Maruths, Manes, the hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras and Sidhdhas -- all gaze on Thee in wonderment.
23. At the sight of thy mighty form, O Mahâbâhu, many-mouthed, with eyes, arms, thighs and feet innumerable, with many vast bellies, terrible with many jaws, the worlds feel fearfully oppressed, and so do I.
24. For as I behold Thee touching the sky, glowing, numerous-hued with gaping mouths and wide resplendent eyes, I feel oppressed in my innermost being; no peace nor quiet I find, O Vishnu!
25. As I see Thy mouths with fearful jaws, resembling the Fire of Doom, I lose all sense of direction, and find no relief. Be gracious, O Devesha, O Jagannivâsa!
26. All the sons of Dhrtharâshtra, and with them the crowd of kings, Bhîshma, Dhrona, and that Karna too, as also our chief warriors --
27. Are hastening into the fearful jaws of Thy terrible mouths. Some indeed, caught between Thy teeth, are seen, their heads being crushed to atoms.
28. As rivers, in their numerous torrents, run head-long to the sea, even so the heroes of the world of men rush into Thy flaming mouths.
29. As moths, fast-flying, plunge into blazing fire, straight to their doom, even so these rush headlong into Thy mouths, to their destruction.
30. Devouring all these from all sides, Thou lappest them with Thy flaming tongues; Thy fierce rays blaze forth, filling the whole universe with their lustre.
31. Tell me, Lord, who Thou art so dread of form! Hail to Thee, O Dhevavara! Be gracious! I desire to know Thee, Primal Lord; for I comprehend not what Thou dost.
The Lord Said:
32. Doom am I, full-ripe, dealing death to the worlds, engaged in devouring mankind. Even without your slaying them, not one of the warriors, ranged for battle against thee, shall survive.
33. Therefore, do thou arise, and win renown! Defeat thy foes and enjoy a thriving kingdom. By Me have these already been destroyed; be thou no more than an instrument, O Savyasâcin!
34. Dhrona, Bhîshma, Jayadhratha and Karna, as also the other warrior chiefs -- already slain by Me -- slay thou! Fight! Victory is thine over the foes in the field.
Sanjaya Said:
35. Hearing this word of Keshava, crown-wearer Arjuna folded his hands, and trembling made obeisance. Bowing and all hesitant, in faltering accents, he proceeded to address Krshna once more.
Arjuna Said:
36. Right proper it is, O Hrshîkesha, that Thy praise should stir the world to gladness and tender emotion; the Râkshasas in fear fly to every quarter and all the hosts of Sidhdhas do reverent homage.
37. And why should they not bow down to Thee, O Mahâthma? Thou art the First Creator, greater even than Brahmâ. O Anantha, O Devesha, O Jagannivâsa, Thou art the Imperishable, Being, not-Being, and That which transcends even these.
38. Thou art the Primal God, the Ancient Being; Thou art the Final Resting Place of this Universe; Thou art the Knower, the 'to-be-known', the Supreme Abode; by Thee, O Myriad-formed, is the universe pervaded.
39. Thou art Vâyu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, Shashânka, Prajâpathi, and Prapithâmaha! All Hail to Thee, a thousand times all hail! Again and yet again all hail to Thee!
40. All hail to Thee from before and behind! all hail to Thee from every side, O All; Thy prowess is infinite, Thy might is measureless! Thou holdest all; therefore Thou art all.
41. If ever in carelessness, thinking of Thee as comrade, I addressed Thee saying, 'O Krshna!', 'O Yâdhava!' not knowing Thy greatness, in negligence or in affection,
42. If ever I have been rude to Thee in jest, whilst at play, at rest-time, or at meals, whilst alone or in company, O Acyutha, forgive Thou my fault -- I beg of Thee, O Incomprehensible!
43. Thou art Father of this world, of the moving and the un-moving; thou art its adored, its worthiest, Master; there is none equal to Thee; how then any greater than Thee? Thy power is matchless in the three worlds.
44. Therefore, I prostrate myself before Thee, and beseech Thy grace, O Lord adorable! As father with son, as comrade with comrade, so shouldst Thou bear, beloved Lord, with me, Thy loved one.
45. I am filled with joy to see what never was seen before, and yet my heart is oppressed with fear. Show me that original form of Thine, O Lord! Be gracious, Devesha, O Jagannivâsa!
46. I crave to see Thee even as Thou wast, with crown, with mace, and disc in hand; wear Thou, once more, that four-armed form, O thousand-armed Vishvamûrthi!
The Lord Said:
47. It is to favor thee, O Arjuna, that I have revealed to thee, by My own unique power, this My form Supreme, Resplendent, Universal, Infinite, Primal -- which none save thee has ever seen.
48. Not by the study of the Vedhas, not by sacrifice, not by the study of other scriptures, not by gifts, nor yet by performance of rites or of fierce austerities can I, in such a form, be seen by any one save thee in the world of men, O Kurupravîra!
49. Be thou neither oppressed nor bewildered to look on this awful form of Mine. Banish thy fear, ease thy mind, and lo! behold Me once again as I was.
Sanjaya Said.
50. So said Vâsudheva to Arjuna, and revealed to him once more His original form. Wearing again His form benign, the Mahâthma consoled him terrified.
Arjuna Said.
51. Beholding again thy benign human form I am come to myself and once more in my normal state.
The Lord Said:
52. Very hard to behold is that form of Mine which thou hast seen; even the gods always yearn to see it.
53. Not by the Vedhas, not by penance, nor by gifts, nor yet by sacrifice, can any behold Me in the form that thou hast seen.
54. But by single-minded devotion, O Arjuna, I may in this form be known and seen, and truly entered into, O Paranthapa!
55. He alone comes to me, O Pândava, who does My work, who has made Me his goal, who is My devotee, who has renounced attachment, who has ill-will toward none.
Thus ends the eleventh discourse, entitled 'Vishvarûpadharshana Yoga' in the converse of Lord Krshna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga as part of the knowledge of Brahman in the Upanishadh called the Bhagavadhgîthâ.
CHAPTER 12 (Bhakthi Yoga)
Arjuna Said:
1. Of the devotees who thus worship Thee, incessantly attached, and those who worship the Imperishable Unmanifest, which are the better yogins?
The Lord Said:
2. Those I regard as the best yogins who, riveting their minds on Me, ever attached, worship Me, with the highest faith.
3. But those who worship the Imperishable, the indefinable, the Unmanifest, the Omnipresent, the Unthinkable, the Rock-seated, the Immovable, the Unchanging,
4. Keeping the whole host of senses in complete control, looking on all with an impartial eye, engrossed in the welfare of all beings -- these come indeed to Me.
5. Greater is the travail of those whose mind is fixed on the Unmanifest; for it is hard for embodied mortals to gain the Unmanifest -- Goal.
6. But those who casting all their actions on Me, making Me their all in all, worship Me with the meditation of undivided devotion,
7. Of such, whose thoughts are centered on Me, O Pârtha, I become ere long the Deliverer from the ocean of this world of death.
8. On Me set thy mind, on Me rest thy conviction; thus without doubt shalt thou remain only in Me hereafter.
9. If thou canst not set thy mind steadily on Me, then by the method of constant practice seek to win Me, O Dhananjaya.
10. If thou art also unequal to this method of constant practice, concentrate on service for Me; even thus serving Me thou shalt attain perfection.
11. If thou art unable even to do this, then dedicating all to Me, with mind controlled, abandon the fruit of action.
12. Better is knowledge than practice, better than knowledge is concentration, better than concentration is renunciation of the fruit of all action, from which directly issues peace.
13. Who has ill-will towards none, who is friendly and compassionate, who has shed all thought of 'mine' or 'I', who regards pain and pleasure alike, who is long-suffering;
14. Who is ever content, gifted with yoga, self-restrained, of firm conviction, who has dedicated his mind and reason to Me -- that devotee (bhaktha) of Mine is dear to Me.
15. Who gives no trouble to the world, to whom the world causes no trouble, who is free from exultation, resentment, fear and vexation -- that man is dear to Me.
16. Who expects naught, who is pure, resourceful, unconcerned, untroubled, who indulges in no undertakings -- that devotee of Mine is dear to Me.
17. Who rejoices not, neither frets nor grieves, who covets not, who abandons both good and ill -- that devotee of Mine is dear to Me.
18. Who is same to foe and friend, who regards alike respect and disrespect, cold and heat, pleasure and pain, who is free from attachment;
19. Who weighs in equal scale blame and praise, who is silent, content with whatever his lot, who owns no home, who is of steady mind -- that devotee of Mine is dear to Me.
20. They who follow this essence of dharma, as I have told it, with faith, keeping Me as their goal -- those devotees are exceedingly dear to Me.
Thus ends the twelfth discourse entitled 'Bhakthi Yoga' in the converse of Lord Krshna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga, as part of the knowledge of Brahman in the Upanishadh called the Bhagavadhgîthâ.
CHAPTER 13 (Kshethra-kshethrajnavibhâga Yoga)
The Lord Said:
1. This body, O Kauntheya, is called the Field; he who knows it is called the knower of the Field by those who know.
2. And understand Me to be, O Bhâratha, the knower of the Field in all the Fields; and the knowledge of the Field and the knower of the Field, I hold, is true knowledge.
3. What the Field is, what its nature, what its modifications, and whence is what, as also who He is, and what His power -- hear this briefly from Me.
4. This subject has been sung by seers distinctively and in various ways, in different hymns as also in aphoristic texts about Brahman well reasoned and unequivocal.
5. The great elements, Individuation, Reason, the Unmanifest, the ten senses, and the one (mind), and the five spheres of the senses;
6. Desire, dislike, pleasure, pain, association, consciousness, cohesion -- this, in sum, is what is called the Field with its modifications.
7. Freedom from pride and pretentiousness, nonviolence, forgiveness, uprightness, service of the Master, purity, steadfastness, self-restraint;
8. Aversion from sense-objects, absence of conceit, realization of the painfulness and evil of birth, death, age and disease;
9. Absence of attachment, refusal to be wrapped up in one's children, wife, home and family, even-mindedness whether good or ill befall;
10. Unwavering and all-exclusive devotion to Me, resort to secluded spots, distaste for the haunts of men;
11. Settled conviction of the nature of the Âthman, perception of the goal of the knowledge of Truth -- All this is declared to be Knowledge and the reverse of it is ignorance.
12. I will (now) expound to thee that which is to be known and knowing which one enjoys immortality; it is the supreme Brahman which has no beginning, which is called neither Being nor non-Being.
13. Everywhere having hands and feet, everywhere having eyes, heads, mouths, everywhere having ears, It abides embracing everything in the universe.
14. Seeming to possess the functions of the senses, It is devoid of all the senses; It touches naught, upholds all; having no gunas, It experiences the gunas.
15. Without all beings, yet within; immovable yet moving, so subtle that It cannot be perceived; so far and yet so near It is.
16. Undivided, It seems to subsist divided in all beings; this Brahman -- That which is to be known as the Sustainer of all, yet It is their Devourer and Creator.
17. Light of all lights, It is said to be beyond darkness; It is knowledge, the object of knowledge, to be gained only by knowledge; It is seated in the hearts of all.
18. Thus have I expounded in brief the Field, Knowledge and That which is to be known; My devotee, when he knows this, is worthy to become one with Me.
19. Know that Prakrthi and Purusha are both without beginning; know that all the modifications and gunas are born of Prakrthi.
20. Prakrthi is described as the cause in the creation of effects from causes; Purusha is described as the cause of the experiencing of pleasure and pain.
21. For the Purusha, residing in Prakrthi, experiences the gunas born in Prakrthi; attachment to these gunas is the cause of his birth in good or evil wombs.
22. What is called in this body the Witness, the Assentor, the Sustainer, the Experiencer, the Great Lord and also the Supreme Atman, is Supreme Being.
23. He who thus knows Purusha and Prakrthi with its gunas, is not born again, no matter how he live and move.
24. Some through meditation hold the Âthman by themselves in their own self; others by Sânkhya Yoga, and others by Karma Yoga.
25. Yet others, not knowing (Him) thus, worship (Him) having heard from others; they too pass beyond death, because of devoted adherence to what they have heard.
26. Wherever something is born, animate or inanimate, know thou Bharatharshabha, that it issues from the union of the Field and the Knower of the Field.
27. Who sees abiding in all beings the same Parameshvara, imperishable in the perishable, he sees indeed.
28. When he sees the same Îshvara abiding everywhere alike, he does not hurt himself by himself and hence he attains the highest goal.
29. Who sees that it is Prakrthi that performs all actions and thus (knows) that Âtman performs them not, he sees indeed.
30. When he sees the diversity of beings as founded in unity and the whole expanse issuing therefrom, then he attains to Brahman.
31. This imperishable Supreme Âthman, O Kauntheya, though residing in the body, acts not and is not stained, for he has no beginning and no gunas.
32. As the all-pervading ether, by reason of its subtlety, is not soiled even so Âthman pervading every part of the body is not soiled.
33. As the one Sun illumines the whole universe, even so the Master of the Field illumines the whole field, O Bhâratha!
34. Those who, with the eyes of knowledge, thus perceive the distinction between the Field and the Knower of the Field, and (the secret) of the release of beings from Prakrthi, they attain to the Supreme.
Thus ends the thirteenth discourse, entitled 'Kshethra-kshethrajnavibhâga Yoga' in the converse of Lord Krshna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga, as part of the knowledge of Brahman in the Upanishadh called the Bhagavadhgîthâ.
CHAPTER 14 (Gunathrayavibhâga Yoga)
The Lord Said:
1. Yet again I will expound the highest and the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages passed hence to the highest perfection.
2. By having recourse to this knowledge they became one with Me. They need not come to birth even at a creation, nor do they suffer at a dissolution.
3. The great prakrthi is for me the womb in which I deposit the germ; from it all beings come to birth, O Bhâratha.
4. Whatever forms take birth in the various species, the great prakrthi is their Mother and I the seed-giving Father.
5. Saththva, rajas and thamas are the gunas sprung from prakrthi; it is they, O Mahâbâhu, that keep the imperishable Dweller bound to the body.
6. Of these saththva, being stainless, is light-giving and healing; it binds with the bond of happiness and the bond of knowledge, O sinless one.
7. Rajas, know thou, is of the nature of passion, the source of thirst and attachment; it keeps man bound with the bond of action.
8. Thamas, know thou, born of ignorance, is mortal man's delusion; it keeps him bound with heedlessness, sloth and slumber, O Bhâratha.
9. Saththva attaches man to happiness, rajas to action, and thamas, shrouding knowledge, attaches him to heedlessness.
10. Saththva prevails, O Bhâratha, having overcome rajas and thamas; rajas, when it has overpowered saththva and thamas; likewise thamas reigns when saththva and rajas are crushed.
11. When the light -- knowledge -- shines forth from all the gates of this body, then it may be known that the saththva thrives.
12. Greed, activity, assumption of undertakings, restlessness, craving -- these are in evidence when rajas flourishes, O Bharatharshabha.
13. Ignorance, dullness, heedlessness, and delusion -- these are in evidence when thamas reigns, O Kurunandhana.
14. If the embodied one meets his end whilst saththva prevails, then he attains to the spotless worlds of the knowers of the Highest.
15. If he dies during the reign within him of rajas, he is born among men attached to action; and if he dies in thamas, he is born in species not endowed with reason.
16. The fruit of sâththvika action is said to be stainless merit. That of rajas is pain and that of thamas ignorance.
18. Those abiding in saththva rise upwards, those in rajas stay midway, those in thamas sink downwards.
19. When the seer perceives no agent other than the gunas, and knows Him who is above the gunas, he attains to My being.
20. When the embodied one transcends these three gunas which are born of his contact with the body, he is released from the pain of birth, death and age and attains deathlessness.
Arjuna Said:
21. What, O Lord, are the marks of him who has transcended the three gunas? How does he conduct himself? How does he transcend the three gunas?
The Lord Said:
22. He, O Pândava, who does not disdain light, activity, and delusion when they come into being, nor desires them when they vanish;
23. He, who seated as one indifferent, is not shaken by the gunas, and stays still and moves not, knowing it is gunas playing their parts;
24. He who holds pleasure and pain alike, who is sedate, who regards as same earth, stone and gold, who is wise and weighs in equal scale things pleasant and unpleasant, who is even-minded in praise and blame;
25. Who holds alike respect and disrespect, who is the same to friend and foe, who indulges in no undertakings -- That man is called gunâthîtha.
26. He who serves me in an unwavering and exclusive bhakthiyoga transcends these gunas and is worthy to become one with Brahman.
27. For I am the very image of Brahman, changeless and deathless, as also of everlasting dharma and perfect bliss.
Thus ends the fourteenth discourse, entitled 'Gunathrayavibhâga Yoga' in the converse of Lord Krshna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga, as part of the knowledge of Brahman, in the Upanishadh called the Bhagavadhgîthâ.
CHAPTER 15 (Purushoththama Yoga)
The Lord Said:
1. With the root above and branches below, the ashvaththa tree, they say, is imperishable; it has Vedhic hymns for its leaves; he who knows it knows the Vedhas.
2. Above all and below its branches spread, blossoming because of the gunas, having for their shoots the sense-objects; deep down in the world of men are ramified its roots, in the shape of the consequences of action.
3. Its form as such is not here perceived, neither is its end, nor beginning, nor basis. Let man first hew down this deep-rooted Ashvaththa with the sure weapon of detachment;
4. Let him pray to win to that haven from which there is no return and seek to find refuge in the primal Being from whom has emanated this ancient world of action.
5. To that imperishable haven those enlightened souls go -- who are without pride and delusion, who have triumphed over the taints of attachment, who are ever in tune with the Supreme, whose passions have died, who are exempt from the pairs of opposites, such as pleasure and pain.
6. Neither the sun, nor the moon, nor fire illumine it; men who arrive there return not -- that is My supreme abode.
7. As part indeed of Myself which has been the eternal Jîva in this world of life, attracts the mind and the five senses from their place in prakrthi.
8. When the master (of the body) acquires a body and discards it he carries these with him wherever he goes, even as the wind carries scents from flower beds.
9. Having settled himself in the senses -- ear, eye, touch, taste, and smell -- as well as the mind, through them he frequents their objects.
10. The deluded perceive Him not as He leaves or settles in (a body) or enjoys (sense objects) in association with the gunas; it is those endowed with the eye of knowledge who alone see Him.
11. Yogins who strive see Him seated in themselves; the witless ones who have not cleansed themselves see Him not, even though they strive.
12. The light in the sun which illumines the whole universe and which is in the moon and in fire -- that light, know thou, is Mine;
13. It is I, who penetrating the earth uphold all beings with My strength, and becoming the moon -- the essence of all sap -- nourish all the herbs;
14. It is I who becoming the Vaishvânara Fire and entering the bodies of all that breathe, assimilate the four kinds of food with the help of the outward and the inward breaths.
15. And I am seated in the hearts of all, from Me proceed memory, knowledge and the dispelling of doubts; it is I who am to be known in all the Vedhas, I, the author of Vedhântha and the knower of the Vedhas.
16. There are two Beings in the world: kshara (perishable) and akshara (imperishable). Kshara embraces all creatures and their permanent basis is akshara.
17. The Supreme Being is surely another -- called Paramâthman who is the Imperishable Îshvara pervades and supports the three worlds.
18. Because I transcend the kshara and am also higher than the akshara, I am known in the world and in the Vedhas as Purushoththama (the Highest Being).
19. He who, undeluded, knows Me as Purushoththama, knows all, he worships Me with all his heart, O Bhâratha.
20. Thus I have revealed to thee, sinless one, this most mysterious shâsthra; he who understands this, O Bhâratha, is a man of understanding, he has fulfilled his life's mission.
Thus ends the fifteenth discourse, entitled 'Purushoththama Yoga' in the converse of Lord Krshna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga, as part of the knowledge of Brahman in the Upanishadh called the Bhagavadhgîthâ.
CHAPTER 16 (Dhaivâsurasampadhvibhâga Yoga)
The Lord Said:
1. Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in jnâna and yoga -- knowledge and action, beneficence, self-restraint, sacrifice, spiritual study, austerity, and uprightness;
2. Non-violence, truth, slowness to wrath, the spirit of dedication, serenity, aversion to slander, tenderness to all that lives, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, freedom from levity;
3. Spiritedness, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from ill-will and arrogance -- these are to be found in one born with the divine heritage, O Bhâratha.
4. Pretentiousness, arrogance, self-conceit, wrath, coarseness, ignorance -- these are to be found in one born with the devilish heritage.
5. The divine heritage makes for Freedom, the devilish for bondage. Grieve not, O Pârtha; thou art born with a divine heritage.
6. There are two orders of created beings in this world -- the divine and the devilish; the divine order has been described in detail, hear from Me now of the devilish, O Pârtha.
7. Men of the devil do not know what they may do and what they may not do; neither is there any purity, nor right conduct, nor truth to be found in them.
8. "Without truth, without basis, without God is the universe," they say; "born of the union of the sexes, prompted by naught but lust."
9. Holding this view, these depraved souls, of feeble understanding and of fierce deeds, come forth as enemies of the world to destroy it.
10. Given to insatiable lust, possessed by pretentiousness, arrogance and conceit, they seize wicked purposes in their delusion, and go about pledged to uncleaned deeds.
11. Given to boundless cares that end only with their death, making indulgence or lust their sole goal, convinced that that is all;
12. Caught in a myriad snares of hope, slaves to lust and wrath, they speak unlawfully to amass wealth for the satisfaction of their appetites.
13. "This have I gained today; this aspiration shall I now attain; this wealth is mine; this likewise shall be mine hereafter;
14. This enemy I have already slain, others also I shall slay; lord of all am I; enjoyment is mine, perfection is mine, strength is mine, happiness is mine;
15. Wealthy am I, and high-born. What other is like unto me? I shall perform a sacrifice! I shall give alms! I shall be merry!" Thus think they, by ignorance deluded;
16. And tossed about by diverse fancies, caught in the net of delusion, stuck deep in the indulgence of appetites, into foul hell they fall.
17. Wise in their own conceit, stubborn, full of the intoxication of pelf and pride, they offer nominal sacrifices for show, contrary to the rule.
18. Given to pride, force, arrogance, lust and wrath they are deriders indeed, scorning Me in their own and others' bodies.
19. These cruel scorners, lowest of mankind and vile, I hurl down again and again, into devilish wombs.
20. Doomed to devilish wombs, these deluded ones, far from ever coming to Me, sink lower and lower in birth after birth.
21. Three-fold is the gate of hell, leading man to perdition -- Lust, Wrath, and Greed; these three, therefore, should be shunned.
22. The man who escapes these three gates of Darkness, O Kauntheya, works out his welfare and thence reaches the highest state.
23. He who forsakes the rule of shâsthra and does but the bidding of his selfish desires, gains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest state.
24. Therefore let shâsthra be thy authority for determining what ought to be done and what ought not to be done; ascertain thou the rule of the shâsthra and do thy task here (accordingly).
Thus ends the sixteenth discourse, entitled 'Dhaivâsurasampadhvibhâga Yoga' in the converse of Lord Krshna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga, as part of the knowledge of Brahman in the Upanishadh called the Bhagavadhgîthâ.
CHAPTER 17 (Shradhdhâthrayavibhâga Yoga)
Arjuna Said:
1. What, then, O Krshna, is the position of those who forsake the rule of Shâsthra and yet worship with faith? Do they act from saththva or rajas or thamas?
The Lord Said:
2. Threefold is the faith of men, an expression of their nature in each case; it is sâththvika, rajas or thâmasa. Hear thou of it.
3. The faith of every man is in accord with his innate character; man is made up of faith; whatever his object of faith, even so is he.
4. Sâththvika persons worship the gods; rajas ones, the Yakshas and Râkshasas; and others -- men of thamas -- worship manes and spirits.
5. Those men who, wedded to pretentiousness and arrogance, possessed by the violence of lust and passion, practice fierce austerity not ordained by shâsthra;
6. They, whilst they torture the several elements that make up their bodies, torture Me too dwelling in them; know them to be of unholy resolves.
7. Of three kinds again is the food that is dear to each; so also are sacrifice, austerity, and charity. Hear how they differ.
8. Victuals that add to one's years, vitality, strength, health, happiness and appetite; are savoury, rich, substantial and inviting, are dear to the sâththvika.
9. Victuals that are bitter, sour, salty, over-hot, spicy, dry, burning, and causing pain, bitterness and disease, are dear to râjasa.
10. Food which has become cold, insipid, putrid, stale, discarded and unfit for sacrifice, is dear to the thâmasa.
11. That sacrifice is sâththvika which is willingly offered as a duty without desire for fruit and according to the rule.
12. But when sacrifice is offered with an eye to fruit and for vain glory, know, O Bharathashreshta, that it is râjasa.
13. Sacrifice which is contrary to the rule, which produces no food, which lacks the sacred text, which involves no giving up, which is devoid of faith is said to be thâmasa.
14. Homage to the gods, to Brâhmanas, to gurus and to wise men; cleanliness, uprightness, brahmacarya and non-violence -- these constitute austerity (thapas) of the body.
15. Words that cause no hurt, that are true, loving and helpful, and spiritual study constitute austerity of speech.
16. Serenity, benignity, silence, self-restraint, and purity of the spirit -- these constitute austerity of the mind.
17. This threefold austerity practiced in perfect faith by men not desirous of fruit, and disciplined, is said to be sâththvika.
18. Austerity which is practiced with an eye to gain praise, honour and homage and for ostentation is said to be râjasa; it is fleeting and unstable.
19. Austerity which is practiced from any foolish obsession, either to torture oneself or to procure another's ruin, is called thâmasa.
20. Charity, given as a matter of duty, without expectation of any return, at the right place and time, and to the right person is said to be sâththvika.
21. Charity, which is given either in hope of receiving in return, or with a view of winning merit, or grudgingly, is declared to be râjasa.
22. Charity given at the wrong place and time, and to the undeserving recipient disrespectfully and with contempt is declared to be thâmasa.
23. AUM THATH SATH has been declared to be the threefold name of Brahman and by that name were created of old the Brâhmanas, the Vedhas and sacrifices.
24. Therefore, with AUM ever on their lips, are all the rites of sacrifice, charity and austerity, performed always to the rule, by Brahmavâdhins.
25. With the utterance of THATH and without the desire for fruit are the several rites of sacrifice, austerity and charity performed by those seeking Freedom.
26. SATH is employed in the sense of 'real' and 'good'; O Pârtha, SATH is also applied to beautiful deeds.
27. Constancy in sacrifice, austerity and charity, is called SATH; and all work for those purposes is also SATH.
28. Whatever is done, O Pârtha, by way of sacrifice, charity or austerity or any other work, is called Asath if done without faith. It counts for naught hereafter as here.
Thus ends the seventeenth discourse, entitled 'Shradhdhâthrayavibhâga Yoga' in the converse of Lord Krshna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga, as part of the knowledge of Brahman in the Upanishadh called the Bhagavadhgîthâ.
CHAPTER 18 (Sannyâsa Yoga)
Arjuna Said:
1. Mahâbâhu! I would fain learn severally the secret of sannyâsa and of thyâga, O Hrshîkesha, O Keshinishûdhana.
The Lord Said:
2. Renunciation of actions springing from selfish desire is known as sannyâsa by the seers; abandonment of the fruit of all action is called thyâga by the wise.
3. Some thoughtful persons say: 'All action should be abandoned as an evil'; others say: 'Action for sacrifice, charity and austerity should not be relinquished'.
4. Hear my decision in this matter of thyâga, O Bharathasaththama; for thyâga, too, O mightiest of men, has been described to be of three kinds.
5. Action for sacrifice, charity and austerity may not be abandoned; it must needs be performed. Sacrifice, charity and austerity are purifiers of the wise.
6. But even these actions should be performed abandoning all attachment and fruit; such, O Pârtha, is my best and considered opinion.
7. It is not right to renounce one's allotted task; its abandonment, from delusion, is said to be thâmasa.
8. He who abandons action, deeming it painful and for fear of straining his limbs, he will never gain the fruit of abandonment, for his abandonment is râjasa.
9. But when an allotted task is performed from a sense of duty and with abandonment of attachment and fruit, O Arjuna, that abandonment is deemed to be sâththvika.
10. Neither does he disdain unpleasant action, nor does he cling to pleasant action -- this wise man full of saththva, who practices abandonment, and who has shaken off all doubts.
11. For the embodied one cannot completely abandon action; but he who abandons the fruit of action is named a thyâgi.
12. To those who do not practice abandonment accrues, when they pass away, the fruit of action which is of three kinds: disagreeable, agreeable, mixed; but never to the sannyâsins.
13. Learn, from me, O Mahâbâhu, the five factors mentioned in the Sânkhyan doctrine for the accomplishment of all action:
14. The field, the doer, the various means, the several different operations, the fifth and the last, the Unseen.
15. Whatever action, right or wrong, a man undertakes to do with the body, speech or mind, these are the five factors thereof.
16. This being so, he who, by reason of unenlightened intellect, sees the unconditioned Âtman as the agent -- such a man is dense and unseeing.
17. He who is free from all sense of 'I', whose motive is untainted, slays not nor is bound, even though he slay all these worlds.
18. Knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the knower compose the threefold urge to action; the means, the action and the doer compose the threefold sum of action.
19. Knowledge, action, and the doer are of three kinds according to their different gunas; hear thou these, just as they have been described in the science of the gunas.
20. Know that knowledge whereby one sees in all beings immutable entity -- a unity in diversity -- to be sâththvika.
21. That knowledge which perceives separately in all beings several entities of diverse kinds, know thou to be râjasa.
22. And knowledge which, without reason, clings to one single thing, as though it were everything, which misses the true essence and is superficial is thâmasa.
23. That action is called sâththvika which, being one's allotted task, is performed without attachment, without like or dislike, and without a desire for fruit.
24. That action which is prompted by the desire for fruit, or by the thought of 'I', and which involves much dissipation of energy is called râjasa.
25. That action which is blindly undertaken without any regard to capacity and consequences, involving loss and hurt, is called thâmasa.
26. That doer is called sâththvika who has shed all attachment, all thought of 'I', who is filled with firmness and zeal, and who recks neither success nor failure.
27. That doer is said to be râjasa who is passionate, desirous of the fruit of action, greedy, violent, unclean, and moved by joy and sorrow.
28. That doer is called thâmasa who is undisciplined, vulgar, stubborn, knavish, spiteful, indolent, woebegone, and dilatory.
29. Hear now, O Dhananjaya, detailed fully and severally, the threefold division of understanding and will, according to their gunas.
30. That understanding, O Pârtha, is sâththvika which knows action from inaction, what ought to be done from what ought not to be done, fear from fearlessness and bondage from release.
31. That understanding, O Pârtha, is râjasa, which decides erroneously between right and wrong, between what ought to be done and what ought not to be done.
32. That understanding, O Pârtha, is thâmasa, which, shrouded in darkness, thinks wrong to be right and mistakes everything for its reverse.
33. That will, O Pârtha, is sâaththvika which maintains an unbroken harmony between the activities of the mind, the vital energies and the senses.
34. That will, O Pârtha, is râjasa which clings, with attachment, to righteousness, desire and wealth, desirous of fruit in each case.
35. That will, O Pârtha, is thâmasa, whereby insensate man does not abandon sleep, fear, grief, despair and self-conceit.
36. Hear now from Me, O Bharatharshabha, the three kinds of pleasure. Pleasure which is enjoyed only by repeated practice, and which puts an end to pain,
37. Which, in its inception, is as poison, but in the end as nectar, born of the serene realization of the true nature of Atman -- that pleasure is said to be sâththvika.
38. That pleasure is called râjasa which, arising from the contact of the senses with their objects, is at first as nectar but in the end like poison.
39. That pleasure is called thâmasa which arising from sleep and sloth and heedlessness, stupefies the soul both at first and in the end.
40. There is no being, either on earth or in heaven among the gods, that can be free from these three gunas born of prakrthi.
41. The duties of Brâhmanas, Kshathriyas, Vaishyas, and Shûdhras, are distributed according to their innate qualifications, O Paranthapa.
42. Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness, uprightness, knowledge and discriminative knowledge, faith in God are the Brâhmana's natural duties.
43. Valour, spiritedness, constancy, resourcefulness, not fleeing from battle, generosity, and the capacity to rule are the natural duties of a Kshathriya.
44. Tilling the soil, protection of the cow and commerce are the natural functions of a Vaishya, while service is the natural duty of a Shûdhra.
45. Each man, by complete absorption in the performance of his duty, wins perfection. Hear now how he wins such perfection by devotion to that duty.
46. By offering the worship of his duty to Him who is the moving spirit of all beings, and by whom all this is pervaded, man wins perfection.
47. Better one's own duty, though uninviting, than another's which may be more easily performed; doing duty which accords with one's nature, one incurs no sin.
48. One should not abandon, O Kauntheya, that duty to which one is born, imperfect though it be; for all action, in its inception, is enveloped in imperfection, as fire in smoke.
49. He who has weaned himself of all kinds, who is master of himself, who is dead to desire, attains through renunciation the perfection of freedom from action.
50. Learn now from Me, in brief, O Kauntheya, how he who has gained this perfection, attains to Brahman, the supreme consummation of knowledge.
51. Equipped with purified understanding, restraining the self with firm will, abandoning sound and other objects of the senses, putting aside likes and dislikes,
52. Living in solitude, spare in diet, restrained in speech, body and mind, ever absorbed in dhyânayoga, anchored in dispassion,
53. Without pride, violence, arrogance, lust, wrath, possession, having shed all sense of 'mine' and at peace with himself, he is fit to become one with Brahman.
54. One with Brahman and at peace with himself, he grieves not, nor desires; holding all beings alike, he achieves supreme devotion to Me.
55. By devotion, he realizes in truth how great I am, who I am; and having known Me in reality he enters into Me.
56. Even whilst always performing actions, he who makes Me his refuge wins, by My grace, the eternal and imperishable haven.
57. Casting, with thy mind, all actions on Me, make Me thy goal, and resorting to the yoga of even-mindedness fix thy thought ever on Me.
58. Fixing thy thought on Me, thou shalt surmount all obstacles by My grace; but if possessed by the sense of 'I' thou listen not, thou shalt perish.
59. If obsessed by the sense of 'I', thou thinkest, 'I will not fight', vain is thy obsession; (thy) nature will compel thee.
60. What thou wilt not do, O Kauntheya, because of thy delusion, thou shalt do, even against thy will, bound as thou art by the duty to which thou art born.
61. God, O Arjuna, dwells in the heart of every being and by His delusive mystery whirls them all, (as though) set on a machine.
62. In Him alone seek thy refuge with all thy heart, O Bhâratha. By His grace shalt thou win to the eternal haven of supreme peace.
63. Thus have I expounded to thee the most mysterious of all knowledge; ponder over it fully, then act as thou wilt.
64. Hear again My supreme word, the most mysterious of all; dearly beloved thou art of Me, hence I desire to declare thy welfare.
65. On Me fix thy mind, to Me bring thy devotion, to Me offer thy sacrifice, to Me make thy obeisance; to Me indeed shalt thou come -- solemn is My promise to thee, thou art dear to Me.
66. Abandon all duties and come to Me the only refuge. I will release thee from all sins; grieve not!
67. Utter this never to him who knows no austerity, has no devotion, nor any desire to listen, nor yet to him who scoffs at Me.
68. He who will propound this supreme mystery to My devotees, shall, by that act of highest devotion to Me, surely come to Me.
69. Nor among men is there any who renders dearer service to Me than he; nor shall there be on earth any more beloved by Me than he.
70. And the man of faith who, scorning not, will but listen to it -- even he shall be released and will go to the happy worllds of men of virtuous deeds.
72. Hast thou heard this, O Pârtha, with a concentrated mind? Has thy delusion, born of ignorance, been destroyed, O Dhananjaya?
Arjuna Said:
73. Thanks to Thy grace, O Acyutha, my delusion is destroyed, my understanding has returned. I stand secure, my doubts all dispelled; I will do thy bidding.
Sanjaya Said:
74. Thus did I hear this marvellous and thrilling discourse between Vâsudheva and the great-souled Pârtha.
75. It was by Vyâsa's favor that I listened to this supreme and mysterious Yoga as expounded by the lips of the Master of Yoga, Krshna Himself.
76. O King, as often as I recall that marvellous and purifying discourse between Keshava and Arjuna, I am filled with recurring rapture.
77. And as often as I recall that marvellous form of Hari, my wonder knows no bounds and I rejoice again and again.
78. Wheresoever Krshna, the Master of Yoga, is, and wheresoever is Pârtha the Bowman, there rest assured are Fortune, Victory, Prosperity, and Eternal Right.
Thus ends the eighteenth discourse, entitled 'Sannyâsa Yoga' in the converse of Lord Krshna and Arjuna, on the science of Yoga, as part of the knowledge of Brahman in the Upanishadh called the Bhagavadhgîthâ.
[Translation based on
Anasaktiyoga (Gospel of Selfless
Action)
Gita According to
Gandhi
http://hometown.aol.com/jajnsn/index.html]