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And whatever beings are of Sattva, of Rajas or of Tamas, know them to proceed from Me; still I am notin them, they are in Me. (7.12)

Deluded by these threefold dispositions of Prakriti—the Gunas, this world does not know Me, who am

above them and immutable. (7.13)Verily this divine illusion of Mine, made up of theGunas, is hard to surmount; but those who takerefuge in Me alone, they cross over this illusion.(7.14)

The evil-doers, the deluded, the lowest of men,deprived of discrimination by Maya and followingthe way of the Asuras, do not seek refuge in Me.(7.15)

Four types of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna:the man in distress, the man seeking knowledge, theman seeking wealth and the man imbued withwisdom, O best of the Bharatas. (7.16)

Of these, the wise man, ever steadfast and devoted tothe One, excels; for, supremely dear am I to the wiseand he is dear to Me. (7.17)

Noble indeed are all these; but the wise man, I deem,

to be My very Self. For, steadfast in mind, he isestablished in Me alone, as the supreme goal. (7.18)

At the end of many births, the man of wisdom takesrefuge in Me, realizing that Vasudeva is all that is.Rare indeed is that great soul. (7.19)

But those whose discrimination has been led astray by this or that desire go to other gods, following thisor that rite, constrained by their own nature. (7.20)

Whatever form any devotee with faith wishes toworship, I make that faith of his steady. (7.21)

Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worshipof that form, and from it he obtains his desires, whichare being actually ordained by Me. (7.22)

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But the fruit that accrues to those men of smallintellect is nite. The worshippers of the gods go tothe gods; My devotees come to Me. (7.23)

Men of poor understanding think of Me, theunmanifest, as having manifestation, not knowing

My supreme state—immutable and unsurpassed.(7.24)

I am not revealed to all, as I am veiled by yoga Maya.This deluded world knows Me not, the Unborn, theUnchanging. (7.25)

I know, O Arjuna, the beings of the past, the presentand the future, but no one knows Me. (7.26)

By the delusion of the pairs of opposites arising from

desire and aversion, all beings, O Bharata, are subjectto illusion at birth, O harasser of foes. (7.27)

But those men of virtuous deeds whose sins havecome to an end, who are freed from the delusion of the pairs of opposites worship Me remainingsteadfast in their vows. (7.28)

Those who take refuge in Me and strive fordeliverance from decay and death, they realize in fullthat Brahman, the individual self and all karma.

(7.29)

Those who realize Me in the Adhibhuta, in theAdhidaiva and in the Adhiyajna, they of steadfastmind realize Me even in the hour of death. (7.30)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in thedialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends the

seventh chapter, entitled: The Yoga of Knowledge andDiscrimination, Jnana Vijnana Yoga.

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C H A P T E R E I G H T

Arjuna said:What is that Brahman? What is Adhyatma? What iskarma? O Best among men! What is said to beAdhibhuta, and what is called Adhidaiva? (8.1)

Who and how is Adhiyajna here in this body, OMadhusudana? And how, at the time of death, artThou to be known by the self-controlled? (8.2)

The Blessed Lord said:The Imperishable is Brahman, the Supreme. Itsdwelling in the individual body is called Adhyatma.The offering which causes the origin of beings iscalled karma. (8.3)

Adhibhuta pertains to the perishable Nature andPurusha is the Adhidaivata; I alone am the Adhiyajnahere in this body, O best of the embodied. (8.4)

And whoever, at the time of death, leaving the body,goes forth remembering Me alone, he attains My being; there is no doubt about this. (8.5)

Whatever being a man thinks of at the last momentwhen he leaves his body, that alone does he attain, OKaunteya, being ever absorbed in the thought thereof.

(8.6)Therefore at all times think upon Me only and ght.With mind and understanding set on Me, you willsurely come to Me. (8.7)

With the mind not wandering after anything else,made steadfast in the yoga of constant practice, hewho meditates on the Supreme, ResplendentPurusha, reaches Him, O Partha. (8.8)

The Omniscient, the Ancient, the Ruler, Minuter thanan atom, the Supporter of all, of Form inconceivable,Effulgent like the sun, and Beyond all darkness; hewho meditates on this Resplendent, SupremePurusha at the time of death, with a steady mind,devotion and strength of yoga, well xing the entirePrana in the middle of the eyebrows, he reaches Him.(8.9, 10)

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That which the knowers of Veda call theImperishable, and into which enter the Sanyasins,self-controlled and freed from attachment, anddesiring which they lead a life of continence, that Ishall declare to you with brevity. (8.11)

All the gates of the body closed, the mind con nedwithin the heart, having xed his life-energy in thehead, engaged in rm yoga; uttering the one-syllabled ‘Om,’ Brahman, thinking of Me, he whodeparts, leaving the body, attains the Supreme Goal.(8.12, 13)

I am easily attainable, O Partha, by that ever-steadfastyogi, who constantly remembers Me daily and thinksof none else. (8.14)

Having come to Me, the great souls are no moresubject to rebirth, which is transitory and the abode of pain; for they have reached the highest perfection.(8.15)

All worlds including that of Brahma are subject toreturn, O Arjuna; but on reaching Me, O son of Kunti,there is no rebirth. (8.16)

Those who know that the day of Brahma lasts athousand Yugas and that His night lasts a thousandYugas, they are the knowers of day and night. (8.17)

At the coming of day all manifest beings proceedfrom the unmanifested, and at the coming of nightthey merge again in the same which is called theunmanifested. (8.18)

This multitude of beings, coming forth again andagain, merge, O Partha, in spite of themselves, at theapproach of night, and remanifest themselves at theapproach of day. (8.19)

But beyond this unmanifested, there is yet anotherUnmanifested Eternal Existence which does notperish even when all existences perish. (8.20)

This Unmanifested is called the Imperishable; It issaid to be the Ultimate Goal. Those who attain to Itreturn not. That is My Supreme Abode. (8.21)

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That Supreme Purusha, O Partha, is attainable byunswerving devotion to Him alone within whom all beings dwell, by whom all this is pervaded. (8.22)

Now I shall tell you, O best of the Bharatas, the timein which the yogis depart never to return and also the

time in which they depart to return. (8.23)Fire, light, day-time, the bright half of the moon, andthe six months of the northern path of the sun, thengoing forth, the knowers of Brahman go to Brahman.(8.24)

Smoke, night, the dark half of the moon, and the sixmonths of the southern passage of the sun, then

going forth, the yogi obtains the lunar light andreturns. (8.25)

The bright and the dark, these paths are deemed to bethe world’s eternal paths; by the one a man goes, notto return, by the other he returns again. (8.26)

Knowing these two paths, O Partha, no yogi isdeluded. Therefore, O Arjuna, be steadfast in yoga, atall times. (8.27)

The yogi who knows this transcends the fruits of meritorious deeds attached to the study of the Vedas,sacri ces, austerities and gifts, and attains to thesupreme primeval Abode. (8.28)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in thedialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends theeighth chapter, entitled: The Yoga of ImperishableBrahman, Akshara Brahma Yoga.

C H A P T E R N I N E

The Blessed Lord said:To you who do not cavil, I shall surely declare this,the most profound knowledge combined withrealization by knowing which you will be releasedfrom evil. (9.1)

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The sovereign science, the sovereign secret, thesupreme puri er is this; directly realizable, in accordwith dharma, very easy to practise and imperishable.(9.2)

Men devoid of Shraddha for this dharma do not

attain Me, O oppressor of the foes, but return to thepath of the mortal world. (9.3)

All this universe is pervaded by Me in Myunmanifested form; all beings exist in Me, but I donot abide in them. (9.4)

Nor do the beings dwell in Me, behold My divineyoga! Bringing forth and supporting the beings, MySelf does not dwell in them. (9.5)

As the mighty wind moving everywhere ever rests inthe Akasha, know you that so do all beings rest inMe. (9.6)

All beings, O Kaunteya, go into My Prakriti at theend of a Kalpa. I generate them again at the beginning of the next Kalpa. (9.7)

Animating My Prakriti, I send forth again and againall this multitude of beings helpless under the regimeof Prakriti. (9.8)

Nor do these acts, O Dhananjaya, bind Me whoremain like one unconcerned, unattached to theseacts. (9.9)

Because of My proximity, Prakriti produces all this,the moving and the unmoving; the world, therefore,revolves, O son of Kunti. (9.10)

Fools disregard Me as one clad in human form, notknowing My higher nature as the Great Lord of

beings. (9.11)Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge,devoid of discrimination, partaking verily of thedelusive nature of Rakshasas and Asuras. (9.12)

But the Mahatmans, O Partha, partaking of the divinenature, worship Me with a single mind, knowing Meas the immutable and the source of all beings. (9.13)

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Glorifying Me always, striving, rm in vows,prostrating before Me, they worship Me withdevotion, ever steadfast. (9.14)

Yet others sacri ce with the Yajna of knowledge andworship Me in various ways as the one, as the distinct

and as the all-faced. (9.15)I am Kratu, I am Yajna, I am Svadha, I am themedicinal herb, I am Mantra, I am also the clari ed butter, I am re, I am oblation. (9.16)

I am the Father of this world, the Mother, theDispenser and the Grandfather; I am the knowable,the Puri er, the syllable Om and also the Rik, theSaman and the Yajus. (9.17)

I am the Goal, the Supporter, the Lord, the Witness,the Abode, the Shelter, the Friend, the Origin, theDissolution, the Foundation, the Treasure-house andthe Seed Imperishable. (9.18)

I give heat, I withhold and send forth the rain; I amimmortality and death; I am being as well as non- being, O Arjuna. (9.19)

The knowers of the three Vedas, the drinkers of Soma,puri ed from sin, worshipping Me by sacri ces, pray

for the way to heaven. They reach the holy world of the Lord of the Devas and enjoy in heaven thecelestial pleasures of Devas. (9.20)

Having enjoyed the vast world of heaven, they returnto the world of mortals on the exhaustion of theirmerits; thus abiding by the injunctions of the threeVedas, desiring objects of desires they go and come.(9.21)

To those men who worship Me alone, thinking of noother, who are ever devout, I provide gain andsecurity. (9.22)

Even those devotees who, endowed with Shraddha,worship other gods, worship Me alone, O son of Kunti, by the wrong method. (9.23)

I am verily the Enjoyer and the Lord of all Yajnas. Butthese men do not know Me in reality; hence they fall.(9.24)

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Votaries of the Devas go to the Devas; the votaries of the Pitris go to the Pitris; to the Bhutas go the Bhutaworshipers; My votaries come to Me. (9.25)

Whoever offers Me with devotion a leaf, a ower, afruit or water, I accept that, the pious offering of the

pure in heart. (9.26)Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever youoffer in sacri ce, whatever you gift away, whateverausterity you practise, O Kaunteya, do it as anoffering to Me. (9.27)

Thus shall you be free from the bondage of actionsyielding good and bad results. With the mind rmlyset in the yoga of renunciation and liberated, youshall come to Me. (9.28)

I am the same to all beings; to Me there is nonehateful, none dear. But those who worship Me withdevotion, they are in Me and I also am in them. (9.29)

Even if a man of the most sinful conduct worships Mewith undeviating devotion, he must be reckoned asrighteous, for he has rightly resolved. (9.30)

Soon does he become a man of righteousness andobtains lasting peace. O Kaunteya, know for certain

that My devotee never perishes. (9.31)For those who take refuge in Me, O Partha, thoughthey be of inferior birth—women, Vaishyas andShudras—even they attain the Supreme Goal. (9.32)

How much more then the holy Brahmanas anddevoted royal saints! Having come into thistransient, joyless world, do worship Me. (9.33)

Fix your mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacri ce

unto Me; bow down to Me. Having thus madeyourself steadfast in Me, taking Me as the SupremeGoal, you will come to Me. (9.34)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in thedialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends the ninthchapter, entitled: The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and of Royal Mystery, Rajavidya Rajaguhya Yoga.

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C H AP T E R T EN

The Blessed Lord said:Once again, O mighty-armed, listen to My supremeword. Out of a desire to do you good I wish to speak of it to your absorbing delight. (10.1)

Neither the host of Devas nor the great Rishis knowMy origin; for in every respect I am the source of theDevas and the great Rishis. (10.2)

He who knows Me as unborn and beginningless, asthe Great Lord of the worlds, he among mortals isundeluded and freed from all sins. (10.3)

Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, patience, truth, self-restraint, calmness, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear

and fearlessness. (10.4)Non-injury, equanimity, contentment, austerity,charity, fame and obloquy—these different qualitiesof beings arise from Me alone. (10.5)

The seven great Rishis and the four ancient Manus,endowed with My power, were born of My mind;and from them have come forth all the creatures inthe world. (10.6)

He who knows in truth this glory and power of Mineis endowed with unfaltering yoga; of this there is nodoubt. (10.7)

I am the origin of all; from Me all things evolve. Thewise know this and adore Me with all their heart.(10.8)

With their minds xed on Me, with their life absorbedin Me, enlightening each other and ever speaking of Me, they are contented and delighted. (10.9)

To them, ever devout, worshipping Me with love, Igive the yoga of discrimination by which they cometo Me. (10.10)

Out of pure compassion for them, dwelling in theirhearts, I destroy the ignorance-born darkness, by theluminous lamp of wisdom. (10.11)

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Arjuna said:You are the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Abode,the Supreme Puri er, the Eternal, Divine Purusha, thePrimeval Deity, the Unborn, the Omnipresent. (10.12)

All the Rishis have thus acclaimed You, as also the

Deva Rishi Narada; so also Asita, Devala and Vyasa;and now You Yourself say it to me. (10.13)

I hold as true, all that You say to me, O Keshava.Neither the Devas nor the Danavas, O Lord, knowverily Your manifestation. (10.14)

Verily You alone know Yourself by Yourself, OPurushottama, O Source of beings, O Lord of beings,O God of gods, O Ruler of the world. (10.15)

Condescend to tell without reserve of Your divineglories, by which glories You remain pervading allthese worlds. (10.16)

How may I know You, O Yogin, by constantmeditation? In what various aspects are You, O Lord,to be thought of by me? (10.17)

Tell me again in detail, O Janardana, of Your yogapowers and attributes; for I am not satiated withhearing Your life-infusing words. (10.18)

The Blessed Lord said:Very well! I shall now tell you of My divine gloriesaccording to their prominence, O best of the Kurus;there is no end to the details of My manifestation.(10.19)

I am the Self, O Gudakesha, seated in the hearts of all beings. I am the beginning, the middle and also theend of all beings. (10.20)

Of the Adityas I am Vishnu; of the luminaries, theradiant Sun; I am Marichi of the Maruts; of theasterisms the Moon am I. (10.21)

Of the Vedas I am the Saman; I am Vasava among theDevas; of the senses I am the mind and among living beings I am consciousness. (10.22)

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Of the Rudras I am Shankara, of the Yakshas andRakshasas I am Kubera. Of the Vasus I am Pavakaand of mountains I am Meru. (10.23)

Of priests, O Partha, know Me to be the chief,Brihaspati; of generals I am Skanda and of bodies of

water I am the ocean. (10.24)Of the great Rishis I am Bhrigu; of utterances I am themonosyllable ‘Om.’ Of Yajnas I am japa-yajna and of unmoving things, the Himalaya. (10.25)

Of all trees I am Ashvattha; of Deva Rishis I amNarada; of the Gandharvas I am Chitraratha and of the Siddhas I am the Muni Kapila. (10.26)

Of horses, know Me to be the nectar-born

Ucchaisravas; of lordly elephants, Airavata, and of men, the monarch. (10.27)

Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; of cows I amKamadhuk; I am Kandarpa of the progenitors; of serpents I am Vasuki. (10.28)

Of the Nagas I am Ananta; of the water-deities I amVaruna. Of the Pitris I am Aryama; of controllers Iam Yama. (10.29)

Of the Daityas I am Prahlada and of reckoners I amTime; of beasts I am the lord of beasts, and Vainateyaof birds. (10.30)

Of puri ers I am the wind; of the wielders of weapon[s] I am Rama. Of shes I am the shark, andof rivers I am the Ganges. (10.31)

Of created things I am the beginning and the end andalso the middle, O Arjuna. Of the sciences I am thescience of the Self; of those who debate I am the

reason. (10.32)Of letters I am the letter A, and of word-compounds Iam the dual (Dvandva). I am verily the inexhaustibleTime. I am the Dispenser facing everywhere. (10.33)

And I am the all-devouring Death. I am theprosperity of those who are to be prosperous; and of female qualities I am Fame, Fortune, Speech,

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Memory, Intelligence, Constancy and Forbearance.(10.34)

Of the Saman hymns I am the Brihat-Saman; of metres I am Gayatri. Of months I am Margasirshaand of seasons I am the owery spring. (10.35)

I am the gambling of the fraudulent; I am thesplendour of the splendid; I am victory; I am effort; Iam the goodness of the good. (10.36)

Of the Vrishnis I am Vasudeva; of the Pandavas,Dhananjaya; of the sages I am Vyasa, and of the seersI am Ushana the seer. (10.37)

Of punishers I am the sceptre; of those that seek victory I am statesmanship; and of secrets I am also

silence; and I am the Wisdom of the wise. (10.38)And whatever is the seed of all beings, that am I, OArjuna. There is no being, whether moving orunmoving, that can exist without Me. (10.39)

There is no end of My divine manifestations, Oharasser of foes; this is only a brief exposition by Meof the extent of My glories. (10.40)

Whatever being there is glorious, prosperous or

powerful, know that to have sprung but from a spark of My splendour. (10.41)

But what need is there, O Arjuna, for this detailedknowledge? I stand supporting the whole universewith a single fragment of Myself. (10.42)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in thedialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends the tenthchapter, entitled: The Yoga of Manifestation, Vibhuti Yoga.

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C H A P T E R E L E V E N

Arjuna said:By this profound discourse concerning the Self, whichYou have delivered out of compassion for me, mydelusion has been dispelled. (11.1)

From You, O Lotus-eyed, have been heard by me indetail of the origin and dissolution of beings and alsoof Your inexhaustible greatness. (11.2)

As You have declared Yourself to be, so it is, O LordSupreme. (Yet) I desire to see Your Ishwara form, OPurushottama. (11.3)

If You, O Lord, think it possible for me to see it, thendo, O Lord of yoga, show me your Eternal Self. (11.4)

The Blessed Lord said:Behold My forms, O Partha, by hundreds andthousands, manifold and divine and of multi-coloursand shapes. (11.5)

Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the twoAshwins and also the Maruts. Behold, O Bharata,many marvels never seen before. (11.6)

Behold here today, O Gudakesha, the whole universeof the moving and the unmoving, and whatever elseyou desire to see, all integral of My body. (11.7)

But you cannot see Me with these eyes of yours; Igive you divine sight; behold My Supreme Yoga.(11.8)

Sanjaya said:Having thus spoken, O King, the great Lord of yoga,Hari showed to Partha, His supreme Ishwara-form.(11.9)

With many mouths and eyes, with many marveloussights, with many divine ornaments, with manyuplifted divine weapons. (11.10)

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Wearing heavenly garlands and raiments, anointedwith celestial perfumes, all wonderful, resplendent, boundless, with faces on all sides. (11.11)

If the splendour of a thousand suns were to blazeforth all at once in the sky, that would be like the

splendour of that Mahatman. (11.12)There in the body of the God of gods, Pandava thensaw the whole universe with its many divisionsdrawn together into one. (11.13)

Then Dhananjaya, struck with amazement, his hairstanding on end, bending down his head to the Lordin adoration, spoke with joined palms. (11.14)

Arjuna said:

I see all the gods, O God, in Your body and hosts of all grades of beings; Brahma, the Lord, seated on thelotus and all the Rishis and celestial serpents. (11.15)

I behold You, in nite in forms on all sides, withcountless arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; neitherYour end nor the middle nor the beginning do I see,O Lord of the universe, O Universal Form. (11.16)

I see You with diadem, club and discus; a mass of radiance blazing everywhere, hard to look at, all

round dazzling like aming re and sun, andimmeasurable. (11.17)

You are the Imperishable, the Supreme Being to berealized. You are the great treasure-house of thisuniverse; You are the imperishable Guardian of theEternal Dharma. You are the ancient Purusha, Ideem. (11.18)

I see You without beginning, middle or end, in nitein power, of in nite arms, the sun and the moon being Your eyes, the burning re Your mouth; heatingthe whole universe with Your radiance. (11.19)

This space between heaven and earth and all thequarters are lled by You alone. Having seen this,Your marvelous and terrible form, the three worldsare trembling with fear, O Mahatman. (11.20)

These hosts of Devas indeed enter into You; some inawe extol You with joined palms; bands of great

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Rishis and Siddhas pronounce, ‘May it be well’ andpraise You with sublime hymns. (11.21)

The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishwas,Ashvins, Maruts, Ushmapas, hosts of Gandharvas,Yakshas, Asuras and Siddhas—they are all gazing at

You and they are amazed. (11.22)Seeing Your immeasurable form with myriad mouthsand eyes, O mighty-armed, with myriad arms, thighsand feet, with myriad stomachs, and terrible withmyriad tusks—the worlds are terror-struck, and soam I. (11.23)

When I see You touching the sky, blazing with manycolours, with mouths wide open, with large eryeyes, my heart trembles in fear and I nd neither

courage nor peace, O Vishnu. (11.24)When I see Your mouths terrible with tusksresembling Pralaya res, I know not the four quartersnor do I nd peace. Be gracious, O Lord of the gods,O Abode of the universe. (11.25)

All the sons of Dhritarashtra with hosts of kings of the earth, Bhishma, Drona and Sutaputra, with thewarrior chiefs of ours, (11.26)

Enter hurrying into Your mouth, terrible with tusksand fearful to look at. Some are found sticking in thegaps between the teeth with their heads crushed topowder. (11.27)

Truly, as the many torrents of rivers rush towards theocean, so do these heroes in the world of men ingthemselves into Your ercely aming mouths. (11.28)

As moths rush headlong into a blazing re fordestruction, so do these creatures hurriedly speedinto Your mouths for their destruction. (11.29)

Devouring all the worlds on every side with Youraming mouths, You lick Your lips. Your ery rays,lling the whole world with radiance, are burning, O

Vishnu! (11.30)

Tell me who You are, so erce in form. I bow down toYou, O God Supreme; have mercy. I desire to know

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You, the Primeval One. I know not Your purpose.(11.31)

The Blessed Lord said:I am the mighty world-destroying Time now engagedin wiping out the world. Even without you the

warriors arrayed in hostile armies shall not live.(11.32)

You therefore arise and obtain fame. Conquer theenemies and enjoy the unrivalled kingdom. By Mehave they been verily slain already. You be merely anoutward cause, O Savyasachin. (11.33)

Slay Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna and other brave warriors who are already doomed by Me. Benot distressed with fear. Fight and you will conquer

your enemies in battle. (11.34)Sanjaya said:Having heard that speech of Keshava, the crownedone (Arjuna) with joined palms, trembling,prostrating himself, again addressed Krishna, in achoked voice, bowing down, overwhelmed with fear.(11.35)

Arjuna said:It is meet, O Hrishikesha, that the world is delightedand rejoices in Your praise; Rakshasas y in fear in alldirections, and all the hosts of Siddhas bow to You.(11.36)

And why should they not, O Great-souled One, bowto You, greater (than all), the Primal Cause even of Brahma, O In nite Being, O Lord of gods, O Abode of the universe; You are the Imperishable, the being andthe non-being, that which is the Supreme. (11.37)

You are the Primal God, the Ancient Purusha; You arethe Supreme Abode of all this, You are the Knowerand the knowable and the Supreme Abode; thisuniverse is pervaded by You, O Being of in nite form.(11.38)

You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the Moon,Prajapati and the Great-grandfather. Salutation,salutation to You, a thousand times, and again andagain salutation to You. (11.39)

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Salutation to You before, salutation to You behind,salutation to You on every side, O All! In nite inmight and Immeasurable in strength, You pervade alland therefore You are all. (11.40)

Whatever I have rashly said from carelessness or

love, addressing You as ‘O Krishna, O Yadava, Ofriend,’ looking on You merely as a friend, ignorant of this Your greatness; (11.41)

In whatever way I may have insulted You for jestwhile at play, reposing, sitting or at meals, whenalone, O Achyuta, or in company—that I implore You,Immeasurable One, to forgive. (11.42)

You are the Father of this world moving andunmoving. You are to be adored by this world, You

the Greatest Guru; none there exists, who is equal toYou in the three worlds; who then can excel You, OBeing of unequaled power? (11.43)

Therefore, bowing down, prostrating my body, Iimplore You, adorable Lord, to forgive me. Bear withme, O Lord, as a father with a son, as a friend with afriend, as a lover with his beloved. (11.44)

I rejoice that I have seen what was never seen before, but my mind is confounded with fear. Show me thatform only, O God; have mercy, O God of gods, OAbode of the universe. (11.45)

I desire to see you as before, crowned, bearing a maceand a discus in the hand, in Your former form only,having four arms, O thousand-armed, O UniversalForm. (11.46)

The Blessed Lord said:Graciously have I shown you, O Arjuna, this SupremeForm, by My yoga power, this resplendent, universal,in nite, primeval, which none but you has ever seen.(11.47)

Neither by the study of the Vedas, nor by Yajnas, nor by gifts, nor by rituals, nor by severe penances, canthis form of Mine be seen in the world of men byanyone else but you, O hero of the Kurus. (11.48)

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Be not afraid nor bewildered on seeing this terri cform of Mine; free from fear and delighted at heart,do you again see this My former form. (11.49)

Sanjaya said:Having spoken thus to Arjuna, Vasudeva showed

again His own form; and the great-souled Oneassuming His gentle form consoled him who wasterri ed. (11.50)

Arjuna said:Having seen this Your gentle human form, O Janardana, I am now composed and am restored tomy own nature. (11.51)

The Blessed Lord said:Very hard it is, indeed, to see this form of Mine which

you have seen. Even the Devas are very eager to seethis form. (11.52)

Neither by the Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gift, nor by sacri ce can I be seen in this form as you haveseen Me. (11.53)

But by unswerving devotion can I, of this form, beknown and seen in reality and also entered into, Oscorcher of foes. (11.54)

He who does work for Me, who looks on Me as theSupreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free fromattachment, who is without hatred for any being, hecomes to Me, O Pandava. (11.55)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in thedialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends theeleventh chapter, entitled: The Yoga of the Vision of Universal Form, Vishwarupa Darshana Yoga.

C H A P T E R T WELVE

Arjuna said:Those devotees who, ever steadfast, worship Youthus, and those again who worship the Imperishable,the Unmanifest—which of these are better versed inyoga? (12.1)

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The Blessed Lord said:Those who have xed their minds on Me, and who,ever steadfast and endowed with supreme Shraddha,worship Me—them do I consider perfect in yoga.(12.2)

But those who worship the Imperishable, theInde nable, the Unmanifest, the Omnipresent, theUnthinkable, the Unchangeable, the Immovable, theEternal— (12.3)

Having restrained all the senses, even-mindedeverywhere, engaged in the welfare of all beings—verily they also come unto Me. (12.4)

Greater is their dif culty whose minds are set on theUnmanifested, for the goal of the Unmanifested is

very hard for the embodied to reach. (12.5)But those who worship Me, renouncing all actions inMe, regarding Me as the Supreme Goal, meditatingon Me with single-minded yoga— (12.6)

For them whose thought is set on Me, I become verysoon, O Partha, the deliverer from the ocean of themortal Samsara. (12.7)

Fix your mind on Me alone, let your thoughts dwell

in Me. You will hereafter live in Me alone. Of thisthere is no doubt. (12.8)

If you are not able to x your mind steadily on Me, ODhananjaya, then seek to reach Me by Abhyasa-yoga.(12.9)

If you are unable even to practise Abhyasa-yoga, beyou intent on doing actions for My sake; even byperforming actions for My sake you will attainperfection. (12.10)

If you are not able to do even this, then taking refugein Me, abandon the fruits of all action with the self subdued. (12.11)

Better indeed is knowledge than (formal) Abhyasa; better than knowledge is meditation; better thanmeditation is the renunciation of the fruit of action;peace immediately follows renunciation. (12.12)

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He who hates no being, who is friendly andcompassionate to all, who is free from the feeling of ‘Iand mine,’ even-minded in pain and pleasure andforbearing, (12.13)

Ever content, steady in meditation, self-controlled

and possessed of rm conviction, with mind andintellect xed on Me, he My devotee is dear to Me.(12.14)

He by whom the world is not af icted and whom theworld cannot af ict, he who is free from joy, anger,fear and anxiety—he is dear to Me. (12.15)

He who has no wants, who is pure and prompt,unconcerned, untroubled, and who is sel ess in allhis undertakings, he who is thus devoted to Me, is

dear to Me. (12.16)He who neither rejoices nor hates nor grieves nordesires, renouncing good and evil, full of devotion, heis dear to Me. (12.17)

He who is the same to foe and friend and also inhonour and dishonour, who is the same in cold andheat, in pleasure and pain, who is free fromattachment, (12.18)

To whom censure and praise are equal, who is silent,content with anything, homeless, steady-minded, fullof devotion—that man is dear to Me. (12.19)

They, verily, who follow this immortal dharmadescribed above endued with Shraddha, lookingupon Me as the Supreme Goal, and devoted—theyare exceedingly dear to Me. (12.20)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in thedialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends thetwelfth chapter, entitled: The Yoga of Devotion, BhaktiYoga.

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C H AP T E R T H I RTE E N

Arjuna said:Prakriti and Purusha, also the Kshetra andKshetrajna, knowledge and that which ought to beknown, these, O Keshava, I desire to learn. (13.0)

The Blessed Lord said:This body, O Kaunteya, is called Kshetra, the eld; hewho knows it is called Kshetrajna by the sages. (13.1)

And know Me as the Kshetrajna in all Kshetras, OBharata. The knowledge of Kshetra and Kshetrajna isdeemed by Me as true knowledge. (13.2)

Hear brie y from Me, what the Kshetra is, what itsproperties are, what its modi cations are, whence is

what; and who He is and what His powers are. (13.3)This has been sung by Rishis in many ways, invarious distinctive chants, in passages indicative of Brahman, full of reasoning and convincing. (13.4)

The great elements, egoism, intellect, as also theunmanifested, the ten senses and the one mind, andthe ve objects of the senses; (13.5)

Desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, the aggregate,

intelligence, rmness—the Kshetra has been thus brie y described with its modi cations. (13.6)

Humility, modesty, non-injury, forbearance,uprightness, service of the teacher, purity,steadfastness, self-control; (13.7)

Dispassion towards the objects of the senses, and alsoabsence of egoism; perception of evil in birth, death,old age, sickness and pain; (13.8)

Unattachment, non-identi cation of self with son,wife, home, and the like, and constant equanimity inthe occurrence of the desirable and the undesirable;(13.9)

Unswerving devotion to Me in yoga of non-separation, resort to sequestered places, distaste forthe society of men; (13.10)

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Constancy in Self-knowledge, perception of the endof the knowledge of Truth; this is declared to beknowledge, and what is opposed to it is ignorance.(13.11)

I shall describe that which has to be known, knowing

which one attains to immortality. Beginningless is theSupreme Brahman. It is not said to be ‘sat’ or ‘asat.’(13.12)

With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes andheads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere—He exists enveloping all. (13.13)

Shining by the functions of all the senses, yet withoutthe senses; Absolute, yet sustaining all; devoid of Gunas, yet, He experiences them. (13.14)

Without and within all beings; the unmoving andalso the moving; because of His subtlety He isincomprehensible; He is far and near. (13.15)

He is undivided and yet He seems to be divided in beings. He is to be known as the supporter of beings.He devours and He generates. (13.16)

The Light of all lights, He is said to be beyonddarkness; knowledge, the knowable, the goal of

knowledge, seated in the hearts of all. (13.17)Thus the Kshetra, knowledge and that which has to be known have been brie y described. My devotee,on knowing this, is tted for My state. (13.18)

Know that Prakriti and Purusha are both without beginning; and know also that all modi cations andGunas are born of Prakriti. (13.19)

In the production of the body and the senses, Prakriti

is said to be the cause; in the experience of pleasureand pain, Purusha is said to be the cause. (13.20)

Purusha seated in Prakriti, experiences the Gunas born of Prakriti; attachment to the Gunas is the causeof his birth in good and evil wombs. (13.21)

The Supreme Purusha in this body is also called theSpectator, the One who permits, the Supporter, the

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One who experiences, the Great Lord and theSupreme Self. (13.22)

He who thus knows the Purusha and Prakrititogether with the Gunas, is never born again, inwhatever way he may live. (13.23)

By meditation some behold the Self in the self by theself, others by the yoga of knowledge and yet others by karma yoga. (13.24)

Still others, not knowing thus, worship as they haveheard from others; they too go beyond death by theirdevotion to what they have heard. (13.25)

Whatever being is born, the unmoving or the moving,O best of the Bharatas, know it to be from the union

of Kshetra and Kshetrajna. (13.26)He sees, who sees the Supreme Lord, remaining thesame in all beings, the undying in the dying. (13.27)

Because he who sees the Lord, seated the sameeverywhere, destroys not the self by the self,therefore he reaches the Supreme Goal. (13.28)

He verily sees, who sees that all actions are done byPrakriti alone and that the Atman is actionless.

(13.29)When he realizes the whole variety of beings asresting in the One, and is an evolution from that Onealone, then he becomes Brahman. (13.30)

Having no beginning and possessing no Gunas, thisSupreme Self, imperishable, though dwelling in the body, O Kaunteya, neither acts nor is tainted. (13.31)

As the all-pervading Akasha is not tainted, by reason

of its subtlety, so the Self seated in the bodyeverywhere, is not tainted. (13.32)

As the one sun illumines this whole world, so doesthe Lord of the Kshetra illumine the whole Kshetra, OBharata. (13.33)

They who perceive with the eye of wisdom thisdistinction between the Kshetra and Kshetrajna and

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the deliverance of beings from the Prakriti, they go tothe Supreme. (13.34)


thirteenth chapter, entitled: The Yoga of the Distinctionbetween the Field and the Knower of the Field, KshetraKshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga.

C H A P T E R F O U RT E E N

The Blessed Lord said:I shall again declare that supreme knowledge, the best of all forms of knowledge; by knowing which, allthe sages have passed from this world to the highest

perfection. (14.1)They who, having devoted themselves to thisknowledge, have attained to unity with Me, areneither born at the time of creation, nor are theydisturbed at the time of dissolution. (14.2)

My womb is the Mahat Brahma (Prakriti); in that Iplace the germ; thence, O Bharata, is the birth of all beings. (14.3)

Whatever forms are produced, O Kaunteya, in anywombs whatsoever, the great Brahma (Prakriti) istheir womb, I the seed-giving Father. (14.4)

Sattva, Rajas, Tamas—these Gunas, O mighty-armed, born of Prakriti, bind the indestructible embodiedone fast in the body. (14.5)

Of these, Sattva, being stainless, is luminous andunobstructive. It binds, O sinless one, by creatingattachment to happiness and attachment to

knowledge. (14.6)Know Rajas to be of the nature of passion, the sourceof thirst and attachment; it binds fast, O Kaunteya,the embodied one by attachment to action. (14.7)

But know Tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding allembodied beings; it binds fast, O Bharata, byheedlessness, indolence and sleep. (14.8)

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Sattva binds one to happiness, and Rajas to action, OBharata, while Tamas verily veils knowledge and binds one to heedlessness. (14.9)

Sattva asserts itself, O Bharata, by predominatingover Rajas and Tamas; and Rajas, over Sattva and

Tamas; and Tamas, over Sattva and Rajas. (14.10)When the light of knowledge beams through all thegateways of the body, then it may be known thatSattva is predominant. (14.11)

Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, unrest,longing—these arise, O best of the Bharatas, whenRajas is predominant. (14.12)

Indiscrimination, inertness, heedlessness and

delusion—these arise, O joy of the Kurus, whenTamas is predominant. (14.13)

If the embodied one meets with death when Sattva ispredominant, then he goes to the pure worlds of those who know the highest. (14.14)

Meeting with death in Rajas, he is born among thoseattached to action; and, dying in Tamas, he is born inthe wombs of the deluded. (14.15)

The fruit of good action, they say, is Sattvika andpure; verily the fruit of Rajas is pain, and ignorance isthe fruit of Tamas. (14.16)

From Sattva arises wisdom and greed from Rajas;heedlessness and error arise from Tamas, and alsoignorance. (14.17)

Those who are xed in Sattva go upwards; theRajasikas remain in the middle; and the Tamasikas,abiding in the functions of the lowest Guna, go

downwards. (14.18)When the seer perceives no agent other than theGunas, and knows Him who is higher than theGunas, he enters into My Being. (14.19)

The embodied one having crossed over these threeGunas out of which the body is evolved, is freed from

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birth, death, decay and pain, and attains toimmortality. (14.20)

Arjuna said:What are the marks, O Lord, of him who has crossedover the three Gunas? What is his conduct? And

how does he rise above the Gunas? (14.21)The Blessed Lord said:He, O Pandava, who hates not light, activity anddelusion, when present, nor longs after them whenabsent; (14.22)

He who, sitting like one unconcerned, is moved not by the Gunas, who, knowing that the Gunas operate,is rm and moves not; (14.23)

Balanced in pleasure and pain, Self-abiding, viewinga clod of earth, a stone and gold alike; the same toagreeable and disagreeable, rm, the same in censureand praise; (14.24)

The same in honour and dishonour, the same tofriend and foe, abandoning all undertakings—he issaid to have risen above the Gunas. (14.25)

And he who serves Me with an unswerving devotion,he, going beyond the Gunas, is tted for becomingBrahman. (14.26)

For I am the Abode of Brahman, the Immortal, andthe Immutable, the Eternal Dharma and AbsoluteBliss. (14.27)


fourteenth chapter, entitled: The Yoga of the Distinctionbetween the Three Gunas, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga.

C H A P T E R F I F T E E N

The Blessed Lord said:They speak of an imperishable Ashvattha tree with itsroot above and branches below. Its leaves are the

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Vedas; he who knows it is the knower of the Vedas.(15.1)

Below and above spread its branches, nourished bythe Gunas; sense-objects are its buds; and below inthe world of men stretch forth the roots, engendering

action. (15.2)Its form is not here perceived as such, neither its end,nor its origin, nor its existence. Having cut asunderthis rm-rooted Ashvattha with the strong axe of non-attachment; (15.3)

Then that Goal should be sought for, going whither,they do not return again. I seek refuge in thatPrimeval Purusha whence streamed forth the EternalActivity. (15.4)

Free from pride and delusion, with the evil of attachment conquered, ever dwelling in the Self, theirdesires being completely stilled, liberated from thepairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, theundeluded reach that Goal Eternal. (15.5)

That the sun illumines not, nor the moon, nor re;that is My Supreme Abode, going whither they returnnot. (15.6)

An eternal portion of Myself having become the Jivain the world of Jivas, attracts the senses, with mind asthe sixth, abiding in Prakriti. (15.7)

When the lord obtains a body and when he leaves it,he takes these and goes, as the wind carries the scentsfrom their sources. (15.8)

Presiding over the ear, the eye, the touch, the taste,and the smell, as also the mind, he experiencesobjects. (15.9)

The deluded do not see him who departs, stays andenjoys, who is conjoined with the Gunas, but theysee, who possess the eye of wisdom. (15.10)

Those who strive, endued with yoga, cognize himdwelling in the self; though striving, the unre nedand unintelligent see him not. (15.11)

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The light which residing in the sun illumines thewhole world, that which is in the moon and in the re—know that light to be Mine. (15.12)

Entering the earth I support all beings by My energy;and having become the sapid moon I nourish all

herbs. (15.13)Abiding in the body of living beings as Vaishvanara,associated with Prana and Apana, I digest the fourkinds of food. (15.14)

And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me arememory, knowledge, as well as their loss; I am verilythat which has to be known by all the Vedas; I amindeed the author of the Vedanta as well as theknower of the Vedas. (15.15)

There are two Purushas in the world—the Perishableand the Imperishable. All beings are the Perishable,and the Kutastha is called the Imperishable. (15.16)

But distinct is the Supreme Purusha called theHighest Self, the indestructible Lord, who pervadesand sustains the three worlds. (15.17)

As I transcend the Perishable and am even above theImperishable, therefore am I known in the world and

in the Veda as ‘Purushottama,’ the Highest Purusha.(15.18)

He who, undeluded, knows Me as the Highest Self—he knows all, O Bharata, and he worships Me with allhis heart. (15.19)

Thus, O sinless one, has this most profound teaching been imparted by Me. Knowing this a man becomesenlightened, O Bharata, and all his duties areaccomplished. (15.20)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in thedialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fteenth chapter, entitled: The Yoga of the Supreme Spirit,Purushottama Yoga.

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C H A P T E R S I X T E E N

The Blessed Lord said:Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness inknowledge and yoga, almsgiving, control of thesenses, Yajna, study of the scriptures, austerity and

straightforwardness. (16.1)Non-injury, truth, absence of anger, renunciation,serenity, absence of calumny, compassion to beings,uncovetousness, gentleness, modesty, absence of

ckleness. (16.2)

Vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride, these belong to one born fora divine state, O Bharata. (16.3)

Ostentation, arrogance and self-conceit, anger andalso harshness and ignorance belong to one who is born, O Partha, for a demoniac state. (16.4)

The divine nature is deemed for liberation, thedemoniacal for bondage; grieve not, O Pandava, youare born for a divine state. (16.5)

There are two types of beings in this world, the divineand the demoniacal; the divine has been described atlength; hear from Me, O Partha, of the demoniacal.

(16.6)The demoniac know not what to do and what torefrain from; neither purity, nor right conduct nortruth is found in them. (16.7)

They say, ‘the universe is unreal, without a moral basis, without a God, born of mutual union, broughtabout by lust; what else?’ (16.8)

Holding this view, these ruined souls of small

intellect, of erce deeds, rise as the enemies of theworld for its destruction. (16.9)

Filled with insatiable desires, full of hypocrisy, prideand arrogance, holding evil ideas through delusion,they work with impure resolve; (16.10)

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Beset with immense cares ending only with death,regarding grati cation of lust as the highest, andfeeling sure that that is all; (16.11)

Bound by a hundred ties of hope, given over to lustand anger, they strive to secure by unjust means

hoards of wealth for sensual enjoyment. (16.12)‘This today has been gained by me; this desire I shallful ll; this is mine, and this wealth also shall be minein future.’ (16.13)

‘That enemy has been slain by me, and others alsoshall I slay. I am a lord, I enjoy, I am successful,powerful and happy.’ (16.14)

‘I am rich and well-born. Who else is equal to me? I

will sacri ce, I will give alms, I will rejoice.’ Thusdeluded by ignorance; (16.15)

Bewildered by many a fancy, enmeshed in the snareof delusion, addicted to the grati cation of lust, theyfall into a foul hell. (16.16)

Self-conceited, stubborn, lled with the pride andintoxication of wealth, they perform sacri ce in namefor ostentation, disregarding ordinance. (16.17)

Given over to egoism, power, insolence, lust andwrath, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and those of others. (16.18)

Those cruel haters, worst among men in the world, Ihurl these evil-doers for ever into the wombs of thedemons only. (16.19)

Entering into demoniac wombs, the deluded ones, in birth after birth, without ever reaching Me, they thusfall, O Kaunteya, into a condition still lower. (16.20)

Triple is this gate of hell, destructive of the self—lust,anger and greed; therefore should one abandon thesethree. (16.21)

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The man who is liberated from these three gates todarkness, O Kaunteya, practises what is good for himand thus goes to the Supreme Good. (16.22)

He who, casting aside the ordinances of thescriptures, acts on the impulse of desire, attains not

perfection, nor happiness nor the Supreme Goal.(16.23)

Therefore, let the scriptures be your authority indeciding what ought to be done and what ought notto be done. Having known what is said in theordinance of the scriptures you should act here.(16.24)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in the

dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends thesixteenth chapter, entitled: The Yoga of the Distinctionbetween the Divine and the Demonic Destinies, DaivasuraSampad Vibhaga Yoga.

C H A P T E R S E V E N T E E N

Arjuna said:What is the nature of the devotion of those, OKrishna, who though disregarding the ordinance of the Shastras, perform sacri ce with Shraddha? Is itone of Sattwa, Rajas or Tamas? (17.1)

The Blessed Lord said:The Shraddha of the embodied is of three kinds, bornof their nature—the Sattvika, the Rajasika and theTamasika. Hear now about it. (17.2)

The Shraddha of every man, O Bharata, is inaccordance with his natural disposition. Man is of the nature of his Shraddha; what his Shraddha is, thatverily he is. (17.3)

Sattvika men worship the Devas; Rajasika, theYakshas and the Rakshasas; the others—the Tamasikamen—the Pretas and the host of Bhutas. (17.4)

Those men who practise violent austerities notenjoined by the scriptures, given to hypocrisy and

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egoism, impelled by the force of lust and attachment,(17.5)

Fools that they are, they torture their bodily organs,and Me, too, who dwell within the body—know thatthey are Asurika in their resolve. (17.6)

The food also that is dear to all is of three kinds. Soare the Yajnas, austerities and gifts. Hear now of thedistinction of these. (17.7)

The foods that augment vitality, energy, vigour,health, joy and cheerfulness, which are savoury andoleaginous, substantial and agreeable, are liked by theSattvika. (17.8)

The foods that are bitter, sour, saline, over-hot,pungent, dry and burning are liked by the Rajasika,and are productive of pain, grief and disease. (17.9)

That which is stale, tasteless, stinking, cookedovernight, refuse and impure is the food liked by theTamasika. (17.10)

That Yajna is Sattvika which is performed by mendesiring no fruit, as enjoined by ordinance, with their

mind xed on the Yajna only, for its own sake. (17.11)That which is performed, O best of the Bharatas, inexpectation of reward or for self-glori cation, know itto be a Rajasika Yajna. (17.12)

They declare that Yajna to be Tamasika which iscontrary to the ordinances, in which no food isdistributed, which is devoid of Mantras, gifts andShraddha. (17.13)

Worship of the Gods, of the twice-born, of teachersand of the wise; purity, uprightness, continence andnon-injury—these are said to be the austerity of the body. (17.14)

The speech which causes no excitement, which istruthful, pleasant and bene cial, and also the practiceof sacred recitation—these are said to form theausterity of speech. (17.15)

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Serenity of mind, gentleness, silence, self-control andpurity of disposition—this is called the mentalausterity. (17.16)

This threefold austerity practised by steadfast menwith the utmost Shraddha, desiring no fruit, they call

Sattvika. (17.17)The austerity which is practised with the object of gaining respect, honour and reverence, and withostentation is here said to be Rajasika; it is unstableand transitory. (17.18)

That austerity which is practised with a foolishobstinacy, with self-torture or for the purpose of destroying another, is declared to be Tamasika.(17.19)

That gift which is made to one who can make noreturn, with the feeling that it is one’s duty to give,and which is given at the right place and time and toa worthy person, that gift is held Sattvika. (17.20)

And that gift which is given with a view to receive inreturn, or looking for the fruit, or again grudgingly, isaccounted as Rajasika. (17.21)

The gift that is given at a wrong place or time, to

unworthy persons, without respect or with insult,that is declared to be Tamasika. (17.22)

‘Om Tat Sat,’ this has been declared to be the tripledesignation of Brahman. By that were made of oldthe Brahmanas, the Vedas and the Yajnas. (17.23)

Therefore, with the utterance of ‘Om,’ are the acts of sacri ce, gift and austerity, as enjoined in thescriptures, always undertaken by the followers of theVedas. (17.24)

Uttering ‘Tat’ without aiming at the fruits, are the actsof sacri ce and austerity and the various acts of giftperformed by the seekers of Moksha. (17.25)

The word ‘Sat’ is used in the sense of reality and of goodness; and so also, O Partha, the word ‘Sat’ isused in the sense of an auspicious act. (17.26)

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Steadfastness in sacri ce, austerity and gift is alsocalled ‘Sat’ and action for the sake of the Lord is alsocalled ‘Sat.’ (17.27)

Whatever is sacri ced, given or performed andwhatever austerity is practised without Shraddha, it

is called Asat, O Partha. It is of no account here orhereafter. (17.28)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in thedialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends theseventeenth chapter, entitled: The Yoga of the Distinctionof the Three Kinds of Faith, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga.

C H A P T ER E I G H T E E N

Arjuna said:I desire to know severally, O mighty-armed, the truthof Sanyasa, O Hrishikesha, as also of Tyaga, O slayerof Keshi. (18.1)

The Blessed Lord said:The renunciation of kamya karma, the sagesunderstand as Sanyasa; the wise declare theabandonment of the fruits of all works as Tyaga.(18.2)

Some sages declare that all action should berelinquished as evil, while others say that Yajna, giftand austerity should not be relinquished. (18.3)

Learn from Me the truth about this abandonment, O best of the Bharatas; abandonment, verily, O best of men, has been declared to be of three kinds. (18.4)

Acts of Yajna, gift and austerity should not be givenup, but should be performed; Yajna, gift and austerityare purifying to the wise. (18.5)

But even these actions should be performed givingup attachment and the fruits, O Partha; this is Mycertain and best belief. (18.6)

Verily, the abandonment of any obligatory duty is notproper; such abandonment out of ignorance isdeclared to be Tamasika. (18.7)

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He who from fear of bodily trouble abandons action, because it is painful, thus performing a Rajasikaabandonment, obtains not the fruit thereof. (18.8)

Whatever obligatory work is done, O Arjuna, merely because it ought to be done, abandoning attachment

and also fruit, that abandonment is deemed to beSattvika. (18.9)

The relinquisher imbued with Sattva and a steadyunderstanding and with his doubts dispelled, hatesnot a disagreeable work nor is he attached to anagreeable one. (18.10)

It is indeed impossible for an embodied being torenounce action entirely. But he who renounces thefruit of action is regarded as one who has renounced.

(18.11)The threefold fruit of action—evil, good and mixed—accrues after death to one who does not relinquish but there is none ever for the one who renounces.(18.12)

Learn from Me, O mighty-armed, these ve factors inthe accomplishment of all action, as taught in theSamkhya which is the end of action. (18.13)

The body, the agent, the various senses, the differentfunctions of various sorts, and the presiding deityalso, the fth. (18.14)

Whatever action a man performs with his body,speech or mind, whether right or wrong—these veare its causes. (18.15)

That being so, the man of perverse mind, who, onaccount of his imperfect understanding looks uponthe Self, the Absolute, as the agent—he does not seeat all. (18.16)

He who is free from the notion of egoism and whoseunderstanding is not tainted—though he kills thesepeople, he kills not, nor is he bound. (18.17)

Knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knowerform the three-fold incitement to action; and the

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instrument, the object and the agent are the three-foldconstituents of action. (18.18)

Knowledge, action and actor are declared in thescience of Gunas to be of three kinds only, accordingto the distinction of Gunas; hear of them also as they

are. (18.19)The knowledge by which the one Imperishable Beingis seen in all existences, undivided in the divided,know that that knowledge is Sattvika. (18.20)

But that knowledge by which one sees in all beingsmanifold entities of different kinds as varying fromone another—know that that knowledge is Rajasika.(18.21)

And the knowledge that clings to one single effect asif it were the whole, and is without reason, withoutfoundation in truth, and trivial—that knowledge isdeclared to be Tamasika. (18.22)

An action which is ordained, which is free fromattachment, which is done without love or hatred byone not desirous of the fruit, that action is declared to be Sattvika. (18.23)But that action which is done by one craving fordesires, or again with egoism, or with much effort,

that is declared to be Rajasika. (18.24)That action which is undertaken from delusion,without heed to the consequence, loss, injury andability, that is declared to be Tamasika. (18.25)

An agent who is free from attachment, non-egoistic,endued with rmness and zeal and unaffected bysuccess or failure, is called Sattvika. (18.26)

Passionate, desiring to obtain the fruit of action,

greedy, cruel, impure, moved by joy and sorrow—such an agent is said to be Rajasika. (18.27)

Unsteady, vulgar, stubborn, deceitful, malicious,indolent, despondent, procrastinating—such an agentis called Tamasika. (18.28)

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Hear the threefold distinction of understanding andrmness, according to the Gunas, as I explain them

exhaustively and severally, O Dhananjaya. (18.29)

The intellect which knows the paths of work andrenunciation, right and wrong action, fear and

fearlessness, bondage and liberation—that intellect, OPartha, is Sattvika. (18.30)

The intellect that makes a distorted grasp of dharmaand adharma, of what ought to be done, and whatought not to be done—that, O Partha, is Rajasika.(18.31)

That which, enveloped in darkness, regards adharmaas dharma and views all things in a perverted way,that intellect, O Partha, is Tamasika. (18.32)

The unswerving rmness by which, through yoga,the functions of the mind, the Prana and the sensesare regulated, that rmness, O Partha, is Sattvika.(18.33)

But the rmness, O Arjuna, by which one holds fastto Dharma, Kama and Artha, desirous of the fruit of each from attachment, that rmness, O Partha, isRajasika. (18.34)

That by which a stupid man does not give up sleep,fear, grief, despair and also conceit, that rmness, OPartha, is Tamasika. (18.35)

And now hear from Me, O chief of the Bharatas, thethree kinds of happiness. That in which a man comesto rejoice by long practice and in which he reaches theend of his sorrow; (18.36)

That which is like poison at rst but like nectar at theend; that happiness is said to be Sattvika, born of thetranslucence of intellect due to Self-realization.(18.37)

That happiness which arises from the contact of thesenses and their objects and which is like nectar at

rst but like poison at the end—it is held to beRajasika. (18.38)

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That happiness which deludes the self both at the beginning and at the end and which arises fromsleep, sloth and miscomprehension—that is declaredto be Tamasika. (18.39)

There is no being on earth, or again in heaven among

the Devas, that is liberated from the three Gunas, born of Prakriti. (18.40)

The duties of Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, asalso of Shudras, O scorcher of foes, are distributedaccording to the Gunas born of their own nature.(18.41)

Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness,and also uprightness, knowledge, realization, belief in a hereafter—these are the duties of the Brahmanas,

born of their own nature. (18.42)Heroism, vigour, rmness, resourcefulness, not yingfrom battle, generosity and lordliness are the duties of the Kshatriyas born of their own nature. (18.43)

Agriculture, cattle-rearing and trade are the duties of the Vaishyas, born of their own nature; and actionconsisting of service is the duty of the Shudras bornof their own nature. (18.44)

Devoted each to his own duty, man attains thehighest perfection. How engaged in his own duty, heattains perfection, that do you hear. (18.45)

He from whom is the evolution of all beings, bywhom all this is pervaded, worshipping Him with hisown duty, man attains perfection. (18.46)

Better is one’s own dharma, though imperfect, thanthe dharma of another well performed. He who doesthe duty ordained by his own nature incurs no sin.(18.47)

One should not abandon, O Kaunteya, the duty towhich one is born, though it is attended with evil; forall undertakings are enveloped by evil, as re bysmoke. (18.48)

He whose intellect is unattached everywhere, whohas subdued his self, from whom desire has

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disappeared, he by renunciation attains the supremestate of freedom from action. (18.49)

Learn from Me in brief, O Kaunteya, how reachingsuch perfection, he attains to Brahman, that supremeconsummation of knowledge. (18.50)

Endowed with pure understanding, restraining theself with rmness, turning away from sound andother objects, and abandoning attraction andaversion; (18.51)

Dwelling in solitude, eating but little, speech, bodyand mind subdued, always engaged in meditationand concentration, endued with dispassion; (18.52)

Having abandoned egoism, violence, arrogance,

desire, enmity, property, free from the notion of ‘mine’ and peaceful, he is t for becoming Brahman.(18.53)

Becoming Brahman, serene-minded, he neithergrieves nor desires; the same to all beings, he obtainssupreme devotion to Me. (18.54)

By devotion he knows Me in truth, what and who Iam; then having known Me in truth, he forthwithenters into Me. (18.55)

Doing continually all actions whatsoever, takingrefuge in Me, by My grace he reaches the eternalundecaying Abode. (18.56)

Mentally resigning all deeds to Me, having Me as thehighest goal, resorting to Buddhi-yoga, do you ever

x your mind on Me. (18.57)

Fixing your mind on Me, you will by My grace,overcome all obstacles; but if from egoism you will

not hear Me, you will perish. (18.58)If lled with egoism, you think ‘I will not ght,’ vainis this, your resolve; your nature will compel you.(18.59)

Bound by your own karma, born of your nature, thatwhich from delusion you wish not to do, even that

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you shall do helplessly against your will, OKaunteya. (18.60)

The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna,and by His Maya causes all beings to revolve asthough mounted on a machine. (18.61)

Seek refuge in Him alone with all your heart, OBharata. By His grace you will gain Supreme Peaceand the Eternal Abode. (18.62)

Thus has wisdom more profound than allprofundities been declared to you by Me. Re ectupon it fully and act as you choose. (18.63)

Listen again to My supreme word, the profoundest of all. You are beloved of Me and steadfast of heart;

therefore I shall tell what is for your good. (18.64)Fix your mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacri ce toMe; prostrate before Me; so shall you come to Me.This is My pledge to you, for you are dear to Me.(18.65)

Renounce all dharmas and take refuge in Me alone. Ishall liberate you from all sins; grieve not. (18.66)

This is never to be spoken by you to one who is

devoid of austerities, nor to one who is not devoted,nor to one who does not do service, nor to one whospeaks ill of Me. (18.67)

He who with supreme devotion to Me will teach thisimmensely profound philosophy to My devotees,shall doubtless come to Me alone. (18.68)

Nor is there any among men who renders dearerservice to Me than he; nor shall there be another onearth dearer to Me than he. (18.69)

And he who will study this sacred dialogue of ours, by him I shall have been worshipped by Jnana Yajna;such is My conviction. (18.70)

And the man who hears this, full of faith and freefrom scoff—even he, liberated from evil, shall attainthe auspicious regions of the righteous. (18.71)

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Has this been heard by you, O Partha, with anattentive mind? Has the delusion of your ignorance been destroyed, O Dhananjaya? (18.72)

Arjuna said:My delusion is destroyed. I have regained my

memory through Your grace, O Achyuta. I am rm; Iam free from doubt. I shall act according to Yourword. (18.73)

Sanjaya said:Thus have I heard this wonderful dialogue betweenVasudeva and the high-souled Partha, causing myhair to stand on end. (18.74)

Through the grace of Vyasa have I heard the supremeand most profound yoga direct from Krishna, the

Lord of Yoga, Himself declaring it. (18.75)O king, as I recall again and again this wonderful andholy dialogue between Keshava and Arjuna I rejoiceagain and again. (18.76)

And as often as I recall that most wondrous form of Hari, great is my astonishment, O king, and I rejoiceagain and again. (18.77)

Wherever is Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, wherever is

Partha, the wielder of the bow, there are prosperity,victory, expansion and sound policy; such is myconviction. (18.78)

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad-Gita, inthe Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga, in thedialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, ends theeighteenth chapter, entitled: The Yoga of Liberationthrough Renunciation, Moksha Sanyasa Yoga.

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