CHAPTER 18: Mokṣa Sannyāsa Yogaḥ🔗

Drop everything and surrender. This is the gist not only of this final chapter of Bhagavad Gītā, but it is also the essence of the entire Bhagavad Gītā. In addition, throughout the ages it has been the basis of the teachings of all the spiritual Masters.

Kṛṣṇa concludes the Bhagavad Gītā with one subject: drop everything and surrender. Beautifully He says:

Drop everything, whatever you know as dharma, whatever you know as life, whatever you think you know, just drop it. Drop everything and surrender. Whatever you know is only your knowledge, it is just what you know. It is not what is.

In fact, wisdom and truth are about what we do not know. That is all! What we know cannot lead us to the ultimate Truth. Knowledge of the mind, that we take so much pride in, functions like blinkers that we wear to shut out the truth of Existence. The mind is not the scale of measure of Existence. What we are has nothing to do with our thoughts. What we are is beyond our thoughts. If our thoughts alone could define what we are, we would be nothing more than a biomechanical machine.

Humans think. That is the problem. Our great Sages, the ancient Ṛṣis declare, ‘Drop your mind and you will be complete. You will realize your true potential as a human.’

Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, one of the greatest Masters and Hindu philosophers, proclaims this so beautifully in the verses of his Ātma Ṣaṭakam. To define what He truly is, Śaṅkara negates his body, mind, senses, emotions and all his relationships. By negating all this, he declares his inner divinity boldly and beautifully.

Understand, we are spiritual beings in human form, and not human beings striving to be spiritual. Our potential is infinite. Our intelligence is unlimited. But our intellect is limited.

When we started the Bhagavad Gītā series, we learned what śāstras, stotras and sūtras are. Śāstra is knowledge of the intellect. It is acquired by reading and understanding. Stotra is knowledge acquired through learning, through the heart, that is through devotion. Sūtra is learning through the being, that is through meditative techniques that cut to the core of what is essential.

Even knowledge about God creates bondage when it is merely intellectual because we will only know about God. That is all! We will not know God. Please understand this. Knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. When we completely surrender everything, we will not even have the idea that we know God. When that idea does not exist in us, we know God. Otherwise we may know about God but we do not know exactly what the Divine is.

Words do not express God. No expressions can lead to the experience of God. God is when expressions cease. Masters say that the finger pointing to the moon is not the moon. It is only a pointer, a reminder. Words about God in any form, however sincere they may be, are mere pointers and reminders. The problem with religions is that they teach us about God. They do not teach us how to know God. Religions tell us a few things about God and instill fear and greed in us.

No spiritual Master preached violence. If he did, he would be no master! Great spiritual Masters and Incarnations happen with the mission to raise us to a super conscious state. They aim to cause our Inner Awakening, awakening the individual consciousness, so that we realize that we are one with the collective consciousness of this Universe. They come with a mission to make us understand that we must move from the space of ‘I’ to ‘you’ and ‘us.’ Unlike spirituality that spreads love among people, religion fosters violence.

Understand: Enlightenment is a gift. It makes no difference what effort we put in. We may have stood on one leg for hundreds of years. We may have fasted for thousands of years. We may have practiced med-itation or yoga or some other technique. These are equivalent to buy-ing the one-dollar lottery ticket. Anything we put in is comparable to that one-dollar lottery ticket. What we receive in return is a pure gift. Whatever we do is within the dream. How can that get us something beyond the dream?

Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, ‘Drop everything and surrender—sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja.’ First let us understand the word ‘surrender.’ The word itself frightens people. We must understand that we are not going to lose anything when we surrender. We are only going to gain everything. However, for lack of a better word, we must use this word.

Realize first of all that we have nothing of any value to surrender! We only think we have something to surrender. The truth is that we have nothing to surrender. We simply need to open our eyes and see that everything that is, is divine. It is Existence. Whatever we think is ours does not exist! The ‘I’ and ‘mine’ that we hold onto are mere lies. The moment we understand this, we surrender. The moment we surrender, we understand.

When we call something ‘mine’, legally it may belong to us, but existentially, it does not. Legally we can fence off a piece of land and call it ours. Legally we can own things. But Nature or Existence does not know that it is ours. When a cyclone hits, it does not care whose property it is. It does not know the law! It does not know that legally a cyclone is not allowed on someone’s property! For Existence there is no law.

Your idea of ‘mine’ is protected by the laws of society. You cannot truly use the term ‘law of the land.’ The land has no laws. Only society has laws. The land can have an earthquake at any time. We cannot have laws to govern Nature. The law of the land is beyond your comprehension. As long as you are caught with the concept of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, you will not understand the truth about Existence. You are caught in thinking that something is ‘you’ and something is ‘yours’.

When Kṛṣṇa tells us to drop everything and surrender, He asks us to open our eyes and see the foolishness of the drama we play with our possessions and expectations. Listen! It is one thing if you play the game to cheat others; but, do not cheat yourself.

Please understand, there is no ‘I’, there is no ‘mine.’ The person who is intelligent and willing to open his eyes and see reality, will sooner or later wake up to the truth that there is no ‘I’ or ‘mine’. Can whatever you think of as ‘I,’ either your body or mind, function without air? Can you say that the air belongs to you? This basic energy, prāṇa, which goes in and comes out, does not belong to you. If prāṇa stops happening, what you think of as ‘you’ disappears.

It is like saying that the foundation does not belong to me, but the first floor of the house is mine! You can do that legally. But it is impossible existentially. In the same way, the building may belong to you, but the earth that it sits on does not belong to you. The earth can give one small shake, and whatever you thought was yours just disappears!

The very foundation of whatever you think is ‘you’ does not belong to you. It belongs to the Whole. It belongs to Existence. It belongs to the Universe. It belongs to Nature with whom you are continuously fighting. The base or root of what you think of as ‘you’ does not belong to you.

We take for granted the air that continuously goes in and comes out. We believe that the air belongs to us. There is no break in this nat-ural supply. Maybe if God called a strike, like a workers’ union strike, we would understand that we cannot take even the air for granted. Sup-pose He called a strike for a minute, then we would understand that it did not belong to us. But He is a Karuṇāmūrti, god of mercy. Out of His compassion, He never goes on strike! That is why we take life for granted. Just because certain things belong to us legally, we think that the concept ‘mine’ is solid. The truth is that both the ‘I’ and ‘mine’ have no base.

Anybody who is intelligent enough to open his eyes and see, realizes that ‘I’ and ‘mine’ are a drama. The moment the air that goes in does not come out, it is over. ‘I’ disappears. Immediately your name will be taken from the nameboard outside your house and put on your tombstone. You will be called a dead body! You will be taken to the place where you can rest forever! Your house and car will be useless. So, whatever we think is ‘I’ and ‘mine’ is baseless.

Sometimes even the piece of land that we think belongs to us we may find doesn’t, when we see the papers of that land! Our life itself is built on paper. The moment we have the intelligence to see this, the moment we wake up to this reality, we achieve the state of surrender. The moment we understand that in Existence nothing called ‘I’ or ‘mine’ exists, we im-mediately experience tremendous relief from the need to continuously protect ourselves.

These two instincts of holding onto ‘I’ and ‘mine’ are the reason for physical and mental problems. The instinct to survive and the instinct to possess are the root cause of our problems. On the other hand, when we realize that the ‘I’ and ‘mine’ do not exist, we realize how we have cheated ourselves and how foolish we have been in spending our whole life and energy in building sandcastles. The whole thing is pure fun! We must understand that whatever way we live and whatever we may build, does not belong to us. If we do not internalize the outer incidents and if we treat them with the indifference they deserve, we experience what I call surrender.

There is only one thing to remember: Do not internalize sensory inputs and do not take things too seriously. When you take life too seriously, you can be sure of one thing, and that is sickness. All serious-ness is a form of sickness. When you think the ‘I’ or ‘mine’ is the truth, you create trouble for yourself. The moment you believe that there is an ‘I’ in your being, you start moving away from life.

The idea that you have of yourself has no base, whatever you may think of as you. Sometimes you think you are the body. Sometimes you think you are the mind. And other times, you think you are the senses. No matter what you identify yourself with, it is baseless.

Please listen. There is another critical aspect to understand in this regard. Whatever aspect you think of as ‘you’ will not grow. If you think you are the body, you stop the growth of the body because you do not like change. When you think you are the mind, you stop the growth of the mind. You stop the inputs to the mind.

That is the reason egoistic people cannot listen to new ideas or read about them. They cannot learn because learning is against their vested interests. They think that they already know and have nothing more to learn. When you think that your mind is you, the very attitude of learning, the beginner’s mind, is lost. Wherever you cling, you destroy that.

If you think you are the body, you do not let the body rejuvenate itself. You do not let your body do its regular work. If you think you are the mind, you do not let it learn anything new. You do not allow anything new to enter. That is a sure way of destroying it. The same applies to what you consider as ‘mine’. This is based on the laws of society. In no way is it related to the laws of Existence.

It is well known to science that of the trillions of cells in our body-mind system, millions of cells die each day and millions of cells are reborn. After a few years, there isn’t a single cell in our body which existed two years earlier. Every single entity in the body is new. This means that there is really no constant ‘I’ as we imagine. Yet, we carry that label proudly.

All we are is a bunch of memories, root patterns, collectively known as saṁskāras. Our root patterns define us. Our root patterns rule us and make decisions for us. That is what this ‘I’ is all about. When we com-plete with our root thought patterns and give up our possessions and attachment to possessions, we feel liberation. When I walked out of my home for spiritual wandering, I felt no loss. Today, the whole world is my home! This does not mean that all of you need to become monks, renunciates and Sannyāsis. You can happily continue your normal life, but drop your attachments, fantasies, speculations, greed and fear about the past or the future.

So, you need not renounce what you already have. All you need to do to achieve the space of completion is to renounce what you do not have.

Renunciation does not mean sitting cross-legged with a tense look and eyes closed. If Enlightenment could happen by shutting off our senses, it would be easy. We would just need to sit in soundproof rooms and wear blindfolds. Renunciation, tyāga is a state of mind and not a mere state of the body. It is even more than a state of mind; it is a space of be-ing. We can renounce attachments to relationships and possessions while being involved in material life. On the other hand, we could take Sannyāsa, go to the distant Himalayas, and every time we close our eyes, our inner television would switch on.

The surrender that Kṛṣṇa talks about involves completing and dropping fantasies of the future, incompletions of the past, and surrendering to the reality of the present. The true reality, the only truth is that we are part of the universal energy. We are part of the collective consciousness. When we have this awareness, there is no room for the individual ‘I’ and ‘mine’ to rule our actions.

Throughout Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa talks about renunciation. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahamsa said that the Gītā is nothing but ‘Tā Gī’, meaning tyāga, or renunciation. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, ‘Keep repeating ‘Tā Gī’ and you will understand ‘Gī Tā.’

Again and again Kṛṣṇa speaks about renunciation: How we should surrender the fruits of action to Him, without renouncing the action itself, and how all knowledge and action should be surrendered at His feet. He prepares Arjuna for this final moment when He tells him that all that needs to be done is surrender. That is all.

Surrender is of three kinds. The first step is the surrender of the intellect. For most people, especially intellectuals, this is the easiest. Your ego must be ripe before it can fall. The more stuff you pack into your thick skull, the more bloated it becomes. You become intoxicated with your own knowledge. You become intellectually arrogant. You are then ripe for surrender. When someone appears on the scene and proves that intellectual knowledge is a pile of garbage, a person with a truly ripe intellectual ego understands and accepts the truth. Only those with half-baked knowledge who pretend to have intellectual status have a problem in understanding such a truth. A true intellectual can understand that all acquired knowledge is a mirage, an illusion.

When this happens, such a person surrenders his intellect to the Master who shows him the way. Many intellectual seekers and spiritual shoppers come to me with loads of questions. After spending time with me, most of them tell me with great surprise that they no longer have questions. I don't take the trouble to answer their questions. No one can answer such questions. All I do is add more words to them. They struggle with the new words and ultimately find the right answers themselves!

When I do answer, I answer the questioner. I address the person, not his question. I look into his being and provide the solution.

The next step in surrender is the surrender of the heart. People ask how they will remember me when they go away from the ashram. I tell them that if I am their Master, they will have trouble forgetting me! Remembering me is not an issue, forgetting me is.

The thought of the Master will melt your heart. You will become emotional. You do not need to be in the Master's physical presence. The mere thought is enough. Tears will flow from your eyes. This is a powerful form of surrender. Rāmakṛṣṇa says, ‘Know this for sure: When the mere thought of your iṣṭadevatā (favorite deity) or your Master reduces you to tears, you are in your final janma, your final birth.’

What an Enlightened Master says is always true. So powerful is this surrender that it can liberate you, complete you, enlighten you. This is the power of devotion, bhakti. Kṛṣṇa keeps repeating that this is the easiest way to reach Him. Do not worry about learning scriptures or performing rituals. Do not worry about techniques. He says, ‘Just be devoted to Me and Me alone, and I shall save you.’

The third and final form of surrender is the surrender of the senses. When the surrender of senses happens, Enlightenment happens, and when Enlightenment happens, the surrender of the senses happens.

Walking with Arjuna after the Mahābhārat war, Kṛṣṇa points to a bird on a tree and remarks, ‘Arjuna, look at that green crow!’

Arjuna responds, ‘Yes, Kṛṣṇa, I see the green crow.’

Kṛṣṇa says, ‘What a fool you are! How can a crow be green?’

Arjuna simply says, ‘Kṛṣṇa, when you told me to look at that green crow, what I saw was indeed a green crow.’

Such was the state of Arjuna’s surrender to his Master, whatever He said was what Arjuna’s eyes saw. This is the final state of surrender.

The master-disciple relationship is the most mysterious phenomenon in Existence. It is not intellectually comprehensible. It cannot be proved in a logical way. Those who become Sannyāsis out of a logical conviction by listening to Masters and becoming convinced that what the Masters say is true, are only on the periphery. The true disciple has nothing to do with what the Master is saying; the true disciple has something to do with what the Master IS.

The true disciple rises in love. It is not a question of conviction. It is something more mysterious and transcendental. Hence, a real disciple cannot explain to anybody what has happened. Everybody will think that he has gone mad, that he has been hypnotized and that he is no longer in control of his senses.

People who think like that are not to blame. Certain things are beyond explanation. They elude rationalization. And in fact, life begins when you come in contact with something incomprehensible, inexplicable, indefinable and unprovable; yet somewhere deep down, your heart says it is so. It is falling totally in love, and it is a love of an entirely new quality.

This love is not limited to the Master but it is experienced towards the entire world. You no longer think in terms of ‘I,’ but in terms of ‘you.’ This is compassion. This feeling of unconditional, uncalled for and uncontrollable love is compassion. This happens when your ego surrenders.

It may surprise you that an enlightened Master has no freedom to do what he wishes. His surrender to the cosmic energy is so total that every move he makes is dictated by that energy. Ordinary people have the freedom to do what they wish. All this talk about destiny has no meaning. Each of you has full freedom to do what you wish. After doing what you want and suffering, you claim it was because of your destiny! Whatever you do is within your power. In contrast, I have no power to move on my own. Every word I utter is at the command of Parāśakti, the Cosmic energy.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s message to enrich Arjuna and to all seekers is to be com-plete, drop everything and surrender unto Him—mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (18.65). That is the only and final solution.

18.1 Arjuna says, 'O mighty armed Kṛṣṇa, I wish to understand what is the essence, tattva of renunciation, tyāga and the renounced order of life, sannyāsa, and the difference between the two, O Hriśīkeṣa, O Killer of the demon Keśī.'

Arjuna speaks now after being silent for a long time. He will stop speaking soon. He has just a few words. He is not questioning. He just expresses a few doubts. The arrogance or violence in Arjuna's being has disappeared. He has become like a flower due to the experience of the cosmic vision that Kṛṣṇa showered on him. I cannot even call these words doubts. He just wants to hear the truth from Kṛṣṇa again and again.

Sometimes after listening to the whole discourse, disciples ask me to repeat a joke or a story once more! They have heard it once but want to hear it again. Especially from the master, listening to certain things again and again gives great joy. The words of a Master are energy. These words drill deep into you and transform you. At the time of listening, you may not realize their impact. But they never fail to impact and enrich you. Arjuna asks some of these questions to listen to Kṛṣṇa again.

Arjuna says, 'O Mighty One, I wish to understand the purpose of renunciation and of the monastic life of Sannyāsa. O Hriśīkesa (another name of Kṛṣṇa, one who is in complete control of His senses), please tell me the truth.'

As I told you, it is not that Arjuna does not know. He has just heard the whole thing. Still, he wants to listen to it once more. Sometimes we enjoy listening to the same thing over and over. It is not that we do not understand, but it gives us great joy to listen to the same thing again and again! Like that, Arjuna wants to listen to the same truth again and again.

Arjuna wants to know why a person would want to sacrifice everything and what is the process of renunciation.

In India it is often difficult to distinguish a renunciate, a Sannyāsi, from a common beggar. Both seek alms. Both possess very little. And both are homeless. Many people take the easy path and treat the Sannyāsi like a beggar and shoo him off.

I tell my disciples, ‘When in doubt treat the beggar as if he were a monk. If you have money to give, what harm is there if you give it to enrich another person?’ Some people tell me, ‘But Swamiji, they are cheating us!’ So what? Get cheated, that’s all. When you give, give out of completion, give unconditionally or don’t give at all. When you give out of completion, not expecting anything in return, what difference does it make whether you give to a monk or a beggar. If you expect that a monk will bless you if you give and that the blessing will have effect, why can’t the blessing of a beggar have the same effect? And how do you know that a person wearing a monk’s garb is truly leading a monk’s life?

So, giving alms to a Sannyāsi is like taking out insurance. You expect that your merits are getting noted down in a Cosmic record to decide whether you go to hell or heaven.

Make it simple. Give out of your completion. Give unconditionally if you can afford it. Give even if you cannot afford it. That is when giving becomes truly enriching. When you sacrifice what you cannot afford to sacrifice, by the mere act of giving, you become a renunciate, a Sannyāsi. How noble it is!

Arjuna is confused about the act and the actor. What is important is the act. Anyone can be the actor.

Kṛṣṇa replies: 'Bhārata, now hear my judgment about renunciation. Renunciation is of many types. Let me explain the truth.'

And then Bhagavān starts.

Bhagavān says that some learned masters say that giving up activities based on material desires is renunciation, tyāga. Others say that giving up the results is renunciation. Hence some say that giving up activity is renunciation whereas others say that it is giving up the results.

No other master is as compassionate as Kṛṣṇa. He is the ultimate Master. He does not merely teach. He knows it is difficult for peo-ple to believe. It takes time to believe. So He gives logic to support His teachings. Again and again, He tries His best to convince Arjuna. Considering the level that He is at, there is no need for Him to come down to the level of Arjuna. He can say, 'This is the truth. If you want you can follow it, otherwise get out!' But He does not do that. He is compassionate. Again and again, He comes down and explains the truths step-by-step.

Some learned people recommend ritualistic actions, such as killing an animal for a sacrifice. Other learned people denounce that act. Thus there are different opinions regarding the same action by different Sages. Kṛṣṇa clarifies these opinions now.

After all, it is Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the form of the Ultimate who original-ly created the scriptures and laws. Therefore any explanation from Him should be considered the last word. He says that any process of renunciation should be considered within the context in which it is per-formed. Renunciation can be of three types: enriching sacrifice, charity and penance; yajña, dāna, tapaḥ. These purify even those who are already evolved and pure.

It must be understood that the purpose of performing yajña, enriching sacrifices is the purification or upliftment or completion of the human being on the spiritual path. They link cosmic energy with individual energy.

Kṛṣṇa says that any sacrifice done for the welfare or enrichment of humanity is not to be given up. As enriching sacrifices, yajñas are meant to achieve the supreme, performing charity, dāna is recommended to purify one's heart and put one on the path of spiritual progress. Sacrifice is normally understood to be rituals such as yajña and homa, etc. These are the fire rituals prescribed in Vedic literatures to propitiate the deities. When carried out with integrity and authenticity, these powerful techniques link us to the Cosmic energy.

Here you must understand that Kṛṣṇa talks about the reality of what existed more than five thousand years ago when these rituals were performed with awareness, integrity and authenticity. In performing an aśwamedha yajña, a powerful king let loose his prize horse to roam as it pleased in enemy territory and waged war with anyone who dared stop the horse. All the land that the horse covered became his vassal territory and those kings accepted the sovereignty of the owner of the horse.

This is what we know from the epics Mahābhārat and Rāmāyaṇa that detail these sacrifices. The Upaniṣads talk about the metaphorical significance of these rituals. In the scriptures, reference is made to the inner aśwamedha yajña, meditating upon the sun that is identified with aśwamedha.

In our times, sacrifice refers to any selfless enriching service that enriches others and enriches you. Whatever enriching we do for others out of completion, without expecting anything in return is a sacrifice, an enriching sacrifice or yajña. Unfortunately, many people engaged in sacrifice are more interested in seeing their pictures on the television or in newspapers than in the service.

Charitable enriching, dāna is giving out of overflowing completion with no expectation in return. Charity is not giving while posing for a picture that will be published in tomorrow's newspaper. That is business. Those who are truly charitable never allow others to know what they are doing. That is why it is said that your left hand should not know what your right hand is giving. Only then charity achieves its authentic purpose of enriching others.

Charity should also involve pain. You can call it charity when you cannot afford to give something away and yet you give it away. Charity must become a penance, tapaḥ and lead to austerity if it is to be real.

Penance, tapaḥ is denying oneself sense pleasures and being complete with the senses. Ultimately, the purpose of all spiritual exercise is to be complete with the mind, body and senses and thereby controlling the mind and senses. Penance, tapaḥ is turning inwards whereas sacrifice, yajña and charity, dāna are focused outwards.

‘All these enriching activities should be performed without attachment or expectation of results. They should be performed as a mat-ter of responsibility, and this is My final opinion,’ says the Master.

Only by enriching others does your life get enriched. Don’t be selfish. Understand, responsibility is the fruit. Enriching is sowing the seed for the fruit to happen. Enriching is sharing the fruit to create more fruits. Every person who eats the fruit is responsible for sowing the seed for more fruits to happen.

Kṛṣṇa gives His ultimate opinion. Earlier He explained what others said about renunciation, as either giving up the activity itself or the results of the activity. Now He says that His opinion on renunciation is living without attachment, etāny api tu karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalāni ca (18.6).

This must be understood in depth. Listen! Whether it is spiritual or worldly activity, as long as you struggle with a purpose and a goal, you can never relax. Whether it is the act of purifying your inner space by doing self-completion or purifying your outer space by enriching others, as long as you struggle, you will be in incompletion. Please be very clear about this. The person who surrenders to the flow of life, experiences the inner space and outer space at the same time. He enjoys the inner and the outer space at the same time. Whatever Kṛṣṇa has spoken in these seventeen chapters, He is now giving its gist.

Let me explain what I mean by the word surrender. Then you can understand better. Think of two intersecting lines, axes.

The vertical axis is spiritual life. The horizontal axis is

material life. The point of intersection is your being. This is the goal you have. You have some goal in your material life and also in your spiritual life. To achieve your goal in your material life, you are continuously struggling and working. You are somewhere on the horizontal axis. To achieve your spiritual goal, you are again working intensely doing yoga, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, etc. You practice spiritual techniques. You are somewhere on the vertical axis. So when you struggle with material goals, you are on the horizontal line whereas when you struggle with spiritual goals, you are on the vertical line.

As long as you are struggling, you can struggle either in this direction or that direction. As long as you struggle in material life, you avoid spiritual life. As long as you struggle in spiritual life, you avoid material life. Listen! As long as you struggle with completion, you don't enrich. As long as you struggle with enriching, you are not complete! Both are a struggle.

Kṛṣṇa says, 'Relax from both.' You may think, 'What is this funny instruction He is giving!' You think that if you relax in both you will lose both. However, the truth is that when you relax in both, you fall into your inner consciousness, your being or your inner space. When you experience this inner space, this inner consciousness, you will suddenly realize that you can explode in all directions. You do not need to choose between horizontal and vertical lines. You can travel on both lines at the same time! Not only that, you can explode in all directions. The only difficulty is that you must surrender at least to your own being. You do not need to surrender to somebody else. To whom you surrender is unimportant. Just relax into your own being. Just relax into your inner space, into your inner consciousness. Just surrender to your own inner space. Stop your struggle in the material world and the spiritual world.

In the material world or my world, the world of ‘mine’, your properties are your goal. You struggle to achieve these goals, such as enriching with wealth, career, success, etc. In the spiritual world also you have certain goals, such as Enlightenment, living in the space of completion, being integrated and authentic, etc. And you constant-ly run to attain that goal. Actually, spiritual goals create more ego than material goals. At least with material goals, at some point, you realize that you cannot achieve real happiness by running behind them. It can be tiring. But with spiritual goals you do not even understand what you are doing. Both goals take your being away from your being. When you surrender and relax into your being, you suddenly realize you are neither the body nor the mind, to choose between the horizontal and the vertical lines.

As long as you believe you are the mind, you will be forced to choose between the vertical and horizontal lines. You will be in a dilemma because the mind wants to choose. The mind and dilemma are the same thing. The mind ceases to exist once dilemmas vanish. The mind exists as long as you have dilemma. As long as you have confusion, the mind exists. Has your mind existed without dilemmas? No, never! You may be in a dilemma even to answer this question; that is all! The mind continues to exist only in dilemma. You continuously worry about whether to choose this or that.

Whenever you choose something, someday you will definitely wonder and your mind will create self-doubt about the choice you made. The mind only exists because of dilemma. As long as you are based in your mind, you will be choosing between material and spiritual goals. The people who choose material goals will feel that they are missing spiritual life. And those who pick spiritual goals will feel they are missing material life. This is because you choose between the two.

For the first time, Kṛṣṇa gives the ultimate technique for Quantum Spirituality. He is the first quantum scientist of the inner world. He says relax and surrender and you will experience the completion of your inner consciousness. You will understand that you do not need to choose between the horizontal and vertical lines. You can explode in all 360 degrees. You need not make a choice. You experience choicelessness. Choicelessness does not mean that you do not choose anything. When you stop choosing, you will choose everything.

Listen! I am asked by my disciples, ‘Should we not become completely complete from our root patterns and only then enrich others? Should we choose to do one?’

Please listen! Enriching and completion, both should be practiced simultaneously. Listen! With more and more completion, more and more enriching will happen. With more and more enriching, completion will happen. Actually, when you complete with somebody, you already started enriching that person. You can explode in all 360 degrees with completion and enriching, both!

Enriching starts happening with completion. Without enriching, completion cannot happen. Without completion, enriching cannot happen. When we stop choosing, both start together, one supports the other. You cannot say, ‘First I will operate my heart; and then once the heart starts functioning completely, then I will start operating the lungs.’ No! Lungs are completion. Heart is enriching. Both have to happen simultaneously. Lungs remove the carbon dioxide—incompletions from your system, and infuse oxygen—completion into your system. Heart circulates that whole oxygen into your blood and enriches your whole body. You cannot separate enriching and completion. If you are not enriching, please be very clear, completion is not happening. You are only fantasizing about completion. When you stop choosing between completion and enriching, your completion will be so powerful that you will simply enrich!

Similarly, surrender does not mean passive surrender or pretending, fantasizing to give up. Many people claim, ‘Swamiji, I have surrendered everything to God.’ It is mere lip service only. It is not reality.

People come up with odd statements. They tell me, ‘Swamiji, I have given up everything, I have surrendered everything to God. Bless me so that I get a better paying job!’ We sometimes make statements without knowing what the reality is.

A small story:

A journalist saw a crowd gathered around an accident on the road. He tried to find out what had happened, but could not get through the crowd.

He shouted, ‘Oh! My son has been hurt in the accident. Please move out of the way.’ The people gave way. He moved forward, only to see that a car had hit a donkey!

Before making any statement, look in, know your thoughts and words, know the situation. Bring integrity and authenticity! Otherwise, you will suffer! With the word surrender you make that mistake.

With real surrender you do not exclude anything. You include everything. You experience everything at once. You do not need to choose between horizontal and vertical lines. You can experience both and something more. You can explode! You experience something beyond your imagination. You experience different dimensions of your being.

Again, when I say surrender, you do not need to surrender to any God or Guru. God or Guru are symbols or representations. Just surrender to your own being, to your own consciousness, to your own inner space. The problem is you do not respect your inner space. That is why in the initial level you need an entity called God or Guru.

Kṛṣṇa says that nitya karma or obligatory responsibilities must be followed with discipline and consistency. Not doing these takes us into the state of tamas, inaction born out of ignorance and laziness.

Nitya karmas vary from person to person. The duties of a householder are different from those of a monk or a student. Each has clear guidelines in terms of what they should and should not do.

Many times the idea of dropping our responsibilities and taking up a different role is more attractive than growing in completion so that we can perform our own responsibilities well and without attachment. Be very clear, without the right cognition of completion, no role that we take up will work out for us.

Instead of taking up responsibility and expanding you and your life around you, watching television, sleeping or daydreaming seems much more pleasant and easy. We would rather do that than meditate or perform pūjā or whatever is our prescribed duty.

Please listen! I am talking something very important and very mystical! It takes just four days for your muscle-memory to taste laziness, boredom and tiredness and settle down with it! I tell you, never ever take vacation for four days continuously in your life. The very frequency in which you function is reduced. Because, in four days, your muscle-memory gets settled with tiredness, boredom and laziness! Even if you are without job for four days, be active in something. Go and meet your friends, family. Take up some voluntary service. Do not be without responsibility for four days.

You may ask, ‘Why four days?’ Listen! It takes four days for anything to become part of your muscle-memory. For four days in the morning, if you don’t come for yoga, don’t come for satsang, fifth-sixth day your muscle-memory will start proposing alternatives to you at that time. What are the alternatives? Sleeping, rolling on the bed, TV, so many things are there.

One of the biggest diseases that people suffer physically is unable to be active, having incompletions with being active. Giving up the responsibility for what needs to be done because it is uncomfortable is not renunciation! That is convenient inaction born out of rajas.

Please listen! I am defining Sannyāsa.

When you don't take responsibility for anything, you live as slave, śūdra. When you take the responsibility for the money of the society, you become vaiśya. When you take the responsibility for weapon of the society, you become kṣatriya. When you take the responsibility for knowledge of the society, you become brāhmaṇa. When you take responsibility for everything, you become Sannyāsī.

Only when you take responsibility, life happens to your body. If you have any disease, take responsibility for it; so that you can heal and then take care that you don't attract that disease again back.

In the same way, if you have broken a relationship because of your irresponsibility, unconsciousness, now take the responsibility that next time you don't do it. Life does not end by breaking one relationship. You don't need to be depressed or you don't need to start being in that same space of powerlessness. When you take the responsibility you can even patch up with the relationship you broke. You can approach the person and rebuild the relationship.

Listen. One of the biggest problem we have is—'let me have the power first, let me have the status first, let me have the position first, then I will take the responsibility.' No! That does not happen in life. Take the responsibility to build the state inside you. Then, after you are tested by the Cosmos, it gives you the status. That status can never be taken away.

I took the responsibility for teaching the science of Enlightenment. I started living, I started building the state, then human society has tested me enough. Now I can simply see many powerful positions are automatically coming towards me. Listen, I am not going in search of them. Responsibility attracts more responsibility. The problem is we are afraid of more responsibility, so we deny even the responsibility that we have in our hand. But more and more responsibility adds more and more life energy into you.

Understand, because Siddharth took the responsibility and he became Buddha, the whole of Buddhism is built on responsibility and enriching. Integrity leads to authenticity. Responsibility leads to enriching. Take responsibility for everything happening around you. Buddha did not make that man old. Buddha did not make that man diseased. Buddha did not kill that man. But he took the responsibility for that state of affairs! He did not say, 'Oh! I don't know why he became sick. I don't know why he became old. I didn't kill him.' Had he thought in that manner, Siddharth would have been Siddharth; Buddha would never have happened! Fortunately, he thought that he is responsible for it. He cognized His responsibility. Siddharth became Buddha when He applied the truth that the science of life is responsibility!

After attending a course many ask how many meditation techniques they can do each day. I tell them, 'Do at least one properly.' A week later, after the fervor has cooled down, if I ask, they sheepishly say, 'I do not have time to practice even one meditation, Swamiji.' All of us find time for everything except meditation. We find time to give appointments to everyone else except ourselves! Who is the loser?

Kṛṣṇa says that doing what needs to be done because that is what is our responsibility, without attachment to the action and without desire is the ideal condition of satva.

Kṛṣṇa has said this many times in the Gītā. He repeats it again so that the message sinks in our muscle-memory and bio-memory. Do what must be done. Do what your responsibility is, based on your societal or religious beliefs and codes. However, do it with integrity and authenticity without attachment and expectation of results.

The consciousness of 'I' and 'mine', in terms of the performance of the activity should be absent. The consciousness of 'feeling responsible in your being' should be present. Restricting your being in feeling responsible is what I call conditioning. Responsibility in your being means the space from which you cognize, from where you make decisions, carrying responsibility in that zone.

Please listen! If you don't feel you are responsible for something, you don't even think in that line. If you feel you are responsible for something, only then will you even look into that part of your life. When you feel responsible in your being, for any problem, or anything, you find solution for that problem or that situation.

You don't need to do any action, you don't need to do any thinking. Decide from your being that you will feel responsible for the whole world. You will take actions towards your immediate responsibility as per your prescribed duty , but you will feel responsible for the whole.

Suddenly, you will see all your actions will have authenticity, your thinking will have integrity! Mainly, whatever you are doing, if you take responsibility for the world, even if you are a doctor, you will become a better doctor. If you are a lawyer, you will become a better lawyer. If you are an engineer, you will become a better engineer, If you are a politician, you will become a better politician.

If you are a doctor, know that you are responsible for the whole world. So you are responsible for your patients also! With this context when you start functioning, even you attending to your patients will become a spiritual practice leading you to enlightenment, because in any context you do any action, that context will become your bio-memory and reality.

If you are a cook and you are cooking with the responsibility that only if you cook you will have money, and with that money only you can take care of your needs and your family, then you may be a good family man, you may be a head of family, you may be a good cook, nothing more than that! But, if you do the same job with the cognition of ‘I will enrich the world with the food! I am responsible for the whole world. So this cooking and enriching the world is the immediate action I will do, but I am responsible for the whole world.’

I tell you, just with this shift in your cognition, you will be a karma yogi; because innumerable right things will be added to your thinking, to your being, to your action and to your life.

It is the amount of responsibility you bring into your being that makes your life juicy. I tell you, if you bring more responsibility into your cognition, your life becomes exciting! Understand, if your cognition shrinks, you also shrink, your actions shrink, your integrity shrinks. If your cognition expands with more responsibility, authenticity happens in your action, integrity happens in your thinking and your words.

Kṛṣṇa says that a person in the sātvic space of completion, calmness and awareness is undisturbed by external conditions. He is not bothered whether someone appreciates or condemns what he does. He just feels responsibility in his being. He is clear what he should do and he carries on with excitement.

Renunciation is in the true spirit of completion and is done out of goodness, only when a person renounces the expectation of result.

It is natural that a human being cannot remain still without doing some work. Man must be doing something, anything, all the time. If not physically, at least mentally he does something. Even in sleep, he dreams. If we close our eyes, we watch our inner television. Mentally we think the whole day, but it is not directed in one direction, we are not useful to ourselves and to others. Please understand, when you lack integrity, when you have incompletions mentally, even if you think, it will not be useful thinking.

Only an Enlightened person truly keeps his body and mind still. So the normal man is never without activity. This being the case, the only way man can be comfortable and at peace with himself is by not having any expectation of the result of his thoughts or words or actions. This can be achieved by every one of us. Kṛṣṇa says that one who is not concerned about the fruits of his action has truly renounced.

Attachment to action and to the results of action creates more desires. Even when an action has been completed and the expected result achieved, as long as one is attached to that action and its result, another desire crops up. Even when one desire is fulfilled, another unfulfilled desire rises. This is a constant, consistent sequence of incompletions. This is what I call karma.

Karma is nothing but unfulfilled, incomplete desires. As long as we have attachment to the action as ‘doer’, which in turns creates an expectation of reward or punishment, we are caught in the cycle of karma and saṃsāra. Our concern about whether an action or the result is good, bad or a mix of both, follows us as our mental patterns or vāsanā after death.

Please understand that no one is ‘up there’ keeping an account of our deeds and misdeeds. Our own spirit does that job. So we can never escape! No amount of propitiation or contribution to ‘noble’ causes will erase the knowledge from our inner Self of what we have done. When we die, the body perishes but the spirit moves on to another body. That spirit carries its earlier mental patterns, its vāsanā. There is no exception to this rule. Saṃskāras or root patterns are the carried-over incomplete desires and they cause the cycle of saṃsāra, birth, death and rebirth.

However, we have no unfulfilled desires, karma, saṃskāra or vāsanā left when we renounce attachment to ‘doership’ and become a mere witness to both the action and the result. This means we act without expectation and attachment to the result of our action. Such a person breaks out of this cycle of saṃsāra.

18.13,14 Learn from Me Arjuna, there are five causes that bring about the accomplishment of all action, as described in Sāṅkhya philosophy. These are: physical body that is the seat of action, the attributes of nature or guṇa that are the Doer, the eleven organs of perceptions and action by the life forces and finally the Divine.

18.15 These five factors are responsible for whatever right or wrong actions a man performs by deed, word and thought.

18.16 Therefore, one who thinks himself, his body and spirit, as the only doer [kartā], is certainly ignorant and foolishly does not see things as they are.

In these verses, Kṛṣṇa gives the exact technology of surrender. These two verses can be called techniques.

Kṛṣṇa lists five factors from Sāṅkhya philosophy responsible for our activities. These are the body-mind system, the operator of the body-mind system (that is the individual), the senses, different efforts causing the activities and finally the ultimate power of God. All activities, right or wrong, good or bad, are caused by these five factors. If however, the individual considers himself to be the doer, his body and mind, he is not aware.

Kṛṣṇa uses the word ātman while saying that one who perceives one's spirit or Self as the agent, the doer, or the performer, does not see and is not aware. Kṛṣṇa draws a distinction between the individual Self and the cosmic energy. He differentiates between ātman and Brahman, mānava and Deva, nara and Nārāyaṇa, self and Parāśakti.

Kṛṣṇa concludes that while philosophical discussion mentions five players in all activities, the ultimate controller is the Divine. We are immersed in our body-mind-spirit system and caught in our sensory perceptions and believe that we are the power behind all that we do. So long as we have this deluded belief, we are rooted in ignorance.

Whatever you may understand as yourself, your body-mind-spirit system is the totality of many things. And individually each is responsible for something. In spite of this, you think that ‘you’ are responsible for the whole thing. That is where the trouble starts. Kṛṣṇa gives the technology for the deeper levels of surrender.

As we saw earlier, there are three levels of surrender. The first is intellectual surrender. This means you accept that the Master’s intellect is sharper than your intellect; His intellect is of a higher order than yours. This is intellectual surrender. Next is emotional surrender. This is trusting that the Master’s guidance on the emotional plane is more intelligent than your emotions. The third is surrendering the senses, your cognition or the root of cognition itself.

Surrendering the intellect is easy because it continuously tortures you. You have suffered with the intellect for many years. You want to get rid of it. So you surrender it. When you see somebody more intelligent and with clearer thinking, you just surrender. For example, when you hire a consultant, you surrender to his ideas. When you take on a lawyer, you surrender to his ideas because you know his intellect is sharper than yours in that field. In the spiritual field also, when you see a person who knows more, you surrender your intellect to that person. That is not a big thing. Surrendering intellectually happens easily. Most of the time you want to get rid of your intellect. Finding somebody to dump your intellect on allows you to relax from it.

Next comes emotional surrender. This happens when you feel deeply connected to the Master after experiencing some meditation or understanding. You respect his emotions more than your own. The Master’s emotions mean the things he guides you in, the way he wants you to live. You give more importance to these things than what you think of as life. Slowly he becomes the center of your life. You respect him more than other emotional attachments. Priorities shift. The Master becomes the number one priority at the emotional level. Emotional surrender is when you feel totally connected at the emotional level.

Next is a deeper level of surrender.

After listening to these seventeen days of discourses, you can understand this deeper level of surrender. This is the level of the senses. The surrender of the senses means that your senses listen to what he says. Normally, when you listen to me, a filter in your mind discounts what you do not agree with. You hear what you want to hear. However, when intellectual and emotional surrender happen, you are ready to surrender this disbelief and unblock your senses.

Once a disciple asked his Master, ‘Why should I surrender?’

The Master asked, ‘How do you know whatever you think you know about yourself?’

The disciple replied, ‘I know myself through my senses.’

The Master asked, ‘Who do you think you are according to your senses?’

The disciple said, ‘As far as I know, I am the body and mind.’

His Master responded, ‘You are God, not just body and mind.’

The Master said, ‘Only when you surrender your senses, will you realize the truth of what I am saying. The moment you trust me more than your senses, you experience that you are God. You then understand the meaning of Tat Tvam Asi (literally ‘You Are That’, meaning ‘you are divine’).’

The Master again and again tries to show that you are God. I keep saying, ‘I am not here to prove that I am God. I am here to prove that you are God.’

The Master stands for the idea that you are the infinite. He shows you various dimensions of your inner self that you have not explored or experienced. He shows you so many dimensions of your being. The Master stands for your multi-dimensional being. He tries to show you that it is possible. He shows that if it is possible for him, it is possible for you also. But as long as you believe your senses, you think that you are the body and mind.

When you trust the Master more than your senses, you understand that the Master’s words are the truth and not your senses. Then you experience the truth of the Master’s words. When the Master says you are God, you suddenly realize the truth for yourself. You understand that you are God. You realize that you are not the body or mind as your senses have led you to believe. When you believe the Master’s words more than your senses, you experience this truth.

Two voices are speaking from two different levels. On the one hand, your senses tell you that you are the body and mind. On the other hand, the Master tells you that you are God; you are divine and have many dimensions to your being. He tells you to enjoy and experience everything. As long as you listen to your senses, you will not even listen to what the Master says. When you move away from your senses and come to the Master, you listen to Him and experience the truth that you are Divine.

In the inner world, the first and last tool you need is complete surrender. Only then can you wake up to the Truth. If Arjuna had trust-ed only his senses, he would have been at best a good warrior and king. Instead he trusted Kṛṣṇa more than his senses and became enlightened. He experienced the truth of Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa said that the crow was green, he saw a green crow. Such was his faith.

You can experience Kṛṣṇa consciousness not just by surrendering the intellect and emotions but also by surrendering the root of the intellect and emotions, that is the senses. The senses supply the data. When you surrender them, the source of the data is surrendered.

When you surrender your senses, the root cognition of yourself, you lose your identification with the body and mind. As long as you believe your senses, you think that you are the body and mind. Only when you believe the Master's words more than your senses, do you realize the truth that you are divine. On one hand, your senses say you are the body and mind. On the other hand, the Master tells you that you are divine and in eternal bliss. He tells you that you are the consciousness beyond body and mind.

It is up to you to choose. If you believe the senses, you cannot believe the Master. And if you believe the Master, you cannot believe your senses. Your way of life decides whether you surrender to your senses or your Master. It is for you to decide.

Kṛṣṇa says that only when you surrender at all three levels do you have the ultimate experience. Let me tell you this, surrender itself is Enlightenment. Please do not think Enlightenment will be issued to you after surrendering. No! It is not a paycheck you receive by courier. Surrender itself is Enlightenment. At that moment, you experience the Truth.

Usually we play with words. At least be aware of the moments when you play with words. People tell me that they have surrendered their life to Kṛṣṇa, Venkateśvara or Śiva. Then they say that their only wish is to be happy. If they have truly surrendered, surrender is enough. They will not need to ask for anything else. Sometimes people ask if they need to meditate since they have surrendered to God. If they have surrendered, they will have no doubts, nor will they need meditation! If they have doubts, they need meditation. As long as doubts remain, surrender has not happened, because the moment you surrender, you disappear.

A beautiful verse in Tamil says, 'When you give your 'I' and 'mine' to Existence, Parāśakti or Existence gives Her ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ to you.’ Both bank accounts merge and become one. It becomes a joint account! You have nothing to lose.

When you think of yourself as body and mind, you have śariram rogamayam and manam sohamayam. Śariram rogamayam means that the body is filled with diseases. Manam sohamayam means that the mind is filled with sorrows or depression. Since that is the case, what can we surrender? Absolutely nothing, except a body full of diseases and a mind full of sorrows. When you drop these two at the feet of the Divine, He gives you His body and mind! And it becomes, śariram devamayam, manam sukhamayam, atma anandamayam—meaning, you get in exchange a Divine body, a mind in happiness as well as a third thing: a Soul in bliss! A ‘give one, get three free’ offer!

Manickavasagar, the great Enlightened Master, sings a beautiful Tamil song to Śaṅkara (Lord Śiva): tandadu entanai, kondadu untanai, sankara yaarkolo saturar? He says, ‘I gave myself to You and received You in return. Who benefited most from this bargain? Who is more intelligent, O Śaṅkara?’

In surrender, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Surrendering does not mean giving up everything. It does not mean giving up your property. Keep everything; however, take care that you do not internalize them. Do not judge yourself based on your properties. You are far greater than you think. Do not judge yourself based on your bank balance. Do not judge yourself based on your relationships. Do not judge yourself based on name and fame. Do not judge yourself based on your friends. You are greater than all these things put together.

As long as you judge yourself based on these things, you internalize these into your being. These become the central points in your life. They push and pull you in all directions. You will not have yourself for your being. As long as these are the major factors in your life, these things will rule you. Even so, you are greater than all these things put together.

Understand that you are something beyond these things. The moment you wake up to this truth, you will not allow yourself to be put into any frame based upon bank balance, relationships, attitudes or name and fame. These things cannot be used to judge you. The moment you wake up to this truth, you have surrendered. I simply ask you to surrender these small ideas you have about yourself.

On the surface of the vast ocean, small bubbles are formed. One bubble starts thinking that it is an individual long lasting entity. It thinks that it must become strong. It lasts only for a few moments. Yet within those few moments, it collects other bubbles around it. One bubble is its wife, another bubble is its son and so on. Some are called parents or relatives, still others are friends, and so on. It collects bubbles on all sides to protect itself.

It collects a few grains of sand from the beach and thinks it is its property. It thinks one grain of sand is its bank balance, another is its jewelry and treasures and so on. Then it builds a fence to protect its property. How long can the bubble play this game? Only for a few seconds! Before it can complete its game, it disappears back into the ocean.

The bubble was part of the ocean in all three instances: when it was created, when it existed and when it disappeared. Even though it claimed to be different from the ocean, even though it thought it was an individual, and even though it thought many people and things belonged to it, it was always part of the ocean and very soon disappeared into it also!

In the same way, for a few moments you think you exist as an individual being in this universal consciousness. Within those few moments you catch hold of a few people as your relatives and friends. This makes you feel safe. You collect a few things as possessions. You feel secure with these things around you. With these things you form an opinion about yourself. You play the same game as the bubble.

Suddenly the whole thing disappears. Before the game started, while the game is going on and when the game ends, whether you understand it or not, realize it or not, experience it or not, you belong to the ocean. You are God. You are one with Existence.

You are playing a game. You register your marriage to another bubble. You register some grains of sand as your property. The registrar is another bubble! A larger bubble is the ruler of the land or that bit of the ocean! And there is an understanding among the bubbles, 'You will not hit me and I will not hit you! You will not take my bubble and I will not take yours!' The whole game goes on in this way. Suddenly within one moment the whole thing is part of the ocean again.

When I say surrender, I mean wake up to the truth that you are in the ocean. When you are born, when you think you are an individual or when you become enlightened, you are always in the ocean. Just wake up! Waking up to this ultimate Truth is surrender. Sur-render these small ideas about yourself and wake up to reality. As a result, surrender automatically happens in your inner space, your inner Con-sciousness. Otherwise you just play with the word surrender.

We use inflated words when we define ourselves. We do not re-alize that we are beyond these descriptions. One day a follower used exaggerated words about himself in front of me. After he left I told my disciple that he seemed to be suffering from an inferiority complex. My disciple was perplexed. He asked how it could be called an inferiority complex when he boasted so much. I told him, 'Understand, each of us is God. Hence anything we say about ourselves that is lesser than that, is an inferiority complex!'

Any estimation you have of yourself except that you are God is an underestimation! You suffer from an inferiority complex if you think of yourself as anything other than God. Drop your ideas about yourself. Wake up to the Truth that you are the ocean.

Some fish swim along with the current and others swim against the current. Whether they go with or against the current, all the fish are in the water. Whether you flow with Existence or fight it, you are one with it. Whether or not you have realized you are Divine, you are Divine. There is no choice in this. There is only one choice, realize and enjoy or continue to struggle and suffer; that's all! You may try to create stronger fences around yourself or collect more bubbles around you, but can you ask the wave not to come? Whatever you may do, the whole thing is only a drama of a few seconds.

The next problem is what to do if you cannot surrender. Some people tell me, 'Swamiji, I am unable to surrender. What can I do?'

Do not worry, because you have nothing to surrender. By understanding that you have nothing to surrender, you have already surrendered. Just relax. Whether you surrender or not, this is the truth. Whether you surrender or not, Existence takes care. Automatically life continues and you will relax. That relaxation itself is surrender.

Relax into the flow of life and wake up to the truth that you are something greater than your body and mind as suggested by your senses. You are led by society to think that you are something. Now wake up to the truth that you are greater than what you can imagine. You are beyond any imagination you can have of yourself. Surrendering will give you a new consciousness. You will not be the same person. One single moment of surrender will transform your whole life. You will be a new being.

Receive this truth of surrender and work on it. Suddenly you will wake up and give birth to yourself as an enlightened being. The moment you understand you belong to the ocean, that you are from it, that you are in it and that you will disappear into it, you will realize that you will never die, because you are the ocean.

As long as you identify with the bubble, you feel insecure. The instinct to survive and the instinct to possess torture you. The moment you realize that you are the ocean, the instinct to survive disappears be-cause there is no death for you. There is nothing to fear, nothing to feel insecure about. Death creates fear as long as you think you are the bubble.

The moment you realize that you are the ocean, there is nothing to possess because everything belongs to you. There is nothing to lose and nothing to acquire. Hence, the instinct to possess disappears. I am not asking you to legally throw away your possessions. You do not need to throw away whatever you have done for your 'I' and 'mine'. You do not need to throw away whatever you have. Just do not internalize them. Within yourself be aware and be complete that you are something greater than anything you can possibly possess.

At the age of seven, your toys are important to you. Do they hold the same importance today? You have neither renounced them nor are you attached to them. They are just there. Do you feel that you must return home because the toys are there? No! Do you feel the toys make your life a torture and that you must renounce them? No! You feel neither attached nor detached. You have grown beyond them.

Rāga means attachment. Arāga means detachment. Virāga (or vairāg- ya) means beyond attachment and detachment. As you grew up, vairāgya naturally happened towards your toys. So also, when you realize that you are the ocean, vairāgya will happen towards the few sand particles and bubbles that you have collected and gathered around yourself. You will have gone beyond these things.

The instincts to survive and possess would no longer be relevant to you. Your property does not suddenly disappear. They are there, but you live them and enjoy them more intensely. You do not take them for granted. You do not feel bored with them. You do not think: same house, same wife and same life! You take them for granted only when you think they are your properties.

When you realize that they may be taken from you at any moment, you do not take them for granted. When you realize that you are the ocean and that they are also of the same ocean, you value them more. When you realize this, you are transformed at the level of body, mind and consciousness. When consciousness is transformed, you give birth to a new you.

Kṛṣṇa goes much deeper than these three levels of surrender: surrender of the intellect, surrender of the emotions and surrender of the senses. He gives Arjuna a glimpse of the greatest surrender. He gives Arjuna a glimpse of the ultimate experience itself. Kṛṣṇa already gave Arjuna the experience during Viśvarūpa darśan, the vision of His Cosmic form. Even so, Arjuna was unable to establish himself in that experience due to fear.

Always you miss the first experience because of fear. Now Arjuna is more mature and capable of being established in the experience. Kṛṣṇa gives Arjuna the experience that will stay with him forever. In the next few verses Kṛṣṇa puts Arjuna into the experience of Enlightenment. He wakes him up to the ultimate Truth.

Kṛṣṇa is waking Arjuna up from the long slumber called saṁsāra sāgara. This can also be called unconsciousness or tamas. Kṛṣṇa gives him a good shake by giving him the ultimate experience and puts him in that state forever. I was telling you about the three levels of surrender. Kṛṣṇa puts Arjuna into that final level or highest level of surrender.

A very dangerous statement! Kṛṣṇa goes to the extreme.

No master except Kṛṣṇa can make such a courageous state-ment. Kṛṣṇa makes a bold statement here. One who is not moti-vated by ego, whose intelligence is not based on attachment, though he may kill many men in this world, he does not kill, nor is he bound by his actions.

Of course, one who has reached that level of completion does not think of killing. As long as we have the idea of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, we attack or kill. When we exclude, we kill. On the other hand, when we surrender, we learn to include everything.

One thing we need to understand. We kill others only when we feel insecure. We do not need courage to make war. We only need coward-ice. Only cowards go to war. They are afraid for themselves and kill oth-ers. To kill others, we do not need courage. We simply need cowardice. The person who is courageous never kills others. He is established in non-violence. Only cowards continuously try to hurt others. A courageous person does not try to hurt others. That is the reason Kṛṣṇa makes this bold statement—one who is not entangled in ego, even if he kills, does not kill.

Kṛṣṇa emphasizes here: May you be liberated from entanglement. May you liberate yourself from ego, yasya nāhaṅkṛto bhāvo. He does not ask Arjuna to kill. One problem is that people give their own meaning to words. They have their own delusive cognition.

A small story:

> Once there was a little boy in a Zen monastery training > to be a monk. One day, when he was cleaning his master's > room he accidentally broke his master's favorite teacup. He > wanted to confess to his master about the teacup, but was > scared that he would punish him. > > He approached the Master and asked him, 'Master, isn't > it true that everything that was born has to die someday?' > > The master replied, 'Yes.' > > The boy then showed him the fragments of the broken > cup and said, 'It was time for your teacup to die.'

Do not give your own meaning to what Kṛṣṇa has said! He is asking you to be liberated from ego. He is asking you to be complete with your root patterns. The person who has realized that he is part of a whole will not kill even if he kills. Grasp the proper meaning of this. Kṛṣṇa asks you to experience the truth about yourself. He does not ask you to kill people. Recognize the correct meaning. Kṛṣṇa inspires you to realize the truth of your natural space of completion, not to kill.

Understand, only if you start living completion, you will understand the quality of life. I tell you, when there is incompletion, your life is stolen away from you! When the completion happens in you, you regain your life!

Kṛṣṇa asks you to complete yourself from your delusory cognition of ego. He does not ask you to go around killing people. Understand the truth behind the words. Only a Master like Kṛṣṇa can make such a courageous statement.

Kṛṣṇa uses killing as an extreme example to make Arjuna think. The focus is on non-attachment arising out of egolessness, which is the space of completion. You need to know, completion done to be in the space of completion transforms your personality, transforms your being, heals the intense, constant, agitated violence you carry towards you and others.

When one no longer feels the need to survive, anything that one does is without attachment and without expectation. When a person is in that state, he is truly in completion with Existence. If such a person destroys, it is similar to the destruction caused by Nature, which happens at a different frequency and understanding level as I explained earlier.

Kṛṣṇa makes this statement to drive the point home to Arjuna that it is his responsibility to stand up and fight instead of running away from the battlefield.

18.18 Knowledge, the object of the knowledge and the subject of the knowledge, the knower, are the three factors that stimulate action; the senses, the action and the performer comprise the three components of action.

18.19 According to the science of guṇa or attributes in Sāṅkhya, there are three types in knowledge, action, and performers of action. Now Listen as I describe them.

18.20 That knowledge by which the one imperishable reality is seen in all Existence, undivided in the divided, you should undrestand to be the knowledge in the state of goodness.

18.21 The knowledge by which one sees different realities of various types among all beings as separate from one another, such knowledge is in the mode of aggression.

18.22 The irrational, baseless, and worthless knowledge by which one clings to one single effect as if it is everything; such knowledge is in the mode of darkness or ignorance.

18.23 Obligatory duty performed without likes and dislikes and without selfish motives and attachment to the fruit, is in the mode of goodness.

18.24 Action performed with ego, with selfish motives, and with too much effort, is in the mode of aggression.

18.25 Action that is undertaken because of delusion, disregarding consequences, loss, injury to others, as well as one's own ability, is in the mode of ignorance.

In these verses Kṛṣṇa explains the nature of man, the human.

Kṛṣṇa has already said that the final performer is not man, nara, but the Divine, Nārāyaṇa. Even so the human is still the subject, the medium that we are dealing with. All the frailties that we have are inherent in our nature. These are the guṇas or attributes that define our behavior. These attributes control our thoughts, words and actions. One is not all the time, from birth to death, in one guṇa or attribute.

The guṇas are of three kinds: satva, rajas and tamas. Satva is defined as calm, peaceful, spiritual and good, etc. This is generally the attribute of spiritually inclined persons. Rajas is translated as aggressive, passion-ate and active, etc. This is the primary attribute of kings, warriors and business people. Tamas is lazy, ignorant and passive, etc. Tamas is seen as the inactive component that many of us experience at times. It is the active component of those who live to eat and sleep.

In these verses Kṛṣṇa beautifully defines in detail the qualities and effects of these guṇas upon us. His purpose in doing this is to make us aware of what happens within us. Majority of the time we are ignorant of 'why' we react the way we do. As the Master explains in these words, and once we understand and cognize how we react, we can move to the next level of completion and shift to a superior attribute. If we find our own answer for the 'why' we will become spiritually enlightened!

Yes, all of us must be rājasic or aggressive, part of the time to accom-plish things. Even so, if we can act aggressively without greed, anger or fear affecting us, as well as acting without attachment, we are in the sātvic space, although superficially we seem to be in the rājasic space.

Swami Vivekananda says beautifully, ‘First of all, the beaten and broken consciousness which has fallen into tamas, inertia, let it come to the awakening state of rajas, activism. Then it can be guided into sātvic, spiritual balance.’

Kṛṣṇa defines a sātvic person as one who sees the collective consciousness, the whole, in parts. He understands that he is not alone and not an island, rather he is linked with everyone and everything in this Universe. He understands his connection with the cosmic energy.

A satvic person is not focused on himself, he is focused on enriching others. Because he completes with his root patterns, He real-izes that his survival and possessions, the ‘I’ and ‘mine’, are meaningless. His activities are selfless, without expectation of praise or reward, and without attachment to the process or result. Such a person is not affected by the seeming success or failure of what he undertakes because there is no feeling of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ involved in his actions.

It is not that difficult to move into a sātvic state. True, you may not be able to stay there all the time, but once you understand how this state completes you, you try more and more to stay there.

To be in the sātvic state is to understand that past and future are mere illusions. They do not exist. Past is gone, never to return. Why worry? Future is a mirage. All you can do is activate your present moment. That is all you can do. The present moment determines your future. Once you focus on the present, your space of completion increases manifold and you drop expectations and attachment. You just do what is needed. You respond to reality. You respond to the now. You are in satva.

You fall into a rājasic state when you distinguish between ‘you’ and ‘I’, between this and that. There is no differentiation. Your mind, the ego, creates this differentiation. Your root thought patterns, saṁskāras overpower your complete cognition and bring up this delusory cogni-tion of differentiating between you and others. A rājasic person does everything expecting a reward. He is selfish, aggressive and impatient. When he does not get what he wants, he is upset. Failure is a blow to his ego.

A rājasic person can never be happy and complete. Please understand, almost all of you are driven by rajas. This is the predominant attribute in modern society. Rich or poor, intelligent or foolish, educated or uneducated, almost everyone compares himself with the next person and wants what the other person has. As long as you are driven by your desires, and not complete with what you have, you are in rajas.

Too much of society has entered into human beings. You all have become social beings, you are no more human beings. You just have a set of manuals – at what age what is expected of you, at what age what are you supposed to do, and where are you supposed to be, how are you supposed to be talking, what are you supposed to be thinking, how are you supposed to be behaving. See, by default society is incomplete. So you are put in that rājasic space. Only if you are conscious, you can attract the space of completion.

Please listen! The pure space, satva seems to be a little heavy, little too much of joy! You feel you can’t afford it. It is like you don’t want to own the whole ocean, you want to own only the beach. Because only in the beach you can put a fence and ensure that others can’t enter into it. Ocean you can own, but not possess. Please understand, owning is different and possessing is different.

All of us can own the whole world; that is not a problem at all. But we can’t possess it, that is where the problem starts. Owning is different and possessing is different. The whole village owns the village temple, but you possess your house. We not only own our house, we possess it and make sure that others don’t enter. We don’t want to own the ocean, we want to possess the ocean. When we want to possess, we know that we can’t possess the ocean. Not only we can’t deny entry to other human beings, we can’t deny entry to other animals. There are millions of animals below. When we want to possess that is where the problem starts.

Rajas corrodes you. It eats up your soul. There is no boundary to possessing, no end to greed and no limit to fear. These are the driving forces of rajas. Rajas is about trying to attain what you don't have, trying to eliminate and possess what you want to have, not being complete with what you have, not being complete about where you are and not being complete and happy when you are in the present moment. You are either constantly in the future, imagining what you would like to be and what you would like to possess, or you are in the past thinking about how you could have done better. Rajas is living in a fantasy world of possessing. Satva is living in a reality world of owning and also letting others own.

Listen! If you want to own, you can own the whole world. See, unfortunately, only if you eliminate others, you feel that you are victorious, which is not right. This is a basic wrong understanding. Please get it! I want you to know a very important fact. Never, ever will you be free by your efforts to be free. Freedom will happen to you only by the right knowledge about freedom, never by your efforts towards freedom. Listen! Never your effort towards freedom is going to give you freedom. It is only the knowledge about the freedom that will give you freedom. Get it!

So, the basic mistake that eliminating others is the only way you can possess or own is wrong! To own, you don't need to eliminate others. But because of this pattern, just because you want to eliminate others, you are ready to settle down with a few acres of beach. You are ready to forego the whole ocean! It is exactly with the same patterns, it is only with these patterns you define your identity. Without patterns, it is like you in the ocean.

In tamas one is fully in delusion, in the delusory cognition of incompletion. One sticks to root thought patterns, incomplete knowledge or inadequate cognition and conditions without making an effort to verify the answer of the 'why', whether they are right or wrong, appropriate or not, harmful or not. Listen! If one does not find the answer for 'why' and eats somebody else's answer, one can even be made as a religious terrorist. Religious zealots are in tamas. There is no difference between them; only their objectives are different. Both are dog-matic, violent and totally selfish. They adopt any means, even criminal, to achieve their objectives.

Tamas does not just mean inactivity, laziness and procrastination. Yes, it is all that; however, it also includes mindless action performed without realizing that one is part of a whole. The ego is so enlarged that it believes it is the whole. It believes nothing else of significance exists; others are of no consequence.

Here Kṛṣṇa refers to the approach known as defining the pu- ruṣārtha or meanings of life.

Dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa are the four puruṣārtha. These can be translated as righteousness, wealth, desire or lust and liberation. These are the four-fold meanings of life. I prefer not to call them the purposes of life. There is no purpose to life. Once we fix a purpose to life, it becomes a goalpost and attachments and expectations result.

Life is a path without a destination. Once we assume there is a destination, we hurry. The future becomes a stress-inducing factor. Let us say we travel from New York to Washington. Once we fix Washington as our destination, the next issue is, ‘When will we reach there?’ From then on, we are constantly tormented by, ‘When will we reach there?’ It is a different matter that we may have nothing to do in Washington once we arrive, and therefore there is no need to hurry! In the process we do not enjoy the journey. The journey becomes an irritation that we must cross in order to reach our destination.

In life, do not fix a destination. Each journey must be enjoyed being in the space of completion. The path and the journey are what life is. Life is completion. I tell you, have the space of completion for yourself. That will attract all the right experiences. Completion is power! Completion is Life! Enjoy the people you meet, the experiences you have and what you pick up on the way, without being greedy to acquire more. The journey, the path, becomes so enjoyable that whatever destination you reach is the right destination. Completion gets you all the best things of life! Completion is the basic need of life.

People who attach a purpose to life are disturbed. Philosophers who have no other work create false purposes to life. Philosophers exist to confuse people whereas mystics solve problems and provide guidance to awaken intelligence. When we let life lead us, when we let life enrich us, when we take life as it comes, we enjoy every moment. We truly live with completion in the present, like a God. We realize and manifest our potential, possibility and reality! As of now, man is only a possibility. A human being has everything in him to become the ultimate reality, the divine reality.

Puruṣārtha provides four meanings to life:

Dharma is right conduct or virtue. Dharma means the natural law of the cosmos. Buddha preached this as the middle path. It is an in-dependent intelligence. The very DNA structure with which human consciousness is built, the natural law of human life, the dharma are these four principles.

Constantly give life to the four dharmas of authenticity, integrity, responsibility and enriching. When you protect dharma, it protects you. When you are integrated to it, it is integrated to you. When you are authentic with it, it is authentic with you. When you take responsibility for it, it takes responsibility for you. When you enrich dharma, it enriches you. Only then it is possible that your energy is awakened. Only then is your energy awakened.

Artha is the stuff that we pick up on our path and journey, the material things that we need to sustain ourselves.

Kāma is the pleasure of the senses we experience and enjoy on this journey. These are rightful acquisitions and pleasurable experiences. Do not feel disturbed by the need for these. But do not become caught up in them and forget to move on the path with completion and enjoy the journey to the fullest.

Mokṣa or liberation is the ultimate meaning to life. The meaning of human life is you experiencing completion, and working, radiating, showering others also with the same space of completion. This is the culmination of the liberation from expectation, desires, greed and fear, and liberation from attachment to desires. This understanding that experiencing completion with non-attachment and absence of expecta-tion leads to liberation can fill us with bliss.

Here Kṛṣṇa gives the essence of how we should lead our lives to make it meaningful with completion. He says that goodness or satva is the state of completion in which there is clarity about right and wrong, and whatever we do with our body, mind and senses is done with a view to liberate ourselves from attachment and desires in order to realize that we are Divine.

Earlier Kṛṣṇa spoke about the influence of guṇas (attributes) on the intellect, that in turn defines the way we act. Now He talks about how we respond as a result of our root patterns.

Kṛṣṇa says that spiritual practice, that is the state of satva, is difficult in the beginning, and it is like poison; however, it becomes life-giving nectar in the end.

Sensual pleasures born out of rajas, on the other hand, seem like nectar in the beginning but become poisonous. In the tamasic state, Kṛṣṇa says, one is deluded as if in sleep, laziness and illusion. Every human is in one state or another. Not merely humans, even the celestials who are supposedly more evolved are in the same mode. No one can escape the effect of the guṇas, the attributes of Nature.

How beautifully the Master summarizes how we become deluded by our senses! It is not easy to begin spiritual practice. In the vedic tradition, in the Gurukul schools, from a young age children were brought up in an environment of spirituality. They learned to live in the pure space of completion and control their mind and senses at an early age and to focus upon Self-realization. They understood by the example of their Masters that there was something more pleasurable than sensory pleasures. This gave them courage.

In today’s age, this education system is considered impractical. Invading Moghuls and the colonizing British destroyed the Vedic culture, especially the Gurukul tradition. This was not accidental or incidental. It was a deliberate strategy. British rulers identified the educational system of Gurukul as the key to India’s tremendous intelligence and targeted its destruction so that they could rule.

What we have today is a mass of literate Indians who are uneducated. The whole country, the whole civilization, the whole spiritual tradition is suffering now just because of not having completion with one another. They are totally unaware that the great tradition of our Vedic culture is established on completion. They think rituals are meaningless. We have lost the knowledge of the connection between these rituals and spirituality. Rituals, when carried out meaningfully, are the basis of spirituality.

Please understand, the biggest asset a man can acquire is the space of completion. I am so happy I am getting that wealth for my Gurukul kids. The biggest asset for any man, the best thing a human being can have in his life is completion, the space of completion.

We are behind our sensory pleasures now. When we are in the rājasic mode, only sensory pleasures of the body matter. In the tamasic mode, we don’t even know we are in deep ignorance. The sensory organs are powerful. They are our windows to the external world. They are trained to run away from pain and chase pleasure. Bodily pleasure gives mental pleasure and therefore emotional satisfaction. Once we experience the mental pleasure, we constantly rewind and replay that pleasure. Our past drives our future. Attachments and expectations drive our actions.

We try to keep on experiencing pain and pleasure alternately. Either way it is only an illusion. If you lead your life with completion, you won't get caught in the illusions of attachment and expectations driving your actions.

Kaṭhopaniṣad says, 'The good and the pleasant approach man. The wise examines both and discriminates between them. The wise prefers the good to the pleasant. But the foolish man chooses the pleasant through love of bodily pleasure.'

'If you are given the option of 'right or pleasant', 'right thing, good thing or very pleasant, convenient and happy thing', always choose the 'right thing', not the 'pleasant' one, not the convenient one.' Understand, when you choose the pleasant, your destruction is inevitable.

Look for the right, not for light. Your whole life is nothing but Mahābhārat.

I tell you, the Kauravas' birth, what is it? One child, Duryodhana is born who is unconscious, dead, aborted. So, that was broken into hundred pieces. This means what? When you are born, you are unconscious and you are broken into hundreds of root-patterns, and all hundred grow as demons. It means that all your root-patterns are growing as demons! When you are tired of being a demon, you also encourage some good qualities in you just for a change. Please understand, there is nobody who is hundred percent demon, because being hundred percent demon makes you feel bored.

Otherwise, why should Rāvaṇa do Śiva Puja? You cannot be hundred percent demon or hundred percent saint till you become enlightened. Till you become an enlightened soul, both sides will be there because you need choice. Life is all about just jumping from one side to another.

Choice! Choice! Choice!

Listen. A few good patterns which you develop in you just as a choice, as an alternative, those few good patterns are the Pāṇḍavas. The space of completion which you have inside you, which cannot be destroyed by any root pattern is Kṛṣṇa.

Once in a while, Kṛṣṇa comes out and says, 'Hey! All you root pat-terns, you guys are doing wrong things! Don't do it!'

Then, all hundreds of your patterns stand and laugh at Kṛṣṇa, 'Ha, Ha! Can you can stop us? Do what you want!'

Every time, every day, every moment, the struggle between the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas goes on. Kṛṣṇa also comes to the scene once in a while. But He comes for such a short time that you forget His Existence. He goes back to Dwārika (the capital city that Kṛṣṇa ruled), He goes back to His space, the space where you push your completion. All of us have the space of completion, but we push it under the ocean like Dwārika. We don't want to interact with that space every day, because that takes away many of our vested interests. Many things which we forcibly imagine as joyful and pleasurable do not look good with the space of completion.

Understand, your whole life is a Mahābhārat. Then, when your weight becomes too much for your own body, when Bhū Devī, the Earth Goddess, is unable to hold the weight, Kṛṣṇa comes and reduces the bhū bhāra, the weight of the Earth. It means that when your incompletions become too much even for yourself, Kṛṣṇa comes and destroys all your incompletions.

Kṛṣṇa describes the tāmasic person with great insight. He does not use the word poison in describing the state of such a person. A tāmasic person is like a drug addict, He says. At least a rājasic person enjoys the experience now and suffers later. A tāmasic person has no enjoyment. He suffers without knowing that he is suffering. His delusion is so deep. That is why he passes his suffering on to others. That is how ignorant people who rise to become leaders act.

18.41 Brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and sūdras are divided in the work they do based on their nature, Parantapa (Arjuna).

18.42 The nature of Brāhmaṇa is characterized by calmness, discipline, austerity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and belief in God.

18.43 Kṣatriya are characterized by their qualities of heroism, vigor, firmness, dexterity, and steadfastness in battle, leadership and generosity.

18.44 Those who are good at cultivation, cattle rearing and trade are known as Vaiśya. Those who are very good in service are classified as Sūdra.

18.45 One can attain the highest perfection [saṁsiddhi] by devotion to one's natural work. Listen to Me how one attains perfection while engaged in one's natural work.

18.46 One attains perfection by worshipping the Supreme Being, from whom all beings originate and by whom this entire Universe is pervaded, through performance of one's natural duty for Him.

18.47 It is better to engage in one's rightful conduct [svadharma], even though one may not perform it to perfection, than to accept another's conduct and perform it perfectly. Responsibility prescribed according to one's nature is never affected by sinful reactions.

18.48 Every work has some defect, just as fire is covered by smoke. One should not give up the work that is born of his own nature, even if such work is full of fault, O Kaunteya (Arjuna).

Śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt—says Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

So-called scholars have interpreted this verse in a very inappropriate way compared to the other verses of the Gītā. The uneducated have also used this verse in order to condemn the Vedic culture.

First of all, one must understand how the caste system originated, as well as realize how it became corrupted. In the Vedic culture, un-der the Gurukul tradition, young children were left in the care of the Master. This is how Arjuna grew up with Aśvattama, Droṇa’s son. No caste was considered inferior or superior to another. No caste was hereditary. The selection and training was scientific and done impartially. It enriched society well since everyone was living and expressing themselves according to their aptitudes, their peak possibility and their unique path towards liberation.

This is why Kṛṣṇa says it is better to do one’s assigned work imperfectly rather than do another’s work perfectly. It is possible that one can perform elements of another’s work well. A brāhmaṇa, being a schoar, may excel as a vaiśya in commercial calculations; however, he will have neither the heart nor the head to be a businessman. In this Gurukul system, along with the Master, the child also was allowed to select his vocation. The child could express its passion and decide.

Over time, this classification of selection and training became cor-rupted. Those who were brāhmaṇa wanted their children to be brāhmaṇa and so on. The varṇa or caste system that had originally been a selection and training system in education led to the stratification of society based upon birth.

Before we condemn the caste system, realize that every society has stratification. Wherever equality has been forced on society, it has been a failure. Each person is unique and when similar people form groups, there will be stratification and classification. In Vedic India this classification was based upon talents and intelligence. In modern society it is based on money and power. Which is better?

Without the brāhmaṇa being the keepers of knowledge, our Vedic treasures would have disappeared thousands of years ago. Do you know that there is a group of scholars in Chidambaram, the dīkśitars even today, and similarly in other places, who take their traditional job of preserving Vedic wisdom so seriously that they will not travel out of their town limits? They have made this sacrifice for generations and for thousands of years so that this knowledge could be preserved for posterity. We make fun of them, revile them and denounce the system.

The people who denounce the system do it for power and money, not for any selfless reasons. They recommend no alternative means of preserving traditional knowledge.

I am not a brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇas have come to me and hinted at their discomfort at being termed brāhmaṇas. They are well-educated people. I tell them, 'Be proud of your culture, your tradition. Without brāhmaṇas, the vedic tradition would have died long ago.' This praise is for those brāh- maṇas who have remained true to their scholarship. Those who have suc-cumbed to the lure of wealth have no right to be called brāhmaṇas.

This is where the varṇa system has failed. From a scientific and ef-ficient work system, it has deteriorated into a power broking system. We need to fix that. Those who are true to their tradition are poor and disrespected. Only those who use their scholarly skills to become kṣatriyas and vaiśyas have gained power, money and respect. It is better they continue to be where they are respected and happy!

The problem with society and the societal structure is that they become exclusive; good societies should be inclusive. Today in the West as well as in other places including India, if we have money or power, we are respected. Does anyone rebel against that? No! How can we call a society advanced or progressive when its main criterion for respect is money?

By that logic, I would have been denounced had I been born in any country other than India. For nearly ten years I was homeless! For nine years I traveled the length and breadth of India without carrying money. I never bought train tickets and never paid for meals or lodging. People welcomed me and offered me transport, shelter and food. In the West I would have been locked up in a jail or a shelter!

When you see a homeless person approaching your car in the USA, you instinctively raise your windows and lock your doors. You are so afraid. In India, is anyone afraid of a beggar coming and standing in front of them? Why? There is acceptance. People in the West say that acceptance is weakness, not violence. How strange societal values have become! You respect a person only when you are afraid of him.

We cannot evolve unless there is a fundamental change in our thinking. We have come to a stage where negative qualities are the hallmark of respectability. Violence and aggression never win. Acceptance and compassion do.

These verses are the ultimate sūtra, the technique to liberate oneself and realize Brahman, ultimate Truth. Kṛṣṇa describes how to reach the ultimate Truth. He tells us to just follow His instructions.

The beauty of Kṛṣṇa's advice in Bhagavad Gītā is that He makes no assumptions. He goes to the depths of Arjuna's stated and unstated doubts and tells him in such clear words that there can be no ambiguity. Bhagavad Gītā is primarily a śāstra, a scripture that gives knowledge. Even though the author who is the Divine Himself, He must bring Him-self down to the level of Arjuna, a mortal. Kṛṣṇa's compassion drives Him to repeat the same words to ensure that Arjuna listens and understands.

As long as we question why, we never get a clear answer. Especially with Existence, the question 'Why?' has no relevance. As I said earlier, we operate at a different frequency from the Divine, so even if it is explained, we will not understand. Listen! Spirituality is an inner science, not an outer science, and that is fortunate! In the outer sciences, we keep asking 'Why?' and when we cannot get answers, we get stuck. 'Why?' is about logic. 'How?' is about realism. Śāstras answer the 'Why?' Sūtras answer the 'How?' Once in a while, the Master delivers the Sūtra amidst the śāstra that He must deliver to keep Arjuna quiet.

He says, 'Settle the mind and control the senses.' Can you do that while sitting in the middle of a traffic junction? No. That is why He says go into solitude and cut yourself off from disturbances. Go into med-itation and shut your senses to external objects. These are the clearest instructions on how to meditate. Prepare yourself to be away from potential sensory disturbances. There is no point in meditating when you are sure the phone will ring or a guest will be arriving. Fix a time and place when you will be alone, undisturbed. Closing the eyes is insufficient. Your eyeballs will still move and inner television will still play. Mentally freeze your eyeballs, think they are made of stone and still them. At the same time place your tongue on your upper palate and lock it. If there is movement of the tongue, that creates verbalization, then visualization is difficult. These two tools of mentally freezing your eyeball movement and locking your tongue, substantially reduce the wandering of the mind due to sensory disturbances.

Meditate on an empty stomach or eat little. A full stomach makes us sleepy. Ideally one should meditate in the same location regularly to preserve the energy raised in meditation. These are the physical require-ments. Next Kṛṣṇa repeats what He has been emphasizing all along.

Complete and drop your personality, He says, drop your ego or root patterns, your attachments, your ideas of 'I' and 'mine' as well as the emotions that bind you to survival and possession. Then you will be liberated, you will be in the space of completion and ready to reach the Supreme Being.

Kṛṣṇa explains how devotion is reached and how He protects the devotee.

Developing the state of non-attachment, being equally disposed to all beings, being unconcerned by success and failure, fully absorbed in Godhood, one becomes His devotee. In that state alone does one understand the essence of Kṛṣṇa. Once one understands this, one merges into Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the devotee, even if he is engaged in worldly activities, is protected by the grace and compassion of Kṛṣṇa. Without any difficulty such a devotee reaches the ultimate reality.

Recently I expressed this concept to some devotees. When we re-lax from the instinct that constantly works to protect us, the space created allows the power of extraordinary possibilities, coincidence to happen. Kṛṣṇa says that even though we may be engaged in the activities of the world, if we are His devotees, under His protection we experience Eternal consciousness. If Kṛṣṇa only wanted to give us the spiritual experience, He would not have used the word ‘protection, mad- vyapāśrayaḥ.’ So Kṛṣṇa is referring to both the outer and inner worlds. The person who surrenders gets the best experience in both worlds. We simply need to get out and He will get in. Just get out and let Him get in.

A small story:

One day Śrī Viṣṇu was resting on Ādiśeśa, His bed that is actually a big serpent. Lakṣmī, His consort, was pressing His feet. This is known as pādasevā—service to the feet.

Suddenly Śrī Viṣṇu called for His vehicle, Garuḍa. He stood up, ran a few steps, stopped and then walked back. Lakṣmī was puzzled and asked what had happened.

Śrī Viṣṇu explained that He had seen a man throwing stones at one of His devotees who was meditating. He jumped up, intending to protect him. However, He saw the devotee open his eyes and pick up a stone to defend himself. When Viṣṇu saw that the man could protect himself, He decided not to go!

Thus, when you protect yourself and your property, He withdraws. To protect does not mean that you should not lock your house. It means that you should drop the instinct of survival. The instinct of survival constantly tortures you. It is the greatest killer. If somebody kills you, you can only be killed once. But the instinct to survive kills you every moment. When you surrender this instinct, Kṛṣṇa will protect you. Intellectually you cannot understand this.

You think, ‘How can somebody who made a statement thousands of years ago give me protection?’ You think that only you can protect and look out for yourself. You are wrong!

You think that the survival instinct is essential in order to exist. You will realise the futility of the survival instinct only when you surrender. After that, you will automatically realize that you can live without the instinct to survive or the instinct to possess. You will realize that you can live in the material world without these instincts ruling you. This is what Kṛṣṇa means when He says that He will protect you. His energy takes care. When you surrender, a space is created that allows the power of coincidence, the power of extraordinary possibilities to happen. Automatically things fall into place. Automatically you are taken care of by the energy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

When you believe that you are intelligent enough to use your mind and go your own way, you are asking for trouble. Kṛṣṇa says you will perish if you follow your mind and senses instead of listening to Him.

We must understand two things. The first is about listening to one’s mind and the second is about not listening to the Master.

Many people have an issue about accepting another human as superior, as someone to whom they should defer, let alone surrender. They think that prostrating at another person’s feet is disrespecting themselves and quite uncivilized.

When I heal someone, if the pain is in the leg, I normally bend down and touch the person’s feet. Once someone asked me, ‘Swamiji, how can you touch someone’s feet? You are lowering yourself.’

I said, ‘When I touch someone’s feet, I am raising them to my level. When they fall at my feet, they surrender their ego!’

When you fall at someone’s feet, you surrender your ego. It is good for you. It does not matter to whom you surrender. Whether you surrender to a stone or a human being, surrendering your ego raises you spiritually. This is the absolute Truth. You do not need to discriminate, search, filter and go through a lot of effort and time to surrender to an enlightened Master.

Someone asked me, ‘What do you mean by surrender?’ Surrender is when you find someone whom you can unconditionally love and you have no problem if it is obvious that you are in love with that person. Your identity then merges with that person.

I tell them, ‘Think of the person whom you would like to be with if God told you that the entire earth is about to be destroyed. Only you and one other person will survive and you can choose that person. Who will that person be? That person is the one you have surrendered to!’

Vedic chants end with the word namaḥ. What does this mean? It means ‘I surrender to You.’ Each time you utter a vedic prayer, you say, ‘I surrender to You, my Lord.’ Is there another system of prayer that so thoroughly destroys your ego?

So, just because you do not surrender to a Master or a favorite deity, because one is human and the other is stone, do you think you are the Master, free and independent? You surrender to someone else for money, power or lust. One of these will surely happen. How much more sensible it is to follow and surrender to someone out of intelligence, because that person is more aware and complete, and can guide you on the path to completion?

Why are we reluctant to surrender to another person? It is because we have been captured by our mind and senses. We are in a jail and we are captive. We fear losing the identity that our mind and senses have created for us. We fear letting go of that identity. Our mind fights against shifting our allegiance from that ego and identity to someone else.

Realize that you are a slave to your senses and not the master of your destiny as you imagine. Be aware that your pains and sorrows arise from the mistaken belief that you are the master of your destiny. Once you realize this, you will look for an alternative.

You then understand what the greatest Master of all, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, says:

‘If you listen to Me, I shall protect you, whatever may happen. If you do not, and you follow your mind, you shall perish.’

Kṛṣṇa says that ‘having known Me in essence, one merges in Me’ and refers to this as devotion.

Please understand that bhakti (devotion) and jñāna (knowledge) are not separate. Where there is devotion, there is knowledge and where there is true knowledge, there is devotion.

Kṛṣṇa does not refer to dry intellectual knowledge, even if such knowledge is of the scriptures. Thousands of scholars and philosophers waste their time and everybody else’s time by analyzing Bhagavad Gītā word by word and comparing it with other scriptures. What is the point? This is a pointless, foolish exercise that serves only to boost one’s ego.

The entire purpose of Gītā is to enrich you to complete with your root patterns and drop the ego! All you need to do is understand one verse of Gītā, one statement of Kṛṣṇa, in its entirety. That is enough to enlighten you. This is what Vivekananda meant when he said that the study of one handful of earth can teach you about the entire earth. You need depth, not breadth of knowledge.

Every word of Gītā, every word of Kṛṣṇa, is energy. That is the knowledge that you need to imbibe and experience. This is what the ‘knowing, tattvato jñātva’ that Kṛṣṇa refers to. Once you ‘know’ this energy, you reach this energy. You become Kṛṣṇa. You are not only devoted to Kṛṣṇa, you become Kṛṣṇa.

There are two paths. One way is to 'know' the truth so clearly and completely that there is absolutely no doubt about your trust in the Master. There is no doubt that you are the same consciousness as the Master. Once you know this, there is no duality, there is the space of advaita, non-duality. You and the Master are the same. This is the height of devotion.

The other way is the deep surrender that happens within, the unbridled love that arises within you and through which you merge with the Master. Along with the merger, comes the knowledge that you are no different. Seemingly, knowledge comes from devotion; jñāna comes from bhakti.

The truth is that both happen simultaneously. Do you think Mīrā did not know that she was one with Kṛṣṇa? Do you think she could have drunk poison without knowing that whatever she consumed was being consumed by her Lord and Master, Kṛṣṇa? Do you feel Śaṅkara was just a dry philosopher when he beheld the form of Devi and sang the verses of Soundarya Lahiri? He is possibly the greatest philosopher the world has ever seen, and he melted in front of Her in devotion.

All this talk about the three approaches to Divinity as dvaita (duality), viśiṣṭādvaita (qualified duality) and advaita (non-duality) are best left to philosophers to argue about.

Duality happens when you are open to that Cosmic energy but you still feel separate. You are like the ocean drop that knows it is part of the ocean but sees itself as separate. To reach this stage, you need to be open. When you are closed, you do not even accept that there is this huge ocean of which you are a part. You are ignorant. Duality or dvaita is the first step.

Next, you become available. Not only do you know that there is this huge energy around you, but you become aware that you are part of it. You are a part of the Whole. You realize that as a drop, you are a part of the ocean. This is qualified duality, viśiṣṭādvaita. Then you suddenly realize and know that you are the ocean. There is no difference or barrier between you and the energy. You are the energy. You are God. This is non-duality, advaita. You just are. From being open, to being available, you just are.

When you ‘know’ Kṛṣṇa, there is nothing else to know. Then, you become Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa delivers an ultimatum to Arjuna.

‘Whether you like it or not, Arjuna,’ He says, ‘you will fight. In seeming intelligence, your ego tells you that you should not fight. You are under the illusion of your superficial knowledge that it is not right to wage war against friends, relatives and teachers. But you forget that your nature and your conditioning as a warrior drive you. You are a puppet in the hands of Existence, prakṛtis tvāṁ niyokṣyati. You will fight.’

These are extraordinary words. Whether we like it or not, whatever our intelligence may be, and whatever our will may be, Kṛṣṇa says we will be driven by our root patterns, saṁskāras. The Divine power drives the machine that is the kārmic cycle. There is no escape.

Nothing can be clearer. The law of nature drives us to fulfill our unfulfilled desires. Our past conditioning invokes these desires. Even though they may be in our unconscious, inaccessible to us, they determine what we do. The Master sees this even if we cannot. That is why Kṛṣṇa makes this bold statement.

The mind creates and stores the root patterns, saṁskāras. You can refuse to bow down to your mind and refuse to accept these saṁskāras that control you.

All meditation techniques bring you into the space of completion, being in the present moment. When you are in the present moment, you renounce attachment to fantasies about the future. You detach yourself from the results of your action. This alone leads you into liberation from the bondage of saṁskāra.

Surrender to the Master, surrender to the Universe, is the ultimate technique to do completion and rid oneself of all bondages—karma, vāsanā and saṁskāra, of the past, present and future. When people come to me for help, I usually say one of two things. To those who come purely for material assistance, health and wealth, I say, ‘I shall pray to Nithyānandeśvara (presiding deity of Śiva at Nithyananda temples) to help you.’ To those who come as sincere seekers, connected to me at the being level, my disciples and devotees, I say ‘I will take care.’ Ask my disciples about the power of these words.

I say this to those who come in a mode of total surrender. They have such absolute trust in me that they tell me, ‘Please say you will take care.’ They know at their being level that once they have downloaded their problems and pain to me, it is no longer their burden. It is mine. They know it so deeply that there is not an iota of doubt in their minds that the problem has disappeared.

I do nothing with them. All I do is pass their problems onto Parāśakti, the Universal feminine cosmic energy; that is all. I have already surrendered to Her. Not one finger of mine can move without Her command. So, what can I do? But such is Her compassion that She responds every time. When the being surrenders, when the ego and mind surrender, She takes over. On the other hand, if you are filled with your ego, there is no place for Her.

This is what Kṛṣṇa, the greatest Master of all, the Parama Guru, the Jagat Guru, has repeated throughout the Gītā. He does not ask you to surrender to Him out of His ego. He asks you to surrender to Him out of His deep compassion. What can you give Him that He does not have? Where else would you want to go since only He can grant everything you want? More importantly, only He can grant you what you need to free you from your suffering forever. Who else can do this for you? No one.

Don’t lose hope. There is no need to do that. Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone’s heart. All you need is trust in Him.

18.62 Surrender unto Him completely with all your being, O Bhārata. By His Grace you will attain supreme peace and the eternal abode.

Kṛṣṇa switches gears and starts giving Arjuna the experience. He starts radiating eternal consciousness. He is putting Arjuna into that consciousness, into the experience of enlightenment.

Just relax for a few minutes. Relax from all the thoughts and ideas going on in your head. There is every possibility that you can also glimpse what Arjuna received by His grace. We always miss due to our instinct to survive and possess. For a few minutes, relax from thoughts. You can pick them up later. There is no problem in that. Just for a few moments keep them away from your consciousness. Drop them from your inner space so that you may glimpse that consciousness. There is a distinct possibility that you may experience what Arjuna experienced by the grace of Kṛṣṇa.

Throughout Bhagavad Gītā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has been saying, surrender to Me. He has been saying ‘I’ and ‘Me’, meaning that He represents the Divine. Now, suddenly, He changes that and says surrender unto Him (tam) as a third person. For the first time He refers to the Divine in this way. This means that He has expanded beyond the body. He now speaks as Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa, the universal Kṛṣṇa. He speaks from the eternal consciousness. That is the reason He says surrender unto Him and not surrender unto Me. Earlier He used the word ‘I’ or ‘Me’. This change means that He is in an expanded state to put Arjuna into the experience. In order to give a disciple the experience, the Master must be in the same state, too. That is why Śrī Kṛṣṇa went into that expanded state.

Before a pūjā, the priest chants the aṅganyāsa karanyāsa mantra— aṅguṣṭhābhyāṁ daśadibhyāṁ—these mantras are chanted in order to expand and go beyond body consciousness. These purify the body and help us go beyond the body. Actually, purifying and going beyond are the same thing.

So now Kṛṣṇa says ‘Surrender unto Him, tam eva śaraṇaṁ gac- cha’ since He has expanded and He cannot use the word ‘Me’. He says, ‘Bhārata, surrender unto Him utterly. By His grace you will attain eternal consciousness and supreme peace.’

He has expanded into that consciousness and is about to give energy darśan. He is ready to shower His energy on Arjuna.

What powerful words! Only the Divine can speak these words of absolute authority.

‘Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. This is the way you will come to Me without fail. I promise this because you are My great bhakta (devotee) and very dear to Me.’

Now He comes to the ultimate teaching. This is the essence of all His teachings, the quintessence of Bhagavad Gītā. He wakes up Arjuna with this verse and puts him into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the Eternal consciousness or Enlightenment.

Kṛṣṇa showers Himself on Arjuna, waking him up to the experience of the Whole.

He says, 'Give up everything, whatever you know as dharma, the rules and regulations of the outer life and of the inner life. Drop everything that you know and surrender unto Me. I shall liberate you from everything. Do not fear.' Kṛṣṇa gives him abhaya, complete protection.

He liberates Arjuna with these words. He gives the ultimate experience to Arjuna. With this verse, Kṛṣṇa makes Arjuna drop everything and liberates him. He gives him a conscious experience of the ocean. He asks Arjuna to drop his ideas about being a separate bubble, relax and realize the truth. Even the idea of the ocean or of God are simply our ideas. Kṛṣṇa makes Arjuna drop those ideas and makes him explode into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the eternal consciousness.

Now Kṛṣṇa enters into the actual experience.

Kṛṣṇa liberates Arjuna and gives him the ultimate experience permanently. We cannot call him Arjuna any longer because he has become Kṛṣṇa. He has achieved Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now only Kṛṣṇa exists. As long as Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna existed, there were two entities. But now that they have become one, neither exists. There is no name for it. It is only energy.

Forget about dharma, the codes of conduct laid down by religions, and turn to Me. I shall be your savior, says Kṛṣṇa.

Do not misunderstand, misquote and misuse these words. You will do yourself the greatest disservice. The Divine does not care whether you are good or evil. The Divine does not care whether you are a saint or sinner. A saint and a sinner, a celibate monk and a prostitute have equal chances of reaching the Divine. This is the truth. Of course, when you come close to the Divine, the energy transforms you. Negativities will be dissolved. Root patterns will be completed. They will be burnt and you will be pure as you were at birth.

Religion is the creation of men. Spirituality is the creation of enlightened Masters who live in the energy of the Divine with total completion. Kṛṣṇa, Śiva, Buddha, Mahāvira and Jesus are Enlightened Masters. They related to no religion. The followers who interpreted them to the best or worst of their understanding created religions. The followers established dharma, the codes of righteous conduct. No God or Master is interested in coming down to tell you how you should behave. They tell you to be in the space of completion and that will put you on the right path to live advaita, the space of non-duality.

Thus, Kṛṣṇa says with absolute conviction and authority: Forget all codes of conduct, give up all religions and come to Me with completion. This is your enlightenment.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is triguṇa rahita: beyond the attributes of nature and kār- mic influence. Merging with Him, surrendering to Him takes you beyond all kārmic bondages.

If you understand this verse and act accordingly, you will be liberated. That is Kṛṣṇa’s promise.

Take a few moments now to pray to Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa, the universal Kṛṣṇa, who showered enlightenment on Arjuna and gave him the ulti-mate experience. Pray that He may shower the same experience on us or give us a glimpse of the ultimate Truth. Take a few moments to pray. Please close your eyes and pray intensely to Him. Do not think that He is unavailable now. He is always available to everybody on planet Earth. He may not have the body, but He is available in the form of energy. The deities in the temples are called arcāvatār. That means ‘incarnation of the Divine’. He is available to us all the time, whenever we call Him. Close your eyes and pray intensely to Him to shower us with the same experience He showered on Arjuna.

Relax in silence and listen to the words of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

These words are meant not merely for Arjuna, but for all of humanity.

Kṛṣṇa says here that we should read, listen and understand this dialogue between Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, between Nara and Nārāyaṇa. Nothing more needs to be read or listened to. Everything we need is here.

Only one who is in deep devotion to Me should read this. I have conveyed here that which is most beneficial, the secret of how to live and how to reach Me. One who understands this and drops his mind with his focus entirely upon Me, shall reach Me without a doubt.

This is Kṛṣṇa’s promise.

He blesses the whole Universe with His grace and compassion. He showered His blessing on Arjuna and made him merge with Him. The same consciousness is being showered on the whole Universe.

He declares that whoever studies this sacred conversation will achieve His eternal consciousness. He blesses us with His grace and assures us that we can achieve Him through this jñāna yajña, sacrifice of intellect. That is, by offering ourselves into that knowledge, by completely purify-ing ourselves in that knowledge, we can achieve Him. We can disappear into Him. When we put anything into the fire, it disappears. In the same way, when we immerse ourselves in the study of Gītā, we will not remain as we are. We will disappear into Him. Only He remains, only He exists.

The whole experience of the Truth has descended on Arjuna. Kṛṣṇa's blessings are upon us also. Let us pray to the ultimate consciousness to put us into that same energy. Relax into that energy. May the grace and compassion of Kṛṣṇa that was showered on Arjuna, be showered on us.

Earlier Kṛṣṇa said that He would appear again and again whenever He is needed to restore equilibrium between good and bad. He is the only great Master who has the courage to say, ‘I am not the last Master, it is not that there will be no one after Me.’ Instead He says, ‘I shall appear again and again, sambhavāmi yuge yuge.’

Kṛṣṇa will not reappear in His Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa form with peacock feathers and a flute! That is the mistake we make in our assumption. His energy will reappear. He will reappear in the form of enlightened Masters and Incarnations, time and again. He will come again and again to restore the balance, liberate the good and destroy the evil.

This is the last time Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks in the Bhagavad Gītā. He asks, ‘Arjuna, have you listened to Me with attention? Has your delusion dis-appeared?’

Until the end He is the teacher. He is full of compassion. His concern is only for Arjuna and the rest of humanity. ‘Have you understood?’ He asks. ‘Have your doubts disappeared? Do you need anything more?’

This is the greatness of Masters. Nothing concerns them except the deliverance of their disciples. That is why they have come here. Otherwise why should they waste their time on planet Earth? They can be immersed in the blissful energy that they are part of without disturbance.

My disciples understand when I tell them that the only time I feel anything like sadness is when a disciple leaves me. It saddens me because he is losing a great opportunity. His spirit brought him to me for comple-tion. If the body-mind does not cooperate, the spirit must live again and again until it gets the opportunity to be liberated. Each cycle of birth that the spirit undertakes, it suffers and regrets not having taken that final step.

No one who has crossed my ashram gates can ever leave me. Even if they leave, I shall not leave them. I shall be with them. That one moment of intelligence that brought them in is enough for me to care for them. Those who have understood the formless form that resides in Me know that I am part of them. Wherever they are, I am part of them.

This is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s promise: Listen to Me, understand Me and come to Me; then you are a part of Me.

In these last verses Arjuna and Sañjaya take over.

Arjuna bows down to the JagadGuru, Master of Cosmos, and says, 'All my doubts are gone and by Your grace, my memory is regained, O Acyuta; I understand. I am ready. I shall obey whatever you say and I shall fight.’

The rest is history. Under the guidance of Arjuna, the Kaurava army is annihilated. All the Kaurava brothers, all the great teachers and all the great warriors perish. The Pāṇḍava brothers win and Yudhiṣṭira conducts the rājasūya and other fire sacrifices to signify his ascendance to the throne.

It is also history that in due course all the Pāṇḍava brothers die, as does the great Master Kṛṣṇa. He gives up His mortal form. This is the sto-ry of life. As long as you are in any form, the form will perish. The energy lives on. That is what Kṛṣṇa taught in these chapters and verses. Sacrifice your form and gain the formless.

Now Sañjaya comes back into the picture. Neither Kṛṣṇa nor Arjuna can speak since both of them are in a different mood. Arjuna has disappeared and Kṛṣṇa is in ecstasy. Both are in no mood to speak. Sañjaya started speaking when Arjuna was in depression and Kṛṣṇa had nothing to say at that time. Then when Kṛṣṇa was giving the first experience to Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa was in the higher consciousness and Arju-na was in ecstasy. Sañjaya came in to speak at that time because both were not in a mood to speak. Now Sañjaya comes back again. Not only are Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna not in a mood to speak, they are both no longer there. Arjuna has disappeared into the pure consciousness of Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa. They have nothing to say.

Sañjaya addresses Dhṛitarāṣṭra, ‘O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous spiritual dialogue between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, I feel a great joy or ecstasy at every moment.’

Sañjaya is expressing his joy and bliss and says, ‘muhurmuhuḥ, again and again, whenever I recall it, I am filled with ecstasy. This truth fills my being completely. I am showered with divine grace.’

Sañjaya says, ‘By the mercy of Vyāsa, I heard these confidential talks directly from the Master of all mysticism, Yogeśvara Śrī Kṛṣṇa.’

Sañjaya expresses gratitude and joy at hearing this by the grace of Vyāsa, Vyāsa-prasād. Vyāsa refers to the Guru (Master) here. In North India, wherever the scriptures are studied, that place is called a Vyāsa Pīṭha. Vyāsa is the Ādi Guru (first Master). So he expresses gratitude to the Master for giving him the opportunity to listen to the conversation between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Vyāsa is also the author of the epic Mahābhārat, of which Bhagavad Gītā is a part.

Sañjaya says, ‘O King, as I remember the wonderful form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, I am awestruck and I rejoice again and again.’ He has noth-ing much to say! He overflows with ecstasy. He ends the whole thing beautifully with this verse.

‘Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the Master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power and morality. This is my opinion.’

He ends the whole thing with a beautiful auspicious blessing. Wherever the name of Kṛṣṇa, the divine energy of Kṛṣṇa is present and wherever Arjuna dwells, there will also be victory, prosperity, wealth and morality. All the divine positive energy will shower there. He concludes with this beautiful blessing, this beautiful verse.

Whenever we read, teach or listen to Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are present. They are present in their formless form. Make no mistake, they are here. They have been here throughout these eighteen days. You are the fortunate listeners and readers of this mystic dialogue between the two great souls, the Master and the disciple. You are blessed with wealth, health and success in whatever you undertake. Go with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you will be in Nityānanda, eternal bliss.

Through out the Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa gives Arjuna many meditation techniques or methods to evolve from the ordinary level to the higher level of completion. Every chapter, every verse, is a technique or method to reach the Divine consciousness. After listening to so many techniques, Arjuna is totally confused.

He asks the Master, ‘O Lord, after listening to thousands of techniques, after hearing about each and every method, I am more confused. Please tell me, what is the ultimate technique? What is the right technique?’

Even today, we are totally confused because we listen to many methods and techniques. Every Master declares his own technique as the best. When Arjuna was confused, he asked, ‘What is the ultimate technique? I have listened to so many methods from you.’ At least Arjuna received all the meditations from the same Master, but today, people listen from thousands of sources.

A confused Arjuna asks Kṛṣṇa. ‘What is the way? Tell me the final way, the final method, the ultimate technique.’

Finally, Kṛṣṇa says very beautifully, ‘This is the last technique, the ultimate technique: Dropping all the dharma, dropping all the confusions, surrendering at My feet. I will take care and give you liberation.’

This is the gist of the whole Bhagavad Gītā. This is a beautiful verse:

Let me again translate it word by word. ‘Drop all techniques, all methods and all the roots.’ Dharma means the way of living in the space of completion. ‘Drop all roots, all methods and all ways of living. Drop everything. Don't bother about anything. Surrender everything at My feet.'

sarvadharmān parityajya māmekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja—'Don't carry even a bit; just complete and drop everything, surrender your whole being to Me.'

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarvapāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ—'I will remove all darkness, all negativities, all incompletions, and all sin from your being. I will liberate you. I will give you the ultimate enlightenment. I will complete you. Do not grieve.'

It's the final word given by Kṛṣṇa. It's the last word anyone could give. In every Master's life, the final teaching is surrender. What is the meaning of surrender?

As soon as we hear the word 'surrender,' we think: Oh, this is the easiest technique. For surrendering, we don't need to do anything. In any other method or meditation, we must do something. If it is a pūjā or a fire ritual, we need to do something. For every technique, we must do something. For surrender, we don't need to do anything.' Hence everyone feels surrendering means doing nothing.

Many people tell me, 'Swamiji, I've surrendered every-thing, but nothing is happening in me. What should I do?'

The statement, I've surrendered everything, but nothing is happening inside me, is wrong. If you have really surren-dered, you will not expect that anything should or should not happen. When you say, nothing is happening, be very clear, you have not surrendered. Most of the time, people use the word 'surrender'. They never understand what it means.

Now, let us look into the sacred secrets of surrender.

What actually is surrender? What do the Masters mean by the word surrender? The way they use the word 'surrender, śaraṇaṁ' is totally different from the way people normally use it.

Let us see what the Masters mean by surrender.

There are three levels of surrender:

First: Surrendering the I. Second: Surrendering the Mine. Third: Sur-rendering the I and Mine, both. Let me explain step-by-step.

First: Surrendering the I

Surrendering the 'I' is surrendering the ego, the mind, the root thought patterns, the mental setup. This is surrendering your conditions, your cognitions.

Somebody asked Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahamsa, 'Master, I am addicted to alcohol. How can I give it up?'

He said, 'Surrender it to goddess Kālī. You will automati-cally give it up. You will become all right.'

The disciple asked, 'How can I surrender this to Kālī?'

He replied, 'Before you drink, remember Kālī. Offer the drink to Kālī first, and then drink.'

This is a strange situation. Even so, the man followed the Master's advice. Before drinking, he offered the drink to Kālī, and said, 'O Kālī, this belongs to you.' After that, he drank it as prasād (sacred offering).

According to the record, three days later the man said, 'I am unable to drink anymore. I have totally forgotten such things.'

Of course, when you authentically surrender, a deep transformation happens. The change from mind and matter to energy happens in you. It's a deep transformation and difficult to explain. You can understand only when you have the taste, when you have at least one glimpse of surrender.

You may be surprised that a man could give up an addiction by offering alcohol to God, to a deity. But when he offered it, his heart began to wonder, 'How can I offer this alcohol to Devi, the Goddess whom I love?' Next he began to question, 'If I cannot offer alcohol to the Goddess, how can I drink it? After all, the same Goddess resides in my body, in my system. How can I offer that to myself?' Once he realized that he could not give the alcohol to God and that the same God resided in him, he naturally questioned, 'How can I pour it into myself and disturb the system?'

Surrender gave him intelligence. Surrender gave him understanding. This natural understanding made him complete and drop what he had been doing.

One more thing, when you really, intensely offer your mental setup, or root thought patterns at the feet of the Master or God, it gets totally disintegrated. The mind in itself is a pattern, a habit. Your 'I' is a set of habits. Your ego is a set of conditions. When you offer that at the Master's feet, when you surrender the 'I', it becomes totally disintegrated.

Understand, your thoughts are patterns or conditioning. Even your moods are patterns. Even your mind is a record. Just as you have the coffee habit, you also have the habit of worrying. You have the habit of having an excited mood. You have the habit of reacting to every situation. Even if you understand this one example, you can cognize what I mean.

If somebody criticizes you, you immediately choose to react. You become disturbed. After that, you criticize him in return or you rebuke him. If somebody praises you, you choose to be flattered. You give him a good smile and feel great. Even this choice is your root thought pattern. It is your mental cognition.

When you surrender the 'I', your root thought patterns, to the Divine, you can't choose. When you really surrender, even if somebody criticizes you, you can't choose to be offended or feel disturbed. Whenev-er you bring in your root thought patterns, you react in accordance with your mental patterns. When this is still the case, you cannot say you have surrendered. Real surrender can and will transform your life.

When you really surrender, whatever you choose is not really your choice. When you have surrendered, you are immune to criticism. After being criticized, you cannot choose to be disturbed. You do not feel that you have been criticized. If you feel disturbed after some criticism, you have not surrendered. Again and again check whether you have surren-dered or not.

Surrender is such a beautiful word that you can be easily cheated by it. We always say, ‘I have surrendered everything to my Master, to God. He will take care.’ But all our surrender is only skin deep. Scratch a little bit to see whether you have really surrendered or not.

When you have really surrendered your ‘I’, the root thought pat-tern is totally disintegrated. The egocentric mind becomes God-centric. Egocentric means eccentric. When you surrender your ‘I’, your mind to God, your ego to God, your thinking system to God, it will be continuously bubbling with joy, because the Divine is always bliss, eternal bliss, Nitya ānanda. Whenever you surrender your root thought patterns, you will be bubbling with joy, life and vibrancy.

As long as we are not conditioned, we don’t have a mind. We don’t have an ego. We have a special grace around us. We have joy and ecstasy. We have innocence and simplicity. A man who has surrendered becomes a small child once again. That is why there is a beautiful word in Saṃskrit, dvijā meaning reborn. When you surrender, you are re-born. Our first birth is janma, which happens from the mother and father. Our second birth happens from the Guru and God. When you surrender your ego at the feet of the Guru or God, you take the next janma, the second birth. You are then called dvijā.

When you surrender the ‘I’, the root pattern, you experience the space of completion with immense pleasure, joy and ecstasy. Pleasure, joy and ecstasy are different layers. Pleasure happens because of sensory objects. Joy happens because of seeing nature, such as a beautiful mountain, snow, ocean or a forest. Ecstasy or bliss is whenever joy happens for no reason; it happens from your inner being. Pleasure, joy, and bliss continuously happen in you, whenever you surrender your ‘I’, your ego.

When you surrender your ego, your mind becomes alive and spontaneously joyful. As of now, every moment you are preparing to live tomorrow. When you surrender, you move without a script! When-ever you move like that, in such a simple way, tremendous courage and trust walks through you. When we really surrender the ‘I’, the ego, we surrender the mind that continuously prepares the script for our life. We will live in the space of completion with tremendous spontaneity and courage. We will trust our intelligence. We will live our life as it is. We will accept, welcome and enrich life as it flows into us.

A beautiful verse in the Gītā says:

‘Continuously merge in Me. Merge in the Divine and all your needs and necessities will be taken care of by Me. Bringing them to you and taking care of them is My responsibility.’

Kṛṣṇa assures us that He will manage both. We may think, ‘How can this be?’ Just by our surrendering to Him, how can He take care of our needs? What He means by, ‘I’ll take care,’ is that He will activate or He will let you have the intelligence and courage to have everything and to love everything.

Surrendering ‘I’, surrendering the root thought patterns, totally changes your being. It shifts you from thinking to the energy, from the mind to no-mind, from incompletion to completion, and from mithya (the temporal) to nithya (the eternal).

Second: Surrendering the Mine

Here comes the big trouble. Mine means possessiveness, to possess the things that we have.

We can surrender the mind, but never our possessions. We always think our ego comes before our possessions. On the contrary, Tantra says, ‘Your ego is only based upon your possessions.’ This is a strange statement but I analyzed it carefully. It is true. Your ego is a byproduct of your possessions, of your ‘mine’. It is from whatever you think of as ‘mine’, that is from your possessions, that your sense of identity as ‘I’ originates. If we look a little deeply, we can understand that our idea of ‘mine’ creates our idea of ‘I.’ Our mind, even our body is our possession. So whatever we think of as ours, if we think, ‘this is mine, that is mine,’ from that root our ego starts growing.

If ego is akin to a tree, the root is ‘mine.’ The tree is ‘I.’ From the root ‘mine’, the ‘I’, the ego starts growing. If your ‘mine’ is growing, if your possessions are growing, you feel expanded. You become solid. You become somebody. You feel you have become free. By the expansion of comforts, the outer world possessions, by the expansion of the ‘mine’, you experience freedom. However, this is only freedom to choose your sufferings, and not to choose between joy and suffering!

To have the freedom to choose between suffering and joy comes from dropping the ‘mine’ and ‘I.’ It does not result from possessing the ‘mine’. Even if you enjoy your possessions, underneath the enjoyment and joy, you have a deep fear. It is the fear, ‘I do not know when it will be lost.’ The fear of losing your possessions will not allow you to enjoy those things or relationships. I have seen that the man who is not possessive enjoys the same object more deeply because he does not fear when he might lose it. The person who continuously possesses it, who feels it is ‘mine’, will only own it, never enjoy it.

Listen. There are two devatas, Hindu deities, related to this: Kubera and Lakṣmī. Wealth has two aspects: wealth with possessiveness and wealth without possessiveness. Wealth with possessiveness is Kubera or yakṣa. Kubera means the person who possesses and never enjoys. Yakṣa is a being that owns wealth, but never enjoys it. He feels so satisfied with possessing that he can never enjoy.

Kubera represents richness, whereas another deity, Lakṣmī, stands for wealth. Richness means you have but you never enjoy and enrich yourself. That is Kubera. Wealth means something that not only do you have, but you also enjoy and enrich joyously!

Lakṣmī means abundance. The abundance or wealth is there without possessiveness. There is no possessiveness, no sense of 'mine, mine, mine'. That feeling is absent. When that feeling is not there, we really enjoy and enrich our life. We can really live life. We each decide whether we are a Lakṣmī or a Kubera. If we surrender our possessiveness, the feeling of 'mine', we will be continuously joyful, ecstatic and enjoying. Whenever we complete and drop possessiveness, whenever we relax from the feeling of 'mine', we live even with the material comforts and enjoy life.

Please listen. Whenever you surrender the 'I' to the Existence, understand this one thing. Never think that the world is running because of you. It is running in spite of you! Fifty years from now, none of us will be here. Do you think the world will stop? No! Even so, we think the whole world is running only because of us. Understand that not only you but your whole 'I' and 'mine' are taken care of by the Divine. It takes care in its own way. But we, out of our ego, keep all our headaches, all the loads, upon our own heads.

When you rest, when you really relax, when you surrender at the feet of the Divine, your space of completion awakens the space of creation. Ninety-nine percent of your energy is available for expressing your positive creativity and power, and for living and celebrating. You harness the power of words through integrity, power of thinking through authenticity, power of feeling through responsibility and power of living through enriching! Until then that entire ninety-nine percent is wasted in unnecessarily worrying, self-doubting and struggling with incompletions.

Continuous self-doubting with worrying, fear and greed creates incompletions in your life. When you surrender, when you trust in the Divine, when you relax in the name of the Divine, the energy and pow-ers that you had been wasting on worrying turns towards the power of creation with positivity and possibility.

Ninety-nine percent of your worries, fears and greed never come true. Whatever one percent comes true is always good for you! When you surrender your 'I', your suffering is transformed into the space of completion bringing intelligence, love, joy, and ecstasy. When you surrender your 'mine,' your richness becomes the space of creation for wealth, power, and celebration.

You start really living to enrich others and yourself with your possessions. You enjoy and celebrate whatever you have. You start living it, and really feel ecstasy and joy from the things that you have. You go beyond the fear of 'When will I lose them?'

Third: Surrender both I and Mine

Listen. When I say both 'I' and 'mine,' I mean surrendering your whole life unconditionally, completely.

When you surrender both 'I' and 'mine,' your whole life is totally transformed. It becomes completely different. The proof that you have surrendered is that you no longer worry and suffer. If you have really surrendered, you will not have worry or suffering.

To whom you surrender is immaterial. I have been speaking of surrender but I have not said 'to whom'. You don't need to bother about to whom to surrender to. It is immaterial whether you surrender to God, the Guru, Śiva or Kṛṣṇa. It is unimportant and has nothing to do with liberation. Surrender itself has the power to transform and complete you.

Surrendering itself will do the miracle. Surrender has the energy and the capacity to transform you and to bring completion to you. Don't bother about which form or name you surrender to. It does not matter.

There is no need to worry about what will happen thereafter, or what will be the effect or next step after the surrender. Most of the time, before surrendering itself, we calculate logically, 'After surrendering, what will happen to this or that?' Can we logically calculate what will happen? Never. If we do so, we project our mind beyond surrender.

If you know what will happen after death, only then will you know what will happen after surrender. Surrender and death are the same.

When you surrender, psychologically you die. You are re-born. Can you say what will happen after your death? No. In the same way, you can never imagine or visualize what will happen after surrender. If you are imagining, visualizing, be very clear, you are not surrendering.

Somebody asked me, ‘Swamiji, I have surrendered to you. What should I do?’

I told him, ‘If you really surrender, you will not have that question! You will be guided from within. When you fully surrender, intuition or divine intelligence automatically guides you. As long as you have doubts, you have not surrendered.’

This question, whether you have surrendered or not, will disappear. You will have no doubt about whether you have surrendered or not. Your whole being will be flooded and will be bubbling with ecstasy and joy. There is just a feeling of surrendering, utter relaxation and utter bliss. You will not bother about what happens next. You will be totally relaxed from your duties, pains, suffering and responsibilities. The responsibilities will be fulfilled effortlessly. Your body, your mind will be doing the right action effortlessly. It’s not that you won’t go to your office tomorrow because you have surrendered. You will go—the body will carry on. Everything will be happening. But you will see utter relaxation in your being, the utter bliss in your ‘mind’ and the utter ‘IS ness’ in your life.

When you surrender the ‘I’, there is utter bliss. When you surrender the ‘mine’, there is utter relaxation. When you surrender the ‘I’ and ‘mine’, there is a beautiful ‘IS ness’ in your life. This is the scale to measure whether your surrender is merely lip service or it is real. With this scale you can measure whether you have surrendered or not.

Listen. Surrender is nothing but a clear, conscious decision to be complete. Nothing else. You will conclude, ‘Why can’t the energy that can move my body, this sun, this moon and this planet Earth, move and complete my life?’

Understand: The bread that we eat becomes blood. It is not an insignificant process. Still, scientists have not succeeded in converting bread into blood. And such a big process happens inside our body! Just six feet tall—in such a small system, this big process is happening! Air is taken in, the prāṇa (life force) is separated out, the air goes out—the process is happening inside us. If the Divine can manage so much inside our body, if the Divine can manage so much in this Universe, it can well manage and complete our life, too.

Understand. Existence is intelligence. The Divine is intelligence.

I’ve seen people ask God, ‘O God, please give me this. O God, please give me a million dollars.’ Let me ask you this. Why do you pray? You pray because you think that God has the capacity to give, that God has the śakti (power) to give. But when you insist, ‘O God, give me now, give me right now,’ it means you believe that He has śakti, but you don’t believe that he has buddhi, the intelligence to decide when to give. That is what it means! You believe He has energy, but you don’t believe He has intelligence. That is what your prayer means!

When you surrender, you understand that not only does He have śakti, He has buddhi also. Every moment, something will be taught to you. When you surrender, you will not have any pain. You will feel complete and liberated.

So whenever you relax and complete, you transform your life from mithya (illusion) to nitya ānanda (eternal bliss). You transform your suffering to a space of bliss. You move from depression to expression, from self-doubt to Self, from ‘me’ to ‘you’ , from worrying to wondering. The genesis of identity is transformed with the process of completion.

The knowledge of advaita—the space of non-duality, becomes a living reality in you with completion. You conquer all fears with completion. You conquer all wrong self-identification of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ with your completion. I tell you, the feeling you have—that you are inadequate, that you are incomplete, that you are not capable, that you can’t—all the impossibilities will just disappear and melt down with completion. Do completion and surrender. Everything, the wrong, inadequate cognitions you have will melt down, you will become complete.

So may you decide consciously to declare your completion with everything and surrender. Don't question or doubt once the conscious decision is made. Once you surrender, even after the decision, you will have the feeling, you will have the self-doubt whether you really did surrender or not.

Listen. Let me tell you one thing.

First just decide consciously to be complete and surrender. Surrender everything at the feet of God who runs this world. You don't even need to have any name or form in your mind, 'Oh, I surrendered to this god. So what will happen?' Don't worry. Just surrender to the energy that runs the whole world. Then everybody is included under that title— God, Guru, Divine, energy of this whole Universe. Just decide to let this run your life.

After that, naturally, you will have a self-doubt whether you have surrendered or not. Then just say, 'Even this doubt is a gift from the Divine, the same Divine that is running the world. The Divine gives this doubt also. The intelligence to surrender and to doubt my surrender are both His gifts. Let me offer my doubt also to Him. Let Him take care.'

Surrender your doubt also. Then you will see the transformation happens in you just as you are. Don't think, 'First I will change, and then I will surrender.' No. You cannot do that. Surrender as you are, consciously, totally. Whatever is in your hands, whatever 'mine' is in your hands, whatever position is in your hands, surrender completely. Your being will be flooded with a new feeling, a new life, a new energy and a new bliss.

So, may you surrender at the feet of the Divine. May you enter the space of completion. May you be in the energy. May you enter into the Divine energy. May this happen to you. May you be in and may you become eternal bliss, Nitya ānanda.

Here ends the ultimate teaching of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and here starts our enlightened life! Let us take a few minutes to offer our gratitude to the great Masters.

First, offer gratitude to the great Master Śrī Kṛṣṇa who showered these great truths upon the whole Universe. Let us give our gratitude to Him.

Then come all the Masters who preserved these truths so that we can enjoy and experience these truths in our life.

Let us give our gratitude to the entire Guru Paramparā, the lineage of Gurus.

Please close your eyes and remain in silence for a while.

I bless you all. Let you all radiate with completion. And, let you all radiate with integrity, authenticity, responsibility and enriching with Eternal bliss, Nitya ānanda.

Thank you.

Thus ends the eighteenth chapter named Mokṣa-Sannyāsa Yogaḥ, 'The Yoga of Liberation by Renunciation,' of the Bhagavad Gītā Upaniṣad, Brahma- vidyā Yogaśāstra, the scripture of yoga dealing with the science of the Absolute in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṃvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.

Oṁ pārthāya pratibodhitāṁ bhagavatā nārāyaṇena svayaṁ vyāsena gratitāṁ purāṇa muninā madhye mahābhāratam / advaitāmṛtavarmiṇīṁ bhagavatīṁ aṣṭāśdaśādhyāyinīṁ amba tvām anusandadhāmi bhagavadgīte bhavadvemiṇīm //

Oṁ, I meditate upon you, Bhagavad Gītā the affectionate Mother, the Divine Mother showering the nectar of Advaita (non-duality) and destroying rebirth, (who was) incorporated into the Mahābhārat of eighteen chapters by sage Vyāsa, the author of the purāṇas and imparted to Arjuna by Lord Nārāyaṇa, Himself.

vasudeva sutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsa cāṇūra mardanam / devakī paramānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum //

I bow down to you Lord Kṛṣṇa, Jagadguru (Master to the world), son of Vasudeva, Supreme Bliss of Devakī, destroyer of Kaṁsa and Cāṇūra.

CHAPTER 1

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ / māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya // 1.1

dhṛtarāṣṭra: Dhṛtarāṣṭra; uvāca: said; dharmakṣetre: in the place of righteousness; kurukṣetre: in this location of kurukṣetra; samavetāḥ: gathered; yuyutsavaḥ: desiring to fight; māmakāḥ: my people; pāṇḍavāḥ: the sons of Pāṇḍu; ca: and; eva: also; kiṃ: what; akurvata: did they do; sañjaya: O Sañjaya

1.1 Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, assembled on this righteous holy land of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, what did my sons and those of Pāṇḍu, eager and ready to fight, do?

सञ्जय उवाच

sañjaya: Sañjaya; uvāca: said; dṛṣṭvā: having seen; tu: indeed; pāṇḍavānīkaṃ: the Pāṇḍava army; vyūḍhaṃ: arranged in formation; duryodhanaḥ: Duryo-dhana; tadā: then; ācāryam: the teacher; upasaṅgamya: approaching; rājā: the king; vacanam: words; abravīt: said

1.2 Sañjaya said: O king, looking at the Pāṇḍava army in full formation, Duryodhana went to his teacher and spoke.

pasya: behold; etāṃ: this; pāṇḍuputrānām: of the sons of Pāṇḍu; ācārya: O teacher; mahatīm: great; camūm: army; vyūḍhām: formed; drupada-putreṇa: by the son of Drupada; tava śiṣyeṇa: by your disciple; dhīmatā: intelligent

1.3 O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pāṇḍu, arrayed for battle by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada.

atra: here; śūrāḥ: heroes; maheṣvāsāḥ: mighty archers; bhīmārjuna: Bhīma and Arjuna; samāḥ: equal; yudhi: in battle; yuyudhānaḥ: Yuyudhana; virāṭaḥ: Virāṭa; ca: and; drupadaḥ: Drupada; ca: and; mahārathaḥ: great charioteers

1.4 Here in this army there are many heroes wielding mighty bows, and equal in military prowess to Bhīma and Arjuna— Yuyudhāna, Virāṭa, and the great chariot warrior Drupada.

dhṛṣṭaketuḥ: Dṛṣṭhaketu; cekitānaḥ: Cekitāna; kāśirājaḥ: Kāśirāja; ca: and; vīryavān: courageous; purujit: Purujit; kuntibhojaḥ: Kuntibhoja; ca: and; śaibyaḥ: Śaibya; ca: and; narapuṅgavaḥ: best of men

1.5 There are courageous warriors like Dṛṣṭaketu, Cekitāna, the couragious Kāśīrāja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Śaibya, the best of men.

yudhāmanyuḥ: Yudhāmanyu; ca: and; vikrāntaḥ: mighty; uttamaujāḥ: Uttam-auja; ca: and; vīryavān: brave; saubhadraḥ: the son of Subhadrā; draupadeyāḥ: the sons of Draupadī ; ca: and; sarva: all; eva: certainly; mahārathāḥ: great chariot fighters.

1.6 There are the mighty Yudhāmanyu, the brave Uttamauja, Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā and the sons of Draupadī, all of them great chariot warriors.

asmākam: our; tu: also; viśiṣṭāḥ: important; ye: who; tān: those; nibodha: know; dvijottama: the best of the brāhmaṇas; nāyakāḥ: leaders; mama: my; sainyasya: of the army; saṃjñārtham: for information; tān: them; bravīmi: I speak; te: to you.

1.7 O best of the brāhmaṇas, let me tell you, who are the powerful warriors on our side—the generals of my army; for your information, I mention them.

bhavān: your self; bhīṣmaḥ: grandfather Bhīṣma; ca: and; karṇaḥ: Karṇa; ca: and; kṛpaḥ: Kṛpa; ca: and; samitiṃjayaḥ: victorious in war; aśvatthāmā: Aśvattāma; vikarṇaḥ: Vikarṇa; ca: and; saumadattiḥ: the son of Somadatta; tathā: thus as; eva: only; ca: and

1.8 Your goodself, Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Kṛpa, who are ever victorious in battle, an even so Aśvatthāma, Vikarṇa and the son of Somadatta.

anye: many others; ca: also; bahavaḥ: in great numbers; śūrāḥ: heroes; mad arthe: for my sake; tyakta jīvitāḥ: prepared to risk life; nānā: many; śastra: weap-ons; praharaṇāḥ: equipped with; sarve: all of them; yuddha: battle; viśāradāḥ: experienced in military science.

1.9 Many other heroes there are who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake; all are well-equipped with different weapons, and well experienced in warfare science.

aparyāptaṁ: unlimited; tat : that; asmākaṁ: of ours; balaṁ: strength; bhīṣmābhi rakṣitam: presided over and protected by Bhīṣma; paryāptaṁ: limited; tu: but; idaṁ: all this; eteṣāṁ: their; balaṁ: strength; bhīmābhi rakṣitam: presided over and protected by Bhīma

1.10 The strength of army of ours, protected by Bhīṣma, is invincible whereas the strength of their army carefully protected by Bhīma is limited.

ayaneṣu: in the divisions; ca: and; sarveṣu: everywhere; yathā bhāgam: as per the divisions; avasthitāḥ: situated; bhīṣmam: to Bhisma; eva: alone; abhi rakṣantu: protect; bhavantaḥ: you; sarva: all; eva: only; hi: indeed

1.11 Stationed in your respective divisions on all fronts, all of you must give full protection to Bhīṣma.

tasya: his; sañjanayan: causing; harṣaṁ: joy; kuru vṛddhaḥ: old man of the Kuru dynasty; pitāmahaḥ: the grandfather; siṃha nādaṃ: lion's roar; vinadya: causing to sound; uccaiḥ: loudly; śaṅkhaṃ: conch; dadhmau: blew; pratāpavān: mighty

1.12 Then Bhīṣma, the mighty patriarch of the Kuru dynasty, their glorious grandfather, roared like a lion and blew his conch, giving Duryodhana joy.

tataḥśaṅkhāś ca bheryaś ca paṇavānaka gomukhāḥ | sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdas tumulo 'bhavat // 1.13

tataḥ: then; śaṅkhāḥ: conches; ca: and; bheryaś ca paṇavānaka: drums, bu-gles, horns and trumpets; gomukhāḥ: cow horns; sahasā eva: quite suddenly abhyahanyanta: blared; saḥ: that; śabdaḥ: sound; tumulaḥ: tumultuous; abhavat: became

1.13 Then, conches, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.

tataḥ śvetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau | mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaś caiva divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ // 1.14

tataḥ: then; śvetaiḥ: by white; hayaiḥ: horses; yukte: being yoked; mahati: magnificent; syandane: chariot; sthitau: seated; mādhavaḥ: Mādhava, Śrī Kṛṣṇa; pāṇḍavaḥ: son of Pāṇḍu; ca: and; eva: only; divyau: divine; śaṅkhau: conches; pradadhmatuḥ: blew

1.14 Then, seated on a magnificent chariot drawn by white horses, both Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) and Arjuna sounded their divine conches.

pāñcajanyam: the conch named Pāñcajanya; hṛṣīkeśaḥ: One who has mastered the senses (Kṛṣṇa) ; devadattam: the conch named Devadatta; dhanañjayaḥ: Dhañanjaya, the winner of wealth; pauṇḍram: the conch named Pauṇḍra; dadhmau: blew; mahā-śaṅkham: the great conch; bhīma-karmā: one who performs terrible tasks; vṛkodaraḥ: one with the belly of a wolf

1.15 Then, Hṛṣikeśa (Kṛṣṇa) blew His conch, called Pāñcajanya; Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) blew his conch, called Devadatta; and Bhīma blew his mighty conch called Pauṇḍra.

anantavijayam: the conch named Ananta-vijaya; rājā: the king; kuntī-putraḥ: the son of Kuntī; yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Yudhiṣṭra; nakulaḥ: Nakula; sahadevaḥ: Sa-hadeva; ca: and; sughoṣa maṇipuṣpakau: the conches named Sughośa and Maṇipuṣpaka; kāśyaḥ: the king of Kāśī (Vāraṇāsi); ca: and; parameṣvāsaḥ: the great archer; śikhaṇḍī: Śikhaṇḍī; ca: and; mahā rathaḥ: great chariot warrior; dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ: Dhṛṣṭadyumna; virāṭaḥ: Virāṭa; ca: and; sātyakiḥ: Sātyaki; ca: and; aparājitaḥ: invincible; drupadaḥ: Drupada; draupadeyāḥ: the sons of Draupadī ; ca: also; sarvaśaḥ: all; pṛthivīpate: O’ king of earth; aubhadraḥ: the son of Subhadrā (Abhimanyu); ca: and; mahā bāhuḥ: mighty-armed; śaṅkhān: conches; dadhmuḥ blew; pṛthak pṛthak: severally

1.16, 17, 18 King Yudhiṣṭra, the son of Kuntī, blew his conch, the Anantavijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew theirs known as Sughośa and Maṇipuṣpaka. The excellent archer, the king of Kāśī, the great chariot-fighter Śikhaṇḍī, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa and the invincible Sātyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadī , and the mighty-armed Abhimanyu, son of Subhadrā, all of them, O king, blew their own conches.

saḥ: that; ghoṣaḥ: uproar; dhārtarāṣṭrāṇām: of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; hṛ- dayāni: hearts; vyadārayat: broke; nabhaḥ: the sky; ca: and; pṛthivīm: the earth; ca: and; eva: only; tumulaḥ: tumultous; vyanunādayan: resounding

1.19 The terrible sound echoing through the sky and the earth rent the hearts of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

atha vyavasthitān dṛṣṭvā dhārtarāṣṭrān kapidhvajaḥ / pravṛtte śastrasampāte dhanur udyamya pāṇḍavaḥ । hṛṣīkeśaṁ tadā vākyam idam āha mahīpate ॥ 1.20

atha: then; vyavasthitān: stationed; dṛṣṭvā: seeing; dhārtarāṣṭrān: the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; kapidhvajaḥ: one whose flag is marked with the ape; pravṛtte: about to begin; śastrasampāte: the arrows released; dhanuḥ: bow; udyamya: after taking up; pāṇḍavaḥ: the son of Pāṇḍu; hṛṣīkeśaṁ: to Kṛṣṇa; tadā: then; vākyam: words; idam: this; āha: said; mahī pate: O Lord of the earth

1.20 Seeing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra arrayed in the battle field, Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, who was seated in his chariot, bearing the flag marked with Hanumān, took up his bow.

अर्जुन उवाच

arjuna uvāca

arjuna: Arjuna; uvāca: said; senayoḥ: of the armies; ubhayoḥ: of both; madhye: in between; ratham: the chariot; sthāpaya: position; me: my; acyuta: O infallible one; yāvat: while; etān: all these; nirīkṣe: behold; aham: I; yoddhu kāmān: de-siring to fight; avasthitān: standing; kaiḥ: with whom; mayā: by me; saha: with; yoddhavyam: to be fought; asmin: in this; raṇasamudyame: situation of war;

1.21, 22 Arjuna said: O Acyuta (Infallible One), please place my chariot between the two armies while I may observe these warriors arrayed for battle and with whom I have to engage in fight.

yotsyamānān: those who wish to fight; avekṣe: see; aham: I; yaḥ: who; ete: these; atra : here; samāgatāḥ: assembled; dhārtarāṣṭrasya: the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; durbuddheḥ: evil-minded; yuddhe: in the fight; priyacikīrṣavaḥ: wishing to please

1.23 Let me see these well wishers in this war of the evil-mind-ed Duryodhana, who have come together here to fight.

सञ्जय उवाच

sañjaya uvāca

sañjaya: Sañjaya; uvāca: said; evam: thus; uktaḥ: addressed; hṛṣīkeśaḥ: Kṛṣṇa (Lord of senses); guḍākeśena: Arjuna (one who has conquered sleep); bhārata: O Bhārata; senayoḥ: of armies; ubhayoḥ: of both; madhye: in the middle of; sthāpayitvā: having placed; rathottamam: the finest chariot bhīṣma: grandfa-ther Bhīṣma; droṇa: the teacher Droṇa; pramukhataḥ: in front of; sarveṣām: of all; ca: and; mahīkṣitām: of rulers of the world; uvāca: said; pārtha: O Pārtha; paśyai: see; etān: these; samavetān: assembled; kurūn: the Kurus; iti: thus

1.24, 25 Sañjaya said: O descendant of Bhārata, being thus addressed by Guḍākeśa (Arjuna), Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa) then drew up the fine chariot to the middle of both the armies in front of Bhīṣma, Droṇa and all the kings and said, 'Arjuna, behold the Kauravas assembled here.'

tatrā paśyat sthitān pārthaḥ pitṝ-n atha pitāmahān / ācāryān mātulān bhrātṛ-n putrān pautrān sakhīṁs tathā / śvaśurān suhṛdaś caiva senayorubhayorapi // 1.26

tatra: there; apaśyat: saw; sthitān: positioned; pārthaḥ: Arjuna; pitṛ-n: fathers; atha: also; pitāmahān: grandfathers; ācāryān: teachers; mātulān: maternal uncles; bhrātṛ-n: brothers; putrān: sons; pautrān: grandsons; sakhīn: friends; tathā: too; śvaśurān: fathers-in-law; suhṛdaḥ: well-wishers; ca: and; eva: only; senayoḥ: of the armies; ubhayoḥ: of both ; api: also

1.26 There Arjuna saw, stationed there in both the armies his uncles, grand uncles, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and friends, as well as his fathers-in-law and well-wishers.

tān samīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥ sarvān bandhūn avasthitān / kṛpayā parayā ’viṣṭo viṣīdann idam abravīt // 1.27

tān: those; samīkṣya: after seeing; sa: he; kaunteyaḥ: kaunteya; sarvān: all; bandhūn: relatives; avasthitān: standing; kṛpayā: by pity; parayā: deep; āviṣṭaḥ: filled; viṣīdan: lamenting; idaṃ: thus; abravīt: spoke

1.27 Seeing all those relatives present there, Arjuna was over-whelmed with deep pity and spoke in sadness.

अर्जुन उवाच

arjuna: Arjuna; uvāca: said; dṛṣṭvā: after seeing; imaṁ: all these; svajanaṁ: kinsmen; kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣṇa; yuyutsuṁ: all eager to do battle; samupasthitam: ar-ranged in form; sīdanti: fail; mama: my; gātrāṇi: limbs; mukhaṁ: mouth; ca: and; pariśuṣyati: is parching

vepathuḥ: trembling; ca: and; śarīre: in body; me: my; romaharṣaḥ: hair standing on end; ca: and; jāyate: happens; gāṇḍīvaṁ: Gāṇḍīva; sraṁsate: slips; hastāt: from the hands; tvak: skin; ca: and; eva: only; paridahyate: is burning

1.28, 29 Arjuna said: Kṛṣṇa, seeing my friends and relatives present before me, eager to wage war, my limbs are giving way, my mouth is parching and a shiver is running through my body, my hair is standing on end.

na: not; ca: and; śaknomi: am able; avasthātuṁ: to stand; bhramatīva: as if whirling; ca: and; me: my; manaḥ: mind; nimittāni: portents; ca: also; paśyāmi: I see; viparī tāni: just the opposite; keśava: O Keśava, killer of demon Kesin

1.30 My bow gāṇḍīva is slipping from my hands and my skin is burning all over. My mind is whirling as it were, and I am now unable to stand here any longer.

na: not; ca: and; śreyaḥ: good; anupaśyāmi: I see; hatvā: after killing; svajanam: own kinsmen; āhave: in battle; na: not; kāṅkṣe: I desire; vijayam: victory; kṛṣṇa: O Kṛṣṇa; na: not; ca: and; rājyam: kingdom; sukhāni: pleasures; ca: and

1.31 I foresee only evil omens, O Kṛṣṇa, I do not see any good coming out of killing one’s own kinsmen [svajanam] in this battle. I do not covet my dear Kṛṣṇa, victory or kingdom or pleasures.

kiṃ: what; no: to us; rājyena: by kingdom; govinda: Govinda; kiṃ: what; bhogaiḥ: by pleasures; jīvitena: life; vā: or; yeṣām: for whose; arthe: sake; kāṅkṣitaṃ: desired; no: by us; rājyaṃ: kingdom; bhogāḥ: enjoyment; sukhāni: happiness; ca: and; te: they; ime: these; avasthitāḥ: stand; yuddhe: in battle; prāṇān: lives; tyaktvā: giving up; dhanāni: wealth; ca: and; ācāryāḥ: teachers; pitaraḥ: fathers; putrāḥ: sons; tathā eva: like that; ca: and; pitāmahāḥ: grand-fathers; mātulāḥ: maternal uncles; śvaśurāḥ: fathers-inlaw; pautrāḥ: grand-sons; śyālāḥ: brothers-in-law; sambandhinaḥ: relatives; tathā: as well as; etān: these; na: not; hantum: for killing; icchāmi: I wish; ghnataḥ: killed; api: even; madhusūdana: O killer of the demon Madhu; api: even; trailokya: of the three worlds; rājyasya: of the kingdoms; hetoḥ: in exchange; kiṃ: what; nu: then; mahīkṛte: for the sake of the earth; nihatya: after slaying; dhārtarāṣṭrān: sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; naḥ: to us; kā: what; prītiḥ: pleasure; syāt: may be; janārdana: Janārdana; pāpaṃ: sins; eva: only; āśrayet: will take hold; asmān: us; hatvā: after killing; etān: these; ātatāyinaḥ: wrong-doers

1.32—1.36 Of what use will kingdom or happiness or even life be to us? For whose sake we desire this kingdom, enjoy-ment and happiness, they stand in battle staking their lives and property. Teachers, fathers, sons as well as grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-inlaw, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives. Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa), even if I am killed (by them) I do not want to kill these ones even to gain control of all three worlds, much less for the earthly lordship. What pleasure will we get by destroying the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Janārdana? Only sin will overcome us if we slay these wrong doers.

tasmāt: therefore; na: not; arhāḥ: justified; vayam: we; hantuṃ: to kill; dhār-tarāṣṭrān: the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; svabāndhavān: our friends; svajanam: kinsmen; hi: for; kathaṃ: how; hatvā: after killing; sukhinaḥ: happy; syāma: may be; mādhava: O Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa)

1.37 Therefore, it is not proper for us to kill the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and our relations, for how could we be happy after killing our own kinsmen, Mādhava?

yadyapi: even if; ete: these; na: not; paśyanti: see; lobhopahata: greed overtaken; cetasaḥ: intelligence; kulakṣayakṛtaṃ: in killing the race done; doṣaṃ: fault; mitradrohe: treason to friends; ca: and; pātakam: sin

1.38 O Janārdana, these men, blinded by greed, see no fault in killing one's family or being treasonable to friends, incur sin.

kathaṃ: why; na: not; jñeyam: to be understood; asmābhiḥ: by us; pāpāt: from sins; asmāt: from this; nivartitum: to turn away; kulakṣaya kṛtaṃ: destruc-tion of a dynasty; doṣaṃ: evil; prapaśyadbhiḥ: by the witnessing; janārdana: Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)

1.39 Why should we, who clearly see the sin in the destruction of a dynasty, not turn away from this crime?

kulakṣaye praṇaśyanti kuladharmāḥ sanātanāḥ | dharme naṣṭe kulaṃ kṛ tsnam adharmo ’bhibhavatyuta || 1.40

kulakṣaye: in destroying the family; praṇaśyanti: perish; kuladharmāḥ: the family traditions; sanātanāḥ: age-old; dharme: virtue; naṣṭe: destroyed; ku-laṃ: family; kṛtsnam: whole; adharmaḥ: non-righteousness; abhibhavati: overtakes; uta: and

1.40 With the destruction of the dynasty, the age-old family traditions die and virtue having been lost, vice overtakes the entire race.

adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kula striyaḥ | strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇasaṃkaraḥ || 1.41

adharma: non-righteousness; abhi bhavāt: from the preponderance; kṛṣṇa: O Kṛṣṇa; praduṣyanti: become corrupt; kula striyaḥ: family women; strīṣu duṣṭāsu: when women become corrupt; vārṣṇeya: O Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa); jāyate: arises; varṇasaṃkaraḥ: intermixture of castes

1.41 When non-righteous practices become common, O Kṛṣṇa, the women of the family become corrupt, and with the deg-radation of womanhood, O Descendant of Vṛṣṇi, ensues inter-mixture of castes.

saṃkaraḥ: mixture; narakāya: for hell; eva: only; kulaghnānāṃ: of the killers of the family; kulasya: of the family; ca: and; patanti: fall; pitaraḥ : forefathers; hi: also; eṣāṃ: their; lupta: deprived; piṇḍodaka: offering of rice and water to the departed souls; kriyāḥ: performances

doṣaiḥ: faults; etaiḥ: these; kulaghnānāṃ: of the destroyer of the family; varṇa saṃkara: mixture of castes; kārakaiḥ : by the doers; utsādyante: are destroyed; jāti dharmāḥ: caste rituals; kula dharmāḥ: family traditions; ca: and; śāśvatāḥ: age-old

1.42, 43 A mixture of blood damns the destroyers of race and the race itself. Deprived of offering of oblations of rice and water the departed souls of the race also fall, the age-long caste traditions and family customs of the killers of kinmen become extinct.

utsanna: spoiled; kula dharmāṇāṃ: of those who have the family traditions; manuṣyāṇāṃ: of such men; janārdana: O Kṛṣṇa; narake: in hell; aniyataṃ: always; vāsaḥ: residence; bhavati: becomes; iti: thus; anuśuśruma: we hear

1.44 O Janārdana, we hear that those who have lost family traditions dwell in hell for an indefinite period of time.

aho bata: alas; mahat: great; pāpaṁ: sins; kartuṁ: to do; vyavasitā: prepared; vayaṁ: we; yat: that; rājya: kingdom; sukha lobhena: by greed for kingdom; hantuṁ: to kill; svajanaṁ: kinsmen; udyatāḥ: prepared

1.45 Alas, we are prepared to commit greatly sinful acts of killing our kinsmen, driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness.

yadi: if; mām: me; apratīkāraṁ: not resistant; aśastraṁ: unarmed; śas-trapāṇayaḥ: with weapons in hand; dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ: the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; raṇe: in the battle; hanyuḥ: may kill; tat: that; me: mine; kṣemataraṁ: better; bhavet: will be

1.46 It would be better if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, armed with weapons, killed me in battle while I am unarmed and unresisting.

सञ्जय उवाच

sañjaya: Sañjaya; uvāca: said; evam: thus; uktvā: having said; arjunaḥ: Arjuna; saṃkhye: in the battle field; rathopastha: chariot at the rear side; upāviśat: sat down; visṛ jya: having cast aside; saśaraṃ: with the arrow; cāpaṃ: the bow; śoka: sorrow; saṃvigna: distressed; mānasaḥ: with a mind

1.47 Sañjaya said: Arjuna, whose mind was agitated by grief on the battle field, having spoken thus, cast aside his bow along with the arrow and sat down at the rear portion of the chariot.

In the Upaniṣad of Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with the science of Brahman, the Supreme Absolute, Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṃvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, this is the first chapter named, Arjunaviṣāda Yogaḥ, 'The Yoga of Arjuna's Dilemma'

sañjaya uvāca: Sañjaya said; taṁ: to him; tathā: thus; kṛpayā: by pity; āviṣṭam: overcome; aśrupūrṇā: full of tears; ākula: agitated; īkṣaṇam: (one with) eyes; viṣīdantaṁ: sorrowing; idaṁ: this; vākyam: word; uvāca: said; madhu-sūdanaḥ: the killer of Madhu

2.1 Sañjaya said: As Arjuna's eyes overflowed with tears of pity and despair, Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa) spoke to him thus.

śrī bhagavān uvāca: Lord says; kutaḥ: why; tvā: upon you; kaśmalam: delusion; idaṁ: this; viṣame: in this critical time; samupasthitam: arrived; anārya juṣṭam: unworthy of a noble soul; asvargyam: not leading to heaven; akīrtikaram: disgraceful; arjuna: O Arjuna

2.2 Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says: Where from has this impurity, dejection descended on you at this critical time, Arjuna! You behave unlike a noble man and this will keep you away from realization.

klaibyaṁ: impotence; mā: do not; sma gamaḥ: yield; pārtha: son of Pritā; na: not; etat: this; tvayi: in you; upapadyate: is fitting; kṣudraṁ: mean; hṛdaya daurbalyaṁ: weakness of heart; tyaktvaa: after abandoning; uttiṣṭha: get up; paraṁtapa: O destroyer of enemies

2.3 Do not yield to fear, Pārtha! It does not befit you. Drop this powerlessness of the heart and stand up, O Parantapa, destroyer of enemies!

arjuna uvāca: Arjuna said; katham: how; bhīṣmam: Bhīṣma; aham: I; saṁkhye: in battle; droṇam: Droṇa; ca: also; madhusūdana: O killer of Madhu; iṣubhiḥ: with arrows; pratiyotsyāmi: shall counterattack; pūjārhāu: the two worthy of worship; arisūdana: O killer of the enemies

2.4 Arjuna said: O Madhusūdana (killer of Madhu), how can I oppose, in battle, Bhīṣma and Droṇa who are worthy of my worship?

gurūn: the elders; ahatvā: not having killed; hi: indeed; mahānubhāvān: great souls; śreyaḥ: it is better; bhoktuṁ: to enjoy life; bhaikṣyam: begging; api: even; iha: in this life; loke: in this world; hatvā: after killing; arthakāmān: wealth and enjoyment; tu: but; gurūn: elders; iha: in this world; eva: only; bhuñjīya: has to enjoy; bhogān: enjoyable things; rudhira: blood; pradigdhān: tainted with

2.5 I would rather beg for my food in this world than kill the most noble of teachers. If I kill them, all my enjoyment of wealth and desires will be stained with blood.

na: nor; cha: also; etat: this; vidmaḥ: do know; katarat: which; naḥ: us; garīyah: better; yat: what; vā: either; jayema: shall conquer; yadi: if; vā: or; naḥ: us; jay-eyuḥ: shall conquer; yān: those whom; eva: only; hatvā: after killing; na: never; jijīviṣāmaḥ: want to live; te: all of them; avasthitāḥ: assembled; pramukhe: in front of; dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ: the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra

2.6 I cannot say which is better; their defeating us or us de-feating them. We do not wish to live after slaying the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra who stand before us.

kārpaṇya: miserly; doṣa: weakness; upahata: being inflicted by; svabhāvaḥ: characteristics; pṛcchāmi: I am asking; tvāṁ: you; dharma: religion; sammūḍha cetāḥ: bewildered mind; yat: what; śreyaḥ: good; syāt: may be; niścitaṁ: decid-edly; brūhi: tell; tat: that; me: unto me; śiṣyaḥ: disciple; te: your; aham: I am; śādhi: just instruct; māṁ: me; tvāṁ: you; prapannam: surrendered

2.7 My heart is overwhelmed with pity and my mind is con-fused about what my duty is. I beg of you, please tell me what is best for me. I am your disciple. Instruct me as I seek refuge in you.

na: do not; hi: indeed; prapaśyāmi: I see; mama: my; apanudyāt: can drive away; yat: that; śokam: lamentation; ucchoṣaṇam: drying up; indriyāṇām: of the senses; avāpya: after achieving; bhūmau: on the earth; asapatnam: without rival; ṛddhaṁ: prosperous; rājyam: kingdom; surāṇām: of the demigods; api: even; ca: also; ādhipatyam: supremacy

2.8 Even if I were to attain unrivalled dominion and prosperity on earth or even lordship over the Gods, how would that remove this sorrow that burns my senses?

सञ्जय उवाच

sañjaya uvācha: Sañjaya said; evam: thus; uktvā: after speaking; hṛṣīkeśam: unto Kṛṣṇa, the master of the senses; guḍākeśaḥ: one who has won over sleep (Arjuna); parantapa: destroyer of the enemies; na yotsye: I shall not fight; iti: thus; govindam: unto Kṛṣṇa, the giver of pleasure; uktvā: having said; tūṣṇīṁ: silent; babhūva: became; ha: clearly

2.9 Sañjaya said: Guḍākeśa (Arjuna) then said to Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa), ‘Govinda, I shall not fight,’ and fell silent.

tam: unto him; uvācha: said; hṛṣīkeśaḥ: the master of the senses, Kṛṣṇa; prahasan: smiling; iva: as if; bhārata: O Dhṛtarāṣṭra, descendant of Bhārata; senayoḥ: of the armies; ubhayoḥ: of both; madhye: between; viṣīdantam : unto the lamenting one; idaṁ: the following; vachaḥ: words

2.10 Kṛṣṇa, Hṛṣikeśa, smilingly spoke the following words to the grief-stricken Arjuna, as they were placed in the middle of both armies.

śrī bhagavān uvāca: the Lord says; aśocyān: those not worthy of lamentation; anvaśocas: you are lamenting; tvaṁ: you; prajñāvādāṁ: learned talks; ca: also; bhāṣase: you are speaking; gatāsūn: lost life; agatāsūn: not past life; ca: also; na: never; anuśocanti: lament; paṇḍitāḥ: the learned

2.11 Bhagavān says: You grieve for those that should not be grieved for and yet, you speak words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead.

na: not; tu: but; eva: only; aham: I; jātu: at any time; na: not; āsaṁ: existed; na: it is not so; tvam: yourself; na: not; ime: all these; janādhipāḥ: kings; na: never; ca: also; eva: only; na: not like that; bhaviṣyāmaḥ: shall exist; sarve: all of us; vayaṁ: we; ataḥ param: hereafter

2.12 It is not that at anytime in the past I did not exist. So did you and these rulers exist, and we shall not ever cease to be hereafter.

dehinaḥ: of the embodied soul; asmin: in this; yathā: as; dehe: in the body; kaumāraṁ: boyhood; yauvanam: youth; jarā: old age; tathā: similarly; dehān-tara: transference of the body; prāptiḥ: achievement; dhīraḥ: the brave; tatra: thereupon; na: never; muhyati: is deluded

2.13 Just as the spirit in this body passes through childhood, youth and old age, so does it pass into another body; the man centered in himself does not fear this.

mātrā: of the senses; spārśāḥ: contact; tu: only; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; śīta: cold; uṣṇa: hot; sukha: pleasure; dukkha-dah: giving pain; āgama: appearing; apāyinaḥ: disappearing; anityāḥ: nonpermanent; tān: all of them; titikṣasva: tolerate; bhārata: O descendant of the Bhārata dynasty

2.14 O Kaunteya (son of Kuntī), contact with sense objects causes heat and cold, pleasure and pain, and these have a beginning and an end. O Bhārata, these are not permanent; endure them bravely.

yaṁ: whom; hi: indeed; na: never; vyathayanti: are distressing; ete: all these; puruṣaṁ: to a person; puruṣarṣabha: O best among men; sama: equal; duḥkha: sorrow; sukhaṁ: happiness; dhīraṁ: brave; saḥ: he; amṛtatvāya: for liberation; kalpate: is fit

2.15 O Puruṣarṣabha, chief among men, these surely do not afflict the brave person, who is centered and complete. Pleasure and pain are the same to him and he is certainly ready for immortality, amṛatvā.

na: never; asataḥ: of the nonexistent; vidyate: there is; bhāvaḥ: existence; na: never; abhāvaḥ: non existence; vidyate: there is; sataḥ: of the eternal; ubhayoḥ: of the two; api: verily; dṛṣṭaḥ: observed; antaḥ: essence; tu: but; anayoḥ: of them; tattvadarśibhiḥ: truth by the seers

2.16 The nonexistent (asat) has no being; that which exists (sat) never ceases to exist. This truth about both is perceived by the Seers of Truth.

avināśi: imperishable; tu: but; tat: that; viddhi: know it; yena: by whom; sarvaṁ: all of the body; idaṁ: this; tataṁ: pervaded; vināśaṁ: destruction; avyayasya: of the imperishable; asya: of it; na kaścit: no one; kartuṁ: to do; arhati: is able

2.17 Know It to be indestructible by which all this body is pervaded. Nothing can destroy It, the Imperishable.

antavantaḥ: perishable; ime: all these; dehāḥ: bodies; nityasya: eternal in ex-istence; uktāḥ: it is so said; śarīriṇaḥ: of the embodied soul; anāśinaḥ: never to be destroyed; aprameyasya: immeasurable; tasmāt: therefore; yudhyasva: fight; bhārata: O descendant of Bhārata

2.18 These bodies of the material energy are perishable. The energy itself is eternal, incomprehensible and indestructible. Therefore, fight, O Bhārata.

yaḥ: anyone; enaṁ: this; vetti: knows; hantāraṁ: the killer; yaḥ: anyone; ca: also; enaṁ: this; manyate: thinks; hatam: killed; ubhau: both of them; tau: they; na: not; vijānītaḥ: know; na: never; ayaṁ: this; hanti: kills; na: nor; hanyate: be killed

2.19 Neither understands; he who takes the Self to be the slayer nor he who thinks he is slain. He who knows the Truth understands that the Self does not slay, nor is It slain.

na: never; jāyate: takes birth; mriyate: dies; vā: either; kadācit: at any time (past, present or future); na: never; ayaṁ: this; bhūtvā: having come into being; bhavitā: will come to be; vā: or; na: not; bhūyaḥ: after; ajaḥ: unborn; nityaḥ: eternal; śāśvataḥ: permanent; ayaṁ: this; purāṇaḥ: the oldest; na: never; ha-nyate: is killed; hanyamāne śarīre: when the body is killed

2.20 The Self is neither born nor does It ever die. After having been, It never ceases not to be. It is unborn, eternal, changeless and ancient. It is not killed when the body is killed.

veda: knows; avināśinaṁ: indestructible; nityaṁ: permanent; yaḥ: one who; enaṁ: this (soul); ajam: unborn; avyayam: immutable; kathaṁ: how; saḥ: he; puruṣaḥ: person; pārtha: O Pārtha (Arjuna); kaṁ: whom; ghātayati: hurts; hanti: kills; kaṁ: whom

2.21 O Pārtha, how can man slay or cause others to be slain, when he knows It to be indestructible, eternal, unborn, and unchangeable?

vāsāṁsi: garments; jīrṇāni: old and worn out; yathā: as; vihāya: after giving up; navāni: new garments; gṛhṇāti: does accept; naraḥ: a man; aparāṇi: others; tathā: in the same way; śarīrāṇi: bodies; vihāya: after giving up; jīrṇāni: old and useless; anyāni: different; saṁyāti: accepts; navāni: new sets; dehī: the embodied soul

2.22 Just as man casts off his worn out clothes and puts on new ones, the Self casts off worn out bodies and enters newer ones.

na: not; enaṁ: this (soul); chindanti: cut to pieces; śastrāṇi: weapons; na: not; enaṁ: this soul; dahati: burns; pāvakaḥ: fire; na: not; ca: also; enaṁ: this soul; kledayanti: moistens; āpaḥ: water; na: not; śoṣayati: dries; mārutaḥ: wind

2.23 Weapons do not cleave the Self, fire does not burn It, water does not moisten It and wind does not dry It.

acchedyaḥ: incapable of being cut; ayam: this soul; adāhyaḥ: cannot be burned; ayam: this soul; akledyaḥ: insoluble; aśoṣyaḥ: cannot be dried; eva: certainly; ca: and; nityaḥ: everlasting; sarvagataḥ: all-pervading; sthāṇuḥ: unchangeable; acalaḥ: immovable; ayam: this soul; sanātanaḥ: eternally the same

2.24 The Self cannot be broken nor burnt nor dissolved nor dried up. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable and ancient.

avyaktah: unmanifest; ayam: this; acintyah: unthinkable; ayam: this; avikāryah: immutable; ayam: this; ucyate: is spoken of; tasmāt: therefore; evam: as such; viditvā: having known; enam: this; na: not; anuśocitum arhasi: (you) should not grieve

2.5 The Self is said to be unmanifest, unthinkable and unchange-able and able. Knowing this to be such, you should not grieve.

atha: however; ca: also; enam: this soul; nityajātaṁ: always born; nityam: forever; vā: either; manyase: think; mṛtam: dead; tathā api: still; tvam: you; mahābāho: O mighty-armed one; na: not; enam: like this ; śocitum arhasi: you lament

2.26 O mighty-armed, even if you should think of the soul as being constantly born and constantly dying, even then, you should not lament.

jātasya: one who has taken his birth; hi: indeed; dhruvo: certain; mṛtyuḥ: death; dhruvaṁ: certain; janma: birth; mṛtasya: of the dead; ca: also; tasmāt: therefore; aparihārye: for that which is unavoidable; arthe: in the matter of; na: do not; tvaṁ: you; śocituṁ arhasi: you lament

2.27 Indeed, death is certain for the born and birth is certain for the dead. Therefore, you should not grieve over the inevitable.

avyaktādīni: unmanifest in the beginning; bhūtāni: living beings; vyakta: manifest; madhyāni: in the middle; bhārata: O descendant of Bhārata; avyakta nidhanāni: unmanifest after death; eva: like that; tatra: therefore; kā: what; paridevanā: lamentation

2.28 O Bhārata, all beings are unmanifest in their beginning, seemingly manifest in their middle, and unmanifest again in their end. So, what need then for greiving?

āścaryavat: amazingly; paśyati: see; kaścit: some one; enam: this soul; āś- caryavac: amazingly; vadati: speaks; tathā: like that; eva: only; ca: also; anyaḥ: another; āścaryavat: amazingly; ca: also; enam: this soul; anyaḥ: another; śṛṇoti: hear; śrutvā: having heard; api: even; enam: this soul; veda: do know; na: not; ca: and; eva: only; kaścit: someone

2.29 One sees It as a wonder, another speaks of It as a won-der, another hears of It as a wonder. Yet, having heard, none understands It at all.

dehī: the soul; nityam: eternally; avadhyaḥ: cannot be killed; ayam: this soul; dehe: in the body; sarvasya: of everyone; bhārata: O descendant of Bhārata; tasmāt: therefore; sarvāṇi: all; bhūtāni: living entities (that are born); na: not; tvam: yourself; śocituṁ arhasi: should grieve

2.30 O Bhārata, this that dwells in the body of everyone can never be destroyed; do not grieve for any creature.

svadharmam: one's own responsibility; api: also; ca: and; avekṣya: considering; na: not; vikampitum: to hesitate; arhasi: you deserve; dharmyāt hi yuddhāt: from righteous war indeed; śreyaḥ: better; anyat: anything else; kṣatriyasya: of the kṣatriya; na: does not; vidyate: exist

2.31 You should look at your own responsibility [svadharma] as a kṣatriya. There is nothing higher for a kṣatriya than a righteous war. You ought not to hesitate.

yadṛcchayā: by its own accord; ca: also; upapannaṁ: arrived; svargadvāram: gate of heaven; apāvṛtaṁ: wide open; sukhinaḥ: happy; kṣatriyāḥ: the members of the royal order; pārtha: O son of Pṛtā; labhante: achieve; yuddhaṁ: war; īdṛśaṁ: like this

2.32 O Pārtha, happy indeed are the kṣatriyas who are called to fight in such a battle without seeking. This opens for them the door to heaven.

atha: therefore; cet: if; tvaṁ: you; imaṁ: this; dharmyaṁ: righteous; saṅgrāmaṁ: war; na: do not; kariṣyasi: you will perform; tataḥ: then; svad-harmaṁ: your duty; kīrtiṁ: reputation; ca: also; hitvā: having lost; pāpaṁ: sin; avāpsyasi: do gain

2.33 If you will not fight this righteous war, then you will incur sin having abandoned your own responsibility [svadharma], and you will lose your reputation.

akīrtiṁ: infamy; ca: also; api: also; bhūtāni: all people; kathayiṣyanti: will speak; te: of you; avyayāṁ: undying; saṁbhāvitasya: of a respectable man; ca: also; akīrtiḥ: ill-fame; maraṇāt: than death; atiricyate: becomes more than

2.34 People too will remember your everlasting dishonor and to one who has been honored, dishonor is worse than death.

bhayāt: out of fear; raṇāt: from war; uparataṁ: retired; maṁsyante: will con-sider; tvāṁ: you; mahārathāḥ: the great generals; yeṣāṁ: of those who; ca: also; tvaṁ: you; bahumataḥ: in great estimation; bhūtvā: having become; yāsyasi: will get; lāghavaṁ: decreased in value

2.35 The great generals will think that you have withdrawn from the battle because you are a coward. You will be looked down upon by those who had thought much of you and your heroism in the past.

avācyavādān: unspeakable words; ca: also; bahūn: many; vadiṣyanti: will say; tava : your; ahitāḥ: enemies; nindantaḥ: while vilifying; tava : your; sāmar-thyam: ability; tataḥ: than that; duḥkhataram: more painful; nu: of course; kiṁ: what

2.36 Many unspeakable words would be spoken by your ene-mies reviling your power. Can there be anything more painful than this?

hato vā prāpsyasi svargaṁ jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm / tasmāduttiṣṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛtaniścayaḥ // 2.37

hataḥ: being killed; vā: either; prāpsyasi: you will gain; svargaṁ: heaven; jitvā: after conquering; vā: or; bhokṣyase: you will enjoy; mahīṁ: the world; tasmāt: therefore; uttiṣṭha: get up; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; yuddhāya: for war; kṛta niścayaḥ: determined

2.37 Slain, you will achieve heaven; victorious, you will enjoy the earth. O Kaunteya (son of Kuntī), stand up determined to fight.

sukhaduḥkhe same kṛtvā lābhālābhau jayājayau / tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpamavāpsyasi // 2.38

sukha duḥkhe: in happiness as well as in distress; same: equal; kṛtvā: doing so; lābhālābhau: gain and loss; jayājayau: victory and defeat; tataḥ: thereafter; yuddhāya: for war; yujyasva: get ready; na: not; evaṁ: in this way; pāpaṁ: sin; avāpsyasi: you will gain

2.38 Pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat–treat them all the same. Do battle for the sake of battle and you shall incur no sin.

eṣā: all these; te: you; abhihitā: described; sāṁkhye: in the Sāṅkhya Yoga (yoga of knowledge); buddhiḥ: intelligence; yoge: in the Karma Yoga of selfless action; tu: but; imāṁ: this; śṛṇu: hear; buddhyā: by intelligence; yuktaḥ: equipped; yayā: by which; pārtha: O son of Pṛtā; karma bandhaṁ: bondage of action; prahāsyasi: you shall throw off

2.39 Thus far, what has been taught to you concerns the wisdom of Sāṅkhya. Now, listen to the wisdom of yoga [buddhiyoga]. Having known this, O Pārtha, you shall cast off the bonds of action.

na: there is not; iha: in this path of yoga (of selfless action); abhikramanāśaḥ: loss of effort; asti: there is; pratyavāyaḥ: contrary result; na: not; vidyate: there is; svalpaṁ: a little; api: also; asya: of this discipline; dharmasya: of this occu-pation; trāyate: releases; mahataḥ: of very great; bhayāt: from fear

2.40 There is no wasted effort or dangerous effect in this path of yoga. Even a little knowledge of this, even a little practice of this dharma, protects and releases one from very great fear.

vyavasāyātmikā: fixed resolve; buddhiḥ: intelligence; ekā: only one; iha: in this (karma yoga); kuru nandana: O son of the Kurus; bahuśākhāḥ: various branches; hi: indeed; anantāḥ: unlimited; ca: also; buddhayaḥ: intelligence; avyavasāyināṁ: of the undecided (ignorant men moved by desires)

2.41 Joy of the Kurus, on this path (of yoga), the intelligence is resolute with a single-pointed determination. Thoughts of the irresolute are many, branched and endlsess.

yāṁ imāṁ: all these; puṣpitāṁ: flowery; vācaṁ: words; pravadanti: say; avipaścitaḥ: ignorant men; vedavādaratāḥ: devoted to the letter of the Veda; pārtha: O son of Pārtha; na: not; anyat: anything else; asti: there is; iti: thus; vādinaḥ: advocates

kāmātmānaḥ: desirous of sense gratification; svargaparāḥ: aiming at heaven as supreme goal; janma karma phala pradām: resulting in rebirth as the fruit; kriyā viśeṣa bahulāṁ: many rituals of various kinds; bhogaiśvarya: sense enjoyment opulence; gatiṁ: way; prati: towards

2.43 Men of little knowledge, who are very much attached toeulogizing the flowery words of the Vedas, O Pārtha, argue that, 'there is nothing else'; these advocates of Vedas (vādīna) look upon and recommend various fruitful actions for elevation to heavenly planets, resulting in high birth, power, and so forth. Thus being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this to living.

bhogaiśvarya: material enjoyment opulence; prasaktānāṁ: of those who are so attached; tayā: by such words; apahṛta cetasāṁ: bewildered in mind; vyavasāyātmikā: fixed determination; buddhiḥ: intellect; samādhau: in the supreme goal; na: not; vidhīyate: centers on

2.44 Those whose minds are attached to sense pleasures and lordship, who are diverted by such teachings, for them, the determination for steady meditation and samādhi, fixed intelligence does not happen.

traiguṇya viṣayā: pertaining to the three modes of material nature and the means of achieving them; vedā: Vedic literature; nistraiguṇyaḥ: indifferent to the material enjoyments and their means; bhava: be; arjuna: O Arjuna; nirdvandvaḥ: free from the pairs of opposites; nitya sattvasthaḥ: ever remain-ing in satva (eternal existence); niryogakṣemaḥ: free from (the thought of) acquisition and preservation; ātmavān: established in the Self

2.45 O Arjuna! Be you above the three guṇas (attributes) that the Vedas deal in: free yourself from the pairs-of-opposites and be always in satva (goodness), free from all thoughts of acquisition (yoga) or preservation (kṣema), and be established in the Self.

yāvān: how much; arthaḥ: means; udapāne: in a well of water; sarvataḥ: on all sides; samplutodake: in a great reservoir of water; tāvān: that much; sarveṣu: in all; vedeṣu: in the Veda; brāhmaṇasya: of the man who knows the supreme Brahman; vijānataḥ: of one who has achieved enlightenment

2.46 The Brāhmaṇa (sage), who has known the Self, has little use for the vedic scriptures, as these are like a pool of water in a place that is already in flood, overflowing with a great water reservoir.

karmaṇi: in the duties; eva: only; adhikāraḥ: right; te: of you; mā: never; phaleṣu: in the fruits; kadācana: at any time; mā: do not; karma phala: in the result of action; hetuḥ: cause; bhūḥ: let be; mā: never; te: of you; saṅgaḥ: attachment; astu: be there; akarmaṇi: in inaction

2.47 You have a right only to work, but never to the fruits (outcome) of action. Never let the fruit of action be your motive; and never let your attachment be to inaction.

yogasthaḥ: steadfast in yoga; kuru: perform; karmāṇi: duties; saṅgaṁ: attach-ment; tyaktvā: having abandoned; dhañajaya: O Dhanañjaya; siddhyasiddhyoḥ: success and failure; samaḥ: the same; bhūtvā: having become; samatvaṁ: evenness of mind; yoga: yoga; ucyate: is called

2.48 O Dhanañjaya! Do your actions dropping all attachment to the outcome, being centered and complete in Yoga. Be balanced in success and failure. Such evenness of mind is Yoga.

dūreṇa hi avaraṁ: far superior; karma: activities; buddhiyogāt: based on the yoga of knowledge; dhanañjaya: O conqueror of wealth; buddhau: in such wisdom; śaraṇam: full surrender; anviccha: desire; kṛpaṇāḥ: wretched; phala-hetavaḥ: those desiring fruit of action

2.49 O Dhanañjaya, beyond the action with selfish motive is Yoga (of action) in wisdom [buddhiyoga]. Wretched are those whose motive is the fruit (outcome); Surrender yourself fully to the wisdom of completion.

buddhiyuktaḥ: even minded person; jahāti: gives up; iha: in this life; ubhe: both; sukṛta duṣkṛte: good and bad results; tasmāt: therefore; yogāya: for the sake of yoga; yujyasva: be so engaged; yogaḥ: yoga; karmasu: in all activities; kauśalam: art (of freeing the Self from the bondage of action)

2.50 Endowed with the wisdom of evenness of mind, move away from both good and evil deeds in this life. Devote yourself to yoga. Authenticity in action is yoga.

karmajaṁ: born of action; buddhiyuktā: even minded ones; hi: indeed; phalaṁ: results; tyaktvā: after giving up; manīṣiṇaḥ: sages; janma bandha vinirmuktāḥ: free from the bondage of birth; padaṁ: position; gacchanti: reach; anāmayaṁ: without ills

2.51 The wise, having abandoned the outcome of their actions and possessed of knowledge of completion, are freed from the cycle of birth and death. They go to the state that is beyond all sorrow.

yadā: when; te : they; moha kalilaṁ: slough of delusion; buddhiḥ: understand-ing; vyatitariṣyati: will pass through; tadā: at that time; gantāsi: you shall attain; nirvedaṁ: cheerlessness; śrotavyasya: all that is to be heard; śrutasya: all that is already heard; ca: also

2.52 When your wisdom takes you beyond delusion, you shall be indifferent to what has been heard and what is yet to be heard.

śrutivipratipannā: confused by much hearing; te: this; yadā: when; sthāsyati: rests; niścalā: steady; samādhau: on God; acalā: unflinching; buddhiḥ: intellect; tadā: at that time; yogam: self-realization; avāpsyasi: you will achieve

2.53 When you are not confused by what you have heard and your wisdom stands steady and unmoving in the Self, you shall attain Yoga, Self-realization.

अर्जुन उवाच

arjuna uvāca

arjuna uvāca: Arjuna said; sthitaprajñasya: of one who is of secure mind; kā: what; bhāṣā: language; samādhisthasya: of one established in the tranquility of mind; keśava: O Kṛṣṇa; sthitadhīḥ: one with stable mind; kiṁ: how; prabhāṣeta: speak; kim: how; āsīta: sits; vrajeta: walks; kim: how

2.54 O Keśava! What is the description of one who stays in the space of completion in present moment and is merged in the restful awareness of truth and wisdom? How does one of steady wisdom speak, how does he sit, how does he walk?

śrībhagavānuvāca

prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvānpārtha manogatān |

śrī bhagavān uvāca: The Lord says; prajahāti: gives up; yadā: when; kāmān: desires; sarvān: of all varieties; pārtha: O son of Pritā; manogatān: existing in mind; ātmani: in the soul; eva: only; ātmanā: by the self; tuṣṭaḥ: satisfied; sthitaprajñaḥ: one of secure understanding; tadā: at that time; ucyate: is said

2.55 Śrī Bhagavān says: O Pārtha, a man who casts off com-pletely all the desires of the mind and is satisfied in the Self by the Self, He is said to be Sthhitaprajña, one of steady wisdom in completion.

duḥkheṣu: in sorrow; anudvignamanāḥ: without being agitated in mind; sukheṣu: in happiness; vigataspṛhaḥ: without being interested; vīta: free from; rāga: passion; bhaya: fear; krodhaḥ: anger; sthitadhīḥ: one who is steady in mind; muniḥ: a sage; ucyate: is called

2.56 He whose mind is not disturbed by adversity and who, in prosperity, does not go after other pleasures, he who is free from attachment, fear or anger is called a sage of steady wisdom.

yaḥ: one who; sarvatra: everywhere; anabhisnehaḥ: without affection; tat: that; tat: that; prāpya: after achieving; śubhāśubhaṁ: good evil; na: not; abhinandati: rejoices; na: not; dveṣṭi: resents; tasya: his; prajñā: knowledge; pratiṣṭhitā: fixed

2.57 His wisdom is fixed who is everywhere without attach-ment, meeting with anything good or bad and who neither rejoices nor hates.

yadā: when; saṁharate: withdraws; ca: also; ayaṁ: this; kūrmaḥ: tortoise; aṅgānī: limbs; iva: like; sarvaśaḥ : altogether; indriyāṇi : senses; indri-yārthebhyaḥ: from the sense objects; tasya: his; prajñā: consciousness; pratiṣṭhitā: fixed

2.58 As the tortoise withdraws its limbs from all sides, when a person withdraws his senses from the sense-objects, his wisdom becomes steady in completion.

viṣayāḥ: sense objects; vinivartante: turn away; nirāhārasya: of one who does not enjoy them with his senses; dehinaḥ: of the embodied; rasavarjaṁ: yearn-ing, persisting; rasaḥ: yearning; api: although there is; asya: his; paraṁ: the supreme; dṛṣṭvā: after seeing; nivartate: returns

2.59 From the body, the sense objects turn away, but the de-sires remain; his desires also leave him on seeing the Supreme.

yatataḥ: while endeavoring; hi: indeed; api: also; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; puruṣasya: of the man; vipaścitaḥ: the wise; indriyāṇi: the senses; pramāthīni: turbulent; haranti: carry away; prasabhaṁ: by force; manaḥ: the mind

2.60 O Kaunteya (son of Kuntī), the turbulent senses carry away the mind of a wise man, though he is striving to be in control.

tāni: those senses; sarvāṇi: all; saṁyamya: keeping under control; yuktaḥ: yogi; āsīta: sitting; matparaḥ: devoted to Me; vaśe: in full subjugation; hi: indeed; yasya: one whose; indriyāṇi: senses; tasya: his; prajñā; mind; pratiṣṭhitā: stable

2.61 Having restrained them all, he should sit steadfast, intent on Me. His mind is steady in the present whose senses are under control.

dhyāyataḥ: contemplating; viṣayān: sense objects; puṁsaḥ: of the person; saṅgaḥ: attachment; teṣu: in these sense objects; upajāyate: develops; saṅgāt: from attachment; saṁjāyate: develops; kāmaḥ: desire; kāmāt: from desire; krodhaḥ: anger; abhijāyate: ensues

2.62 When a man thinks of objects, it gives rise to attachment for them. From attachment, desire arises; from desire, anger is born.

krodhāt: from anger; bhavati: takes place; saṁmohaḥ: illusion; saṁmohāt: from illusion; smṛti: of memory; vibhramaḥ: loss; smṛti bhraṁśāt: from loss of memory; buddhi nāśaḥ: loss of reason; buddhināśāt: from loss of reason; praṇaśyati: perishes

2.63 From anger arises delusion, from delusion, loss of memory, from loss of memory, the destruction of discrimination, from destruction of discrimination, he perishes.

rāga dveṣa: likes and dislikes; viyuktaiḥ: by those free from such things; tu: but; viṣayān: sense objects; indriyaiḥ: by the senses; caran: enjoying; ātmavaśyaiḥ: by the disciplined; vidheyātmā: self controlled; prasādaṁ: placidity of mind; adhigacchati: attains

2.64 The self-controlled man, moving among objects with his senses under control, free from both attraction and repulsion, attains peace.

prasāde: with achieving peace of mind; sarva: of all; duḥkhānāṁ: of miser-ies; hāniḥ: destruction; asya: his; upajāyate: takes place; prasannacetasaḥ: of the happy-minded; hi: indeed; āśu: very soon; buddhiḥ: intelligence; pa-ryavatiṣṭhate: firmly established

2.65 All pains are destroyed in that peace, for the intellect of the tranquil-minded soon becomes steady.

na asti : there is not; buddhiḥ: wisdom; ayuktasya: of one who is not connected to Self; na: neither; ca: and; ayuktasya: of one devoid of Self awareness; bhāvanā: devotion; na: neither; ca: and; abhāvayataḥ: for the indisciplined; śāntiḥ: peace; aśāntasya: of the indisciplined; kutaḥ: how; sukham: happiness

2.66 A person not in self awareness cannot be wise or happy or peaceful. How can there be happiness to one without peace?

indriyāṇāṁ: of the senses; hi: indeed; caratāṁ: moving among objects; yat: that; manaḥ: mind; anu: with; vidhīyate: joined; tat: that; asya: his; harati: takes away; prajñāṁ: discrimination; vāyuḥ: wind; nāvaṁ: a boat; iva: like; ambhasi: on the water

2.67 He loses his awareness of the present moment when his mind follows the wandering senses, just as the wind carries away a boat on the waters.

tasmāt: therefore; yasya: of one's; mahābāho: O mighty-armed one; nigṛhītāni: so curbed down; sarvaśaḥ: in all respects; indriyāṇi: the senses; indri-yārthebhyaḥ: from the sense objects; tasya: his; prajñā: intelligence; pratiṣṭhitā: fixed

2.68 O Mahābāho (mighty-armed one), his knowledge is therefore steady whose senses are completely detached from sense objects.

yā: what; niśā: is night; sarva: all; bhūtānāṁ: of living entities; tasyāṁ: in that; jāgarti: wakeful; saṁyamī: the self-controlled; yasyāṁ: in which; jāgrati: awake; bhūtāni: all beings; sā: that is; niśā: night; paśyataḥ: for the seer; muneḥ: for the sage

2.69 The self–controlled man lies awake in that which is night to all beings. That in which all beings are awake is the night for the sage who sees.

āpūryamāṇaṁ: always filled; acalapratiṣṭhaṁ: steadily established; samudraṁ: the ocean; āpaḥ: water; praviśanti: enter; yadvat: as; tadvat: so; kāmāḥ: desires; yam: one; praviśanti: enter; sarve: all; saḥ: that person; śāntiṁ: peace; āpnoti: achieves; na: not; kāmakāmī: one who cherishes longings

2.70 Just as all waters enter the ocean, he attains peace into whom all desires enter, which when filled from all sides, re-mains unmoved; not the desirer of desires.

vihāya: after giving up; kāmān: desires for sense gratification; yaḥ: the person; sarvān: all; pumān: a person; carati: moves; niḥspṛhaḥ: desireless; nir mamaḥ: without a sense of proprietorship; nir ahaṁkāraḥ: without false ego; saḥ: he; śāntiṁ: peace; adhigacchati: attains

2.71 The man who moves about abandoning all desires, without longing, without the sense of I and mine, attains peace.

eṣā: this; brāhmī: God-realised soul; sthitiḥ: situation; pārtha: O son of Pritā; na: not; enāṁ: this; prāpya: after achieving; vimuhyati: get deluded; sthitvā: being so situated; asyāṁ: in this state; antakāle: at the end of life; api: also; brahma nirvāṇaṁ: passing into one with the ultimate Reality; ṛcchati: attains

2.72 O Pārtha, this is the state of Brahman, Brāhmī-sthiti; none is deluded after attaining this. Even at the end of life, one attains Brahmanirvāṇa, oneness with Brahman when established in this state.

iti śrī mad bhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyām yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjuna saṁvāde sāṅkhya yogo nāma dvitīyo’dhyāyaḥ ||

In the Upaniṣad of Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, the Supreme Absolute, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, this is the second chapter named, Sāṅkhya Yogaḥ, ‘The Yoga of Knowledge of Completion.’

CHAPTER

अर्जुन उवाच

arjuna uvāca jyāyasī cetkarmaṇaste matā buddhirjanārdana | tatkiṁ karmaṇi ghore māṁ niyojayasi keśava || 3.1

arjuna: Arjuna; uvāca: says; jyāyasī: speaking highly; cet: although; karmaṇaḥ: action; te: your; matā: opinion; buddhiḥ: knowledge; janārdana: Janārdana; tat: therefore; kiṁ: why; karmaṇi: in action; ghore: terrible; māṁ: me; niyojayasi: engaging me; keśava: Keśava (slayer of the demon Keśī)

3.1 Arjuna says: O Janārdana, O Keśava, Why do You make me engage in this terrible war if You think that knowledge is superior to action?

vyāmiśreṇeva vākyena buddhiṁ mohayasīva me | tadekaṁ vada niścitya yena śreyohamāpnuyām || 3.2 vyāmiśreṇa: by ambiguous; iva: as; vākyena: words; buddhiṁ: intelligence; mohayasi: confusing; iva: as; me: my; tat: therefore; ekaṁ: one; vada: tell; niśc-itya: for certain; yena: by which; śreyaḥ: benefit; ahaṁ: I; āpnuyāṁ: may have

3.2 My intelligence is confused by Your conflicting words. Tell me clearly what is best for me.

श्रीभगवानुवाच

śrībhagavānuvāca

śrī bhagavān uvāca: the Lord says; loke: in the world; asmin: this; dvividhā: two kinds of; niṣṭhā: faith; purā: before; proktā: were said; mayā: by Me; anagha: O sinless one; jñānayogena: by the yoga of knowledge; sāṁkhyānāṁ: of the Sāṅkhya; karmayogena: by the yoga of action; yoginām: of the yoga practitioners

3.3 The Lord says, ‘O sinless Arjuna, as I said before, in this world there are two paths; Self knowledge for the intellectual and the path of action of the knowing.

na: without; karmaṇām: of the actions; anārambhāt: abstaining; naiṣkarmyaṁ: freedom from action; puruṣaḥ: man; aśnute: achieve; na: not; ca: also; sanny-asanāt: by renunciation; eva: surely; siddhiṁ: success; samadhigacchati: attain

3.4 A person does not attain freedom from action by abstaining from work, nor does he attain fulfillment by giving up action.

na: not; hi: surely; kaścit: anyone; kṣaṇam: for a moment; api: also; jātu: even; tiṣṭhati: stands; akarmakṛt: without doing something; kāryate: forced to work; hi: surely; avaśaḥ: helplessly; karma: action; sarvaḥ: all; prakṛtijaiḥ: of the modes of material nature; guṇaiḥ: by the attributes

3.5 Surely, not even for a moment can anyone stand without doing something. He is always in action, despite himself, as this is his very nature.

karmendriyāṇi: the five working sense organs; saṁyamya: restraining; ya: who; āste: remains; manasā: mentally; smaran: recollecting; indriyārthān: objects of the senses; vimūḍha: foolish; atma: soul; mithyācāraḥ: hypocrite; saḥ: he; ucyate: is called

3.6 He who restrains the sense organs, but who still thinks of the objects of the senses is deluded and is called a hypocrite.

yaḥ: who; tu : but; indriyāṇi : senses; manasā: by the mind; niyamya: con-trolling; ārabhate: begins; arjuna: O Arjuna; karmendriyaiḥ: by the active sense organs; karmayogam: work of devotion; asaktaḥ: without attachment; saḥ: he; viśiṣyate: superior

3.7 He who begins controlling the senses by the mind and performs selfless work through the sense organs is superior, O Arjuna.

niyataṁ: prescribed; kuru: do; karma: work; tvaṁ: you; karma: work; jyāyaḥ: better; hi: than; akarmaṇaḥ: without work; śarīra: body; yātrā: maintenance; api: even; ca: also; te: your; na: never; prasiddhyet: possible; akarmaṇaḥ: without work

3.8 Do your prescribed work, as doing work is better than being idle. Even your own body cannot be maintained without work.

yajñārthāt: sacrifice for; karmaṇaḥ: work done; anyatra: other-wise; lokaḥ: world; ayam: this; karma bandhanaḥ: bondage by work; tad: that; arthaṁ: for; karma: work; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; mukta: liberated; saṅgaḥ: attachment; samācara: do perfectly

3.9 Work has to be performed selflessly; otherwise, work binds one to this world. O son of Kuntī, perform your work for Me and you will do it authentically, liberated and without attachment.

sahayajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā puro’vāca prajāpatiḥ / anena prasaviṣyadhvameṣa vo’stviṣṭakāmadhuk // 3.10

saḥ: along with; yajñāḥ: sacrifices; prajāḥ: people; sṛṣṭvā: creating; purā: before; uvāca: said; prajāpatiḥ: the lord of creation; anena: by this; prasaviṣyadhvaṁ: be more and more prosperous; eṣaḥ: certainly; vaḥ: your; astu: let it be; iṣṭa: desired; kāma dhuk: bestower of gifts

3.10 Brahma, the lord of creation before creating human kind as selfless sacrifice said, ‘By this selfless enriching, be more and more prosperous and let it bestow all the desired gifts.’

devān bhāvayatā’nena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ / parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ śreyaḥ paramavāpsyatha // 3.11

devān: celestial beings; bhāvayata: having pleased; anena: by this sacrifice; te: those; devāḥ: demigods; bhāvayantu: will please; vaḥ: you; parasparaṁ: mu-tual; bhāvayantaḥ: pleasing one another; śreyaḥ: prosperity; paraṁ: supreme; avāpsyatha: achieve

3.11 The celestial beings, being pleased by this sacrifice, will also nourish you; with this mutual nourishing of one another, you will achieve supreme prosperity.

iṣṭānbhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajñabhāvitāḥ / tairdattānapradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ // 3.12

iṣṭān: desired; bhogān: necessities of life; hi: certainly; vaḥ: to you; devāḥ: demigods; dāsyante: award; yajña: sacrifice; bhāvitāḥ: satisfied; taiḥ: by them; dattān: things given; apradāya: without offering; ebhyaḥ: to the celestial beings; yaḥ: who; bhuṅkte: enjoys; stenaḥ: thief; eva: certainly; saḥ: he

3.12 Satisfied with the selfless enriching service, the celestial beings certainly award you the desired necessities of life. He who enjoys the things given by them without offering to the celestial beings is certainly a thief.

yajñaśiṣṭāśinaḥ: those who eat the food remnants of sacrifice; santaḥ: devo-tees; mucyante: get relief from; sarva: all; kilbiṣaiḥ: sins; bhuñjate: enjoy; te: they; tu: but; aghaṁ: grievous; pāpāḥ: sins; ye: those; pacanti: prepare food; ātmakāraṇāt: for sense enjoyment

3.13 Those who eat food after selfless enriching service are free of all sins. Those who prepare food for sense enjoyment do grievous sin.

annāt: from grains; bhavanti: grow; bhūtāni: beings; parjanyāt: from rains; anna: food grains; sambhavaḥ: possible; yajñāt: from sacrifice; bhavati: becomes pos-sible; parjanyaḥ: rains; yajñaḥ: sacrifice; karma: work; samudbhavaḥ: born of

3.14 All beings grow from food grains, from rains the food grains become possible, the rains become possible from selfless sacrifice of enriching.

karma: work; brahmodbhavaṁ: Creator born of; viddhi: know; brahma: Creator; akṣarasamudbhavaṁ: Supreme born of; tasmāt: therefore; sarvaga-taṁ: all-pervading; brahma: Supreme; nityaṁ: eternally; yajñe: in sacrifice; pratiṣṭhitaṁ: situated

3.15 Know that work is born of the Creator and He is born of the Supreme. The all-pervading Supreme is eternally situated in sacrifice of enriching.

evaṁ: prescribed; pravartitaṁ: established; cakraṁ: cycle; na: not; anuvar-tayati: adopt; iha: in this; yaḥ: who; aghāyuḥ: life full of sins; indriyārāmaḥ: satisfied in sense gratification; moghaṁ: useless; pārtha: O son of Pritā; saḥ: he; jīvati: lives

3.16 O Pārtha, he who does not adopt the prescribed, established cycle lives a life full of sins. Rejoicing in sense gratification, he lives a useless life.

yaḥ: who; tu: but; ātmaratiḥ: takes pleasure; eva: certainly; syāt: remains; ātmatṛptaḥ: satisfied in self; ca: and; mānavaḥ: man; ātmani: in oneself; eva: certainly; ca: and; saṁtuṣṭaḥ: satiated; tasya: his; kāryaṁ: work; na: not; vidyate: exist

3.17 One who takes pleasure in the Self, who is satisfied in the Self and who is content in one's Self, for him certainly, no work exists.

na: never; eva: certainly; tasya: his; kṛtena: by doing duty; arthaḥ: purpose; na: not; akṛtena: without doing duty; iha: in this world; kaścana: whatever; na: never; ca: and; asya: of him; sarvabhūteṣu: all living beings; kaścit: any; artha: purpose; vyapāśrayaḥ: taking shelter of

3.18 Certainly, he never has any purpose for doing his duty or for not doing his duty in this world. He does not depend on any living being.

tasmāt: therefore, asaktaḥ: without attachment, satataṁ: always, kāryaṁ: work, karma: work, samācara: perform, asaktaḥ: not attached, hi: certainly, ācaran: performing, karma: work, paraṁ: supreme, āpnoti: achieves, pūruṣaḥ: man

3.19 Therefore, one should work always without attachment. Performing work without attachment, certainly, man achieves the Supreme.

karmaṇaiva hi saṁsiddhimāsthitā janakādayaḥ | lokasaṁgrahamevāpi sampaśyankartumarhasi || 3.20

karmaṇā: by work; eva: also; hi: certainly; saṁsiddhiṁ: perfection; āsthitāḥ: situated; janakādayaḥ: Janaka and other kings; lokasaṁgrahaṁ: educating people; eva: also; api: therefore; sampaśyan: considering; kartuṁ: act; arhasi: deserve

3.20 King Janaka and others attained perfection by selfless enriching. To guide others you too must act selflessly.

yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ | sa yatpramāṇaṁ kurute lokastadanuvartate || 3.21

yad-yat: what; ācarati: act; śreṣṭhaḥ: great; tat-tat: that; eva: certainly; itaraḥ: common; janaḥ: persons; saḥ: he; yat: what; pramāṇaṁ: evidence; kurute: perform; lokaḥ: world; tat: that; anuvartate: follow in footsteps

3.21 Whatever action is performed by a great person, others follow. They follow the example set by him.

na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana | nānavāptamavāptavyaṁ varta eva ca karmaṇi || 3.22

na: not; me: mine; pārtha: O son of Pṛtā; asti: is; kartavyaṁ: duty; triṣu: in the three; lokeṣu: worlds; kiṁcana: anything; na: no; anavāptaṁ: in want; avāptavyaṁ: to be gained; varte: engaged; eva: only; ca: and; karmaṇi: work 3.22 O Pārtha, there is nothing that I must do in the three worlds. Neither am I in want of anything nor do I have anything to gain. Yet, I am always in action.

yadi: if; hi: certainly; aham: I; na: not; varteyam: engage; jātu : ever; karmaṇi: work; atandritaḥ: with care; mama: My; vartma: path; anuvartante: follow; manuṣyāḥ: persons; pārtha: Pārtha; sarvaśaḥ: in all respects

3.23 If I did not engage in work with care, O Pārtha, certainly, people would follow My path in all respects.

utsīdeyuḥ: ruin; ime: these; lokāḥ: worlds; na: not; kuryāṁ: do; karma: work; cet: if; aham: I; sakarasya: confusion of species; ca: and; kartā: doer; syāṁ: shall be; upahanyāṁ: destroy; imāḥ: these; prajāḥ: beings

3.24 If I do not work, then these worlds would be ruined. I would be the cause of creating confusion and destruction.

saktāḥ: attached; karmāṇi: work; avidvāṁsaḥ: ignorant; yathā: as; kurvanti: do; bhārata: Bhārata; kuryāt: do; vidvān: wise; tathā: and; asaktaḥ: without attachment; cikīrṣuḥ: desiring; lokasaṁgrahaṁ: leading people

3.25 As the ignorant do their work with attachment to the results, O Bhārata, the wise do so without attachment, for the enrichment (welfare) of people.

na buddhi bhedaṁ janayedajñānāṁ karmasagināṁ / joṣayetsarvakarmāṇi vidvānyuktaḥ samācaran // 3.26

na: not; buddhi: intelligence; bhedaṁ: disrupt; janayet: do; ajñānāṁ: ignorant; karma: work sagināṁ: attached; joṣayet: engaged; sarva: all; karmāṇi: work; vidvān: wise; yuktaḥ: balanced; samācaran: practising

3.26 Let not the wise disturb the minds of the ignorant who are attached to the results of work. They should encourage them to act without attachment.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ / ahakāravimūḍhātmā kartāhamiti manyate // 3.27

prakṛteḥ: of material nature; kriyamāṇāni: all being done; guṇaiḥ: by the at-tributes; karmāṇi: work; sarvaśaḥ : all kinds of; ahaṁkāra: ego; vimūdhātmā: confused being; kartā: doer; ahaṁ: I; iti: thus; manyate: thinks

3.27 People, confused by ego, think they are the doers of all kinds of work while it is being done by the energy of nature.

tattvavit: one who knows the truth; tu: but; mahābāho: mighty-armed one; guṇa: attributes; karma: work; vibhāgayoḥ: differences; guṇāḥ: attributes; guṇeṣu: in sense gratification; vartante: engaged; iti: thus; matvā: thinking; na: never; sajjate: becomes attached

3.28 One who knows the Truth, O mighty-armed one, knows the differences between the attributes of nature and work. Knowing well about the attributes and sense gratification, he never becomes attached.

prakṛteḥ: by the material nature; guṇa: attributes; sammūḍhāḥ: fooled; sajjante: become engaged; guṇa: attributes; karmasu: actions; tān: those; akṛtsnavidaḥ: persons with less wisdom; mandān: lazy; kṛtsnavit: who has wisdom; na: not; vicālayet: unsettle

3.29 Fooled by the attributes of nature, those people with less wisdom or who are lazy become engaged in actions driven by these attributes. But, the wise should not unsettle them.

mayi: to Me; sarvāṇi: all kinds of; karmāṇi: work; saṁnyasya: renouncing; adhyātma: spiritual knowledge; cetasā: consciousness; nirāśīḥ: without desire for gain; nir mamaḥ: without sense of ownership; bhūtvā: being; yudhyasva: fight; vigatajvaraḥ: without being lazy

3.30 Dedicating all actions to Me, with consciousness filled with spiritual knowledge of Self, without desire for gain and without sense of ownership, without being lazy, fight.

ye: who; me: My; matam: teaching; idam: these; nityam: always; anutiṣṭhanti: execute regularly; mānavāḥ: persons; śraddhāvantaḥ: with faith; anasūyantaḥ: without envy; mucyante: become free; te: all of them; api: even; karmabhiḥ: from the bondage of fruitive actions

3.31 Those persons who execute their duties according to My teaching and who follow these teachings faithfully with authenticity, without envy, become free from the bondage of fruitive actions.

ye: those; tu: but; etat : this; abhyasūyantaḥ: out of envy; na: not; anutiṣṭhanti: regularly perform; me: My; matam: teaching; sarvajñāna: all kinds of knowl-edge; vimūḍhān: fooled; tān: they; viddhi: know; naṣṭān: ruined; acetasaḥ: without Consciousness

3.32 But those who do not regularly perform their duty ac-cording to My teaching, are ignorant, senseless and ruined.

sadṛśaṁ: according to; ceṣṭate: tries; svasyāḥ: by one's nature; prakṛteḥ: modes; jñānavān: wise; api: even; prakṛtiṁ: nature; yānti: goes through; bhūtāni: living beings; nigrahaḥ: suppression; kiṁ: what; kariṣyati: can do

3.33 Even the wise person tries to act according to the modes of his own nature, for all living beings go through their nature. What can restraint of the senses do?

indriyasya: of the senses; indriyasya arthe: for sense objects; rāga: attachment; dveṣau: repulsion; vyavasthitau: put under control; tayoḥ: of them; na: never; vaśaṁ: control; āgacchet: come; tau: those; hi: certainly; asya: his; paripan-thinau: stumbling blocks

3.34 Attachment and repulsion of the senses for sense objects should be put under control. One should never come under their control as they certainly are the stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization.

śreyān: better; svadharmaḥ: own duty; viguṇaḥ: in a faulty manner; parad-harmāt: other's duty; svanuṣṭhitāt: perfectly done; svadharme: in one's duty; nidhanaṁ: death; śreyaḥ: better; paradhamaḥ: other's duty; bhayāvahaḥ: dangerous

3.35 Better it is to do one's own responsibility, even if it is in a faultily, than to do someone else's responsibility perfectly. Death in the course of performing one's own responsibility is better than doing another's responsibility, as this can be dangerous.

अर्जुन उवाच

arjuna uvāca atha kena prayukto'yaṁ pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ | anicchannapi vārṣṇeya balādiva niyojitaḥ || 3.36

arjuna uvāca: Arjuna said; atha: then; kena: by what; prayuktaḥ: forced; ayaṁ: this (person); pāpaṁ: sins; carati: acts; pūruṣaḥ: man; anicchan: without de-siring; api: though; vārṣṇeya: O descendant of Vrishni; balāt: by force; iva: as if; niyojitaḥ: engaged

3.36 Arjuna says, 'O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, then, by what is man forced to sinful acts, even without desiring, as if impelled by force?'

श्री भगवानुवाच

śrībhagavānuvāca kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajoguṇasamudbhavaḥ | mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhyenamiha vairiṇam || 3.37 śrī bhagavān uvāca: the Lord said; kāma: lust; eṣa: these; krodha: anger; eṣa: these; rajoguṇa: attribute of passion; samudbhavaḥ: born of; mahāśanaḥ: all-devouring; mahāpāpmā: greatly sinful; viddhi: know; enam: this; iha: in the world; vairiṇam: greatest enemy

3.37 The Lord says, ‘It is lust and anger born of the attribute of passion, alldevouring and sinful, which is one’s greatest enemy in this world.’

dhūmena: by smoke; āvriyate: covered; vahniḥ: fire; yathā: as; ādarśaḥ: mirror; malena: by dust; ca: also; yathā: as; ulbena: by the womb; āvṛtaḥ: covered; garbhaḥ: embryo; tathā: so; tena: by that; idam: this; āvṛtam: covered

3.38 As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the e bryo is covered by the womb, so also, the living being is covered by lust.

āvṛtam: covered; jñānam: knowledge; etena: by this; jñāninaḥ: of the knower; nitya: eternal; vairiṇā: enemy; kāma: desire; rū peṇa: in the form of; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; duṣpūreṇa: never satisfied; analena: by fire; ca: and

3.39 The knowledge of the knower is covered by this eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and burns like fire, O son of Kuntī

indriyāṇi: senses; manaḥ: mind; buddhiḥ: intelligence; asya: of; adhiṣṭhānam: sitting place; ucyate: called; etaiḥ: by these; vimohayati: confuses; eṣaḥ: this; jñānam: knowledge; āvṛtya: covering; dehinam: embodied being

3.40 The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the locations of this lust, which confuses the embodied being and covers the knowledge.

tasmāt: therefore; tvam: you; indriyāṇi: senses; ādau: in the beginning; ni-yamya: by controlling; Bharata ṛṣabha: O chief amongst the descendants of Bhārata; pāpmānaṁ: symbol of sin; prajahi: curb; hi: certainly; enam: this; jñāna: knowledge; vijñāna: consciousness; nāśanaṁ: destroyer

3.41 Therefore, O Bharatarṣabha, chief amongst the descendants of Bhārata, in the very beginning, control the senses and curb the symbol of sin, which is certainly the destroyer of knowl-edge and consciousness.

indriyāṇi: senses; parāṇi: superior; āhuḥ: is said; indriyebhyaḥ: more than the senses; param: superior; manaḥ: mind; manasaḥ: more than the mind; tu: also; parā: superior; buddhiḥ: intelligence; yaḥ: who; buddheḥ: more than intelligence; parataḥ: superior; tu: but; saḥ: he

3.42 It is said that the senses are superior to the body. The mind is superior to the senses. The intelligence is still high-er than the mind and the consciousness is even higher than intelligence.

evaṁ: and; buddheḥ: of intelligence; paraṁ: superior; buddhvā: knowing; saṁstabhya: by steadying; ātmānaṁ: of the mind; ātmanā: by intelligence; jahi: conquer; śatruṁ: enemy; māhābāho: O mighty-armed one; kāma: lust; rūpaṁ: in the form of; durāsadaṁ: insatiable

3.43 Knowing the Self to be superior to mind and intelligence, by steadying the mind by intelligence, conquer the insatiable enemy in the form of lust, O Mahābāho, mighty-armed one.

Thus ends the third chapter named Karma Yogaḥ, ‘The Yoga of Action,’ of the Bhagavad Gītā Upaniṣad, Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the scripture of yoga dealing with the science of the Absolute in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.

CHAPTER

Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ

śrībhagavānuvāca imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavānaham avyayaṁ | vivasvānmanave prāha manurikṣvākave'bravīt || 4.1

śrī bhagavān uvāca: the Lord says; imaṁ: this; vivasvate: to the Sun god; yogaṁ: the science of yoga; proktavān: instructed; ahaṁ: I; avyayaṁ: imperishable; vivasvān: sun god; manave: to Manu, the father of mankind; prāha: told; manuḥ: Manu; ikṣvākave: to King Ikṣvāku; abravīt: said

4.1 Bhagavān says: ‘I taught the sun god, Vivasvān, the imperishable science of yoga and Vivasvān taught Manu, the father of mankind and Manu in turn taught Ikṣvāku.’

evaṁ paraṁparāprāptamimaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ | sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa || 4.2 evam: thus; paramparā: Master-disciple succession; prāptam: received; imam: this science; rājarṣayaḥ: the saintly kings; viduḥ: understood; saḥ: that knowl-edge; kālena: in the course of time; iha: in this world; mahatā: by great; yogaḥ: the science of yoga; naṣṭaḥ: lost; paramtapa: subduer of the enemies

4.2 The supreme science was thus received through the chain of master-disciple succession and the saintly kings understood it in that way. In the course of time, the succession was broken and therefore the science as it was appears to have been lost.

saḥ: that; eva: only; ayam: this; mayā : by Me; te: to you; adya: today; yogaḥ: the science of yoga; proktaḥ: spoken; purātanaḥ: very old; bhaktaḥ: devotee; asi: you are; me: My; sakhā : friend; ca: also; iti: therefore; rahasyam: mystery; hi: because etat: this; uttamam: supreme

4.3 That ancient science of Enlightenment, or entering into eternal bliss, is today taught by me to you because you are my devotee as well as my friend. You will certainly understand the supreme mystery of this science.

अर्जुन उवाच ।

arjuna uvāca

arjuna uvāca: Arjuna says; aparaṁ: of recent origin; bhavataḥ: Your; janma: birth; paraṁ: very old; janma: birth; vivasvataḥ: of the Sun god; katham: how; etat: this; vijānīyām: can I understand; tvam: You; ādau: in the beginning; proktavān: instructed; iti: thus

4.4 Arjuna says: 'Oh Kṛṣṇa, you are younger to the sun god Vivasvān by birth. How am I to understand that in the begin-ning you instructed this science to him?'

श्री भगवानुवाच

śrībhagavānuvāca bahuni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna / tānyahaṁ veda sarvāṇi na tvaṁ vettha parantapa // 4.5

śrī bhagavān uvāca: The Lord says; bahūni: many; me: of Mine; vyatī tā ni: have passed; janmāni: births; tava: yours; ca: also; arjuna: O Arjuna; tā ni: all of those; ahaṁ: I; veda: do know; sarvāṇi: all; na: not; tvaṁ: yourself; vettha: know; paraṁtapa: O scorcher of the foes

4.5 Bhagavān says: Many many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O Parantapa!

ajo 'pi sannavyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san / prakṛtiṁ svāmadhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmyātmamāyayā // 4.6

ajaḥ: unborn; api: also; san: being so; avyaya: instructible; atmā: spirit; bhūtānām: living entities; īśvaraḥ: supreme Lord; api: also; san: being so; prakṛtiṁ: nature; svāṁ: of Myself; adhiṣṭhāya: keeping under control; saṁbhavāmi: I come into being; ātmamāyayā: by My divine potency.

4.6 Although I am unborn, imperishable and the lord of all living entities, by ruling my nature I reappear by my own māyā.

yadā -yadā : whenever; hi: well; dharmasya: of righteousness; glāniḥ: decline; bhavati: takes place; bhārata: O descendant of Bhārata; abhyutthānaṁ: pre-dominance; adharmasya: of unrighteousness; tadā : at that time; ātmānaṁ: self; sṛjāmi: bring forth; ahaṁ: I

4.7 Whenever positive consciousness declines, when collective negativity rises, O Bhārat, again and again, at these times, I happen Myself.

paritrāṇāya: for the protection of; sādhūnāṁ: of the pious; vināśāya: to destroy; ca: also; duṣkṛtāṁ: of the wicked; dharma: righteousness; saṁsthāpanārthāya: to establish; sambhavāmi: I manifest; yuge-yuge: age after age

4.8 To protect the pious and to annihilate the wicked, to re-establish righteousness I Myself appear, age after age.

janma: birth; karma: work; ca: and; me: of Mine; divyaṁ: divine; evaṁ: so also; yaḥ: anyone whoever; vetti: knows; tattvataḥ: in reality; tyaktvā: after leaving aside; dehaṁ: body; punaḥ: again; janma: birth; na: never; eti: attains; māṁ: unto Me; eti: does attain; saḥ: he; arjuna: Arjuna

4.9 One who knows or experiences My divine appearance and activities does not take birth again in this material world after leaving the body but attains Me, o Arjuna.

vīta: free from; rāga: passion; bhaya: fear; krodhāḥ: anger; manmayā: fully absorbed in Me; mām: unto Me; upāśritāḥ: taking refuge; bahavaḥ: many beings; jñāna: wisdom; tapasā: by penance; pūtāḥ: sanctified; mad bhāvam: My nature; āgatāḥ: attained

4.10 Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being filled with me and by taking refuge in me, many beings in the past have become sanctified by the knowledge of me and have realized me.

ye: whoever; yathā: whatever way; māṁ: unto Me; prapadyante: seek; tān: unto them; tathā eva: in the same way; bhajāmi : I approach; aham: I; mama: My; vartma: of the path; anuvartante: follow; manuṣyāḥ: people; pārtha: son of Pritā; sarvaśaḥ: in all respects

4.11 I reward everyone, I show Myself to all people, according to the manner in which they surrender unto me, in the manner that they are devoted to me, O Pārtha!

kāṅkṣantaḥ: desiring; karmaṇāṁ: of activities; siddhiṁ: success; yajante: wor-ship; iha: in this world; devatāḥ: gods; kṣipraṁ: quickly; hi: for; mānuṣe loke: in human society; siddhiḥ bhavati: success comes; karmajā : born of action

4.12 Men in this world desire success from activities and therefore they worship the gods. Men get instant results from active work in this world.

cāturvarṇyaṁ: the four divisions of human society; mayā: by Me; sṛṣṭaṁ: created; guṇa: attribute; karma: work; vibhāgaśaḥ: in terms of division; tasya: of that; kartāraṁ: doer; api: although; māṁ: Me; viddhi: know; akartāraṁ: as the non-doer; avyayaṁ: immortal

4.13 Depending upon the distribution of the three attributes or guṇas and action, I have created the four castes. Yet, I am to be known as the non-doer, the unchangeable.

na: never; māṁ: Me; karmāṇi: work; limpanti: affect; na: not; me: My; kar-maphale: in fruits of action; spṛhā : longing for; iti: thus; māṁ: Me; yaḥ: one who; abhijānāti: understands; karmabhiḥ : by the action; na: never; saḥ: he; badhyate: is bound.

4.14 I am not affected by any work; nor do I long for the outcome of such work. One who understands this truth about me also does not get caught in the bondage of work.

evaṁ: thus; jñātvā: knowing well; kṛtaṁ: performed; karma: work; pūrvaiḥ: by the ancient people; api: also; mumukṣubhiḥ: by those seeking liberation; kuru: perform; karma: prescribed duty; eva: only; tasmāt: therefore; tvaṁ: you; pūrvaiḥ: by the predecessors; pūrvataraṁ: as in the past; kṛtaṁ: as performed

4.15 All the wise and liberated souls of ancient times have acted with this understanding and thus attained liberation. Just as the ancients did, perform your duty with this understanding.

kiṁ: what; karma: action; kiṁ: what; akarma: inaction; iti: thus; kavayaḥ: the wise; api: also; atra: in this matter; mohitāḥ: confused; tat: that; te: unto you; karma: action; pravakṣyāmi: I shall explain; yat: which; jñātvā: after knowing; mokṣyase: be liberated; aśubhāt: from ills

4.16 What is action and what is inaction, even the wise are con-fused. Let me explain to you what action is, knowing which you shall be liberated from all ills.

karmaṇaḥ: of action; hi: for; api: also; boddhavyaṁ: should be understood; boddhavyaṁ: to be understood; ca: also; vikarmaṇaḥ: wrong action; akar-maṇaḥ: inaction; ca: also; boddhavyaṁ: should be understood; gahanā: mysterious; karmaṇaḥ: of action; gatiḥ: way.

4.17 The complexities of action are very difficult to understand. Understand fully the nature of proper action by understanding the nature of wrong action and inaction.

karmaṇi: in action; akarma: inaction; yaḥ: one who; paśyet: sees; akarmaṇi: in inaction; ca: also; karma: action; yaḥ: one who; saḥ: he; buddhimān: wise; manuṣyeṣu: among men; saḥ: he; yuktaḥ: yogi; kṛtsnakarmakṛt: engaged in all activities

4.18 He who sees inaction in action and action in inaction, is wise and a yogi, Even if engaged in all activities.

yasya: one whose; sarve: all kinds of; samārambhāḥ: in all situations; kāma: desire for sense gratification; saṅkalpa: purpose; varjitāḥ: devoid of; jñāna: of perfect knowledge; agni: fire; dagdhakarmāṇaṁ: whose actions have been burnt; taṁ: him; āhuḥ: declare; paṇḍitaṁ: wise; budhāḥ: the wise.

4.19 He who is determined and devoid of all desires for sense gratification, he is of perfect knowledge. The sages declare such a person wise whose actions are burnt by the fire of knowledge.

tyaktvā : having given up; karmaphalāsaṅgaṁ: attachment to results of action; nitya: always; tṛptaḥ: satisfied; nirāśrayaḥ: without shelter; karmaṇi: in action; abhipravṛttaḥ: being fully engaged; api: although; na: does not; eva: verily; kiñcit: anything; karoti: does; saḥ: he

4.20 Having given up all attachment to the results of his action, always satisfied and independent, the wise man does not act, though he is engaged in all kinds of action.

nirāśīḥ: without desire for the result; yata: controlled; cittātmā: mind and consciousness; tyakta: giving up; sarva: all; parigrahaḥ: sense of ownership; śārīraṁ: bodily effort; kevalaṁ: only; karma: work; kurvan: doing so; na: never; āpnoti: acquire; kilbiṣaṁ: sin

4.21 The person who acts without desire for the result; with his consciousness controlling the mind, giving up all sense of ownership over his possessions and body and only working, incurs no sin.

yadṛcchā lābha: what is obtained unsought; santuṣṭa: satisfied; dvandva: pairs of opposites; atī taḥ: surpassed; vimatsaraḥ: free from envy; samaḥ: equal; siddhau: in success; asiddhau: in failure; ca: also; kṛtvā: after doing; api: even; na: never; nibadhyate: bound

4.22 He who is satisfied with profit which comes of its own accord and who has gone beyond duality, who is free from envy, who is in equanimity both in success and failure, such a person though doing action, is never affected.

gatasaṅgasya: unattached to the modes of material nature; muktasya: of the liberated; jñānā: knowledge; avasthita: established; cetasaḥ: of such spirit; yajñāya: for the sake of sacrifice; ācarataḥ: practice; karma: work; samagraṁ: in total; pravilī yate: melts away.

4.23 The work of a liberated man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully centered in the ul-timate knowledge, who works totally for the sake of sacrifice, merges entirely into the knowledge.

brahma: supreme; arpaṇaṁ: offering; brahma: supreme; haviḥ: oblation; brah-ma: supreme; agnau: in the fire of; brahmaṇā: by the supreme; hutaṁ: offered; brahma: supreme; eva: only; tena: by him; gantavyaṁ: to be reached; brahma: supreme; karma: action; samādhinā: by complete absorption

4.24 The offering, the offered butter to the supreme in the fire of the supreme is offered by the supreme. Certainly, the supreme can be reached by him who is absorbed completely in action.

daivaṁ: gods; eva: only; apare: others; yajñaṁ: sacrifices; yoginaḥ: yogis; paryupāsate: worship; brahma: supreme; agnau: in the fire; apare: others; yajñaṁ: sacrifice; yajñena: by sacrifice; eva: only; upajuhvati: offer as sacrifice.

4.25 Some yogis worship the gods by offering various sacrifices to them, While others worship by offering sacrifices in the fire of the supreme.

śrotrādīnī : organ of hearing; indriyāṇi: senses; anye: others; saṁyama : self discipline; agniṣu: in the fire; juhvati: offer as sacrifice; śabdādī n: sound vi-brations; viṣayān: objects of sense gratification; anye: others; indriya: of sense organs; agniṣu: in the fire; juhvati: sacrifice

4.26 Some sacrifice the hearing process and other senses in the fire of equanimity and others offer as sacrifice the objects of the senses, such as sound in the fire of the sacrifice.

sarvāṇi: all; indriya: senses; karmāṇi: actions; prāṇakarmāṇi: activities of the life breath; ca: also; apare: others; ātmasaṁyama: self control; yoga: yoga; agnau: in the fire of; juhvati: offer; jñāna dīpite: kindled by wisdom.

4.27 One who is interested in knowledge offers all the actions due to the senses, including the action of taking in the life breath into the fire of Yoga and is engaged in the yoga of the equanimity of the mind.

dravya: material wealth; yajñāḥ : sacrifice; tapo: penance; yajñāḥ : sacrifice; yoga: yoga; yajñāḥ: sacrifice; tathā : and; apare: others; svādhyāya: self-study; jñāna: knowledge; yajñāḥ: sacrifice; ca: and; yatayaḥ: striving souls; saṁśita vratāḥ: those of strict vows.

4.28 There is the sacrifice of material wealth, sacrifice through penance, sacrific through yoga and other sacrifices while there is sacrifice through self-study and through strict vows.

apāne: in the out going breath; juhvati: sacrifice; prāṇam: life energy; prāṇe: in the life energy; apānam: the outgoing breath; tathā : thus; apare: others; prāṇa: inhaling; apāna: exhaling; gatī : movement; ruddhvā : after restraining; prāṇāyāma: breath control; parāyaṇaḥ : so inclined

4.29 There are others who sacrifice the life energy in the form of incoming breath and outgoing breath, thus checking the movement of the incoming and outgoing breaths and con-trolling the breath.

apare: others; niyata: controlled; āhārāḥ: eating; prāṇān: vital energy; prāṇeṣu: in the vital energy; juhvati: sacrifice; sarve api ete: all of these; yajñavidaḥ: those knowing sacrifice; yajña kṣapita kalmaṣāḥ: those destroying their sins through sacrifice.

4.30 There are others who sacrifice through controlled eating and offering the outgoing breath, life energy. All these people know the meaning of sacrifice and are purified of sin or karma.

yajñaśiṣṭa: left over of sacrifice; amṛta: nectar; bhujaḥ: one who enjoys; yānti: attain; brahma: supreme; sanātanaṁ: eternal; na: not; ayaṁ: this; lokaḥ: world; asti: is; ayajñasya: to one who does not sacrifice; kutaḥ: where; anyaḥ: other; kuru sattama: O best among the Kurus

4.31 Having tasted the nectar of the results of such sacrifices, they go to the supreme eternal consciousness. This world is not for those who have not sacrificed. How can the other be, Arjuna?

evam: thus; bahu: many; vidhāḥ: kinds of; yajñāḥ: sacrifices; vitatā : explained; brahmaṇaḥ mukhe: in the words of the Veda; karmajān: born of actions of mind, sense and body; viddhi: know; tān: those; sarvān: all; evaṁ: thus; jñātvā: after knowing; vimokṣyase: will be liberated

4.32 Thus, there are many kinds of sacrifices born of work mentioned in the Vedas. Thus, knowing these, one will be liberated.

śreyān: superior; dravyamayāt: material wealth; yajñāt: sacrifice; jñāna ya-jñaḥ: sacrifice in wisdom; paraṁtapa: O subduer of foes; sarvaṁ: all; karma: activities; akhilaṁ: in totality; pārtha: O son of Pritā; jñāne: in wisdom; pari-samāpyate: ends in

4.33 O Parantapa (conqueror of foes), the sacrifice of wisdom is superior to the sacrifice of material wealth. After all, all activities totally end in wisdom.

tat: that; viddhi: understand; praṇipātena: by approaching a spiritual master; paripraśnena: by questioning; sevayā: by offering service; upadekṣyanti: will advise; te: unto you; jñānaṁ: knowledge; jñāninaḥ : the enlightened; tattva darśinaḥ: the spiritual seers.

4.34 Understand these truths by approaching a spiritual Mas-ter, by asking him your questions, by offering service. The enlightened person can initiate the wisdom unto you because he has seen the truth

yat: which; jñātvā: after knowing; na: not; punaḥ: again; mohaṁ: desire; evaṁ: thus; yāsyasi: shall attain; pāṇḍava: O son of Pāṇḍu; yena: by which; bhūtāni: living entities; aśeṣeṇa: totally; drakṣyasi: will see; ātmani: within yourself; atho: then; mayi: in Me

4.35 O Pāṇḍava, knowing this you will never suffer from desire or illusion, you will know that all living beings are in the supreme, in Me.

api: even; cet: if; asi: you are; pāpebhyaḥ: of sinners; sarvebhyaḥ: of all; pāpa-kṛttamaḥ: greatest sinner; sarvaṁ: all; jñāna plavena: by the boat of knowledge; eva: only; vṛjinaṁ: the ocean of miseries; santariṣyasi: you will cross. 4.36 Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners, you will certainly cross completely the ocean of miseries through the boat of knowledge.

yathā: as; edhāṁsi: firewood; samiddhaḥ : blazing; agniḥ: fire; bhasmasāt: ashes; kurute: does; arjuna: O Arjuna; jñāna: knowledge; agniḥ: fire; sarva: all; karmāṇi: actions; bhasmasāt: ashes; kurute: does; tathā: in the same way.

4.37 Just as a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of wisdom burn to ashes all actions, all your karma.

na: not; hi: certainly; jñānena: with knowledge; sadṛśaṁ: similar; pavitraṁ: pure; iha: here; vidyate: exists; tat: that; svayaṁ: himself; yoga: in devotion; saṁsiddhaḥ: purified; kālena: in course time; ātmani: within self; vindati: acquires.

4.38 Truly, in this world, there is nothing as pure as wisdom. One who has matured to know this enjoys in himself in due course of time.

śraddhāvān: faithful person; labhate: achieves; jñānam: knowledge; tatparaḥ: attached; saṁyata: controlled; indriyaḥ: senses; jñānam: knowledge; labdh-vā: having achieved; parām: supreme; śāntiṁ: peace; acireṇa: without delay; adhigacchati: attains

4.39 A person with śraddhā (courageous faith) achieves wisdom and has control over the senses. Achieving wisdom, without delay, he attains supreme peace.

ajñaḥ: ignorant; ca: and; aśraddadhānaḥ: one having no faith; ca: and; saṁśayātmā: doubting soul; vinaśyati: perish; na: not; ayam: this; lokaḥ: world; asti : is; na: not; paraḥ: next; na: not; sukham: happiness; saṁśayātmanaḥ: of the doubting soul.

4.40 Those who have no wisdom and faith, who always have doubts, are destroyed. There is no happiness in this world or the next.

yogasannyastakarmāṇaṁ: one who has dedicated his actions to god accord-ing to Karma yoga; jñānasaṁchinna saṁśayaṁ: whose doubts have been cleared by knowledge; ātmavantaṁ: self possessed; na: not; karmāṇi: actions; nibadhnanti: bind; dhañanjaya: O Dhañanjaya

4.41 O Dhanañjaya (winner of riches), one who has renounced the fruits of his actions, whose doubts are destroyed, who is well-situated in the Self, is not bound by his actions.

tasmāt: therefore; ajñāna: ignorance; sambhūtaṁ: born of; hṛtsthaṁ: situated in the heart; jñānāsinā: by the sword of knowledge; ātmanaḥ: of the self; chittvā: having cutting off; enam: this; saṁśayaṁ: doubt; yogam: in yoga; ātiṣṭha: be firm; uttiṣṭha: stand up; bhārata: O descendant of Bhārata

4.42 O descendant of Bhārata, therefore, stand up, be situated in yoga. Armed with the sword of knowledge; cut the doubt born of ignorance that exists in your heart.

In the Upaniṣad of Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, the Supreme Absolute, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, this is the fourth chapter named, Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ, 'The Yoga of Action in Knowledge and Renunciation.'

CHAPTER

Sannyāsa Yogaḥ

arjuna uvāca sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛṣṇa punaryogaṁ ca śaṁsasi | yacchreya etayorekaṁ tanme brūhi suniścitam || 5.1

arjuna uvāca: Arjuna says; sannyāsaṁ: renunciation; karmaṇāṁ: of all actions; kṛṣṇa: O Kṛṣṇa; punaḥ: again; yogaṁ: devotion; ca: also; śaṁsasi: praising; yat: which; śreyaḥ: beneficial; etayoḥ: of the two; ekaṁ: one; tat: that; me: to me; brūhi: please tell; suniścitaṁ: definitely

5.1 Arjuna says: Oh Kṛṣṇa, you asked me to renounce work first and then you asked me to work with devotion. Will you now please tell me, definetely, which of the two will be more beneficial to me?

śrībhagavānuvāca

śrī bhagavān uvāca: Lord Kṛṣṇa says; sannyāsaḥ: renunciation; karmayogaḥ: work in devotion; ca: also; niḥśreyasakarāv: for liberation; ubhau: both; tayoḥ: of the two; tu: but; karmasannyāsāt: between work and renunciation; karmayogaḥ: work in devotion; viśiṣyate: better

5.2 Bhagavān says: The renunciation of work [sannyāsa] and work in devotion [karmayoga] are both good for liberation. But, of the two, work in devotional service is better than re-nunciation of work.

jñeyaḥ: should be known; saḥ: he; nitya: always; saṁnyāsī : renouncer; yaḥ: who; na: never; dveṣṭi: hates; na: never; kāṅkṣati: desires; nirdvandvaḥ: free from all dualities; hi: certainly; mahābāho: mighty-armed one; sukham: easily; bandhāt: from bondage; pramucyate: completely liberated

5.3 He who neither hates nor desires the fruits of his activities has renounced. Such a person, free from all dualities, easily overcomes material bondage and is completely liberated, Oh Arjuna!

sāṁkhyayogau: sāṁkhya system and yoga; pṛthak: different; bālāḥ: less intelli-gent; pravadanti: say; na: not; paṇḍitāḥ: learned; ekaṁ: one; api: even; āsthitaḥ: situated; samyak: complete; ubhayoḥ: of both; vindate: enjoys; phalaṁ: result

5.4 Only the ignorant, not the wise, speaks of the path of action [karma-yoga] to be different from the path of renuncia-tion [sāṅkhya yoga]. Those who are actually learned say that one who is firmly established in either of the paths, achieves the fruit of both.

yat: what; sāṅkhyaiḥ: by Sāṅkhya system; prāpyate: get; sthānaṁ: position; tat: that; yogaiḥ: by work in devotion; api: also; gamyate: can reach; ekam: one; sāṅkhyaṁ: Sāṅkhya system; ca: and; yogaṁ: work in devotion; ca: and; yaḥ: who; paśyati: sees; saḥ: he; paśyati: sees

5.5 He who knows, knows that the state reached by renuncia-tion [sāṅkhya] and action [karma] are one and the same. State reached by renunciation can also be achieved by action, know them to be at same level and see them as they are.

sannyāsaḥ: renunciation; tu: but; mahābāho: mighty-armed one; duḥkham . : misery; āptuṁ: afflicts with; ayogataḥ: without devotion; yogayuktaḥ: en-gaged in devotion; muniḥ: wise; brahma: supreme; nacireṇa: without delay; adhigacchati: attains

5.6 Renunciation without devotional service afflicts one with misery, Oh mighty-armed one. The wise person engaged in devotional service attains the Supreme without delay.

yogayuktaḥ: engaged in work with devotion; viśuddhātmā : a man of purified mind; vijita: self-controlled; atma: soul; jitendriyaḥ: conquered the senses; sarvabhūtātma: to all living beings; bhūtātma: compassionate; kurvan api: though engaged in work, na: never; lipyate: entangled

5.7 The person engaged in devoted service, beyond concepts pure and impure, self-controlled and who has conquered the senses is compassionate and loves everyone, although engaged in work, he is never entangled.

na: never; eva: certainly; kiṃcit: anything; karomi: I do; iti: thus; yuktaḥ: en-gaged; manyeta: thinks; tattvavit: one who knows the truth; paśyan: seeing; śṛṇvan: hearing; spṛśan: touching; jighran: smelling; aśnan: eating; gacchan: going; svapan: dreaming; śvasan: breathing

pralapan: talking; visṛjan: giving up; gṛihṇan: accepting; unmishan: opening; nimiṣan: closing; api: though; indriyāṇi: the senses; indriyārtheṣu: in gratifying senses; vartanta: are engaged; iti: thus; dhārayan: considering

5.8, 9 One who knows the truth, though engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, dreaming, and breath-ing, always knows within himself that—'I never do anything at all.' While talking, letting go, receiving, opening, closing, he considers that the senses are engaged with their sense objects.

brahmaṇi: Eternal Consciousness; ādhāya: surrendering to; karmāṇi: actions; saṅgaṁ: attachment; tyaktvā : giving up; karoti: does; yaḥ: who; lipyate: af-fected; na: never; saḥ: he; pāpena: by sin; padma: lotus; patraṁ: leaf; iva: like; ambhasā: water

5.10 He, who acts without attachment, giving up and surrender-ing to the eternal consciousness, He is never affected by sin, in the same way that the lotus leaf is not affected by water.

kāyena: by the body; manasā: by the mind; buddhyā: by the intellect; kevalaiḥ: only; indriyaiḥ: by the senses; api also: yoginaḥ: yogis; karma: action; kurvanti: perform; saṅgaṁ: attachment; tyaktvā; having abandoned; ātmaśuddhaye: for the purification of the self

5.11 The yogis, giving up attachment, act with the body, mind, intelligence, even with the senses for the purpose of self-purification.

yuktaḥ: one steadfast in devotion; karma: action; phalaṁ: fruit: tyaktvā: giving up; śāntiṁ: peace; āpnoti: achieves: naiṣṭhikīṁ: established; ayuktaḥ: one not steadfast in devotion; kāmakāreṇa: for enjoying the fruits of the action; phale: fruit; saktaḥ: attached; nibadhyate: becomes entangled

5.12 One who is engaged in devotion, gives up attachment to outcome of one's actions and is centered, is at peace. One who is not engaged in devotion, attached to the outcome of one's action becomes entangled.

sarva: all; karmāṇi: activities; manasā: by the mind; sannyasya: giving up; āste: remains; sukhaṁ: in happiness; vaśī : who is controlled; navadvāre: of nine gates; pure: in the city; dehī : body; na: never; eva: surely; kurvan: doing; na: never: kārayan: causing to be done

5.13 One who is controlled, giving up all the activities of the mind, surely remains in happiness in the city of nine gates (body), neither doing anything nor causing anything to be done.

na: never; kartṛtvaṁ: of doing; na: not; karmāṇi: activities; lokasya: of the people; sṛjati: creates; prabhuḥ: master; na: not; karma: activities; phala: fruit; saṁyogaṁ: connection; svabhāvaḥ: nature; tu: but; pravartate: act

5.14 The master does not create activities nor makes people do nor connects with the outcome of the actions. All this is enacted by the material nature.

na: never; ādatte: accepts; kasyacit: anyone's; pāpaṁ: sins; na: not; ca: and; eva: surely; sukṛtaṁ: good deeds; vibhuḥ: lord; ajñānena: by ignorance; āvṛtaṁ: covered; jñānaṁ: knowledge; tena: by that; muhyanti: are confused; jantavaḥ: living beings

5.15 The Lord, surely, neither accepts anyone's sins nor good deeds. Living beings are confused by the ignorance that covers the knowledge.

jñānena: by knowledge; tu : but; tad: that; ajñānaṁ: ignorance; yeṣāṁ: whose; nāśitaṁ: destroyed; ātmanaḥ: of the self; teṣām: their; ādityavat: like the rising sun; jñānaṁ: knowledge; prakāśayati: throws light on; tat param: that supreme consciousness

5.16 Whose ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge, their knowledge, like the rising sun, throws light on the supreme consciousness.

tad buddhyaḥ: one whose intelligence is in the supreme; tad ātmānaḥ: whose mind is in the supreme; tanniṣṭhāḥ: whose faith is in the supreme; tat parāyaṇāḥ: who has surrendered to the supreme; gacchanti : go; apunarāvṛit-tiṁ: liberation; jñāna: knowledge; nirdhūta: cleansed; kalmaṣāḥ: sins

5.17 One whose intelligence, mind, faith are in the Supreme and one who has surrendered to the Supreme, his misunder-standings are cleansed through knowledge and he goes towards liberation.

vidyā: knowledge; vinaya: compassion; saṁpanne: full with; brāhmaṇe: in the brahmana; gavi: in the cow; hastini: in the elephant; śuni: in the dog; ca: and; eva: surely; śvapāke: in the dog-eater; ca: and; paṇḍitāḥ: learned; sama: equal; darśinaḥ: see

5.18 One who is full of knowledge and compassion sees equally the learned brāhmaṇa, the cow, the elephant, the dog and the dog-eater.

iha: in this life; eva: surely; taiḥ: by them; jitaḥ: conquered; sargaḥ: birth and death; yeṣāṁ: of whose; sāmye: in equanimity; sthitaṁ: situated; manaḥ: mind; nir doṣaṁ: flawless; hi: surely; samaṁ: in equanimity; brahma: supreme; tasmāt: therefore; brahmaṇi: in the supreme; te: they; sthitāḥ: situated

5.19 In this life, surely, those whose minds are situated in equanimity have conquered birth and death. They are flawless like the Supreme and therefore, are situated in the Supreme.’

na: never; prahṛṣyet: rejoice; priyaṁ: like; prāpya: achieving; no: not; udvijet: agitated; prāpya: achieving; ca: and; apriyaṁ: the unpleasant; sthirabuddhiḥ: steady intelligence; asaṁmūḍhaḥ: undeluded; brahmavid: one who knows the Supreme; brahmaṇi: in the Supreme; sthitaḥ: situated

5.20 One who does not rejoice at achieving something he likes nor gets agitated on getting something he does not like, who is of steady intelligence, who is not deluded, one who knows the Supreme, is situated in the Supreme.

bāhya: outer; sparśeṣu: sense pleasures; asaktātmā : not attached; vindati: enjoys; ātmani: in the Self; yat: that; sukhaṁ: happiness; saḥ: he; brahma yoga: engaged in the Supreme; yuktātmā: self-connected; sukhaṁ: happiness; akṣayaṁ: unlimited; aśnute: enjoys

5.21 One who is not attached to the outer world sense pleasures, who enjoys in the Self, in that happiness, he, having identified with his Self by engaging in the Supreme [brahma-yoga], enjoys unlimited happiness.

ye: those; hi: surely; saṁsparśajāḥ: by contact with the senses; bhogāḥ: enjoy-ments; duḥkha: misery; yonayaḥ: sources of; eva: surely; te: they are; ādya: beginning; antavantaḥ: subject to end; kaunteya: son of Kuntī; na: not; teṣu: in those; ramate: enjoys; budhaḥ: intelligent person

5.22 The intelligent person surely does not enjoy the sense pleasures, enjoyments which are sources of misery and which are subject to beginning and end.

śaknoti: able to do; iha eva: in this body; yaḥ: one who; soḍhuṁ: tolerate; prāk: before; śarīra: body; vimokṣaṇāt: give up; kāma: desire; krodha: anger; udbhavaṁ: generated from; vegaṁ: urge; sa: he; yuktaḥ: well-situated; saḥ: he; sukhī : happy; naraḥ: man

5.23 Before leaving this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and he is happy in this world.

yaḥ: who; antaḥ sukhaḥ: happy from within; antarārāmaḥ: active within; tathā : as well as; antarjyotiḥ: illumined within; eva: surely; yaḥ: who; saḥ: he; yogī : mystic; brahma nirvāṇaṁ: liberated in the Supreme; brahma bhūtaḥ: self realized; adhigacchati: attains

5.24 One who is happy from within, active within as well as illumined within, surely, is a Yogi and he is liberated in the Supreme [brahma-nirvāṇa], is Self-realized and attains the Supreme.

labhante: achieve; brahma nirvāṇaṁ: liberation in the Supreme; ṛṣayaḥ: who are active within; kṣīṇakalmaṣāḥ: devoid of sins; chinna: torn off; dvaidāḥ: duality; yatātmānaḥ: engaged in self-realization; sarva: all; bhūta: living beings; hite: for the welfare; ratāḥ: engaged

5.25 Those, whose sins have been destroyed, who have dispelled the dualities arising from doubts, whose minds are engaged within, and who are working for the welfare of other beings, attain the eternal liberation in the Supreme [brahma-nirvāṇa].

kāma: desire; krodha: anger; viyuktānāṁ; one freed from; yatīnāṁ; of the ascetics; yata cetasāṁ: with the thoughts controlled; abhitaḥ: on all sides; brahma nirvāṇaṁ: absolute freedom; vartate: exists; viditātmanāṁ: of those who have realized the Self

5.26 They who are free from lust and anger, who have subdued the mind and senses, and who have known the Self, easily attain liberation [brahma-nirvāṇa].

sparśān: external sense objects; kṛtvā : keeping; bahiḥ: external; bāhyān: ex-ternal; cakṣuḥ: eyes; ca: and; eva: surely; antare: within; bhruvoḥ: eyebrows; prāṇāpānau: inward and outward breath; samau: suspending; kṛtvā : doing; nāsābhyantara: within the nostrils; cārinau: moving

yata: controlled; indriya: senses; mano: mind; buddhiḥ: intelligence; muniḥ: the sage; mokṣa: liberation; parāyaṇaḥ: aiming; vigata: free from; icchā: desires; bhaya: fear; krodah: anger; yaḥ: one who; sadā: always; muktaḥ: liberated; eva: certainly; saḥ: he is

5.27,28 Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils and thus controlling the mind, senses and intelligence, the transcendental who is aiming at liberation, becomes free from desire, fear and the by-product of desire and fear, anger all three. One who is always in this state is certainly liberated.

bhoktāraṁ yajñatapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram | suhṛdaṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntimṛcchati || 5.29

bhoktāraṁ: one who enjoys; yajña: sacrifice; tapasāṁ: penance; sarva: all; loka: worlds; maheśvārāṁ: lord; suhṛdaṁ: benefactor; sarva: all; bhūtānāṁ: living beings; jñātvā: knowing; māṁ: me; śāntiṁ: peace; ṛcchati: achieves

5.29 One who knowing Me as the purpose of sacrifice and penance, as the lord of all the worlds and the benefactor of all the living beings, achieves peace.

iti śrīmad bhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjuna saṁvāde sannyāsayogo nāma pañcamo ‘dhyāyaḥ ||

In the Upaniṣad of Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, the Supreme Absolute, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, this is the fifth chapter named, Sannyāsa Yogaḥ, ‘The Yoga of Renunciation.’

śrī bhagavān uvāca: the Lord says; anāśritaḥ: without shelter; karma: action; phalaṃ: fruit; kāryaṃ: obligated; karma: work; karoti: performs; yaḥ: who; saḥ: he; sannyāsī: ascetic; ca: and; yogī: one engaged in yoga; ca: and; na: not; nir: without; agniḥ: fire; na: not; ca: and; akriyaḥ: without work

6.1 Bhagavān says: One who performs his actions without being attached to their fruit (outcome) of his work is a Sannyāsi, and he is truly an ascetic; a Yogi also.; not the one who renounces to light the fire and performs no action.

yaṃ: what; sannyāsam: renunciation; iti: thus; prāhuḥ: they say; yogaṃ: link-ing with the Supreme; taṃ: that; viddhi: you should know; pāṇḍava: O son of Pāṇḍu; na: never; hi: certainly; asannyasta: without renouncing; saṅkalpaḥ: self interest; yogī: one engaged in yoga; bhavati: becomes; kaścana: anyone

6.2 O Pāṇḍava, what is called renunciation, or sannyāsa, you must know to be the same as yoga, or uniting oneself with the Supreme., for never can anyone become a yogī, until he renounces the desire for self-gratification [saṅkalpa].

ārurukṣoḥ: one wishing to ascend to the state of yoga (no-mind state); muneḥ: of the sage; yogaṃ: yoga system; karma: work; kāraṇam: cause; ucyate: is said to be; yoga: yoga; arūḍhasya: of one who has attained; tasya: his; eva: certainly; śamaḥ: cessation of all activities; kāraṇam: cause; ucyate: is said to be

6.3 A one desirious of achieving the state of yoga or no-mind state, action is said to be the means and for the one who is already elevated in yoga, cessation from all actions is said to be the means.

yadā: when; hi: certainly; na: not; indriyārtheṣu: in sense gratification; na: never; karmasu: in fruitive activities; anuṣajjate: does necessarily engage; sarva sankalpa: all material desires; sannyāsī: renouncer; yogārūḍhaḥ: elevated in yoga; tadā: at that time; ucyate: is said to be

6.4 Any one is said to have attained the state of yoga when, having renounced all material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages in result focused activities.

uddharet: one must deliver; ātmanā: by the mind; ātmānaṁ: the conditioned soul; na: never; ātmānaṁ: the conditioned soul; avasādayet: put into degra-dation; ātmā: mind; eva: certainly; hi : surely; ātmanaḥ: of the conditioned soul; bandhuḥ: friend; ātmā: mind; eva: certainly; ripuḥ: enemy; ātmanaḥ: of the conditioned soul

6.5 You are your own friend; you are your own enemy. Evolve yourself through the Self and do not degrade yourself.

bandhuḥ: friend; ātmā: the Self; ātmanaḥ: of the living entity; tasya: of him; yena: by whom; ātmā: the Self; eva: certainly; ātmanā: by the living entity; jitaḥ: conquered; anātmanaḥ: of one who has failed to control the Self; tu: but; śatrutve: because of enmity; varteta: remains; ātmā eva: the very mind; śatruvat: as an enemy

6.6 For him who has conquered the Self, the Self is the best of friends; for one who has failed to do so, his Self will remain the greatest enemy.

jitātmanaḥ: of one who has conquered his self; praśāntasya: who has attained tranquility; paramātmā: Supreme; samāhitaḥ: approached completely; śītoṣṇa: in cold heat; sukha: happiness; duḥkheṣu: and distress; tathā: also; māna: in honor; apamānayoḥ: dishonor

6.7 For one who has conquered the self, who has attained tranquility, the Supreme is already reached. Such a person remains in this state in happiness or distress, heat or cold, honor or dishonor.

jñāna: acquired knowledge; vijñāna: realized knowledge; tṛptātmā: contented self; kūṭasthaḥ: established in Self-realization; vijitendriyaḥ: one who has subdued his senses; yukta: competent for self-realization; iti: thus; ucyate: is said; yogī: one established in yoga; sama: equipoised; loṣṭāśma: lump of earth, stone; kāñcanaḥ: gold

6.8 A person whose mind is contented because of spiritual knowledge, who has subdued his senses and to whom stone and gold are same and who is satisfied with what he is having, is said to be established in Self-realization and is called an enlightened being.

suhṛt: to well-wishers by nature; mitra: affectionate benefactors; ari: enemies; udāsīna: neutral; madhyastha: mediators; dveṣya: envious; bandhuṣu: friends; sādhuṣu: pious; api: also; ca: and; pāpeṣu: sinners; sama: equal buddhiḥ: with equal mind; viśiṣyate: is further advanced

6.9 A person is considered truly advanced when he regards honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral, me-diators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners all with an equal mind.

yogī: yogi; yuñjīta: concentrate; satataṃ: always; ātmānaṃ: himself; rahasi: in a secluded place; sthitaḥ: situated; ekākī : alone; yatachittātmā : careful in mind; nir āśīḥ: without being attracted by anything else; aparigrahaḥ: free from the feeling of possessiveness

6.10 A Yogī should always try to concentrate his mind on the Supreme Self; situated in a secluded place, he should carefully control his mind without being attracted by anything and should be free from the feeling of possessiveness.

śucau: in a clean state; deśe: land; pratiṣṭhāpya: placing; sthiram: stable; āsanaṃ: seat; ātmanaḥ: own; na: not; ati: very low; ucchritaṃ: high; na: not; nīcaṃ: low; caila ajina: of soft cloth and deerskin; kuśa: kuśa grass; uttaraṃ: covering

6.11 On a clean and pure place, one should establish his seat by laying kuśa grass, a deer skin and a cloth, one over another, neither too high nor too low.

tatra: then; ekāgraṃ: with one focus; manaḥ: mind; kṛtvā: making; yata cittendriya kriyaḥ: having restrained the functions of the mind and senses; upaviśya: sitting; āsane: on the seat; yuñjyāt: should execute; yogaṃ: yoga; ātma: oneself; viśuddhaye: to purify

6.12 Sitting firmly on that pure seat, the yogi should practice the purification of the self by controlling the activities of mind and the senses

samaṃ: straight; kāya: body; śiraḥ: head; grīvaṃ: neck; dhārayan: holding; acalaṃ: steady; sthiraḥ: still; saṃprekṣya: looking; nāsika: nose; agraṃ: at the tip; svaṃ: own; diśaḥ: directions; ca: and; anavalokayan: not looking

6.13 Holding the body, head and neck steady, look at the tip of your nose without looking in any other direction.

praśāntātmā: unagitated mind; vigatabhīḥ: free from fear; brahmachārivrate: in the vow of living with Existence; sthitaḥ: situated; manaḥ: mind; saṃyamya: controlling; maccittaḥ: mind fixed in Me; yuktaḥ: balanced; āsīta: sit; matparaḥ: Me supreme goal

6.14 Sit with an unagitated mind, free from fear and in tune with Existence, controlling the mind, focusing it on Me and make Me the supreme goal.

yuñjan: practicing; evaṃ: thus; sadā: always; ātmānaṃ: Self; yogī : yogi; niya-ta: controlled; mānasaḥ: mind; śāntiṃ: peace; nirvāṇa: liberation; paramāṃ: supreme; matsaṃsthāṃ: My kingdom; adhigacchati: attain

6.15 Always practising control over the mind and situated in the Self, the yogi attains peace, the supreme liberation and My kingdom.

na: never; atyaśnataḥ: too much eats; tu: but; yogaḥ: yoga; asti: is; na: not; ca: and; ekāntaṃ: on the one side; anaśnataḥ: not eat; na: not; ca: and; ati: too much; svapna śīlasya: sleep; jāgrataḥ: awake; na: not; eva: also; ca: and; arjuna: Oh Arjuna 6.16 Yoga is neither eating too much nor eating too little; it is neither sleeping too much nor sleeping too little, Oh Arjuna.

yukta: regulated; āhāra: food; vihārasya: rest; yukta: regulated; ceṣṭasya: exertion; karmasu: work; yukta: regulated; svapna avabodhasya: sleep and wakefulness; yogaḥ: yoga; bhavati: becomes; duḥkhahā : reduced misery

6.17 One who is regulated in food, rest, recreation and work, sleep and wakefulness, can reduce misery.

yadā: when; viniyataṃ: disciplined; cittaṃ: mind; ātmani: situated in the Self; eva: certainly; avatiṣṭhate: situated; niḥspṛhaḥ: free of desire; sarva: all; kāme-bhyaḥ: material desires; yuktaḥ: situated; iti: thus; ucyate: said to be; tadā : then

6.18 When the mind is disciplined and one is situated in the Self, free from all desires, then one is said to be situated in yoga.

yathā: as; dīpaḥ: lamp; nivātasthaḥ: in a place without wind; na: not; iṅgate: waver; sā: this; upamā: comparison; smṛtā: is considered; yoginaḥ: of the yogi; yata cittasya: whose mind is controlled; yuñjataḥ: engaged; yogam: in yoga; ātmanaḥ: in the Self

6.19 As a lamp in a place without wind does not waver, so also the yogi, whose mind is controlled remains steady, engaged in yoga, in the Self.

yatra: there; uparamate: quietened; cittam: mind; niruddham: stop; yoga: yoga; sevayā: work; yatra: there; ca: and; eva: certainly; ātmanā: by the Self; ātmānam: Self; paśyan: seeing; ātmani: in the Self; tuṣyati: satisfied

6.20 In yoga, the mind becomes quiet and the Self is satisfied by the Self in the Self.

sukham: happiness; ātyantikam: supreme; yat: which; tad: that; buddhi: intelligence; grāhyam: grasped; atīndriyam: beyond the senses; vetti: know; yatra: where; na: not; ca: and; eva: certainly; ayam: he; sthitaḥ: situated; calati: moves; tattvataḥ: from truth

6.21 Supreme bliss is grasped by intelligence transcending the senses. The person who knows this is based in reality.

yaṃ: that which; labdhvā: by attaining; ca: and; aparaṃ: any other; lābhaṃ: gain; manyate: considers; na: not; adhikaṃ: more; tataḥ: than that; yasmin: in which; sthitaḥ: situated; na: not; duḥkhena: by misery; guruṇā api: though difficult; vicālyate: becomes shaken

6.22 By attaining that Supreme, one does not consider any other gain as being greater. By being situated in the Supreme, one is not shaken by the greatest of misery.

taṃ: that; vidyāt: know; duḥkha: misery; saṃyoga: contact; viyogaṃ: removal; yoga: yoga; saṃjñitaṃ: is termed as; saḥ: he; niścayena: with determination; yoktavyaḥ: practiced; yogaḥ: yoga; anirviṇṇa cetasā: without deviating

6.23 When yoga is practiced with determination without devi-ating, the misery by contact with material senses is removed.

saṃkalpa: thought; prabhavān: born of; kāmān: desires; tyaktvā: give up; sarvān: all; aśeṣataḥ: completely; manasā: mind; eva: certainly; indriya grāmaṃ: all senses; viniyamya: regulating; samantataḥ: from all sides

6.24 Giving up completely all the fantasies born of the mind, one can regulate all the senses from all the sides by the mind.

śanaiḥ: gradually; śanaiḥ: step by step; uparamet: hold; buddhyā: by intelli-gence; dhṛti gṛhītayā: held by conviction; ātma: Self; saṁsthaṁ: established; manaḥ: mind; kṛtvā: doing; na: not; kiṁcit: other; api: also; cintayet: thinking of

6.25 Gradually, step by step, one should become established in the Self, held by the conviction of intelligence, with the mind not thinking of anything else.

yataḥ-yataḥ: wherever; niścarati: becomes agitated; manaḥ: mind; cañcalam: moving; asthiraṁ: not steady; tataḥ-tataḥ: there; niyamya: control; etat: this; āt-mani: in the Self; eva: certainly; vaśaṁ: under control; nayet: must bring under

6.26 From wherever the mind becomes agitated due to its wandering and unsteady nature, from there, one must certainly bring it under the control of the Self.

praśānta: peaceful; manasaṁ: mind; hi: certainly; enam: this; yoginam: yogi; sukham: happiness; uttamam: highest; upaiti: attains; śānta rajasam: passion pacified; brahma bhūtam: liberated by the Supreme; akalmaṣam: free from sins 6.27 The yogi whose mind is peaceful attains the highest hap-piness; his passion is pacified and he is free from sins as he is liberated by the Supreme.

yuñjannevaṃ sadātmānaṃ yogī vigatakalmaṣaḥ / sukhena brahma-saṃsparś amatyantaṃ sukhamaśnute // 6.28

yuñjan: being engaged; evaṃ: in this way; sadā : always; ātmānaṃ: Self; yogī : yogi; vigata: free from; kalmaṣaḥ: material contamination; sukhena: in hap-piness; brahma saṃsparśaṃ: in touch with the Supreme; atyantaṃ: highest; sukhaṃ: happiness; aśnute: attains

6.28 The yogi always engaged in the Self and free from material contamination, is in touch with the Supreme and attains the highest happiness.

sarvabhūtastham-ātmānaṃ sarvabhūtāni cātmani / īkṣate yogayuktātmā sarvatra samadarśanaḥ // 6.29

sarva: all; bhūta: living beings; sthaṃ: situated; ātmānaṃ: Supreme; sarva: all; bhūtāni: living beings; ca: and; ātmani: in the Supreme; īkṣate: sees; yoga: yoga; yuktātmā: engaged Self; sarvatra: everywhere; sama: equal; darśanaḥ: seeing

6.29 The Yogī sees the Supreme situated in all beings and also all beings situated in the Supreme. One established in the Self sees the Supreme everywhere.

yaḥ: who; mām: Me; paśyati: sees; sarvatra: everywhere; sarvam: everything; ca: and; mayi: in Me; paśyati: sees; tasya: for him; aham: I; na: not; praṇaśyāmi: lost; saḥ: he; ca: and; me: Me; na: not; praṇaśyati: lost

6.30 For one who sees Me everywhere and who sees everything in Me, for him I am never lost nor is he lost to Me.

sarva: all; bhūta: beings; sthitam: situated; yah: who; mām: Me; bhajati: wor-ships; ekatvam: in oneness; āsthitaḥ: situated; sarvathā : in all respects; var-tamānaḥ: present; api: though; sah: he; yogī : yogi; mayi : in Me; vartate: remains

6.31 He who is in oneness with Me in all respects, worships Me situated in all beings and remains present in Me.

ātmaupamyena: self by comparison; sarvatra: everywhere; samam: equal; paśyati: see; yah: who; arjuna: Oh Arjuna; sukham: happiness; vā: or; yadi: if; vā: or; duhkham: misery; sah: such; yogī : yogi; paramah: supreme; matah: opinion

6.32 One who, by comparision to his own Self, sees the true oneness of all beings, in both their happiness or misery, is Supreme Yogi in My opinion, Arjuna.

अर्जुन उवाच ।

arjuna uvāca yoyaṃ yogastvayā proktaḥ sāmyena madhusūdana / etasyāhaṃ na paśyāmi cañcalatvātsthitiṃ sthirām // 6.33

arjuna uvāca: Arjuna says; yaḥ: this; ayam: system; yogaḥ: yoga; tvayā : by You; proktaḥ: said; sāmyena: generally; madhusūdana: O killer of Madhu; etasya: of this; ahaṃ: I; na: not; paśyāmi: see; cañcalatvāt: due to being restless; sthitiṃ: situation; sthirāṃ: steady

6.33 Arjuna says: O Madhusūdana, I am not able to see this system of yoga as told by You in the situation of the mind being restless and not steady.

cañcalaṃ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthī balavad dṛḍham / tasyāhaṃ nigrahaṃ manye vāyoriva suduṣkaram // 6.34

cañcalam: wavering; hi: certainly; manaḥ: mind; kṛṣṇa: O Kṛṣṇa; pramāthī : agitating; balavat: strong; dṛḍhaṃ: firm; tasya: its; ahaṃ: I; nigrahaṃ: con-trolling; manye: think; vāyoḥ: of the wind; iva: like; suduṣkaram: difficult

6.34 O Kṛṣṇa, the wavering mind is agitated, strong and firm. I think it is difficult to control the mind like it is difficult to control the wind.

श्री भगवानुवाच

śrī bhagavān uvāca: the Lord says; asaṁśayaṁ: without doubt; mahābāho: O mighty-armed one; manaḥ: mind; durnigrahaṁ: difficult to control; calam: wavering; abhyāsena: by practice; tu : but; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; vairāgyeṇa: by detachment; ca: and; gṛhyate: is controlled

6.35 Bhagavān says: O mighty-armed Kaunteya (son of Kuntī), it is undoubtedly difficult to control the wavering mind but by practice and detachment, it can be controlled.

asaṁyatātmanā: uncontrolled by the mind; yogaḥ: yoga; duṣprāpaḥ: difficult to attain; iti: thus; me: My; matiḥ: opinion; vaśyātmanā: controlled by the mind; tu: but; yatatā: by one engaged in practise; śakyaḥ: practical; avāptuṁ: to achieve; upāyataḥ: by appropriate means

6.36 For one whose mind is uncontrolled, it is difficult to attain yoga in My opinion. But, it is practical to achieve control over the mind by appropriate means.

अर्जुन उवाच

arjuna uvāca: Arjuna says; ayatiḥ: the uncontrolled person; śraddhyā: with faith; upetaḥ: engaged; yogāt: from yoga; calita: wavered; mānasaḥ: mind; aprāpya: not getting; yoga: yoga; saṁsiddhiṁ: achieve; kāṁ: which; gatiṁ: destination; kṛṣṇa: O Kṛṣṇa; gacchati: achieve

6.37 Arjuna says: O Kṛṣṇa, if a person is engaged in yoga with faith but does not attain yoga because of the wavering mind, what destination does he achieve

kaccit: whether; na: not; ubhaya: both; vibhraṣṭaḥ: deviated from; chinna: torn; abhram: cloud; iva: like; naśyati: perish; apratiṣṭhaḥ: without any position; mahābāho: O mighty-armed one; vimūḍhaḥ: confused; brahmaṇaḥ: Supreme; pathi: on the path

6.38 O mighty-armed Kṛṣṇa, does the person who deviated from the path perish, torn like a cloud without any position?

etat: this; me: My; saṁśayaṁ: doubt; kṛṣṇa: O Kṛṣṇa; chettum: dispel; arhasi: deserve; aśeṣataḥ: completely; tvat: than You; anyaḥ: another; saṁśayasya: of the doubt; asya: of this; chettā : remover; na: not; hi: certainly; upapadyate: to be found

6.39 This is my doubt, O Kṛṣṇa and I request You to dispel it completely. Certainly, there is no one to be found other than You who can remove this doubt.

śrī bhagavān uvāca: the Lord says; pārtha: O son of Pṛithā; na: not; eva: thus; iha: in this; na: not; amutra: in the next life; vināśaḥ: destruction; tasya: his; vidyate: exists; na: not; hi: certainly; kalyāṇakṛt: doing activities for the good; kaścit: anyone; durgatiṃ: degradation; tāta: then; gacchati: goes

6.40 Bhagavān says: O Pārtha, the person engaged in activities for good does not meet with destruction either in this world or the next life; he never faces degradation.

prāpya: after achieving; puṇyakṛtāṃ: one who has done virtuous deeds; lokān: worlds; uṣitvā : after living; śāśvatīḥ: many; samāḥ: years; śucīnāṃ: of the virtuous; śrī matāṃ: of the prosperous; gehe: in the house; yoga bhraṣṭaḥ: one who has fallen from yoga; abhijāyate: takes birth

6.41 The person who has fallen from yoga {yogabraṣṭa] after many years of living in the planets of the pious and doing virtuous deeds, takes birth in the house of the virtuous and prosperous.

athavā : or; yogināṃ: yogis'; eva: certainly; kule: in the family; bhavati: be-comes; dhīmatāṃ: wise; etat: this; hi: certainly; durlabhataraṃ: rare; loke: in the world; janma: birth; yat: which; īdṛśam: like this

6.42 Or the Yogī certainly takes birth in a family of wise people. Certainly, such a birth is rare in this world.

tatra: then; taṃ: that; buddhi: intelligence; saṃyogaṃ: united with; labhate: gains; paurva: previous; dehikam: body; yatate: try; ca: and; tataḥ: then; bhūyaḥ: again; saṃsiddhau: for attaining; kuru nandana: O son of Kuru

6.43 O son of Kuru, on taking such a birth, he revives the intelligence, consciousness of the previous body, and tries again to attain complete success [yoga].

pūrva: previous; abhyāsena: by practice; tena: by that; eva: certainly; hriyate: is attracted; hi: certainly; avaśaḥ: automatically; api: also; saḥ: he; jijñāsuḥ: inquisitive; api: also; yogasya: about yoga; śabda brahma: scriptures; ativartate: transcends

6.44 Due to the practice in his previous life, he certainly gets attracted automatically to yoga and he is inquisitive about yoga and transcends the scriptures.

prayatnāt: by trying; yatamānaḥ: endeavor; tu: and; yogī: yogi; saṃśuddha: cleaned; kilbiṣaḥ: sins; aneka: many; janma: births; saṃsiddhaḥ: achieved; tataḥ: then; yāti: achieves; parāṃ: highest; gatiṃ: state

6.45 And when the Yogī engages himself with sincere endevour in progressing fruther, being cleansed of all incompletions, then ultimately, achieving perfection [saṁsiddhi] after many births of practice, he attains the highest state [parām-gati].

tapasvibhyaḥ: than the ascetic; adhikaḥ: greater; yogī : yogi; jñānibhyoḥ: than the wise; api: also; mataḥ: opinion; adhikaḥ: greater; karmibhyaḥ: than person who works for the fruit of action; ca: and; adhikaḥ: greater; yogī : yogi; tasmāt: so; yogī : yogi; bhava: become; arjuna: O Arjuna

6.46 A Yogī is greater than the ascetic [tapasvi], greater than the wise [jñāni] and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, Arjuna, do become a Yogī.

yoginām: yogis; api: also; sarveṣāṃ: all kinds of; madgatena: living in Me; antarātmanā: thinking of Me; śraddhāvān: in full faith; bhajate: worship; yaḥ: who; māṃ: Me; saḥ: he; me: Me; yuktatamaḥ: engaged; mataḥ: opinion

6.47 Of all Yogīs, one who always lives in Me, thinking of Me within himself, who worships Me in full faith, he is the most intimately united with Me in Yoga and is the highest of all Yogīs; that is My opinion.

In the Upaniṣad of Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, the Supreme Absolute, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, this is the sixth chapter named, Dhyāna Yogaḥ, ‘The Yoga of the Path Of Meditation.’

CHAPTER

śrībhagavānuvāca: Kṛṣṇa says; mayi: in Me; āsaktamanāḥ: mind attached; pārtha: Arjuna, O son of Pṛtā; yogam: union; yuñjan: so practising; madāśrayaḥ: in My shelter; asaṁśayaṁ: without doubt; samagram: completely; māṁ: to Me; yathā: how, in what manner; jñāsyasi: you can know; tat: that; śṛṇu: hear

7.1 Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says, Arjuna, Listen to Me, you can know Me completely and without doubt by practicing yoga in true consciousness of Me, with your mind attached to Me.

jñānaṃ: phenomenal knowledge; te: unto you; ahaṃ: I; sa: with; vijñānaṃ: absolute knowledge; idaṃ: this; vakṣyāmi: shall explain; aśeṣataḥ: in full; yat: which; jñātvā: knowing; na: not; iha: in this world; bhūyaḥ: further; anyat: anything more; jñātavyaṃ: knowable; avaśiṣyate: remains to be known

7.2 Let Me explain to you in detail this phenomenal and abso-lute knowledge along with its realization; by knowing which, there shall remain nothing further to be known.

manuṣyāṇām: of men; sahasreṣu: out of many thousands; kaścit: hardly one; yatati: endeavors; siddhaye: for perfection of self-realization; yatatām: of those so endeavoring; api: indeed; siddhānām: of those who have achieved perfection; kaścit: hardly one; mām: Me; vetti: does know; tattvataḥ: in truth

7.3 Out of many thousands of men, hardly one endeavors or strives to achieve perfection of self-realization; of those so en-deavoring, hardly one achieves the perfection of self-realization and of those, hardly one knows Me in truth or reaches that state of oneness with Me.

bhūmiḥ: earth; āpaḥ: water; analaḥ: fire; vāyuḥ: air; khaṃ: ether; manaḥ: mind; buddhiḥ: intelligence; eva: certainly; ca: and; ahaṃkāraḥ: ego; iti: thus; iyam: all these; me: My; bhinnā: separated, various; prakṛtiḥ: external energies; aṣṭadhā: total eight

7.4 Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego all together these eight constitute My separated external energies.

aparā: inferior; iyam: this; itaḥ: besides this; tu : but; anyām: another; prakṛtiṁ: energy; viddhi: understand; me: my; parām: superior; jīvabhūtāṁ: the living entities; mahā-bāho: O mighty armed one; yayā: by whom; idam: this; dhāryate: bearing; jagat: the material world

7.5 Besides these external energies, which are inferior in nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine. This comprises all the embodied souls of all the living entities by which this material world is being utilized or exploited.

etad: these two natures; yonīni: source of birth; bhūtāni: everything created; sarvāṇī: all; iti: thus; upadhāraya: know; ahaṁ: I; kṛtsnasya: all-inclusive; jaga-taḥ: of the world; prabhavaḥ: source of manifestation; pralayaḥ: annihilation; tathā: as well as

7.6 Know for certain that everything living is manifested by these two energies of Mine. I am the Creator, the Sustainer and the Destroyer of them.

mattaḥ: beyond Myself; parataraṁ: superior; na: not; anyat kiñcit: anything else; asti: there is; dhanañjaya: O conqueror of wealth; mayi: in Me; sarvam: all that be; idam: which we see; protam: strung; sūtre: on a thread; maṇigaṇāḥ: pearls; iva: likened

7.7 O Dhanañjaya (conqueror of wealth), there is no truth su-perior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.

rasaḥ: taste; ahaṁ: I; apsu: in water; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; prabhā: light; asmi: I am; śaśisūryayoḥ: in the sun and the moon; praṇavaḥ: the letters a-u-m; sarva: in all; vedeṣu: in the Vedas; śabdaḥ: sound vibration; khe: in the ether; pauruṣaṁ: virility, manliness; nṛṣu: in man

7.8 O Kaunteya (son of Kuntī), I am the taste of water, the radiance of the sun and the moon, the sacred syllable ‘Om’ in the vedic mantras. I am the sound in ether and ability in man.

puṇyaḥ: original; gandhaḥ: fragrance; pṛthivyāṁ: in the earth; ca: also; tejaḥ: temperature; ca: also; asmi: I am; vibhāvasau: in the fire; jīvanam: life; sarva: all; bhūteṣu: living entities; tapaḥ: penance; ca: also; asmi: I am; tapasviṣu: in those who practice penance.

7.9 I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all living beings, and I am the penances of all ascetics.

bī jaṃ: the seed; māṃ: Me; sarvabhūtānāṃ: of all living entities; viddhi: understand; pārtha: O son of Prithā; sanātanaṃ: original, eternal; buddhiḥ: intelligence; buddhimatāṃ: of the intelligent; asmi: I am; tejaḥ: prowess; tejasvināṃ: of the powerful; ahaṃ: I am

7.10 O Pārtha (son of Prithā), I am the eternal source of all creatures, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the brilliance of all those who are brilliant.

balaṃ: strength; balavatāṃ: of the strong; cāham: I am; kāma: desire; rāga: attachment; vivarjitaṃ: devoid of; dharma: religious principle; aviruddhaḥ: not against the religious principles; bhūteṣu: in all beings; kāmaḥ: lust; asmi: I am; Bhārata ṛṣabha: O Lord of the Bhāratas

7.11 I am the strength of the strong, and I am procreative energy in living beings, devoid of lust and in accordance with religious principles, O Bharatarṣabha (Lord of Bhārata).

ye: all those; ca: and; eva: certainly; sāttvikāḥ: in goodness; bhāvāḥ: states of being; rājasāḥ: mode of passion; tāmasāḥ: mode of ignorance; ca: and; ye: although; mattaḥ: from Me; eva: certainly; iti: thus; tān: those; viddhi: try to know; na: not; tu: but; aham: I; teṣu: in those; te: they; mayi: unto Me

7.12 All states of being—be they of goodness (sāttvika), pas-sion (rajas) or ignorance (tamas)—all emanate from Me. I am independent of them but they are dependent on Me.

tribhiḥ: three; guṇamayaiḥ: by the three gunas; bhāvaiḥ: state of being; ebhiḥ: all these; sarvam: the whole world; idam: this; jagat: universe; mohitam: de-luded; nābhijānāti: do not know; mām: Me; ebhyaḥ: above these; param: the Supreme; avyayam: immutable

7.13 The whole world is deluded by the three modes (good-ness, passion and ignorance), and thus does not know Me. I am above the modes and unchangeable

daivī: transcendental; hi: certainly; eṣā: this; guṇamayī: consisting of the three modes of material nature; mama: My; māyā: energy; duratyayā: very difficult to overcome; mām: unto Me; eva: certainly; ye: those; prapadyante: surrender; māyāmetām: this illusory energy; taranti: overcome; te: they

7.14 My Divine energy, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me can cross beyond it with ease.

na: not; mām: unto Me; duṣkṛtinaḥ: miscreants; mūḍhāḥ: foolish; prapadyante: surrender; nara adhamāḥ: lowest among mankind; māyayā : by the illusory energy; apahṛta: stolen by illusion; jñānāḥ: knowledge; āsuram: demonic; bhāvam: nature; āśritāḥ: accepting.

7.15 Those miscreants who are foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by māyā, illusion, and who have taken shelter in demonic nature, do not surrender unto Me.

caturvidhāḥ: four kinds of; bhajante: render services; mām: unto Me; janāḥ: persons; sukṛtinaḥ: those who are pious; arjuna: O Arjuna; ārtaḥ: the dis-tressed; jijñāsuḥ: the inquisitive; arthārthī : one who desires material gain; jñānī: one who knows things as they are; ca: also; bharatarṣabha: O great one amongst the descendants of Bhārata.

7.16 O Bharatarsabha, best among Bhārata, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me. They are: the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and those searching for knowledge of the Absolute.

teṣāṃ: of them; jñānī: the wise; nityayuktaḥ: ever steadfast; eka bhaktiḥ: whose devotion is to the one; viśiṣyate: better; priyaḥ: dear; hi: verily; jñāninaḥ: of the wise; atyarthaṃ: exceedingly; ahaṃ: I; saḥ: he; ca: and; mama: to me; priyaḥ: dear

7.17 Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge and ever united with Me through single-minded devotion is the best. I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me

udārāḥ: noble; sarve: all; eva: certainly; ete: these; jñānī: one who is in knowl-edge; tu: but; ātmā eva: just like Myself; me: My; mataṃ: opinion; āsthitaḥ: situated; saḥ: he; hi: certainly; yuktātmā: engaged in devotional service; māṃ: unto Me; eva: certainly; anuttamāṃ: the highest goal; gatiṃ: destination

7.18 All these devotees are indeed noble; one who knows Me, dwells in Me. Being engaged in My mission, he attains Me.

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavānmāṁ prapadyate l

bahūnām: many; janmanām: births; ante: after; jñānavān: he possessing knowl-edge; mām: unto Me; prapadyate: surrenders; vāsudevaḥ: cause of all causes; sarvam: all; iti: thus; saḥ: such; mahātmā : great soul; sudurlabhaḥ: very rare.

7.19 After many births and deaths, he who knows Me surrenders to Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.

kāmaiḥ: by desires; taiḥ: by those; taiḥ: by those; hṛta: distorted; jñānāḥ: knowledge; prapadyante: surrender; anya: other; devatāḥ: deities; tam-tam: that; niyamam: rules; āsthāya: following; prakṛtyā: by nature; niyatāḥ: con-trolled; svayā: by their own.

7.20 Those whose discrimination has been distorted by various desires, surrender unto deities. They follow specific rules and regulations of worship according to their own nature.

yaḥ: that; yaḥ: that; yāṃ: which; yāṃ: which; tanuṃ: form of the deities; bhaktaḥ: devotee; śraddhayā: with faith; arcitum: to worship; icchati: desires; tasya: of that; tasya: of that; acalāṃ: steady; śraddhām: faith; tām: him; eva: surely; vidadhāmi: give; ahaṃ: I

7.21 I am in everyone's heart as the super soul. As soon as one desires to worship some deity, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that particular deity.

saḥ: he; tayā: with that; śraddhayā: with faith; yuktaḥ: endowed; tasya: his; ārādhanam: worship; īhate: endeavors; labhate: obtains; ca: and; tataḥ: from that; kāmān: desires; mayā: by Me; eva: alone; vihitān: bestowed; hi: for; tān: those.

7.22 Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires; In reality, these benefits are granted by Me alone.

antavat tu: limited and temporary; phalam: fruits; teṣām: their; tat: that; bhavati: becomes; alpa medhasām: of those of small intelligence; devān: demigods' planets; devayajaḥ: worshipers of demigods; yānti: achieve; mad: My; bhaktāḥ: devotees; yānti: attain; mām: to Me; api: surely

7.23 Men of limited intelligence worship the demigods and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go only to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees reach My supreme planet.

avyaktam: nonmanifested; vyaktim: personality; āpannam: achieved; manyante: think; mām: unto Me; abuddhayaḥ: less intelligent persons; param: supreme; bhāvam: state of being; ajānantaḥ: without knowing; mama: My; avyayam: imperishable; anuttamam: the finest.

7.24 Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the supreme personality of godhead, the Bhagavān, who was impersonal before, have become a human being now. They do not know that I am imperishable and supreme, even when I assume the body.

na: nor; aham: I; prakāśaḥ: manifest; sarvasya: to everyone; yoga māyā: internal potency; samāvṛtaḥ: covered; mūḍhaḥ: foolish; ayam: this; na: not; abhijānāti: can understand; lokaḥ: such less intelligent persons; mām: Me; ajam: unborn; avyayam: immutable.

7.25 I am never revealed to the foolish and unintelligent, cov-ered as I am by My divine power ; the ignorant do not know Me, unborn and eternal.

veda: know; aham: I; sama: equally; atītāni: past; vartamānāni: present; ca: and; arjuna: O Arjuna; bhaviṣyāṇi: future; ca: also; bhūtāni: living entities; māṃ: Me; tu: but; veda: knows; na: not; kaścana: anyone 7.26 O Arjuna, as the supreme personality of Godhead, I know all that has happened, all that is happening, and all that is to happen. I also know all living entities; but no one knows Me.

icchā: desire; dveṣa: hate; samutthena: born; dvandva: duality; mohena: overcome; bhārata: O scion of Bhārata; sarva: all; bhūtāni: living entities; saṃmohaṃ: into delusion; sarge: in creation; yānti: go; parantapa: O conqueror of enemies.

7.27 O scion of Bhārata (Arjuna), O conqueror of the foe, Parantapa, all living entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of attachment and aversion.

yeṣāṃ: whose; tu : but; antagataṃ: completely eradicated; pāpaṃ: sin; janānāṃ: of the persons; puṇya: pious; karmaṇāṃ: previous activities; te: they; dvandva: duality; moha: delusion; nirmuktāḥ: free from; bhajante worship; māṃ: Me; dṛḍhavratāḥ: with determination.

7.28 Persons who have acted virtuously, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of reality and unreality, engage themselves in My worship with firm resolve.

jarā: old age; maraṇa: death; mokṣāya: for the purpose of liberation; mām: unto Me; āśritya: taking shelter of; yatanti: endeavor; ye: all those; te: such persons; brahma: Brahman; tat: actually that; viduḥ: they know; kṛtsnam: everything; adhyātmam: transcendental; karma: activities; ca: and; akhilam: entirely

7.29 Persons who are striving for liberation from the cycle of birth, old age and death, take refuge in Me. They are actually Brahman because they comprehend everything about activities that transcend these.

sādhibhūta: the governing principle of the material manifestation; adhidaivam: underlying all the demigods; mām: Me; sādhiyajñam: sustaining all sacrifices; ca: and; ye: those; viduḥ: know; prayāṇa: of death; kāle: at the time; api: even; ca: and; mām: Me; te : they; viduḥ: know; yukta cetasaḥ: with steadfast minds.

7.30 Those who know Me as the Supreme Lord, as the governing principle of the material manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying all the demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices, can with steadfast mind, understand and know Me, even at the time of death.

iti śrīmad bhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyām

In the Upaniṣad of Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, the Supreme Absolute, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, this is the seventh chapter named, Jñānavijñāna Yogaḥ, ‘The Yoga of Knowledge and Conscious Realization of the Absolute.’

अर्जुन उवाच ।

arjuna uvāca kiṃ tadbrahma kimadhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣottama | adhibhūtaṃ ca kiṃ proktam adhidaivaṃ kimucyate || 8.1

arjuna uvāca: Arjuna said; kiṃ: what; tat: that; brahma: Brahman; kiṃ: what; adhyātmaṃ: the self; kiṃ: what; karma: fruitive activities; puruṣottama: O Supreme Person; adhibhūtaṃ: the material manifestation; ca: and; kiṃ: what; proktaṃ: is called; adhidaivaṃ: the demigods; kiṃ: what; ucyate: is called.

8.1 Arjuna says: O my Lord, O supreme person, what is Brahman? What is the Self? What are result-based actions? What is this material manifestation? And what are the demi-gods? Please explain all this to me.

adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ ko’tra dehe’smin madhusūdana |

adhiyajñaḥ: the Lord of sacrifice; katham: how; kaḥ: who; atra: here; dehe: in the body; asmin: in this; madhusūdana: O Madhusudana; prayāṇakāle: at the time of death; ca: and; kathaṁ: how; jñeyaḥ: be known; asi: You can; niyatātmabhiḥ: by the self-controlled.

8.2 How does this Lord of sacrifice live in the body, and in which part does He live, O Madhusūdana? How can those engaged in devotional service know You at the time of their death?

श्री भगवानुवाच ।

śrībhagavānuvāca

śrībhagavānuvāca: Bhagavān said; akṣaraṁ: indestructible; brahma: Brahman; paramaṁ: transcendental; svabhāvaḥ: eternal nature; adhyātmaṁ: the self; ucyate: is called; bhūtabhāva-udbhavakaraḥ: action producing the material bodies of the living entities; visargaḥ: creation; karma: fruitive activities; samñitaḥ: is called.

8.3 Bhagavān says: The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman and his eternal nature is called the self. Action pertaining to the development of the material bodies is called karma, or result based activities.

adhibhūtaṁ: the physical manifestation; kṣaraḥ: constantly changing; bhāvaḥ: nature; puruṣaḥ: the universal form; ca: and; adhidaivatam: including all demigods like the sun and moon; adhiyajñaḥ: the Supersoul; aham: I (Kṛṣṇa); eva: alone; atra: in this; dehe: body; dehabhṛtām: of the embodied; vara: the Supreme.

8.4 Physical nature is known to be endlessly changing. The universe is the cosmic form of the supreme Lord, and I am that Lord represented as the super soul, dwelling in the heart of every being that dwells in a body.

antakāle: at the end of life; ca: also; mām: unto Me; eva: only; smaran: remem-bering; muktvā: quitting; kalevaram: the body; yah: he who; prayāti: goes; saḥ: he; madbhāvam: My nature; yāti: achieves; na: not; asti: there is; atra: here; saṁśayaḥ: doubt.

8.5 Whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remember-ing Me alone, attains My nature immediately. Of this there is no doubt.

yam yam: whatever; vā: either; api: also; smaran: remembering; bhāvaṁ: na-ture; tyajati: give up; ante: at the end; kalevaram: this body; tam tam: similar; eva: certainly; eti: gets; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; sadā: always; tat: that; bhāva: state of being; bhāvitaḥ: remembering.

8.6 Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, it is that state one will attain without fail.

tasmāt: therefore; sarveṣu: always; kāleṣu: time; māṃ: unto Me; anusmara: go on remembering; yudhya: fight; ca: also; mayi: unto Me; arpita : surrender; manaḥ: mind; buddhiḥ: intellect; māṃ: unto Me; eva: alone; eṣyasi: will attain; asaṁśayaḥ: beyond a doubt.

8.7 Arjuna, think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa always, while continuing with your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on. Me, you will attain Me without doubt.

abhyāsa: practice; yoga yuktena: being engaged in meditation; cetasā: by the mind and intelligence; nā 'nyagāminā: without their being deviated; paramaṃ: the Supreme; puruṣaṃ: personality of godhead; divyaṃ: transcendental; yāti: achieves; pārtha: O son of Pritā; anucintayan: constantly thinking of

8.8 He who meditates on the supreme person, his mind con-stantly engaged in remembering Me, not deviating from the path, O Pārtha, He is sure to reach Me.

kaviṁ: one who knows everything; purāṇaṁ: the oldest; anuśāsitāraṁ: the controller; aṇoḥ: of the atom; aṇīyāṁsam: smaller than; anusmaret: always thinking; yaḥ: one who; sarvasya: of everything; dhātāraṁ: the maintainer; acintya: inconceivable; rūpaṁ: form; āditya varṇaṁ: illuminated like the sun; tamasaḥ: of the darkness; parastāt: transcendental

8.9 One should meditate on the Supreme as the one who knows everything, as He is the most ancient, who is the con-troller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is always a person.

prayāṇa kāle: at the time of death; manasā: by the mind; acalena: without being deviated; bhaktyā: in full devotion; yuktaḥ: engaged; yoga balena: by the power of mystic yoga; ca: also; eva: certainly; bhruvoḥ: between the two eyebrows; madhye: in; prāṇaṁ: the life air; āveśya: establishing; samyak: completely; saḥ: he; tam: that; param: transcendental; puruṣam: personality of godhead; upaiti: achieves; divyam: in the spiritual kingdom.

8.10 One, who at the time of death, fixes his mind and life air between the eyebrows without being distracted, by the power of yoga and in full devotion, engages himself in dwelling on Me, He will certainly attain Me.

yat: that which; akṣaram: inexhaustible; vedavidaḥ: a person conversant with the Vedas; vadanti: say; viśanti: enters; yat: in which; yatayaḥ: great sages; vītarāgāḥ: in the renounced order of life; yat: that which; icchantaḥ: desiring; brahmacaryam: celibacy; caranti: practices; tat: that; te: unto you; padam: situation; saṅgraheṇa: in summary; pravakṣye: I shall explain.

8.11 Persons who are learned in the Veda and who are great sages in the renounced order, enter into Brahman. Desiring such perfection, one practices brahmacarya. I shall now explain to you this process by which one may attain liberation.

sarva dvārāṇi: all the doors of the body; saṃyamya: controlling; manaḥ: mind; hṛdi: in the heart; nirudhya: confined; ca: also; mūrdhni: on the head; ādhāya: fixed; ātmanaḥ: soul; prāṇam: the life air; āsthitaḥ: situated; yoga dhāraṇām: the yogic situation

8.12 Closing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind on the heart and the life air at the top of the head, one es-tablishes himself in yoga.

om: the combination of letters om (omkāra); iti: thus; ekākṣaraṃ: supreme indestructible; brahma: absolute; vyāharan: vibrating; mām: Me (Kṛṣṇa); anusmaran: remembering; yaḥ: anyone; prayāti: leaves; tyajan: quitting; de-haṃ: this body; saḥ: he; yāti: achieves; paramāṃ: supreme; gatiṃ: destination

8.13 Centered in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable OM, the supreme combination of letters, if one dwells in the Supreme and quits his body, he certainly achieves the supreme destination.

ananyacetāḥ: without deviation; satataṃ: always; yaḥ: anyone; mām: Me (Kṛṣṇa); smarati: remembers; nityaśaḥ: regularly; tasya: to him; ahaṃ: I am; sulabhaḥ: very easy to achieve; pārtha: O son of Pṛtā; nitya: regularly; yuktasya: engaged; yoginaḥ: of the devotee.

8.14 I am always available to anyone who remembers Me constantly Pārtha, because of his constant engagement in de-votional service.

māṃ: unto Me; upetya: achieving; punaḥ: again; janma: birth; duḥkhālayaṃ: a place of miseries; aśāśvataṃ: temporary; na: never; āpnuvanti: attain; mahātmanaḥ: the great souls; saṁsiddhiṃ: perfection; paramāṃ: ultimate; gatāḥ: achieved.

8.15 After attaining Me, the great souls who are devoted to Me in yoga are never reborn in this world. This world is temporary and full of miseries and they have attained the highest perfection.

ābrahmabhuvanātlokāḥ: upto the world of Brahma; punarāvartinaḥ: again returning; arjuna: O Arjuna; māṃ: unto Me; upetya: arriving; tu: but; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; punar janma: rebirth; na: never; vidyate: takes to