The Bhagavad Gita
Chapters sixteen through eighteen
The Blessed Lord said:
Fearlessness, purity of mind, wise apportionment of knowledge and
concentration, charity, self-control and sacrifice, study of
scriptures, austerity and uprightness.
Non-violence, truth, freedom from anger, renunciation,
tranquillity, aversion to fault finding, compassion to living
beings, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty and
steadiness (absence of fickleness).
Vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from malice and
excessive pride-- these, O Pandava (Arjuna), are the endowments
of him who is born with the divine nature.
Ostentation, arrogance, excessive pride, anger, as also harshness
and ignorance, these, O Partha (Arjuna), are the endowments of
him who is born with the demoniac nature.
The divine endowments are said to make for deliverance and the
demoniac for bondage. Grieve not, O Pandava (Arjuna), thou art
born with the divine endowments (for a divine destiny).
There are two types of beings created in the world--the divine
and the demoniac. The divine have been described at length. Hear
from Me, O Partha (Arjuna), about the demoniac.
The demoniac do not know about the way of action or the way of
renunciation. Neither purity, nor good conduct, nor truth is
found in them.
They say that the world is unreal, without a basis, without a
Lord, not brought about in regular causal sequence, caused by
desire, in short.
Holding fast to this view, these lost souls of feeble
understanding, of cruel deeds, rise up as the enemies of the
world for its destruction.
Giving themselves up to insatiable desire, full of hypocrisy,
excessive pride and arrogance, holding wrong views through
delusion, they act with impure resolves.
Obsessed with innumerable cares which would end only with (their)
death, looking upon the gratification of desires as their highest
aim, assured that this is all.
Bound by hundreds of ties of desire, given over to lust and
anger, they strive to amass hoards of wealth, by unjust means,
for the gratification of their desires.
"This today has been gained by me: this desire I shall
attain, this is mine and this wealth also shall be mine (in
future).
"This foe is slain by me and others also I shall slay. I am
the lord, I am the enjoyer, I am successful, mighty and happy.
"I am rich and well-born. Who is there like unto me? I shall
sacrifice, I shall give, I shall rejoice," thus they (say),
deluded by ignorance.
Bewildered by many thoughts, entngled in the meshes of delusion
and addicted to the gratification of desires, they fall into a
foul hell.
Self-conceited, obstinate, filled with the pride and arrogance of
wealth, they perform sacrifices which are so only in name with
ostentation and without regard to rules.
Given over to self-conceit, force and pride and also to lust and
anger, these malicious people despise Me dwelling in the bodies
of themselves and others.
These cruel haters, worst of men, I hurl constaantly these
evil-doers only into the wombs of demons in (this cycle of)
births and deaths.
Fallen into the wombs of demons, these deluded beings from birth
to birth, do not attain to Me, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), but go
down to the lowest state.
The gateway of this hell leading to the ruin of the soul is
threefold, lust, anger and greed. Therefore these three, one
should abandon.
The man who is released from these, the three gates to darkness,
O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), does what is good for his soul and then
reaches the highest state.
But he who discards the scriptual law and acts as his desires
prompt him, he does not attain either perfection or happiness or
the highest goal.
Therefore let the scripture be thy authority for determining what
should be done and what should not be done. Knowing what is
declared by the rules off the scripture, thou shouldst do thy
work in this world.
Arjuna said:
Those who, neglecting the ordinances of scriptures, offer
sacrifices filled with faith--what is their position, O Krsna? Is
it one of goodness or of passion or of dullness?
The Blessed Lord said:
The faith of the embodied is of three kinds, born of their
nature, good, passionate and dull. Hear now about it.
The faith of every individual, O Bharata (Arjuna), is in
accordance with his nature. Man is of the nature of his faith;
what his faith is, that, verily, he is.
Good men worship the gods, the passionate worship the demigods
and the demons and the others (who are) the dull, worship spirits
and ghosts.
Those men, vain and conceited and impelled by the force of lust
and passion, who perform violent austerities, which are not
ordained by the scriptures,
Being foolish, oppress the group of elements in their body and Me
also dwelling in the body. Know these to be demoniac in their
resolves.
Even the food which is dear to all is of three kinds. So are the
sacrifices, austerities and gifts. Hear thou the distinction of
these.
The foods which promote life, vitality, strength, health, joy and
cheerfulness, which are sweet, soft, nourishing and agreeable are
dear to the "good."
The foods that are bitter, sour, saltish, very hot, pungent,
harsh and burning, producing pain, grief and disease are liked by
the "passionate."
That which is spoiled, tateless, putrid, stale, refuse and
unclean is the food dear to the "dull."
That sacrifice which is offered, according to the scriptural law,
by those who expect no reward and believe firmly that it is their
duty to offer the sacrifice, is "good."
But that which is offered in expectation of reward or for the
sake of display, know, O best of Bharatas (Arjuna), that
sacrifice to be "passionate."
The sacrifice which is not in conformity with the law, in which
no food is distributed, no hymns are chanted and no fees are
paid, which is empty of faith, they declare to be
"dull."
The worship of the gods, of the twice-born, of teachers and of
the wise, purity, uprightness, continence and non-violence, this
is said to be the penance of the body.
The utterance (of words) which gives no offence, which is
truthful, pleasant and beneficial and the regular recitiation of
the Veda--this is said to be the penance of speech.
Serenity of mind, gentleness, silence, self-control, the purity
of mind--this is called the penance of mind.
This threefold penance practised with utmost faith by men of
balanced mind without the expectation of reward, they call
"good."
That penance which is performed in order to gain respect, honour
and reverence and for the sake of show is said to be
"passionate"; it is unstable and not lasting.
That penance which is performed with a foolish obstinancy by
means of self-torture or for causing injury to others is said to
be "dull."
That gift, which is made to one from whom no return is expected,
with the feeling that it is one's duty to givve and which is
given in proper place and time and to a worthy person, that gift
is held to be "good."
But that gift which is made with the hope of a return or with the
expectation of future gain or when it hurts to give, is held to
be "passionate."
And that gift which is made at a wrong place or time or to an
unworthy person, without proper cerimony or with contempt, that
is declared to be "dull."
"Aum Tat Sat"--this is considered to be the threefold
symbol of Brahman. By this were ordained of old the Brahmins, the
Vedas and the sacrifices.
Therefore with the utterance of "aum" the acts of
sacrifice, gift and penance enjoined in the scriptures are always
undertaken by the expounders of Brahman.
And with the utterance of the word "tat" the acts of
sacrifice and penance and the various acts of giving are
performed by the seekers of salvation, without aiming at the
reward.
The word "sat" is employed in the sense of reality and
goodness; and so also, O Partha (Arjuna), the word
"sat" is used for praiseworthy action.
Steadfastness in sacrifice, penance, gift is also called
"sat" and so also any action for such purposes is
called "sat."
Whatever offering or gift is made, whatever penance is performed,
whatever rite is observed, without faith, it is called
"asat," O Partha (Arjuna); it is of no account
hereafter or here.
Arjuna said:
I desire, O Mighty-armed (Krsna), to know the true nature of
renunciation and of relinquishment, O Hrsikesa (Krsna),
severally, O Kesinisudana (Krsna).
The Blessed Lord said:
The wise understand by "renunciation" the giving up of
works prompted by desire: the abandonment of the fruits of all
works, the learned declare, is relinquishment.
"Action should be given up as an evil," say some
learned men, others declare that "acts of sacrifice, gift
and penance are not to be given up."
Hear now from Me, O Best of Bharatas (Arjuna), the truth about
relinquishment: relinquishment, O Best of men (Arjuna), has been
explained as threefold.
Acts of sacrifice, gift and penance are not to be relinquished
but should be performed. For sacrifice, gift and penance are
purifiers of the wise.
But even these works ought to be performed, giving up attachment
and desire for fruits. This, O Partha (Arjuna), is my decided and
final view.
Verily the renunciation of any duty that ought to be done is not
right. The abandonment of it through ignorance is declared to be
of the nature of "dullness."
He who gives up a duty because it is painful or from fear of
physical suffering, performs only the relinquishment of the
"passionate" kind and does not gain the reward of
relinquishment.
But he who performs a prescribed duty as a thing that ought to be
done, renouncing all attachment and also the fruit--his
relinquishment is regarded as one of "goodness."
The wise man, who renounces, whose doubts are dispelled, whose
nature is of goodness, has no aversion to disagreeable action and
no attachment to agreeable action.
It is indeed impossible for any embodied being to abstain from
work altogether. But he who gives up the fruit of action, he is
said to be the relinquisher.
Pleasant, unpleasant and mixed--threefold is the fruit of action
accruing after death to those who have not relinquished: there is
none whatever for those who have renounced.
O Mighty-armed (Arjuna), learn of Me, these five factors, for the
accomplishment of all actions, as stated in the Samkhya doctrin.
The seat of action and likewise the agent, the instruments of
various sorts, the many kinds of efforts and providence being the
fifth.
Whatever action a man undertakes by his body, speech or mind,
whether it is right or wrong, these five are its factors.
Such being the case, the man of perverse mind who, on account of
his untrained understanding, looks upon himself as the sole
agent, he does not see (truly).
He who is free from self-sense, whose understanding is not
sullied, though he slay these people, he slays not nor is he
bound (by his actions)
Knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knowing subject, are
the threefold incitement to action: the instrument, the action
and the agent are the threefold composite of action.
Knowledge, action and the agent are said, in the science of
modes, to be of three kinds only, according to difference in the
modes. Hear thou duly of these also.
The knowledge by which the one Imperishable Being is seen in all
existences, undivided in the divided, know that that knowledge is
of "goodness."
The knowledge which sees multiplicity of beings in the different
creatures, by reason of their separateness, know that that
knowledge is of the nature of "passion."
But that which clings to one single effect as if it were the
whole, without concern for the cause, without grasping the real,
and narrow is declared to be of the nature of
"dullness."
An action which is obligatory, which is performed without
attachment, without love or hate by one undesirous of fruit, that
is said to be of "goodness."
But that action which is done in great strain by one who seeks to
gratify his desires or is impelled by self-sense, is said to be
of the nature of "passion."
The action which is undertaken through ignorance, without regard
to consequences or to loss and injury and without regard to one's
human capacity, that is said to be of "dullness."
The doer who is free from attachment, who has no speech of
egotism, full of resolution and zeal and who is unmoved by
success or failure--he is said to be of the nature of
"goodness."
The doer who is swayed by passion, who eagerly seeks the fruit of
his works, who is greedy, of harmful nature, inpure, who is
movved by joy and sorrow--he is said to be of
"passionate" naature.
The doer who is unbalanced, vulgar, obstinate, deceitful,
malicious, indolent, despondent and procrastinating, he is said
to be of the nature of "dullness."
Hear now the threefold distinction of understanding as also of
steadiness, O winner of wealth (AArjuna), according to the modes,
to be set forth fully and separately.
The understanding which knows action and non-action, what ought
to be done and what ought not to be done, what is to be feared
and what is not to be feared, what binds and what frees the soul
(that understanding), O Partha (Arjuna) is of the nature of
"goodness."
That by which one knows in a mistaken way the right and wrong,
what ought to be done and what ought not to be done--that
understanding, O Partha (Arjuna), is of the nature of
"passion."
That which, enveloped in darkness, conceives as right what is
wrong and sees all things in a perverted way (contrary to the
truth), that understanding, O Partha (Arjuna), is of the nature
of "dullness."
The unwavering steadiness by which, through concentration, one
controls the aaaactivities of the mind, the life breaths and the
senses, that, O Partha (Arjuna), is of the nature of
"goodness."
The steadiness by which one holds fast to duty, pleasure and
wealth desiring the fruit in consequence thereof--that, O Partha
(Arjuna), is of the nature of "passion."
That steadiness by which a fool does not give up sleep, fear,
grief, depression and arrogance, that, O Partha (Arjuna), is of
the nature of "dullness."
And now hear from Me, O Best of the Bharatas (Arjuna), the three
kinds of happiness. That in which a man comes to rejoice by long
practice and in which he reaches the end of his sorow.
That happiness which is like poison at first and like nectar at
the end, which springs from a clear understanding of the Self is
said to be of the nature of "goodness."
That happiness which arises from the contact of the senses and
their objects and which is like nectar at first but like poison
at the end--such happiness is recorded to be
"passionate."
That happiness which deludes the soul both at the beginning and
at the end and which arises from sleep, sloth and
negligence--that is declared to be of the nature of
"dullness".
There is no creature either on earth or again among the gods in
heaven, which is free from the three modes born of nature.
Of Brahmins, of Ksatriyas, and Vaisyas as also of Sudras, O
Conqueror of the foe (Arjuna), the activities are distinguished,
in accordance with the qualities born of their natures.
Serenity, self-control, austerity, purity, forbearance and
uprightness, wisdom, knoledge and faith in religion, these are
the duties of the Brahmin, born of his nature.
Heroism, vigour, steadiness, resourcefulness, not fleeing even in
a battle, generosity and leadership, these are the duties of a
Ksatriya born of his nature.
Agriculture, tending cattle, and trade are the duties of a
Vaissya born of his nature; work of the character of service is
the duty of a Sudra born of his nature.
Devoted each to his own duty man attains perfection. How one,
devoted to one's own duty, attains perfection, that do thou hear.
He from whom all beings arise and by whom all this is
pervaded--by worshipping Him through the performance of his own
duty does man attain perfection.
Better one's own law though imperfectly carried out than the law
of another carried out perfectly. One does not incur sin when one
does the duty ordained by one's own nature.
One should not give up the work suited to one's nature, O son of
Kunti (Arjuna), though it may be defective, for all enterprises
are clouded by defects as fire by smoke.
He whose understanding is unattached everywhere, who has subdued
his self and from whom desire has fled--he comes through
renunciation to the supreme state transcending all work.
Hear from me, in brief, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), how, having
attained perfection, he attains to the Brahman, that supreme
consummation of wisdom.
Endowed with a pure understanding, firmly restraining oneself,
turning away from sound and other objects of sense and casting
aside attraction and aversion.
Dwelling in solitude,eating but little, controlling speech, body
and mind, and ever engaged in meditation and concentration and
taking refuge in dispassion.
And casting aside self-sense, force, arrogance, desire, anger,
possession, egoless and tranquil in mind, he becomes worthy of
becoming one with Brahman.
Having become one with Brahman, and being tranquil in spirit, he
neither grieves nor desires. Regarding all beings as alike he
attains supreme devotion to Me.
Through devotion he comes to know Me, what My measure is and who
I am in truth; then, having known Me in truth, he forthwith
enters into Me.
Doing continually all actions whatsoever, taking refuge in Me, he
reaches by My grace the eternal, undying abode.
Surrendering in thought all actions to Me, regarding Me as the
Supreme and resorting to steadfastness in understanding, do thou
fix thy thought constantly on Me.
Fixing thy thought on Me, thou shalt, by My grace, cross over all
the difficulties; but if, from self-conceit, thou wilt not listen
(to Me), thou shalt perish.
If indulging in self-conceit, thou thinkest "I will not
fight," vain is this, thy resolve. Nature will compel thee.
That which, through delusion, thou wishest not to do, O son of
Kunti (Arjuna), that thou shalt do even against thy will,
fettered by thy own acts born of thy nature.
The Lord abides in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing
them to turn round by His power as if they were mounted on a
machine.
Flee unto Him for shelter with all thy being, O Bharata (Arjuna).
By His grace shalt thou obtain supreme peace and eternal abode.
Thus has wisdom more secret than all secrets, been declared to
thee by Me. Having reflected on it fully do as thou choosest.
Listen again to My supreme word, the most secret of all. Well
beloved art thou of Me, therefore I shall tell thee what is good
for thee.
Fix thy mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice to Me; prostrate
thyself before Me; so shalt thou come to Me. I promise thee
truly, for thou art dear to Me.
Abandoning all duties, come to Me alone for shelter. Be not
grieved, for I shall releasethee from all evils.
Never is this to be spoken by thee to one who is not austere in
life or who has no devotion in him or who is not obedient or who
speaks ill of Me.
He who teaches this supreme secret to My devvotees, showing the
highest devotion to Me, shall doubtless come to Me.
There is none among men who does dearer service to Me than he;
nor shall there be another dearer to Me in the world.
And he who studies this sacred dialogue of ours, by him I would
be worshipped through the sacrifice of knowledge, so I hold.
And even the man who listens to it with faith and without
scoffing, even he, being liberated, shall attain to the happy
worlds of the righteous.
O Partha (Arjuna), has this been heard by thee with thy thought
fixed to one point? O Winner of wealth (Arjuna), has thy
distraction (of thought) caused by ignorance been dispelled?
Arjuna said:
Destroyed is my delusion and recognition has been gained by me
through Thy grace, O Acyuta (Krsna). I stand firm with my doubts
dispelled. I shall act according to Thy word.
Samjaya said: Thus have I heard this wonderful dialogue between
Vasudeva (Krsna) and the high-souled Partha (Arjuna) causing my
hair to stand on end.
By the grace of Vyasa, I heard this supreme secret, this yoga
taught by Krsna himself, the Lord of yoga, in person.
O King, as I recall again and again this dialogue, wondrous and
holy; of Kesava (Krsna) and Arjuna, I thrill with joy again and
again.
And as often as I recall that most wondrous form of Hari (Krsna),
great is my astonishment, O King, and I thrill with joy again and
again.
Wherever there is Krsna, the lord of yoga, and Partha (Arjuna),
the archer, I think, there will surely be fortune, victory,
welfare and morality.