Dr. Roopnarine Singh: MD
Author of New Gita
BHAGWAT GITA
Chapter 1
Arjuna the troubled Warrior
1. The blind king Dhritatashta enquired
‘O’ Sanjaya
What did my sons
And the sons of Pandu do,
On this holy land of Kurukshetra,
After assembling their armies
All eager to fight?
- Sanjaya replied
Having surveyed the military posture
Of the army of the Pandavas,
King Durjodhana, at that time,
Approached, his Guru Dronacharya
Speaking these words.
- Please behold, this great army of
The Pandavas, O my Guru,
In beautiful formation
Assembled perfectly by
By your brilliant pupil, the Son of Drupada.
- Behold in this army,
Great heroes, mighty archers,
Equal in expertise to Bhima and Arjuna,
Great generals, like Yuyudhana,
King Virata and the mighty King Drupada.
- Dristaketu, Chekitana
And the mighty warrior, the King of Kashi
Powerful fighting men and heroes.
Leaders like Kuntibhoja, Purojit and Shabya.
- See also Yudhamanyu and Utamowja
Mighty warriors indeed,
The Son of Subhadra, and the Son of Drupada,
All experts in the skill
Of chariot war.
7. In my army, O great Brahmana,
Please listen, as I tell you,
Of the distinguished generals,
And captains of my troops,
Expert leaders in the art of war.
8. Like your distinguished self,
These are warriors always victorious,
Bhishma, Karna, Kripacharya,
Aswathama and Vikarna too,
And that son of Somadata, Bhusrisrava
9. Numerous heroes all in battle array,
Everyone willing to die for me
Furnished with various weapons of war
Steeped in the skill and art of combat
10. Vast and limitless is our military might,
With general Bhishma as over commander
Compared to the Pandavas,
We have no match,
Even with warrior Bhima as their protector.
11. Every man must support Bhishma,
Maintaining their position
In the battle array,
At strategic locations,
On every battalion
12. Then the great grandsire, Bhishma,
Valiant commander of the army,
Blew his powerful conchshell,
Resounding like the roar of a lion,
And giving joy to King
Durjodhan.
13. Sounds of trumpets drums,
And bugles,
Conchs and horns all filled the air,
Making a grand uproarious noise
14. Then seated on chariot drawn by four white horses,
Lord Krishna blew his divine
Conchshell, the Pancajanya
So too, did his disciple Arjuna, with his Devadatta
15. And, the mighty Bhim,
Warrior of tremendous strength,
Blew his conchshell called Paundrum
16. King Yudhisthire then blew his Anantvijaya
Nakula his Sughosha
And Sahadeo his manipuspaka
17. The King of Kashi, a great bowman,
The valiant Sikhandin, son of Drupada,
Dristadyumma and Virata,
Blew their conchshells respectively
18. So too, did Satyaki, Drupada
Followed by the sons of Drupada,
And the host of other warriors.
Including Abhimanu,
The valiant son of Arjuna.
19. The terrible din of various conchells was tremendous.
Vibrating with power,
Both in the earth and atmosphere,
Thus striking terror unto,
The hearts of the sons of Dhritarashta.
20 Then Arjuna, son of Pandu,
My King Seated on his chariot, his standard,
Bearing the figure of Hanuman,
Looked at his cousins, the sons of Dhritarastha.
21. He was about ready to release his arrows,
When he thus addressed his friend,
Krishna, Lord of the senses.
22. O’ Infallible One,
Please station my chariot between the two armies,
So that I may see all those
Warriors eager to fight,
And in battle formation,
And whom I must engage in battle.
23. Please Krishna,
Let me see those warriors,
The dear friends of Durjodhana.
The embodiment of evil,
This wicked son of Dhritarastha.
24. Sanjay then spoke.
Then Lord Krishna, O Bharata
Heeding the call of his friend Arjuna,
Drove the most excellent chariot.
Right unto the centre of the two armies.
25. In the presence, of all the great leaders of the hosts
Bhishma, Drona included,
Lord Krishna said
“See for yourself, my friend, Arjuna,
All the flanks of the Kuru clan.
Assembled for battle.
26. Here, amidst the two great armies
Arjuna could see his relatives,
Grandfathers, uncles, friends,
Brothers, sons and grandsons
His father-in-law, teachers,
And all who were faithful to his cause.
27. Viewing his close relatives and kinsmen
Arjuna was filled with the highest compassion,
And stricken by a great lamenting depression.
He spoke thus to Lord Krishna.
28. My dear Krishna, my limbs fail me.
I’m shaking like a leaf,
And my mouth is parched
With dryness,
To behold, here now, all
My dear family,
Ready, to fight and die in this battle.
29. My body is on fire,
Every hair in my pores is standing up.
My frame is quivering,
And my bow slips from my hand.
30. O great destroyer of the Kesi demon,
My mind is reeling,
I can hardly stand up,
My memory fails me,
And I see only disaster.
31. My dear Krishna
I seek no victory, nor do I covet
Any kingdom,
Nor crave any happiness.
To kill my own family
Seems futile to me, indeed.
32. O Govind!
Of what use are kingdoms, happiness
Or life itself
When those for whom we seek these goals
Are now making war amongst themselves?
33. See them, our teachers, fathers,
Brothers, sons, grandfathers,
Uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons
All ready to die in battle!
34. O killer of the Madhu demon
Why should I desire to slaughter them
Even if I survive this battle.
35. O Janardana,
I will not fight my relatives
Even if I’m offered
The sovereignty of this planet
Or even that of the whole universe.
36. O my Lord Krishna, O Madhava,
We cannot kill my cousins,
The sons of Dhritrashta or my Kinsmen
37. For we shall find no happiness,
In killing these our enemies.
This will tangle us in sin, forever.
38. These our enemies
Stricken with greed,
See no wrong
Destroying their family and the royal dynasty
39. Then why should we O’ Janardana
Wiser than they,
Commit the same tragedy?
40. With the destruction in the royal dynasty
The traditional family values
Will perish,
And thus with the destruction of Dharma
Vice and sin will remain.
41. When morality is lost,
Women become degraded,
With unwanted progeny,
Destroying all family and community welfare.
42. O Janardana,
We know from scriptures
That hell always waits for those
Who are the destroyers
Of family, Dharma and traditions.
43. Aren’t we ourselves, my Lord,
Driven by greed
For power
And happiness?
Are we about to commit
A great crime,
By killing our kinsmen?
It is indeed quite strange.
44. To me, it seems befitting, O Krishna,
To die surrendering to my cousins,
With no resistance, And abandoning my weapons.
45. Sanjay spoke thus,
Now Arjuna depressed,
And weighed down with grief,
Cast aside his bow and arrows,
Sat down on his great chariot,
Stationed between the two armies.
Chapter 2
Selfless action and Divine Communion
Sanjaya said
1. Now seeing Arjuna in a somber mood
Stricken with compassion and depression,
His eyes brimming tears,
Lord Krishna, killer of the Madhu demon
Spoke these words.
2. How now O Arjuna,
In this critical hour,
Has this shameful lamentation
Taken possession of you?
It is unbecoming of an Aryan
Famed for nobility and valour,
You will find neither happiness,
Nor fame in this your attitude.
3. O scorcher of the enemies,
Do not yield to this impotence.
This is not your real self.
Abandon this mental weakness.
Stand up and fight.
4. How can I, O Krishna (killer of Madhu)
Fight against Brishma and Drona
Venerable teachers of mine?
How can I shoot them, my lord,
Who are worthy of worship?
5. It seems to be better,
To live like a beggar,
Than to kill these teachers of mine,
Whose selfishness is apparent.
How tainted will be our own victory
How can we enjoy the spoils?
6. To kill or to be killed, which is better?
We cannot predict the victors.
Yet if our cousins,
Who stand before us, die in battle.
We may not wish to live ourselves, thereafter.
7. Now, O Lord,
I feel weak and miserable.
I’m confused about my duty.
Please, kindly ,enlighten me.
Tell me what is best for me,
I surrender unto you,
Please instruct me.
8. I find no relief for my grief
Which renders me weak and helpless.
Even if I become sovereign of
This earth,
And the heavens above, too
I see no remedy for my condition.
9. Sanjay speaks to Dhritarashta
Having thus spoken,
Arjuna, the master of intelligence
And a valiant warrior
Said to Govind (Krishna)
“I shall not fight, Lord!”
And thus became silent.
10. Then Lord Krishna, O King,
In the midst of the two armies,
With a smiling face,
Addresses his friend Arjuna
Now all stricken with grief.
11. The Blessed Lord said,
O Arjuna, you grieve now,
For those who are not worthy of grief.
The enlightened soul grieves
Neither for those living,
Nor for the dead.
12. O my friend
Never it was when,
I or you,
Or these kings before us, cease to be
We are always existent,
And shall be so, into the future.
13. Just as this mortal body
Assumes the form of childhood,
Youth and old age,
So too, does the immortal soul
Assume another body.
Do not be fooled by this transformation.
14. O Son of Kunti
Material experience,
Like summer and winter,
Happiness and sorrow,
Are not permanent but temporary.
We must not be disturbed.
For they are the products of sense perception.
15. He who is steady and undisturbed,
In the midst of the ups and downs
Of material life, pleasure and pain.
Such among the best of men
Are fit for immorality.
16. The wise have realized this truth
As it really is.
Unreality has no permanence.
True reality is ever existent.
17. The soul or spirit
Which pervades this universe
Is imperishable.
No one can destroy
This immortal soul
18. Only this body is perishable.
The immortal soul is eternal,
Indestructible and immune to destruction
Therefore you must fight.
19. He who thinks he can kill,
Or believes that the soul dies,
Both are steeped in ignorance.
The soul is immortal,
Imperishable and indestructible.
Such is the conclusion of the wise
20. Never the soul was born,
Never will it ever die,
Unborn, eternal, existing forever,
Older than the universe itself,
Is this immortal soul.
21. How can a man
Who understands,
The eternal, unborn and
Imperishable nature of the spirit
Cause anyone to be killed
Or kill anyone himself?
22. Just as a man
Dons new clothes
For old ones,
So too does this internal spirit,
Take on new bodies,
And discards the older ones.
23. O Partha
Weapons cannot cut the soul,
Into pieces.
By fire it cannot be burned.
Water cannot moisten it,
Wind cannot dry it.
24. This soul is fireproof,
Waterproof and
Immune to destruction.
It cannot be broken into pieces.
He is eternal, all
Resistant to change,
And always excellent.
25. The soul is remarkable,
His nature is inconceivable,
Beyond imagination and immutable.
Knowing this truth about the soul.
You must cast aside this grief.
26. Even if you consider this Soul
To be constantly born,
And constantly dying,
You should not grieve,
For any person. O mighty warrior.
27. Those who are born, must die,
And those who die, will live again.
You must not grieve
Over the inevitable course
Of nature.
28. Before birth, all beings exist,
But we cannot see them.
At birth they become manifest again
To our senses.
At death again, we lose sight of them,
Then why should we grieve for any creature?
29. Hardly anyone understands
The marvelous nature of the soul,
Or hear of it as marvelous,
Or speak of it as marvelous.
Yet there are those
Who though hearing about it still cannot understand,
The nature of the soul.
30. Therefore this spirit soul
Dwelling in the body is
Indestructible.
It cannot be killed,
Hence there is no need to
Grieve for the embodied beings.
31. Your duty as a Kshattriya Warrior
Is paramount.
This is an opportunity to uphold Dharma.
Therefore, you must not
Hesitate to fight.
32. Fortunate, indeed,O Partha(Arjun)
Are those Kshattriya Warriors,
Who without seeking them,
Find such opportunities to fight.
Thus opening the doors to heavenly worlds.
33. Should you fail to accomplish
Your duty,
In this righteous war, and not fight,
You will be guilty of sinful conduct,
And risk your great reputation
As a warrior.
34. Above all
People will forever,
Condemn your shameful conduct.
And for an honourable man like you
This infamy will be worse
Than death.
35. The great commanders in this battle
Who esteem your valour and
Greatness,
Will now think of you as a coward,
Afraid to fight this war
36. Your enemies will scorn and vilify you
With many disparaging
Remarks.
And what could be more
Hurtful than that?
37. If you die doing your duty,
The gates of heaven will be open to you.
If you are victorious,
You can enjoy earthly pleasures.
So stand up and fight
Resolutely, O Son of Kunti.
38. Fight to accomplish your duty,
Indifferent to success and failure,
Victory or defeat, gain or loss.
In this unselfish pathway,
You will never commit sin.
39. So far, my dear Partha (Arjuna)
The scientific conclusion of
Sankhya philosophy (Gyana Yoga)
I have presented to you.
Now hear about (Buddlin Yoga)
The intelligent road to selfless action,
Freeing yourself from the
Bondage of materialism.
40. In this royal path of unselfish love,
One cannot fail or lose,
Advancing on this path of
Selfless action,
We become free and fearless.
41. Those who act with intelligence,
On this path of selfless action,
Have just one goal in mind.
The energy of the irresolute,
Are dissipated,
Following Multiple directions.
42. The ignorant and unintelligent
Are captured by the flowery (material)
Promise of the Vedas.
Thinking these material pursuits
Are the best aim of life – nothing more.
43. For this they follow the
Path of selfish love
Recommending sacrifices,
For good birth, health, wealth
And entry to the temporary heavens.
44. Those who are attracted
To wealth and material sense enjoyment,
And selfish love,
Cannot attain the fellowship
Of God Supreme,
In divine communion with Him.
45. The three modes of material nature
Are all about selfish love and desires.
You must transcend these pathways
O ‘Arjuna,
And act selflessly for God,
Free from worry, gain and loss,
Pleasure and pain,
The duties of material life,
And so obtain God consciousness.
46. An enlightened being
Is beyond the Vedas.
He possesses the world’s ocean of truth,
Not just the small pond of relative truth.
47. You must perform your duty
Selflessly,
Without any desire for personal gain.
Humbly act, knowing you are
Not the master,
And never ever shirk your duty.
48. Concentrate on yoga,
And do your duty
Abandoning selfish love, be indifferent to
Gain or loss, success or failure
Such equanimity of the mind is called yoga.
49. O Dhananjaya (Arjuna winner of wealth)
You must abandon self loving
Material actions,
And surrender your love and
Actions to God Supreme (Buddhi yoga)
The self loving, selfish folk,
Become miserable indeed.
50. A man acting, in the
Consciousness of God Supreme
Rises above the state of
Fools, and evil actions.
Strive, O Arjuna, to remain
Always in this equanimity.
51. The wise ones,
Abandon selfish love and actions,
And dedicate their lives to God Supreme.
In so doing, they free themselves,
From the cycle of birth and death,
And obtain the bliss and freedom
In God Supreme
52. When your knowledge becomes perfect,
In God consciousness,
And you have exit the forest
Of ignorance and delusion,
You will become indifferent,
To all scriptures, science and philosophy.
53. When your spirit is no longer
Attracted to selfish love and delusions,
As delineated in the Vedas,
And you become concentrated,
In the meditation of God Supreme,
You will become self realized,
In communion with the divine will.
54. Arjuna enquired,
My Dear Krishna,
Please describe to me how,
A man in Samadhi ,
In communion with God Supreme and
The true reality,
How does he talk? How does he walk?
What is his language? What is his posture?
55. Shri Bhagwan Krishna replies,
When a man becomes purified
From all the cravings of the heart,
That arises from material
Consciousness and selfish love,
And finds true happiness
Within himself alone,
Then he is said to be in
Divine consciousness.
56. The sage whose mind is peaceful,
Is not disturbed by the
Miseries of material life (body, mind)
Free from longing and has conquered
Fear, anger and greed,
Such a sage is of stable mind.
57. He who is detached from
Material consciousness,
Indifferent to good and evil,
In happiness or distress
He remains the same.
Such a man is stable and focused
On the perfection of knowledge.
58. One who is in control of his mind,
Immune to the forces of desire,
Just like the tortoise,
Who withdraws his limbs at will.
Such a disciplined yogi has
Achieved perfection of knowledge
59. Initially, the controlled mind
Will still have a longing for
Material pleasures.
But after experiencing the
Bliss of divine communion,
This material taste disappears.
60. The senses are so powerful, O Arjuna
That when stimulated,
They can forcibly carry away,
The mind of even a yogi,
Experienced in the discipline of the mind.
61. One who becomes master of his
Senses,
Fixes his mind on Me, the Supreme
As his principal goal,
Such a yogi is a man
Of steady wisdom.
62. When a man’s mind contemplates
Material things,
He develops an attachment to them.
From attachment arise desires.
Frustration of desire leads to anger.
63. This anger leads to delusion,
From delusion to confused memory,
From confused memory to
The loss of reason,
And from the loss of reason, to destruction.
64. One who is disciplined,
Who controls his mind and appetites,
He follows a regulated life of sadhana (discipline)
And quickly receives, the mercy of God
65. Having achieved the mercy of God,
The yogi becomes free.
Freed from material suffering
He experiences peace and happiness,
In communion with God Supreme.
66. One who is not in communion
With God Supreme,
Has no control over his mind and senses,
Cannot discipline himself to seek God
How then can he have peace?
And without peace
How can there be happiness?
67. When a man fixes his mind
On selfish desires
(Seeking happiness from them)
He loses all spiritual intelligence,
Just as a boat is swept
Away at sea by a strong wind.
68. Therefore,
O mighty armed Arjuna,
The man who is
In total control of his
Mind and senses
In considered a sage
Of stabled mind.
69. When all beings sleep,
In the dungeons of ignorance
The enlightened sage is awake,
In the sunshine of spiritual bliss.
The darkness and ignorance of animal life
Is the night for the liberated sage.
70. As various streams enter
Into the ocean without disturbance,
So too, the yogi whose
Desires are all merged into transcendence,
Can at last, obtain true peace,
Not those who still crave for
Material happiness.
71. A man who has renounced
Material desires,
Who knows that nothing belongs to him,
Who has given up the sense of
Me and mine
He alone can obtain peace.
72. O Arjuna,
This is the state of Samadhi, (divine union)
The final state of happiness and freedom from delusions.
Even established thus
At the time of death,
The yogi enters the Supreme,
Blessed state of divine consciousness.
Chapter 3
Wisdom and Action
1. Arjuna said,
If you consider that perfection
In wisdom and knowledge,
Is superior to self-loving action,
Why ,then ,do you urge me
To fight this dirty war?
2. My intellect is baffled,
By your puzzling expressions.
Please kindly tell me,
Exactly what course
Is best for me to follow.
3. The blessed Lord said,
O, sinless one ,
Two classes of spiritual disciplines
Have been in the past described.
One is Sanknya or Gyana Yoga
The scientific intellectual approach
To know reality.
The other is Karma Yoga
The path of selfless action and service
Rgarding God as the
Highest goal.
4. A man cannot obtain freedom
From the result of action,
By neglecting his duty.
How can he become perfect
By renouncing all duties?
5. Really, not even for a moment,
Can man refrain from action
Because of the inherent forces of nature.
He must engage in action, helplessly
Impelled by his own constitution.
6. He who daydreams on the
Object of desires,
But act as if he is controlling
His desires and action,
He is indeed a fool and a pretender.
7. But he who uses his mind
To practice controlof his senses,
And execute his duty
Selflessly,
To serve God Supreme
His actions is on the path of perfection.
8. O Arjuna,
Do your duty
For which you are prepared,
For it is better to be active,
Than to be inactive.
You cannot refrain from actions
Even to maintain your own body.
9. Work must be dedicated selflessly to God Supreme
As a sacrifice unto Him,
Otherwise work binds us,
To the material dimensions,
Therefore O Son of Kunti
Execute your duty perfectly for God’s
Sake alone,
And you will become free.
10. Long ago, The Lord of the Universe, Brahma,
Created in the beginning,
All the hosts of men and angels,
Together with instructions for
Sacrifice.
“This sacrifice will provide for you
Prosperity and enjoyment”
11. The angels (executors and administrators)
Pleased by sacrifice,
Will shower their blessings on you.
And so mutual prosperity
Will flourish on earth and in heaven.
12. The controllers of the universe,
Angels and archangels (devas/devis)
Govern this universe supplying all needs,
And are sustained by sacrifice.
But those who enjoy life
Without sacrifice to the devas,
Are robbers indeed.
13 The saintly people only eat
Food that is first, offered to God
In sacrifice.
But those who eat food not
Offered in sacrifice ,but for sense of enjoyment only,
Commit sin indeed.
14. Life depends on food grown
(Directly or indirectly)
And food grains are produced
From rain.
Food comes because of rain
And rain results from
Sacrifices – as our duty.
15. Please note,
That dutiful action is
Described in our Vedas,
And the Vedas arose directly
From God Supreme
Therefore the Lord God always
Dwells in acts of sacrifice.
16. My dear Arjuna (son of Pritha) in this wheel of creation,
He who neglects his duty,
Acting with life, as a sacrifice
To God
(Lives like an animal) sensual and sinful
Though born as a human, he lives in vain.
17. He who finds joy within himself
Remains enlightened and
Contented within his own soul,
Finds total happiness within,
Such a divine man is free from duty.
18. In this world, the self realized being
Has no obligation to duty,
Yet he engages himself in work,
But is free and not dependant,
On any other living being,
(And he works only for God Supreme)
19. Therefore, perform your duty
With unselfish love,
Working unselfishly, unconditionally
And for the universal good.
Work without material attachment leads
To the Supreme.
20. Perfection of work was attained
By King Janaka and others,
By performing their duty selflessly.
Engagement in perfect work,
Will also be an example to
The world of humanity.
21. Whatever a great man does,
Others follow his way.
Whatever rules he makes for conduct,
Men everywhere emulate him.
22. O Arjuna,
I’m the Lord of the worlds,
And there is nothing that I need to do,
Not anything that I myself need,
Yet I myself am always engaged in action
23. Because if I cease to act carefully,
All men will follow my example,
And bring ruin to these worlds.
24. For, if I do not act for the world,
There will result excessive overpopulation,
Bringing ruin to all creatures,
Destroying the peace
And order of creation.
25. The ordinary, unwise people
Act, mainly, from selfish love.
But those who wish to lead
The people rightly,
Must act selflessly, in the
Spirit of pure love.
26. The noble leader
Should not confuse the mind
Of ordinary unintelligent people,
Attached to selfish work.
But rather encourage them
To engage in noble actions.
27. All activities in the universes
Happen automatically,
By the forces inherent in the three
Modes of material nature (goodness passion and inertia )
But the foolish steeped in selfish love,
Consider himself to be the creator of things.
28. One who is enlightened O ‘Arjuna
Understands the nature of (materialistic Philosophy)
That the self loving mind,
Under the influence of the three
Qualities of nature, causes this illusions.
Hence he acts selflessly, seeking no reward
And remains unattached.
29. The self loving and unwise people
Under the influence of the three
Modes or nature, indulge in materialistic binding actions.
But the man of perfect knowledge
Should not unduly agitate them.
In their selfish pursuits.
30. Therefore, O Arjuna,
In divine consciousness,
Dedicate all your action to Me.
Free from selfish love,
Without seeking gain or loss.
Now boldly stand up and fight.
31. Those who faithfully and regularly,
Follow these my divine instructions,
And execute their duty,
Without equivocation,
Such devotees become free
From the binding shackles of materialism.
32. Those who out of anger envy and jealousy,
Fail to execute these injunctions of Mine.
Must be considered ignorant and foolish,
Lost to the hell of bondage and delusion.
33. Everyone follows the forces
Inherent in his own nature.
So too, does even a learned man.
What need is there for suppression?
34. All humanity indeed, all creatures,
Are subject to selfish, love and hate
For material things and pleasures.
But one should not yield to this culture
of selfishness and attachment,
For they are obstacles
On the path of transcendence.
35. Do your duty faithfully,
According to your inherent talent and training,
Even if (at first) it is not perfect ,and risky.
Attempting to do another’s duty,
Even perfectly ,is dangerous.
36. Arjuna asked
My dear Lord of the Vrishnis,
Why does a man commit sins?
It seems to me he, is drawn by force,
Against his own will,
To commit acts against his conscience.
37. Then Lord Krishna replied
It is deep seated lust, cravings and desires,
That when stimulated or frustrated,
Transform into uncontrollable anger.
Know then, that this lust
Is the greatest enemy mankind.
38. As fire is covered by smoke
And a mirror by layers of dust,
The embryo by coverings of the womb,
So ,too ,is real truth covered
By the sheets of desire and lust.
39. Man’s pure sprit is covered.
By this ever present enemy
In the form of lust and cravings.
They are like fire
Powerful and insatiable, indeed.
40. This lust conceals itself
In the mind, the senses and the intellect.
And thus prevents the soul
From knowledge of truth.
Thus always confounding him.
41. Therefore O’ Arjuna
Right away you must fight,
This evil creature in the form of lust.
By controlling your senses, heart and desires
And kill this (illusive)
Enemy of truth and emancipation.
42. The five senses are greater that the body
But the mind is superior to the senses,
The intellect is higher that the mind,
And far greater than the intellect,
Is the soul of man.
43. Therefore O’ Arjuna,
Knowing the soul to be perfect intelligence
Superior to the intellect, mind and senses,
You must control your mind by reason,
And kill this powerful
Enemy in the form of lust.
Chapter 4
Enlightment in Perfection
The Supreme Lord Krishna said to Arjuna
1. I myself first taught
This eternal science of yoga,
To the archangel of the Sun, Vivasvan
He himself instructed it to the great law giver Manu,
2. This very ancient science was handed down
Disciple to disciple,
To the great royal seers, with its
Original meaning.
But O, Best of warriors, in course of time,
The original doctrine became polluted.
3. Because, O Arjuna, you are my
Devotee and My friend,
I reveal to you, this day, this ancient wisdom.
For you can now understand the mystery
Of this best and greatest of all sciences.
Arjuna then spoke,
4. How is it O Lord, that you,
Who were born long after Vivasvan,
Can say that you taught this yoga
To the Archangel of the Sun originally?
And how am I to understand
This mystery of your words?
5. The Supreme God Krishna replied.
In many, many births did you and I appear,
You yourself remember not these previous incarnations,
But O Arjuna, conqueror of the enemy,
I remember them, all both yours and mine.
6. Dear Arjuna,
Through I am unborn and Imperishable
And the master of all living beings.
Yet I do appear by My own will and power
As the Original Being in every age.
7. When ever there is confusion in righteousness
And decay in the principles of religion
When irreligion itself prevail,
Then I myself come forth.
8. For the protection of the good and pious,
For the destruction of the perpetrators of evil,
For the reestablishment of the true principles of religion,
I take birth from age to age.
9. Anyone who can thus understand this divine reality,
Of my appearance and disappearance,
Will certainly enter into my eternal abode,
And with the death of this mortal body,
Never again take birth in this world.
10. Free from selfish love, fear and anger,
And fully absorbed in devotion.
Taking shelter in Me,
Many great souls before, purified by pure
Knowledge and penance,
Have become transformed into My loving Nature and Being.
11. As people surrenders into Me
So, too, do I reward them.
All follow the Path of destiny, O son of Pritha
According to My Law of righteousness.
12. Those who seek material success,
Make sacrifices to the authorized,
Executive and administrative angels and controllers.
Certainly people achieve material results.
By serving these controllers of this universe.
13. The four social castes are natural divisions,
Created by Me according to talent and training and profession.
The inheritance of talent is a function of my laws,
I am aloof, and eternally impartial to all.
14. I am not affected by any action,
No do I seek the rewards of work.
Those who understand this divine principle
Can remain free from the bondage of action.
15. Just as the ancient sages,
Acting with such divine knowledge,
Achieved liberation,
So, too, must you do your duty
Acting without selfish love.
16. What is action and what is inaction?
On this mystery, even the enlightened are baffled.
I shall explain to you what action is,
And with this knowledge, you will avoid all misfortune
17. The mystery of Action is difficult to comprehend.
Hence it’s necessary to understand this.
The nature of action, inaction and forbidden action.
Must be clearly comprehended
to know the truth.
18. Those who can see inaction in action
And action in inaction, they are wise.
Such a person possesses divine insight,
Though apparently engaged in all kinds of action.
19. The real pundit (wise one) is one,
Whose every act is free,
From selfish love and sensual enjoyments.
The sages declare such a man
to have his selfishness devoured,
by the fire of transcendental knowledge.
20. Having renounced selfish pursuits,
Always satisfied and detached,
He preserves himself from the reaction
of selfish love.
Though apparently engaged in
Manifold activities.
21. The enlightened man, having renounced
The craving for self loving activities,
And losing all sense of proprietorship in this life,
Acts for himself only to keep body and soul together,
Such a man is not affected by sin.
22. The man who is satisfied with the result of
His own dutiful work,
Unaffected by the fluctuations in natural life.
Free from envy, serene, and indifferent
To success or failure.
Such a man though active is always free.
23. A man who is not attached
To material self love,
And is steeped in transcendental knowledge,
Acting only for the sake of the Supreme,
Eventually enters the Kingdom of God.
24. A man whose activities are divinely inspired.
Is certain to achieve liberation in the Supreme
For him all the rituals of sacrifice,
Fire , water, butter, soul and Supersoul
Are all spiritualized in the Divine Consciousness.
25. Some mystics purify themselves
by offering sacrifices to the higher
order of divine beings,
while others sacrifice only
into the fire of absolute ( Impersonal
Sprit of God).
26. Focused on attaining the Supreme by self restraint,
Some pour the urgings of the senses
Into the fire of sacrifice,
Sound, hearing and sensual goals,
Are all utilized in the Holy Fire of Self Sacrifice.
27. In the quest for perfection by the light of wisdom.
Some sacrifice all sensual and
material pursuits.
Others the life breath, by Pranayama
Controlling thus the mind striving for yoga.
28. Sacrifice of possession in the path of perfection,
Sacrifice by austerities and severe vows,
Sacrifice by following the system of yoga,
Sacrifice in the pursuit of
Transcendental Knowledge.
29. The control of inhalation and exhalation,
cessation of breathing in the
process of yoga,
remaining in trance in the perfection of this process.,
Pranayama itself, sustains the yogi.
30. All these yogis can understand
The purpose of sacrifice,
And perfecting such practices,
Become free from sin.
They can now taste the sweet nectar
Of divine sacrifice,
And are ready to approach
God Supreme.
31. Sacrifice O Arjuna,
Is the Key to real happiness,
Whether on this planet,
In life here or elsewhere,
Without sacrifice, there’s no happiness.
32. These sacrifices already described
Are found in the Vedic scriptures
These sacrifices are forms of
Work and duty
Knowing all, you
Can become free.
33. My dear Arjuna
The Sacrifice of knowledge is greater
Than the sacrifice of wealth.
Indeed, unselfish action as sacrifice,
Results in divine enlightenment.
34. To find the truth, one must seek,
An enlightened knower of the Truth (Guru)
Offering service with humility and inquiry.
The Guru can teach you all wisdom
For he has directly perceived the Truth.
35. And O Arjuna, when you know the truth,
You will never again be in doubt,
For you will see that all beings
Are in Me
And I am, their Supreme Master.
36. Even if you were the greatest sinner,
Once you have entered the ship
Of enlightenment,
You will thus cross the ocean
Of material hell,
Full of the sorrows and selfish consciousness.
37. Just as firewood is transformed into ashes,
By the power of the blazing fire,
So, too, does the fire of Truth,
Destroy the sinful results of selfish work.
38. There is nothing in this world
As pure and beautiful as
Divine knowledge.
This is the fruit of the pursuit of the truth,
And once having attained it, in due course,
The yogi enjoys happiness within his own self.
39. The faithful devotee immersed in
Divine wisdom,
Controlling and curbing his desires
and appetites.
Quickly attains spiritual peace,
That supreme peace within, beyond understanding,
40. But the ignorant, faithless, doubting self
Who laughs and scorns the revealed Truth,
can never attain the spiritual kingdom.
To the doubting self, there can be no happiness,
In this life or beyond.
41. Hence one who has followed
A life of selfless love, O Arjuna,
Whose doubts are destroyed
by divine wisdom,
And is always in communion
With God Supreme,
Such a person is free from
The bondage of materialism.
42 You must, O Arjuna,
Destroy this doubt, arising in your heart
By the sword of Divine Truth.
Stand up and fight my friend.
Confident in the power of Yoga.
CHAPTER 5
The Perfection of Action by Knowledge and Devotion
Arjuna said:
(1) My dear Lord Krishna, you do praise
The renunciation of work,
And again recommends engagement in yoga to find the truth.
Please, now tell me what is really best for me
The Blessed Lord replied:
(2) The renunciation of work, with engagement in selfless work,
And work done for the sake of the Supreme,
Both lead to liberation.
But work done, as devotion to God Supreme, is superior action
(3) The man who seeks, nor craves for the rewards of work,
O’ Arjuna, is known, as a man of renunciation.
Indeed he becomes free from all dualities.
(4) He comes free, from the bondage of materialism
Happy in this freedom, from the bondage of work
(5) Only the unenlightened are confused,
By yoga as devotional service to the Supreme,
And yoga as discipline to find the ultimate truth (sankhya).
Those who are learned, know that the result of
Sankhya and yoga are identical.
(6) The renunciation of the fruits of action (selfishness),
And work done completely, as service to the Supreme
Are one and the same.
Those who perceive this truth know true reality.
(7) Those who control their mind and senses,
Who have been purified, and devoted to God Supreme,
Those who are friends of all living creatures
Though engaged in all kinds of activities, are free and commit no sin
(8) Though acting like others with all vital functions,
Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling eating, sleeping
Understands that in reality he does nothing himself.
(9) He perceives that he is spirit soul,
Aloof from the operation of material senses
While engaged in speaking.
Elimination, opening or closing the eyes,
Giving or receiving
(10) As the lotus leaf remains untouched
By the water in which it lies,
So too does the man who surrenders all rewards to God Supreme.
He does his duty, free from attachment and so commits no sin
(11) In order to remain pure
Yogis renounce selfish attachment,
Utilizing body, mind and senses
In the service of God Supreme
(12) In tune with the Divine Consciousness,
Renouncing all self loving activities,
My devotee achieves the highest peace.
Those who are attached to the selfish rewards of work
Remain bound to the material sorrows
(13) The self disciplined person,
Renouncing all selfishness, and self loving pursuits,
Remains peaceful and happy in this body
A material body of nine outlets,
In pure and detached consciousness
He is not acting nor causes others to act.
(14) The modes of material nature
(The forces of harmony, activity and inertia)
Are the real causes of action.
The pure spirit soul, remains detached,
As master of the body
He is neither actor, creator nor agitator
(15) God supreme is undisturbed by man’s good or bad actions.
But living beings steeped in spiritual ignorance,
Cannot perceive the Truth of the Divine
(16) As the rising sun dissipates all darkness
And reveals all things,
So, too, does transcendental knowledge destroy
The darkness, born of ignorance.
It reveals things as they truly are.
(17) One whose consciousness is always in God,
Whose heart and mind is dedicated to the Supreme,
Becomes free from all sins,
Having taken refuge, in the Divine Being
(18) The wise man endowed with divine perception
Sees no essential difference,
Between a priest, a cow, an elephant, a dog or outcast.
He sees pure soul in each one of them
(19) Those who can truly perceive this equality of all beings
As pure soul, part and parcel of God
Have transcended,
The threshold of birth and death.
And like unto God they are perfect,
And are situated in Brahman consciousness
(20) One who is situated in Supreme Consciousness
Transcends the joys and sorrows of the material mind.
His mind perfectly controlled,
Without doubt about God’s existence,
Understands (reality as it is). He is in perfect yoga.
(21) The yogi in Samadhi (Super Consciousness)
Is unaffected by material joys and sorrows,
He is happy within, in union with the divine.
In this yoga, he enjoys ultimate peace, beyond imagination
(22) The enlightened avoids those selfish material activities,
That are the wombs and tombs of joys and sorrows.
They arise out of sense perception alone.
Such enjoyment is shallow and temporary
(23) The human being who can control the forces,
Of passion and anger, before giving up this material body
Is a yogi, fully absorbed in the Supreme
Can become truly and deeply happy
(24) One who finds joy in the self within,
Is content within, finds the
Light of truth within his own heart.
He has achieved liberation, even while alive (brahmabhuta).
He has entered the Supreme state of self realization
(25) The great holy rishis, free from sin,
Free from all doubt and duality
And fully engaged in selfless loving service to society
Enter into the Kingdom of God
(26) Holy men, conquering the forces of selfish love and resentment
And overcoming the forces of the restless mind,
Quickly achieve the Supreme destination,
Communion with God Supreme
(27) In the perfect state of samadhi (divine union)
The yogi shuts out all external influences,
Concentrates his vision between the two eyebrows,
And suspends the act of breathing.
(28) He is in, perfect control of his senses and intellect,
Having abandoned material desires, fear and anger.
He has achieved divine communion with God Supreme
(29) Supreme Peace and Serenity
Comes to that sage, who understands that
I am the purpose of all sacrifices and austerities
The eternal friend of all living beings
And that I am the Lord of all created beings.
BECOMING A GREAT YOGI:
CHAPTER 6
The Perfection of Discipline
The Lord Sri Krishna said:
(1) He who performs his duty according to talent and training,
And without seeking personal reward, is a true yogi,
Not the one who merely renounces domestic life,
And remains unemployed
O Arjuna, please note
(2) That renunciation is yoga,
Whose goal is union with the Supreme.
No one becomes a yogi
Without renouncing the craving for selfish love and things
(3) For those who are novices in the process of yoga,
Discrimination in action is the road to success.
But for those who are in tune with the Supreme Consciousness
Cessation of material action is the resultant process
(4) One who has curbed all his sensual desires,
And has renounced all self loving activities.
He seeks no personal rewards,
And he is considered to have attained to yoga
(5) Using the boot straps of his own mind,
A person must indeed elevate his consciousness,
And not let it fall into the trappings of sins,
For the mind is both friend and foe of all mankind
(6) The mind becomes the friend of the man,
Who has conquered his mind
But the mind becomes the enemy of him
Who fails to control his very mind
(7) The conqueror of the mind,
At peace with the world,
Whether in happiness or distress, in fame or blame
He can easily access God Supreme within his own self.
He becomes indifferent to the relative value
(8) The yogi eternally happy in spiritual union with God
Having completely ----- his appetite
And in possession of phenomenal and transcendental knowledge
Becomes indifferent to the relative value of gold, stones and pebbles
(9) More advanced in yoga, is that person
Who with transcendental vision,
Sees equality in all beings
The good and bad, the friend and foe,
Haters and well wishers
Even those who are neutral
(10) The yogi fixing his mind constantly on the Supreme
Should live without company, in an undisturbed secluded place
Constantly controlling his mind and senses
Knowing that all things belong to God, nothing belongs to him
(11) To practice yoga one should resort to a holy place
Sit in a fixed seat, not too elevated
And covered with soft cloth and deerskin,
Over a bed of kusha grass
(12) He should thence concentrate his mind
And practice self control of senses and mind
And sitting still, thus purify his heart
(13) Holding the upper body erect and straight,
And gaze fixed on the tip of the nose
One should practice yoga
Undisturbed and attentive
(14) Thus, with a calm mind, free from fear
And a life of celibacy
One should focus his concentrated mind on Me
Making Me the supreme object, of one’s devotion
(15) By practice of such yoga
Regulating body, mind and senses
The yogi reaches the Supreme destination, full of peace,
By stopping material mental activity
(16) No one can become a yogi O, Arjuna,
Who eats too much, or eats too little, or nothing at all
Who sleeps too much, sleeps too little
Or abstains from sleep
All yoga is moderation
(17) One who is disciplined in recreation,
Eating and drinking, sleeping and waking,
Assiduously working to accomplish his duties,
Reduces the sorrows of material existence
(18) With complete discipline of mind and actions,
And his heart freed from all material hankerings
The yogi attains communion with God,
And is said to attain perfection in yoga
(19) As a lamp in a windless location,
Is steady and without flickering,
So, too, is the mind of the yogi
Fixed in concentration on God Supreme
(20) Achieving yoga, by stopping all material mental activities,
The yogi feels the bliss of divine communion,
And sees in his pure heart, the Supreme Reality
And enjoys this perfection
(21) In this state of Samadhi, the yogi perceives,
That wonderful vision of the truth,
And feels happiness, beyond all imagination
And above all sense perception
(22) In that trance of divine union,
One is not perturbed by the worst disturbance,
For one is thus fixed in spiritual freedom
Above the sphere of mundane experience
(23) Yoga must be practiced with,
Full determination and continuous application.
The yogi must renounce self love, and all its cravings
(24) With full discipline of his mind,
He must control his desires,
Regulating all sensual material occupation
(25) Using his intelligence and with full confidence
The yogi must gradually and in incremental steps
Abandon all other goals in life
And fix his mind on God Supreme
(26) The yogi must endeavor by strict discipline,
To bring the wavering and unsteady mind
To his complete control,
Whenever the elusive mind wanders away
(27) With mind fixed in yoga on God Supreme,
The yogi experiences supreme peace
He is thus freed from all sins and selfish passions,
And becomes conscious of his oneness with the Supreme Reality
(28) In the bliss of Samadhi
The yogi achieves the perfection of love,
And with the divine presence
Experiences the highest state of peace and happiness
(29) The enlightened yogi by virtue of his direct experience
Of the Supreme Truth
Sees Me equally, everywhere, in all beings and pervading all things.
(30) He who with perfect spiritual vision
Sees me in all things and all things within me
Is never separated from my Divine Presence.
(31) The enlightened sage sees God Supreme
As Super Soul sealed in the heart of all beings
He worships Me as that Unity behind all existence.
Such a yogi, forever dwells with me
(32) The yogi who from his own viewpoint,
Sees the unity and equality of all beings,
Whether they are happy or unhappy O’, Arjuna,
Is considered by Me to be the perfect sage
Arjuna then spoke thus:
(33) O Madhusudana, killer of the demon Madhu
I consider this yoga process, described by you,
Impossible to realize,
Because the restless mind, cannot be forced to
Become still and concentrated
(34) Certainly, O Krishna, the mind is unsteady
It is strong, obstinate and always restless.
I believe it is hard to control like
Taming the steeds of the powerful wind
(35) The Supreme Lord Krishna, replied,
Certainly O’ Mighty armed Arjuna,
The mind is restless, and difficult to control
But by constant practice and
Renunciation of selfishness (self love),
Conquering the mind, can be accomplished
(36) Realization of the Supreme Truth, is hard to achieve
For those unable to discipline the mind.
But success is possible, for that person
Who strives with the appropriate technique
(37) Arjuna said,
O’, my dear Krishna, what is the fate of the one
Who fails to achieve perfection in yoga,
Having deviated from this path
And who, initially, was faithful in practice?
(38) Does not a man O’ Krishna,
Shifting away from the path of God,
Becomes destroyed like a rent cloud,
With no stature, merit or reward?
(39) You, alone of all beings, O’ Krishna,
Can completely dispel this doubt of mine.
Please be kind, and answer me My Lord
(40) The Supreme Lord Krishna replies,
The striving yogi, on the path of truth,
Never perishes in this life
Or the life, to come, O’ Arjuna,
He who is engaged in goodness
And devotion is never a loser.
(41) The yogi who does not achieve perfection
Appears again in the temporary heavens
Enjoying many years of happiness and long life.
Then once more, he is born again,
Into a family of the righteous or the wealthy
(42) This unsuccessful yogi may also
Be fortunate to appear in the righteous home,
Of a family devoted to God Supreme.
But such a birth is, indeed,
Difficult to achieve in this material world
(43) O’ Arjuna, son of Kunti
In this new birth, the transcendentalist
Quickly recapitulates his previous existence
And strives again to perfection in yoga.
(44) His previous life of holiness, as if by design,
Cause him to revive his interest,
In pursuing the divine life.
Such an ardent student of yoga
Surpasses all those who act,
With selfishness, following mere rituals.
(45) However, the yogi who strives,
By strict discipline, to reach perfection
Being pure and free from all sins,
Ultimately, after many births,
Enter into the Kingdom of God
(46) The yogi O’ Arjuna, is superior,
To the ascetic, steeped in austerities
Superior to the men of intellect.
Therefore you must become
A yogi, my dear Arjuna.
The yogi is considered above even great materialists
(47) The one who is completely devoted to me
Always conscious of Me, and with great faith
Offers Me unconditional love,
That yogi is the highest of all yogis
CHAPTER 7
God as Sprit and God as the Divine Being
(1) Hear now from me, O son of Kunti
How you can know Me as I am, and without doubt,
By focusing your whole mind and consciousness on Me
You shall become self realized
(2) I shall now reveal to you,
All knowledge, both scientific and spiritual,
It shall explain the phenomenal world and
Give you direct perception of the Truth
Thus, nothing else needs to be known
(3) Out of thousands and thousands of men,
Hardly anyone seeks perfection,
And to those seeking perfection,
Hardly anyone knows Me, as I am
(4) Solid, liquid, electricity and heat,
Gases, space, mind, intellect and ego
These eight forms of My energy
Constitute the phenomenal world
(5) But my dear Arjuna
Above these eight expressions of the material world
There lies My superior spiritual energy,
Which constitutes, the soul of all living creatures,
Exploiting the potential of this phenomenal experience
(6) Hence, I am the source of all creation
Both material and spiritual,
And you must know, too,
That by my laws they are dissolved
(7) Nothing that exists is superior to me
All truths and existences rest on Me
Like a garland of pearls on My neck
I am the reality of all things
(8) I am, O Arjuna the essential character of all things
I am the taste in water, and sound in air
The light of the sun and moon.
I am the syllable OM, in all the Vedas
And the procreative energy in mankind
(9) I am the life of all that exists
The original scent of soil and earth,
The radiance energy of fire and electricity
And the power of penance in all ascetics
Please understand O son of Pritha
That I am the eternal seed of all that exists
The source of intelligence in the learned and wise
The drive and energy of powerful men
(10) I am the strength of the strong
Who have conquered greed and lust
I am the procreative energy in regulated married life
Know this, O Lord of the dynasty of Bharata
(11) Human beings are deluded by entrancement in selfish love
Arising form the energies of goodness, passion and ignorance
They cannot understand my Eternal nature
Who rest above the qualities (gunas) of material existence
(12) My illusory power rests in the three modes of material nature,
And is very difficult to transcend,
But the devotee who surrenders his life to Me,
Can easily cross the ocean of ignorance and materialism
(13) The foolish and wicked, lowest in the world
Never surrenders to me
Deluded by my illusive energy
They engage in atheistic, and ungodly activities
(14) Four types of pious men O’ Arjuna
Worships Me with love
First, those in distress and suffering
Also the inquisitive, and the seeker of wealth
And finally those earnestly seeking the truth
(15) Those who are foolish, wicked
And have the nature of demons
Do not surrender unto Me,
Do not approach Me
Nor do they worship Me.
They are under the control of My illusory maya (mystic power)
(16) Four types of devotees worship Me O’ Arjuna
Those whoa re in trouble,
Those who seek wealth and power,
Those who are seeking knowledge
And the man of true wisdom.
(17) Of all these devotees the one who understands my true nature
And is fully devoted to me in unconditional love
He is indeed very dear to Me
And I am very dear to him
(18) Of all these great devotees
The one who knows me as I am
And whose life reflect My own nature
He is always in communion with me
And in such devotion he reaches me
The highest goal of life
(19) After many, many births,
The enlightened sage
Having known the truth
Surrenders to me
“O Vasudeva (Lord Krishna) You are everything my Lord”
Such a sage is very difficult to find
(20) Those who are still affected by material desires
And work for selfish love
These seek help from the executive
And administrative angels of heaven (devtas)
Following the dictates of their selfish nature
(21) The inferior devotee seeking material rewards
And attracted to honoring authorized angels and controllers
I facilitate his faith by my authority
(22) Those self loving beings seeks favors
From higher administrative or executives officers of
Universal governments and so receives particular rewards
Know then that these rewards are authorized by me alone
(23) Men of limited intelligence
Seeking favors from administration of universal government
Receive material rewards fleeting and non eternal
These poor souls go to the planets of these superior beings
But those who worship Me, come to Me
(24) Foolish men, who cannot know me
Assume that I am a simple human
Without spiritual enlightenment
They cannot understand
That I am the Supreme Being
Eternal and most beautiful
(25) I never reveal myself to everyone
For I am concealed by my illusory energy (maya)
The foolish, materialistic being cannot understand Me
For I am unborn and of limitless power
(26) O’ Arjuna I know thoroughly everything of
The past, present and future.
I also know the origin and future of all beings,
But no one can know me completely
(27) O’ warrior offspring of the great King Bharata
All beings in this creation are deluded and overwhelmed
By selfish love and resultant hate
In this duality they remain ignorant
(28) But those beings who free themselves,
From all sins and
Have acted with pure love and service
Now and previously, they free from all delusion
Worship me with commitment and determination
(29) Those wise men who seek to conquer
To old age and death
Seek the shelter of my blessings by devotion
They actually know the truth about
Selfish love and unconditional love
(30) The wise man who understands
That I am the God of the phenomenal world and
Lord of all angels and archangels
Spiritual and phenomenal universe
The Lord of all blessings and rewards
Even at the hour of death
With fixed mind he can know me
CHAPTER 8
Darkness and Light, the two Eternal Pathways
Arjuna asked:
(1) O Supreme Lord, please tell me about God as Spirit (Brahman)
About the soul of man, about the angels and archangels
Controllers of the universe
About self loving, material activities and the material universe
(2) O killer of the demon Madhu (Krishna)
Tell me about the Lord, recipient and goal of all sacrifices,
How does he enter and pervade the body,
How at the moment of death,
The man of discipline, can know this Lord?
The Supreme Lord Krishna replied:
(3) The immortal indestructible spirit in man,
Is called the soul and
It’s Nature is pure spirit
Material bodies arise,
As a result of self loving materialistic activities
And this action is called Karma
(4) Physical matter is constantly in flux, ever changing,
And this universe is the cosmic expression of God Supreme.
And I am Lord of all souls (paramatma)
Eternally present in the heart of all living beings (men, animals & angels)
(5) He who at the time of death as he quits his body,
Is fully conscious of Me, remembering Me
Immediately assumes my own Nature.
Of this liberation of the soul there is no doubt
(6) O son of Kunti, whatever a man remembers
(Result of his main goal in life)
On quitting this body, that form of being he will assume
This is the truth indeed
(7) Therefore O’ Arjuna you must always remember me
Even while doing your duty as a fighter
Dedicate your mind, intellect and heart
To me in love
In this way, you shall certainly attain Me
(8) He who by constant practice
Fixes is mind and intelligence
On me as the Supreme Eternal God
Without being distracted or wavering,
Is sure to attain Me, O’ Partha
(9) To meditate on Me, one shall consider me as
The master of all knowledge and eternal
As the most ancient and original being smaller than the smallest
And greater than the greatest
The one who sustains all life and the universe
The Supreme God inconceivable
And he unto the effulgent son
Dissipates the darkness of ignorance
(10) The yogi who at the moment of death
Fixes his life energy (prana)
Between the two eyebrows and
By the power of yoga without distraction,
And with total love for My person
Certainly reaches Me the Supreme Lord
(11) Those sages who practice celibacy
Study the Vedas, and chant the divine syllable OM
Enter into Brahman the Universal Spirit of God.
How they do so I shall now explain
(12) The yogi controls his mind and senses,
Closes all the doors of the mind
And fixes his concentration on the Supreme Truth,
Directs his life energy in his head
And thus is established in union with the absolute God
(13) Having perfected the yogi technique
And filled with the vibration of the chanting of OM
Fixed upon my person in full consciousness and love
Anyone on quitting his body thus, enters into the Kingdom of God
(14) I am indeed O’ Partha very easy to attain
For the devotee who constantly remembers me without fail
For he is always engaged in the process of yoga striving
For perfection to reach me
(15) Having thus attained me the great mahatmas (great souls)
Never return to this mortal world, full of sorrows
For they have achieved the highest perfection
The ultimate Supreme destination
(16) From the highest planet of the Creator Brahma
And all the other lower planets
Birth and death take place continuously
But one who enters into my kingdom
Is never again born into this phenomenal world
(17) A thousand cycles of billions of years (4.3 billion)
Constitute one day in the life of the creator Brahma
Similarly one thousand such cycles
Constitute a night in earthly calculation
(18) From the un-manifest at the origin of Brhama’s day
Billions of human beings appear in the universe
And all these are these destroyed
As the cycle of night comes into being
(19) By my law automatically the total sum of living creatures
Make their appearance and again and again they are destroyed
Brahma’s cycle of night and day O’ son of Pratha is relentless
(20) Besides these manifest and un-manifested creation
There is a superior existence of mine
It is eternal and the highest reality
It is never even subject to destruction
(21) That Superior existence is described as not manifest
It is the supreme and final destination
It is also the infallible source of all existences
When you reach that place you never return
This perfect destruction is my Supreme residence
(22) The light and darkness are the two eternal paths
Described by the scriptures (Vedas)
When one quits this body in light
One never returns but go to God
When one quits in darkness
One returns again to the material world
(23) The enlightened yogi understands
These two paths and is never mistaken
Therefore at every moment of your life, O’ Arjuna
Be fixed in devotion to me in this light communion with God
The yogi who is devoted to Supreme Truth
Surpasses the merits of sacrifices, austerities, pious deeds and charities
Finally he reaches my Supreme destination
(24) (Of these two parts that part in which
Agni the fire God and angels presiding over daylight
The bright fortnight and the six months
Of the northward travel of the sun
If one proceed along this pathway
Who have followed the path of Brahman
Being led by the above angels
Finally reach God Supreme.
(25) The next part is that where there are angels
Who preside over darkness
Smoke, night and the dark fortnight
And the six months of the southern part of the sun.
That yogi who is not perfect,
Taking this path after death,
Is led by the above angels,
And reaching the splendor of the moon
He enjoys the results of his good deeds,
But must eventually return to this mortal world
(26) Light and darkness are the two eternal paths
O Arjuna and they are considered eternal
Traversing the path of light
One reaches the supreme state
From which there is no return
Proceeding by the path of darkness.
One returns to this mortal world
And is subject again to birth and death
(27) O’ Arjuna knowing now the secret of
These two paths of light and darkness
You will not be deluded
Therefore at all times be always fixed in yoga
Constantly fixing your mind on My Supreme divine nature
(28) That yogi knowing this ultimate truth
Surpasses without doubt all the rewards
Enumerated in the Vedas
The yogi is above the performance of sacrifice,
Austerities and charities
And attains the Supreme goal of divine consciousness
And union with My supreme nature
CHAPTER 9
Finding God Supreme beyond the Confines of Nature
The Blessed Lord said:
(1) Because you are pure and you are my friend
I will impart this most confidential secret to you
It is the essence of both phenomenal
And motivational knowledge (direct path to God)
Such truths you shall become free
(2) This knowledge is the king of wisdom
Most confidential and most pure
It is the highest and greatest of all science
By it reality is directly experienced
And everlasting joy and happiness is the result
(3) Those who have no faith in this true religion (O chastiser of the enemy)
Can never attain me in thy abode
They return again and again to birth, suffering and death
In this mortal world
(4) In my immaterial form as Supreme Spirit
This entire universe though all beings depend on me
Yet I am independent of them all
(5) Though all creation depends on me
I am aloof from them all
By my law all things are maintained and I am present everywhere
Yet I am the source of all creations
Behold my mystic power
(6) As the great powerful restless wind blows continuously
Anchored in space so too do all beings exist in me
Please try to visualize this phenomenon
(7) O’ Arjuna, all beings in this universe and all of nature
After trillions of years (292 trillion) of existence
Enter into my being at the end of the creative cycle
Ana gain at the beginning they all are created again and again
(8) I am the Lord of the whole cosmic universe
By my law and will the universe is continuously born
And again continuously dies automatically
(9) O’ Arjuna, victorious in making wealth,
Although I have created this universe,
I am independent and free
Nothing I have created can affect me
I am above all laws.
(10) By My own self O’ Arjuna
I pervade the whole universe,
And from Me proceed all beings in this creation
Consisting of both living and non living things
It is you from Me, the great cause, that this universe is maintained.
(11) O son of Kunti I am the Lord of this whole cosmic manifestation
All things and beings mobile or stationery work by mu laws
Under my supervision this universe is functioning
(12) The spirituality ignorant laugh at me thinking that
I am merely human
They do not understand my Supreme Nature
And my sovereignty and dominant
Over all things and all beings
(13) By denying my sovereignty and even existence
These fools become confused
Their hopes for freedom, their self loving creations
And philosophy of life are all destroyed
They become atheists and evil minded
But thou great enlightened souls
Taking refuge under my divine protection
Worship me with unconditional love, continuously
For they fully understand
That I am the original Supreme God eternal and infinite
(14) With great will and discipline
They continually sing my glories
Bowing down before my exalted presence
These great souls offer me their adoration
(15) Those who pursue the path of knowledge
Seeking me as the Supreme By Truth
Worship me as one without second, One God
The reality behind the manifold universe
And present in my mighty universal form
(16) For I am the elements of all sacrificial devotion
I am ritual, sacrifice, emotions is pure
I am the medical herb
The great Vedic chants of adoration
I am the butter of the fire in sacrifice
(17) I am the father, mother and supporter of the universe
Indeed, I am the great grandshire
I am the object of wisdom, the one who purifies all things
I am the sacred syllable Om used in all prayers
And the Vedas Rig, Sama and Yajur I am
(18) I am the great Lord, the goal of all life
I am the master of all things
The eternal witness in the heart
The resting place and refuge of all
I am the friend of all beings
I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the third and
Eternal imperishable source of all things
(19) I am the source of heat and energy
I command the rain and drought
I am the nectar of immortality
And death thyself personified
I am eternal reality and beyond its domain, inexhaustible
(20) Those who study the sacrificial and self loving parts of the Vedas
Rig, Yagun and same Veda
Seeking temporary heavenly rewards
Drink the same juice of sacrifice to purify them
By such pleasing of archangel they worship me only individually
And so reap the temporary heavenly joys in the ---- of
Indra, Archangel of Heaven
(21) This temporary heavenly solace comes to and end so
The unenlightened self loving being
Must return to this world of sorrows
Temporary happiness is their lot
For they understand the Vedas only superficially
(22) But those who seek the Supreme Truth
Fixing their mind on me, the Supreme
Worshipping me with devotion and care
I personally take care of their needs
To make them perfect
(23) When the self loving with faith seeks
The shelter of archangels or higher controllers
Pleasing them with sacrifices, O son of Kunti
Not knowing me as the Lord of Sacrifice
They do so with ignorance
(24) I am the Supreme Lord, goal and --- of all sacrifices
Those who are ignorant of my Supreme position
Must resort again to this mortal world
(25) Those who seek and please angels and archangels
Ancestors and the departed ghosts and fairies
Are born among such beings
But those who worship me in full knowledge
Attain my supreme abode
(26) Those who offer me worship with a fruit, a flower,
A leaf or water with unconditional love
That I will accept, for it is offered with true devotion
(27) My dear Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever you offer,
Whatever you eat, whatever you give away
Or whatever sacrifices, you perform,
Please do that as an offering to Me
(28) Therefore you must renounce
Both selfish good deeds and evil action
Both binding you to the material world
Worship Me by making Me your Supreme goal
Hence you will be free and come to Me
(29) I am equally disposed to all beings
Showing no enmity or partially
But those who worship me with selfless love
Are always within my inner circle
(30) Such a devotee who happens to commit a grave sin
Must still be considered a sanity being
If he is still bent in my loving service and devotion
(31) Such a devotee very quickly becomes righteous
And attains everlasting peace
Please declare, O son of Kunti
That my devotee never perishes
(32) Those who seek the shelter of my protection and blessings
Be they born with a lower talent in lower families
Women merchants, servants and workers
They all can approach directly Me their master and maker
(33) How much more fortunate are the righteous
And noble royal sages and brahmans
My devotees who in this transient miserable world?
Worship me with unconditional love
(34) O’ Arjuna, please become my devotee
Bow down to Me and worship Me with love
Absorbed in my loving, devotional selfless service
You will certainly come to me
CHAPTER 10
The limitless Glory of God Supreme
O Mighty armed Arjuna, heed again
(1) My Supreme Instruction:
I am teaching you this for your own welfare
Because you are my very dear friend
(2) Listen O’ Arjuna
All the great angels, archangels, controllers of this universe
Even enlightened sages
Cannot completely further my origin
For I am indeed the origin and source of
All these great sages and personalities
(3) Those enlightened doubtless souls who can understand
That I am unborn and the original first being
Indeed the Supreme God of all creations including heaven
Such a person becomes free from all sins
(4) The great qualities found in life are all created by Me
Intellect, intelligence freedom --- ----
Truth, forgiveness, peace and discipline
Happiness and sorrow, growth and death
Fear and fearlessness too
(5) Non violence, equanimity, silence and penance
Caring and charity, honor and dishonor
All these qualities of men and angels
I have ordained by My own will
(6) The four great sages (Sanaka, --- ---- ----
And following them the seven great rishis and many
All progenitors of mankind are creations of
My own mind and intelligence
All life evolve from them
(7) He who understands my mystic power
And knows me as I am
Worships me with all their heart and soul
Of this there is no doubt.
(8) I am the source of the whole creation
And I pervade, the entire universe
The enlightened, who understand my glories
Worship me with unconditional love
(9) Their minds are fixed on Me
They consider me their goal in life
They discuss my glories amongst themselves
Thus they experience immense joy and deep satisfaction
(10) Those who are always engaged in my contemplation
With loving devotional service
I personally provide the instruction and intelligence
So that he can come to Me
(11) To show them my unique mercy
I dwelling in their own heart
Destroy with the shining light of wisdom
The spiritual darkness born of ignorance
Arjuna declares:
(12) You, O Lord, are the Supreme, Transcendent God
The best and most beautiful person
The Sustainer of all things, the Supreme Purity and the
External, Normal unborn divine being
(13) All the great sages and great rishis (enlightened ones) and
Great Narada the great sage
Also Asita, Derala and Vyasa
Proclaim your glory and sovereignty
And you yourself now declare this to me
(14) All this that you have declared to me are true O Lord
Neither the angels or archangels or the great
Can understand the ungodly immiscible ----
(15) Only you yourself, by your own self
Know clearly your own powers
You are indeed God of all deities
Lord of this Supreme, Creator and protector of this universe
(16) My dear Lord Krishna
Please kindly reveal to me without exception
Your own wonderful powers and opulences
By which you pervade this whole universe
And in which you exist eternally
(17) How can I contemplate you always
O Supreme Mystic, Lord of all opulances?
Please tell me in some detail O God
How you are to be remembered by Me
I should meditate on you
(18) O destroyer or atheistic beings
Please describe to Me again
The --- of your Mighty Power
For I will never become bored
Listening to your sweet discourse
(19) The Supreme Lord said
My opulence and powers are infinite O’ Arjuna
But I shall indeed describe to you
The principal manifestation of
My divine wonder and glory
(20) I am the Supreme Soul, O’ Arjuna
Conqueror of darkness
I am seated in the heart of all beings
I am the origin, the middle and end of all beings
(21) Of the Adityas Lords of Light
I am Vishnu, of Majestic Radiance.
I am the Sun .
Of the Lords of Space I am Marici.
And of nightly Brilliance, I am the moon.
(22) Of all Vedas, I am the Samaveda
Of musical prayers
Of celestial archangels I am King Indra the lord of heaven.
Of all senses I am the mind
And in living creatures
I am the vital force.
(23) Of eleven rudras executors of the universe
I am Lord Shiva, I am Kuvera Lord of the celestial beings
Of the controllers of the universe, I am fire and electricity
And of all great mountains I am a Mera
(24) Of all celestial clergy I am the Lord Brihaspati, great guru
I am the greatest general Skands son of Lord Shiva
I am also the great ocean, King of all reservoirs
(25) I am Bhriga of the Maharishis (enlightened beings)
I am OM the sound of the Absolute truth of sacrifices
I am the chanting of the Holy name of God
And of most resistant things the Himalaya mountains
(26) Of all great trees I am the opulent Banyan tree
Of all celestial angels, I am the devotee Narada.
Of heavenly singers I am Chitrarath.
And of all perfect beings I am Lord Kapila.
(27) Of horses I am Ucchaivastrava
At the beginning of creator
Reusing from the great ocean
When divine beings sought immortality
Of great elephants I am Airavata
And among humans I am the King
(28) I am the lighting thunderbolt of all weapons
I am surabhi cows, productive of milk
Of Procreators I am the Lord of Love, Cupid
And of great serpents I am Vasuki
(29) I am the thousand headed divine serpent, Ananta called Sesa
I am the lord of Sea and oceans, Varuna
I am Aryama, King of departed souls
And of regulators and judges, Death Himself (Yama)
(30) I am Prahlada, great devotee, though born among demons
I am Time that destroys all things
I am the Lion, King of Beasts
And I am Garuda carrier bind of Lord Vishnu
(31) I am the wind, of all things that purify,
Of great warriors
I am Rama conqueror of Ravana
I am Makar, great sharks of the seas
And among holy rivers the Ganges
(32) I am the womb and tomb of the universe
And also when it is at its peak
I am the science of finding God,
The greatest of all learning
And of those experts in speech,
I am persuasion.
(33) Of the alphabet I am the letter A
Of long words I am the compound word.
I am eternal time
I am Bramha the Creator who continuously sees all things
(34) I am death, the harvester of all creations
I am the womb of which all things evolve.
Of gentle qualities, I am fame, fortune,
Speech and memory
Intellect, determination and forgiveness
(35) I am the sweet, midnight hymns
Of the Sam Veda
Of beautiful verses, the Gayatri Mantra
Of months I am cool November, December
And now the four seasons,
Radiant spring
(36) I am the gambling dice of the cheaters
I am the splendor of all wonderful things
I am victory, I am resolution in duty
I am the power in powerful beings
(37) I am Vrishnis, Lord of the rishis,
And of your own dynasty I am your self Arjuna.
I am Vyasdeva, of all sages
And of great intellectual poets
I am Kavi Ushaan
(38) Of the dispensers of justice,
I am the royal septre
Of those who seek victory I am the righteous government
Of confidentiality, I am silence
And of all knowledge I am supreme wisdom
(39) Whatever exist in this universe, O’ Arjuna
Know me to be its source
There is nothing in the wide world,
Mobile or stationary, that can exist without Me
(40) O’ Arjuna, there is no end to My divine glories.
Whatever I have described, is only illustrative
Of My immeasurable Opulence
(41) But why do you seek such details,
O’ Arjuna?
Behold, with only one fragment of my own self,
I create and pervade this whole universe.
CHAPTER 11
The Universal Divine Vision
(1) Out of thy mercy O Lord,
You have revealed to me,
The secret and confidential information
Necessary to attain salvation.
With this education, my uncertainty and illusion,
Have all disappeared
(2) O Lotus eyed, Lord of imperishable glories,
From you I have heard how each being,
Enters and leaves this universe.
All these things and detail, you have revealed
(3) But now, I wish to see,
Your masterful Supreme form
O lord of all souls, highest of all persons
I wish to see that divine sovereign personality
Though I can see your present form
(4) If you O Lord believe
That I a simple mortal,
Can behold thy supreme mystic form,
Then please reveal it to me, O Lord of all yogis
(5) The Supreme lord replied,
Behold, O’ Partha my universal form
Thousands and thousands of divine beings
In beautiful colourful variety
Within my very own self
(6) O hero of the dynasty of Bharata
Behold within me,
The principal lords of universal government,
Controllers, Archangels and Angels
The Adityas, The Rudras, Ashvins and the Maruts
You can see here, wonders never seen before
(7) In this one body of mine,
You can immediately, see completely,
Everything that you wish to see,
Or may long to see later moving or immobile
Everything is visible, within my universal form
(8) But, certainly, your human eyes cannot,
See me as I am, now
Hence, I give to you divine eyes
To view my supreme yogic opulence
Sanjaya then remarked:
(9) Then Lord Krishna having thus spoken, O King,
Reveal to Arjuna
His most exalted divine form
The most powerful mystic,
Reveals his opulence’s to his devotee
(10) With many mouths and eyes
With many dazzling, divine ornaments
It was wonderful to behold
With many uplifted, divine weapons!
(11) The Lord was dressed profusely
And beautiful ornaments and garlands
Decorated His Person.
Wonderful divine fragrances smeared His body
His personal presence appeared
Unlimited and reaching to infinity
(12) If a thousand suns,
Should suddenly appear in the sky,
That dazzling splendor and light
Would resemble the majesty,
Of this universal form of God Supreme
(13) Right in this marvelous body of the Lord
One could see in unity,
The whole cosmic manifestation
Simultaneously all in one,
But revealing multiple compositions
(14) Then the warrior Arjuna,
In great awe and wonder
The hairs in his body, standing on end,
Began to offer obeisance’s to that great
Personality of God Supreme.
And bowing his head with folded arms
Offered his prayers
(15) Om my dear Lord
I can now see in your body all assemble beings,
Lord Brahma the creator, on his lotus throne.
Lord Shiva the regulator of the universe,
Great sages, angels and divine serpents
(16) With many mouths and arms,
With many stomachs and eyes
There is no end,
To this infinite form of yours, my God
There is no end, beginning or middle
To this unlimited expansion
(17) The blinding lights and brilliance
Like unto suns
In such a measurable abundance
Makes it difficult to observe your divine weapons
Helmets, maces and revolving discs
(18) You are the Supreme Primal source
And foundation of the universe
You are the eternal refuge of all
You are the protector and maintainer
Of the Supreme Eternal religion
You alone I consider to be God Supreme
(19) There is no end to thine
Expansive manifestation,
Beginning, middle or end.
You possess infinite arms,
And I see the sun and moon as your eyes
Fire blazes from your beautiful mouth
And by Your own energy,
You are heating up this whole universe
(20) O great Lord, though you are one
And the unity behind this manifold universe,
I see that you are expanding from heaven to earth,
In all directions and all luminaries
And all beings are trembling in your awful presence
(21) All the angels from heaven indeed,
Enter thy being and with folded arms,
And in great awe bow down to You in prayers
The great sages and perfected beings
Chant vedic hymns before your Majesty
(22) The great controllers, in controllers of Thy power
The eleven forms of Lord Shiva
The twelve Adityas, the Sadyhas, and Ashwin Kumar
The illustrious ancestors, gandharvas
With executive and administrative functions
Behold you in wonder
The great demons and atheists are perplexed by Thy presence
(23) I, too am frightened your threatened form
With many faces, arms, bodies, legs and fierce teeth
Al the world and their rulers
Stand in fear of you
(24) O Supreme God Vishnu,
I can no longer maintain my equilibrium and sanity.
Seeing your enormous form
Reaching the sky,
And with glowing colors everywhere
Your great eyes and mouth make me afraid
(25) O god of all deities, refuge of all worlds
I am unable to stand still, seeing your terrible teeth,
And blazing face like that of death himself
I am in terror O God
Please have mercy on me
(26) What wonder O Lord!
I can now see the evil sons
Of the blind King Dhritashrashta
Our enemies and our soldiers too,
All their heads crushed between thy terrible teeth
(27) They and their associate allies are all being crushed,
As they enter Thy enormous mouth
(28) As great rivers enter,
Into the billowing waves of the ocean,
So, too, do the mighty kings of this earth
Enter Thy fiery mouth and being consumed
(29) As moths and flies swiftly
Meet their death in fire
So too do all creatures
Immediately meet death in thy jaws
(30) O Vishnu, you pervasiveness in radiance
Is from earth to heaven
And you consume with your scorching rays
The whole universe, and all its inhabitants
(31) I bow down to you O Lord
Most elevated of divine beings of presentation formidable.
I crave to know who you really are
And the purpose of your divine incarnation
The Supreme God Krishna said:
(32) I am Time, harvester of worlds
I have come to destroy all these hosts of soldiers
No one of these warriors in battle array will escape death
You alone will survive this war
(33) Therefore rise up O warrior,
Expert in arrows (Savyasacchin)
You will conquer your enemies
And gain great fame
You will a prosperous kingdom and enjoy sovereignty
Just be my instrument in this great life
(34) The great generals Bhisma, Drona and Jayadratha and Karana.
By my will they are all destroyed O friend
Do not worry, just fight and victory is yours
(35) Hearing the soothing and uplifting words of Krishna
Arjuna stood up trembling
In body and arms and still weak.
He offered with folded palms,
His supplication to God Supreme
Uttering these words
(36) For good reason O Lord, master of discipline
The entire world falls in love with you
And marvelously delights in your glories.
The evil demons scatter every where full of fright
But perfect devotees bow down to Thy majesty
(37) O my dear Lord
Why should everyone not adore you thus,
For you are superior,
Even to the creator Brahma
You are Lord of Lords and master of the Universe
You are infinite.
You are the imperishable foundation
Both cause and effect and the eternal Supreme being
(38) O Lord Refugee of this world,
You re the supreme God in person
First and most Ancient Being.
You are omniscient and all
Truth rest in you.
You are transcendental to material experience
You pervade this universe
In unlimited expansions
(39) You are the great forces
Archangels of heaven
You are the ruler of the wind
You are the archangel of death
The Lord of the seas (Varuna)
And you are the moon (Shashi)
You are the father of all Beings
Indeed you are the Father
Of the creator Brahma himself
I therefore offer you my obeisances
One thousand times
Again and again
(40) My respectful obeisances to you My Lord
From every direction
From side to side, front and back
Because you are the focus of all things,
And you pervade the whole universe
With your presence.
In you, lies unlimited power
And infinite strength
You are the soul of the universe
(41) O My Krishna, O My friend, O kinsman
I have addressed you as such
Without knowing your divine glories,
O infallible one, please forgive me,
For my foolishness, and childish love
(42) While joking, in play or at the bedside,
While having dinner, or in competition
I have dishonored you My Lord
Even in the presence of friends
Or while alone I have offended Thee
Please excuse my sins O great Lord.
(43) O’ Lord, you are the father of this universe
Of whatever is moving or stationery
You are the Spiritual glorious master of all truth
How could anyone be superior to you?
Your infinite power surpasses all!
(44) You must be worshipped as God Supreme (one without a second)
I kneel before you to offer my respects
As a son to his father, as friend to a great friend
As a beloved devotee to his beloved Lord,
I implore you to tolerate my sins
(45) O embodiment of Universal Power, may I now see you
With your four armed form (with crown, great club and rotating saw like weapon (chakra),
Vibrating conch and lotus flower.
I crave to see you in this majestic form.
(46) The Blessed Lord said, my dear friend, Arjuna,
I am pleased to show this universal form of mine
Which envelopes me whole creations by my power and will,
No one but you have seen
This dazzling magnificent and infinite vision of me
(47) O best of warriors amongst the Kuru clan
You are unique in seeing this form.
For by no means or by penance
Religious study or by sacrificial rites or great charities
Can anyone see this Universal Form.
(48) Let not your mind be troubled,
By seeing this terrible aspect,
Of my supreme sovereignty.
There it is gone, be calm now.
The four armed form you desire
Is now apparent
(49) Having seen such terrible form of mind
Do not be disturbed or confused
Without fear and a peaceful mind,
Behold, once again, see my wonderful four armed form
(With conch discuss mece and lotus flower
(50) Then Lord Krishna having spoken thus,
Revealed the four armed form to Arjuna,
And following this,
Resumed his charming two armed form
To restore the spirits of his friend Arjuna.
(51) Arjuna then said,
On seeing the exquisitely beautiful
Human form of Lord Krishna
He was no longer afraid and became calm.
“My mind is now restored to peace
Assuming its own nature
O Janardana (chastiser of the enemy)”
The supreme God said,
(52) The angels and archangels always
Long to see this gentle human form
It is very difficult to see Me, my dear Arjuna,
In this charming form of God
(53) This My present form before you
Is impossible to see O Arjuna.
Not by study of scripture (Vedas),
Nor by penance,
Nor by charity or by worship,
Can one see Me as I am
(54) Only with unconditional loving service and devotion,
Can I be known and seen directly,
As I am before you.
O mighty armed warrior,
Only by unconditional love can I be known as I am,
Or seen and entered into O’ Arjuna.
(55) O son of Pandu
He who doeth actions for me
Who consider me the Supreme goal
Who becomes my devotee, frees himself from all sins
Such a man, with no personal enemy
In unconditional love for all, comes to Me.
Chapter 12
The Yoga of Supreme Perfect Love
Arjuna spoke thus
(1) O’ Krishna, please tell me,
Of those who worship the Universal Spirit
The Unmanifested, Impersonal Supreme,
And those who with unconditional love
Constantly worship your eternal Divine Person,
Of these two set of devotees,
Who is more perfect?
(2) The Supreme Lord replies
Those devotees who with the purest and highest faith,
Worship My personal form as God Supreme,
Fixing their mind on me with unconditional love
Is the most perfect.
(3) But those who worship God as Spirit
Immaterial, imageless, all pervading, inconceivable
The permanent foundation of the universe,
Beyond material sense perception,
Can certainly attain to My being.
(4) These worship the impersonal, the Om,
Representation of the Absolute truth,
By self discipline over the senses
And faithfully engaged in
Unconditional love and service to all beings.
(5) For those who are born into mortal bodies,
And are attracted to the
Impersonal formless Spirit of God,
By the discipline of Yoga, fixing the mind
Is certainly more difficult.
(6) But those devotees who dedicate their life to Me
In My personal identity
And make Me, the Supreme goal,
Engaging in unalloyed unconditional love,
For Me, with mind fixed on Me,
I quickly bring salvation
(7) I personally, O son of Pritha (Kunti),
Swiftly deliver these worshippers,
With unconditional love for Me,
From the ocean of birth and death.
For they have fixed their heart and soul in worshipping
Me, the greatest of all beings
(8) Just fix your mind on My personal form,
And utilize your intellect to find Me
Thus you will dwell in Me always,
Of this there is no doubt
(9) O Arjuna, if you cannot concentrate on Me,
Then follow the prescription of loving service to Me
And thus you will develop,
A real desire to find Me
(10) If O’ Arjuna you fail to practice,
The description of unconditional devotional service
And love (Yoga of love) for Me,
Then dedicate your life to My service
And you will soon achieve perfection.
(11) Even if you are unable to dedicate your life to Me,
Then just act without seeking
Personal rewards and selfish results,
In a spirit of self discipline.
(12) Firstly, you may engage
In the pursuit of knowledge,
But better than knowledge is meditation,
Better than meditation is renunciation of self loving actions.
When one acts without selfishness,
One can attain unlimited peace
(13) One who forgives and does not hate,
But is friendly and compassionate,
Who thinks nothing really belongs to him,
Who is free from selfishness and arrogance
Who is poised in distress and happiness,
That person is very dear to Me.
(14) One who is always content and serene
And engaged in unconditional love and service for Me,
Trying with great determination,
To discipline his heart and soul for Me,
Is very dear to Me
(15) He who is not a trouble maker,
Who is calm in the face of trouble,
Without fear and anxiety,
Such a person is very dear to Me
(16) The person who is clean and pure,
Impartial and tranquil,
Free from all worries and distress,
And who refrains from selfish endeavors,
This devotee is very dear to Me
(17) He who is calm and never rejoices or hate,
Never craving or lamenting
Who is steady in the face of good or evil,
This, my devotee is very dear to Me
(18) That devotee who treats friends and enemies alike,
Who is steady in heat or cold, joy or sorrow,
And does not crave company
Is very dear to Me.
(19) He who is indifferent to fame or blame,
Who is silent with peace in his heart,
Who is happy with no matter what,
Who does not care about domestic residence,
Such a devotee of mine,
Fixed in servicing Me with love,
Is very dear to Me
(20) He who worships Me,
Following this path of love and service,
And who with transcendental faith,
Makes Me the highest goal of his life
That exalted devotee, is very dear to Me.
Chapter 13
Creation and the Lord of Creation
(1) O Keshava,
I wish to know
About the phenomenal world,
Of Mother Nature,
And the Supreme Master of this phenomenal Nature
To know about this body,
And the one who understands this body
To know what is real knowledge,
And the main purpose of knowledge.
(2) The blessed God Krishna then said,
This material body is called the field,
And one who understands this body,
Is the real knower of the field.
(3) O son of the dynasty of King Bharata
Please understand that God Supreme
Has knowledge of all existing bodies.
Information regarding this body and
Its governors are real knowledge.
(4) Now let Me describe this field as it is,
What changes occur,
How they come about in detail,
What are the influences of this field,
And who is the knower of this field.
(5) The great savant sages,
Have previously, in the Vedic hymns,
Describe variously in a scientific way,
Especially in the Vedanta Sutra,
Concluding portions of the Veda,
The, who, where, when and why
Of this phenomenal nature, and its Master.
(6) The great expression of gross matter,
Solid, liquid, gas, electricity and space,
The ego, intellect, the unmanifested sustenance (pradhana),
The ten senses and mind,
The five sense objects of hearing seeing, feeling,
Tasting and smelling are described.
(7) Desire and hate, happiness and distress,
The aggregate of living symptoms,
Will and determination,
All these activities and their interactions,
Are operations in this field or body.
(8) What is knowledge is here described
Humility, lack of false pride, non violence,
Peacefulness and tolerance with simplicity,
Seeking an enlightened teacher
Purity, continuous efforts and sense control.
(9) Renunciation of sensual indulgence,
Arrogance and conceit,
Perceiving the futility of death,
Birth, old age and suffering.
(10) Doing one’s duty
To children, spouse, family and home,
Without selfishness,
Always poised in both favorable and difficult situations.
(11) Devoted to Me,
Continuously in love,
Living in a solitary place,
Avoiding crowds and social attachment.
(12) Fixed in pursuit of self realization,
And the finding of the absolute truth.
All this is considered knowledge,
Anything opposed to these is ignorance.
(13) I shall now O Arjuna, explain to you,
Real knowledge, knowing which,
You will taste the nectar of the eternal.
This eternal is without origin.
It is under my control,
And it is Brahman or spirit soul
It is untouched by the material qualities of Nature.
(14) This all pervading Spirit,
Is multi present and multi potential.
He has everywhere hands and legs,
Everywhere eyes and faces.
He hears everything and He envelopes all.
(15) This super-soul is the origin,
Of all the gunas (qualities of Nature).
He has no sense organs
Yet he is the supreme support of the universe.
He transcends material Nature,
He is without form or image
Yet is master of all forms.
(16) This supreme principle
Is within and outside all beings
Simultaneously, even in inanimate things
He is not perceptible to the ordinary senses
Although he is remote, yet he is quite near.
(17) Although he is a unity
He may seem divided
But is always indivisible
Paradoxically while being the mountain of all things
Yet he produces and devours all things
(18) This Super-soul is the source of all light,
He is not apparent.
He is beyond the power of darkness,
He is knowledge, to be known by knowledge,
And the goal of knowledge,
He is present in every heart.
(19) Thus the field and the knower of the field,
Has been described by Me in total,
My loving devotee, understanding this mystery,
Attains to My true Nature
(20) Material Nature (Prakrith) and intelligent life (Purusha)
Must be considered eternal
Also the permutations and combinations
In natural processes are eternal
(21) In this creation, Nature becomes
The instrument of cause and effect,
Whereas intelligent life causes
Sorrows, happiness and enjoyment
In this world according to law (Karma)
(22) This soul dwelling in this body
Is identical with the Supreme.
He is said to be the eternal Witness
The true Director, the maintainer of all
The one who truly experiences everything
The Supreme Overlord
And the absolute God as well.
(23) Intelligent life attached to Nature,
Experiences through the agencies
Of goodness, passion and ignorance,
The resulting happiness and evil
Associated with Natural Law,
In various species.
(24) Yet within this intelligent being (life)
There is another being called Parmathma
Who is Supreme and is God within
He is the Master beneficiary,
Supervisor and Lord.
(25) One who truly comprehends
Intelligent life and blind Nature and God within,
And the operation of the forces,
And laws of harmony, activity and inertia,
And their moral counterparts,
Goodness, passion and ignorance,
Is sure to become free,
He will never again be born in ignorance (aridya).
(26) This God within, this Super-soul,
Can be perceived by science,
By the system of yoga and meditation,
By the engagement in unselfish,
Unconditional love and service for others,
Without seeking personal rewards.
(27) O Arjuna, chief of the Bharata Dynasty,
Whatever there is in this universe,
Both stationery and mobile,
Know that, to be a combination of Spirit and matter,
Intelligent life and nature
The field and the knower of the field
(28) This Paramatma, God within
Is equally present everywhere
In all intelligent life
He who sees that both the individual soul
And the supersoul is never destroyed
Truly understands reality
(29) The super consciousness of one,
Who perceives God within,
Present everywhere, pervading the universe,
Never descends to mundane consciousness.
In this state, he enters
The kingdom of God
(30) Those who see that all actions,
Are carried out by this mortal body,
A creation of Material Nature,
And that both Spirit and Supreme Spirit are inactive,
Such a person has achieved true vision.
(31) When the enlightened sage,
Perceives the Divinity of the Whole Universe,
And ceases to see individual and separated beings,
He rises to the level of Brahman consciousness (super consciousness in divinity).
(32) With this superior vision of transcendence,
Above the operation of Material Nature
And consciousness not identified with the body,
One sees that Spirit or soul is free,
It does nothing and nothing can affect it
(33) The sky and space so rarefied
Though present everywhere,
Mixes with nothing.
So too the liberated soul,
Free from material consciousness,
And situated in God consciousness,
Is untouched by the material body,
Though dwelling within it.
(34) O son of Bharata
As the sun though one
Fills this universe with light,
So too, does the soul,
Make conscious the entire body
Of the living being.
(35) The enlightened being,
Who can clearly see,
The difference between body and soul,
Spirit and matter,
And knows how to extricate himself
From the bondage of material consciousness,
Can achieve his liberation
And my Supreme Abode.
Chapter 14
Mother Sprit and the Three qualities of Nature
My dear Arjuna
(1) Again I converse with you
About the highest wisdom
And best of knowledge.
The great sages with their enlightenment
Achieved the highest perfections possible
(2) By accepting the shelter
Of this superior knowledge and consciousness
One can become like unto Me and My very nature.
In this transcendental position
One is never again born into this material world,
Or die at its inevitable end.
(3) This cosmic universe is the source of all life,
It is called Brahman
And I am the Father who plants the seed,
Making possible the birth of all living beings
In this universe.
(4) O son of Kunti
Behold, I am the Father
Who gives impetus,
And makes possible,
The birth of every species.
I provide the seed to this proliferation of life.
(5) The universe comes about
By the operation of three agents,
In material, nature, harmony, activity and inertia
And their moral counterparts
Goodness, passion and ignorance.
When the immortal soul comes in control
With blind nature, it assumes qualities of these modalities.
(6) O sinless Arjuna
The quality of goodness is superior and purer.
When one assumes such a character,
One refrains from sin
Is more enlightened
One becomes happy
But becomes enamored of this kind of life
(7) When a soul assumes
The character of passion
He is wildly active, passionate,
Greedy, lusty and acquisitive.
His life is an expression of self love,
To which he becomes entangled
(8) The quality of ignorance,
Pre-dispose the individual
To spiritual ignorance and delusion
To laziness and mental instability
His life is at the level of a beast.
(9) The good person
Is relatively happy
The man of passion is selfish,
And acquisitive
The person in ignorance is unstable and mad.
(10) The character of each individual,
Is dependent on the predominance of each quality,
That constantly competes with each other,
Sometimes goodness prevails
At other times, passion and ignorance
(11) When goodness prevails
The individual is spiritually aware,
The light of a higher knowledge pervades his life,
And he sees things in greater reality
(12) When the mode of passion
Is predominant
Selfish love, desires, cravings,
And ambitions possess the individual.
(13) O son of Kunti
The quality of ignorance,
Exhibits as madness,
Delusion, darkness,
Stubbornness and slothfulness
(14) A man dying in the mode of goodness
Reaches the planets,
Of angels and archangels
Sages and the godly
(15) Dying in the mode of passion
One again appears,
Among people dedicated to selfish activities.
Dying in the mode of ignorance
Leads to criminal existence in the next life
(16) If your life,
Follows the path of goodness,
Then you become purer.
A life in the mode of passion, leads to sorrow.
(17) From the mode of goodness,
Spiritual knowledge and enlightenment results.
From the mode of passion, troubles, grief and failures
From the mode of ignorance
Confusion, waste and darkness.
(18) Living in the mode of goodness,
One is elevated to higher planets (angels),
That in the mode of passion leads to human life
And in the mode of ignorance
One descends into hell
(19) A man who perceives,
That he whole universe
Is the field of activity,
Of the three modes or qualities of Nature
And that the Super-soul
Is eternally aloof from these modes
Such a man can understand my true Nature
(20) When one living in a mortal body,
Can overcome the influence
Of these three modes of Nature,
He attains victory over birth,
Death, old age and sorrow,
And can, in this very life
Enjoy the nectar of self realization
(21) Arjuna asked,
How can I distinguish a man of wisdom,
Who has transcended these material modes?
And how does he overcome these modes?
The Lord said:
(22) He who is indifferent to selfish love,
Illusion and non spiritual education (light),
Whether present or not
With no hate or craving for such
(23) He is in a position of neutrality
He is not affected
By the forces of the modes of nature
He is firm and steady in his course
(24) The man free from the Gunas,
Knows they are causes
For the transformation of Nature.
Hence he is indifferent
To pain and material pleasures,
He looks on gold, stone and soil, in the same light
He is steady,
And equally is unaffected
By praise or blame, honor and dishonor
(25) He is steady if honored and steady if ignored
He treats friend and enemy alike.
He no longer strives for selfish love or rewards.
Such an elevated sage
Has transcended the modes of Nature.
(26) Unconditional love and service to Me
Is the hallmark of this Man of Freedom.
He undoubtedly goes,
Beyond the realm of the modes of Nature
And is transported to the level of divine consciousness
(27) For I am the eternal foundation,
Of the supreme Brahman
All pervading, Supreme, Spirit of God.
I am the fountain of Ultimate Happiness
(Immortality and Eternity)
Chapter 15
Knowing God the Supreme Person the Perfect Being
(1) There is an eternal Banyan tree,
Whose branches drop downwards,
But whose roots rise upwards.
The Vedas are the leaves of this tree
One who knows this tree is an expert in the Vedas
(2) The branches of this tree
Go downwards and turn upwards,
And are sustained by the Three Modes of Material Nature
The twigs of these branches are the goals of sensual life
Roots from the tree also go down,
But these are fixed to the self loving acts of human beings
(3) So extensive is the banyan tree,
No one can visualize it,
It is without beginning and without end.
(And without foundation)
This banyan tree is powerfully anchored by its roots
But my dear Arjuna,
You must with great willpower,
Slash down this tree,
By the weapon of renunciation.
(4) Henceforth you must seek
That from which
There is no return to darkness.
You will surrender to the great Lord
That Primal Person,
Who is the very source and
Sustenance of this great universe
(5) That individual who is enlightened,
Free from the illusion,
Of self-loving attachment
And adherent to honor and bad company.
Who has conquered his cravings and lusts,
And transcended the duality of happiness and darkness
Enters into the Kingdom of God
(6) In this self luminous
Supreme abode of Mine
There is so sun, moon or stars,
No electricity or fire
No light, but the light of God
(7) The living souls are manifestations
Of my eternal minute existences
Because of their delusional,
Separate and selfish identity,
Life becomes a great struggle ,
Against senses and mind.
(8) As a gentle breeze carries,
The aroma of flowers in its path,
So too does the living soul,
On leaving the body,
Carry the essence of his earthly life
To the next bodily existence
(9) The soul on acquiring another body,
Exhibits the sensitivities and preferences,
Of taste, touch, smell and sight for enjoyment
His concept and philosophy of life
Is embedded in his new mind
(10) The impure and unenlightened,
Blind to transcendental knowledge
Have no clue,
As to the transmigration of souls,
And the operation of the Modes of Nature.
But the wise man can see this clearly
(11) The yogi in communion with the Supreme,
Can witness this phenomenon clearly.
But those souls steeped in materialism,
Cannot see this, even with great effort
(12) Because from Me comes the Sun,
Whose light destroys the darkness,
Behold, I am the splendor of the Moon,
Of electricity and fire.
I am the light of the world.
(13) In every planet of the universe,
I enter,
I sustain all living things.
By the power of Divine Energy,
I become the dew drops in moonlight
To make luscious all vegetables.
(14) I am the fire of oxidation,
In all living beings
I am present in every breath
And through Me
Assimilation of all foods
Take place.
(15) O’ Arjuna
I am the Lord,
Seated in the heart of all beings
From me alone come memory,
Knowledge and loss of memory.
I am the author of all the Vedas
I composed the Vedanta, by this knowledge,
You can know Me certainly.
(16) Apart from God Supreme,
There are two types of living beings,
The perishable and the imperishable
Those subject to mortal death,
People the material world
The imperishable beings constitute the spiritual universe.
(17) But the Lord of all beings
Of the spiritual and material worlds,
Is God Supreme
The best and highest of all personalities,
Creating, maintaining and regulating this universe.
(18) Because I am superior O Arjuna,
To both the perishable and imperishable
And because I am the best and most elevated of all beings,
The Vedas and people,
Proclaim my fame as Purushottama,
The highest and best of all personalities
(19) He who
Without a doubt in his mind
Truly knows me as Purushottama
The best of all beings
Can then worship Me
With all his heart and soul and might
This state is the summit of all wisdom.
(20) O sinless Arjuna,
I have now revealed to you,
The most confidential,
And most secret of all scriptures
By understanding this knowledge,
One can gain wisdom,
And succeed in all his ventures.
(21) Arjuna said, how can we recognize
A man who has risen above the three gunas?
How does he act, and how does he rise above the three gunas?
(22) Lord Krishna said
O Arjuna, he who does not hate light
Which is born of satva and action
Which is born of rajas
Or even inertia, born of tamas when present
Nor longs for them when they are absent
(23) The man who neutral like a witness
Is not disturbed by the gunas
And knows that the gunas alone are active
Remains firmly in his identity with God Supreme
And never alters from that state
(24) He who is always established
In union with the Supreme
Treats pain and pleasure alike
Looks upon a piece of dirt
As stone or gold of equal value.
This person is wise
He accepts pleasant just as he accepts the unpleasant
And considers praise and blame alike
(25) This person has risen above the three gunas,
Who is the same in fame and blame
Is alike towards a friend or enemy
And does not consider himself the actor, the doer of things
(26) That person who continuously worship me exclusively
By the yoga of devotion
Rising above the three gunas
Is fit to enter the kingdom of Brahman
(27) For I Myself am the foundation of the Supreme Brahman,
Unmanifest, Supreme Spirit,
I am the foundation of immortality,
The eternal dharma
And absolute happiness.
Chapter 16
The Divine and the Demonic Qualities
O scion of the Bharata race,
These are the qualities of great men,
Born with the talents of divine action.
(1) Fearlessness, purity,
Spiritual understanding
Focus on the Supreme!
Making sacrifices, study of scriptures (Veda),
Austerity and simplicity
(2) Non violence, truthfulness, control of anger,
Renunciation of selfishness and self love
Peacefulness, cessation of fault finding
Compassion and sweetness,
Clearing of the heart from greed
Modesty, steadfastness (courage, forgiveness).
(3) Drive, cleanliness,
No envy or jealousy
Abolishing the craving and passion for honor.
These are the talents of men,
With divine proclivities
(4) The ungodly and evil O Partha
Are born with these qualities.
False pride, conceit and arrogance
Harshness, anger and denial of truth
(5) The divine qualities
Are conducive to salvation
And realization of the absolute truth.
Ungodly qualities are found,
In evil men bound for hell.
Fear not my friend,
You were born with divine qualities
(6) In this creation, O son of Pritha
There exist two classes of beings
One the godly, the other evil.
I have described to you the divine qualities
Now hear about the evil ones
(7) The ungodly and evil knows not,
What duty is or what is forbidden
They are not pure or clean
They are lawless and lying,
They cannot adhere to truth or keep promises.
(8) They say,
That there is no God
That there is no transcendent reality
No foundation than what they see,
No supreme controller.
Lust and ambition,
The survival of the fittest,
Is their philosophy of life.
(9) The spiritually blind,
Accepting this philosophy
Have abandoned their heritage (soul).
They are lost in evil,
War and destruction
Suppression and self indulgence
Threatening the whole world with annihilation.
(10) Mad with lust, conceit and arrogance,
And filled with unhealthy pride,
These lost souls, deluded of men
Vow to create havoc
In the temporary affairs of men
(11) Sensual gratification is their goal of life
With this lifestyle,
They are filled with great fear and worries
Prepared to die for these pleasures
(12) Enveloped in hundreds of thousands,
Of lusts, desires, cravings and anger
They steal from others
And bank for their own needs
(13) This much money,
I have gained today
And with my schemes,
I shall even be richer
(14) Many foes have I killed today,
And soon I shall kill others
I am in control, powerful and expert,
I will enjoy and be really happy.
(15) Who is like unto me?
I will enjoy,
I am famous, surrounded by wealth
And beautiful family
I shall create ritual ceremonies (yagna) for show,
And publicize my charities
This is the height of spiritual,
Ignorance and delusion
(16) To hell O’ Arjuna, descend these souls
Bound by hundreds of self loving desires.
In this net of illusions and delusions
They fall flat in the abyss of doom
(17) Pompously confident and,
Shamelessly insulting
Steeped in self importance,
And the prestige of wealth
They create sacrifices in name only,
Dismissing rules and regulations of worship
(18) These demons among men,
In great envy of Me
Egoistic and confused,
Deluded by pride, lust and anger,
Makes blasphemy against My person,
Present in their own heart (and in the soul of other men)
(19) These lowest of the lowest,
Envious and evil,
By my law, I project into hell
Into the wombs of dastardly,
Devilish and demonic species.
(20) Birth after birth,
Atheistic and demonic species
These spiritual fools
Cannot approach Me.
They descend again and again,
Into the darkness of hell.
(21) Lust, anger and greed,
Are the three gates of hell
Every sane man,
Must avoid these three,
Renouncing evil and selfish love
To prevent the ruin of his own sweet soul.
(22) That fortunate man
Who escapes these three gates of hell,
Becomes absorbed in acts of love
Without selfishness,
And focus on Me.
He soon achieves the kingdom of God
(23) Those who arrogantly dismisses
Discipline and laws,
Laid down in scriptures,
But act only to satisfy their own,
Natural lusts and desires
Cannot achieve happiness,
Success or blessings of God Supreme
(24) With the scriptures as your guide,
You should determine,
What is your right duty,
And what is not.
With such enlightened knowledge
You must do your duty with love.
Chapter 17
The Three fold nature of Faith
Arjuna asked,
(1) For those who disregards
Scriptural rules and regulations
Creating his own faith,
In what characteristic Mode of Nature
Does he fall O Lord?
In goodness passion or ignorance.
(2) The blessed Lord said,
Depending upon their past lives,
Men are born,
Into one of the three expressions (faith)
Of the Modes of Nature,
Of goodness, passion, ignorance.
Now listen to me of these.
(3) One’s faith is dependent
On the inheritance of one
Of these qualities (Gunas of nature)
A man’s faith evolves,
From this particular quality of matter.
(4) People in the mode of goodness
Often sacrifice,
To the controllers of this universe
Angels and Archangels
Those in the mode of passion,
Please demons and satans
And those in the quality of spiritual ignorance (actually)
Sacrifice to ghosts and spirits.
(5) Motivated by forceful arrogance,
Lust and selfish aims,
Some ungodly satanic beings,
Perform frightful penances,
And acts of austerities,
Against the rules of scripture
(6) In their conceit and mode of nature
They torture their own bodies,
And insult God within their own soul.
Such creatures are qualified as ungodly.
(7) The faith of each man and his quality
Can be distinguished
By the food he loves, listen to Me
The type of sacrifice, austerity and charity
Delineates his place in the realm of Nature
(8) Foods liked by those in Goodness (virtue)
Are soft, tasty, juicy and healthy
They increase life, strength and happiness,
Giving pleasure and delight in eating
(9) Sour, bitter, hot and salty
Burning, dry and very sharp,
These are foods in the Mode of Passion
Source or sorrow, sickness and suffering
(10) Foods quite stale, old and tasteless,
Decomposing, foul smelling and leavings
These are dear to those poor souls,
Born in the mode of ignorance and darkness
(11) Any one who performs a sacrifice
Without seeking personal reward
Does so in the mode of goodness,
He does his duty as prescribed
(12) O warrior of the Bharata clan
Sacrifice performed just for show,
With selfish interest and conceit
That sacrifice is in the mode of passion
(13) That sacrifice against scriptural rules,
And without Vedic prayers,
That ceremony without distribution of offerings
And no gifts to priests and saints,
That sacrifices without faith
Is in the mode of darkness
(14) Purity, simplicity, continence and celibacy
Non violence to all creatures
These consist of austerity of the body
Devotion to God,
Saintly teachers and Brahmanas
Also constitute the austerity of this body
(15) Speaking the truth,
Speaking sweetly and cheerfully
And for the benefit of others,
And reciting regularly the Vedic prayers
Is considered austerity of speech.
(16) Penance of the mind
Is contentment and peace,
Without scheme or guile
Silence, self control,
Serenity and purity
Denote penance of the mind.
(17) The threefold austerity described by me
In the mode of goodness
Is to please Me, God Supreme,
It is done without self loving goals
And without seeking personal rewards.
(18) Those who perform penances,
Just for show,
To gain fame, name and respect,
These activities are in the mode of passion
Fleeting and insignificant.
(19) The foolish who perform,
Self torture as penance,
To cause injury or destruction
Is said to be in the mode
Of ignorance and darkness
(20) That gift given,
Without seeking reward
To a needy and appropriate person,
Is considered as one,
In the mode of goodness
(21) That gift given reluctantly,
Or for self blessing or reward,
Is considered by Me to be
Charity in the nature of passion.
(22) That charity devoid of respect,
And given carelessly
At an improper time and place,
To an unworthy recipient
Is clearly in the mode of ignorance.
(23) Om Tat Sat represent the supreme designator
Of the absolute truth in these three words.
Since the time of creation,
Holiness, scriptures and sacred sacrifice,
Arose out of this primal hymn.
(24) The holy enlightened beings,
Always commence all sacrifices,
Charity and penance,
With this holy syllable OM,
Following this tradition
(25) One who seeks salvation,
Must utter Tat
In all acts of sacrifice,
Austerity and charity.
(26) The word Sat represents
The sound of unconditional
Unselfish love of God
O son of Pritha
(27) Pure sacrifice,
Austerity and charity,
Is represented too,
In the word Sat
These acts are truly meant,
To please God
OM TAT SAT
(28) If an oblation is offered in the fire
A gift is given, a hardship is practiced
And whatever good a man may do,
If it is without faith and love
It is called “Asat”
Therefore without faith even a good activity
Is of no avail or useless.
Chapter 18
Finding God Supreme by Perfection in knowledge and Devotion
(1) Arjuna spoke to the Lord of the senses (Krishna)
Dear Krishna, I wish to know
What is the true meaning,
Of renunciation,
And the different interpretations,
Of this order of life (sanyasa)
(2) The Blessed Lord said,
The wise define renunciation,
As giving up all activities,
Born of selfish desires
While those in the order of renunciation,
Define renunciation,
As giving up and not seeking personal rewards.
(3) Some savants declare,
That all actions should be given up as evil.
While others say,
That acts of worship,
Penance and charity,
Should never be abandoned
(4) O best of the dynasty of Bharata,
Please learn from Me about renunciation.
Certainly, O tiger among men,
I have described three kinds of renunciation
(5) Sacrifice, austerity and charity,
Must be performed as duty,
And not abandoned.
For these are purifying acts,
Even for greater souls
(6) Certainly these purifying acts,
Should be performed
Without selfish motives,
Or expectation of reward.
They must be part of your duty,
This is My final and certain conclusion.
(7) Duties designated (from talent and training)
Should never be abandoned.
If by delusion one abandons his duty,
This is considered as action,
In the mode of ignorance.
(8) He who relinquishes his duty,
Because he thinks it is difficult or dangerous,
Acts in the mode of passion
These are not acts of selfless renunciation
(9) But he who acts as he is trained to do,
Because he must, as his duty,
Without seeking personal reward,
Acts in the mode of goodness O’ Arjuna.
(10) Those higher souls,
In the mode of goodness
Who does not hate their duty,
Nor act selfishly doing their duty
Know what duty is without doubts
(11) Impossible indeed it is,
For those in mortal bodies,
To abandon all activities
But those who renounce selfish action,
Seeking no personal reward
Are certainly engaged in renunciation
(12) Those who practice not true renunciation,
Are subject to the three fold reactions,
Good bad and mixed,
Accruing after death
But those who have renounced selfish interest
Are free from such Karmic reactions
(13) Dear Arjuna,
Please learn from me
Of the five Vedic factors
To bring about,
Perfection in all action
(14) They are,
The character of the performance,
The various instruments of action,
The place of action,
The efforts,
And finally the allowance,
Or sanction of God Supreme
(15) Action performed by body,
Speech or mind,
Whether right or wrong deeds,
Are all caused by these five factors
(16) But he who considers himself,
The sole actor,
Without acknowledging the other factors
Is lacking in intelligence
And full of ignorance
(17) He who never acts from selfish motives
Whose heart is not steeped in self love
Though he kills men,
In his duty as warrior
Is not really a murderer
And is not guilty of sin
(18) Information,
The aim of information,
And the informer himself
Are the factors which motivate action
The information used,
The work to be done,
And the worker
Culminate in the execution of action
(19) O’ Arjuna
With respect to the three modes of nature
There exist three kinds of knowledge
Three sets of actions,
And three types of performers.
Now listen to my description.
(20) That knowledge by which
One sees spiritual unity in all beings,
And the imperishable soul,
As the foundation of this manifold universe,
That knowledge is in the mode of goodness
(21) But one who sees multiplicity alone
In countless beings,
Without perceiving the underlying unity
Has knowledge in the mode of passion
(22) But one who sees no further,
Than his self centered existence,
And becomes attached to his selfish work,
Without enlightenment or depth of knowledge
Is considered to be in the mode of darkness
(23) Of actions, O Arjuna,
That action that follows discipline
That is selfless,
Without attachment or hatred
And without seeking personal reward,
Is action in the mode of goodness
(24) Motivated by selfish ambitions,
And craving for personal distinctions,
And when performed with tremendous effort,
This action is in the mode of passion
(25) That action carelessly enacted,
Without thought of consequences to others,
Of harming, distressing or violence to them,
And without regard to its inherent sin,
This action is in the mode of darkness
(26) That worker is in the mode of goodness
Who becomes free from selfish ambition,
He has renounced,
Seeking personal rewards
He enjoys his work,
Immune to success or failure
He is resolute on the execution of his duty
(27) But that worker greedy for results
Envy and jealousy, his personal lifestyle,
Joy and sorrow, routine experiences
That impure person
Is in the mode of passion
(28) But he who is not devoted to principles
Who is stubborn and materialistic,
Vulgar, unreliable and lazy
In bad moods, often procrastinating,
Such a person is in the mode of darkness
(29) O winner of wealth, Arjuna,
Let me tell you in detail,
Of the three kinds of reasonings
And resolve arising from them,
According to the modes of material nature
(30) What is right, and what is wrong,
What is duty and what not
What to fear and what to love
What frees the mind and what enslaves it,
A man with such intellectual capacity
Is in the mode of goodness
(31) And that reasoning mind,
Which finds difficulty,
In ascertaining what is godly,
And what is ungodly
What is duty,
And what is against duty,
That imperfect faculty,
Is of the mode of passion
(32) That intellect O Arjuna,
Which confuses religion with evil,
Who is steeped in ignorance and illusion
Resolving always to the wrong side
Is reasoning in the mode of darkness
(33) O son of Kunti
That determination which is resolute,
In a life disciplined by yoga
Controlling ones energy, mind and senses
That resolve is in the mode of goodness
(34) And that resolve,
Which is imbedded with selfishness
Greedy for fame, love and wealth,
That determination is,
In the mode of passion (Rajas)
(35) And that person of weak character
Who cannot transcend
His dreams, fears, depression, confusion
And constantly complaining,
Possesses, determination
In the mode of ignorance (Tamasa)
(36) There exist three kinds of happiness
Corresponding to the three modes of Nature,
Which the individual enjoys
And which may finally lead him
To final freedom from sorrows.
(37) That pleasure which is at first,
Like the bitter taste of poison,
But later changes into honey,
That pleasure of transcendental truth,
Is happiness in the mode of goodness.
(38) That joy of sensual pleasures
Which is like nectar in the beginning,
But later becomes bitter as poison
That happiness is called
The happiness of passion
(39) And that happiness
Which is oblivious to,
The potential of the soul
And the joy of knowing God,
And which results,
In a character of spiritual sleep,
Ignorance and apathy,
Is certainly in the mode of darkness
(40) No individual among humans,
Angels or archangels
Higher or lower beings,
In this whole cosmic universe
Is completely free from the influence
Of these three modes of material nature
Satva, Tamas and Rajas
(41) The four castes of human society,
Are distinguished also
By the talents they inherit,
At the time of birth
Corresponding to the modes of material nature
O Arjuna, Brahamanas,
Kshattriyas, Vaishas and Shuranas
Like natural divisions of human society
(And not hereditary structures and confusions
(42) Brahamanas, spiritual leaders are characterized,
By purity and forgiveness,
Peacefulness and discipline
Honesty and Austerity,
Knowledge and wisdom
(43) Executive leaders called Kshattriyas (warriors)
Are men of courage, drive and power,
Resolute, resourceful, fearless in battle
Generous and heroic leaders among men,
Their talents are inherited from nature and forbears
(44) Agriculture and farming
Production of milk and cattle,
Commerce and business
Characterize the talents of Vaishas
While excellence in service,
In labor and support
Are the talents distinguishing,
The cast of Sudras
(45) By following his own inherited talent,
Nature of quality and aptitude
Everyone who follows duly and
With excellence,
Become perfect.
Please hear from me, how this is done.
(46) A man who worships God Supreme,
The Lord who pervades this whole universe,
And is source of all things,
Thus striving for excellence,
In his own duty to God
Can achieve perfection
(47) It is better to do one’s duty,
For which one is endowed by nature,
Thought it may be imperfect (for a time),
Than to strive to do the duty of another.
Without that talent in aptitude
Tho it can be done perfectly (temporarily),
Doing one’s duty according to talent,
Training and aptitude incurs no sin.
(48) Every attempt to work
Can have errors or faults O Arjuna
Just as clear fire,
Is covered by smoke.
Hence every man should seek excellence
In the occupation suited,
To his talent and training,
Even when this course is,
Not the easiest way
(49) With the philosophy of unselfish love,
And mind controlled by discipline
Renouncing, material desires,
And seeking perfection,
In unconditional loving service and selflessness
A man attains the highest elevation
Of renunciation (Sanyasa)
(50) O son of Kunti,
Let me in brief show you,
How one can achieve
The perfection of cosmic consciousness,
The final destination of the soul,
Into the oneness of God Supreme
(51) To know God in truth,
One’s intellect must become purified.
One must be focused with determination
On finding the truth,
In a process of discipline and purity.
He must renounce attachments to sensual joys,
Freeing oneself from selfishness and hatred.
(52) Living in solitude, eating sparingly,
Controlling body, mind and speech,
Absorbed in God consciousness,
Always detached from the temptations of life
One can realize God.
(53) Such a person is free from egoism,
Free from false pride, craving for things,
Controlling his passion and anger
Always peaceful and serene,
This person has become elevated
To the realization of the Truth.
(54) The man in Supreme consciousness
Has achieved self realization,
And his unity with God Supreme.
He does not crave, he does not worry
He is impartial to all living beings.
In that state of great love
Unconditional, unselfish,
Universal love for Me
He becomes transcendentally transported to My abode
(55) By such unconditional love and service,
My devotee can find,
The Highest Truth about Me
And find Me as I am truly
With this transcendental consciousness
(56) By my grace O’ Arjuna
My devotee lives under my protection
And though he seemingly
Engages in multiple activities
Finally reaches My supreme eternal destination
(57) Work under My protection
Depend on Me always
And fix your mind on Me
In wise and loving devotion.
(58) If you fix your mind in Me
I will, by My grace
Help you overcome,
All the problems of life
But if you do not listen and act selfishly
Ignoring My advice,
You shall destroy yourself
(59) O Arjuna,
If through selfish love
You refuse to fight,
Not listening to me
You will fail by your false reasoning
And nature will force you to fight anyway.
(60) O Arjuna you now refuse in delusion,
To obey my divine direction,
But by the talents and training,
Arising from your own inherent qualities,
You will inevitably fight
(61) The Supreme Controller, God Supreme
Dwells in the heart of all beings O Arjuna
By law, he directs their lives
And they sit in the train of cosmic journey
(62) O scion of Bharata,
Surrender in love to this Lord,
With all your heart.
By his grace, you shall attain eternal peace
And enter into the kingdom of God
(63) I have now revealed to you
The most confidential and most secret of secrets.
Meditate on it completely,
Then make your decision O Arjuna
(64) Once more listen to Me
To this most confidential secret science
You are indeed dear to Me
And I give you this instruction
For your benefit
(65) Fix your mind on Me,
And love Me unconditionally,
Bow down to Me and worship Me.
There is no doubt you will come to Me
I promise you truly,
For you are My dearest friend
(66) Whatever you have heard of religion before
You should abandon now
Just surrender to Me as your only refuge
I will save you from all sins
And give you salvation,
Do not fear.
(67) This highest spiritual knowledge
Should not be revealed
To those who are faithless
Against loving service to God
Who is an enemy of Truth and God Supreme
And who doubts or fights against
My Sovereignty and Supremacy
(68) That devotee of mine
Who reveals this supreme confidential science,
Of unconditional loving service to God
Must be considered to have performed
The greatest service to Me
And without doubt he will attain Me
(69) Of all devotees
He who reveals this science,
And My glory to others
Is very dear to Me
No one shall be dearer to Me than he
(70) And I say to you
That those who study,
This our divine discourse
Worships Me with,
The sacrifice of his intelligence
This is my definite conclusion!
(71) And one who listens with firm faith
And with a spirit of acceptance and not rejection,
Even he freed from sins
Will attain the abode of the virtuous
(72) O
Dhananjaye,
Conqueror of wealth,
Have you received this message,
With undivided attention
Are your doubts and misgivings now varnished
(Do you understand your duty and devotion)?
(73) Arjuna declared,
I understand and remember,
Who I am in truth
My illusions and misconceptions are gone,
By thy grace O infallible Lord,
My doubts have vanished and I am determined to act,
I shall obey you completely O My God.
(74) Sanjaya, the servant of the blind king then said
This did I, Sanjay,
Hear and witness, this holy dialogue
Between Lord Krishna and the noble Arjuna
So marvelous was that conversation,
That the hairs on my body stand up
(75) By the mercy of the Sage Vyaasa,
I have personally witnessed and listened
To the most confidential and secret,
Mystic doctrine of the Supreme,
By the Lord of Yoga himself
The Supreme Lord Krishna.
(76) And my heart is filled with joy
Again and again, O King Dhritrashta
When I remember this beauteous,
Wondrous, dialogue
Between the Lord of all creations, Krishna,
And his pious devotee, Arjuna
(77) And when I evoke the memory
Of this majestic wonder of wonders, Lord Hari
His magnificent universal form,
My heart beats with joy
Again and time again
(78) Wherever there is Lord Krishna,
Wherever there is Arjuna,
The mighty bowman
There shall certainly be present,
Victory, opulence extra ordinary power, and righteousness
This is my conclusion