24th September 1999
Let me start with Bhagavad Gita first. I find the scripture a bit long winded to explain the communion with God (or Krsna), the various methods, the three classes of people, spiritual worships etc. The three classes of people could be the reason why Hindus practice caste system. This is the failure on the part of the writer ( I presume must be a Brahmin) to divide the Hindus into classes, whereby the Brahmins can rule the other classes for ever. This is selfish.
So India can never be united. There will be clashes among the castes and others. The underdogs will switch to other religions, like Islam and Christianity to avoid the caste system.
The most important verses from the Gita are: (Communion Through Meditation) V11-14, At a clean spot, which is neither too high nor too low, a seat should be made with Kusa grass, spread over with a skin and a cloth. Firmly seated on it, the Yogi should practice spiritual communion, with mind concentrated and with the working of the imaginative faculty and the senses under control, for self-purification. Holding the body, head and neck erect, motionless and firm, gazing at the tip of the nose and not round about, fearless, serene, restrained in mind, and established in the vow of continence, he should sit in spiritual communion with Me, looking upon Me as his highest and most precious end.
Unfortunately, when you read Yoga books, nasal gaze (looking at nose tip) is briefly mentioned and cautioned about giddiness. This shows the Hindu Yogis have not fully investigated the nasal gaze meditation. Even if they do, they will pass on to their disciples only (hina), unlike me, propagating to the whole world (maha).
Meditation on the Gita (stressing on meditation)
Om! O Blessed Mother Bhagavad-Gita. Thou Goddess! Who was imparted to Arjuna by Narayana Himself, who was recorder amidst the Mahabharata by Vyasa the ancient sage, who showers the nectar of Advaita, who is composed of eighteen chapters--I meditate on Thee, the destroyer of Samsara!
Salutations to Thee, O Vyasa of mighty intellect. Thou whose eyes are large like the petals of a full-blown lotus! It was Thou who lit the wisdom-lamp which brims with the oil that is the Mahabharata. (Eyes are referred to as lotus flowers, so when you look into the mirror as stated in the Visualizing Sutra, the lotus flowers opening and closing.)
Salutation to Thee Krsna, who art a veritable wish-yielding tree to all surrendered ones, whose one hand holds a cane to drive cattle while the other is held in the Jnana-pose, and who is famous as the milker of the nectarine milk that is the Bhagavad-Gita. (Draw out a tree, the branches and leaves to the left and right represent our eye-brows.)
All the Upanisads are the cows; the cowherd's son Krsna is the milker; Partha (arjuna) is the calf; the nectarine Gita is the milk; and the pure-minded are the drinkers of it. (So who is the cowherd? Partha as calf, so the son of cow, the Upanisad, so Partha is small Upanisad.)
I salute Lord Krsna, the son of Vasudeva, the bestower of supreme delight to Devaki, the destroyer of Kamsa and Canura, and the teacher of the world. (So the cowherd is Vasudeva.)
Lo! The battle-river of Kuruksetra, with Bhisma and Drona as the banks; with Jayadratha as the water; with the prince of Gandhara as the blue water lily; with Salya as the crocodile; with Krpa as the current; with Karna as the high wave; with Asvatthama and Vikarna as terrible sharks; and with Duryodhana as the whirl-pool--was crossed by the Pandavas because they had Krsna as the ferry-man. (Where was the boat?)
May the stainless-lotus of Mahabharata, which was born on the waters of the words of Vyasa, the son of Parasara, which has the message of the Gita for its overpowering fragrance, which contains numerous narratives proclaiming the glory of Hari as its stamens, and which is sucked again and again in great joy every day by the honey-suckers of virtuous men--may it prevail for the good of all who want to be cleansed of the taint of the age of Kali!
I salute Madhava (Lord Krsna), the Supremely Blissful One, by whose grace a dumb man can become eloquent, and a lame person cross over mountains. (So Krsna has many names.)
My salutation to that Supreme Being, whom Brahma, Varuna, Indra and Rudra glorify by divine hymns; whom singers of Saman praise by chanting the Veda with all the complementary parts, sections and Upanisads; whom Yogins intuit with minds concentrated in meditation; and whose limit neither the hosts of Devas nor of Asura know.
Chapter 1 -- Arjuna's Apiritual Conversion
Dhrtarastra said: O Sanjaya! What indeed did my people and the followers of the Pandavas do after having assembled in the holy land of Kuruksetra, eager to join battle? (Why holy land?)
Sanjaya said: Then seeing the army of the Pandavas arrayed in battle order, king Duryodhana for his part approached the teacher Drona and spoke to him the following words:
O Teacher! Behold this great army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed in battle order by your talented disciple, the son of Drupada.
Here (in that army) are many brave bow-men of note who are equal to Bhima and Arjuna in battle-- great car-warriors like Yuyudhana, Viraja and Drupada;
Dhrstaketu, Cekitana and the brave king of Kasi, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Saibya the best of men;
The powerful Yudhamanyu, the Brave Uttamauja, the son of Subhadra, and the sons of Draupadi--all these are indeed noted car-warriors.
O best of Brahmanas, I shall mention for your information the names of the distinguished leaders of our army.
Yourself, Bhisma and Karna, the victorious Krpa, Aswatthama, Vikarna and Jayadratha, the son of Somadatta.
These and many more brave men, who are ready to lay down their lives for my sake and who fight with various types of weapons, are present here. All of them are seasoned warriors.
Though numerically superior, inadequate is the army of ours defended by Bhisma, while theirs guarded by Bhima is adequate.
Therefore do ye all protect Bhisma remaining in appropriate positions in your respective divisions.
Cheering him up, the valiant grandfather Bhisma, the oldest of the Kurus, sounded a lion roar loudly and blew his conch-shell horn.
Thereupon, conchs, kettle-drums, tabors, military drums, and cow-horns all blared out suddenly, causing a tremendous sound.
Then Sri Krsna and Arjuna, seated in a great chariot with white horses yoked to it, blew their celestial conch-shell horns.
Sri Krsna blew his conch Pancajanya, Arjuna blew Devadatta, and Bhima of terrible deeds sounded his great conch Paundra.
Raja Yudhisthira, the son of kunti, blew his conch Anantavijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva, Sughosa and Manipuspaka respectively.
The great archer, king of Kasi, the mighty car-warrior Sikhandi and Dhrstadyumna and invincible Satyaki,
The King of Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, the mighty armed son of Subhadra--all these, O king, sounded their conch-shell horns again and again everywhere.
That tumultuous uproar, resounding in the sky and over the land, pierced the hearts of the followers of Dhrtarastra.
O King! Arjuna, the Pandava-leader with the banner crest of a monkey, on seeing the followers of Dhrtarastra arrayed for battle and the clash of weapons about to start, held up his bow and said the following words to Sri Krsna.
Arjuna said: O Acyuta! Please station my chariot between the two armies, so that I may have a view, on the eve of this battle, of all those standing ready to fight, and learn who all the persons with whom I have to contend.
Let me see all those who have arrived to favor the evil-minded son of Dhrtarastra in war and are standing ready to join battle.
SanJaya said: O King Dhrtarastra! Sri Krsna, to whom Arjuna addressed these words, stationed that most splendid of chariots at a place between the two armies, confronting Bhisma, Drona and all those chiefs, and said: 'O Arjuna! See these men of the Kuru horde assembled for battle.'
There he saw standing in both the armies--fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, comrades, fathers-in-law and bosom friends. Seeing all these kinsmen arrayed, Arjuna was overcome with great pity, and said sorrowing.
Arjuna said: Seeing these relatives standing eager to join battle my limbs are giving way, my mouth is parching. I get trembling of the body and horrid-palpitation.
My bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand. My skin too is burning. I find it impossible to stand firm, and my mind is, as it were, reeling.
O Kesava! I see adverse omens. I do not feel that any good will come by killing all one's kinsmen in battle.
O Krsna! I do not long for victory, or kingdom, or enjoyments. O Govinda! Of what use is kingdom, enjoyments or even life itself?
Those for whose sake kingdoms, enjoyments, and pleasures are desired,--those very teachers, fathers and sons, as also grandfathers, uncles, fathers-in-law and other relatives are here stationed in battle ready to give up their lives and possessions.
Even for the sovereignty of the three worlds, (also mentioned in Buddhism) I do not desire to kill them, though myself killed--how much less then for this earthly kingdom!
What joy can there be for us by killing these sons of Dhrtarastra? Though they are murderous villains, only sin will accrue to us by killing them.
Therefore, O Madhava! it is not befitting that we will kill our relations, the sons of Dhrtarastra. How could one be happy by the slaughter of one's own kinsmen?
O Janardana! Even if these people, with their intelligence overpowered by greed, do not see any evil in the decay of families and any sin in the persecution of friends, why should not we, who are aware of the evil of each decay of families, learn to desist from that sin?
When a clan becomes decadent, its ancient traditions (laws) perish. When traditions perish, the entire clan is indeed overcome by lawlessness.
O Krsna! When lawlessness prevails, the women of the clans become corrupt. O Scion of the Vrsnis! When women are corrupted, mixture of classes (promiscuity) prevails.
Promiscuity results only in hell to those destroyers of the clans, as also to the members of the clan. For (being without legitimate progeny to perform obsequies), the spirits of their ancestors fall, deprived of the offering of rice ball and water.
By the misdeeds of these ruiners of clans and promoters of promiscuity, the immemorial traditions of the communities and clans are uprooted.
O Janardana! We have heard that residence in hell awaits men, the religious traditions of whole clans have been destroyed.
Alas! What great sin have we resolved to commit when we prepared ourselves to destroy our kinsmen out of greed for the pleasures of a kingdom!
Far better would it be for me if the sons of Dhrtarastra, with weapons in hand, kill me in battle, unarmed and unresisting!
Sanjaya said: So saying, Arjuna, with his mind overwhelmed with sorrow, abandoned his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot seat.
In the Bhagavad Gita, which is an Upanisad, a text on Brahman-knowledge, a scripture of spiritual communion, and a dialogue between Sri Krsna and Arjuna, here ends the first chapter named Arjunavisadayoga (Arjuna's spiritual conversion through sorrow).
Whether the story is true or false, the parable equivalent is the two eyes, two armies arrayed in formations ready to war. Krsna and Arjuna are one in the middle, between the two eyes and Arjuna's bow signifies to us the eyebrow. The decaying yellow culture advocated by the West is indication of the present situation in the world.
Chapter 2 --Communion Through Knowledge
Sanjaya said: To him who was thus overcome with pity and whose eyes were full of tears and bore a bewildered look, Sri Krsna spoke as follows.
The Blessed Lord said: O Arjuna! Whence has this loathsome stupidity (I also use this word to screw people) come upon you in this crisis? It (this attitude) is unworthy of a noble personage; it is a bar to heaven and a cause of much disrepute.
O Partha! Yield not to unmanliness! It befits thee not. Abandoning this base faint-heartedness, rise up, O dreaded hero!
Arjuna said: O Krsna! How can I attack Bhisma and Drona in battle with my arrows? They are, indeed, worthy of worship, O destroyer of foes!
It is indeed better to live here in this world on a beggar's fare than to prosper by killing these venerable teachers. The enjoyment of pleasure and power obtained through the slaughter of these teachers and elders will surely by bloodstained.
We do not know which of the two (alternatives) will be the better--the one that we should conquer them or the other that they should conquer us. The men on the side of Dhrtarastra, standing arrayed against us are the very people after killing whom we should not care to live.
My natural disposition is vitiated by a sense of pity, and my mind is in utter confusion regarding my duty. Lord, I beg Thee, tell me with certainty what will lead to my good. I am Thy disciple. Instruct me, who have taken refuge in Thee.
I do not find anything that can assuage this grief which numbs my senses. Neither the unchallenged lordship over a prosperous kingdom, nor even the overlord-ship of all the Devas can do so.
Sanjaya said: Addressing Sri Krsna, the master of the senses, (the master, Mind) Arjuna, though valorous and vigilant said, 'I will not fight', and sat silent.
O King! To him who was thus sitting grief-stricken between the two armies (instead of fighting), Sri Krsna said as if by way of ridicule.
The Blessed Lord said, You are moaning for those who should not be moaned for. Yet you speak like a wise man. The truly wise never weep either for the dead or for the living.
Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor these rulers of men. Nor shall all of us cease to be hereafter.
Even as the attainment of childhood, youth and old age is to one in this physical life, so is the change to another body (at death) for the embodied soul. Wise men are not deluded by this.
Contact of the senses with their object generates cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go, being impermanent. Bear with them patiently, O scion of the Bharata race!
O leader of men! That enlightened one who is unperturbed alike in pleasure and pain, whom these do not distress--he indeed is worthy of immortality.
The unreal can never come into existence, and the real can never cease to be. The wise philosophers have known the truth about these categories (of the real and the unreal).
Know that Reality, by which everything is pervaded, to be indestructible. No one can cause the destruction of this immutable Being.
What is said to perish are these bodies, in which the imperishable and unlimited Spirit is embodied. Therefore fight, O scion of the Bharata race!
He who thinks him (the self) to be the killer, and who experiences him )the self) as the killed--both of them know not. He (the self or Spirit) neither kills nor is killed.
He (this Spiritual Self) has neither birth nor death. (same as Jesus Christ) Nor does he cease to be, having been in existence before; unborn, eternal, permanent and primeval, he (the Spirit in our body) is never killed when the body is killed.
O Arjuna! know this self to be eternal, un-decaying, birth-less and indestructible. A person who knows him to be so--how and whom can he kill, how and whom can he cause to be killed?
Just as a man gives up old garments and puts on new ones, so the embodied self abandons decrepit bodies and assumes new ones.
Him the weapons cleave not; Him the fire burns not; Him the waters wet not; Him the wind dries not.
He cannot be cut or burnt. He can neither be wetted nor dried. Eternal, all-pervading, immovable and motionless. He is the same for ever.
Knowing Him (the self) to be un-manifest, inconceivable, and un-modifiable, it is improper to mourn for Him.
In the alternative, even if you hold him (the self) to be subject to constant births and deaths, there is no justification, O mighty armed, for your mourning for him.
For the born, death is unavoidable, and for the dead birth is sure to take place. Therefore in a situation that is inevitable, there is no justification for you to grieve. (Life is just like that. We are just actors.)
Mystery surrounds the origin of beings. Mysterious too is their end. Only in the interim between birth and death are they manifested clearly. Such being the case, what is there to grieve about? (Why funeral rites?)
Some have a glimpse of Him as a marvel, some speak of Him as a marvel, and yet others hear of Him as a marvel. Yet none understands Him in truth, in spite of (seeing, speaking and) hearing about Him.
At no time can the Spirit embodied in all beings be slain. Therefore there is no reason for you to grieve for any one.
Further, even from the point of view of one's own duty, you ought not to falter. There is no greater good for a Ksatriya than what a righteous war offers.
O Arjuna! That Ksatriya must indeed be a happy man to whom comes unsought a war like this, which is an open gate to heaven.
If you do not take part in this righteous war, you will incur sin, besides failing in your duty and forfeiting your reputation.
Besides, every one will speak ill of you for all time. More poignant than death is disrepute to a man accustomed to be honored by all.
The great car-warriors will consider you as having fled from battle out of fear, and you who have been the object of their respect, will be despised by them hereafter.
Your enemies will indulge in derogatory speeches against you, belittling your prowess. What is more painful than that?
O son of Kunti! If killed in battle you will attain heaven; if victorious you will enjoy the kingdom. Therefore arise, resolved to fight.
Treating alike pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, be ready for battle. Thus you will not incur any sin.
O Arjuna! What has been declared to you is the Truth according to the Samkhya (the path of knowledge). Listen now to the teaching of Yoga (the path of selfless action combined with devotion) by practicing which the bondage of Karma is overcome. (Meditate to change fate -- karma.)
In this path of Yoga--the path of selfless action combined with devotion--no effort is lost due to incomplet-ness and no contrary effect of an adverse nature is produced due to failures. Even a little observance of this discipline saves one from great fear.
O Arjuna! In those following this path, the Buddhi (the understanding) that has the nature of producing conviction, is directed towards a single objective. In those without any spiritual conviction, the understanding gets scattered and pursues countless ends.
O Arjuna! There are people who delight in the eulogistic statements o the Vedas and argue that the purport of the Vedas consists in these and nothing else. They are full of worldly desires; paradise is their highest goal; and they are totally blind in a spiritual sense. They expatiate upon those florid Vedic texts which describe the means for the attainment of pleasure and power, which provide attractive embodiments as the fruits of actions, and which are full of descriptions of rites and rituals (through which these fulfillments are obtained). In the minds of these votaries of pleasure and power, addicted to enjoyments of the above description, steadfast wisdom (capable of revealing the Truth) is never generated.
O Arjuna! The Vedas deal with material ends. But you be established in the Spirit, in the immutable purity of it, having abandoned all material values, attachment to possessions and concern with the contraries of life like pleasure and pain, heat and cold.
What use a pond has got when a whole country is flooded, that much use only, the Veda has got to a Brahmana who is full of wisdom.
To work alone you have competence, and not to claim their fruits. Let not the longing for fruits be the motive force of your action. At the same time let not this attitude confirm you in indolent inaction.
Engage yourself in action with the mind steadfast in Yoga. Abandon attachments, O Arjuna, and be unperturbed in success and failure. This unperturbed sameness in all conditions is Yoga.
O Arjuna, mere action (with attachment) is far inferior to action done with the mind poised in evenness. Seek shelter in this state of unperturbed evenness (which can arise only in a desire-less mind in communion with the Divine). Those who work for selfish gains are indeed pitiable. (Action is inferior to meditation, inaction.)
One endowed with this unperturbed evenness of mind abandons the effects of both good and bad actions (fate) even here itself. Therefore strive for this state of Yoga. Yoga is skill in action.
Wise men, established thus in the unperturbed evenness of mind, abandon the fruits of action, free themselves from entanglement in the cycle of births and deaths, and attain to the state of freedom from all sorrow (liberation). (Meditation will lead you to immortality, the first class is flying to heaven, second class is resurrection etc.)
When you have overcome the delusions of your understanding sprung from self-centered attachments, then you will attain to a state of indifference towards all the past experiences and for the others yet to be had. (Emotionless)
When your intellect, fed up with the bewildering scriptural doctrines and their interpretations, settles (finally) in steady and unwavering introspection (in the spirit), then you will attain to real Yoga.
Arjuna said: O Kesava! What is the description of a person who has attained to steady wisdom and deep introspection? How does he speak? How does he sit? How does he walks? (How does he behave in life in general?)
The Blessed Lord said: O Son of Pritha! When all the desires of the heart have been abandoned, and the Spirit finds joyous satisfaction in Itself (without dependence on any external factor)--then is one spoken of as a person of steady wisdom.
Whose mind is not agitated in adversity, who is free from desire, and who is devoid of attachments, fear and anger--such a person is called a sage of steady wisdom.
Whoever is without self-centered affection for anything, who rejoices not in favourable situations and hates not in unfavorable ones--such a person's wisdom is firmly set.
When a person can withdraw his senses from their objects just like the tortoise its limbs on all sides, his wisdom is firmly set.
From the abstinent soul sense objects fall away, but not the taste for them. When the supreme Truth is realized, even the taste departs.
O son of Kunti! The turbulent senses do violently draw away the mind of even a discerning person who is earnestly striving in the spiritual path.
Having controlled them all, one should become entirely devoted to Me. He whose senses are under control, his wisdom is firmly set. [Distraction here by Me (Krsna) instead of the Self.]
In one who dwells longingly on sense objects, an inclination towards them is generated. This inclination develops into desire, and desire begets anger.
Anger generates delusion, and delusion results in loss of memory. Loss of memory brings about the destruction of discriminative intelligence, and loss of discriminative intelligence spells ruin to a man.
A man of disciplined mind, who has his senses under control and who has neither attraction nor aversion for sense objects, attains tranquility, though he may be moving amidst objects of the senses.
On attaining tranquility all one's sorrows come to an end. For soon does the intellect of a tranquil person become steady.
A man of uncontrolled senses has no spiritual comprehension. He has no capacity for meditation either. For the un-meditative there is no peace. And where is happiness for one without peace of mind?
The senses are naturally disposed to move towards their objects. Whichever of these senses the mind pursues, that sense carries away that mind as a gale does a ship on the high seas.
Therefore, O mighty Arjuna, he who could completely restrain his senses from pursuing their objects, has his wisdom firmly set.
What is like night to all ignorant beings, to that Atman-consciousness the self-controlled sage is awake; and the sensate life to which all ignorant beings are awake, that is like night to the enlightened sage.
He into whom all objects of desire enter (unsought and causing no perturbation), even like the ocean that is ever being filled by the rivers but still remains steady within its bounds--such a person attains to peace, not he who runs madly after objects of desire.
Whoever has abandoned desires, and moves about without attachments and the sense of 'I' and 'mine'--he attains to peace.
This, O son of Pritha, is the state of dwelling in Brahman. Having attained it, one is no more deluded. By abiding in that state even by the time of death, one is united with Brahman. (Another name to confuse the readers.)
This chapter states clearly our soul or spirit is eternal or God. However, names like Atman, Krsna and Brahman etc are added later to confuse the readers. They are the same One. If you are not steadfast about it now, the latter chapters will confuse you further. You have to be clear in mind, your soul or spirit is your God.
Chapter 3 -- Communion Through Action
Arjuna said: O Janardana, if, according to Thee, discriminative insight is superior to action, why dost Thou enjoin on me this terrible action (of engagement in war)?
By seemingly conflicting words, Thou art confusing my understanding. Speak to me about that which will definitely lead to my highest good.
The Blessed Lord said: In times of yore a twofold spiritual path was taught by me, O sinless one --that of knowledge for Samkhyas (who are pure contemplatives), and that of action for Yogis (who combine detached work with devotion).
By non-performance of action a man does not gain the state of spiritual passivity (or the state of ego-less action-less-ness called Naiskarmya). By external abandonment (Samnyasa), he does not attain to perfection.
No man can ever remain even for a moment without performing any action. The impulses of nature deprive him of freedom in this respect and compel him to act.
He who restrains the organs of action but continues to brood in his mind over the objects of sensual desire (enjoyed through them) --such a deluded person is called a hypocrite.
But he who, controlling all sense organs (by the power of his will) and becoming non-attached, live a life of communion through dedicated action --such a person excels.
Perform your prescribed duties. For action is superior to inaction. [different meaning as compared to Taoism which stresses inaction (meditation)] If you are totally inactive, even the survival of the body would become impossible.
O son of Kunti! In this world all actions, unless they are done as an offering to God (or as Yajna), becomes causes of bondage. Therefore, work for the sake of God without personal attachments.
In the beginning Prajapati, having created men together with Yajna (selfless work dedicated to God or Vedic sacrifice) as their duty, declared; 'By this shall you multiply. May this be to you the Cow of Plenty yielding all your wants!'
'You cherish the Devas with Yajna, and may the Devas in turn bless you (with rain and other desired gifts)! Thus, mutually cherishing, you shall attain the highest good.' (This saying has made Hindus to pray to various deities. This is wrong. They are praying to spirits outside, not the spirit inside them.)
Worshipped by sacrifices, the Devas will give you the desired objects of enjoyment. They are verily thieves who enjoy their gifts without giving their share in return.
Those persons who eat what is left after sacrifice, are released from all sin. (Total rubbish) But those who cook food for the self alone (without sharing it with others), such degraded men eat sin.
From food (ie from reproductive power sustained by food) creatures are born. Food is produced by rain. Rain is born of sacrifice, and sacrifice originates from action.
Works of sacrifice have their authority in the Veda. Veda has been revealed by the Supreme Being. Therefore the all-comprehending Veda is established in sacrifice (that is, has performance of sacrifice as its fundamental teaching).
Vain is the life of that sinful and sense-indulgent person who fails to fulfill his obligations in this cycle of mutual inter-dependence and service (which the law of sacrifice implies).
But whoever delights in the Self (Spirit) alone, and is content and satisfied in the Self, for such a person there is no obligatory duty to discharge.
He has no object to gain here in this world by action. Nor does he lose anything by abstaining from action. For him, there is no dependence on any created being for any object of his.
Therefore perform action always without attachment. For by working without attachment a man attains the Supreme.
Men like Janaka verily attained to perfection by work alone. You ought to work for the good of the world (having their example in view).
Whatever the noblest persons do, the ordinary man imitates. The standard they set, the ordinary men folow.
In all the three worlds there is nothing, O son of Prtha, that is binding on Me as duty. Neither is there anything that I have to gain, nor anything that I cannot gain. Still I am always engaged in work.
O son of Prtha! If I did not ever continue in action unwearied, men all around would have followed My way. (?)
If I were not to work, all these worlds would have perished. I would have been the cause of confusion among men and of their ultimate destruction. (?)
O scion of the Bharata race! Just as ignorant men do action out of attachment, so let enlightened ones perform the same unattached, with the good of the world in view.
An enlightened man should not cause confusion in the minds of ignorant people (by his conduct). Himself working with equanimity, he should make them interested in all activities.
Everywhere the dispositions (powers) of Nature perform all works. But deluded by egoism, man thinks, 'I am the doer.'
But those who know the truth that the dispositions of Nature and the actions springing from them are distinct from the Self, do not get attached, understanding that it is not the Self, but the dispositions of Nature as organs that settle on the respective objects, which too are products of the same dispositions. (Here, it is confusing the issue of self and the spirit Self.)
Men, deluded by the dispositions of Nature, get attached to work prompted by these dispositions. Those who know the whole Truth should not unsettle these dull-witted men of imperfect understanding.
Offering all your actions to Me, your mind in unison with the spirit and free from desires and egotism, you fight without the slightest touch of hatred or excitement. (Me (Krsna) and spirit are One. Gita tries to confuse readers.)
Whoever follow this teaching of mine, with their minds full of faith and free from disparagement, they also are released from the bondage of Karma.
But those who disparage this doctrine of mine and discard it, know such senseless men, blind to all wisdom, as lost.
Even a wise man acts in accordance with his nature. All beings follow their nature. (fate) What can repression do?
It is natural for each organ to feel attraction or aversion in respect of objects pertaining to each sense. Do not come under their sway, for they are enemies (of all spiritual aspirants.)
One's own Dharma (duty), even though not glamorous, is better than duty alien to one's growth (Para-dharmah), however well performed. For even death in doing one's duty leads to one's good, while a duty alien to one's growth is burdened with the fear of downhill.
Arjuna said: What is that, O scion of the Vrsni race, prompted by which a man is forced, as it were, to indulge in sin even against his will?
The Blessed Lord said: It is lust, it is anger, born of Rajoguna, insatiable and prompting man to great sin. Know this to be the enemy (in man's spiritual life).
As fire is enveloped by smoke, mirror by dirt, and the embryo by the placenta, so is knowledge overcast by lust.
Knowledge, O son of kunti, is covered up by this eternal foe of the aspirant after knowledge --the insatiable fire of lust.
The senses, the mind and the Buddhi are said to be its seat. With these it veils knowledge and deludes the embodied spirit.
There, O scion of the Bharata race, controlling the senses at the beginning itself, slay this foul enemy, the destroyer of all knowledge and realization.
The senses are great, they say. Superior to the senses is the mind, and superior even to the mind is the intellect. What is superior even to the intellect is He, the Atman. (Here the Gita will confuse readers even more.)
Thus knowing Him who is superior even to the Buddhi, and controlling the lower self with the higher, kill that tough enemy in the form of lust, O mighty-armed Arjuna!
This chapter talks about action which termed in Taoism as inaction. So the conflict of terms is there. Meditation is inaction in Taoism, but here yoga, unison of mind with the spirit is called action. Also the inclusion of other terms like intellect and Atman will confuse the readers greatly.
Chapter 4 -- Renunciation of Action in Knowledge
The Blessed Lord said: I imparted this immortal Yoga to Vivasvan, Vivasvan to Manu, and Manu to Iksvaku.
O scorcher of foes! This Yoga handed down from teacher to disciple in succession, was known to the Rajarsis (royal sages). But owing to long lapse of time, it was lost to the world.
You are My devotee and friend--thinking thus, I have today declared to you even that ancient Yoga. For it is a noble secret (imparted by a teacher only to a worthy disciple).
Arjuna said: Thy life-time is later, that of Vivasvan was much earlier. How then am I to understand that Thou didst impart this doctrine to him?
The Blessed Lord said: O Arjuna! You and I have passed through many births; I remember them all, but you do not, O scorcher of foes!
Though birth-less and deathless, and the Lord of all beings as well, yet I (the Eternal Being) take birth by My inherent mysterious Power (Atma-mayaya), employing the pure or Sattva aspect of My material Nature (Prakrtii).
Whenever there is decline of Dharma and ascendance of Adharma, then, O scion of the Bharata race! I manifest (incarnate) Myself in a body.
For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the evil, and for the establishment of Dharma, I am born from age to age.
O Arjuna! He who thus understands the truth about My embodiment and My deeds--he, on abandoning his present body, is not reborn, he attains to Me.
Freed from passion, fear and anger, ever absorbed in My though, and ever dependent on Me--many have attained to My state, being purified by the fire of knowledge and austerity.
O Partha! Whosoever worship Me through whatsoever path, I verily accept and bless them in that way. Men everywhere follow My path.
In this world those who entertain desire for the fruits of pious works, worship the deities. For in this world of men such actions bear fruit quickly.
According to the aptitudes resulting from the dispositions of Nature (Gunas) and works, the social order of fourfold division has been created by Me. Though I am their originator, know me to be not an agent but the spirit unchanging.
Actions do not affect Me. Nor have I any desire for the fruits of action. Whoever knows Me to be so, is not bound by Karma.
Knowing thus, the ancient aspirants after liberation performed works. Therefore you too do work as these ancients did from time immemorial.
What is work and what is 'no work', is a subject regarding which even the wise are perplexed. I shall therefore speak to you about work, by knowing which one is liberated from evil (or the life of bondage in Samsara).
The truth about the nature of 'beneficial work' has to be understood, as also of 'baneful work' and of 'no work'. The way of work is difficult indeed to understand.
He who sees work in 'no work' and 'no work' in work, he is wise among men. Even while doing all work, he remains established in Yoga.
Whose undertakings are devoid of self-centered objectives, whose works have been burnt up by the fire of knowledge--him the wise call a sage.
Without attachment to the fruits of action, ever-satisfied and free from calculations, he is verily doing nothing, even though engaged in actions.
One who is free from desires, whose mind is well-controlled, and who is without any sense of ownership, incurs no sin from works, as his actions are merely physical.
Satisfied with whatever comes without calculations, rising above the contrasting conditions of life, without any competitive spirit, and alike in success and in failure, a man, though working, incurs no sin.
In the case of one who is without attachments and the sense of agency, and whose mind is fully established in the knowledge of God,--his actions, being done in dedication to the Lord, melt away with their very tendencies.
To one of the above description, the ladle with which the offering is made and the oblations are Brahman; and the sacrificial rite (which is Brahman) is performed by the sacrificer who is Brahman, in the fire which too is Brahman. He who is thus absorbed in work as Brahman, attains to Brahman alone.
Some Yogis perform sacrifices especially wanting to propitiate deities. Still others offer sacrifice (the Atman) itself as oblation (Yajna) in the fire of Brahman.
Some offer their organs of knowledge like hearing as sacrifice in the fire of restraint, while others take in all their sense perceptions as oblations made in the fire of their respective senses.
Others offer all the functions of their senses and vital energy as sacrificial offerings in the fire of self-restraint kindled by knowledge.
Likewise others, being of rigid vows and hard practice, offer their wealth, their austerities, their Yogic practices, and their daily study of the Vedas as sacrifice.
Others devoted to the practice of Pranayama, regulate the movement of Prana and Apana, and offer as oblation Prana in Apana, and likewise Apana in Prana.
Some others, who observe regulation of food, make a sacrificial offering of the Prana as the vital energy present in food stuffs, into the Prana as the vital energy enlivening the body. All these know the true nature of sacrifice and have all evil in them washed away by Yajna (sacrifice).
Those who partake of nectar, the sacramental remnants of sacrifice, attain to the eternal Brahman. O Thou the best of the Kurus! For one who sacrifices not, this world is lost, not to speak then of the hereafter.
Thus many forms of sacrifice are set forth prominently in the Vedas (as paths to Brahman). All of them spring from work (done by body, mind, and speech). Knowing this, you will attain liberation.
O scorcher of enemies! Sacrifice involving knowledge is superior to sacrifice with material objects: for, O son of Prtha, all works without exception culminate in knowledge.
With reverential salutations do you approach them--the wise men who have known the Truth. Serve them, and question them repeatedly (with due respect until your doubts are clarified). These wise men will impart the knowledge of this divine Truth unto you.
They will impart to you that divine knowledge by knowing which you will not again fall into such delusion, for you will then see all beings in their entirety in the Self and also in Me.
Even if you happen to be the worst of sinners, you will surely go across all sin by the raft of divine knowledge.
Just as a well-kindled fire reduces a heap of fire-wood to ashes, so does the fire of divine knowledge reduce all sins to ashes.
Verily there is nothing so purifying as knowledge in this world. One who is perfect in Yoga discovers it in oneself in the course of time. (So doing Yoga meditation can widen intuitive knowledge.)
A man of deep Faith (Sraddha) obtains this divine knowledge, being full of zeal and devotion for it and endowed with mastery of the senses. Having obtained that knowledge, he is established in supreme peace very soon.
An ignorant man without any positive faith, who knows only to doubt, goes to ruin. To such a doubting soul there is neither this world nor the world beyond. There is no happiness for him. (body only not the soul)
O Arjuna! Works do not bind one who has abandoned them through Yoga consisting in dedication and detachment, whose doubts have been dispelled by divine knowledge, and who is poised in the Self.
Therefore cutting asunder the skeptical tendency of the heart by the sword of divine knowledge, betake yourself to Yoga (communion through sacrificial action) and arise, O scion of the Bharata race!
This chapter will mislead readers on sacrifices and knowledge. Like the last sentence, Yoga is a form of sacrifice. Reading the Gita is divine knowledge, but it will not lead one to liberation, if the reader does not know the hidden Truth. Here, there is no clear cut means to achieve the goal.
Edited on 10th June 2008