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Sean nib UT ib ole ek Nery Eaves Oy cyan at hE by. oe Rite ited 4 wrt cng i) = pPRSt ors etn Seary reaper : FEISS a) bak babe boot G see Crees vengene shieet Srrtsh Ls Pebrperec tas z ” - - dee as sph re 2st fase ry! ph Pere eer tp eee Cebeprireeriteres 74> eee ist ets Lap renes eget se obbseack ees wat seers F eriperertels esas Prryere ret. ohana Merge corel Aeeer bares Sinan aneyee oe $ aah ge ererebal gh see om eine Pighesen oo Hane oe ss oi re Pes cee ay s THE BHAGAVAD-GITA WITH THE COMMENTARY OF | A SRI SANKARACHARYA ‘TRANSLATED FROM SANSKRIT INTO ENGLISH BY - A. MAHADEVA SASTRI, 5.x. Fellow of the National & Mysore Universities Director, Adyar Library ‘(Late Curator, Government Oriental Library, Mysore) FIFTH EDITION—(THOUSAND.) MADRAS Y. Ramaswamy Sastrulu & Sons 292, ESPLANADE, 1961 All Rights Reserved. ——————— PRINTED BY V. RAMASWAMY SASTRULU & SONS, AT. THE ‘ VAVILLA, ’PRESS, MADRAS, Msicinnincoc Le ee LLL TS Cerne First EDITION (1,000): 1897. SECOND ra (2,000): 1901. THIRD pe (4,000): 1918.. FOURTH ,, (I,000) : 1947. CONTENTS mons: aap INTRODUCTION The twofold Vedic Religion... The purpose of the Divine Incarnation—The Gita and the Commentary...Jnana-Yoga is the means to the Supreme Bliss...How Karma-Yoga is a means to the Supreme Bliss...The specific subject and object of the Gita-Sastra. pp. 1-5 First Discourse THE DESPODENCY OF ARJUNA Sanjaya narrates the course of the war...Duryodhana addresses Drona—Both armies ready for battle... Arjana’s survey of the enemy...Arjuna’s words of despondency.,.. Arjuna’s grief at the evils of war. pp-7-18 Second Discourse SANKHYA*YOGA Arjuna’s weakness condemned by the Lord,,,Arjuna seeks instruction from the Lord...Self knowledge alone eradi- cates misery... The doctrine that knowledge should be conjoined with works...Sankhya and Yoga distinguished... Conjunction inconsistent with the sequel,...Some cases of apparent conjunc- tion explained,,.The Self is immortal...Endurance is a condi- tion of wisdom...The Real and the unreal...The Self is un- concerned in action...Self is immutable...The enlightened man has to renounce works...Works are meant for the unenlightened... Knowledge of the Immutable Self is possible ...The enlightened should resort to Jnana yoga...How the 1V CONTENTS Self is immutable...No room for grief...A warrior should fight... Yoga,,.Yoga, a safe course,..Wisdom is one,,.No wisdom possible for the wordly-minded... Advice to the Yogin _..Karma-Yoga...The merit of Wisdom... Results of Karma- Yoga=The characteristic attributes of a perfect Sage...(1) Satisfaction in the Self...(2) Equanimty in pleasure and pain...(3) Absence of attachment, delight and aversion... (4) Complete withdrawal of senses from objects... Unrestrained senses work mischief...(5) Devotion to the Lord.,.Thought of sense-objects is the source of evil...Sense-control leads to peace and happiness...Sense-restraint conduces to steady knowledge...(6) The Universe, a mere dream to the fage... Works are not meant for the sage...(7) Subjugation of desire and personal self...Knowledge leads to Divine Felicity- pp. 19-81 Third Discourse KARMA-YOGA | Arjuna’s perplexity...No conjunction of Knowledge and Action...Renunciation enjoined in the Scriptures,..Moksha cannot be the effect of an action...Conjunction is inconsistent with Arjuna’s question...Which is better, Knowledge or Action...The paths of Knowledge and Actiog...Karma-Yoga leads to freedom from action,,.The ignorant are swayed by Nature... he unenlightened should not give up Karma-Yoga ...The wheel of the world should be set going... Karma-Yoga is not meant for the Self-knower...Arjuna qualified for Karma-Yoga,,,The wise should set an example to the masses ...Lhe wise man’s action as contrasted with that of the ignorant ...tLow an aspirant for Moksha should do actions... Influence of man’s nature on his conduct...Scope for man’s personal exertion...Desire is the enemy of man..,Desire enshrouds wisdom,,.The seat of desire ...How to kill our desire. pp. 82-117 CONTENTS ¥ Fourth Discourse JNANA*YOGA Tradition of Jnana-Yoga...Divine ‘ican .The purpose of Divine Incarnation...Jnana-Yoga is the sole means to moksha ..Divine dispensation of worldly benefits and salvation., Caste as a divinely ordered human ‘institution, ., Action without attachment does not bind the soul... The real nature of action and inaction...Who is a Sage?...The Sage’s worldly action asan example to the masses...The Sage’s action for bodily maintenance,,.The Sage’s worldly action does not bind him... Wisdom-sacrifice.., Sacrifices effected by action... Wisdom-sdorifice is superior to other sacrifices... How and where one should seék wisdom,,,Wisdom, a consumier of all sins and actions,,,.The surest means to wisdom,,. Wisdom; the killer of doubt. ~ ‘pp. 118-152. Fifth Discourse SAMNYASA* YOGA Which is better for the ignorant, Karma-Y oga or Samnyasa?...The question is not with reference to the en- lightened, ..Karma- -Yoga and Samnyasa_ inapplicable to the enlightened,,.Karma-Yoga suits the igtiorant better than Samnyasa...Ssnkhya and Yoga lead to the same goal... Karma- Yoga is a means to Samnyasa,..A Sage’s actions do not affect him..,A Sage’s actions are really no actions.,.Karma-Yogin is untainted by the results of his action.,,The blissful embodied life ofa Sage,,.Nature is the source of activity...Wisdom and unwisdom,,,The sage has no more births... The’ Sage sees the One in all beings... The sage is liberated while still on earth... The Sage is free from grief and rejoicing... The Sage’s infinite joy...The path of Nirvana,,,Realisation of the ‘Lord by Dhyana- Yoga. | . pp. 154-178 vi CONTENTS . Sixth Discourse DHYANA-YOGA Dhyana-Yogs is incompatible with works.,,Renunciation in acfion...Action is stepping-stone to Dhyana-Yoga..,Who is a Yogin?...Directions for the practice of Yoga... .Consum- mation, .. Farther directions concerning the practice of Yoga... The effect of Dhyana-Yoga.,. Practice and Indifference are the surest means to Yoga...Failures in Yoga and the after-career ... Lhe best of the Yogins. pp. 179-206 Seventh Discourse | VIJNANA*YOGA Realisation of the Lord by meditations Evolution of the Universe out of Divine Prakriti...[he Divine Principle penetrating the Universe...Maya ; How to overcome it...Four classes of devotees...[he ignorant worship inferior Gods. “4 The root of ignorance...Divine worship leads to realisation. pp. 207-221. Eighth Discourse ABHYASA- YOGA The seven things to be realised by meditation,,, Constant meditation of. the Divine is necessary...The Divine Being to be meditated upon...Meditation of the Divine the Pranava ...No re-birth on attaining to the Divine Being...The day and the Night of Brahma...The Highest Goal, how reached... The Paths of Light and Darkness...Excellence of Yoga. | | pp. 222.237 Ninth Discourse SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET Brahma-jnana is . the best Religion... All beings rest in the Lord——The Lord’is the sdurce and the end of all beings -.-The Lord is not bound by His acts...The life of the impious...The ways of the faithful devotees...All worship CONTENTS vil goes to the Lord,,,The fruits of interested acts of Vedic ritual ... Lhe Supreme watching over His devotee’s interests...Other devotees do but worship the Supreme in ignorance...Facility in Devotion to the. Supreme.. -The impartiality of the Supreme...Even the low-born attain salvation by Devotion... The Yoga of Devotion. : . wed | pp. 238-258. Tenth Discourse, DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS, The Lord is the source of all manifestations... Know- ledge of the Lord’s Glory conduces to Yoga...The Lord endows His devotees with wisdom.. .Arjuna’s question about the Lord’s manifestations,,.The Lord’s enumeration of His manifestations...Divine Glory described in brief, pp. 259-276. Eleventh Discourse, THE UNIVERSAL FORM, Arjuna’s prayer for a vision of the Universal Form... Arjona endowed with heavenly sight wherewith to see the Universal Form..,The manifestation of the Lord’s Universal Form.., Vishnu is one with the Unconditioned,,, The Universal Form (continued)...The wonderfulness of the Universal Form .» Che terribleness of the Universal Form..,Arjuna’s vision of the defeat of the enemy...the splendour of the Universal Form,.,The Lord’s advent for destruction of worlds... Arjuna’s adoration of the Universal Form,,,Arjuna’s prayer for the Lord’s forgiveness...Arjuna’s prayer for the Lord’s resump- tion of His usual Form,..The Lord resumes His usual form... Devotion as the sole means to the realization of the Universal Form. -The essence of the whole teaching of the Gita. pp. 277-301, viii CONTENTS ’ Twelfth Discourse, BHAKTI YOGA. _ Who are superior, the worshippers of Isvara, or the worshippers of Akshara?...The worshippers of Isvara...The worshippers of Akshara,,.Salvation by worship of Ievara, soe Abhyasa-Yoga,,, Service of the Lord .. Abandonment of the fruits of actions,,.The life of the Alshate-p passes. pp. 302-315. Thirteenth Discourse MATTER AND SPIRIT. The main subject of the discourse... The body ind soul., Identity of the soul with the Lord...The soul is subject $0 evil only through ignorance,,,Kshetrajna is really unaffected by samsara,,,Avidya inheres in the organ, not in the Self,.. Scriptural injunctions apply only to the state of the bondage... Bondage and liberation are not real states of the Self,, Scriptural injunctions concern the unenlightened.,, Tesraas but deluded... The relation of the Self to samsara is a mere illusion... The perception of the relation of avidya, ete., to the Self is due to illusion...Summary of the Doctrine., The Doe- trine extolled...Matter in all its forms... Virties conducive to. Self-knowledge...Brahman, the Knowable...Brahman is be- yond speech and thought,..Brahman is the source of all activity...Brahman is unconditioned...Brahman, the basic Reality in all illusory phenomena... Brahman, the perceiver of the gunas,., Brahman is all... Brahman is comprehended only by the wise... Brahman is the one Self in all,,.Brahman is the Cause of the Universe...Brahman is the Illuminator of all we The Light isin the heart of every one...Seek the Light through devotion—Prakriti and Purusha are eternal... Prakriti and Purusha asthe Cause of samsara,..Avidya and Kama are the cause of rebirths...Self-knowledge removes the cause CONTENTS | 1x of samsara,,,.The four. paths to Self-knowledge...Nothing exists outside the Self...The one Self in all...Knowledge of the one Self leads to moksha... Prakriti acts, not the Self... The.Self is the source and the abode of all...The Self is unaffected by the fruits of acts...The Self illumines all...The doctrine summed up. om pp. 316-377. Fourteenth Discourse. THE THREE GUNAS, The subject of the discourse... Knowledge of the origin of the universe is necessary for salvation...Evolution of the Universe from the union of Spirit and Matter...The gunas bind the soul... This nature and functions of the gunas,..The mutual action of the gunas...How to know when a particular guna is predominant... Life after death as governed by the gunas...The function of the gunas summed up... Realisation of the Self beyond the gunas leads to immortality... The marks of a liberated soul... The conduct in life of a Liberated one... Devotion to the Lord leads to liberation... Unity of Atman. pp. 378-395. Fifteenth Discourse. * THE SUPREME SPIRIT. The Tree of Samsara...Cut the Tree and seek the Goal... The Path to the Goal...Tne Goal is the Lord’s Glorious Being...Jiva is a ray of the Lord...How Jiva dwells in the body and departs From it.,.The Self is visible only to the eye of knowledge...No self-knowledge without Yoga... [mmanence of the Lord, (1) as the all-illumining Light of Consciousness ...(2) As the all-sustaining Life,..(3) As the Digestive Fire in all living organisms,,.(4) As the Self in the hearts of all... ‘The Lord beyond the perishable and the imperishable universe «ee Lhe Glory of Self-knowledge. pp. 396-413, x CONTENTS Sixteenth Discourse. SPIRITUALITY AND MATERIALISM. Spiritual disposition.,.Materialistc disposition...Results: of the two dispositions,..The materialists...The materialist’s. view of the world...Men’s life as guided by materialism ... The materialist’s aspirations,..The materialist’s sacrificial rites...The materialist’s neglect of Divine commandments... The materialist’s fall... The three Gates of Hell to be avoided ...uet the Law guide thy life. pp. 414-426. Seventeenth Discourse. THE THREEFOLD FAITH. The ignorant, but faithful,..The three kinds of Faith... Men of Rajasic and Tamasic Faiths...Threefold food, Worship and Gift...The three kinds of Food...The three kinds of Worship...Physical Austerity,..Ansterity in speech.,,Mental. Austerity... The three kinds of Austerity according to Gunas. The three kinds of Gift... How to perfect the defective acts... Works without faith are fruitless,..The teaching of the dis- course summed up. pp. 427-440. Eighteenth Discourse. CONCLUSION. ‘Samnyasa’ and ‘Tyaga’ distinguished,,.Should the. ignorant perform works gs not ?..,The Lord’s decree is that the ignorant should perform works...The obligatory works. should be performed without attachment...Tamasic and Rajasic renunciations of works,..Renunciation in works is: Sattvic...From renunciation in works to renunciation of all works,.,.Renunciation of fruits is alone possible for the: ignorant,,.Hitects of the two renunciations after death... Factors in the production of an act...The agency of the Self’ is an illusion,..Realisation of the non-agency of the Self leads. to absolution from the effects of all works...The Impulses to CONTENTS Xb action...The Impulses are threefold according to the gunas.... Sattvic Knowledge...Rajasic Knowledge...Tamasic Know- ledge...Sattvic Action...Rajasic Action...Tamasic. Action.... Sattvic Agent...Rajasic Agent... Tamasic Agent...Intellect and> firmness are threefold according to guuas...Sattvic Intellect... Rajasic Intellect...Tamasic Intellect...Sattvic Firmneas.... Rajasic Firmness...Tamasic Firmness...Pleasure is three- fold according to gunas...Sattvic Pleasure...Rajasic Pleasure .--Tamasic Pleasure...No man or god is free from gunas... The sequel sums up the whole doctrine...Duties of the four castes ordained according to nature...Devotion to one’s own duty leads to perfection...One ought not to abandon one’s own duty...Is entire renunciation of action possible? ... The Sankhya, Buddhistic, and Vaiseshika theories...Refutation of the. Vaiseshika theory...Refutation of the Parinama-Vada...The. Lord’s theory of illusion... The enlightened alone can renounce action entirely... Perfection in Karma-Yoga leads to absolute Perfection... Absolute Perfection is the consummation of Self-. knowledge...Is Self-knowledge possible at all?...The Self: reveals Himself in Pure Reason...Cognition and the Cogniser. are self-revealed...The Path to Absolute Perfection...The. consummation of Knowledge attained by Devotion...Renunci- ation of all works is necessary for Absolute Perfection... Devotion to the Lord by works enjoined...Devotion to the. Lord is the Secret of success in Karma-Yoga...Right Know- Jedge and Renunciation... What is the means to the Highest Bliss, Knowledge or Works ?...Self-Knowledge alone is the. means to the Highest Bliss...Knowledge cannot be conjoined with works—Refutation of the theory that salvation is attained by works alone.,,Refutation of the theory that the Nitya- Karma leads to no future births,..The Paths of Knowledge and Works are meant for distinct classes of aspirants... Action. is a creature of Avidya...The theory of Avidya does not. a CONTENTS ‘militate against the authority of Karma-Kanda...Refutation “of the theory of the Self’s agency by mere. presence-The theory of Avidya concluded...Qualification for instruction in “the Gita Doctrine... The merit of teaching the Doctrine,..The “merit of hearing the Doctrine...The Lord assured by Arjuna ‘of his grasp of the Teaching...Sanjaya extols the Lord and -His teaching. | rit : _ pp, 441-522, | THE BHAGAVAD-GITA WITH SRI SANKARACHARYA’S COMMENTARY ——<@——- INTRODUCTION Narayana is beyond the Avyakta ; From the Avyakta the Mundane Egg is born ; Within the Mundane Egg, verily, are these worlds And the Harth made up of the seven Dvipas, [This is a pauranic verse speaking of the Antary4min, the Inner Guide and Regulator of all souls. It is quoted here by the commentator in order that he may begin his important work, after the orthodox fashion, with the con- templation of his favourite God (Ishta-Devatad), namely, Na- rayana, and further with a view to show that the Purdna (archaic history), the Itihasa (ancient tradition) and the Gita teach one and the same doctrine. Nd&rdyana is, in the popular conception, the Creator who was brooding over the waters just before the beginning of Creation. Cf. Manu J. 10. According to a subtler conception, Narayana is the Antaryamin, the Divine Being in whom all embodied souls have their being. He is not a creature of the Avyakta, but far transcends it. It is the Avyakta,—the Avy4krita, May, the undifferentia- ted matter,—out of which, when in apparent union with Isvara, is evolved the princlple of Hiranyagarbha, here spoken of as: Anda or the Mundane Egg, which is composed of the five simple rudimental elements of matter. An intermingling of the five rudimental elements of matter gives rise to the prin- ciple of the Viraj, of which are formed the Earth and all the ow 4 2 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA other lokas or inhabited regions.—(Anandagiri). The seven Dvipas or insular continents are Jambu, Plaksha, Kusa, Krauncha, Saka, Salmala and Pushkara. For. farther parti- culars regarding these, see Wilson’s Vishnupurana, Vol. 1, p. 109 ff. | The twofold Vedic Religion The Lord created the universe, and wishing to secure order therein He first created the Prajdpatis* (Lords of creatures) such as Marichi and caused them to adopt the Pravritti-Dharma, the Religion of Works. He then created others such as Sanaka and Sanandana + and caused them to adopt the Nivritti-Dharma, the Religion of Renunciation, characterised by knowledge and indifference to worldly objects, It is the twofold Vedic Religion of Works and Renunciation that maintains order in the universe. This Religion which directly leads to liberation and worldly prosperity has long t been practised by all castes and religious orders(varna-Asrama) —from the brahmanas downwards,—wuo sought welfare. The purpose of the Divine Incarnation When, owing tothe ascendancy of lust in its votaries, religion was overpowered by irreligion caused by the vanishing faculty of discrimination,and irreligion was advancing,—it was “ They are ten in number, Cf. III, 34, 35: Authorities differ _as to their names and number. See Wilson’s Vishnupurana, Vol. I pp. 100—102. + They were ‘without desire or passion, inspired with holy wisdom, estranged from the universe and undesirous of progeny.’ See Vishzu- purana, Part I. Ch- VII. The authorities differ as to their names and number; see Wilson’s V- P,, Vol. I. pp- 77—78- These, declining to create progeny, remained—as the name of the first, Sanatkumara implies—ever boys, Kumdras, that is, ever pure and innocent. t The words ‘dirghena kalena’- (meaning a long time) in the Com. are also construed, as an alternative interpretation, with the next follow- ing sentence. Then it means ‘a long time after,’ i-e-, when the Krita and the Treta Yugas had been over and the Dvapara-Yuge was approach- ing its end-—(A),. ° e INTRODUCTION } 3 then that the original ‘Creator (Adi-kartri), Vishnu, known as Narayana, wishing to maintain order.in the universe, incarna- ‘ted®* Himself as Krishna, begotten in Devaki by Vasudeva, ‘for the preservation,of the ‘earthly Brahman’ + of spiritual life (Brahmanatva) on the earth. . For it was by the preserva- ‘tion of spiritual life that the Vedic Religion could be preserved, #ince thereon depend all distinctions of caste and religious order, The Lord, always possessed as He is of (infinite) knowledge, supremacy, power, strength, might and vigour, ‘controis the Maya»—belonging to Him as Vishwu —the Mila- prakriti, the First Cause, composed.of three Gunas §- or ener- gies, and He appears to the world as though He is born and embodied and helping the world at large; whereas really He is unborn and indestructible, is the Lord of creatures, and is by nature Eternal, Pure, |ntelligent and Free. [The special stress laid here on Maya as belonging to and being under the control of the Isvara is chiefly intended * The words in the Com. corresponding to this are ‘amtsena samba- ‘bhava,’ As-amsa meansa@ part, it would mean that Krishna was a partial incarnation of God Vishnmu- But of the several forms of the incarnation of God, Krishma is on all hands recognised asa full incarna- ‘tion of Visknu. Accordingly, Anandagiri explains ‘amsena’ to mean ‘svechchhanirmitena-maydmayena svaripena,’ that is, ‘in an illusory form created by His own will. + The Commentator here refers to the following passage: 4 a4 eaatzal aQealesiiaag | Hae sant 74 Haafafaarin: “That God whom Lady Devaki begot by Vasudeva for the preserva-~ vation Of the earthly Brahman.o.......sccessecsssccecesese ” (Santi-parva, 47th Adbyaya.) “Barthiy Brahman” is explained by Nilakantha to mean the Vedas, the brahmanas, and yagizas or sacrifices. * Kshatriyas and others require the help of the brahmanas, the ‘spiritual class,-ia-the performance of sacred rites and’ in the study of -Scriptures-—(A,) & -For a-full description of the Gumas see xiv. 5 et. seqe 4 ‘THE BHAGAVAD-GITA to impress the idea that Maya ‘does not exist oy act independ- ently of Brahman, the Isvara, He is quite independent of Maya, unlike the individual souls who are subject to. its influ- ence, The followers of the historical school of the Sankhya- darsana hold, on the other hand, that Matter and Spirit, Prakriti and Purusha, are two distinct principles, the. former being a8 rea! as the latter and acting in unison with it,—(A ) Without any interest of His own, but with the sole inten- tion of helping His creatures, He taught to Arjuna, who was deeply plunged in the ocean of grief and delusion, the towfold Vedic Religion, evidently thinking that the Religion would, widely spread when accepted and practised by men of high character, The Gita and the Commentary. Tt is this Religion, which was taught by. the Tord, that the omniscient and adorable Veda-Vyasa (the arranger of the Vedas) embodied inthe seven hundred verses called Gitas, This famous Gita-Sastra is an epitome of the essentials, of the whole Vedic teaching ; and its meaning is very difficult. to understand, Though, to afford a clear view of its teaching it has been explained word by word and sentence by sentence, and its import critically examined by several commentators, still I have found that to the laity it appears to teach diverse- and quite contradictory doctrines, I propose, therefore, to: write a brief commentary with a view to determine its precise. meaning. | Jnana-Yoga is the means to the Supreme Bliss The aim of this famous Gita-Sastra is, briefly, the. Supreme Bliss, a complete cessation of samsara or transmi- gratory life and of its cause. This accrues from that Religion, (Dharma) which consists in a steady devotion to the knowledge. of the Self, preceded by the renunciation of all works. So. INTRODUCTION... 5 with refernce to this . Religion, the doctrine of the Gita, the Lord says in the Anu-Gita* as follows:. : “That religion, indeed, is quite sufficient for the realisation of the state of Brahman, the Absolute.” (Asv. Parva xvi 12.) in the same place it is also said: “He is without merit and without sin, without ‘weal-and woe,—he who is absorbed in the One Seat, silent and thinking nothing. ” And He also says ; | “Knowledge is characterised by renunciaticn.” (Ibid xliii. 26.) Here also at the end Arjuna is thus exhorted : “Abandoning all dharmas, come to Me alone for shelter.” (xviii. 66.) How Karma-Yoga is a means to the Supreme Bliss Though the Religion of Works,—which, as a means of attaining worldly prosperity, is enjoined on the several castes and religious orders,—leads the devotee to the region of the Devus and the like, still, when practised in a Sprit of complete devotion to the Lord without regard to the (immediate) results, it conduces to the purity of the mind (sattva-suddhi)- The man whose mind is pure is competent to tread the path of knowledge, and to him comes knowledge; and thus (indirectly) “ This forms part of the Asvamedhaparva and is contained in chap- ters 16 51 of that parva or section. It professes to be a sort of recapitula- tion of the teaching of the Bhagavad-Gita- Sometime after the fratrici- ‘dal war was over, Arjna requested Krishna “to repeat the instruction which had been conveyed to him on the holy field of Kurukshetra, but which had gone out of his degenerate mind. Krishna thereupon protest- ‘ed that He was not equal to a verbatim recapitulation of the Bhagavad- gita, but agreed, in lieu of that, to impart to Arjuna the same instruction an other words through the medium of a certain ancient story.’’—’'’See Sacred Books of the East; VI1I, pp- 197,198. 6 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA the Religion of works froms also a means to the Supreme Bliss. Accordingly, with this very idea in mind, the Lord Bays: ‘He who does actions, placing them in Brahman,” ws ..+-s Logins perform actions» without attachnient,, for the purification of the self.” v- 10, 11). The specific subject and object of the Gita-Sastra The Gita-Sastra expounds this twofold Religion, whose aim is the Supreme Bliss. It expounds specially the nature of the Supreme Being and Reality known as Vasudeva, the Parabrahman, who forms the subject of the discourse. Thus* the Gita-Sastra treats of a specific subject with a specific object and bears a specific relation (to the subject and object) A knowledge of its teaching leads to the realisation of all human aspirations. Hence my attempt to explain it. me TTT Oe ee aa ND haa Cnet oh “It is considered incumbent on a commentator to State, before commenting on a work, the subject and the object, as well asthe class. of persons for whom it is intended, and the relation in which it stands, to the three severally. Here the Subject is the Para—Brahman ; the ob- ject is Salvation, Mokshae It is intended for those who seek deliverance from the turmoil of samsara. It is related to the subject as an exposition, thereof, and to the object as a means of attaining it- 4 3 FIRST DISCOURSE THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA > Samlaya narrates the course of the war eatlg Sara AA AN ba TAA FWAA BAA ZAeAa: | mAs: Wess feared aaa? 1 2 11 Dhritarashtra said : 1. What did Pandu’s sons and mine do when they assembled together on the sacred plain of Kurukshetra, eager for battle, O Samjaya ? aaa Sara:— cyl I Wears sae Ca AAAI UA AAA |) 2 II Samjaya said: 2. Having seen the army of the PAndavas drawn up in battle-array, prince Duryodhana then approached his teacher and spoke (these) words: Duryodhana addresses Drona qdat qgqaonaraa edt aT | sqat FIGAN aa fssao flAar i) 3 1) 3. “O teacher, look at this grand army of the sons of PAmdu, marshalled by the talented pupil, the son of Drupada. 8 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. I HA WU Asvarear wWiaryaaar gle | agar fea 994 AEA: |) ¥ I 4. ‘ Here are heroes, mighty archers, equal In battle to Bhima and Arjuna,—Yuyudhana, Virata, and Drupada, the master of a great car (maharatha), ‘g | waasaa: wisusg daar | qaisieairavists sag AEA: 11 4 |) 9. ‘Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, and the valiant king of Kasi, Purujit and Kunti-Bhoja and that eminent man Saibya ; _ garega amrea samara faa 8 TEST PARC IE aa Ut ASlals 1] & 6. “The heroic Yudhamanyu.and the brave Uttamaujas ; the son of Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi, all masters of great cars (maharathas). wane J fais a ataae aaa | wae AA Gea aarr aeasia a iy 6 1 *g “But know, O best of the twice-born, who are the most distinguished among us, the leaderg of my army; these I name to thee by way of example. * Technically mabdratha means a ‘warrior proficient in military science who single-handed can fight a thousand archers.’ 4—11] THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA 9 warding aa Hes afiiaas | eraaal fata Haseaaa 1 ¢ th 3. “Thyself and Bhishma, and Karna, and also Kripa, the victor in war, AsvatthAman and Vikarna, and also J ayadratha, the son of Soma- datta ; HI A Fea: YU ae Bwaiaar: | AUTATELM: BA ASAT: Sy 3. “And many other heroes who have given up their lives for my sake, fighting with various weapons, all well-skilled in battle, AMA Tae as wsarfeay | Gad Ragaaat ad WaAAVATT Qo | 10. “This army of ours protected by Bhishma is inadequate, whereas that army of theirs which is under the. protection of Bhima is adequate.* AIA FT GAY AAAIMAAAAT: | wivanaiataeg aaca: aa ca fF 2 1]. “And therefore do ye all, occupying your respective positions in the several divisions of the army, support Bhtshma. only.’’ * This sloka is differently interpreted by different commentators- Anandagiri’s gloss suggests various interpretations which all go to make ‘Duryodhana mean that his army, larger and led by an abler leader than ithe enemy's, is more likely to win the battle, 10 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. E Both armies ready for battle. qa aMawey Hare: Varma: | fagard faaaiza: ag seal TarIaT 1 &R A 12. His mighty grandsire, (Bhishma), the oldest of the Kauravas, in order to cheer him, sounded on high a lion’s roar and blew his conch. ada: TEA TIA WAABTAAM: | BCHAUTATeURaA @ UsRIASISAI ly 3 13. Then, all at onee, conches and kettle- drums, cymbols, drums and horns were played upon, and the sound was a tumultuous uproar. ada: Bdedyw vela eared frat | ada: qogaaa foal Dt AeeAg: 1) VY I 14. Then, too, Madhava and the son of Pandu, seated in a grand chariot yoked to. white- horses, blew their celestial conches. Vaasa STs sagt Baa: | qos Seat Ages wae Tweet 1 4 II 15. Hrishikesa blew the Panchajanya, and’ Arjuna blew the Devadatta. Bhima, (the doer) of terrible deeds, blew his great conch Paundra. HAAATA UAT HAGA Aearses | AGS: Veta Haaaforgerst 1 2 |) 16. Prince Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti,. blew the Anantavijaya,while Nakula and Sahadeva. blew the Sughosha and the Masipushpaka. 12—22] THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA ir HIT Wesaa: AVS A ARITA: | gaa Aves aareaaista: Wk! i 17. The king of Kasi, an excellent archer,. Sikhandin, the master of a great car, Dhrishta- dyumna and Virata, and the unconquered Satyaki;- gua gatara aaa: gerdigd | SAGA HEU: ARKH: TAFTTT 1) WS tt 18. Drupada and the sons of Draupadi, O» lord of earth, and the son of Subhadra, of mighty arms, all together blew their respective conches. a TT gauge seat saga | awa Tat Sa gael saqarzaar 1) 28 i 19. That tumultuous sound rent the hearts: of (the people) of Dhritarashtra’s party, making: both heaven and earth resound, Arjuna’s survey of the enemy aq saafaregg wasnt: | TIq WHAWA BRI WISI: |) Vo etaea aat arrafaenre aalaa | aa Zara:— : , “s. = ee ° aaaaqaaesa Ty MIT Aseqa ! 1) Ve qa tatia se agararaaerare, | Aa Be UgeaAMANATAR |) 22 I] 12 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA |. ‘([Dis.. I 20-22. . Then seeing the people of Dhritarash- -dra’s party regularly marshalled,while the discharge ‘of weapons began,Arjuna,the son of Pandu, whose ‘ensign was a monkey, O King of earth, took up his bow and said thus to Krishva: “OQ Achyuta ([mmortal), place my chariot ‘between the two armies, that I may just see those who stand here desirous to fight, and know with whom I must fight in this strife of battle. UIA SE Y VASA BATA: | UE Seeae Maa: 1 WI 23. ‘TI will observe those who are assembled here and are about to engage in battle desirous to ‘do service in war to the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra.’ : Qs Salta:— wag SWHa WSrHala Aa | QATSTaAET VMAAal THAAT |) %¥ 1) visagiagea: Bait qT Aaa | Sara wt qaaarraaaarHelaa |) ee Samjaya said : 24- 5. O descendant of Bharata, Hrishikesa (Krishna) thus addressed by Gudakesa (Arjuna) ‘stationed that excellent car between the two armies in front of Bhishmaand Drona and allthe rulers of earth, and said: “O son of Pritha, look at these assembled Kauravas.”’ 20—30] THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA 13 aarazarerarat: figaa Parser | AUTEM TAT AIT |) RE AI AMUYCAAI AAA BAAeyy | 26-27. Then the son of Pritha saw arrayed there in both the armies fathers and grandfathers, te achers,maternal uncles, brothers,sons, grandsons. and comrades, fathers-in-law and friends. aradied @ Heda: aaraqaaferary 1 zs | BI Warssrasr fadieieaaaig | 27-28. When the son of Kunti saw all the. kinsmen standing, he was overcome with deepest, pity and said thus in sorrow : Arjuna’s words of despondency BAA Tara: — Sgt Aaa Se A aAWMAT |) RS jy aera wa mal wet @ atgcala | aya TU a Jagaa saa 1) Ae i Arjuna said: 28-29. Seeing these kinsmen, O Krishna, arrayed and desirous to fight, my limbs droop. down, and my mouth is dried up. A tremor comes. on my body and my hairs stand on end. MVS Bat TAIT Bfegae | a4 TaiFaaeg waa FF aa: || 30 | H4 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [ Drs. -I - 30. The Gandiva shps from my hand, and my skin is intensely burning. I am also. unable to stand and my mind is whirling round as it were. facta a cea fadatie Ha aa Fasqaaaia geal away 1 2% 1 31. And, O Kesava, I see omens foreboding ‘evil. Nor do I see any good from kiiling my _kinsmen in battle. Bea AAG Hy a a Usa galls a | rm “ ba’ NO r~ AND ACA N fe at Usd Tlseg he WASAdA aT Wy BQ 1 32, I desire not victory, O Krisa, nor king- -dom, nor pleasures. Of what avail is dominion to us, O Govinda? Of what avail are pleasures -and even life P qaqa Highad al Usa aM: Garla a | aq gusafual As wTeaeal Fait A 1 RR UI aaa: fat: gaia a faarael: | We: AAs Wal: Brel: AFaeswaaar 1) 3¥ i 33-34, They for whose sake dominion, enjoy - -ments and pleasures are sought by us are here standing, having staked their life and wealth: ‘teachers, fathers, sons as well as grandfathers ; maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, bro- -thers-in-law as also (other) relatives. 35—39] THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA 15 wae eraesiia vase wagqza | aft Avira eal: fe J asst 1 24 1 35. These, O slayer of Madhu, I do not wish to kill, though they kill me, even for the sake of dominion over the three worlds; how much legs, for the sake of the earth! , ea saga: wt Ti: ersTATeA | Xv ~ A fens WIAA AMSA SAT AAT Aas 11 3S 1 36. O Janardana, what delight shall be ours atter killing the sons of Dhvitarashfra ? On killing these felons, sin only will take hold of us. THAME! AF Sg aauseaeaeqara | ast (BA eal Waa: AWA aaa yy 36 | 3/7. We had then better not slay our own kinsmen, the sons of Dhritarashtra; for how can we be happy, O Madhava, after slaying our own people Arjuna’s grief at the evils of war qaad a qaafea Saigetstaa: | SeAIGA UI fags a was 1 3¢ |) wa a sane: Taeeiaatay | SoarHt BG gaa 1 Re 38-39. Though these, whose intelligence is stricken by greed, perceive no evil in the extinction of families and no sin in treachery to friends, yet, 16 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. I O Janardana, should not we, who clearly see evil in the extinction of a tamily, learn to refrain from this sinful deed? HVAU GOTASA HVIA: Baraat: | qu as HS HMA sraaegqa |) Yo | 40. On the extinction of a family, the imme- morial dharmas* of that family disappear. When the dharmas disappear, impiety (adharma) over- takes the whole family t Saar Waitt Boles: | By FAY aia wat qrage u ve i 41. By the prevalence of impiety, O Krishna the women of the family become corrupt. Women corrupted, there will be intermingling of castes (varza-samkara), O descendant of Vrishuis. QE ATH FoAlat BoA FT | gaia Matt ast Garesiqaiear: 1) ¥z 1 42. Confusion of castes leads the family of these destroyers of families also to hell; for, their forefathers fall {(down to hell), deprived of the offerings of Pinda (rice-ball) and water. “ The duties and ceremonies practised by the family ‘in accordance with the scriptural command. . t Of the destroyed (according to some), cf the destroyer (according to some others). as ) mee 40—46] THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA 17 A AQAAN ° LN bal Qa: BVA ANASCHTSH: | Baa AAI: FIA IW: WVU 43. By these evil deeds of the destroyers of families which cause the intermingling of castes, the eternal dharmas of castes and families are subverted. VAAPSIA Agra aarsa | aap frat arat wadlaagqaa 1) 88 44. We have heard, O Janardana, that neces- sary is the dwelling in hell of the men whose family dharmas are subverted, | wel ad ARUY aq saafaar aay | agsagaviya eg Qaaqazat: 1) ¥e& |) 45. Alas! we have resolved to commit a great sin, inasmuch as we are endeavouring to slay our kinsmen out ofacraving for the pleasures of dominion. | Ue AAA ITA MTT: | TAU TT eeqReH aAat WaT Nee 46. It would be better for me, if the sons of Dhritarashtra, with arms in hand, should slay me unarmed and unresisting in the battle. * 9 18 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA awa sara— , CAAT SGA: BEY Tse salsa | faasa AUT AIG aMHaaaAaa: || BY 1 Samjaya said: 47. Having said thus, Arjuna, sorrow-stricken in mind, cast aside his bow and arrows in the midst of the battle and sat down in the chariot. gfe sranamagqafaay safaarat atrae aM Isaantsana ata TAASCATA: | SECOND DISCOURSE SANKHYA YOGA Me te Arjuna ’s weakness condemned by the Lord sian ial Z “as T TA HVAT S SASAAT MSS | rateaiig aeagara aggqaa: 1) @ 11 Samjaya said: 1. ‘To him who was thus overcome with pity and afflicted,and whose eyes were full of tears and agitated, the destroyer of Madhu spoke as follows: saTtagaa— SICA BIASTAE awd agqaieay | AAVIAAaTIAg EASA |X | The Lord said: 2. Whence in (this) perilous strait has come upon thee this weakness cherished by the unworthy debarring from heaven and causing disgrace, 4 Arjuna? A ¢ ca i ~ ee4 Al TAs Ga AaRazqqaa | Be ea aed APANAS yeaT | 3 11 3. Yield not to unmanliness, O son of Prithd. It does not become thee. Cast off this base weak- ness of heart and arise, O tormentor of foes. 20 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. I Arjuna seeks instruction from the Lord WA Tara— HY visas a_a go a aAqqea | zai: sfaaeenft qarerafaea uy Arjuna said : 4. O slayer of Madhu, how shall I assail in battle with arrows Bhishma and Droza, who are worthy of worship, O slayer of enemies. TeARcAl fe AelgwayTa At AG Reaatie Ss | geal samraieg weet gala amaaeaeart 4 5. Better indeed in this world to live even upon alms than to slay the teachers of high honor. But, were I to slay these teachers, I should only: in this world enjoy the pleasures of wealth,delights. stained with blood. a alsa: Hava wat ast waa ale at at Tag: | aaa seat a ASAI: asafat: TAS MAVSt: 1 & It 6. And we know not which* is the. better * Which of the two—living upon alms without slaying others, or- fighting the enemy which is our duty.—(A) 4—9] SANKHYA YOGA 21 alternative for us; nor do we know whether we shall conquer them or they will conquer us. Hven the sons of Dhritardshéra, after killing whom we do not wish to live, stand arrayed against us. BIAS TIAA: gala at qarqesal: | a: waead ae ae Rratsé Ae at eat saa. © | ?. My heart contaminated by the taint of helplessness, my mind confounded about Dharma,* Task Thee: Tell me what is absolutely good. I am Thy pupil. Instruct me, who have sought Thy grace. a fe qqaala aargac- UPRIMA TAT | Hata YAS Usa BUMAT sala 1) ¢ | 5. I do not indeed see what can dispel the grief which burns up my senses, even after attain- img unrivalled and prosperous dominion on earth or even lordship over gods. a4 Jarq— CART EVER Teha: aeaq: | aq ahem gfe wifaeageay qsoii TIEN * ‘Dharma’ here means ‘Brahman’ who supports all—(A). 22 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [ Dis. TE Samjaya said: 9. Having spoken thus to Hrishikesa, Gud 4 kesa, the tormenter of foes, said to Govinda, ‘I will not fight,’ and verily remained silent. AMAA SWBM: Tessa wT | aaaenaaed fatieeaase sa: 11 20 1 10. To him who was grieving in the midst of the two armies, O descendant of Bharata, Hrishi- kesa, as 1f smiling, spoke these words: Self-knowledge alone eradicates misery Now the portion from i. 2 to ii. 9 should be interpreted as showing whence arise those evils of grief, delusion, etc-, which in sentient creatures cause the misery of samsara.—To explain: In ii 4 e¢ seg. Arjuna displayed grief and delusion caused by his attachment for, and the sense of separation. from, dominion, the elders, sons, friends, well-wishers, kins- men, near and remote relations,—all this arising from his. notion that ‘ { am theirs and they are mine.” It was when discrimination was overpowered by grief and delusion that Arjuna, who had of himself been engaged in battle as the duty of the warrior caste,abstained from fighting and proposed to lead a mendicant’s life, which was the duty of a different caste*. Accordingly, all creatures whose intelligence is swayed by grief and delusion and other evil influences naturally abandon their proper duties and resort to those which are pro- hibited. Even if they are engaged in their duties, their con- duct in speech, thought and deed is egoistic and is prompted * The brahmanas alone are allowed to enter the fourth Asrama of santnyasa, which consists in the renunciation of all formal religion and worldly possessions 9—10] SANKHYA YOGA 23 by a Jonging for reward. In their case, then owing to an accumulation of merit and demerit, of dharma and adharma, the samsara, which consists in passing through good and bad births, happiness and misery, becomes incessant. Grief and delusion are thus the cause of samsdra, And seeing that their cessation could not be brought about except by Self-knowledge added to renunciation of all works, Lord Vasudeva wished to teach that knowledge for the benefit of the whole world through Arjana and began His teaching with ii. 11. The doctrine that knowledge should be conjoined with works Against the foregoing view some* say:—Moksha can- not at all be attained by mere A’tmajndna-nishthd by mere devotion of Self-knowledge preceded by the renunciation of all works.—By what then ?—Absolute freedom can be attain- ed by knowledge conjoined with works, such as the Agnihdtra prescribed in the Sruti and the Smriti. This is the conclusive teaching of the whole Gita. As supporting this view may be cited—they say—the verses ii. 33, ii. 47, iv. 15, ete. It should not be supposed that the Vedic ritual is sinful because, it involves cruelty, etc.-—Why?—For, our Lord says that, since fighting which is the profession of the warrior caste is * According to A’nandagiri the Vrittikara is the commentator here referred to- A Vrittikara’s interpretation of the Brahma-sitras I. i. 11— 19 is also referred to by Sankaracharyain his commentary on that section, It is very probable that one and the same person was the author of the two Vrittis or commentaries. The Vritti on the Gita was evidently very voluminous, inasmuch as Svi Sankaracharya’s bhashya is professedly very short in comparison with it. It is, therefore, not unlikely that the author of the Vritti on the Gita was no other than Bodhayana who is said to have written a voluminous commentary on the Brahma-sitras, nearly a million slokas in extent, and of which the Sri-bhashya of Sri Ramanujacharya is said to be a mere abstract: y 7 Such as the eating of uchchish#a or what remains of the food, of which another has already eaten—(A). 24 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. II a proper duty (of the caste), itis not sinful though it involves cruelty to elders, brother’s sons and the like and is therefore very horrible; and He further says that, in the case of a neg- lect of this duty, “abandoning thy duty and fame thou shalt incur sin.” (ii 33). This is clearly tantamount to asserting that those rites which are enjoined as life-long duties by the Vedas are sinless though they involve cruelty to animals. Sankhya and Yoga distinguished This is wrong, since the Lord has madea distinction between Jndna-nishthd and Karma-nishtha, between the devotion of knowledge and the devotion of works, ag based respectively upon two distinct standpoints—The real nature of the Self as expounded here inii. 11-—30 by the Lord is called Sankhya and intellectual conviction of the truth pro- duced by a study of that section,—that the Self is no doer, owing to the absence in Him of such changes as birth—forms the Sankhya ‘standpoint (S4nkhya-buddhi); and the enligh- tened who hold this view are called Sankhyas. Yoga consists in the performance—before the rise of the foregoing convic- tion—of works as a means to moksha, requiring a knowledge of virtue and sin, and presupposing that the Self is distinct from the body and is the doer and the enjoyer- Such convic- tion forms the Yoga standpoint (Yoga-buddhi), and the per- formers of works who hold this view are Yogins. Accordingly two distinct standpoints are referred to by the Lord inii. 39. Of these, He will assign to the Sinkhyas the Jn&na-yoga or devotion to knowledge, based upon the Sankhya standpoint ; and so also He will assign to the Yogins the path of Karma- yoga, or devotion to works, based upon the Yoga standpoint (iii. 3). Thus with reference to the Sankhya and the Yoga standpoints two distinct paths have been shown by the Lord, seeing the impossibility of Jnana and Karma being conjoined in one and the same person simultaneously, the one being id] SANKHYA YOGA 25 based upon the idea of non-agency and unity, and the otber on the idea of agency and multiplictty. The distinction made here is also referred to in the Satapatha-Brahmana.— Having enjoined renunciation of all works in the words, “The bralimanas who, having no worldly attachments, wish only for this region of the Self, should give up all worldly concerns,” the Brahmana continues thus in explanation of the said injunction: | “What have we to do with progeny,—we who live in this region, this Self ?” (Brihadaranyaka-Upa- nishad, iv. 4, 22), Tn the same Brahmana (cbid, i- 4, 17) we are told that, before marriage and after completing the investigation into the nature of the Dharma and Vedic injunction, the man of the world ‘desired’ to acquire the means of attaining to the three regions (of man, of Pitris, and of Devas), namely, a son and the twofold wealth,—the one kind of wealth being called ‘human (manusha),’ consisting of works and leading to the region of Pitris, and the other kind of wealth being called ‘godly (daiva),’ cosisting in wislom (vidya, upasana) and leading to the region of Devas. Thus the Vedic rites are inten- ded for him only who has desires and has no kno wledge of the Self. The renanciation of these is enjoined on him who seeks only the region of the Self and is free from desire. This assigning of the two paths to two distinct classes of people would be unjustifiable if the Lord had intended a simultaneous conjunction of knowledge and Vedic rites. Conjunction inconsistent with the sequel Neither could Arjuua’s question with which the Third Discourse opens be satisfactorily;explained (on that theory). How might Arjuna falsely impute to the Lord—as he did in iii. I—that which ls alleged (by the opponent) to have 26 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Dis, If been taught before by the Lord and have not been heard by Arjuna,—namely, the impossibility of both knowledge and works being followed by one and the same person, as well as the superiority of knowledge to works ? Moreover, if conjunction of knowledge and works be intended for all, it must have been intended for Arjuna as. well. In that case how might Arjuna ask about only one of the two. | ‘Teil me conclusively that which is the better of the two” (v. 1)? If a physician has prescribed a mixture composed of both sweet and cooling articles fora man who wishes to reduce bilious heat (in the system), there cannot arise the question ‘which one alone of the two ingredents can alleviate bilious. heat’ P Arjuna’s question, it might be alleged on the other side, was due to his not having understood aright the teaching of the: Lord. Even then, the reply of the Lord should have been given in accordance with the question and in the following form: “I meant a conjunction of knowledge and works; why are you thus mistaken?” It would not, on the other hand, be: proper to answer in the words ‘‘A twofold path was taught by Me” (iii. 3),—an answer which is not in accordance with the: question and is altogether beside it. If it bo held that knowledge is to be conjoined with such works only as are enjoined in the smriti even then the assign~ ing of the two paths to two distinct classes of people respectively and other statements, in that connection would be equally inexplicable. Moreover, Arjuna’s blame of the Lord as conveyed by his words “why dost Thou command me to do this horrible deed?” (iii. 1) would be inexplicable, 10} SANKHYA YOGA 27: since he knew that figting was enjoined in the smriti ag a. Kshatriya’s duty. Jt is not, therefore, possible for anybody to show that. the Gita-Sastra teaches a conjunction of knowledge with any work whatever, enjoined in the sruti or in the smriti. Some cases of apparent conjunction explained Now a person who, having been first engaged in works. Owing to ignorance and worldly attachment and other evil tendencies, and having since attained purity of mind by sacrificial rites, gifts, austerity,etc.,arrives at the knowledge of the grand truth that “‘all this is one, the Brahman, the A bso-. lute, the non-agent,” may continue performing works in the. Same manner as before with a view to set an example to the. masses, though neither works nor their results attract him any: longer, This semblance of active jife on his part cannot, constitute that course of action with which knowledge is sought to be conjoined as a means of attaining moksha, any: more than Lord Vasudeva’s activity in His disharge of the. duty of the military caste can constitute the action that is to. be conjoined with His knowledge as a means to moksha, or-. that conduces to the attainment of any specific end of His; egotism and hope of reward being absent in both alike, He who knows the truth does not think ‘ [ act’ nor does he long. for the results, Or to take another example: suppose a man seeking. svarga or other such obiects of desire goes through the. ceremony of the Agni-4dhana as a preliminary to the perfor- mance of sacrificial rites such as the Agnihotra whereby to. attain his desire, and then commences the Agnihotra,which has. thus become a kamya (interested) rite; and suppose further that the desire vanishes when the sacrifice is half completed; 28 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA { Dis. II but that the man goes on with it all the same: the Agnihotra ‘can no longer be regarded as an interested rite, Accordingly our Lord says “though doing, he is not tainted,” (Vv. 7), and “The Self neither acts nor is tainted.” (xiii. 31). Now as regards the passages, “Do thou also ferform action as did the ancients in the olden time” (iv. 15), and “By action alone, indeed, did Janaka and others aim at perfection” (iii. 20), we must distinguish two cases and interpxet the ‘passage thus 3 First, suppose that Janaka and the rest were engaged in works though they knew the truth. Then, they did so lest people at large might go astray ; whereas they were sincerely convinced that ‘the senses’—but not the Selfi—were engaged in the objects (iii. 28). Thus they reached perfection by knowledge alone. Though the stage of renunciation had been veached they attained perfection without abandoning works ; that Is to say, they did not formally renounce works. Secondly, suppose that they had not known the truth Then the passages should be interpreted thus;—By means of work dedicated to Isvara, Janaka and the rest attained ‘perfection,—‘perfection’ meaning here either ‘purity of mind’ or ‘the dawn of true knowledge.’ It isto this doctrine, that the Lord refers when he says “The Yogin performs action for the purification of the self,’ (v. 11). Elsewhere, after having said that ‘man attains perfection by worshipping Him “with his own duty’ (xviii. 46), the Lord again recommends ‘the path of knowledge, to him who has attained perfection, in ‘the following words: “How he who has attained perfection reaches Brahman, that do thou learn from Me”. (xviii. 50), The conclusion, therefore, of the Bhagavad-gita is that ‘salvation is attained by knowledge alone; not by knowledge 11] SANKHYA YOGA 29: conjoined with works. That such is the teaching of the Gita, we shall show here and there in the following sections accord-. ing to the context. The Self if immortal. Now finding no means other than Self-knowledge for the. deliverance of Arjuna who was thus confounded as to his duty and was deeply plunged in the mighty ocean of grief, Lord Vasudeva who wished to help him out of it introduced him to Self-knowledge in the following words:— aRTMAagaa— AMVAAcaadl Taya ww | TAUGCATAA AAMT WSA: 11 V2 |) The Lord said: lI. For those who deserve no grief thou hast grieved, and words of wisdom thou speakest. For the living and for the dead the wise grieve not.* Such people as Bhishma and Drona deserve no grief +, for they are men of good conduct and are eternal in their real nature. You have grieved for them saying “Iam the cause. of their death ; of what avail are pleasures of dominion and other things to me left alone without them?” And you also. “He who knows not the Self is subject to illusion. He who is subject to illusion will obtain right knowledge by devoutly listening to the words. of the Scripture and the spiritual teacher, and by investigating into the nature of thingsas they are with a view to clearly understand such, teachings: This shows to what class of persons this teaching is, addressed —(A.) + Whether you regard their present personalities or their real nature: Personally they are men of good conduct ; in their real nature (as identi-.. Cal with the Absolute) they are eternal. 30 THE BHAGAVAD=GITA (Dis. II ‘speak the words* of wise men. Thus you exhibit inconsis- ‘tency in yonrself,—foolishness and wisdom,—like a maniac. Fort, the wise (panditah)—those who know the Self—grieve ‘neither for the living nor for the dead. They alone are wise who know the Self. For, the sruti says: ‘Having obtained wisdom (panditya. 7. e., know- ledge of the Self) in its entirety...” (Brie Up. III. “8, 1.) | That is, you grieve those who are really eternal and who really deserve no grief; wherefore you are foolieh. (Question) :—Why do they deserve no grief ? (Answer) :—For, they are eternal. (Question) *—How? (Answer) :—The Lord says. q awe Wg ae a a aa Talat: | a Ba a wavaas ad aaAa: WT Ye 12. Never did I not exist, nor thou, nor these ‘rulers of men; and no one of us will ever hereafter ‘cease to exist. Never did I cease to exist; on the other hand, I always -did exist ; that is, through the past bodily births and deaths, I always existed. So always,'never did you cease to exist ; -on the cther hand, you always did exist. So, never did these rulers of men cease to exist; on the other hand, they always did exist. So, neither shall we ever cease to exist; on the -other hand, we shall all certainly continue te exist even alter *Referring to what Arjuna said in i+ 43 et sege—(A+) +The second half of the verse is intended to show that Arjuna’s “delusion was due to his ignorance of the true nature of the Self-—(A-) 12—13] SANKHYA YOGA 31 ‘the death of these bodies. Ag the Self, the Atman, we are eterna! inall the three periods of time (past, present and future.) The plura] ‘us’ is used with reference to the bodies that ‘are different ; it does not mean that there are more than one Self. (Question) :—N ow, bow is the Self eterna] ? (Answer) :—Here follows illustration : aeatsiaeag 832 Bari aaa AT | Tal Faraciadeaa a Bae 1 23 | 13. Just as in this body the embodied (Self) passes into childhood and youth and old age, so does He pass into another body. There the wise man is not distressed. We see how the embodied Self passes unchanged in the present body into the three stages (avasthas) of childhood, youth orthe middle age, and old age or the age of decay, all distinct from one another. At the close of the first of these stages the Self is not dead, nor is He born again at the com- mencement of the second ; on the other hand, we see the Self passing unchanged into the Second and third stages, Just 80 does the Self pass unchanged into another body, Such being the case the wise man is not troubled (in mind) about it, Endurance is a condition of wisdom. Now Arjuna might argue as follows : It js true that when one knows the Self to be eternal there is no room for the distressful delusion that the Self will die. Bat quite common 32 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA among people, as we see, is the distressful delusion that the Self is subject to heat and cold, pleasure and pain, as also to grief due to the loss of pleasure or to the suffering of pain, As against the foregoing, the Lord says: WAIN HAA MaSIgaAs: as | AAU AA SAMA ALT || VF A 14. The sense-contacts it is, O son of Kunti, which cause heat and cold; pleasure and pain; they come and go, they are impermanent. Them endure bravely, O descendant of Bharata.* The senses are those of hearing and the like, by which sound and other things are perceived, It is the contacts of the senses with their objects such as sound—or, according to another interpretation, it is the senses and the contacts-1, e., the sense- objects, such as sound, which are contacted by the senses,—which produce heat and cold, pleasure and pain. Cold is pleasant at one time and painful at another. So also heat is of an inconstant nature, { But pleasure and pain are consiant in their respective natures as pleasure and pain. Wherefore heat and cold are mentioned separately * Here Arjuna is addressed as the ‘son of Kunti’ and again as the ‘descendant of Bharata-’ to show that he alone is fit to receive the teaching who is well descended on the father’s as well as on the mother’s side.—(A-) + The separate mention of heat and cold which should properly be included under the category of objects (vishayas) implies that the sub- jective feelings of harmony and discord are the immediate antecedents of pleasure and pain The external objects first produce subjective changes, such as the sensations of heat and cold or the feelings of harmony and discord, and then produce pleasure and paine—(A.) 14—-15| SANKHYA YOGA 33 from pleasure and pain. Because* these sense-contacts, etc., have, by nature, a beginning and an end, therefore they are not permanent. Wherefore do thou bravely endure t+ them, heat and cold &c. ; t.e., give not thyself up to joy or grief on their account, , | (Question) :—What good will accrue to him who bears heat and cold and the like? (Answer) :— Listen. oN ~ ° LN ae a sayaeaa Faq Gaaqyy | ° Ae = SN asagE at Uswaaa Beat 1) V4 I 15, That wise man whom, verily, these afflict not, O chief of men, to whom pleasure and pain are same, he for immortality is fit. That person to whom pleasure and pain are alike,—who neither exults in pleasure nor feels dejected in pain,—who is aman of wisdom, whom heat and cold and other things such as those mentioned above do not affect in virtue of his vision of the eternal Self,—that man, firm in his vision of the eternal Self and bearing calmly the pairs of opposites (such as heat and cold), is able to attain immortality (moksha),t *some MSS, of the Bhashya here add, *‘It may be objected that if the objects of the senses or their contacts give pleasure and pain, the wheel of mundane existence will be endless, since those objects and their contacts with the senses are endless. This objection does not apply here, for these...’ Here is laid down a second condition of right knowledge, viz., calm endurance in pleasure and pain —(A). tThough by endurance alone one may not be able to secure the highest human end, still, when coupled with discrimination and indiffer. ence to worldly objects and pleasures, it becomes a means to the right knowledge, which lead to deliverance. He who has. satisfied all the conditions laid down can realize the nature of his own eternal Self, and then only is he fit for the final teaching that leads to deliverance —(Aj- * $ 34 | THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (is, a1 The Real and the Unreal. For the following reason also it is proper that thou shouldst abandon grief and distressful delusion and calmly endure heat and cold, etc. For, aaah aga wrat araay fat Bas | bn as * ben oN SHAT TSeaeaasATagar as || 2% I 16, Ofthe unreal no being there is; there is no non-being of the real. Of both these is the truth seen by the seers of the Hssence. There is no bhava—no being, no existence—of the unreal (asat) such as heat and cold as well as their causes. Heat ; cold, etc., and the causes thereof, which are (no doubt) perceived through the organs of perception, are not absolutely real (vastu-sat) ; for they are effects or changes (vikara), and every change is temporary. For instance, no objective form, such as an earthen pot, presented to consciousness by the eye. proves to be real, because it is not perceived apart from clay. Thus every effect is unreal, because it is not perceived as distinct from its cause. Every effect, such as a pot, is unreal, also because it is not perceived before its production and after, its destruction.* And'‘likewise the cause, such as clay, is un- real because it is not perceived apart from its cause.t | (Objection):—Then it comes ‘to this: nothing at all exists.f | *Cp' ‘Whatever eXists not in the beginning or in the end exists not really in. the present.’ spesinglclapseciios on the Manduwkya- upanishad. IV, 31).—(A): + This implies that the Absolute Reality is not conditioned by causality; and therefore the perception of the series of causes and effects must be illusorye—(A). t The objector evidently thinks that tal cannot bea thing which is neither a cause nor an effect: 16] SANKHYA YOGA 35 (Answer ):—No (such objection applies here). For, every fact of experience involves twofold consciousness (buddhi), the consciousness of the real (sat) and the consciousness of the unreal (asat). Now that is (said to be) real, of which our ‘consciousness fails ; and that to be wnreal, of which our con- ‘sciousness fails.* Thus the distinction of reality and unreality depends on our consciouness. Now, in all our experience, twofold consciousness arises with reference to one and the same substratum (samanadhikarana), as ‘a cloth existent,’ ‘a pot existent, ‘an elephant existent)—not as in the expression a ‘blue lotus’ t—and so on everywhere. Of the two, the con- ‘eciousness of pot, etc’, is temporary as was already pointed out, ‘bat not’the consciousness of existence. Thus, the object corres- ponding to our consciousness of pot etc.,is unreal, because the conciousness is temporary ; but what corresponds to our “There must be an Absolute Reality which is neither a cause nor an ‘fect. For whatis fleeting must be uureal, and what is constant must be real, In the case of our illusory perception of a rope mistaken for a snake, we hold that the snake is unreal because our consciousness of it fails, whereas what corresponds to “this” in the perception “this is a ‘snake,’’—viz-, the rope.—is real, because our consciousness of it is con- ‘Stant through all its illusory manifestations The reality and the unreality -of things are thus to be inferred from our own experience. Blue and lotus being two relities» Existence and the pot refer—as ’in the sentence ‘this is the man we saw’—to only one thing really vexisting. They are not two distinct realities, related to each other as the universal and particulars, or as a substance and its attribute. If the pot, etc, were as real as existence we should be ata lossto explain why, “with reference to one and the sane substratum, the two—existence and the pot or the like—should alwa)'s present themselves togetber to our ‘consciousness any more than a pot and acloth. Illusion onthe other hand, can account forthe twofold consciousness of existence and the pot nd soon,arising with reference ty one and the same substratum, there being only one Reality—namely, that which corresponds to existence— and all the rest being unreal, as inthecaseofa rope mistaken for various ther things which are unreal- 36 THE ._BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. EI consciousness of existenece is not unreal, because the conscious- ness is unfailing, (Objection): —When the pot is absent and the conscious- ness of it fails, the consciousness of existence also fails. (Answer) :—No * (such objection applies here). For the consciousness of existence still arises with reference to other objects such as cloth. The consciousness of existence corres- ponds indeed only to the attributive (viseshana). (Objection):—Like the consciousness of existence, the consciousness of the pot also arises with reference to another pot (present). (Answer):—You cannot say 50, for the consciosness of the pot does not arise with reference to a cloth, (Objection): —N either does the consciousness of existence arise in the case of the pot that has disappeared. (Answer);— You cannot say so, for there is no substantive (viseshya) present. The consciousness of existence corres- ponds to the attributive; and as there Gan be no consciousness of the attributive without that of the corresponding substan- tive, how can the consciousness of the attributive arise in the absence of the substantive ?—Not that there is no objective reality present, corresponding to the consciousness of existence. (Objection): —If the substantive such as the pot be unreal» the twofold consciousness arising with reference to one and the same substratum 18 inexplicable.¥ ee EE ae *The consciousness of existense still arises in conjunction with the absence of the pote When we say ‘hereis no pot,’ existence is. signified by reference to the place where the pot is said to be absent- +The objector means this: In all our experience, we find: both substantive and the attributive to be reals So, here, the pot must be as. real as existences—(A) 16—17] : SANKHYA YOGA | 37 (Answer):—No; for, we find the twofold consciousness “rising with reference to one and the same substratum, even though one of the two objects corresponding to the twofold consciousness is unreal, as for instance in the case of a mirage where our consciousness takes the form ‘‘this is water.” Therefore, there is no existence of the unreal, the fictitious— such as the body and the pairs of opposites—or of their causes. Neither does the real—the Self (Atman)—ever cease to exist; for, as already pointed out, our conciousness of the Self never fails. : This conclusion—that the real is ever existent and the unreal is never existent—regarding the ‘two, the Self and the non-Self, the real, and the unreal is always present before the minds of those who attend only to truth, to the real nature of the Brahman, the Absolute, the All, ‘That.’ Thou hadst therefore better follow the view of such truth-seers, shake off grief and delusion, and, being assured that all phenomena (vikaras) are really non-existent and are, like the mirage, mere false appearances, do thou calmly bear heat and cold and, other pairs of opposites, of which some are constant and others inconstant in their nature as productive of pleasure or pain. What, then, is that which is ever real ? Listen:— aaa g afste aa aang vag | armAsaIE A BAHAAEIA 1) V8 |) 17. But know that to be imperishable by which all this is pervaded. None can cause the destruction of That, the Inexhaustible. Unlike the unreal, That—you must understand—dose not vanish ; That, the Brahman the ‘Sat’, the Real, by which all this world, including the akasa, is pervaded, just as pots and 38 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. IR other objects are pervaded by the akasa or space. Brahman does not undergo increase or diminution and is therefore inexhaustible. This Brahman, the ‘Sat’, is not exhausted in Itself ; for, unlike the body It has no parts. Nor does Tt diminish by (loss of) anything belonging te It ; for, nothing belongs to the Self. Devadatta, for instance, is ruined by loss. of wealth; but Brahman does not suffer loss. in that way. Wherefore, nobody can bring about the disappearance or destruction of the inexhaustible Brahman. Nobody —not even the Isvara, the Supreme Lord—can destrey the Self. Fors the Self is Brahman ltself and one cannot act upon oneself. What, then, is the unreal (asat)» whose existence is not, constant ? Listen : : Hear Fa sal iets We | STAPMASTAIA AVNTAUA ATT 11 WSU 18. These bodies of the embodied (Self) who is eternal, indestructible and unknowable, are said to have an end. Do fight, therefore, O descendant of Bharata. It is said by the enlightened that these bodies of ths Self,. . who is eternal, indestructible and unknowable, have an end, like those seen in dreams or produced by a juggler.—The end of such objects as the mirage consists in the cessation—as the result of investigation into their nature by proper tests of truth—of the idea of reality which has been associated with them. So also these bodies have an end. [No tautology is involved in the use of both ‘eternal’ and ‘indestructible; for, two kinds of eternality and of des~ truction are met within our experience. The physical body- for instance, entirely disappearing when reduced to ashes, is. we 18 | 3 SANKHYA YOGA 39 said to have been destroyed. The physical body, while exist- ing as such, may be transformed owing to sickness or such otner causes, and it is then said to have ceased to be (some- thing) and to have become (something else). “Eternal ” and ‘indestructible’ here imply that the Self is subject to neither sort of destruction. Otherwise, the eternality of Atman, the Self, might perhaps be understood to be like that of clay or other material objects. It is the denial of this which is conveyed by the two epithets. ] The Self is unknowabie,—not determinable by the senses (pratyaksha) or any other means of knowledge. (Objection): —The Self is determined by the Agama or Revelation, and by perception, etc., prior to Revelation. (Answer) :—The objection is untenable, for the Self is self-determined (svatas-siddha). When the Self, the knower (pramatri), has been determined, then only is possible a search for proper authorities on the part of the knower with a view to obtain right knowledge. In fact, without determining the Self—‘I am I’—none seeks to determine the knowable objects. Indeed the Self is unknown (aprasiddha) to nobody. And the Scripture (SAstra) which is the fina] * authority obtains its authoritativeness regarding the Self, as serving only to eliminate the adhydropana or superimposition (on the Self) of the attributes + alien to Him, but not as revealing what has been altogether anknown. The sruti also describes the Self thus:— “That which is the Immediate, the Unremote, the Brahman, which is the Self, which is within all.” (Bri. Up, ii. 4. I.) NTs, Gee ThE S:0i; teaches that the Self is the Only real thing and that all others are illusory and non-existent. No pramana or authority can survive the realisation of this truth taught by the sruti-(A) Tt Such ss humanity agency. | 40 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA | Dis. II Because the Self is thus eternal (nitya) and immutable (avikriya), therefore, do thou fight,—do not abstain from fighting, Here the duty of fighting is not enjoined. Arjuna had already been engaged in fighting. But overpowered by grief and delusion he abstained from fighting. It is only the removal of obstructive causes (pratibandha, viz, grief and delusion) that is here attempted by tthe Lord. Wherefore in the words ‘do thou fight’ the Lord issues here no new command (vidhi); He only refers to what is commonly known already.* : The Self is unconcerned in action The Lord now quotes two Vedic verses to confirm the view that the Gita-sastra is intended to remove the cause of samsara, such as grief and delusion, but not to enjoin works. It is only a false notion of yours, says, the Lord, that you think thus; ‘‘ Bhishma and others will be killed by me in the battle; I will be their slayer.’—How ?— aud ofa gat aaa aed eaq | Sat a a fAsiat at efea a erat 1 28 19. Whoever looks upon Him ag the slayer, and whoever looks upon Him as the slain, both these know not aright, He slays not, nor, is He slain. He who understands the Self—of whom we are speak- ing—as the agent ia the act of slaying, and he who regards Him as the sufferer in the act of slaying, when the body * That is to say, the Lord does not here mean that fighting 1s abso- lutely necessarye He has simply shewn that Arjuna had no reason to desist from the fighting in which he had engaged of himself: 19—20 } SANKHYA YOGA _ 41 is slain, neither of these two has understood the Self aright, for want of discrimination. Those who think ‘I slay’ or ‘I am slain’ when the body is slain, and thus identify the Self with the object of the consciousness of ‘I,’ the ego (aham ),—they ‘do not understand the real nature of the Self. Being immutable (avikriya), the Self is neither the aunt nor the object of the action of slaying. The Self is immutable How is the Self immutable P—This is answered by the mext verse. aq maa faaa at wari Ma eal Aaa at A ya: | Sai a: aadisa gus a ead saad AAT 1) Ro 4 2). He is not born, nor does He ever die; after having been, He again ceases not to be; nor the reverse. Unborn, eternal, unchangeable and pike He is not slain when the body is slain. He is not born; no such change of condition as birth ‘takes place in the Self, Nor does He die; this denies the jast change of condition called death,-—‘Ever’ should be ‘construed with the denial of every change, thus: He is never born, never dies, and so on.—For, the Self, having ounce exist- ed does not afterwards cease to be any more. In ordinary parlance he is said to die who, having once existed, after- wards ceases to be. Neither does the Self come into existence, like the body, having not existed before. Where- fore He is unborn. For, He is said to be born who, having mot existed, comes into existence. Not so is the Self. 42 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Dis. If Wherefore He is unborn. And _ because He does not die, He is eternal. [Though, by the denial of the first and the last changes, all changes have been denied, yet it is thought necessary to directly deny the intermediate changes, in the words ‘unchangeable, etc, so as to imply the absence of’ all such changes of condition as motion, though not specified here.] He is unchangeable: He is constant, not subject. to the changes of condition known as decline (apakshaya.)) Having no parts, He does not diminish in His own sub- stance. As devoid of qualities, He does not diminish by loss of a quality. He is primeval, not subject to the change known. as growth (vriddhi) as opposed to decline. For, that which increases in size by the accretion of parts is said to grow andi to be renewed. As devoid of parts, the Self :was as fresh in. the past (as He is now or will be in future; z.e., He is ever the- same); He never grows, And He is not slain when the body is slain: He is not transformed when the body is transformed. To avoid tautology, slaying is interpreted to mean transforma- tion: the Self is not subject to transformation. This verse teaches the absence in the Seif of the six* bhava-vikaras,—of the six wkaras or changes of condition to which all bhavas or beings in the world are subject. The pas” sage, on the whole, means that the Self is devoid of all sorts. of change, Hence the words in the previous verse, “both these know not aright.” The enlightened man has to renounce works Having started (in ii 19) the proposition that the Self is. neither the agent nor the object of the action of slaying, and having stated in the next verse the immutability of the Self ae ean nn a aaa ne * Such as birth, existence, growth, transformation, decline, and: destruction, . 20—21] SANKHYA YOGA 43: as the reason for that statement, the Lord concludes the pro-- position as follows:— | e aad Fa a waaaAsaTT | wt ages: qa s aaala afta a Re I 21. Whoso knows Him as_ idestructible,. eternal, unborn and inexhaustible,—How, O son of: Pritha, and whom does such a man cause to slay,. and whom does he slay ? : He who knows the Self (described in the last verse) as. indestructible, 7.e., devoid of the final change called death, as: _ eternal, z.e., devoid of change called transformation, as unborn. and inexhaustible, z.e., devoid of birth and decline,—how does an enlightened man of this description do the act of slaying, or how does he cause another to slay? He slays nubody at all, nor does he at all cause another to slay.—In both the. places, denial is meant, since no question cau have been asked.* ‘The reason { for the denial of slaying applying to. all actions alike, what the Lord means to teach in this section. appears to be the denial of all action whatsoever in the case. of tLe enlightened; the denial, however, of the specific act of slaying being only meant as an example. (Objection) :—What special reason for the absence of: action iu the case of an enlightened man does the Lord see. when denying actions in the words “how does such a man, Blay ?”’ (Answer) ;—The immutability of the Self has already- been given as the reason for the absence of all actions. — - —_— * Because no reply follows: { Viz,, the immutability of the Self. “44 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [ Dis. Tk (Objection) :-—True, it has been given; but that cannot “be a sufficient reason, since the enlightened man is distinct -from ilfe immutable Self. We cannot indeed say that a man who has known an immovable pillar can have no action to do: (Ansiver) :—This objection does not apply. For, the ‘enlightened man is identical with the Self. Enlightenment ‘(vidvatta) does not pertain to the aggregate of the body, etc. Therefore, as the only other alternative, the enlightened man ‘should be identical with the Self, who is not included in the ageregate and is immutable. No action being possible in the case of an enlightened man, it is but just to deny all action ‘in the words “how does sucha man slay?” Now, for instance, the Self, while remaining immutable, is, by reason -of His not being distinguished from intellectual states (buddhi- vrittis), imagined, through ignorance, to be the percipient of ‘objects, such as sound perceived by the intellect and other means. Similarly, the Self is imagined to be enlightened, merely because of avidya associating Him with that intellec- ‘tual perception —which is unreal—which takes the form of discrimination betweeen the Self and the not-Self, while in ‘reality the Self has undergone no change whatever. From ‘this assertion of impossibility of action in the case of an -enlightened man, the conclusion of the Lord is evident, that ‘those acts which are enjoined by the scripture are intended for the unenlightened. Works are meant for the unenlightened. (Objection) :—Even knowledge is intended for the unen- lightened only, as it would be useless—like grinding the flour over again—to impart knowledge to those who already ‘possess it. Wherefore, it is hard to explain the distinction ‘that works are meant for the unenlightened, and not for the ‘enlightened. 21] : SANKHYA YOGA 45; (Answer):—This objection does not apply. For, the. distinction can be explained by the existence or non-existence. of something to be performed in the two cases respectively. (To explain) : There remains something for the unenlighten-. ed man to do, on understanding the meaning of the injunctions. regarding the Agnihotra etc, He thinks that the Agnihotra. and other sacrificial rites are to be performed, and that the. many necessary accessories thereto should be acquired. He. thinks further, “1 am the agent, this is my duty.” Nothing on the contrary, remains to be performed subsequent to the. realization of the truth of such teachings as are contained in i. 20 ete, regarding the real nature of the Self. No other Conviction arises except that the Self is one and non-agent. Wherefore, the distinction referred to can be accounted for. In the case of him who thinks that the Self ia the doer . of actions, there will necessarily arise the idea that he has this or that thing todo. A man who possesses this sort of knowledge is qualified for actions, and on him actions are. enjoined. Such a man is unenlightened, for it is said that “ both these know not aright” (ii. 19). In ii. 21, the ehlighten-. ed man is specified, and ‘with reference to him actions are. denied in the words “how does such a man slay >” There-. fore the enlightened man who has seen the immutable Self and the man who is eager for emancipation have only to. renounce all works.* Hence it is that Lord N arayana . distinguishes the enlightened Sankhyas from the unenlight-. ened followers of works, and teaches to them respectively two distinct paths (iii, 3). Accordingly Vyasa said to his. Son, “Now there are two paths,” (Mokshadharma, xxiv. 6). In the same connection, Vyasa said that the path of works. * The latter, i.e., he who is eager for Moksha, but who does not yet possess Self -knowledge, has no doubt to perform the acts enjoined, on him, these acts being not prejudicial to his devotion to knowledge, 46 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. II js the first, and that renunciation comes next. Our Lord wil] refer to this distinction again and again in this work. (vide iti. 27, 28; v. 18, etc.) )Knowledge of the Immutable Self is possible (Objecton) :—In this connection some conceited pedants say: To no man can arise the conviction ‘I am the smmutable Self, the One, the non-agent, devoid of the six changes, such as birth, to which all things in the world are subject; which conviction arising, renunciation of all works is enjoined. (Answer) :—This objection does not apply here. For, in -yain then would be the Scriptural teaching, such as “the Self is not born,” etc. (ii. 20)- They (the objectors) may be asked why knowledge of the immutability, non-agency, unity, etc., of the Self cannot be produced by the Scripture in the same way a8 knowledge of the existence of dharma and a-dharma and of the doer passing through other births is produced by the teaching of the Scripture ? (Opponent):—Because the Self is inaccessible to any 0! the senses. (Answer):-—-Not so. For, the Scripture says “It can b seen by the mind alone.” (Bri. Up. iv. 19). The mind -yefined by Sama and Dama—i.e., by the subjugation o the body, the mind and the senses—and equipped with th ‘teachings of the Scripture and the teacher, constitutes th sense by which the Self may be seen. Thus, while th Scripture and inference* (anumana) teach the immutabilit, of the Self, it is mere temerity to hold that no such knowledg can arice. ® The inference may be thus stated: such changes as birth, deat “agency and the like are not inherent in the Self, any more than infanc youth and old age are inherent in Him. Fo SANKHYA YOGA 47 The enlightened should resort to Jnana-Yoga. It must be granted that the knowledge which thus arises necessarily dispels ignorance, its opposite, This ignorance has been already indicated inii. 19. It is there taught that the notion that the Self is the agent or the object of the action of slaying is a product of ignorance, That the agency, etc., of the self is a product of ignorance holds good in the case of al] actions alike, since the Self is immutable. lt is only the agent, subject to variations of conditions, that causes another person, who can be acted on by him, to doan action. This agency—direct and causative with respect to all actions alike—the Lord Vasudeva denies inii. 21 in the case of an enlightened man, with a view to show that the enlightened man has nothing to do with any action whatsoever. r( Question):—W hat, then, has he to do? (Answer):—This has been already answered in iii. 3, that the Sankhyas should resort to Jndna-Yoga or devotion to knowledge, So also, the Lord will teach renunciation of - all works in the words, “Renouncing all actions by thought the self-controlled man rests happily in the nine-gated city,—in the body—neither acting nor causing to act.” (v. 13). (Objection):—Here the word ‘thought’ implies that there is nO renunciation of the acts of speech and body. (Answer):—No, for there is the qualification, ‘all actions’ (Objection): —The renunciation of all mental acts Only is meant. (Answer) :—No. Since all acts of speech and body are preceded by mental activity, they cannot exist when the mind is inactive, 48 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis, IE (Objection) :—Then, Jet him renounce all other acts of mind except such as are necessary for those acts of speech and body which are ejoined by the Scripture. (Answer) :—No, fer, there is the qualification, “neithes acting nor causing to act.” (Objection) :—Then, the renunciation of all actions, here taught by the Lord, may be meant for the dying man, not for the living man. (Answer) :—No; for then, the qualification ‘rests in the nine-gated city—in the body’ would have no meaning. No man who is dying can by giving up all activity be said to rest in the body. a (Objection) :—Let us then construe the passage thus: -Neither acting nor causing another to act, he, the disembodied soul of the enlightened man, deposits (sam +nyas) all activity in the body (z.e., knows that all activity belongs to the body, not to the Self) and rests happily. Let us not, on the contrary, constrne, as you have done, ‘he rests in the body,’ etc. (Answers) :-—No. Everywhere (in the sruti and in the smriti) it is emphatically asserted that the Self is immitable.* Moreover, the act of resting presupposes a place to rest in, whereas the act of renunciation does not presuppose it. And the Sanskrit verb ‘sam-+nyas’ means ‘to renounce,’ not ‘to deposit.’ Therefore, the Gitaé-Sdstra teaches that he who has acquired a knowledge of the Self should resort to renuncia- tion only, not to works. This we shall show here and there in the following sections: wherever they treat of the Self. *Wherefore the Self cannot be the agent of an action, 21—23] SANKHYA YOGA 49 How the Self is immutable To return to the immediate subject. It has been stated that the Self is indestructible, Like what is He indestructi- ble ? Here follows the answer. ° a & aatia sofa aar aera aalfa gare act sazitr | a "™~ A € aat aero aera so- ‘as ? ~ Os NA = areal BANA AAA Fst MW RV 22. Just as aman casts off worn-out clothes and puis on others which are new, so the embodied (Self) casts off worn-out bodies and enters others which are ’new. Just as, in this world, a man casts off the clothes that have been worn-out and puts on others which are new, in the same manner, like the man (of the world), the embodied Self abandons old bodies, and, without undergoing any change, enters others which are new. | Why is the Self quite changeless? The Lord says. va eae cenit Aa ere cam: | a Sa Squat A Mas ABA: 1) 23 1) 23. Him weapons cut not, Him fire burns not, and Him water wets not; Him wind dries not Him, t.e., the embodied Self of whom we are speaking, weapons, such as swords, do not.cut. As he has no_ parts, they can effect no division of Him into parts. So, fire does not burn Him: even fire cannot reduce Him to ashes, * 4 30 THE BHAGAVAD~GITA {[Dis. It Neither does water wet Him; for, the power of water lies in disjoining the parts of a thing which is made up of parts, by wetting it; and this cannot take place in the partless “Self. So, wind destroys an object containing moisture, by drying it up; but even wind cannot dry up the Self. Wherefore, : ~N oN en. | AEP SAAN SAASA SAA TT A | fa: Bata: MIATA sa AAraTA | WU 24. He cannot be cut, nor burnt, nor wetted, nor dried up. He is everlasting, all-pervading stable, firm, and eternal. Because the mutually destructive objécts—namely swords and the like—sannot-destroy the Self, therefore He is everlasting. Because everlasting, He is all-pervading, Because all-pervading, He is stable likea pillar. Because stable, the Self is firm. Wherefore He is eternal, not produced out of any cause, not new. No charge of tautology can be brought against the verses (ii.21-24) on the ground that in (ii. 20) the eternality and the immutability of the Self have been taught and that what has been said regarding the Self in these verses (ii. 21-24) adds nothing to what was taught in that one verse,—something being repeated verbatim, and something more being repeated in idea. Since the Self is a thing very difficult to understand, the Lord Vasudeva again and again introduces the subject and describes the same thing in other words, so thatin some way or other the truth may be grasped by the intellect of the mortals (samsd4rins) and thus the cessation of their samsara may be brought about. 24—26] SANKHYA YOGA 51 No room for grief. Moreover, ASAT SAA APA SAAB SATIS | “nn e las SA warned Raa ages 1 24 1 25, He, it is said, is unmanifest, unthinkable and unchangeable. Wherefore, knowing Him to ‘oe such, thou hadst better grieve not. As the Self is inaccessible to any of the Senses, He is mot manifest. Wherefore, He is unthinkable. For, that alone which is perceived by the senses becomes an object of thought. Verily, the Self is unthinkable, because He is inaccessible to the senses. He is unchangeable. The Self is quite unlike milk, which, mixed with butter-milk, can be made tochange its form. He is changeless, also because We has no parts; for, whatever has no parts is never found %o undergo change. Because the Self is changeless, He is unchangeable. Therefore, thus understanding the Self, thou hadst better grieve not, nor think that thou art their slayer and that they are slain by thee. Granting that the Self is not everlasting, the Lord proceeds : | Ae N oe ess AA “ud [AQAA [dq Al aaa WTIq | cw ss “NOS an TT - qanaatesd a ta aifaaaere nee 97. To that which is born, death is indeed certain ; and to that which is déad, birth is certain. W her afore, about the unavoidable thing, thou oughts not to grieve. To that wpiak has had birth, death ee without failure, and bicth is sure to happen to that which is dead. Since birth and death are unavoidable, therefore you ought not to grieve regarding such an unayoidable thing. If death is natural to that which has had birth, and if birth is natural to that which has had death, the thing is unavoidable. Regarding such an unavoidable thing you ought not to grieve. Neither is it proper to grieve regarding beings which are mere combinations of (material) causes and effects ;: for, HUB Yala SAGAS ATTA | ~ bal HUMANA TA BT WAR 1) Xe A 98. Beings have their beginnig unseen, their middle seen, and their end unseen again. Why any lamentation regarding them > The origin—prior to manifestation—ot beings such as sons and friends, who are mere combinations of material elements correlated as causes and effects, is non-perception (avyakta). And having come into existence, their middle 27—29] SANKHYA YOGA 53 state—previous to death—is perceived. Again their end is non-perception; after death, they become unperceived again. Thus it is said: “He has come from non-perception (the unseen) and has gone back to non-perception (the unseen). He is not thine, nor thou his. What is this vain lamentation for ?” (Mahabh, Striparva, 2-13) About these mere illusions—first unseen, then Seen, and again unseen—what occasion is there for any lamentation? The Self just spoken of is very difficult to realise. Why am I to blame you alone while the cause, viz., illusion, is common to all? One may ask: how is that the Self ig difficalt to realise? The Lord says: araaaaqale sata maaagaet ala aa: | aaaaaaaea: Tifa aaseada az 8a BAT 4) RS 29. Qne sees Him as a wonder; and so also another speaks of him as a wonder: and as a wonder another hears of Him; and though hearing, none understands him at all. One sees the Self as a wonder, as a thing unseen, as something strange, as seen all ofa sudden. And 50, another speaks of Him asa wonder; and another hears of Him asa wonder. Though seeing Him, hearing and speaking of Him, none realises Him at all. Or (as otherwise interpreted); He that sees the Self is something like a wonder. He that speaks and hethat hears of Him is only one among many thousands. Thus the Self “is bard to understand. 54 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. Th Now the Lord concludes the subject of this section thus: a fn Ss S adr faaaralsa Fe SA ATT | los ~~ ° ba gat Cer AMAA Yat aA ea MPAA i) Re Il 30. He, the embodied (Self) in every one’s body, can never be killed, O descendant of Bharata. Wherefore thou oughtst not to grieve about any creature. Though the body cf any creature whatever is killed, the Self cannot be killed; wherefore, you ought not to grieve. regarding any creature whatever, Bhishma or anybody else. A warrior sheuld fight. Here (in ii. 30) it has been shown that from the stand- point of absolute truth there is no occasion for grief and attachment. Not only from the standpoint of absolute truth, but also, erqaafa aaea a faafeaqueta | gris qasasemaae a fat 1 38 Ul 31. Having regard to thine own duty alas, thou oughtst not to waver. For,to a Kshatriya, there is nothing more wholesome than a lawful battle. Having regard also to the fact that fighting is a Kshatri- ya's duty, you ought not to swerve from that duty, which is natural to a Kshatriya,—-from that which is natural to you (7.e,5 becoming the caste and the order to which you belong): This fighting is a supreme duty, not opposed to Haw, since. it is conducive, through corquest of dominion, to the interests of Law and popular well-being; and to a Kshatriya nothing: else is more wholesome than such a lawful battle. 30—-33] SANKHYA YOGA 55 And why also should the battle be fought? The Lord Says: | e g TEVA WIA Bigagqazay | ~ g Giaa: aaa: wt suet qedieaq 1) 32 1 32. Happy Kshatriya, O son of Pritha, find such a battle as this, come of itself, an open door to heaven. Are not those Kshatriyas happy who find a battle like _ this presenting itself unsought, an open door to heaven ? Though found to be your duty, a4 srafid aed agit a afteale | Tt: BIA Hf a Rear qaaaycea iy 33 1 33. Now if thou wouldst not fight this lawful battle, then, having abandon ed thine own duty and fame, thou shalt incur sin. If, on the other hand, you will not fight this battle which is enjoined on you as a duty, and which is not opposed to Law, you will, by neglecting this battle, have abandoned your duty and lost the fame that you acquired by your encounter with such persons as Mahadeya.* Thus you will only incur sin. Not only will you have given up your duty and fame, but also, * When YudGhishthira lost his kingdom by gambling, Arjuna went on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas to propitiate the gods and obtain from them celestial weapons. There he fought with Siva who appeared in the guise of a mountaineer (Kirata), and having found the true character of his adversary, he worshipped Him and obtained the Pasupata-astra, a celestial missile. 36 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA {Dis. II aaa ae yaa safieata dseaary | ~~ A ia On x aralfade aaraacmaaread 1 88 34. People, too, will recount thy everlasting infamy ; and, to one who has been esteemed, infamy is more than death. | People, too, recount your infamy, which will survive you long. To him who has been esteemed as a hero and as a righteous man and as one possessing other such noble qualities, death is preferable to infamy. Moreover, AAUCUS AWA Aes AT ATA: | aat qa agua weal areas wraaq 4 35. The great car-warriors will think thou hast withdrawn from the battle through fear; and, having been (hitherto) highly esteemed by them, thou wilt incur their contempt. , | Duryodhana and others—warriors fighting in great cars— will think that you have withdrawn from the battle through fear of Karna and others, but not through compassion.—W ho are they that will think so ?—The very persons, Duryodhana and others, by whom you have been esteemed as possessed of many noble qualities. Having been thus esteemed you will again grow very small (in their estimation). Moreover, qaeaaaia ageafecaiea aatfeats | fAearaea Bava aay Taat J PHT 3G 36. Thy enemies, too, scorning thy power, will take many abusive words. What is more pain- ful than that ? 34—38] SANKHYA YOGA 57 There is no pain more unbearable than that of scorn thus uncurred, | | Now, when you fight with Karna and others, EY ges eat at scala aa fear ar mena wel | ES Sy TMIGUS Bieta gga Haas: 1 36 4 37. Kalled, thou wilt reach heaven; victorious, thou wilt enjoy the earth. Wherefore, O son of ‘Kunti, arise, resolved to ficht. Victorious : that is, having defeated Karna and other ‘heroes. In either case you will have an advantage only. Wherefore rise, with the resolution, “I will conquer the ‘enemy or die.” Now listen to the advice I offer to you, while you fight the battle regarding it as a duty : GaS:a Ba Hal sas saa | aa Fem ysae Aa qaaaqicaia yy acy 38. Then, treating alike pleasure and pain, ‘gain and loss, success and defeat, prepare for the battle, and thus wilt thou not incur sin. Treating alike pleasure and pain: i,e., without liking the ‘one and disliking the other. Thus fighting, you will not incur sin. [This injunction as to fighting is only incidental ] Yoga Worldly considerations have been adduced (ii. 31—38) to dispel grief and attachment; but they do not form the main subject of teaching. On the other hand, it is the realisation of the Supreme Reality that forms the main subject of this Portion (ii. 12, &c.) of the discourse; and this, which has been treated of already (ii. 20 et seq), is concluded in (ii. 39) 38 THE BHAGAVAD~GITA [Dis. IB with a view to exhibit the division of the whole subject of the sistra, For, by making such a division of the whole subject of thé sastra as has been shown here, that portion. of the work which will treat of the two paths later on (iii. 3) will proceed the more smoothly ; and the hearers also willl understand it the more easily for this division of the whole- subject. Hence says the Lord: val asiteat aga shear (eaat a ‘ S Ss e ~ Seal Aw VAT GWT HAI AAA tl 2S Il 39. This, which has been taught to thee is: wisdom concerning Sankhya. Now listen to wisdom, concerning Yoga, which possessing thou shalt cast off the bond of action This, which has been taught to you, constitutes wisdom: (buddhi) concerning Sankhya or the true nature of the Absolute Reality,—that wisdom by which may be brought about the cessation of the evil* which is the cause of samsara,. —of grief, attachment, and the like, Now, listen to the teaching (which follows presently) concerning Yoga, which is. the means of attaining wisdom concerning Sankhya. This Yoga, which constitutes the worship of Isvara consists in practising samadhi or in performing works without attachmen t, after killing all pairs of opposites (such as heat and cold). Now He extols the wisdom concerning Yoga, in order: to create an interest in it. When possessed of wisdom concerning Yoga, O son of Pritha, you will cast off the- bond of action (karma), of dharma and a-dnrarma, of virtue. and sin, of merit and demerit, this severance of the bond being effected only on attaining to a knowledge of the Self through Divine Grace (Isvara-prasada). * The ignorance of the true nature of the Self- 39—41] SANKHYA YOGA 59: Yoga, a safe course Moreover, acrmnaren sie Taare a aa | AMAT TA AA Asay WI 1) Yo 1 40. There is no loss of effort here, there is no. harm. Even a little of this devotion delivers one. from great fear. Unlike agriculture, nothing tbat is attempted here-in this path to mdksha, in this devotion by works—is entirely lost. That is, there is no uncertainty regarding the result of any- effort in the path of Yoga. Neither is there any chance of: _ harm resulting from it, as it may sometimes result from medical treatment-—What is the result ?—Anything done, however little it be, in this Path of Yoga, saves one from. great fear, from the fear of samsara, of birth and death. Wisdom is one The wisdom concerning Sankhya and Yoga thus far. described is of the following nature: saaaaaa Betas HUA | TMA Gira _gearsearaifaay |) ve 7) 41. Here, Oson of Kuru, there is one thought: of a resolute nature. Many-branched and endless are the thoughts of the irresolute. Here, O son of Kuru, in this path to Bliss, there is only: one thought of a resolute nature, and itis subversive of all other many-branched thoughts opposed to it—that thought having sprung from the right source of knowledge. Those. other thoughts which are opposed to it are various, By- acting up to these many-branched thoughts, samsira, ‘60 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [ Dis. II ‘becomes enJlless and ever-spreading, But when, owing to ‘discrimination produced by the right source of knowledge, ‘these thoughts of endless variety cease, samsira also ceases. Owing to variety in each of their branches, the ‘thoughts of the irresclute—of those who are not possess- ‘ed of the discrimination produced by the right source of ‘knowledge—are endless. No Wisdom possible for the worldly-minded As regards those who have no conviction of a resolute mature, aiaai gaat ara qaeralaqaad : | AGAUGTAT: TS arageltia ties 1 BRU BACH As UTE SeABARS INA, | lon ° Spa ron araasaget wigaaia ait 1 83 1 bat i e Waa TeaAHAa aa SUETATAT saqaaeasl gia: Bara a fasiad ny ¥8 i “A2- 44, No conviction of a resolute nature is ‘formed in the mind of those who are attached to ‘pleasures and power, and whose minds are drawn away by that flowery speech which the unwise— ‘enamoured of Vedic utterances, declaring there is nothing else, full of desire, having svarga as their goal—utter, (a speech) which promises birth as the reward of actions and which abounds in speci- fic acts for the attainment of pleasure and power, © ‘O son of Pritha. They are unwise; they are wanting in discrimination, Whey are enamoured of the Vedic passages composed of 42—45] SANKHYA YOGA | 61 many @ praise (to gods) and unfolding various ends and: means. They say that there is nothing else besides words. which are the means of attaining svarga, cattle, and other. such objects of desire, They are full of desires and are. ever in pursuit of them. Their chief and final goal is svarga. They talk words, fine like a flowery tree, very pleasant to. hear. Their speeeh holds out birth as the reward of works. and treats of specific acts wherewith to secure svarga,. cattle, progeny and the like, and wherewith to attain pleasures and power, Thus talking, these foolish people. wander in the samsiira, They regard pleasure and power ag necessary ; they are in love with them and have identified. themselves with them. Their intelligence and wisdom aro. blinded (as it were) by this Speech abounding in specitic. acts. In their mind—samadhv, the budht, the antah-karana, in which are gathered together all objects of enjoyment for. the purusha, the individual soul—no conviction of a resolute. nature, no wisdom converning Sankhya or Yoga will arise. Advice to the Yogin The Lord now Speaks of the result accruing to those. lustful persons who are thus wanting in discrimination. bas ~ ba OA ~*~ hs AMVaaqal Fay Mala Wargyq | moral Raaaed Rania oraa | 24 1 45. The Vedas treat of the triad of the. guzas. Be, O Arjuna, free from the triad of the. guna, free from pairs, free from acquisition and preservation, ever remaining in the Sattva (Good- ness), and self-possessed. The Vedas* treat of the triad of the gunas ; samsdra +- * je, the Karmakanda, the ritualistic portion of the Vedas. + Which is made up of virtuous, sinful, and mixed deeds and their. results, all ‘brought about by the interaction of the guages, "62 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [ Dis, II ‘is their subject. You, onthe other hand, had better be free from “the triad of the gunas, ¢.e., be without desires. Be free from pairs (dvandvas), from all mutually opposed objects ‘which are the causes of ‘pleasure and pain. Take your stand ever inthe Sattva; practise purity. To him who is -anxious to acquire what has not been. acquired and to preserve what has been already acquired, practice of virtue ad is impossible; wherefore be not anxious about new acqui- ‘sitions or about the preservation of the old ones. Be also” self-possessed; be guarded.* This is the advice you have ‘to follow when engaged in the performance of duty. Karma-Yoga Question: —If all those endless advantages which are said “to result from the Vedic rituals are not to be sought after, to what end are they to be performed and dedicated to the ‘Isvara? (Answer);—Listen to what follows ; UAAT Sea GAT: BHAT | aaraag ag vane Asada: 1 8% I 46. What utility there is in a reservoir by ‘the side of an all-spreading flood of water,the same utility) there is in all Vedas for an enlightened -Brahmawa. Whatever utility—of bathing, drinking, and the hke— “is served by a well, a tank, and many other small reservoirs -of water dc., all that utility is only as much as the utility -ed by a Brahmana who has renounced the world and has | which is served by an all-spreading flood of water; that is ‘the former utility is comprehended in the later. So also, ‘whatever utility there is in all the Vedic ritual, all that is ‘comprehended in the utility of the rigut knowledge posseos- | * Do not yield to the objects of the senses- 46—47 | SANKHYA YOGA 63 ‘completely realised the truth concerning the Absolute Rea- dity; this knowledge corresponding to the all-spreading iflood of water.* ‘The sruti says:—"Whatever good thing as done by people, all that is possessed by him who knows ‘what he (Raikva) knew.” (Chh. Up 4. 1-4). The same thing will also be said here (iv. 33), Whereforet, for a man who is qualified for works it is necessary to perform works (which ‘Stand in the place of wells and tanks) before he becomes ft for the path of knowledge And as for you, Brae ae Al GST Tea | “3 wre Al BAReTyAT F ARisKAALT |) VS 1 47. Thy concern is with action alone, never ‘with results. Let not the fruit of action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be for inaction. You are qualified for works alone, not for the path of knowledge. And then, while doing works, let there be no desire for the results of works under any circumstances ‘whatever. Ifyou should have a thirst for the results of works, you will have to reap those fruits. Therefore let mot your motive be the fruits of your action. When a person performs work thirsting for the results of those ‘works, then he will be subject to rebirth as the result of action. ‘Neither may you be attached to inaction, thinking “Of what “That is to say, all the pleasure which results from the performance -of all works enjoined in the Vedas is comprehended in the bliss which the man who has realised the Self finds as the essence of his own Self; ~and every one must admit that all kinds of limited bliss are comprehend- ‘ed in the Infinite Bliss. Thus the Path of Karma:Yoga, which in the end ‘leads to the attainment of the infinite bliss of the Self, cannot be futile, ~as the questioner has been led to stippose» —(A) t Because the Path of Karmi- Yog iis not futile, —(A)- 64 THE BHAGAVADrGITA [Dis, IE avail are these painful works if their fruits should not be deisred ?”. If a man should not perform works urged by a desire for their results, how then are they to be performed? The reply follows: don Cn r) UN: He BAIT AF a¢ral qAsy | Las ™~ a e ~ ~ fagaiaeat: aay yeal BACs aT Seat I HC I 48. Steadfast in devotion do thy works, O Dhanamjaya, casting off attachment, being the game in success and failure. HKvenness is called Yoga Steadfast in devotion (Yoga) perform works merely for God’s sake, casting off even such attachment as this, “May God be pleased,” and being equanimous in success and failure, Success (siddhi) consists in the attainment of knowledge (jnéna) as the result of the mind (Sattva) attaining purity when works are done by one without longing for their fruits; and failure results from the opposite course. What is that devotion (Yoga) to which Arjuna has been exhorted to resort in performing works ? The reply is this:— Evenness cf mind in success and failure is called devotion (Yoga). In comparison with action thus performed in the service of the Isvara with evenness of mind, ~ ERAS CES: x qin GAL BA _igarNsray | get qeafaes HIM: HSTTA: Wt BAM 49, Verily action is far inferior to devotion in wisdom (buddhi-yoga), O Dhanamjaya. In wisdom (buddhi) seek thou shelter. Wretched are they whose motive is the fruit. 47—50] SANKHYA YOGA 65 Action done by a seeker of its reward is far inferior to devotion in wisdom, 7.e., to action performed with evenness of mind ; for,the former is the cause of birth and death O Dhanamjaya. Wherefore seek shelter in the wisdom of Yoga, or rather in the wisdom of Sankhya, which latter arises when Yoga attains maturity. That is, seek refuge in the knowledge of the supreme Reality, For, wretched are they who resort to inferior action, who are incited to action by thirst for its fruit. The sruti says: “O Gargi, wretched is he who departs from this world without knowing the Akshara, the. Imperishable.”’ (Bri. Up. 3-8-13), : The merit of Wisdom Now, learn as to what result he attains who performs his own duty with evenness of u:ind: gsqet verdig sa gargs | : “a A < AMAT ATA As FAG BAST 1) 4o | 90, He who is endued with wisdom casts off here both good deeds and bad deeds. Wherefore apply thyself to devotion. In regard to actions devotion is a power. The man that has evenness of mind casts off in this world both merit and sin (sukrita and dushkrita, punya and papa) through attaining mental purity and knowledge. Wherefore apply yourself to devotion with equanimity. For devotion is a power,—devotion being the eqanimity of mind in success and failore on the part of him who is engaged in the perform- ance of his own duties, his mind resting on the Isvara all the while. Itis indeed a power, because works which are of a binding nature lose that nature when done with even- ness of mind. Wherefore be equanimous. ro 66 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. Il * Results of Karma-Yoga SUA Segal fe HS AAA ARHIT: | i aS ° ReaGeaaageals ITZ WI-Aqaaay || 4% Il 51. For, men of wisdom cast off the fruit of action; possessed of knowledge (and) released from the bond of birth, they go to the place where there is no evil. For, men of wisdom, possessing evenness of mind, cast off the fruit of works, «.e., escape from good and bad births. They then attain knowledge. While still alive, they are released from the bond of birth, and attain the supreme abode of Vishnu—the state of moksha or liberation... which is free from all turmoils. Or, the wisdom (baddhi) referred to in the tbree verses (ii. 49—51) may be the Sankhya-(not the Yoga-) wisdom, the knowledge of the Absolute Reality, (corresponding to the wide-spread expanse of water), which arises when the mind is purified by Karma-Yoga; for, it is said in ii, 50 that wisdom directly brings about the destruction of good and bad deeds. : When is that conviction attained which (it is said) arises as soon as the mind is purified by Karma-Yoga or devotion through works? The answer follows; a ~ od oO Cn a (as Ul Ad Wahoos Fgouaaqcwald | aet neatla fade Arasae BAS FT 4? Il 52, When thy mind shall cross beyond the mire of delusion, then wilt thou attain to a disgust of what is yet to be heard and what has been heard. 51—53] SANKHYA YOGA 67 When your intuition (baddhi) shall cross beyond the mire of delusion, by which the sense of discrimination between the Self and the not-Self is confounded and the mind (antah- karana) is turned towards the objects of the senses—i. ¢., when your reason attains purity—then will yon attain toa disgust of whatis yet to be heard and what has already been heard™: they will appear to you to be of no use. You may now ask; When shall I attain the trae Yoga or conviction of the Supreme Truth, by crossing beyond the mire of delusion and obtaining wisdom by discrimination of ‘the Self?” Listen: afaastaal &¢ aat area rae | AUUAIS ZA BTAaAHAY 1 * 3 1 53. When thy mind, perplexed by what thou hast heard, shall stand firm and steady in the, Self, then wilt thou attain Yoga. When your intuition (buddhi=antah-karana) which hag been perplexed by what you have heard about the multifarj is ous ends and means in all their relations—concerning the life of activity and the life of retirement—shall stand firm, with- out distraction (vikshepa = viparyaya) and doubt (vikalpa = samsaya),in the Self (Samadhi, te, the objective point of your meditation), then you will attain Yoga, samadhi, 2.e., the knowledge which arises from discrimination. The characteristic attributes of a perfect Sage Having found an occasion for interrogation, A rjuna asks ‘with a desire to know the characteristic marks of one who has ‘attained wisdom i in n steady contem vlation (samadhiprajna) ; * Except, of cuurse, th: teaching of the scripture regarding the ‘Atman, the Self—(A). 68 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA fDis. I. waa Tata AAA BT UM AAMT BAT | raat: fe aarta Pareia ase fam nh AF HI Arjuna said: 4. What, O Kesava!, is the description of one of steady knowledge, who 1s constant In con- templation ? How does one of steady knowledge speak, how sit, how move ? How is a2 man who has a firm conviction that he is the Supreme Brahman, and who is intent on contemplation (samadhi).—how is such a man spoken of by others? How does the man of steady knowledge himself speak? How does he sit? How does he move 2—In this verse Arjuna asks in order to know what the characteristic attributes of a man of steady knowledge (sthitaprajna) are, From ii. 5D to the end of the Discourse (adhyaya), the characteristic attributes of a man of steady knowledge as well as the means of obta:ning that knowledge are taught to him who, having from the very commencement renounced: all works. has entered upon a course of Devotion to. knowledge (jnana-yoga-nishtha), as well as to him who has _ reached that. stage by means of Devotion to works (Karma-yoga.), For everywhere in spiritual science (adhyatma-sastra), the very characteristic attributes of the successful Yogin are taught as the means (of attaining that stage), since they are to be attained by effort. The Lord now points out those characte- ristic attributes which, as attainable by effort, constitute the means as well. 54—56] SANKHYA YOGA 69 ; _ | S g bat AMEE TAT BAAN HTT ATA | SAA GE: MATAIEAT 11 44 II (1) Satisfaction in the Self The Lord said: 5+ When a man, satisfied in the Self alone ‘by himself, completely casts off all the desires of the mind, then is he said to be one of steady knowledge. | | When a man completely abandons all the various desires that enter the heart and is satisfied with the True Innermost Self (Pratyagatman) in himself, without longing for external possessions, averse to everything else because of his acquisi= tion of the immortal nectar,—i.¢ , his realisation of the Supreme Truth,—then he is said to be a wise man (vidvan), one whose knowledge arising from the discrimination of the Self and the not-Self has been steadied, [If, on his abandon- ing of all desires, nothing should be found to cause satisfac- tion while the cause of the embodied state still operates, it would follow that his behaviour would be like that of a mad manor @ maniac, Hence the words ‘satisfied in the Self? etc.] That is to say, he who has abandoned all desires con- nected with progeny, possessions and the world, who has renounced (all works), who delights inthe Self and plays with the Self,—he is the man whose knowledge is steady. (2) Equanimity in pleasure and pain Moreover, bn ~ a Garage: gag fanazge: | n o Cn aauaaza: eadgreat 1 4 4 70 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IE 56. He whose heart is not distressed in cala- mities, from whom all longing for pleasures has departed, who is free from attachment, fear and wrath, he is called a sage, a man of steady know- ledge. His heart if not distressed in calamities such as may arise from disorder in the body*, (adhyatmika), etc. Unlike fire, which increases as fuel is added, his longing for pleasures. does not increase as more pleasures are attained. He is said to be a man of steady knowledge. He is called a sage, & Sannyasin, one who has renounced works. (3) Absence of attachment, del'ght and aversion, Moreover, qT: GATAMACAAMNA TAZAT | alia a gfe der sat searsar yy 4 1 57. Whoso, without attachment anywhere, on meeting with anything good or bad, neither exults nor hates, his knowledge becomes steady. The sage has no attachment even for the li‘e of the body. He does not exult in pleasure, nor is he averse to pain that may befall him. When he is thus free from delight and distress, his knowledge arising from discrimination becomes. steady, * Calamities are divided into the three following classes according to their sources: Adhydimika, arising from disorder in one’s own body ; Adhibhautika, arising from external object such as a tiger, Adhidaivika, arising from the action of great, intelligent, cosmic forces such as those which cause rain and storm or such beings as Yak~ shas, Rakshasas and Pisachas. Pleasures also are divided into the same three classes. 37—59] SANKHYA YOGA 71 (4) Complete withdrawal of senses from objects Moreover, ° e © Ua gata qa Passa aaa: | VeRMM RATATAT Tat AAA 1) 4e 4) 53. When he completely withdraws the senses from sense objects, as_ the tortoise (withdraws) its limbs from all sides, his knowledge is steady. He, ve., the devotee who strives in the path of know- ledge (jvana-nistha), withdraws his senses from all objects as the, tortoise withdraws its limbs from all sides out of fear. (Question) :—Now, even the senses of a diseased man who is not able to partake of sensous objects withdraw from Sense-objects, but the taste for them ceases not. How does that cease ? ( Answer):—Listen : ~ MY CANA ba an TAqa (aldaqdeq 4UaItqy Gla? | Taast Talscamy qe qa! fraadt 1 4e 1 59. Objects withdraw from an abstinent man, but not the taste. On seeing the Supreme, his taste, too, ceases, The senses,—‘vishayay,,’ meaning literally éense-objects, here stands for the senses,—it is true, withdraw from objects even in the case of an ignorant person .who, practising extremist austerity, abstains from all sensuous objects; but the taste or inclination (rasa) for those objects ceases not. (Hasa is usedin the sense of taste or inclination in such expressious as ‘svarasena pravrittah,’ ‘rasikah,’ and ‘rasa- j72/.) Even that taste, that subtle attachment, vanishes in 72 THE BHAGAVAD-“GITA (Dis. II the case of the devotee who, having seen the Supreme Reality, the Brahman, thinks ‘I am myself That’; that is to say, his perception of sensuous objects becomes seedless (nir-bija), has lost all germ of evil, The meaning is this: In the absence of right knowledge, there can be no annihilation” of taste for sensuous objects; wherefore, steadiness of right knowledge (prajn4) should be acquired. Unrestrained senses work mischief. He who would acquire steadiness of right knowledge (prajn4) should first bring the senses under control. For, if not controlled, they will do harm. So, the Lord says: aaay ae wieay Geet faazras | stgatfa sardifa queda wad Aa: 1 Go I 60 The dangerous senses, O son of Kunti, forcibly carry away the mind of a wise man, even while striving (to control them). The senses are dangerous, They agitate the mind of the man who is inclined to sensuous objects, Having thus agitat- ed the mind, they carry-it away by force, while the man is wide awake + though the mind is possessed of discriminative knowledge. (5) Devotion to the Lord Wherefore, alt aa qara ge area Aa | ant fe Tapa aw ast aasat 1 Se “It is no fallacy of mutual dependance (anyonydsraya) to say that knowledge arises onthe killing of desires and that desires vanish when knowledge arises: For, desire in its grossest form disappears at the first dawn of knowledge and as knowledge is steadied and perfected, even the subtlest desires are killed out- +t i-es, while repeatedly thinking of the evil nature of sensuous objectse 60—63] SANKHYA YOGA 73 61. Restraining them all, a man should remain steadfast, intent on Me. His knowledge is steady whose senses are under control. He should bring the senses under control and sit calm and intent on Me, Vasudeva, the Innermost Self of all; ce., he should sit thinking ‘I am no other than He.’ The know- ledge of that devotee is steady who, thus seated, has by prac- tice brought the senses under his own control. Thought of sense-objects isthe source of evil Now the Lord proceeds to point out the source of all evil in the case of the unsuccessful : earaa warega: ageagaaaa | SHAAAT BWA BEAMS Maa 1 Ry 62. When a man thinks of objects, attachment for them arises. From attachment arises desire ; from desire arises wrath. Attachment for objects arises when a man thinks of them Specifically*—Wrath arises when desire is frustrated by some ‘cause or other. “ las bat a On ALA EAA AFaye: Stale aaars | ATAMNTT Sam geamewngqas 1&3 | 63. From wrath arises delusion : from delu- sion, failure of memory ; from failure of memorys loss of conscience ; from logs of conscience he ig utterly ruined: From wrath arises delusion, a lack of discrimination be- ‘ween right and wrong, Verily, when a wrathful man gets * je, thinks of their beauty etc. 74 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Dis, If? infatuated, he is led to insult even the Guru. From infatu- ation follows failure of memory. Despite the presence of favourable conditions, no reminiscences arise of things alredy impressed upon the mind by the teachings of the sastras and of the teacher (achary:). From failure of memory follows loss of conscience (buddhi)—the inability of the inner sense (antah-karana) to discriminate between right and wrong (karya. and a-karya) By luss of conscieace he is utterly ruined. Man is man only so jong as his antah-karana is competent to discriminate between right and wrong. Whenit is unable to do so, the man is utterly ruined. ‘hus by loss of conscience (antak-karana, buddhi) he is ruined, he is debarred from attain~ ing human aspirations. Sense-Control leads to peace and happiness The contemplation of sense objects has been described as the source of all evil Now the means of deliverance (moksha), is described as follows: wngsgee Asari ACHAAIAAl TAeAaN=sTia 1) 32 64. He attains peace, who, self-controlled,, aproaches objects with the senses devoid of love. and hatred and brought under his own-control. | The natural activity of the senses is characterised by love and hatred. He who longs for deliverance resorts only to unavoidable objects with the seases—hearing. etc ,— devoid of love and hatred and brought under his own control, his inner- sense (atman—antah-karana) being made obedient to his own will. Such a man attains peace, tranquillity, self-possession. (Question):—W hat will happen when peace is attained > Answer:— Listen: 64—66] SANKHYA YOGA 75. are @agierat eceasat ; n QA eK TAATG MY Te: walasa 1 $4 1 65. In peace there is an end of all his miseries;- for, the reason of the tran quil-minded soon be-. 9 q comes steady, On the attainment of peace there is an ond of all the. devotee’s miseries such as pertain to the body and the mind. For, the reason (buddhi) of the pure-minded man soon becomes. steadiast, in the form of the Self. The sense of the passage is this:—The man whose heart is pure and whose mind is steady has achieved his object. Wherefore the devout man should resort only to those sense-. objects which are indispensable and not forbidden by the. sastras, with the senses devoid of love and hatred. Tranquillity is thus extolled : Wet Segue a agqKer waar | TAMA: MAMAS FA: GAT 1) 4S 1] 6/. There is no wisdom to the unsteady, and ho meditation to the unsteady, and to the unmedi-. tative no peace; to the peaceless, how can there be happiness ? To the unsteady (ayukta =asamahita), tothe man who. cannot fix the mind in contemplation there can be no wisdom, (buddhi), no knowledge of the true nature of the Self. To the. unsteady, there can be no meditation, no intense devotion to. Self-knowledge. So, to him who is not devoted to Self-know- ledge there can be no peace, no tranquillity. Tothe peaceless. man, how can there be happiness ? Verily, happiness consista. ‘76 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA | Dis. II ‘in the freedom of the senses from thirst of sensual enjoyment ‘not in the thirst (trishna) for objects. This last is mere, ‘misery indeed, While there is thirst, there can be no trace of ‘happiness; we cannot so much as smell] it. Sense-restraint conduces to steady knowledge (Question) :—Why is there no knowledge for the un- esteady ? (Answer) :—Listen : co oe & e “A TAN zfegurat te Atal U-Halsg asad | ae eva vat argaraareala uy &9 67. For, the mind which yields to the roving ‘senses carries away his knowledge, as the wind ‘carries away a ship on water For, the mind which yields to the senses engaged in their respective objects, ¢.¢,, the mind which is altogether engross- -gd in the thought of the various objects of the senses, destroys ‘the devotee’s discriminative knowledge of the Self and the ‘not-Self.—How ?—As the wind carries away a ship from the ‘intended course of the sailors and drives her astray, so the ‘mind carries away the devotee’s consciousness from the Self -and turns it towards sense-objects. | Having explained in several ways the proposition enunci- -ated in ii. 60—61, the Lord concludes by reaffirming the same iproposition ; ama aeraret fadiala BIT | gganitgaraae sat aaiBat 1 ke 68. Therefore, O mighty-armed, his know- ledge is steady whose senses have been entirely -restrained from sense-objects. 67—69] SANKHYA YOGA ai” It has been shown that evil arises from the senses pursue. ing sense-objects. Wherefore, that devotee’s knowledge ig; steady whose senses have been restrained from sense-objects. (such as sound) in all forms, subjective and objective. (6) The Universe, a mere dream to the Sage In the case of the man who possesses discriminative. knowledge and whose knowledge has become steady, his. experience of all matters, temporal and spiritual (laukika and. vaidika, sensuous and supersensuous), ceases on the cessation of nescience (avidya); for, it is the effect of nescience: and. nescience ceases because it is opposed to knowledge. To. make this clear, the Lord proceeds: | U fa aaa teat saa aad | vet att Yatia at faa WTA ga 1) FZ 69. What is night to all beings, therein the. self controlled one is awake. Where all beings are. awake, that is the night of the sage who sees. To all beings the Supreme Reality is night. Night is by: nature tamasic, and, as such, causes confusion of things. The Reality is accessible only to a man of steady knowledge.. Just as what is day to others becomes night to night- wanderers, so, to all beings who are ignorant and who. correspond tothe night-wanderers, the Supreme Reality is. dark, is like night; for it is not accessible to those whose. minds are not in It. With reference to that Supreme Reality, the self-restrained Yogin who has subdued the senses, and who. has shaken off the sleep of Avidya (nescience), is fully awake, When all beings are said to be awake, z.e.. when all beings, who in reality sleep in the night of ignorance, imbued with the distinct notions of perceiver and things perceived, are as. 28 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. II «+ were mere dreamers in sleep at night,—that state is night in “the eye of the sage who knows the Supreme Reality ; for, it 1s “nescience itself, | Works are not meant for the Sage Wherefore works are enjoined on the ignorant, not on “the wise. Wisdom (Vidya) arising, nescience (Avidya) dis- appears as does the darkness of the night at sunrise. Before “the dawn of wisdom, nescience presents itself in various forms—as actions, means and results,—is regarded as authori- “tative, and becomes the source of all action, When it 18 ‘regarded as of no authority, it cannot induce action. A man engages in action regarding it as his duty—regarding that “action is enjoined by such an authority as the Veda, but not looking upon all this duality as mere illusion, as though it “were night When he has learnt to look upon all this dual world as a mere illusion, as though it were night, when be has “yealised the Self, his duty consists not in the performance of action, but in the renunciation of all action. Our Lord will : accordingly show (v. 17 et seq.) that such a man’s duty con- sista in devotion to wisdom, in Jnana-nishtha. (Objection) :—In the absence of an injunction (Pravar— ‘taka pramana =vidhi) one cannot have recourse to that course ‘ either. | (Answer):—This objection does not apply; for the knowledge of Atman means the knowledge of one’s own Self, There is indeed no need of an injanction impelling one to devote oneself to one’s Atman, for the very reason that Atman is one’s own very Self. And all organs of knowledge (pramanas) are so called because they ultimately lead to a knowledge of the Self. When the knowledge of the true nature of the Self has been attained, neither organs af »knowledge nor objects of knowledge present themselves to 69—70C] SANKHYA YOGA 79 consciousness any longer. For, the final authority, (zz. the Veda), teaches that the Self is in reality no percipient of ‘objects, and while so denying, (7.2, as a result of that teaching), the Veda itself ceases to be an authority, just as ‘the dream-perception (ceases to be an authority) in the waking state, In ordinary experience, tuo, we do not find any organ of knowledge necessitating further operation (on the part of the knower) when once the thing to be perceived by that organ has been perceived. (7) Subiugation of desire and personal self The Lord proceeds to teach, by an illustration, that that devotee only who is wise, who has abandoned desires, and whose wisdom is steady, can attain moksha, bat not he who, ‘without renouncing, cherishes a desire for objects of pleasure. Le e AGAATAIS NaS Sazaa: saaiea aeq | ° “ TSA F WAaMea as a Uleaacara a srg |p wo 4 (0. He attains peace, into whom all desires enter as waters enter the ocean, which, filled from all sides, remains unaltered; but not he who desires objects. The ocean is filled with waters flowing from all sides. Its state is unaltered, though waters flow into it from all sides ; it remains all the while within its bounds without change. That sage into whom in this manner desires of all sorts enter fromall sides without affecting him—as waters enter into the ocean—even in the presence of objects ; in whose Self they are absorbed, and whom they do not enslave. 80 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IB that sage attains peace (moksha)> but not the other who has a longing for external obiects. Because it is so, therefore, aera sara: aaegaiaca faseze: | Raa fares: @ atanian=sia 8k 1 71. That man attains peace, who, abandoning all desires, moves about without attachment, with- out selfishness, without vanity That man of renunciation, who, entirely abandoning al! desires, goes through life content with the bare necessities of life, who has no attachment even for those bare necessities of life, who regards not as his even those things which are need- ed for the mere bodily existence, who is not vain of his. knowledge,—such a man of steady knowledge, that man who knows Brahman, attains peace (nirvana), the end of all the misery of samsara (mundane existence). In short, becomes the very Brahman, Knowledge leads to Divine Felicity This devotion to knowledge is extolled as follows; cf g ° of ua Areft fea: at Aat wea agar | ~ es " fal sameassss a fransesit i FR | 79 This is the Brahmic state, O son of Pri- tha. Attaining to this, none is deluded, Remaining in this state even at the last period of life, one at- tains to the felicity of Brahman. gfa MagnaRagiaay aafaeat altar SMNMAaS THAaaaatann ata feaietseara: 8 70} SANKHYA YOGA 81 This foregoing state—to renounce all and to dwell in Brahman—is the Divine state, the state of Brahman. it pertains to and has its being in Brahman, On reaching? this State, one is no Jonger deluded. Remaining in this state even at the last period of life, one attains moksha, the felicity of Brahman, And it needs no saying that he who renounces while yet a student and dwells in Brahman throughout life attains the Felicity of Brahman, the Brahma-N irvana. THIRD DISCOURSE KARMA-YOGA Ariuna’s perplexity The two aspects of wisdom—relating respectively to Pravritti and Nivritti, 7e, to the Path of Works and the. Path of Renunciation—with which the Gita-Sastra 1s con- cerned have been pointed out by the Lord in the Second Discourse. He has recommended renunciation of action to those who hold to the Sankhya-buddhi (Sankhya aspect of wisdom) and has added in ii. "92 that their end can be achieved by being devoted to that alone. And as to Arjuna, He has declared in ii. 47 that he, should resort to works (karma) alone as based on Yoga-buddhi (the Yoga aspect of wisdom), while it has not been said that the Highest Good can be attained by that alone.* Seeing this, Arjuna is troubl- edin mind and therefore puts @ question to the Lord, (III. 1, 2). This perplexity in Arjuna’s mind is quite explicable. He thinks, “how might the Lord first describe to me—a devout seeker of Bliss—the direct means of attaining Bliss, namely adherence to the Sankhya aspect of wisdom, and then command metodo action which is fraught with many @ tangible evil and which 1s but an indirect and uncertain means of attaining Bliss? Arjuna’s question, too, points to this state of mind; and the Lord’s words in reply to the question are explicable only when the sastra makes such a distinction (between Sankhya and Yoga) as has been described above. * Vide ii 49—(A) KARMA YOGA 83 ‘No conJunction of Knowledge and Action A certain commentator™ interprets the meaning of Arju- ma’s question differently and explains the Lord’s reply as opposed (to the question) in meaning. So also, he sums up the teaching of the Gita-sastra in one way in the introductory portion of his commentary, while he interprets the question and answer in this connection in a different way .—How ?—It is stated in the introduction that a simultaneous conjunction of ‘knowledge and action for men in all stages of religious life is inculcated in the Gita-sastra; and moreover a specific state- ment is made amounting to an emphatic denial of the doctrine that moksha can he attained by knowledge alone, z.e., without those works which are enjoined by the scriptures as obligatory throughout life. But here, in the Third Discourse, he makes out that devotion to only one of the two paths is taught, This is tantamount to saying that the very works which are ‘enjoined by the scriptures as obligatory throughout life have to be renounced. How is it possible either for the Lord to teach such contradictions or for the disciple to accept them ? That commentator may perhaps explain away the contra- diction thus :—It is only to the grihasthas (to the order of married house-hojders )— but not to other orders—that salvation by mere knowledge, preceded by the renunciation of works enjoined in the sruti and in the amriti, is denied.t This, too, involves a self-contradiction. For after declaring (in the introduction) that a simultaneous conjunction of knowledge and action is meant for ail religious orders by the Gita-sastra, how could he, in contradiction thereto, say here (in iii, Discourse) that salvation by mere knowledge is meant for some religious orders ? * The Vrittikara 1s here referred to. Vide ante note on p- 16. 7 In the iii, Discourse salvation by mere knowledge is said to be possible in the case of other orders. Thus, they hold, there is no ‘contradiction. (84 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. TIE Then the commentator may explain away the contradic- tion thus: It is with reference to the srauta-karma (action enjoined in the sruti) that the assertion is made that salvation by mere—+.e., unconjoined with the srauta-karma-—knowledge is denied to the grihastha. The smarta-karma (action enjoin- edin the smriti) that is meant for a grihastha is ignored as if it were absent.* It is in this sense that salvation by mere knowledge is denied in the case of grikasthas,t This also involves an absurdity. For, how is it possible for any intelligent man to believe that salvation by knowledge conjoined only with the smarta-karma is denied to a grihastha alone, but not to other orders? On the other hand, if, as means of obtaining salvation, the smarta-karma should be conjoined with knowledge in the case of the samnyasins—the fourth religious order,—then it follows that, for the grihasthas also knowledge should be conjoined only with the smarta karma, not with the srauta-karma. Then, he may explain away the contradiction thus: it is only in the case of a grihastha that a conjunction (of know ledge) with both the srauta-karma and the smarta-karma— both being of equal importance to him—is necessary for’ * Because it is of secondary importance to him. + It may be further explained thus: The samnyasins have renounced only the srauta-karma, but they have still to do certain acts and be bound by oertain restrictions as enjoin- ed in the smriti- Thus a conjunction of knowledge with action as ameans. of obtaining salvation holds good in the case of samznyasins, On the other hand, the srauta-karma is binding on a grihastha; that is to say, he cannot attain salvation by knowledge unconjoined with the srauta- karma» The smarta-karma, which he is bound to do is only of secondary importance to him; and in the absence of the srauta-karma. which is of primary importance to him, the existence of the smarta-karma may be ignored in his case. Thus, while a samnyasin can attain salvation by knowledge conjoined with the smarta-karma, a grihastha can obtain it by knowledge conjoined with the srauta-karmae dntroduction.] KARMA YOGA 85 salvation, whereas the samnyasins can attain moksha by knowledge conjoined with the smarta-karma only. If so, too much exertion in the shape of both the srauta, karma and the sinarta-karma, very painful in themselves, falls to the lot of the grikastha, Renunciation enjoined in the scriptures The commentator in question may now say: Because of this multiplicity of exertion, salvation is attained only by a grihastha, but not by other religious orders who have not to do the nitya or obligatory srauta-karma,* This, too, is wrong ; for, in all the Upanishads, in the Itihasas, in the Purana, and in the Yoga-sastra, renunciation of all karma is enjoined on the seekerof moksha as an accessory tf to knowledge, Both in the sruti [ and in the smriti, a gradual passage (through the three orders to the fourth order) is enjoined, as well as a sudden jump (from any one of the three to the fourth order). BLE PREETI According to a certain ritualistic school of Mimamsakas, renunci- ation of the srauta-karma is intended for those who are afflicted with physical disabilities, —for the lame and the blind who cannot perform the complicated Vedic sacrifices according to prescribed rules. According to this view, the Samnyasins cannot attain moksha as they have not per- 4ormed the Srauta-karma, T If samnyasa were meant for the lame and the blind Only, it could not have been meant as an accessory to knowledge. Hence that view is wrong, { “On the completion of the Student-life one should become an +ouse-holder ; then, leaving home he should become a forest-dweller and | then retire from the world. Or he may retire from the world when he is f yet a student, or retire from house or from the forest, whether he is/ engaged in austerities or not, whether he has completed or not the Student’s career, whether he has quenched the sacrificial fires or not In\ Short the very day on which he may get disgusted with the world, the | ‘same day he should retire from it.’ Jabalya-Upanihad 4. 86 THE BHAGAVAD~-GITA [Dis. IIt If so—the commentator in question may retort—it follows that a conjunction of knowledge with action 1% necessary for all religious orders.* No, (we reply). For, renunciation of all action is enjoin- ed on the seeker of moksha, as the following passages from the sruti show: “Having given upall desire for progeny, for wealth and for the world, they lead a mendicant life." —(Bri, Up. 3-5-1), “ ‘Wherefore, of these austerities, renunciation, they say, is excellent.” “Renunciation alone excelled.” (Taitti- riya-Up. 4-78, 79). ‘‘Not by action, not by progeny, not by wealth but by renunciation, some attained immortality.” (Tbzd. 4-12). “One may renounce the world when yet a student.” (Jabalya-Upanishad, 4.) 3 ee The following passages from the smriti may also be quoted:— “ Give up religion, give up irreligion. Give up truth, give up untruth. Having given up both truth and un- truths give up thatt by which you give them up.” “Finding the samsara (mundane existence) worthless and wishing to get at the essence, the unmarried grow quite weary of life and renounce the world.” —(Brihas- pati). Saka’s teaching runs as follows: * When it is Said that all the religious orders are sanctioned by the sruti, the duties also that are assigned to them respectively are binding on theme A conjunction of knowledge with action is thus proved to be- necessary in the case of all asramas or religious orders. + Even that idea of personality which is implied in the thought, ‘I have abandoned these.’ Introduction. | KARMA YOGA 87 « “By action a person is bound, and by wisdom he is released. Therefore, the sages who see the goal do no action.”’ Santiparva, Mokshadharma, (241-7). Here (in the Bhagavad-gita) also we have, “Renouncing all actions by thought,” & (v, 12). Moksha cannot be the effect of an action Moksha, too, being no effect of an act, no action will be of any avail to a mumukshu, a seeker of moksha. (Objection) :—The performance of obligatory duties is intended for the mere avoidance of the sin (of their omission). (Answer) :—No. For the sin arises only in the case of one who has not formally entered the fourth order, the order of samnyasins. It is certainly (as the opponent must admit) not possible to imagine that samnyasin will incur sin by omitting the agni-karya—worship of the sacred fire—as students (Brahmacharins) do thereby incur when they are not yet samnyasins, t.e., when they have not formally renounced works.* Neither is it, indeed, possible to imagine the generation of sin-—which isa bhava or positive effect—out of the omission of the obligatory duties,—which is an abhava or mere negation; for, that the generation of existence out of non-existence is impossible is taught by the sruti in the words ‘How can existence arise oat of non-existence?” (Chhandogya-Upanishad, 6-2). If the Veda should teach what is inconceivable to us, viz, that evil arises from the omission of prescribed duties, it is tantamount to saying that the Veda conduces to no good and is therefore no authority ; *It is admitted by all that a Brahmachari alone incurs sin by Omitting agnikarya (throwing fuel into the sacred fire) and the Vedic study, which are both enjoined only on the first order (asrama). No sin in fact is incurred by any religious order of men neglecting the duties not enjoined on that order. 88 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis, III for, performance and non-performance alike would only produce pain. This would further lead to the absurd* conclusion that sastra or revelation is creative, not indicative, @ conclusion which is acceptable to none. Hence no karma for samnyasins ; and hence also the absurdity of conjunction of knowledge and action. Conjunction is inconsistent with ArJuna’s question Arjuna’s question (in iii) would also be inexplicable. If, in the Second Discourse, it was said by the Lord that both knowledge and action should besimultaneously conjoined in Arjuna himself, then his question (in iii. I) cannot be explained. If it was taught to Arjuna that both’ knowledge and action should be conjoined in him, knowledge which is superior to action must certainly have been meant for him. Then there could be no occasion for the question, or for the blame, which is implied in Arjuna’s words. “Then why dost Thou, O Kesava, direct me to this terrible action ?” Gii. 1.) It can by no means Xe supposed that knowledge, the superior of the two was forbidden to Arjuna alone by the Lord in His previous teaching,—in which case the question on the part of Arjuna distinguishing one path from the other might arise. If, on the other hand, it has been previously taught by the Lord that knowledge and action are intended for two distinct classes of men respectively, on the ground that a simultaneous devo- tion—on the part: of one man—to knowledge and action was impossible owing to their mutual opposition, then the question (in iti. 1.) becomes explicable. Even supposing that the question was asked from ignorance, the Lord’s answer that _ devotion to knowledge and devotion to action are assigned to two distinct classes of men cannot be explained. Neither can * For, it is tantamount to saying that an abhava which in itself cannot produce anything, is invested with a power to do so by the sastra whick is of absolute authority. a] KARMA Yoca 89 the reply of the Lord be attributed to His ignorance. From this very answer of the Lord—that devotion to knowledge and devotion to action are assigned to distinct classes of persons— follows the impossibility of a conjunction of knowledge and action. ; Wherefore the conclusion of the Gita and all the Upanishads is this, that moksha can be obtained by knowledge alone, unaided (by action), If a conjunction of the two, were possible (for one man,) Arjuna’s request to the Lord to teach him ouly one of the two, jnana or karma, would be unaccountable. The Lord, moreover, emphatically teaches the impossibility of devotion to jnana in the case of Arjuna, in the words “do thou there- fore perform action only.” «Civ, 15). Which fs better, Knowledge or Action ? waa Tara— BN oR cig pe 43 SAA, SHIT AAT SStast | oe on . A> aS TE FAT ae at aaa sara 1) 2 4 Aruna said: I. Ifit be thought by Thee that knowledge iS superior to action, O Janardana, why then dost Thou, O Kesava, direct me to this terrible action ? If it had been meant that knowledge and action should ‘be conjoined then the means of salvation would be one only 3 and, in that case,a groundless separation of knowledge from action would have been made by Arjuna declaring knowledge to be superior to action. Tf the two be regarded as constituting together a single means to a single end, they 99 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Dis. IIE cannot at the same time be regarded to be distinct as produc- ing distinct effects-* Neither could we account for what. Arjuna said—“Why then dost Thou direct me to this terrible action ?”—as if meaning to censurethe Lord, on finding that He—for what reason Arjuna could not see clearly—had exhorted him to follow the unwholesome course of action after declaring that knowledge was superior to action. Now, if a conjunction of knowledge with the smarta- karma only were intended for all by the Lord and understood by Arjuna as so intended, how could we then justify the Words. of Arjuna + “why dost Thou direct me to this terrible: action ?” | Moreover, saaana ada she aeaeia a | ata aq fafa Fa FaseTgaryT i 2 Ul 2. With an apparently perplexing speech, Thou confusest as it were my understanding. Tell me with certainty that one (way) by which I may attain bliss. * This may be explained with reference to the present case thus :— When knowledge and action are held toform together as one means to nioksha, they cannot at the same time be suppossed to become distinct as producing distinct effects. If this were possible, Arjuna’s considering of the two as distinct from each other might find some justification: + For, then, the Lord who had taught a conjunction of knowledge and action could not have enjoined mere action on Arjuna, and so there would be no occasion for Arjuna’s complaint. 23] KARMA YOGA of No doubt the Lord speaks clearly ; still, to me of dull’ understanding the speech of the Lord appears to be perplex-- ing. Thereby “Thou confnsest as it were my understand- ing.” Arjuna means—‘It is not possible that Thou wouldst confuse me, Thou who hast undertaken to remove my- confusion? Hence I say. Thou confusest as tt were my- understanding.” He goes on:—If Thou thinkest that knowledge and action, which are intended for two distinct classes of aspirants, cannot both be followed by one and the. Same person, then teach me one of the two, knowledge or. action, after determining (within Thyself) that “this one alone. is suited to Arjuna, and isin accordance with the state and powers of his understanding ;” teach me that one of the two,. knowledge or action, by which I may attain bliss. If knowledge had been intended by the Lord to be at least an accessory to devotion to action, why then should Arjuna. Wish to know about only one of them. It had not indeed been said by the Lord that He would teach him one only of the two, knowledge or action, but not béth,—in which case- alone Arjuna might ask for one only, seeing that both would. not be taught to him. The Paths of Knowledge and Action The Blessed Lord gives the follo wing reply, which is in, conformity with the question : bot is \ Wsslaegaat fast Gt ANE AATSAT | AAA Ararat BAA ATA Wy The Blessed Lord said : 3. In this world a twofold path was taught: by Me at first, O sinless one: that of Sankhyas by: ‘92 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. III ‘devotion to knowledge, and that of Yogins by devotion to action. In this world—with reference to the people of the three ‘castes, for whom alone are intended the teachings of the sastra ‘(Scripture),—a twofold nishtha or path of devotion was ‘taught by Me, the Omniscient Lord, when at first, at the be- ‘ginning of creation, I created people and revived the tradition of the Vedic doctrine for teaching them the means of attaining worldly prosperity and Bliss—-What was that twofold path ‘of devotion?—-One of them was jnana-yoga, the devotion ‘of knowledge—kuowledge itself being yoga—suited to ‘the Sankhyas, to those who possessed a clear knowledge of the ‘Self and the not-Self, who renounced the world from the Brahmacharya (the first holy order or asrama), who determin- ‘ed the nature of things in the light of the Vedantic wisdom, who belonged to the highest class of samnyasins known as the Paramahamsas, whose thoughts ever dwelt on Brahman only. ‘The other was karma-yoga, the devotion of action,—action itself being Yoga or,devotion,—suited to Yoginis, to karmins, ‘to those who were inclined to action. 7 If it had already been taught or is going to be taught by ‘the Lord in the Gita—and if it had been taught in the Vedas as well—that both knowledge and action should be conjoined ‘In one and the same person as a means to one and the same ‘end, how might the Lord teach Arjuna who approached Him ‘as a beloved pupil, that the two paths of knowledge and action ‘were respectively intended for two distinct classes of aspirants? If, on the ‘other hand, we suppose, that the Lord meant that -Arjuua, after heariug Him teach knowledge and action, would ‘devote himself, of his own accord, to both of them simultane- ously conjoined, but that to others He would teach that the two paths were intended for two distinct classes of aspirants, ithen it would be tantamount to saying that the Lord is subject 3—4 | KARMA YOGA 93. to love and hatred and that therefore He is no authority (in, such matters): which is absurd. Wherefore by no argument: can a conjunction of knowledge and action be proved. Karma-Yoga leads to freedom from action The superiority of knowledge to action, referred to by: Arjuna (iii. 1), must be true, because there is no denial of its And it must also be true that the path of knowledge is intend-. ed for samnyasins only, Since it has been stated that the two paths are intended for two distinct classes of aspirants, such. is evidently the opinion of the Lord. Now Seeing that Arjuna, afflicted as he was at heart onthe ground that the. Lord had urged him to action which caused bondage, was resolved not to perform action, the Lord proceeds with iii 4, Or, the connection of what has gone before with the. sequel may be thus stated: As devotion to knowledge and devotion to action are mutually opposed, it is impossible for- one man to resort to both of them at one and the same time. From this it may follow that each leads to the goal quite. independently of the other. But the truth is this : Devotion to. action is a means to the end, not directly, but only as leading: to devotion to knowledge ; whereas the latter, which is attain-. ed by means of devotion to action, leads tothe goal directly, without extraneous help. To show this, the Lord says: A GHUAATFAASHEY Jeaszaa | 19 Baas fate BATT Ne 1 4. Not by abstaining from action does man win actionlessness, nor by mere renunciation does. he attain perfection. ‘Action’ refers to the acta of worship (Yajna) which, performed in this or a previous birth, conduce to the destruc- tion of sins committed in the past and cause purity of mind: ‘04 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA {Dis, III (sattva, antan-karana); and by thus purifying mind, they cause ‘knowledge to spring up and lead to the path of devotion to _ knowledge. It is said in the Mahabharata : ‘‘Knowledge springs in men on the destruction of sinful karma, when the Self is seen in self as in a clean mirror,’ (Santiparva, 204-8.) -By abstaining from action man cannot attain to actionlessness (naishkarmya), freedom from activity «e., devotion in the path of knowledge, the condition of the actionless Self. From the statement that man wins not freedom from activity by abstaining from action, it is understood that by the opposite course, 7.¢., by performing action, man attains freedom from -activity. For what reason, then, does he not attain freedom ‘from activity by abstaining from action? The answer follows:—For, performance of action is a means of attaining freedom from activity. Certainly there is no attaining of an ‘end except by proper means. Devotion to action is the means of attaining freedom from activity, ¢e. devotion to knowledge,-—as taught in the sruti, as well as here. In the -sruti, for instance, karma-yoga is declared to be a means to _Jnana-yoga in the following passage : “The Brahmanas seek to know this (the Self) by the study of the Vedas, by yajna or worship,’ (Bri. Up. 4-4e22), In this passage, karma-yoga is pointed ont as a means of realising the Self that is sought after. Here (in the Bhaya- ‘vad-Gita) the following passages point to the same view : “But without Yoga, O mighty- “armed, renunciation is hard to attain.” (v. 6). > “Having abandoned attachment, Yogins perform -action for the purification of the Self-” (v. 11.) “Sacrifice, gift and also austerity are the purifiers of the wise,” (xviii. 3.) 4—5] | KARMA YOGA: 95 Now the following objection may be raised :—A passage in the smriti—‘‘ Having promised* immunity from fear to all beings, one should resort to freedom from activity {naishkarmya),’—shows that actionlessness can be attained by renouncing the prescribed duties. Our experience also favours the idea that freedom from activity can be attained by abstaining from action. Of what use then is the performance of action to one who seeks for freedom from action ? In reply the Lord says; Nobody can attain perfection,— 2.e., freedom from activity, or devotion in the path of know- ledge—by mere renunciation, by merely abandoning action, without possessing knowledge. The ignorant are swayed by Nature For what reason, then, does a person not attain verfec- tion, «e,, freedom from activity, by mere renunciation unaccompanied with knowledge ?—The reason thus asked for is given as follows: af shranalt aig feanaae | ca LS g At FA Haat Qa: BA Aa: THlasTT: || & | 3. None, verily, even for an instant, ever remains doing no action; for every one is driven helpless to action by the energies born of Nature The energies (gunas) are three, Sativa, Rajas and Tamas.t ‘Every one’ means every living being that is ignorant, (ajna), who knows not (the Self); for, it is said of a er: Having promised that he would sacrifice no animal, that he would do no harm to any being as he used to do when he was grihasthaiee., baving renounced all the sacrificial rites enjoined on a grihastha. + For a description of these vide Discourse Xive 96 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IIE wise man* (that he is one) “who is unshaken by the energies”. (xiv 23.) Since the Sankhyas have been distinguished from the Yogins (iii. 3), the Karma-yoga, devotion to action, is indeed meant for the ignorant only, not for the wise. As for the wise who are unshaken by the gunas, and who in themselves are devoid of any change whatever, the Karma-yoga is out of place. And this was explained at length in our comments on (ii. 21.) The un-enlightened should not give up Karma-Yoga Now, for him who knows not the Self, it is not right to neglect the duty enjoined on him. So, the Lord says: SUPA BAFTA T AM AAA wey | lon can lon sraaraieaqera Meant: @ sat 1) & | 6. He who, restraining the organs of action, sits thinking in his mind of the objects of the senses, self-deluded, he is said to be one of false condnct. The organs of action are hand, etc. The self-deluded man, the man whose antah-karana is thus deluded, is called a hypocrite, a man of sinful conduct. afatgain aaa farazadssa | ~ ea ane maega: HaTTAaE: a fafsad || ¥ UI 7. But whoso, restraining the senses by mind O Arjuna, engages in Karma-Yoga, unattached with organs of action, he is esteemed. * He who knows the Self is immoveable by the gumas, and is therefore said to have crossed over them. The man who knows not the Self and who has not completely controlled the body and the senses—he alone is driven to action by the gunas-—(A) 5—9 | KARMA YOGA 97 If the ignorant man, who is only qualified for action, performs action with the hand, with the organ of speech, etc., restraining the organs of knowledge by mind and unmindful of the result, he is more worthy than the other, who is a hypocrite. Wherefore, : fad Se ea a BA sara awa: | Tas 4 a a afatenaT: | oy) 8. Do thou perform (thy) bounden duty ; for _ action is superior to inaction. And even the main- tenance of the body would not be possible for thee by inaction. Thy bounden duty is the obligatory (nitya) act, that which one is bound to perform, and which is not prescribed (in the scriptures) as a means to a specific end. Action is superior to inaction in point of result. By inaction you cannot attain success in the life's journey. The distinction between action and inaction is thus seen in our own experience. It is also wrong to suppose that actions lead to bondage and that they should not therefore be performed.—Why P EE oO, AS YAMAHA Sa SRSA HAIeqa: | Tat BH BAT |GAT: BATAT 118 1) 9. Hxcept in the case of action for Sacrifice’s sake, this world is action-bound. Action for the sake Thereof, do thou, O son of Kunti, perform, free from attachment. i | 98 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. III Sacrifice (Yajna) here means Isvara, the Supreme Lord So, the sruti* says ‘Yajna, verily, is Vishnu.’ ‘This world’ means those persons who, as qualified for action only, are bound to do it and who accordingly perform it. The world is not bound by action done for the Lord’s sake. Perform action without attachment. For the following reason also, action should be done by him who is qualified for it: eqal: As: BET Gara asalas | Had WAAsaeqas FSiRASHIATH 1) Lo 11 10. Having first created mankind together with sacrifices, the Prajapati said, “By this shall ye propagate ; let this be to you the cow ot plenty. Mankind: composed of the three castes. First: at the beginning of creation. The cow of plenty: the cow which yields all desires. How can this be achieved by sacrifice ? ~ SAS i eaewraaarda at Gal Wiaaeg a: | Qweqt Waa: HAs WAACAT |) @@ Il 11. With this do ye nourish the Gods, and the Gods shall nourish you; thus nourishing one another, ye shall attain the supreme good. “By this sacrifice ye nourish the Gods such as Indra. The Gods shall nourish you with rain, etc.” ‘The supreme * Taittiriya-Sambita, 1-7-4. 9—13]. iy) KARMA YOSA 99 good’ is the attainment of the knowledge of Brahman in due course. Or, the ‘supreme good’ may mean ‘svarga,’* Moreover, ~ sammie at sal great aaafaat: | aeaAAaea At Yaw Aa wa |: 1) 22 WV 12. ‘Nourished by the sacrifice, the Gods shall indeed bestow on you the enjoyments ye desire.”” Whoso enjoys —without offering to Them —-Their gifts, he is verily a thief. Pleased with your sacrifices, the Gods shall bestow on you all enjoyments, including women, cattle, children, etc. He who enjoys what is given by Gods, ie, he who gratifies the cravings of his own body and sensest without discharging the debt due to the Gods, is a thief indeed, a robber of the property of the Gods, etc. On the other hand, UMAMSMMA: Pedy FTaed BaPAsays | gad ¢ ad war & gaeaeaaeTg |) 83 1) I3. The righteous, who eat the remnants of the sacrifice, are freed from all sins; but sin do the impious eat who cook for their own sake, * The ‘supeme good’ here spoken of may be either the knowledge of Brahman or svarga, The result depends upon the motive of the aspirant -according as he desires salvation or worldly enjoymente In the former case, the sacrifice leads to purity of heart in this ora subsequent birth ‘and ultimately leads to knowledge, whereas in the latter case it leads ‘directly to svarga. t ¢ e+, he who is bent upon feeding his own body and senses without ‘Satisfying the Gods, the Rishis and the Pitris, respectively, by sacrifice y study of the sacred scriptures, and by offspring, ee Ts 100 THE BHAGAVAD~GITA {[Dis. II} Those who, after performing sacrifices to the Gods, etc., eat the remains of the food—which is called amrita, ambrosia —are freed from all sins committed at the five* places of animal-slaughter (sach as the fire place), as well as from those. sins which result from involuntary acts of injury and other causes. But as tothe others, who are selfish and cook food for their own sake, what they eat is sin itself, while they themselves are sinners. The wheel of the world should be set going.. For the following reason also should action be performed by him who is qualified for action. For, it is action that sets the wheel of the world gPing, —How #—The answer follows. TARA yeti USAR: UUTAT GHA UH BAGTRA: 11 VV Ul Ha Taga ls AMAMARAT | g e ~ e ~ qaraad aa fad aa sfafsaq un 88 i 14-15. From food creatures come forth ; the production of food is from rain; rain comes. forth from sacrifice; sacrifice is born of action ; know thou that action comes from Brahman, and that. Brahman comes from the Imperishable. There- fore, the all-pervading Brahman ever rests. in sacrifice ~ + The five places referred to are the fire-place, the water-pot, the cutting, grinding and sweeping apparatus. These are the five-places. where injury to life is daily committed: The sins committed here are said to be washed away by the five maba-yajzas or great sacrifices, which every dvija ought to perform, and which are intended to satisfy the Bhutas. the Rishis, men, the Gods, and the Pitwise Wide Manu, ii- 67—73, . 13—16] KARMA YOGA 101, All living creatures, it is evident, are born from food, which, when eaten, is converted into blood and semen. Rain proceeds from sacrifice as taught in the following text from ‘the smriti: “The offering thrown into the fire reaches the sun ; from the sun comes rain; from rain food; and from this (food) all creatures.” (Manu, iii. 76). Yajna or sacrifice here spoken of refers to what is called apurva ;* and this apiirva is the result of the activities of the ‘sacrificer and his priests (ritviks) engaged in a sacrifice, These activities are enjoined in the Veda (Brahman), and the Veda comes from the Imperishable, the Paramatman, the Highest Self. Because the Veda has arisen from the Highest Self— the Akshara, the Imperishable,—as the breath comes out ofa man, therefore, the Veda, though all-comprehending as reveal- ing all things, ever rests in sacrifice, 7.¢., it treats mainly of ‘sacrifices and the mode of their performance, aa Rat ae argaaadte a: | aTateraaa ad qa a salt yee a 16. He who follows not here the wheel thus ‘set Im motion, who is of sinful life, indulging in ‘senses, he lives in vain, O son of Pritha. He who onght te perform action, but who, mmdulging in sensual pleasures, does not follow the wheel of the world thus * The unseen from which a sacrifice is said to assume between the ‘time of its performance and the time when its results become manifested: it being, inshort, the connecting link between the two, the cause and the ‘effect. 102 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. ITE set revolving by Isvara on the basis of the Weda and sacri— fices,* he lives in vain. ‘he main drift, therefore, of this section (iii. 4. 16)is that action should be performed by the ignorant man, for whom it is intended. In iii. 4-8, it was taught thal till he, attains the qualification for Devotion to the knowledge of the Self, the man who knows not the Self and is therefore qualified (for action only) should resort to Devotion to action as a means of attaining Devotion to knowldege; and, further, there were incidentally propounded (in iii. 9-16) many reasons why the man who knows not the Self and is (therefore) qualified for action should perform it. Mention, too, has been made of evils arising from a neglect of action. Karma-Yoga is not meant for the Self-knower. Now, the Lord Himself supposes Arjuna to ask the fol- lowing question; Is the wheel, thus set in motion, to be fol- lowed by all. or by him only who has not yet attained to devotion in the path of knowledge which the Sankhyas or Self-knowers tread and which is attainable by the ignorant by: means of devotion in the path of action already described In answer to this question, or with a view to afford, of his own accord, a clear understanding of the teaching of the sastra, He proceeds to show that what is intended to be taught in the Gita-sastra of the same truth that is embodied in the followin® passage of the sruti: “The Braihmanas (the devotees of the Brahman, the Self), knowing this, the Self, and free from illusory know-~ ledge, shake off all desires of progeny, etc, cherished, of necessity, by those who are still subject to illusion; and they lead a mendicant life for the barest necessaries of * j-e-, he who does not follow the wheel by studying the Vedas ang performing the sacrifices thetin enjoined, as commanded by Isvaxa- 16—18 | KARMA YOGA 103 life. They have nothing else to do than resort to devo- tion to Self-knowledge.” (Bri. Up. 3-5-1). TRACATALA ASKATA ALAA: | AAA 4 Asa ay a at 1) 2 1 ly That man, verily who rejoices only in the Self, who is satisfied with the Self, who is con- tent in the Self alone,—for him there is nothing to do. But that man—a samnyasin, the Sankya, one devoted to Self-knowledge—-whose joy is in the Self, not in the objects of the senses, who is satisfied only with the Self, not with food-essence, etc. who is contented in the Self ;—all others derive contentment from posseassion of external things where- as, disregarding these, he is content in the Self only and has no desire for anything ;—for such a man, for the man who knows the Self, there is nothing to do. Moreover, at AM Haale, WHAT Haya | TWA BAYaT sPaqysamAa: 1) VC | 15. For him, there is here no interest what- ever in what is done or what is not done. Nor is there in all beings any one heshould resort to for any object. For the man thus rejoicing in the Self, no purpose is served by action.—Does, then, any evil called sin (pratyavdya) arise from inaction ?—No evil whatever, either by way of incurring sin, or by way of losing the Self, arises in this world 104 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. III from inaction. Nor is there, in all beings from Brahma (Prajapati) down to the sthavara or immovable objects, any whose support he has to gain by action. He has no object whatever to gain, for which he has to depend upon any parti- cular being; if he were to have any object in view, then he would have to exert himself to gain that object, Arjuna qualified for Karma-yoga you have not attained to the right knowledge, which corresponds to the all-spreading flood of water (wide ii. 46), Wherefore : TMGAE: BAI BA BA AAA | ms < NO AGH DACHA WAANT FRI 1) VX | 19. Therefore, without attachment, constant- ly perform the action which should be done ; for, performing action without attachment, man rea- ches the Supreme. Performing action, without attachment, for the sake of the Isvara, man attains moksha, through attaining purity of mind (sattva-suddhi). The wise should set an example to the masses For the following reason also (shouldst thou perform action) , g e o ana fe dafearimar sagas | e < . USASISAAG ArQIB-HGISA |) Ro 1 20, By action only, indeed, did Janaka and others try to attain perfection. Even with a view to the protection of the masses thou shouldst per- form (action). 18—20] KARMA YOGA 105 The wise kshatriyas of old, such as Janaka and Asvapati* ‘ried by action alone to attain moksha (samsiddhi). If they were persons possessed of right knowledge, then we should anderstand that, since they had been engaged in works, they tried to reach moksha with action, 7.e., without abandoning action, ¢ with a view to set an example tothe world. If, on the other hand, such men as Janaka were persons who had not attained right knowledge, then, (we should understand), they tried to attain moksha through action which is the means of attaining purity of mind (sattva-suddhi). If you think that obligatory works were performed by the ancients such as Janaka because they were ignorant, and that it does not follow from that fact alone that action should be performed by another who possesses right knowledge and has done al! his duties,— even then, as subject to your prarabdha-karma (the karma which has led you to this birth asa kshatriya), and having regard also to the purpose of pre- venting the masses from resorting to a wrong path, you ought to perform action. Who should secure the welfare ot the world? And how P The answer follows: © “Vide Chhandogya-U panishad v- 11. 4, et» seq. t Though such persons as Janaka were men ofright knowlegde, they had no right to enter the fourth order of S@tnydsa, as they were kshatri- yas. In obedience therefore to their prarabdha-karma (i.e, the karma which led them to that birth and which had to be.worked out in that birth) which caused them to be born as kshatriyas, they wenton in their ‘Spiritual career without renouncing works, lest, otherwise, the Masses would follow their example- It is, however, proper that they should attain mokshe in virtue of their tight knowledge. 106 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. IIE aqNala AZAACAaT Ta | e ~~ yn, < UAT HVA BlweteTadd |) 2? 1 21. Whatsoevera great man does, that alone the other men do; whatever he' sets up as the. standard, that the world follows. Whatever authority the chief among men follows, whether in relation to the spiritual or temporal matters, the same is. regarded as the authority by his followers. If you have a doubt even as regards the necessity there is for the protection of the masses, why do you not observe. Me* ? cA Coe Kw vA na a A of aed fag way faa | ° S Sa wWaaaaaaea Aq TI A HAMT |] RX I) 92. Ihave nothing whatsoever to achieve in the three worlds, O son of Pritha, noris there any- . thing unattained that should be attained; yet I engage in action. I have nothing to achieve, for, there is nothing unattained. a ae a add aig Bavaafegas | < S £ AA ACH AAAeaA AGVWs WI Aa: 1 V3 1 23. For, should I not ever engage in action, unwearied, men would in all matters follow My path, O son of Pritha. My: I being the chief among men. RM eGR GC SAT BL ee ee *i.e., why do you not follow My example and try to prevent the masses from going astray by setting an example yourself. ~2T——25] KARMA YOGA 107° And what harm is there in that >—The Lord says: | SMHARA Stat a Bat ea Feeq | g nn ASS 4 SA VlAIeqlyaal: Gar: Wavy 24. These worlds would be ruined if I should’ not perform action; I should be the cause of confusion of castes, and should destroy these. creatures. If I should not perform action, then there would be no. action conducive to the continuance of the universe, and all these worlds would fall into ruin. Moreover, I would be the. author of confusion of castes, and thereby destroy these. creatures. Thus, though working for the welfare of the creatures, [ would bring about their ruin,—which would be. unbecoming of Me, their lord. The wise man’s action as contrasted with that of- the ignorant Suppose, on the other hand, you—or suppose (for that matter) any other man thinks that he has achieved his ends. and has realised the Self, even he should work™* for the wel-. fare of others, though for himself he may have nothing to do. Se: HAvAagial aa Halea area | g tT ° ™~ as SUSAN SAHAMIATATE 1% | 25. As ignorant men act attached to work, O: Bharata, so should the wise man act, unattached from a wish to protect the masses, The ignorant expect the result of their action thus: “The. result of this action shall accrue to me.” The wise man: he. who knows the Self. * Even he should perform action in view of the welfare of others. 108 THE BHAGAVAD~-GITA { Dis. ITI For Me, or for any other person who, knowing the Self, ‘thus seeks the welfare of the world, there is nothing to do ‘except it be with a view to that welfare of the world at Jarge. To such aman who knows the Self, the following ‘advice is offered : ; ane x ry bf ‘as a Gene Aaagaral BAA Hay | x R g saiaraagarit Agegw: BATA 1 XS 1 96. Let no wise man cause unsettlement in ‘tthe minds of the ignorant who are attached to ‘action ; he should make them do all actions, him- ‘self fulfilling them with devotion. An ignorant man who is attached to action believes “I ‘should do this action and enjoy its resalt.’ No wise man -should unsettle that firm belief.— What then should he do ?— ‘Himself doing diligently and well the actions which the ‘ignorant have to do, he should make them do those actions, In what way is an ignorant man attached to actions ? N los Cn < gaa: SHAAN TN: BAT Aaa: | (an < On aegragara sarseara wat 1 Rv 1 97. Actions are wrought in all cases by the ‘energies of Nature. He whose mind is deluded iby egoism thinks ‘I am the doer.’ Nature (Prakriti: Pradhana) is the equipoised state of © ‘the three gunas or energies, viz, sattva (goodness), rajas (activity), tamas (darkness) It is by the gunas or the modi- dications of Nature, manifesting themselves as the body and ‘the senses, that all our actions, conducive to temporal and “spiritual ends are done. The man whose mind (antahkarana) 25—29] KARMA YOGA 109» is variously deluded by ahamkara, by egoiam identifying the. aggregate of the body and the senses with the Self, ¢.e., who. ascribes to himself all the attributes of the body and the. Senses and thus thoroughly identifies himself with them—he, by nescience, sees actions in himself; as regards every action, he thinks “I am the doer.” But as regards the wise man: aqzaiaad aararal ama: | x < lon TM TAY Ateat sft aeat TA GAT |) Ve 1 28. But he who knows the truth, O mighty- _armed, about the divisions of the energies andi (their) functions, is not attached, thinking that the. energies act upon the energies. He whois versed in the classification of the energies. (gunas) and their respective functions holds that the energies. 48 sense-organs move amid the energies as Sense-objects | but not the Self. Thus holding, he forms no attachment (for actions). Now, TRANS: AST TBAT | WARS A HerH MAA ASAT 1) Ae 4) 29. Those deluded by the energies of Nature. are attached to the functions of the energies He. who knows the All should not unsettle the unwise. who know not the All. The foolish believe “we do action for the sake of its result,” These men who are attached to action look only- to the result of their actions. The man who knows the. 2110 THE’ BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. III -All—the man who knows the Self—should not of himself unsettle such men, ¢,¢., he should not disturb their conviction. ‘How an aspirant for Moksha should do actions _ How then should action be performed by the ignorant ‘man who seeks moksha and who is qualified for action only ? ‘The answer follows; afa aarfat Sal aeaeeacAaTar | asiaa year gene fATasat: 1 2 1 30, Renouncing all action in Me, with the ‘thought resting on the Self, being free from hope, ‘free from selfishness, devoid of fever, do thou fight. To Me, Vasudeva, the Divine Being, the Supreme Lord ‘the Omniscient, the Self of all, surrender all actions, with the wise thought that “I, the agent, do- this forthe Isvara’s sake -as His liege.” Fever: anguish, grief, © & A uafie fanafasea Aral: | agrardisagaedl qzara asi ware: i Fe i 31. Men who constantly practise this teach- ing of Mine with faith and without cavilling, they too are liberated from actions. Men who always follow this teaching of Mine without -cavilling> z.e., without cherishing any feeling of envy towards Me, Vasudeva, the Supreme Master (Parama-Guru)—they too ‘are released from actions, ¢.e., from dharma ‘and a-dharma, ‘from: the merit and demerit of actions... . - ut | 29—33] KARMA YOGA: © 11] a aaagaed agasha a wag 1 aagaaaciearars asrataa: 32 | 32. But those who, carping at this, My teaching, practise it not,—know them as deluded in all knowledge, as senseless men doomed to destruction. Influence of man’s nature on his conduct. Then, why do they, not ‘following Thy doctrine, perform others’ duties and neglect their own? Thus opposed to Thee, why are they not afraid of the sin of transgressing Thy command ? AE U4 Beal: THA AATTATG | ABia Aled yar fave: fe steal 1 22 | 33. Even the man of knowledge acts in con- formity with his own nature; (all) beings follow (their) nature; what shall coercion avail ? Nature (prakriti) is the samskara (the latent self-repros ductive impression of the past acts of dharma and a-dharma) manifesting itself at the commencement of the present birth. Even the man of knowledge acts according to his own nature; it needs no saying that an ignorant man acts according to his own nature. Thus all living beings follow their own nature. What shall coerciyn in the shape of prohibition avail ? That is to say, to Me or to anybody else, nature is irresistible. Scope for man’s personal exertion. (Objection) :—If every being acts according to its own nature only,—and there is none that has no. nature of its own, -—then, there being possibly no ssope for parsonal exertion 112 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. III (purushakara), the Teaching (sastra) would be quite purpose- less. (Answer):—The Lord replies as follows : stguatgaeard Unss Saale aaa aaa et Weary RY I 34. Love and hate he towards the object of each sense ; let none become subject to these two; for, they are his enemies. As regards all sense-objects, such as sounds, there neces- sarily arises in each sense love for an agreeable object, and aversion for a disagreeable object. Now I shall tell you where lies the scope for personal exertion and for tke Teaching (sastra). He who would follow the Teaching should at the very commencement rise above the sway of affection and aversion. For, what we speak of as the nature (prakriti) of a person draws him to its course only through love and aversion. He then neglects his own duties and sets about. doing those of others. When, on the other hand, a person restrains these feelings by means of their enemy, then he will become mindful of the Teaching only, no longer subject to his own nature. Wherefore, let none come under the sway of these two; for, they are his adversaries, obstacles to his progress in the right path; like thieves on the road. Now, the man who is led by love and aversion may mis- understand the Teaching ; he may think that one man May follow the duty (dharma) of another because the latter is also a duty. But it is not right to think so: * Viveka-jnana Or Right knowledge is the enemy ; for. it is inimical to mithya-jnana or illusory knowledge. the source of aftection and aver- sion. ees 34—36] | KARMA YOGA 113 AUT MN: WIAKAGTSary | aq fad Fa: qaal waae: 3" 1 35. Better one’s own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of another well discharged. Better is death in one’s own duty; the duty of another is productive of danger. For a man to die doing his own duty though devoid of merit is better than for him to live doing the duty of another though perfectly performed. For, the duty of another leads to danger, such as hell (naraka). 3 Desire is the Enemy of Man. Though the source of evil has been pointed’ out in ii. 62, etc., and in iil, 34, yet with a view to eliciting a concise and clear statement of what was but desultorily and vaguely ex- pressed,—for, the exact cause being known, he might exert himself to exterminate it,—Arjuna asks : Aya SAta— Le bn e hd ~™/ At St ALHSA WT ATT FRI | ~ ~e ~ cr arrsas aoa qarea faaisa: 3 Arjuna said: 36. But by what dragged on, O Varshneya, does a man, though reluctant, commit sin, as if constrained by force ? Dragged on constrained; as a servant by the. king. Varshneya : one born in the family of the Vrishnis. The Lord says; Listen, I shall tell you who that enemy is, of whom you ask.—who the source of all evil is: , oe 114 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. ITI [Vasudeva is here called the Lord (Bhagavat), because He is one in whom the six attributes of. unimpeded dominion etc., ever abide collectively and in: perfection, and who pos- sesses a complete knowledge of the origin of the universe etc. Says the Vishnu-Purana : “Bhaga’ means the six attributes—perfect dominion, might, glory, splendour, dispassion and salvation,” (vi 5-74). ‘' He is called the Lord (Bhagavat), who knows the origin and the end, the coming and the going of beings, what is wisdom and what is ignorance,” (vi. 5-78) | apwatargara— SIA Uy HY Ty THIN TA: | REA aargicar fastahie Foy |) 36 4) The Blessed Lord said: 37. It is desire, it is wrath, born of the energy of Rajas, all-devouring, all sinful; that know thou,‘is the foe here. The enemy of the whole world is desire, from which all the evil comes to living beings. When obstructed by some cause, desire is transformed into wrath. Whence wrath is desire itself. Itis born of the energy of Rajas.—Or, desire itself is the cause of the energy of Rajas; for, when desire arises, it rouses the Rajas and urges the person to action, We often hear the cry of miserablé persons—who are engaged in servitude, etc,, under the impulse of the Rajas,—saying I, have been led to act so by desire.’ It is very sinful; for it is only when urged by desire that a man commits sin. Where- fore, know that this desire is man’s foe here in samsara, 36—39] KARMA YOGA 115 Desire Enshrouds Wisdom. He now illustrates how it is our foe: be 4 oe. at a, ag” qaaliaad agaatsseai Ava F | 8 qaeaagal MATA AAeATTAT |) 3S A 38. As fire is surrounded by smoke, as a mirror by rust, as the foetus is enclosed in the womb, so is this covered by it. As a bright fire is surrounded by dark smoke co-existent with it...so this is covered with desire. What isthe thing referred to by ‘this’ and which is covered with desire P—The answer follows: ° AN ON OAR alga giadda alfaa aaa BASIN Beat SMAed Fy FS i 39. Covered, O son of Kunti, is wisdom by the constant enemy of the wise, in the form of desire, which is: greedy and insatiable. The wise man knows, even before suffering the conse- quence, that he has been led by desire to evil ways, and therefore he feels ever miserable. Whence desire is a constant enemy of the wise, not of the ignorant. For, the latter regards desire as a friend at the time he thirsts for objects, and it is only when suffering results from it,—but not before,—that he learns the truth that he has been rendered miserable by desire. Wherefore it is a constant enemy of thé wise alone............It is insatiable and greedy; it never has enough t.e,, it finds nothing enough for itself, 7.¢., there is no limit to its consum- ing power. 116 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. TIE The Seat of Desire. He now tells us where is seated desire which by envelop~ ing wisdom, forms the enemy of ‘the whole world. The seat of the enemy being known, it is easy to kill it. Began aa giacetarayTag | aaaaeIay qaAaANsTa aeeaq 1 You 40. The senses, mind, and reason are said to be its seat; veiling wisdom through these, it deludes the embodied. Its seat; the seat of desire. These: the senses, mind (manas), and reason (buddhi). How to Kill out Desire. Wherefore, AMRAAeZaAwAa AIA ATA | Wad We Aa Hafaqaaway 1 ¥e ui 41. Therefore, O lord of the Bharatas,restrain the senses first, do thou cast off this sinful thing which is destructive of knowledge and wisdom. Jnana is the knowledge of the Self and other things acquired from the sastra (scripture) and from a teacher (acharya). Vi-jnano is the personal experience of the things so taught. Do thon cast off from you the destroyer of jnana and vijnana which lead to the highest good. It has been taught, “first master the senses, and cast off desire, the enemy.” Now it may be asked,—Where should one take one’s stand and cast off desire? The answer follows: 40 —43] KARMA YOGA 117 qirRalian GUVAEIeegara: GL AA: | WAY WI GSA FS: WET Az 1) 82 UI 42, They say that the senses are superior; superior to the senses is mind; superior to mind is reason; one whois even superior to reason is He. The senses are five, the senses of hearing, etc. When compared with the physical body which is gross, external, and limited, the senses are superior as they are comparatively more subtle and internal, and have a more extensive sphere of action. So say the wise. Superior to the senses is mind (manas, the impulsive nature) which is composed of thoughts and desires, of errors and doubts, (sankalpa and vikalpa), Superior to mind is reason (buddhi) characterized by determi- nation (nischaya). So, He who is behind all things visible, inclusive of reason, the Dweller in the body, whom—it has been said—desire, seated inthe senses and other quarters, bewilders by enveloping wisdom.—He, the Self, the witness of reason, is superior to reason at Ga: 1 gel Gavaaraaraar | We WA AAS BAST SUA 1 92 43. Then knowing Him who is superior to reason, subduing the self by the self, slay thou, O mighty-armed, the enemy in the form of desire, hard to conquer. Thus usderstanding the Self who is superior to reason,and subduing the self by the self, 7.c.. steadily composing the self by means of the self.*do thou slay desire, It is difficult to conquer desire, ou account of its complex and incomprehensible nature, gia diagnadarqaany aataarat aaa SUAS Taal aa Talalsvarz: |: * The regenerated or purified mind (self, manas) is the means of attaining self-composure (manas-simadhana)—(A). IOI, FOURTH DISCOURSE JNANA-YOGA Tradition of Jnana-Yoga. This Yoga of Devotion to knowledge taught in the last two Discourses, accompanied with renunciation and attained by means of Karma-Yoga,—this Yoga in which the Vedic teaching regarding the life of activity and retirement (Pravritti and Nivritti)is comprehended,-it is this Yoga which fornia the subject of the Lord’s teaching throughout the Gita. Thinking, therefore, that the Vedic Doctrine has been cons cluded, He extols it by relating its pedigree. wharayara— 3a faded Ait Timaracaeaay | fqaaraad ne aateaeasAaa 1% The Blessed Lord said: 1. I taught thisimperishable Yoga to Vivas- vat; Vivasvat taught it to Manu; Manu taught to. Ikshvaku. This Yoga, treated of in the two preceding Discourses, I taught to the Sun (Vivasvat)at the commencement of Evolu- tion in order to infuse strength into the Kshatriyas, the rulers of the world. Ifis only when possessed of the strength of this Yoga that they can protect the Brahmanas, the spirituat class. And when the spiritual and ruling classes are well maintained, it is possible to maintain the world. That Yaga 13} JNANA*YOGA 119 is imperishable, because of its imperishable results. Indeed, Moksha, the fruit of this Yoga of complete devotion to right knowledge, never perishes. Vivasvat taught it to Manu; and Manu taught it to his son Ikshvaku the first ruler. aad GUeqUAaaA UAT Tag: | Q Seas Asa Ba AV: GAT 1 2 II 2. This, handed down thus in succession, the King-siges learnt, this Yoga, by long lapse of time, has been lost here, O harasser of foes. This Yoga, thus hanied down in regular succession among the Kshatriyas, the king-sages—men who were at once kings and sages—learnt. The tradition of this Yoga has now for a long time been broken here, O Arjuna, who harassest thy foes, like the sun, by the heat of thy prowess. Seeing that the Yoga has been lost by falling into the hands of the weak who could not control their senses, and seeing also that the people have not been able to attain the object of life. @ walsa Aal asa aie: Ah: SUA i atisa A aa Aa TT MATAR 1) 3 1 3. That sime ancient Yoga has been to-day taught to thee by Me, seeing that thou art my devotee and friend; for, this is the Supreme Secret. This knowledge, this Yoga, is the Supreme Secret. Divine Incarnations In order not to leave in anybody's mind an impression that an inconsistent statement has been made by the Lord, ~ 120 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV and with a view to avoiding that impression, Arjuna asks as though he were to raise an objection ; kaa sara— ARM Wad Hea qt wea faa: | ASN ( Se Bigeaaes a N BAAa staat caaray safes yy 8 1 Arjuna said; 4, Later is Thy birth, and prior the birth of Vivasvat; how am I to understand that Thou taughtest this Yoga in the beginning ? Thy birth is later, in the house of Vasudeva: Vivasvat’s (Aditya’s) birth is prior, in the beginning of evolution; how then, am Ito reconcile the statement that Thou taughtest this Yoga in the beginning (to Vivasvat), and that Thon, the self-same person, has now taught it to me ? To remove—as was the aim of Arjuna’s question —from the iguorant the impression that Vasudeva was not the Omnipotent and the Omniscient, the Bleesed Lord says: ahrtatgara:— aA_ ~~ < ait 4 sadiatia aeatia aa arya | en SAN ee o dete AZ AAT A cy Fey WAT |) & 4) The Blessed Lord said : 9 Many births of Mine have passed, as well as of thine, O Arjuna; all these [ know, thou knowest not, harasser of foes. Thou knowest not, because the power of vision is obstrue- ted by thy past-action, good and bad (dharma and adharma). I;on the other hand, know them, because I am by nature eternal, pure, wise, unbound, and My power of vision is unobstructed. 4—7] JNANA YOGA 121 How, then, canst Thou, the eternal Lord, have a birth, an the absence of dharma and a-dharma ?—Listen: f : “ AMS BAMIAT YTS ST aT | Thad BAIA Beyqeqrcaqaar i & || 6. Though I am unborn, of imperishable nature, and though I am the Lord of all beings, yet ruling over My own nature, I am born by My own Maya. Though ] am unborn, though by nature my power of ‘Vision (jnana-sakti) is undecaying, though I am by nature the Lord of all creatures from Brahma down to grass, yet ruling over by nature—the Prakriti, the Maya of Vishnu, which is made up of the three energies of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, to which this whole universe is subject, and by which deluded ‘the whole world knows not Vasudeva, its own Self,—I appear ‘to be born and embodied, through my own Maya, but not in reality, unlike others. THE PURPOSE OF DIVINE INCARNATION When and for what purpose is He so born?—The enswer follows : ~ S$ m~o HA Uel Gel le AAS MSA AIT | S ‘ AtAqaqHqas agiSscara Bsarrqaeq |) || “. Whenever there is a decay of religion,O Bharata, and an ascendency of irreligion, then I manifest Myself. feligion: Dharma as embodied in the institution of ‘castes (varna) and religious orders (asrama) which are the means of attaining worldly prosperity and salvation. When- ‘ever there is a decay of religion ( Dharma); fs 0iss3 I manifest rayself through Maya, 122 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV For what purpose ? qa aga ana a seRATT | TAAANTANA SAAT AT gT 1) <1 8. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of evil-doers, for the firm establish- ment of religion, I am born in every age. The Good: those are in the right path. SAA BH a a Reaaa a a azaa:z | ~_e < aA AA Seo Geral se GANA ala Ayrara GSTT WS ty 2. Whoso knows thus, My divine birth and action in truth is not born again on leaving this. body ; he comes to Me, O Arjuna. My birth is an illusion (Maya). It is Divine, peculiar to: Isvara, not of ordinary nature (aprakrita). He comes to me : He is liberated. JNANA-YOGA IS THE SOLE MEANS TO MOKSHA This path of of eet ae is not recent, but it was in vogue, even in ancient times; aaaaTaaRial AeaaAt ATTTAAl: | qa Aaa Jat agraaraar: 1 Lo 1 10 Free from passion, fear and anger, absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, purified by the fire (tapas) of wisdom, many have reached My being. 8—11] JNANA YOGA 123. Absorbed in Me: knowing Brahman, «.e., seeing their- identity with Isvara. Tuking refuge in Me. Paramesvara,. the Supreme Lord, z.¢. firmly devoted to wisdom only. Jnana-tapas : religious austerity (tapas) in the form of jnana or knowledge of the Highest Self. Paramatman.—This com-. pound indicates that| Devotion to knowledge is quiet inde-. pendent of all other austerities (tapases). Having attained to highest purity by means of this fire of austerity (tapas), many have attained moksha. DIVINE DISPENSATION OF WORLDLY BENEFIT AND SALVATION Then, Thou cherishest the feelings of affection and aver-. sion, since Thou awardest moksha, Thy Being (identity with. Thy Self), to a few only, not to all ?~-The answer follows: @ gat at suged ateta asreaey | g cog © HA AMAIA AGA: WI AIT: 1) LL il 11. Howsoever men approach Me, even so. do l reward them; My path do men follow in all things, O son of Pritha. I reward men by granting them the things they desire. just in accordance with the way in which they seek Me. and the motive with which they seek Me; for they do not seek for moksha. One cannot indeed pursue pleasure and: at the same time seek for moksha. Wherefore, [ reward: seekers of fruits by securiug to them their selfish ends ; [ reward the unselfish, who do their prescribed duties and: Beek for moksha, by granting them knowledge; I reward: men of knowledge who have renounced the world and seek. for moksha, by granting them moksha ; similarly, 1 reward: men in distress by relieving them from distress. Thus do I reward all, just in the way they seek Me. But never do I reward any from affection or aversion, or from delusion, in. 124 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV ‘all things, men follow My path the path of the Isvara who “exists in all forms.* [Here ‘men’ stands for all those ¢ ‘who are engaged in works prescribed according to their ‘respective ends, | (Question) :—If Thou, Isvara, art free from affection and ‘other evil passions, then, since Thou art gracious to all creatures alike and able to grant every desire, why do they ‘not all desire moksha and seek ‘hee, with the knowledge ‘that Vasudeva is all ? (Answer) :—Listen why it is so: Oo 8 pktae : ‘wiged: BATT ahg Waed Fe saat: | AO tN ~ AQ A MW fo A ge aA Te AST SH [AGATA HAT |p 22 | 12. They who long after success in actions ‘sacrifice here to the Gods: for, soon in this world ‘of man accrues success from action. They who long after success in action sacrifice to the . ‘Gods, such as Indra, Agni. The sruti says: ‘He who, on the other hand,’ worships a separate God, thinking, ‘He is separate from me and I am sepa- rate from Him’—he knows not. He is to the Devas as cattle (to men)” (Bri. 1 4-10). For, quickly is the fruit of action reaped in this world of ‘men by those who, with selfish ends in view, sacrifice to ‘external Gods, performing the works enjoined on them ‘according to their caste (varna) and order (asrama). It is ‘for this world of men that Vedic injunctions are meant.—By * j-e., whether it be for a selfish end or for moksha, every one should follow the Lord, in the path of works or of knowledge. It is the Supreme ‘Lord Himself that abides as the Self in every forme—(A) t+ Not men only, but other beings as well-—{A) 11—13] JNANA YOGA 125; the expression “soon in this world of man” the Lord implies that even in other worlds actions produce results :- the only difference being that it is only to this world of men. that injunctions based upon castes and religious orders apply :- Caste, A Divinely ordered human instiution. What is the foundation of the law that the respective. duties of the several castes and religious orders obtain only. in this world of men, but not in other worlds?—Or the ques-. tion may be put thus: It has been said that men, split up into the communities of several castes and orders (varnas and: asramas), should follow Thy path in all things. Why should they necessarily follow Thy path only, but not that of any- other ?-—The answer follows: f_@ ‘ iS AWgaes AAT BS THA aT: | ° & g Ga BARAT at fAsaaAsaaT |) 23 | 13 The fourfold caste has been created by- Me according to the distribution of energies and actions ; though I am the author thereof, know Me. aS non-agent and immutable. The four castes (varnas, lit., colours) have been created by Me, Isvara, according to the distribution of energies (gunas). and of actions. The energies are Sattva (goodness), Rajas. (foulness, activity,) and Tamas (darkness). The actions of a. brahmana (priest), in whom Sattva predominates, are serenity - self-restraint, austerity &c., (xviii 42). The actions ofa kshatriya (warrior), in whom Rajas predominates and Sattva. is subordinate to Kajas, are prowess, daring, &c,, (xviii 43). ner eee The actions of a vaisya (merchant), in whom Rajas pre-. dominates and Tamas is subordinate to Rajas, are agriculture, etc. (xviii. 44). The action of a sudra (servant) in whom, | 126 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV ‘Tamas predominates and Rajas is subordinateto Tamas; is ‘only servitude. Thus have been created the four castes according to the distribution of energies and action This ‘fourfold caste does not exist in other worlds. Hence the \ limitation “in this world of man.” (iv. 12). (Objection) :—Oh! then Thou art the author of the act of ‘creating the four castes and as such Thon art bound by its ‘effect; wherefore Thou art not the eternal Lord nor the ‘eternally unbound. (Answer) :—Though I am the author of the act when ‘viewed from the standpoint of Maya, still know thou that I ‘am in reality no agent and therefore not subject to samsara. Action without attachment does not bind the soul. Since I am not in reality the author of those actions, of ‘which you think Me to be the author, ° CA. lan = a at garar feeqeca a A BAGS wT | as Sy en los CAS ~~ Zid Af Usimaralid SAA @ AAT tl Y¥% 14. Actions pollute Me not, nor have la desire for the fruit of actions. He who knows Me thus is not bound by actions. For want of egoism (ahamkara), these actions do not pollute Me by necessitating incarnation; nor have [I a desire for the fruit of these actions. On the other hand, it is but right that actions should pollute those men of the world (samsara) who are attached to their actions, thinking them- -selves to be the authors thereof, and longing for the fruits of such actions. As I have none of these, (vz, desire and at- tachment), action cannot pollute Me. Any other person too, who knows Me to be his Self, who thinks “I am no ‘agent. I have nolonging for the fruits of actions,’—his ‘action too wiil not necessitate incarnation. 13—16] JNANA YOGA 127 Knowing that ‘ [I am no agent. I have no longing for the fruits of actions.’ OF Aeal HI BA TITS Bags | EE BI TNT Ta: Gat HAA 1 t4 15. Thus knowing, men of old performed ac- tion in the hope of liberation: therefore do thou also perfom action as did the ancients in the olden time ; As the ancients performed action, do thou also perform action ; do not sit quiet, nor renounce action. Tf thou art ignorant, do thou perform action to purify the self, |fthou art wise and knowest the truth, do thou perform action for the protection of the masses. It was performed by the ancients such as Janaka in the olden time: it is not a recent instruction. The real nature of action and inaction. If action should be performed here (in this world of man) I shall perform it on the authority of Thy word. Why shouldst thou add that it was performed by the ancients in the olden _ time ?—In reply the Lord says : (Listen), For there is a great difficulty in (understanding) action.—How ? ~ cn “ern ba’ NA I GH [PAhald Hay; scazy Heal: | < nN x ad GH sacar asarar Hea STATA 1 VE | 16. What is action? What is inaction—Ags to this, even the wise are deluded. I shall teach thee such action, by knowing which thou shalt be liberated from evil. 128 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [ Dis. IV Even the wise are deluded as to what is action and what: is inaction, Wherefore J will explain to you the nature of action and of inaction, knowing which thou shalt be released: from the evil of samsara. Neither shouldst thou think thus; “ It is familiar to all that action means movement of the body, and inaction means. absence of it, to sit quiet. What isthere to be learnt about. them ?” 3 Wherefore ? The answer follows; < ~ . 8 ° n c eat ae arasa seed + faa | & ~ e ea ~ AGHA BWegeF Teal BAT Md: i Ys il 17. For, thou hast to know something even of action, something to know of unlawful action and something to know of inaction; hard to under- stand is the nature of action. For there is much to be learnt about the action which is enjoined by the scripture, about the action which is unlawful, and about inaction. In fact, it is hard to understand the true nature of action (enjoined), of inaction, and of unlawful action. What, then, is the true nature of action and inaction about which much has to be learnt, and which you have pro- mised to teach ?—Listen : HAVE Ts QWRHAL TBA At | io ~ a gfanreageay a at: BARS Ul US i 18. He who can see inaction in action, who can also see action in inaction, he is wise among men, he is devout, he is the performer of all action. 16—18] . JNANA YOGA 129 * Action’ means what is done, an act in general. Inaction can be seen in action and action in inaction, since both inac- tion (nivritti) and action (pravritti) presuppose an agent.* In fact, all our experience of such things as action and agent is possible only in a state of avidya, only when we have not yet attained to the Real (vastu). He who sees inaction in action and who sees action in inaction,—he is wise among men, he is devout (yukta, yogin), he has done all action—Thus is he extolled who sees action in inaction and vice versa. Objection) :—What means this incongruity, “ who can J g ; see inaction ia action and action in inaction’? Surely action can never realize such an incongruity ? (Answer) :—This objection does not apply to our inter- pretation. To an ignorant man of the world, what in reality is inaction appears as action, and what in reality is action appears as inaction. With a view to teach what their real nature is, the Lord says “He who can see inaction in action,” &c. Hence no incongruity, It must bea bare truth that the Lor.j means to teach here, inasmuch as He has said that he who realizes this view of action and inaction is wise, and has introduced the subject by saying that there is much to be learnt about action and inaction, (iv. 17). It has also been said that ‘by knowing which thou shalt be liberated from evil’ (iv. 1 ); and certainly freedom from evil cannot be achieved by meaus of false knowledge, Wherefore, we should under- stand that action and inaction are misunderstood by all living * It has been said that action should be seen in inaction and vice versa because in both an agent is presupposed.’ This cannot be objected to on the ground that nivritti or inaction is: resorted to only when the One real Self is known, and that therefore it presupposes no agency of the Self. For action or inaction, Pravritti or Nivritti, isresorted to only before obtaining a knowledge of the Real Self, as a means of attaining —(A), , te ene * 9 139 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV beings and that the Lord, wishing to remove this false view of them teaches “He who can see inaction in action” de. Moreover, inaction cannot be s1id to be located in action or contained in it, as jujube (badara) fruits in a vessel, nor can action be said to be located in inaction: for, inaction is but the absence of action. Wherefore (the meaning of the Lord must be that) action and inaction are not rightly understood by people and that the one is mistaken for the other, as the mirage is mistaken for water, or as the mother-of-pearl is mistaken for silver. (Objection) :—Action is ever action to all; it never appears to be anything else? (Answer) :—Not so. When a ship is in motion, the motionless trees on the shore appear, toa man on board the ship, to move in the opposite direction; distant and moving bodies which are far away from our eye appear to be motion- less. Similarly, here, (in the case of the Self) inaction is mis- taken for action, and action for inaction. Wherefore, to remove this false impression, the Lord says “He who can see inaction in action” &c. Though such an objection has been more than once answered, people who have long been subject to great mis- conceptions are deluded often and often, forget the truth though often and often taught, and often and often vaise objections based on false premises. Wherefore, seeing how difficult the Real is for us to know, the Lord often answers such objections. The truth that the Self is actionless, so clearly taught by sruti, smriti, and reason has been taught here also in ii, 20-24; and it will also be taught hereafter. It is, how- ever a deep-rooted habit of the mind to connect action with the actionless Self, though it is contrary to His real nature 18] JNANA YOGA 131 wherefore, “even the wise are deluded as to what is action and what istiinaction” (v. 16). Action pertains to the physi- cal ‘body (deha) etc., but man falsely attributes action to the Self and imagines “Iam the agent, mine is action, by me shall the fruit of action be reaped.” Similarly, he falsely imputes to the Self the cessation (of activity) which really per- tains to the bedy and the senses, as also the happiness which results from that cessation (of activity); he imagines ‘I shall be quiet, so that I may be happy, without worry and without action; and | do notking now, I am quiet and happy.” To remove this false impression, the Lord says ‘‘He who can see, gnaction in action,” &. Now, action which belongs to the body and the senses, while yet retaining its own nature as action, is falsely impated by all'to the Self who is actionless and immutable; whence even-a learned man thinks “I act.” Hence the passage means :—lHe who sees inaction in action, z.e., he who has the right knowledge that action which is commonly supposed by all to pertain to the Self, does not really belong to the Self, just as motion does not really pertain to the trees (on the shore of the river) which appear (to a man on board the ship) to move in the opposite direction; and he who sees action in inaction, ze, he who knows that even inaction is action-—for, inaction is but a cessation of bodily and mental activities, and dike action it is falsely attributed to the Self and causes the feeJing of egoism as expressed in the words “quiet and doing mothing, I sit happy;”"—he who can realize the nature of action and inaction as now explained is wise amoug men; he is devout (Yogin), he is the performer of all actions. He is released from evil ; he has achieved all. This verse has been interpreted in «° different way by some commentators.—How?—The obligatory duties (nitya- karma), performed for the sake of [svara, do not produce any 132 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Dis. IV effect and may therefore, be figuratively termed inaction 7¢ é.,, they are equivalent to inaction; and neglect of those duties produces evil and may therefore, only figuratively, be termed action 7.e., it is equivalent to action, Accordingly they have interpreted the verse thus :—He who regards the obligatory duties (nityakarma) as inaction, since they do not produce any effect-—just as a cow may be said to be no cow when she does. not serve the purpose of yielding milk,—and he who regards the neglect of obligatory duties as an action, since it produces. evil such as hell (naraka), he is wise among men, &e. This interpretation cannot hold good. As such know- ledge cannot lead to liberation from evil, the Lord’s statement that “by knowing which thou shalt be liberated from evil” (iv. 16) would prove false. Even though it be grant- ed (for mere argument’s sake) that liberation from evil accrues from the performance of obligatory duties (nitya- karma) it can never be granted that it will aecrue from the. mere knowledge that they do not produce any effet. Cer- tainly it is nowhere taught (in sruti) that liberation from evil accrues from the knowledge that obligatory duties do. not produce effects or from a knowledge of those obligatory duties themselves. It cannot be urged that it has been taught here by the Lord,* The same argument holds good also against, their view as to seeing action in inaction. Indeed, this precept enjoins, (they hold), not that neglect. of obligatory duties (nitya-harma) should be regarded as action, but only that obligatory duties should be perform- ed. Moreover, no good can result from the knowledge that non-performance of obligatory duties leads to evil, Neither: * For in the words “by knowing which thou shalt be liberated from evil,’’ (ve 16) the Lord refers to knowledge of the things there spoken of, but not to the particular knowledge that abligatory duties produce no, effects. . 18] JNANA YOGA 133 can non-performance (which is non-existent in itself) of obligatory duties be enjoined as an object on which to fix our thought. Nor by a false knowledge which regards inaction as action can a man be released from evil, or said ‘to be wise and devout and to have performed all actions: and such a knowledge deserves no praise. False knowledge ia itself the evil; how can it release us from another evil ? Darkness does not expel darkness. (Objection) :—The knowledge that inaction is action or that action is inaction is not an illusion, but a figurative idea based upon the fact of productiveness or unproductiveness of effects. (Answer) :—No. For, nowhere is it taught that even such @ figurative idea reyarding action and inaction is of any good. Neither is any purpose served by thus iguoring the immediate subject of discourse and speaking of something else. It is, moreover, possible to express more directly the fact that obligatory duties do not produce effects and that their omission leads to hell. What, then, might be the purpose served by such an ambiguous circumlocution as “he who can see inaction in action” &c.? Such an explanation is tantamount to saying that the Lord wanted to confoand others by these utterances. It is not necessary to mystify the doctrine (of obligatory duties) by means of symbolic- language, nor is it possible to maintain that it can be easily understood if expressed often and often and in more ways than one.” For, the same doctrine is more clearly expressed in ii. 47, and needs no reiteration, It is only what is high, and worthy of our effort that is worth knowing, but not the worthless. No false knowledge is worth acquiring ; nor is its Ee ——_——$—— $$ * Just as we are to fix our idea of Vismu on a symbol such as an idol. The symbol'alleged to be presented here to fix our thought upon, ss an abhava or nonentity. 134 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV object*—which is unreal—worth knowing. No evil can arise from non-performance; no existence can arise from non-existence. It has been said here, ‘Of the unreal no being there is,” (ii. 16)» and in the sruti ‘‘How ean the exis- tent arise from the non existent ?” (Chha. Up. 6-2-2). To say that an existent object arises from the non-existent is tant amount to saying that non-existence itself becomes existence and vice versa, which cannot be maintained as it is against all evidence. The scripture (sastra) cannot enjoin an act which is productive of no good; for, such an act prinful in its performance, and no pain would ever be deliberately incurred. Since it is admitted that omission of such duties leads to hell, it would simply amount to this, that Revelation (sastra) is of no good, since performance as well as omission of duties there- in enjoined alike resultin pain, Moreover, he who admits that obligatory duties produce no effects and at the same time holds that they lead to salvation, lands himself in a self-contradiction. Wherefore, this verse admits only of a literal intepreta- tion, and we have interpreted it accordingly. Who is a Sage? The realization of inaction in action and vyzce versa is~ extolled as follows: TA al AAU: HAaTSTA AA: | sauaaeart ame: afeed Za: 1 23 19. He whose engagements are all devoid of desires and purposes, and whose actions have been burnt by the fire of wisdom, him the wise call a sage, * The object of illusory knowledge, such as action (karma,) 18—20] JNANA YOGA 135 The man who _ has realized the truth described above, whose works are all free from desires and from purposes (sankalpay which cause those desires, who performs mere deeds without any immediate purpose,—if he be engaged in wordly action, he does so with a view to set an example to the masses; if he has renounced wordly life, he performs deeds only for bodily maintenance,—whose actions, good and bad, are consumed in the fire of wisdom which consists in the realization of inaction and vice versa; him the wise who know Brahman call a real sage (pandita). The Sage’s Worldly Action as an Example to the Masses. He who can see action in inaction and vice versa, (t.e., who has realized the true nature of action and inaction), is by’ virtue of that very realization, free from action ; he renounces (the world) and engages in no action,—only doing what is re- quired for the bare existence of his body,—even though he had been engaged in action before realizing the truth. On the other hand, there may be a person who, having started with action and having since obtained the right knowledge of the Self, really abandons action with all its accessories, as he finds action of no use; but who, finding that for some reason he cannot abandon action, may continue doing action as before, with a view to set an example to the world at large, devoid of attachment to action and its result, and therefore having no selfish end in view; such a manreally does nothing, His action is equivalent to inaction, since all his actions are con- sumed in the fire of knowledge. To teach this, the Lord says ; ara saguag faa farsa: | BHvaMATA SY Aa PeeacHela Az || RO yp. 136 THE BHAGAVAD=GITA [Dis. IV. 20. Having abandoned. attachment for the fruits of action, ever content, dependent on none, though engaged in actions,nothing at all does he do. He who has abandoned all concern for action and all attachment for its results in virtue of the knowledge of the truth explained above, who is always content, longing for no objects of senses; who seeks nothing whereby to achieve any end of his (7.e., io secure enjoyments in this birth or the next); who, for want of any selfish end in view. might give up action with its accessories; but who finding it impracticable to get away from action, engages in action as before with a view to set an example to the world or to avoid the displeasure of the orthodox,—such a man, though engaged in actions, really does nothing at all, since he is endued with knowledge of the actionless Self, The Sage’s Action For Bodily Maintenance. He who, unlike the one just spoken of, has even befure engaging in. action, realized his identity with Brahman (the absolute) abiding within all as the innermost actionless Self(the Pratyagatman); who is free from desire for objects of pleasure seen or unseen ; and who, therefore, finding no use in action which is intended to secure such objects of pleasure, renounces all action with accessories, except what is necessary for the bare bodily maintenance; such a devotee, steady in his devotion to knowledge, is liberated. ‘To teach this, the Lord says : fauaaaarcar awaaatae: | ae SN e g Ly an. AA MU BAS BA GIA MHieqwswq 1 °e 1 21. Free from desire, with the mind and the self controlled, having relinquished all possessions doing mere bodily action, he incurs no sin 20—21] JNANA YOGA 137 He from whom all desires have departed, by whom the mind and the body (the self, the external aggregate of causes and effects) have been controlled, by whom all property has been disowned, who does mere bodily action (action necessary for the bare existence of the body), without attachment even for that action,—he incurs no sin which will produce evil effects. Even dharma is a sin,—in the case of him who seeks aiberation,— inasmuch as it causes bondage. He is liberated from both (iharma and a-dharma), 7z.e., he is liberated from samsara. Now, wnat does the phrase ‘mere bodily action’, (sarira- karma) mean? Does it mean action which can be performed by means of the body only? Or does it mean action reqaired for the bare existence of the body ? One may ask: Whatis the good of this enquiry ? What if ‘bodily action’ means ‘action done by means of the body,’ or ‘action necessary for the bare existence of the body ’? We reply as follows : Firstly ;—If ‘mere bodily action’ means ‘action which can be performed by means of the body only’, the words would imply that even he who, by means of the body, does an un- lawful action productive of some visible or invisible results, incurs no sin. Then this teaching would contradict the teaching of the sdstra. And to say that he who does by means of the body a lawful action productive of some visible or invisible results incurs no sin.is to deny something which even the opponent would never advance. Moreover, the qualifica- ‘tions ‘doing bodily action’ and ‘mere’ would imply that sin accrues tohim who in speech or thought performs actions enjoined or prohibited by the sdstra, respectively called dharma and a-dharma. To say, then, that he who does a lawful act in @peech or thought incurs sin would be to contradict the 138 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA | Dis. IV scripture ; and to say that he who does an unlawful act im speech or thought incurs sin is a useless reiteration of what is. known. Secondly: If, on the other hand, “bodily action” be: interpreted to mean ‘action required for the bare existence of the body,’ then the teaching amounts to this: He who in deed, speech aud thought does no other action lawful or unlawful, productive of results here or hereafter; who, im deed, speech or thought, performs in the eye-of the world just those acts which are required for the bare existence ‘of the body with even such attachment to those acts as is implied in the words ‘TI do,’ he does not incur sin, Since it cannot even be imagined that such a man can do any wrong which may be called sin, he is not subject to rebirth; he is liberated without any let or hindrance, since ajl his actions: have been consumed in the fire of knowledge.—Thus, there. is here only a reiteration of the results of the right knowledge, which have been described already (iv.11). The phrase. ‘mere bodily action’ thus understood gives no room _ to objection, | Since an ascetic who has disowned all property does not own even the articles of food and other things required for the maintenance of the body, it would follow that the body- should be maintained by begging or such other means. Now things required for the maintenance of the body as are sanc- tioned by the texts like the fellowing: “What is not begged for, not previously arranged for, what has been brought to him without his effort...’ (Baudhayana-Dharmasutra 2-8-12). UEWISAA GS Seararat AAA: | aa: fagalagt a Hearst a fara 1) 22 20-22] _ JNANA YOGA 139» 22. Satisfied with what comes to him by- chance, rising above the pairs of opposites, free: from envy, equanimons in success and failure, though acting he is not bound. He who is satisfied with whatever he may obtain by- chance, without his effort or request, who is not affected in, mind by the attack of such pairs of opposites (dvandva) as heat and cold, who cherishes no feelings of envy and jea-. lousy, who is calm whether he obtains or not such things as. might come to him without effort,—such a devotee, feeling - no pleasure or pain whether he obtains or not food and other things required for the maintenance of the body, seeing action in inaction and vice versa, ever steady in his knowledge of the. true natare of the Self, always disowning agency—“L do. nothing at all, energies act upon energies.”—in all acts of the. body, etc., while begging or doing anything else for the bare. existence of the body,—thus realizing the non-agency of the. Self, he really does no act at all, not even the act of begging. But as he appesrs to act like the generality of mankind, agency is imputed to him by people, and so far he is the agent- in the act of begging and the like. From his own point of view, however, as based on the teaching of the scriptures. which are the source of right knowledge, he is no agent at all, Thus, though he performs the act of begging and the like required for the bare existence of the body, and though with. reference to these acts agency is imputed to him by others he. is not bound, since action and its cause, which are the source. of bondage, have been burnt in the fire of wisdom This is. only a reiteration of what has been already said (iv- 19, 21), The sage’s worldly action does not bind him. It has been shown in iv, 20 that that man does no action, who, having started in life with action, has since realized the. 140 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV ‘actionless Self as one with Brahman and has seen the non- ‘existence of the agent, action and results but who, though ‘competent to renounce action, yet, on account of something ‘preventing him from doing so, has continued in action ss before. | ‘Of him who, as thus shown, does no action, the Lord says: TAA HEA Haawadaas | S ° OA ANWAT: BA BAG Waslad |) Az th 23 Of the man whose attachment is gone, ‘who is iberated, whose mind is established in know- ledge, who acts for the sake of sacrifice, —his whole ‘action melts away. That man from whom all attachment is gone, from whom -all cause of bondage, dharma and a-dharma, has fled away, “whose mind is ever fixed in wisdom alone, who acts with a ‘view, tothe performance of a sacrifice*—his action with ite ‘result is dissolved away, is reduced to nothing. Wisdom-sacrifice For what reason, then, is all action which he does, entirely ‘dissolved, without producing its natural result ?—Listen “Why. Se rt! x AGIT AMQAAM BT AAMT SAT | A bx ® Ss: Aa da Weded AAHAaATAAT || 2B II 24. Brahman is the offermg, Brahman the ‘oblation ; by Brahman is the oblation poured into the fire of Brahman; Brahman verily shall be reached by him who always sees Brahman in -actlon. * With a view to please the Lord, Narayana (Yajna—sSacrifice, “Vishnu).—(A)- 23—24j JNANA YOGA 141: The man who has realized Brahman sees that the instru-. ment by which the oblation is poured in the fire is nothing but Brahman : that it has no existence apart from that of the Self, just as silver has no existence apart from that of the mother-of-. pearl (mistaken for silver). What (in the illustration) appears as silver is nothing but the mother-of-pearl. What people look: upon as the instrument of offering is to one who has realized: Brahman, nothing but Brahman. Brahman is the oblation: v.€., what is regarded as oblation is to him nothing but Brahman 5: and it is by Brahman that the offering is made, ¢.e., th e agent is none otker than Brahman. The act of offering is nothing: but Brahman ; and the result, the goal to be reached by him, who a]ways sees Brahman in action is nothing but Brahman. - Thus, the action performed by him who wishes to set an. example to the world is in reality no action, as it has been destroyed by the realization of Brahman in action. This. representation as a sacrifice (Yajna) of the right knowledge. possessed by him who has given up all rites and has renounce]. all action is quite in its place, as serving to extol that right knowledge. For him who has realised the supereme Reality, . the instrument of offering and other accessories connected with _the actual sacrifice are nothing but Brahman, who is one with. his own Self. Else, it would be to no purpose to speak specifically of the instrament and other accessories of a. sacrificial rite as Brahman, when everything is Brahman. Wherefore, to one who realises that all is Brahman, there is. no action. Moreover, all idea of the accessories of action is absent ; and indeed, nv act of sacrifice is ever possible in the. absence of such an idea. Every sacrificial rite, such as. agnihotra is associated with an idea (derived from the revealed texts) of the accessories of action, such as a particular God: or Gods to whom the oblation should be offered, and with egoism on the part of the agent and his attachment for the. 1142 THE BHAGAVAD=GITA {[Dis. IV ‘results. No sacrificial rite is ever found unassociated with the idea of the accessories of action and results, unaccompa- nied with the egoism and a longing for the results. But this ‘(wisdom-sacrifice) is an action wherein all idea of the instru- ment and other various accessories of action, all idea of ‘action itself and of its results, has been replaced by the one ‘idea of Brahman. Whence it is no action atall. This is -shown in iv 18. 20; iii. 28; v., & Thus teaching our Lord here and there tries also to remove all idea of duality, z.e., of action, its result and its accessories. It is admitted in the case -of the Kamya-Agnihotra--the sacrifice of Agnihotra performed ‘for some selfish purpose-—that ceases to be a Kamya-Agni- hotra in the absence of that purpore. So also we are given to know that actions produce different results uccording as they are performed deliberately, or otherwise. Accordingly here ‘too, inthe case of the wise man in whom the idea of Brahman has replaced all idea of duality—such as, the instrument and -other accessories of the act of offering, the act itself and its results—his action, though, appearing as such externally, ‘ceases to be action. Whence it is said “the whole action melts away.’ (iv. 23). In interpreting this passage, some say:—-What we call ‘Brahman is the instrument of action and so on. And in fact ‘it is Brahman that manifests Himself in the five forms—such — -as action and its accessories;—and does the action» In this case, the idea of the instrument and other accessories of action ‘does not ceare to exist. On the other hand, it is taught that “the idea of Brahman should be fixed upon action and its “accessories in the same way that the idea of Vishnu is fixed “upon an idol or the idea of Brahman is fixed upon ‘ name’ Vide Chh. Upanishad, 7-1-5). Indeed, even this view would be possible if this particu- ‘Jar section of the discourse were not here coucerned with the 24] JNANA YOSA 143 praise of the Wisdom-sacrifice (jnana-yajna). On the other hand, our Lord will here speak of the several acts of worship termed yajnas (sacrifice) and then praise wisdom, the right knowledge, in these terms: “Superior is the wisdom-sacrifice to the sacrifice with objects.” (iv. 33). And it has been shown that verse is intended tv represent wisdom as a sacrifice (vide p. 126). But, with those who maintaiu that the idea of Brahman should be fixed upon the sacrificial rite and all its accessories, just as the idea of Vishnu is fixed upon an idol or the idea of Brahman on name’—the Brahma-vidya (knowledge of Brahman), which has been hitherto spoken of cannot be the aim of the teaching here; for, this verse would ‘be mainly concerned, according to their interpretation, with the instrument, etc., conuected with a sacrificial rite. Moreover, moksha cannot be obtained by that knowledge which consists in fixing the idea of Brahman on a symbol (such as a sacrificial rite). It has been here said that Brahman is the goal to be reached. It is indeed opposed to truth to maintain that moksha can be obtained without knowledge. Such interpretation is also opposed to the context. Right knowledge is the subject of which this Discourse treats (vide iv. 18),and the concluding portion of the Discourse treats of the ‘same subject as shown by the closing verses. ‘The Discourse indeed concludes by extolling right knowledge (iv. 33. 39), Accordingly it is not right to maintain that, all on a sudden, and without reference to the present topic, it is here taught that the idea of Brahman should be fixed on an idol. Wherefore this verse should be interpreted as has beer ‘done by as- Sacrifices Effected by Action. After representing the right knowledge as a sacrifice, the Lord proceeds to enumerate other kinds of sacrifice, with a view to extol right knowledge : 144 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV qaaarat aa Gitta: gaa AMAA At Taare 1) 24 | 25. Other yogins resort to sacrifices to Gods ; in the fire of Brahman others offer the Self by the Self. Some yogins, devotees to action, perform only sacrificial rites in devotion to the Gods, while others who know Brahman, the Absolute, sacrifice the :elf by the Self in the fire of Brahman. The oblation (ahuti) in his latter sacrifice is yajna, the Self,—for ‘yajna,’ is enumerated among the terms. synonymous with ‘atman’—who is in reality one with Brahman, but who is conditioned by the upadhis (such as. buddhi) with all their attributes superimposed upon Him. This oblation of the Self is poured by the Self into Brahman, —here termed fire, the place into which that oblation is. poured-—as described in the following texts; “Brahman is the Real, consciousness, the Infinite.” (Tait. Up. 2-1). ‘Brahman who is Consciousness and Bliss” (Bri. Up. 5-9 28). “Brahman who is immediately cognised by all, and who is the innermost Self of all” (Bri. Up. 3-2-1). Brahman is devoid of all characteristics of mundane existence (samsara) such as hunger and thirst, inconceivable in any particular form of aspect, as taught by the Scripture in the terms “It is not thus, it is not thus.” (Bri, Up. 4-4-27), To know the conditioned Self as identical with the un- conditioned Brahman is to sacrifice the Self in Brahman. This is the sacrifice which is performed by those who, having renounced all action, are ever steady in their knowledge of the identity of the Self with Brahman. 25—28] JNANA YOGA 145 This Wisdom-Sacrifice (described in iv, 24) is here enumerated along with the Gods-Sacrifice (Daiva-yajna) and others, with a view to extol it (iv. 33), Aaddiegaewed Qaariay Fela | Teysieasaaea seguitay Gala i °F a 26. Others offer hearing and other senses in the fires of restraint ; others offer sound and other objects in the fires if the senses. Some yogins offer hearing and other senses in the fires of restraint (samyama) ;—the plural ‘fires’ is used because the restraint differs with each sense ;—they are ever engrossed in restraining their senses; while others sacrifice the objects of senses in the fires of the several senses, 7.c., they regard it as a sacrifice to direct their senses only to the dutorbiagal objects of senses, eaioegaarist arora ATTN | AMAIA Fela saat yy Ws 4) 27. And others sacrifice all the functions of the senses and the functions of the vitality in the wisdom kindled fire of the Yoga of Self restraint. Wisdom-kindled; kindled by discriminative wisdom, as a lamp is kindled by oil. The function of prana, the vital air in the individual’s body, are expansion, contraction, etc The functions of the senses and of the vital air are com- pletely dissolved while the yogin concentrates the mind on the Self. ZOUAAAUAA AlTAAAAS Ar | erqaaraaa aaa; aferaaat: |) % II * 10 146 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV 28. Others are sacrificers by their wealth, gacrificers by austerity, sacrificers by Yogas, sacri- ficers by reading and knowledge, ascetics of rigid VOWS. Of others, some sacrifice by way of giving away their wealth to the deserving; some by austerity; some by Yoga, comprising such parctices as Pranayama (restraint of vital airs) and Pratydhéra (withdrawal of the mind from external objects) ; some by way of repeating Vedic texts such as the Rig-Veda according to prescribed rules; some by way of studying the contents of the Scriptures (sastra). AWA Bela art asiswad Tarsa | STNG ATA BEAT ATVAAAAN: 1 XQ A 29, Others offer prana (outgoing breath) in apadna (incoming breath), and apana in prama, restraining the passages of prama and apana, absorbed in pravayama (restraint of breath). Some practise the kind of pranayama called plraka (filling in); some practise the kind of Pranayama called Rechaka (emptying); some are engaged in the practise of Pranayama called Kumbhaka by impeding the outward passage of the air through nostrils and the mouth, and by impeding the inward passage of the air in the opposite direction. Moreover. at AAAs ATU, Fale aise aalae aaafyaaeas: i) 2° Ul 30, Others, with regulated food, offer life- breaths in life-breaths. All these are knowers ot sacrifice, whose sins are destroyed by sacrifice. -28—32] JNANA YOGA 147 Regulated: limited. Whatever life-breath has been controlled, into it they sacrifice all other life-breaths ; these latter become, as it were, merged in the former. VAMSIAIBA Alea AT AATAT | aa SH StAIaSM HUST FATT 1 Fe Ut 31. Hating of ambrosia, the remnant of the sacrifice, they go to Eternal Brahman. This world is not for the non-sacrificer; whence the other ?—-O best of Kurus. Performing the sacrifices mentioned above they eat, at intervals, of prescribed food in a prescribed manner, Food so eaten is called ambrosia, amrita (Immortal). If they wish for moksha, they go to Brahman in course of time, not at once, as we should understand for consistency’s sake. Even this world, which is common to all beings, is not for one who performs none of the sacrifices mentioned above. How can there be to him another world which can be secured only by superior means ua agiaar sat faaat Aa we g ALA eae 2) lox Es eaatrate araaat scat faateta 1) 22 82. Thus manifold sacrifices are spread at the mouth of Brahman. Know them all as born of action. Thus knowing, thou shalt be liberated. Thus various sacrifices, such as those mentioned above, are spread at the mouth of Brahman, 7.2, are known from the Vedas through such passages as the following: ‘‘We sacrifice prana in speech.” Know that they are all born of che not- Self,—of action in deed, speech and thought,—for the Self is actionless. If you realise that ‘‘these are not my actions, | am actionless, I am unconcerned,” you will be released, by this wight knowledge, from evil, from the bond of samsara. 148 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV Wisdom-sacrifice is superior to other sacrifices. Right knowledge was represented as a sacrifice in iv. 24 Then several sacrifices have been taught. Knowledge is now extolled as compared with these latter kinds of sacrifices which are all means of attaining the several objects of human pursuit. ADeFeAANTNSS AT: GAT | aa saad wer ata aftearcad 1) 33 1 33. Superior is wisdom sacrifice to the sacri- fice with objects, O harasser of thy foes. All action, without exception, O son of Prvithd, is comprehended in wisdom, The sacrifice performed with material objects produces material effects, whereas wisdom-sacrifice does not, Where- fore wisdom-sacrifice is superior to the sacrifice performed with material objects. For, wisdom, whick is the means to moksha, comprehends all action. So says the sruti: ‘Just as (in the game of four dice) the three dice are comprehended in the fourth termed krita, so whatever good people do, all that reaches him. Any other man who knows that which he knew (obtains the same result).—(Chha. Up. 4-1-4). How and where one should seek wisdom. By what means is this grand wisdom to be obtained P age atiada oitaea aaa | saceaied a Sta alfaaearaaiara: | 3¥ 4 34. Know this: by long prostration, by enquiry, by service, those men of wisdom who have realised the truth will teach thee wisdom. 32—36 | JNANA YOGA 149 Know thou by what process it is obtained. Go to the teachers (Acharyas) and humbly prostrate thyself before them. Ask them what isthe cause of bondage (bandha) and what the means of deliverance ; what is wisdom (vidya) and what nescience (avidya). Do service to the Guru. Won over by these and other marks of respect, the teachers who, knowing the truth as well as realising it themselves, will impart to thee their wisdom,—that wisdom which has been described above. Some only, but not all, know as well as realise the truth.—-By this the Lord means to say that that knowledge alone which is imparted by those who have realised the truth—and no other knowiedge—can prove effective. Then alone the following statewent will hold good: asacal aA gaaena areata qvea, ee bein = i ne (as aa Yaa FeaalAeayT AT i 84 tl 35. Knowing which, thou shalt not again thus fall into error, O Pandava; and by which, thou wilt see all beings in thy Self and also in Me. Having obtained the wisdom imparted by them, you will not be again subject to confusion as you now are. By this wisdom you will alsoimmediately perceive all beings, from Brahma (the creator) down to grass, in yourown Self. You will then realise that “these beings exist in Me.” You will also see them all in Me, Vasudeva, thus: “And these beings exist in the Supreme Lord;” 7.e., you will realise that unity of the individual Soul (Kshetrajna) and the Isvara which is se clearly taught in all the Upanishads. Wisdom, a consumer of all sins and actions. Moreover, see how excellent knowledge is: lo “~ “~ ag 44a Wav: Bava: WaHAA: | cS bat i. 2 Of ~~ aaaagada gid aealisaia 1) 24 II 150 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV 36. Even shouldst thou be the most sinful of all the sinful, thou shalt verily cross all sin. by the bark of wisdom. With the boat of this knowledge, verily, you can cross the ocean of sin. For one who seeks liberation, even dharma proves to be a sin. How does wisdom destroy sin '—Here is an. example :: qagifa afielsumaraeasga | ~ < < UAH: AIHA wararcgHRs ar yy 36 pp 37. As kindled fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does wisdom-fire reduce all actions to ashes. Just as a well-kindled fire reduces fuel to ashes, so does the fire of the wisdom reduce all actions to .ashes, z.e., id renders them impotent. The fire of wisdom cannot indeed literally reduce actions to ashes as fire reduces fuel to ashes, Accordingly we should understand that right knowledge is the cause which renders all actions impotent. But the actions by which this body has been brought into existence will come to. an end only when their effects will have been fully worked out ; for, those actions have already commenced their effects Thus wisdom can destroy only such actions as have not yet begun to produce their effects, whether they are actions done in this birth before the rise of knowledge and along with knowledge, or those done in the sade previous births. Wherefore, aie aaa aca waa Aaa | aed anaag: searata eae 1) ac ty 36—39] JNANA YOGA 151 38 Verily, there exists here no purifier equal to wisdom. He who is perfected by Yoga finds it in time in himself by himself. The seeker of moksha who has perfected and regenerated himself by Yoga—by Karma-Yoga and by Samadhi-Yoga— will after a long practice, himself find spiritual wisdom in himself. | The surest means to wisdom The surest means of acquiring wisdom is taught as follows : ABSA AA AGT: BAAeRAs | ala wsray att aleaaracananesirat t 38 1 29. He obtains wisdom who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued the senses. Having obtained wisdom, he ere long attains to the Supreme Peace. A man full of faith obtains wisdom, But he may be slow; whence itis enjoined that he should ever be intently devoted to the means of obtaining wisdom, such as constant attendance onthe Teachers (Gurus)*. A man of faith and devotion may not have mastery over the senses ; whence it 18 also enjoined that he should withdraw his senses away from their engrossment in objects, Such a man of faith, devotion and self-control is sure to obtain wisdom. Mere external acts (iv. 35), such as long prostration before the Guru, may fail to produce the required effect, since they may be tinged with hypocrisy. But hypocrisy is impossible when a man is full of faith and so on. Whence these are the certain means of acquiring wisdom.—What is the result of this acquisition of wisdom ?—The answer follows. Having obtained wisdom, he swiftly attains the Supreme Peace, called Moksha. That * And listening to their teachings, etc, 152 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IV the right knowledge quickly leads to moksha is an established truth clearly taught by all sastras as well as reason. Wisdom the killer of doubt Thou shalt not doubt this, for doubt is most sinful.— How ?—Listen ; | ARMUATA Bearcat Aazawe | wa Slats A GW A Ga anaAa: |) ve 1 40. The ignorant, the faithless, and one of doubting self, is ruined. There is neither this world, nor the other, nor happiness, for one of doubting self. The man who knows not the Self is ruined, as also the man who has no faith in the teachings and the words of his Guru, and the man whose mind is full of doubts’ No doubt the ignorant and the faithless are ruined, but not to the same extent asa man of doubting mind. He. is the most sinful of all—How ?—EHven this world which is common to all menis not won by a sceptic, nor the other world, nor happiness: for even these things come within the sweep of his doubt. Wherefore thou shalt not doubt- Wherefore ?—For, TTI TaAassAaTAT | © SaA_A “~ e AAA A PANT IAAea TART 1) VR yy 41. Him who has renounced actions by Yoga, whose doubts have been cloven asunder by wisdom. who is self-possessed, actions bind not, O Dhanamjaya. He who sees the Supreme Being renounces all actions— dharma and a-dharma—by virtue of Yoga or knowledge of the Supreme Being. He attains this stage when his doubt 3942) JNANA YOGA 153 has been cloven asunder by the realisation of the oneness of the Self with the Isvara. As he traces all actions to the interactions of the energies (gunas), actions do not bind him ; they do not produce any effects (good or bad) in the case of him who, in virtue of his Yoga, has renounced all actions and is ever watchful over his self, Since that man who, in virtue of the practice of karma- yoga, has all his doubtscut asunder by knowledge which arises as a result of all impurity having been washed away, is not bound by actions because they have been consumed in the fire of wisdom, and since that man is ruined who entertains doubts as to the practice of karma and knowledge. AMAAAaFYA BAT gralfaatsscaas | faa Ga aaagiiays wT 1 ¥z | 42, Therefore with the sword of wisdom cleave asunder this doubt of the Self lying in the heart and born of ignorance, and resort to Yoga. Arise, O Bharata. Doubt is most sinful. It is born of ignorance and lies in the buddhi. Kill it by wisdom, by right knowledge of the Self. [The word “atmanah” means ‘of the Self,’ ‘concerning the Self,’ but not ‘cherished by thyself.’ Arjuna’s doubt here is about the Self- If Arjuna could ever think that one man’s doubt is ever to be cut by another, then the Lord might say “kill thy doubt’ as opposed to another's doubt. Even if Arjuna has been asked to kill the doubt concerning the Self, it implies also that the doubt is one cherished by Arjuna. ] Knowledge is destructive of all evil, such as grief, folly, and the like. Having thus slain doubt, the cause of thy ruin, apply thyself to Karma-Yoga, the means of acquiring right knowledge. Now arise and fight, O descendant of Bharata. FIFTH DISCOURSE SAMNYASA-YOGA Se Which is better for the ignorant, Karma-Yoga or Samnyasa? In iv. 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 32, 33, 37 and 41, the Lord has spoken of the renunciation of all actions; and in iv. 42 He has exhorted Arjuna to engage iu Yoga, in performance of action. Owing to the mutual opposition between performance of action and renunciation thereof as between motion and rest, the two cannot be accomplished by an individual at one and the same time. Neither have two distinct periods of time beem prescribed for their respective observance. By inference, therefore, only one of them forms Arjuna’s duty; so that thinking that, of the two,—performance of action and renunci- ation thereof,—he should resort to the better of the two to the exclusion of the other. Arjuna asks (v. 1)/of the Lord with a desire to know which is the better of the two. (Objection) :—As going to speak of entire devotion to Jnanayoga on the part of him who has realised the Self, the Lord has taught, in the passages quoted above, that such a man has to renounce action, but not he who has not realised the Self. Since performance of action and renunciation of action thus pertain to two distinct classes of people respect- ively, Arjuna’s question with a view to know which of the two is better than the other is irrelevant. (Answer) :—Yes;from your standpoint the question is. irrelevant. But from the questioner’s (Arjuna’s) own stand- point, the question, we say is quite relevant—How ?—In the passages quoted above, the Lord enjoins renunciation as a. Introduction | SAMNYASA YOGA 155, duty (in the form “Let the wise man renounce”); and it cannot be enjoined as a duty unless it (the term ‘ renounce’): is more important than the agent (7.¢., the term ‘wise’); so that this injunction of renunciation should be extended so as to apply to that man also who has not realised the Self, because renunci-. ation is elsewhere enjoined on him also*™ It cannot be made. , out that renunciation of action is here intended for that man only who has realised the Self.t Thus arguing, Arjuna thinks, that an ignorant man may either perform action or renounce it. But, owing to the mutual opposition of the two courses as shown above, only one of them can form the duty (of an individual: at atime). And inasmuch as it is the better one of the two. that should be followed, but not the other, the question with a view to know which of the two is the better is not irrelevant, The question is not with reference to the enlightened. That this isthe meaning of Arjuna’s question is also. evident from an examination of the meaning of the words in reply — How ?—The reply runs as follows: ‘'Samnyasa_ and Karma-Yoga both lead to the highest bliss; but Karma- Yoga is the better of the two” (v.2). We should now ascertain: Is it in reference to the Karma-Yoga and the. Karma-samnysa resorted to by a man who has realised the. Self that it is said that they lead to the highest bliss as their result, and that the Karma-Yoga is for some reason the better of the two? Orisitin reference to those resorted to by a. man who has not realised the Self thatthe statement is. * When he is full of vairagya or indifference to all worldly concerns. —(A). + The Mimamsakas hold that a single proposition canembody but a single injunction, Accordingly, if the proposition, “The wise should renounce’’ be meant to enjoin renunciation, it cannot at the same time. enjoin that renunciation should be resorted to by the wise alone, Else it. would involve the fallacy of a double injunction in a single proposition: 156 THE BHAGAVAD~GITA [Dis. V ‘made ?—What then ?*—Listen: As a man who has realised ‘the Self resorts to neither Karma-Yoga nor Samnyasa, it is “not right to speak of them as alike leading to the highest bliss ‘or of the superiority of his Karma-Yoga over his Karma- ‘Samnyasa. Jf for a man who has realised the Self, Karma- , Samnyasa and its opposite—Karma-Yoga (performance of -action)—were possible, then it would have been right to ‘speak of them as alike leading to the highest bliss or to speak of ‘the superiority of his Karma- Yoga over his Karma-Samnyasa. Inasmuch as, however, neither Karma-Samnyasa nor Karma- Yoga is possible for a man who has realised the Self, it is not right to speak of them as alike leading to the highest bliss, or ‘to say that Karma-Yoga is better than Karma-Samnyasa. Karma-Yoga and Samnyasa inapplicable to the enlightened, (Question):—Are both Karma-Yoga and Karma-Sam- ‘nyasa impossible, or is only one of them impossible, for a man “who has realised the Self? If only one of them, is it Karma- Yoga or Karma-Samnyasa? What is the reason for the impossibility P (Answer) :—Since the man who has realised the Self is “free from illusory knowledge, Karma-Yoga which is based upon illusion must be impossible for him. Here, in the Gita- - sastra, in the sections treating of the real nature of the Self, it is Said that a man who knows the Self, who knows himself to “be the Self that is devoid of all changes of birth, etc, and is “actionless, and whose illusory knowledge has been replaced ‘by right knowledge,—that such a man has to renounce all “actions, ever dwelling in the true actionless Self; and it is “further said that, owing to the opposition between right * How is the former supposition liable to objection? or how is the Jatter reasonable?—(Anandagiri) [Here the two suppositions are repeat- ‘ed in the Bhashya, but they have been omitted in the translation]. Introduction] | SAMNYASA YOGA 157° knowledge and illusory knowledge as well as between their- effects, he has nothing to do with Karma-Yoga, the reverse of Karma-Samnyasa, presupposing an active Self and based on the idea of agency caused by illusory knowledge. Wherefore. it is but right to say that, for him who has realised the Self: and who is free from illusory knowledge, Karma-Yoga which. is based upon the illusory knowledge is impossible. (Question) :—What then, are the sections treating Of the real nature of the Self in which the man who knows the Self: is said to have no action to do? (Answer) :—In ii, 17, in ii, 19 and ii. 21, and in other. places here and there, the man who has realised the Self is. said to have no action to do (Objection): —Karma Yoga is also taught here and there. in the sections treating of the real nature of the Self, e.g., in. ii. 18, 31, 47, etc. How, then, can Karma-Yoga be said to be. impossible for a man who has realised the Self ? (Answer):—It is so, because there is an opposition, between right knowledge and illusory knowledge as well as. between their effects. In iii. 3 it is said that the Sankyas. who have realised the true nature of the Self apply themselves to devotion in the path of wisdom—ever dwelling in the. actionless Self—as distinguished from devotion in the path of: action which is intended for those who have not realised the. Self. The man who has realised the Self has no longer any object to gain, since he has achieved all. Iniii. 17 it is said; that he has no more duties to perform. In such passages as iii. 4 and v.6 Karma-Yoga is enjoined as an accessory to. the acquisition of the knowledge ofthe Self, while in vi- 3 it is said that the man who has obtained right knowledge has no. longer anything to do with Karma-Yoga. Further, in iv. 21. all action is denied to him except that which is required for. bodily maintenance; and even with reference to such acts of: 158 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. V ‘hearing and seeing as may be required for mere bodily main- “tenance, the man who knows the true nature of the Self is ‘directed inv, 8 always to meditate with a concentrated mind ‘on the idea that ‘it is not I that do it.” It is not pussible to ‘imagine even ina dream that the man who knows the Self ‘ean have anything to do with Karma-Yoga, so opposed to right knowledge and entirely based upon illusory knowledge. Wherefore it is the Samnyasa and the Karma-Yoga of the iman who has not realised the Self that are spoken of (in this ‘connection) as leading alike to moksha, This Samnyasa, which consists in renouncing a few actions only while yet there is an idea of agency,* is different from the one already ‘spoken of, from the renunciation of all actions,—which is resorted to by the man who has realised theSelf. The former ‘becomes very difficult of performance as it is further associated with ‘yama’ and ‘ni-yama’ and the like (which are the ‘various forms of self-control). Karma-Yoga is comparatively easier of performance and is therefore spoken of as the better ‘of the two. Thus an examination of the meaning of the words in reply leads also to the same conclusion as has been arrived at before as regards the meaning of Arjuna’s question. At the beginning of the third discourse, Arjuna, seeing ‘that knowledge and action could not coexist in one man, asked the Lord “tell me that which is the better of the two;” and ‘in reply the Lord declared dicisively that devotion inthe path -of knowledge was meant for the Saakhyas—the renouncers, ‘the Samnyasins.— and that devotion in the path of action was “meant for the Yogins. And from the statement ‘‘nor by mere * He thinks that he has yet to learu what the Vedanias or the Upanishads teach, to reason about it and to meditate upon it- He has vrenounced only those actions which are specially enjoined on the -gribasthas or the second religious order (asrama). This sort of renuncia- tion is thus partial and is meant to afford tothe aspirant_greater leisure to -apply himself to the acquisition of spiritual wisdom. : i—2] SAMNYASA YOGA 159 renunciation does he attain perfection” (iii. 4) it is clear that, in the view of the Lord, renunciation with knowledge isa means of attaining perfection. And Karma-Yoga, too, must lead to perfection, inasmuch as it has been enjoined (iv. 42), Arjuna now asks with a view to know as te which one of them, Karma-Yoga or Samnyasa, is better for a man who has no knowledge. aya Tara 4 e g ° eS A ee aUa BAN Hey FaaT A Ware | AVHA WAALS TH ae APAAAT | VA Arjuna said; 1. Renunciation of actions, O Krishna, Thou praisest, and again Yoga. Tell me conclusively that which is the better of the two. Thou teachest renunciation of those actions which are enjoined in the sastras, and Thou teachest also that per- formance of those very actions is necessary. I have, there- fore, a doubt as to which of them is better, performance of (prescribed) actions or renunciation of those actions. It is the better course which must be followed.. Wherefore tell me conclusively that one,—it being impossible for one man to resort to both at the same time,—be it performance of actiona or renunciation of actions, by which you think I may attain to perfection. : Karma-Yoga suits the ignorant better than Samnyasa To state His own opinion with a view to clear the doubt, ths Lord says: aatatyara -— 5 , . ‘\ aaa: Haina fe aaaaugal | Qe e ON qa Baaeaensaam Prasat i 2% 4 160 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. V. The Blessed Lord said : 2. Renunciation and Yoga through action both lead to the highest bliss: but, of the two, Yoga through action is esteemed more than renunciation of action. Samnyasa and Karma-yoga, renunciation of actions and performance of actions, both lead to moksha, as giving rise to (spiritual) knowledge. Though both lead to moksha, yet, of the two means of attaining moksha, Karma-Yoga is better than mere—v.e’", unaccompanied with knowledge—Karma- samnyasa. Thus the Lord has praised Karma-Yoga.* Wherefore ?—-The answer follows: : bax su: @ feaeearal af a sis a areata | aS > cana on fageat fe Aare) Ga Faeqgead |) 3 | 38. He should be known as a_ perpetual renouncer who neither hates nor desires: for, free from the pairs of opposites, O mighty-armed, he is easily set free from bondage. The Karma-Yogin who neither hates pain and the objects causing pain, nor desires pleasure and the objects causing pleasure, should be known as a perpetual renouncer (sam-~ nyasin), though he is engaged in action. Sankhya and Yoga lead to the same goal (Objection) :—Samnyasa and Karma-Yoga, which are meant for two distinct classes of people and are opposed to each other, should, properly speaking, be mutually opposed in * The Lord does not of course mean that Karma-Yoga is superior to. true Karma-samnyasa- True Karma-sasznyasa, that which is accompani- ed with knowledge, isa far higher path than Karma-Yoga, though the jatter is easier than, and therefore preferable to, that Karma-samnyasa which is unaccompanied with knowledge. \ 2—4] SAMNYASA YOGA 161 their results also. They should not, on the other hand, both lead to moksha alike. (Answer) :—The Lord says : MICIG TM GAAS: saga a ofusats | CHEMIN: ArayNAlaaa HSL i ? Ul 4. Children, not the wise, speak of Sankhya and Yoga as distinct. He who is rightly devoted to even one obtains the fruits of both. It is children who speak of Sankhya and Yoga as pro- ducing distinct and opposite results. But the wise, men of knowledge, believe that they produce but one harmonious result. He who rightly observes even one of them, Sankhya or Yoga, obtains the fruits of both. Both lead to the same result, viz, moksha, Wherefore, there is no diversity in the result. 3 (Objection) :—Uaving started with the words ‘Samnyasa' and ‘ Karma-Yoga’, how is it that He speaks of Sankhya and Yoga—with which we are not at present concerned—as producing the same results ? (Answer) :—There is no fault here. Arjuna indeed asked the question with reference to simple Samnyasa and simple Karma-Yoga, But the Lord, without leaving these, has added to them some additional conceptions of His own and has answered the question, speaking of them under other names, Sankhya and Yoga. In the opinion of the Lord, Samnyasa and Karma-Yoga are themselves termed Sankhya and Yoga when knowledge of the Self (jnana) and equanimity (sama- buddhitva) are added to them respectively, Hence no irrelevant topic. “How can a man obtain the results of both by the right observance of only one ?—The answer follows: ° A 162 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Dis. V: 5 i ac cd AAA ~ WAS; TAA Ara agayy aeaa | UH Weed FT aT aa: Gas @ qeala |) 4 1 0. That state which is reached by Sankhyas is reached by Yogins also. He sees, who sees Sankhya and Yoga as one. Sankhyas are those who are devoted to knowledge and have renounced the world. They reach the state called moksha. The same state is reached by Yogins also,—but indirectly through, the attainment of true knowledge and renunciation,—by those who perform their duties as a means of attaining knowledge, dedicating them to the Isvara, and having no selfish end in view. That man sees rightly who sees that Sankhya and Yoga are one, as leading to an identical result. (Question) :—If so Samnyasa must be superior to Yoga. How then is it that it has been declared that Karma-Yoga is better than Karma-samnyasa ? (Answer) :—Listen why it isso, It is the simple Karma- samnyasa aud the simple Karma-Yoga with reference to which you have asked me “which one is the better of the two ?”. In accordance with the qaestion, My answer has been given— without having regard to knowledge—that Karma-Yoga is superior to Karma-samnyasa. But that Samnyasa which is based upon knowledge is regarded by Me as Sankhya, and Sankhya itself is the true (paramartha) Yoga. It is only by a figure that the Yoga through Vedic rites is called Yoga or Samnyasa, insmach as it conduces to that (true Yoga or Samnyasa). Karma-Yoga Is a means to Samnyasa. How is it that the aim of the Karma-Yoga is that (true Yoga or Samnyasa) ?—Listen : s—7] SAMNYASA YOGA 163 : \ BUA Alas T:aAcgaalnas | xX ae as ~ meno a. aT Bara a AaANeTa WF A 6. But renunciation, O mighty-armed, is hard to attain except by Yoga; a sage equipped with Yoga ere long reaches Brahman. Renunciation (Samnyasa) here spoken of is the true (paramarthika) Samnyasa; and Yoga is the Vedic Karma- Yoga (performance of Vedic ritual) dedicated to the Isvara and entirely free from motives. A sage (muni) isso called ‘because of his meditation (manana) on the form of the Isvara, ‘Brahman’ here means renunciation (samnyasa, which is now ‘being spoken of), because renunciation consists in the know- jedge of the Highest Self (Paramatman) ; and the srati SAYS : ‘What is called Nyasa is Brahman; and Brahman is werily the Great.’ (Tact. Up. 4-78), A sage equipped with Yoga soon reaches Brahman, the true renunciation, which consists in steady devotion to right knowledge. Wherefore, I have said that Karma-Yoga is better. A sage’s actions do not affect him, When the devotee resorts to Yoga, as a means of attaining wight knowledge: ange gear frat Marga: | aaTAAyAA FIAT a Seat yy 9 | ¢ He whois equipped with Yoga, whose mind is quite pure, by whom the self has been conquer- ed, whose senses have been subdued, whose Self has become the Self of all beings —though doing, he is not tainted. 164 THE BHAGAVAD=GITA (Dis. V He who is equipped with Yoga, whose mind (atman, sattva) has been purified, who has conquered the body (atman, the self) and the senses, who sees rightly, whose Inner Consci- ousness, the Self, has formed the Self of all beings from Brahma down to a clump of grass,—he will not be tainted, - v.¢., he will not be bound by actions, though he may continue to perform them for the protection of the masses, 7.e., with a view to set an example to the masses. A sage’s actions are really no actions.. Neither does he really do anything. Wherefore, & ~~ A An bat ~ aa feisacntaiia aut Aeaa axalag | QWeTOGMSTAA Moe gTaaT || S| TSTAIT “ued [ enafara qaiT | SreeaoiiegaTg aaea aft Star 1 Vth 8-9. ‘I do nothing at all’; thus would the truth-knower think, steadfast,—though seeing, hearing, touching,smelling, eating, going, sleeping, -breathing,speaking, letting go,seizing, opening and closing the eyes,—remembering that the senses move among sense- objects The truth-knower is he who knows the true nature of the Self, who sees the Supreme Reality—When and how would he think so ever intent on the truth ?—The answer is given thus: ‘ though seeing, etc.’ The duty of the man who, thus knowing the truth and thinking rightly, sees only inaction in actions—in all the movements of the body and the senses—consists in renoune- ing all action; for, he sees the absence of action. The man, for instance, who thinks of quenching his thirst ina 8—11] SAMNYASA YOGA 165 mirage, mistaking it for water, will not, even after knowing that it is no water, resort to the same place for the purpose of quenching his thirst. Karma-Yogin is untainted by the results of his action. But as tothe man who is uot a truth-knower and is engaged in action : Sa e ARIAT BAT aG wat Hula a: | fecad A 8 WGA GapTaAarewar 1) 2 II 10. He who does actions, offering them to Brahman, abandoning attachment, is not tainted by sin, as a letus leat by water. He offers ali actions to the lsvara, in the faith that ‘I act for His sake, as a servant acts for the sake of the master. He has no attachment for the result, even for moksha. The result of actions so done is only purity of the mind, and nothing else. ie, aaa aAaal ea HAIUeRaTG | Gas HA Haka AF GRASSAASA |) 22 UI 11. By the body, by the mind, by the intellect, by mere senses also, Yogins perform action, with- out attachment, for the purification of the self. Mere: free from egotism, resolute in the faith that ‘ I act only for the sake of the Lord, not for my benefit. ‘Mere’ should be construed along with ‘body’ &c., with each one of them separately, Yogins are those who are devoted to works, free from egotism in all their acts, without attach- ment for their results. They act only for the purification of the mind (sattva). Wherefore,as thy duty lies only there, do thou only perform action. 166 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. -V Also because, Ge: Baas wat atanas saz | ATH: BAR Hs Ge aera 1) WR vy I2. The steady-minded one, abandoning the fruit of action, attains the peace born of devotion. The unsteady one, attached to the fruit through the action of desire, is firmly bound. The steady-minded man who, resolved that “I do actions for the sake of the Lord, not for my benefit,” abandons the fruit of action attains the peace called moksha, as the result of devotion, through the following stages: first, purity of the mind; then, attainment of knowledge; then, renunci- ation of all actions; and lastly, devotion to knowledge. But he who is unsteady is led by desire and is attached to the fruit, thinking ‘I do this act for my benefit’, He is firmly bound. Wherefore, be thou steady-minded. The blissful embodied life of a sage, But as to the man who sees the Supreme Being. SAGA AAA BUMS Ta salt | AAR Gt Se} Aa HAM BAT 11 LF th 13. Renouncing all actions by thought, and Self-controlled, the embodied one rests happily in the nine-gated city, neither at all acting nor causing to act. Actions are either the obligatory duties (nitya-karmani). or those arising on the occurrenee of some special events (naimittika-karmani), or those intended for securing some special ends, and which are only optional (kamya-karmani), 12—13] SAMNYASA YOGA 167 of those which are forbidden (pratishiddha-karmani), The man who has subdued the senses, renounces all actions in speech, thought, and deed, by discrimination, by seeing inac- tion in action, and rests happily. He rests happily because he has given up all action in speech, thought and deed, be- cause he is without worry, because his mind is calm, because, excepting the Self, all interests (foreign to the Self) have departed from his mind,— Where and how does he rest?— In the body which has nine openings; seven in the head, be- ing the organs of sensation ; two nether ones for the passage of the urine andthe dung. As having these nine openings, the body is said to be a nine-gated city. It is like a city, with the Self for its m onarch, inhabited by the citizens of the senses, mind, intellect, as well as their objects,—all working for the sole benefit of their Lord and producing consciousness of various objects. In sucha nine-gated city the embodied one rests having renounced all action. (Objection) :—Of what use is the qualification ‘he rests in the body’? Every man, be he a samnyasin or not, rests in the body only, So, the qualification is meaningless. (Answer) :—He that is ignorant identifies himself with the mere aggregate of the body and the senses, and thinks: “T rest in a house, on the ground, on a seat.’ Such a man regarding the mere body as himself, cannot indeed cherish the idea that he resis in the body asin a house. But in the case of a man who regards the Self as distinct from the ag- gregate of the body d&c., the idea that he rests in the body is quite possible. And it is also right that he should renouce by thought—by knowledge, by discriminative wisdom—the action attributed to the Self through ignorance, but which really pertains to the not-Self. Though a man has attained discriminative wisdom (ie. has realised his true Self as distinguished from the not-Self) and has renounced all concern 168 THE BHAGAVAD-~GITA [Dis. V / with action, still, it may be waid that he rests .in the nine-gated city of the body asin a house, inasmuch as his personal consciousness (of resting arises only with reference to the body in virtue of the traces of the unspent portion of the prarabdha-karma—the karma which brought the present body into existence—still, continuing to be felt. Thus the qualification ‘he rests in the body’ has a meaning, as point- ing to a distinction between the respective standpoints of the wise and the ignorant. (Objection) :—It is true that he renouces the actions of the body and of the senses attributed falsely to the Self through ignorance ; still, the power of acting and of causing to act may ba inherent in the Self and may remain in him who has renounced actions, (Answer) :—The Lord says:.He neither acts himself, nor causes the body and the senses to act. (Question) :—Do you mean that the power of acting and of causing to act is inherent in the Self and that it ceases by renunciation, like the motion of a moving person; or that the _ power is not inkerent in the Self? (Answer) :—The power of acting or of causing to act is not inherent in the Self; for, the Lord has taught that the Self is unchangeable (ii. 25), and ‘‘ though seated in the body, he acts not, nor is he tainted” (xiii. 31). The sruti says, “It thinks as it were and moves as it were.” (Bri. Up. 43 7). Nature is the source of activity, Moreover, Qe ole Sa lan qT BET A BAT SH Bala way: | A a ° e c . aT FARSAAT TAA gaat 1 V¥ UI 14, Neither agency nor objects does the Lord create for the world, nor union with the fruitg of actions. But it is the nature that acts. > 315) SAMNYASA YOGA > 169 The Self, the Lord (of the body), does not create agency t.e., does not of Himself urge any one to action, ‘do this.’ Neither does the Self create cars, jars, mansions, and other objects of desire. Nor does the Self unite him who makes a ‘car or the like with the fruit of the act. ) (Question) :—If the Self in the body does not Himself ct nor cause others to act, what then is it that acts and causes others to act ? (Answer) :—Listen, It is Nature, Svabhava, Prakriti, Maya, ‘the Divine Maya made up of gunas”™ (vii, 14). Wisdom and Unwisdom In reality, wet Saad a Va gaa fay: | SAAT ad ta Baler Beaa: 11 4 15. The Lord takes neitber the evil nor even the good deed of any ; wisdom is enveloped by un- wisdom ; thereby mortals are deluded. Of any : even of His devotees. (Question) :—With what object then is done by devotees apy meritorious act,—an act of worship, sacrifice, or charity, the offering of an oblation into the fire, or the like ] (Answer):—The Lord says in reply; Discriminative knowledge is enveloped by ignorance. Thereby the ignorant mortal creatures in samsara are deluded and think, “I acts I cause to act, I shall enjoy, I cause to enjoy,” and so on. * That is to say, Atman forms the agent, the enjoyer, and the Lord of Creation, through avidya—(A). 170 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. V aaa g aera Asi asraaraas | amassed NHTAA AIT 1 2S 16. But to those whose unwisdom is destroy= ed by wisdom of the Self, like the sun wisdom illuminates that Supreme. When that unwisdom by which the mortals are envelop- ed and deluded is destroyed by wisdom or discriminative knowledge of the Self, then, as the sun illuminates all objects, 80 wisdom illuminates the whole of the Knowable, the Su- preme Reality, The sage hasno more births The Supreme Reality having been illuminated by wis- dom. AZSAMAAMAM AT AIAN: | TGS AUGA UATATAB TAM: 1) VS I 17. With their consciousness in That, their Self being That, intent on That, with That for their supreme goal, they go never again to return, their sins shaken off by means of wisdom. Fixing their consciousness in Brahman and realising that. the very Supreme Brahman is their Self, they renounce all! actions aud dwell in Brahman alone,—the Supreme Brah- man being their highest goal, their delight being solely in the unconditioned Self. In the ease of such men, all sins and other causes of mundane existence (samsara) are destroyed by wisdom described above, and they depart from here, never returning to embodied life. 16—18] SAMNYASA YOGA 171; The sage sees the One in all beings How do those wise men see truth whose ignorance of the.. Self has been removed by knowledge P—Listen : aafaqaraa ae aa sleala | git Sa age a afvear: anata: 1 2¢ 1) 18. In a Brahmama endued wlth wisdom and humility, in a cow, in an elephant, as also in a dog and in a dog-eater,* the wise see the same Humility is tranquillity, the condition of a well-disciplin-. ed soul. Of the creatures mentioned: the highest is the brah- mana who is spiritually regenerated, and highly Sattvic (t.e.,. in whom the energy of Satva predominates). Next comes. the cow, not spiritually regenerated, and Rajasic (te, in. which the energy of Iajas predominates). Last come the elephant, &c., which are purely Tamasic (the energy of Lamos predominating). In all of them the sages see the. same, the One whois immutable in Himself and quite un-- touched by Sattva and other energies, or by the tendencies. born of those energies, whether Sattvic, Rajasic or Tamasic. The sage is liberated while still on earth (Objection) ;—They (the sages just spoken of) are sinful. persons, whose food should not be eaten by others. For, the. Law says: “Where one’s equals are honored in a different man: ner, and where persons who are not one’s equals are honored inthe same manner as onself, a dinner must not be eaten.” (Gautama’s Institutes, xvii. 20.) (Answer) :—They are not sinful ; for, * A chandala, an outcaste. 172 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. seq asa: amy agi area fra Aas | fagit fe GA Aa Tega & feat: 1) 2 I 19. Even here birth is overcome by them whose mind rests on equality. Spotless, indeed, and ‘equalis Brahman ; wherefore in Brahman they rest. Even while living here on earth, birth has been brought ‘under control by those sages who see the One, and whose ‘intuition (antah-karana) rests unwavering on the equality ‘(.e,, homogeneity) of Brahman in all creatures. Though, ‘to the ignorant, Brahman in such impure bodies as those of ‘dog-eaters and the like appears io be contaminated by their impurities, yet He is unaffected by them and is therefore ‘spotless. Further, He is not heterogeneous either, owing to ‘any heterogeneous attributes inherent in Himself; for, cons- ‘clousness (chaitanya) has no attributes. Aud the Lord speaks “of desire and the like as the attributes of the Kshetra—of the ‘body, of the not-Self (xiii. 6),—and He speaks also of the ‘Self as beginningless and without attributes (xiii, 31)- Nor ‘are there what are called ‘ultimate particulars (antyavises ‘shas), as the basis of individual distinctions in the Self, since ‘no evidence can be adduced to prove their existence in rela- ‘tion to the several bodies.* Hence Brahmanis homogeneous ~ * According to the Vaiseshika system of philosophy ‘antya visesha ‘is that indefinable peculiar attribute inherent in an eternal substance ‘which distinguishes it from another eternal substance. It is thatin an ‘eternal substance which marks its individual identity The existence of “such an attribute is only inferred in order to account for a distinction which is otherwise perceived. The eternal substances are thus enumera: ted: —The atoms of Earth, of Water, of J.ight, and of Air; Akasa (ether), “Time, Space, Atman (soul) and Manas (mind). The antya viseshas in ‘the Atman is only inferable from a distinction in the Self, for which Vedanta sees no evidence- Distinctions in the body cannot certainly ‘point to distinctions in the Self since a yogin can simultaneously assume ‘various bodies. ; 19—20] SAMNYASA YOGA 173, ‘bt and one. Wherefore they (the sages) rest in Brahman only. Not in the slightest can blemishes of bodies affect them, since. they have no egotism and do not identify themselves with the. aggregate of the body and the like. Itis only to those who are egotistic and who identify the Self with the aggregate of the body and the like, that the institute quoted above is ap-. plicable, since it refers to persons who are the objects of: honor. In honoring and giving gifts, some special qualifica-. tions are taken into account, such as a knowledge of Brah- man, knowledge of the six auxiliary sciences (angas), a knowledge of the four Vedas and the like. But Brahman is. free from all attributes, good and bad. Hence the statement ‘they rest in Brahman.’ Moreover, the institute quoted. above is taken from a section which is concerned with works. (Karma), whereas this portion of the Gita (from v. I3 to the: end of the adhyaya) is a section treating of renunciation of all. works. The sage is free from grief and rejoicing - Because Brahman, the Self, is blemishless and homoge-. neous, therefore, NOX 26 NON ~~ a separa wea alesse aia | agree aafazarn feta: 1 Reo | 20. He who knows Brahman ean neither- rejvlce on obtaining the pleasant, nor grieve on obtaining the unpleasant,—steady-minded, un- deluded, resting in Brahman. Pleasant and unpleasant objects can cause pleasure and; pain to them only who regard the body as the Self, not to him, who sees the pure Self, since the latter never comes by plea- sant and unpleasant objects. Heis undoubtingly conscious that the Self is free from delusion. He rests in Brahman. *’ er 174 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [ Dis. V: ‘described above ; that is, he does no action, he has renounced -all action. The sage’s infinite joy Moreover, resting in Brahman, qaqa Aeqarat aygaq | GF ACTA Faraz 11 AL 1 21. With the self unattached to external ‘contacts, he finds the joy which is in the Self; with the Self engaged in the contemplation of Brahman he attains the endless joy. When his intuition (antah-karana) is uncontaminated by attachment to things contacted by the senses, to the sound ‘and other sense-objects which are all external (to the Self), the sage realises the joy which there is in the Self. When ‘his intuition (antah-karana) is engaged in Yoga, in Samadhi, in a deep and steady contemplation of Brahman, then the ‘sage attains the imperishable bliss. Therefore, he who seeks ‘for the endless joy of the Self should withdraw the senses from the momentary pleasure of external objects. For the following reason also he should withdraw (the ‘senses from external objects):— af Saat aa Tsaaraa waz F | qeraqaa: sieda a ag wd gar || 22 1 22. For, those delights which are born of contacts are only generators of pain, having a be- -ginning and an end, O son of Kunti; a wise man rejoices not in them. The pleasures that are caused by contacts of the senses ‘with sense-objects are only generators of pain, since those 21—23] SAMNYASA YOGA 175 delights are caused by nescience (avidya). We do find that all troubles arising in the body (udhyatmika), etc., are traceable to them (delights) only. As in this world, so in the other,—as the word ‘only’ indicates. Seeing that there is no trace of joy in the samsara, the devotee should withdraw the senses from the mirage of sense-objects. Not only do the delights cause pain, but also they have a beginning and an end. The contact of a sense with its object marks the begin- ning of a pleasure, and their separation its end. Delights are temporary, occurring in the moment of interval (between the origin and the end.) A man who possesses discrimina- tion and who has realised the Supreme Reality does not rejoice inthem. Itis only quite ignorant persons that are, like cattle and the like, found to rejoice in the sense-objects, The path of Nirvana. And there is also a a wicked thing, an enemy on the path to Bliss, a most difficult thing to deal with, the source of all evil, very difficult to ward off, so that, very mighty efforts should be made, says the Lord, to repel the enemy : Aadedt a: ae sH aleamamg | HAMAS Wi A aw FT Fat aw || 22 1 23. He that is able, while still here, to with- stand, before liberation fromthe body, the impulse of desire and anger, he is a Yogin, he is a happy man. While still here: while yet living. Before liberation from the body: upto the point of death. By thus marking death as the limit, the Lord teaches that the impulse of desire and anger is unavoidable during life, since its causes are innumerable, and that till the very moment of death it should 176 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. V not be trusted. Desire (Kama) is the longing for a pleasures giving agreeable object of our experience when coming with- in the ken of our senses, heard of, or remembered ; and anger’ (krodha) is the aversion for the disagreeable, for the cause of pain, when being seen, heard of, or remembered. The im- pulse of desire (kama) is the agitation of the mind (antah- . karana) as indicated by hairs standing on end and by a joyful: countenance; and the impulse of anger is the mental agi- tation indicated by the trembling of the body, by perspiration, lip-biting, fiery eyes, and the like. He who can withstand the impulses of desire and anger is a Yogin, and he is a happy man here on earth. | What sort of a man resting in Brahman attains Brah-~ man ?—The Lord says: A Seas GA SeaAUT HMA eAsaaca as | ‘OA Cy Ss ah ast > SAT AMAA AAA SAT STA || LS I 24. Whoso has his joy within and his pastime within, and whoso has his light within only, that Yogin attains Brahman’ Ss bliss, himself be- coming Brahman. Wrthin: in the Self. He attains the bliss (nirvana) in Brahman,—.e., he attains moksha,—while still living here on earth. Moreover, 3 ead salar: eflosenst: | fsa aaa: aayaied Tats As Ut 25 The sages attain Brahman’s bliss,—they whose sins have been destroyed and doubts remov- ed,who are self- controlled. and intent on the ydeatiior of all beings. | | . 26—28 | SAMNYASA YOGA 177 Sages (Rishis) : men of right knowledge and renunciation. Intent, etc. ; injuring none. Moreover, _ Hanae adiat aaa | afiat aafrart aaa farearrary |) 2&1 26. To the devotees who are free from desire and anger, who have controlled their thought, and who have known the Self, Brahman’s bliss exists everywhere. Those who have renounced al] actions and attained right knowledge are liberated, whether living or dead. Realisation of the Lord by Dhyana-Yoga Jt has been said that those who, renouncing all actions, remain steady in right knowledge obtain instant liberation. It has often been and will be declared by the Lord that . Karma- Yoga, which is performed in complete devotion to the Lord and dedicated to Him, leads to moksha step by step: first the purification of the mind, then knowledge, then renunciation of all actions, and lastly moksha. And now, with a view to propound at length the Dhyana-Yoga, the proximate means to right knowledge, the Lord teaches the pene Togs in the following few aphoristic Verses : eT HEAT afesreaiageaaeat wat i TUG At aul AA AA rata TO M Cae | aarganAgsAMAaaNs AMATI A: BW AW CT | 1) AS I 27-28. Shutting out all external contracts and fixing the sight betweeu the eye-brows, equalising * 12 178 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [ Dis. V the out-going and the in-going breaths which pass through the nostrils, controlling the senses, mind _and intellect, having moksha as his highest goal, \free from desire, fear and anger,—the sage who ever, remains thus, is verily liberated. The sound and other sense objects enter the mind within through the respective organs. These objects which are external are kept outside when a man does not think of them. A sage (muni) is one who is given to contemplation (manana) and who renounces all actions. Keeping the body in the posture described, he should always look up to moksha as _ his supreme goal. When the sage leads constantly this kind of life, renouncing all, he is no doubt liberated: he has nothing else to do for liberation, What has he—he whose mind is thus steadily balanced— to know and meditate upon in the Dhyana-Yoga ? aie TATA BaslHAsawy | @ o— DHYANA YOGA ‘Dhy ana-yoga is incompatible with works. At the close of the next preceding Discourse, Dhyana- Yoga—Yoga by meditation,—which is the proximate means to right knowledge has been taught in a few aphoristic verses {v. 27-29), Here commences the Sixth Discourse which (karma) is an external aid to Dhyana-Yoga; and a grihastha (householder), on whom action is enjoined, should perform it till he is able to attain to Dhyana-Yoga; and bearing this in mind, the Lord extols action in vi. 1. (Objection) :—* Now, since action which is enjoined should be performed throughoat life, what is the meaning of the limitation, ‘till he is able to attain to Dhyana-Yoga’ ? (Answer):—This objection does not apply here because of the specification that, ‘for the sage who wishes to attain to Yoga, action is the means’ (vi- 3) ; and because it is also said that he who has attained Yoga has only to resort to renunci- ation (sama). If it were meant that each of them—he who wishes to attain to Yoga as well as he who has attained to Yoga—should resort to both action and renunciation, then it ‘would be useless to specify that action and renunciation are respectively intended for him who wishes to attain Yoga and for him who has attained Yoga, or to divide them into two distinct classes, * The Samuchchaya-Vadin maintains that knowledge should be ‘conjoined with action if it should produce the intended result. 180 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VE (The opponent):—Among religious devotees (asramins = grihasthas), one class comprises of persons who. wish to attain Yoga, another class comprises of persons who have already attained Yoga, while the rest are those who. neither wish to attain Yoga nor have attained Yoga; anditis but right that. the first two classes should be specified and shown separately as distinguished from the third*. (Answer) :—No; the words ‘for the same devotee’ (in vi 3) and the repetition of ‘yoga’ in the clause ‘when he has attained to Yoga’ imply that the same person who at first wished to attain to Yoga has only to renounce action when he has attained Yoga, this renunciation leading to the fruition of Yoga. Thus, no action forms a necessary duty throughout. life. Failures in Yoga are also spoken of here (vi. 37, 38). If in the Sixth Discourse Yoga were meant for a grihastha, then there could be no occasion for the supposition of his ruin, inasmuch as he, though a failure in Yoga, may obtain the fruit of Karma. An action done, whether interested (kamya) or obligatory and disinterested (nitya), must produce its effect ;—-(it cannot of course produce). moksha, which, being eternal, cannot be produced by an action. We have also said} that the obligatory duty (nitya-karma), as taught by so great an authority as the Veda, must produce a result of its own, since, otherwise, the Veda would serve no purpose. Neither would it be proper to speak of a grihastha asa failure in both ways ; for he would still ;perform Karma and there would therefore be no occasion for a failure therein. ~ * The opponent drives at this conclusion, that while the first and third classes of aspirants are bound to perform Karma, those who have attained Yoga should not, as belonging to the order of grihasthas, renounce Karma, though they may practise Yoga with a view to realise the true nature of the Self. + Vide commentary on iv- 18. Introduction } DHYANA YOGA 181 (The opponent):—The Karma which has been done has been offered to the Lord; wherefore, such Karma can bring in no result to the author. (Answer) :—No ; for, the offering of Karma to the Lord must lead to still greater results. (The opponent) :—It leads only to moksha.—The offering of all actions to the Lord, when conjoined with Yoga, leads to moksha and to no other result; but, since he has failed in Yoga, it is but right to suppose that such a man will be ruined. (Answer):—No; for, the verses vi. 10, 14, enjoin renun- ciation of action. It is not possible to think of any kind of wife’s aid at the time of Dhyana; if it were possible, then it might be argued that loneliness is enjoined (vi. 10) witha view to prohibit that aid*. And what is taught in vi. 10— “without desire, without property’—is not compatible with the life of a grihastha, The question (vi, 38), too, regarding him who may prove a failure in both ways would not arise. (The opponent) :—In vi. 1, man of action (Karmin) is said to be both a Samnyasin and a Yogin, and it is further said that he who does no action or keeps no fire cannot be a Yogin or a Samnyasin. ( Answer) :—No; vi. [, merely extols the abandonment of attachment for results of actions, performance of which forms an external aid (bahiranga) to Dhyana-Yoga, (te, which leads one to Dhyana-Yoga in due course),—It is not he alone who is without fire and without action that is botha Samnyasin and a Yogin, but also one devoted to action, who abandoning attachment for the results of actions, performs them for the purification of the mind (sattva suddhi.) Thus * That is to say, Dhayana-Yoga as taught in the sequel is not meant fora grihastha who is engaged in works; for he cannot fulfil t conditions laid down in vie 10, 14, etc. 182 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA e [Dis, VI by way of praise the latter is said to be a Samnyasin and a Yogin. It is, moreover, not proper to hold that one and the same proposition,* both praises the abandonment of attach- ment for results of actions and forbids the fourth order. Farther, the Lord cannot contradict the Sruti, Smriti, the Puranas, the Itihasa and the Yogassastras, which clearly teach that a man who is without fire and without action—7.e:, who is literally a samnyasin—is a Samnyasin and a Yogin, To forbid the fourth order would contradict what the Lord Himself teaches in iv. 13, xii. 16, 19, ii. 71, Therefore, for the sage who wishes to attain Yoga and has already entered on the career of a grihastha, action (such as the Agnihotra) performed without a desire for its fruit becomes, by way of purifying the mind, a means to Dhyana-Yoga. On this ground he is said to be a Samnyasin and a Yogin bp way of praise. | Renunciation in action. The Blessed Lord said; HaHa: BABS BA HA HUA As | @ “A A A ON & e o~ QB AVeaayqyl A Bi A aA (ATAA AllHAs |} 2 I] l. He who, without depending on the fruits of action, performs his bounden duty, he is a Samnyasin and a Yogin: not he who is without fire and without action. He who desires the fruits of actions is dependent thereon; but different from him is the man in question; he is not dependent on the fruits of actions. He who is thus free from a desire for the fruits of actions and performs action, such as the Agnihotra or fire-sacrifice as a bounden duty (nitya-karma),—not as a kamya-karma or * Vide note + P 155. 1—2] DHYANA YOGA 183 action done with a motive,as a means of attaining some immediate specific end in view,—he who performs actions thus is superior to those who perform actions in a different spirit. With a view to impress this truth, the Lord says that he is Samnyasin and a Yogin. He should be regarded as possessing beth the attributes, the attributes of renunciation (samnyasa) and steadfastness of mind (Yoga), Not the alone should be regarded as a Samnyasin and a Yogin who is with- out fire and without action who neither lights sacrificial fire, nor engages in other actions, such as austerities and the like which require no help of sacrificial fires. (Objection) :—In the sruti, in the smriti, and in the yoga- sastras, it is plainly taught that a Samnyasin or a Yogin is one who is without fire and without action. How is it that the Lord teaches here a strange doctrine that he who lights fire and performs actions is a Samnyasin and a Yogin? (Answer) :—This is not to be regarded as a fault; for, it is intended to represent a devotee to action as a Samuyasin and a Yogin in a secondary sense of the twoterms. He is regarded as a Samnyasin because of his renunciation of the thoughts concerning the fruits of action ; and heis regarded as a Yogin because he performs action as a means of attaining to Yoga or because he abandons thoughts concerning the fruits of actions as causing unsteadiness of mind. Thus, it is only in a secondary sense that the two terms are applied to him, It is not, on the other hand, meant that he isin reality a Samnyasin and a Yogin. The Lord, accordingly, says; Gq aarana saga ¢ fate qeea | aq geaaaged ait waft gaa |) 2 1 2. Dothou, O Pandava, know Yoga to be that which they call renunciation; no one, verily, becomes a Yogin who has not renounced thoughts. 184 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis, VI Do thou understand that the Yoga, which consists in per: formance of action. is that which those who are versed in the sruti and the smriti declare to be samnyasa, the true renuncia- tion which consists in the abandonment of all action as well as its fruit. (Question):—On what point of similarity between Karma-Yoga which consists in the performance of action (pravritti) and the pure Samnyasa which consists in abstaining from action (nivritti) is the representation of identity of the former with the latter based ? (Answer) :— There is of course a certain amount of simi- larity between Karma-Yoga and pure Samnyasa so far as the agent is concerned, For, he who is a pure Samnyasin, who has renounced all actions as well as their accessories, abandons thoughts (samkalpa) concerning all action and their fruits,—those thoughts causing the desires which impel one to action A follower of Karma-Yoga, too, renounces. thoughts of results, while he performs actions. This the Lord teaches in the following words: No devotee to action who has not given up the thought of reward can be a Yogin, @ man of steadfastness; for the thought of reward causes unsteadiness of mind. That is to say, that devotee to action who has given up all thoughts of reward will become a Yogin, a man of steadfastness, a steady-minded man, inasmuch as al] thought of reward which is the cause of unsteadiness has been given up. Action is a stepping-stone to Dhyana-Yoga. Thus, having regard to the likeness between pure Samnyasa and Karma-Yoga in so far az the devoteein either case renounces (the thoughts concerning the fruit of action), Karma-Yoga has been represented in vi. 2. as Samnyasa with a view to extol it. And the Lord extols it because the Karma-Yoga, practised without regard to the fruit of action, 2—3] DHYANA YOGA 185 forms an external aid (bahiranga) to Dhyana-Yoga, 7.¢., leads the devotee to Dhyana-Yoga (in due course). He now Proceeds to show how Karma-Yoga is a means to Dhyana- Yoga. AVVRATAMNT BA BLTTTAT | VMSA TAA TA: BCTASAT || 3 | 3. For a devotee who wishes to attain to Yoga, action is said to be the means. For the same (devotee), when he has attained to Yoga, quiescence (sama) is said to be the means. For a devotee (muni) who has given up the fruit of action, and who wishes to attain to Yoga,—7z.e., who has not already risen to it, who is unable to remain steady in Dhyana- Yoga,—action (karma) is said to be the means* of attaining hisend. For the same devotee on the other hand, when he hax attained to Yoga, quiescence—i.., the abstaining from all action—is said to be the means (of attaining his end). The more thoroughly he abstains from action, the more free he is from trouble, the more the senses are controlled, and the more steadfast his mind remains. Then he becomes a Yogartidha, one who has attained tuo Yoga. Accordingly it is said in the Mahabharata: “For a Brahmana there is no wealth equal to this w7z., (knowledge of) oneness and homogeneity (of Brahman in all creatures), truthfulness, character, steadiness, harmlessness straightforwardness, and renunciation of the several actions, —(Santiparva, 175-38). Who is a Yogin? When is a man said to be a Yogaridha, to have attained to Yoga ?—The answer follows : * His end is Dhyana -Yoga, and this he attains by action which first purifies the mind and then creates desire and capacity for Dhyana-Yoga 186 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VE aa fe Syadgs a eHATIA | AIAFeIM-AaM AMESATSAT | ¥ I 4. When a man, renouncing all thoughts, is not attached to sense-objects and actions, then he is said to have attained to Yoga. When a Yogin, keeping the mind steadfast, feels no: attachment for the objects of the senses such as sound, nor thinks that he has to do any action,—whether nitya (obli- gatory) or naimitiika (obligatory and incidental) or kamya (done with a motive) or pratishiddha (forbidden by law),— regarding it as of no use to him;and when he has learned to. habitually renounce all thoughts which give rise to desires for objects of this world and of the next, then he is said to have: become a Yogarudha, to be one who has attained to Yega.— The words “renouncing all thoughts” imply that all desires. as well as all actions should be renounced. For, all desires. Spring from thoughts, as the smriti says: ‘“Verily desire springs from thought (samkalpa), and of thought yajnas are born.” —Manu ii 2.) ‘*O Desire, I know where thy root lies. Thou art born of thought. I shall not think of thee, and thou shalt cease to exist as well as thy root.’—(Mahabharata, Santiparva, 177-25) On the abandonment of all desires, the abandonment of all actions necessarily follow, as passages in the sruti like the following show; ‘“‘ Whatever forms the object of desire, that he wills; and whatever he wills, that he acts,”—(Bri. Up, 4-4-5). Reasoning also leads to the same conclusion. For, om surrendering all thoughts, one cannot move at all. Where- fore, by saying that the aspirant should renounce all thoughts, 4—5] DHYANA YOGA 187° the Lord implies that he should abandon alll desires and all) actions as well, When a man has attained to Yoga, then the self is raised: by the self from out of the numerous evils of samsara. Therefore, VSleKAAlssHla AKAAAAaIeAT | AAT Meas Tequeaa Rue: | 4 II o. Let a man raise himself by himself, let: him not lower himself; for, he alone is the friend: of himself, he alone is the enemy of himself. Let a man lift up himself whois drowned in the ocean, of samsara, 7.e, let him so train himself as to become a. Yogarudha, let him practise and attain to Yoga. Let him. not lower himself; for, he aloneis the friend of himself. There is indeed no other friend that can lead to liberation. from samsara ; nay, the so-called friend is only inimical to. him who seeks liberation, as the former forms an object of: affection, which is the cause of bondage, Hence the ew pha-. sis ‘he alone is the friend of himself.’ And he alone is the. enemy of himself. The other enemy who is outside is made. an enemy only by himself. Hence the emphasis ‘he alone is. the enemy of himeelf.’ It has been said that “he alone is the friend of himself; he alone is the enemy of himself.” Now it may be asked, what sort of a man is the friend of himself and what sort of: @ man is the enemy of himself ?—The answer follows : arqueatssaaaea aardaraa ra: 4) AUAARY TAA TAA TAT 1 & 11 6. ‘To him who has conquered himself by himself, his own self is the friend of himself, but 'T88 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VI to him who has not (conquered) himself, his own ‘self stands in the place of an enemy like the (external) foe. ‘His self is the friend of himself whois self-controlled, ‘who has brougtit under control the aggregate of the body and ‘the senses. But ‘in the case of a man who is not self- controlled, his own self does injury to himself, just as any ‘external foe may do injury to him. (HARA: TAUFAR ALARA GANS: | Hasigeag:ay awl arraaaar: © 1 7. The self-controlled and serene man’s ‘Supreme Self is steadfast in cold and heat, im pleasure and pain, as also in honour and disgrace. ‘When a man has subdued the aggregate of the body and ‘the senses, when ‘his mind (antah-karana) is tranquil, when he has renounced all actions, then the Supreme Self actually "becomes his: own Self. saasraqqeal Feat faaaegas | Tw ATA Bil Bass waa: i < 1 : 8 The Yogin whose self is satisfied with ‘knowledge and wisdom, whv remains unshaken, who has conquered the senses, he is said to bea ‘saint,—for whom a lump of earth, a stone and ‘gold are equal When the Yogin is satisfied with knowledge (jnana) of ‘things as taught'mn the scriptures, and with wisdom (vijrana), ‘4.€., With the realisation (in his own experience) of the things “so taught—-then he is said to be a saint (yukta), he is said to ‘have attained samadhi or steadfastness of mind. 7—10] DHYANA YOGA 189: Moreover, Geraaqadaacaeseaaeaqg | VIA FT WIT aagfsaraar 1 si 2 He is esteemed who is of the same mind. to the good hearted, friends, foes, the indifferent, the neutral, the hateful,relatives, the. righteous, and the unrighteous. He is esteemed: He is the best among the Yogarudhas, among those who have attained to Yoga. [There is also another reading which means ‘he is liberated.’] Who zs of” the same mind: who thinks not of a man as to what he is or what he does. A ‘good hearted’ man does good to another without expecting any service in return; an “tndifferent’ man is One Who is partial to neither of two contending sides; a ‘neutral’ manisone who means well by both the contend: ing sides. The righteous are those who follow the Sastras, and the unrighteous are those who resort to forbidden acts. Directions for the practice of Yoga Wherefore, to attain the highest results, ani gaia aaaacarad wefe ay | Taal Faraarar faualizatae: 1) go 1 10. Let the Yogin try constantly to keep the. ’ mind steady, remaining in seclusion, alone, with the mind and body controlled, free from desire, and having no possessions, Yogin he who meditates. In seclusion; in a mountain-. cave, or the like. The words ‘in seclusion’ and ‘alone’ evidently show that he should resort to renunciation (same. nyasa). Not only should he renounce the world when he. practises Yoga, but he should also abandon all possessions, 1190 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VI Now, in the sequel, the Lord proceeds to prescribe for ‘him who practises Yoga particular modes of sitting, eating, recreation and the like as aids to Yoga, as also to define the «characteristic marks of the man who has attained Yoga, and ‘to describe the effects of Yoga and other particulars in ‘connection with it- First of all, He prescribes a particular *mode of sitting as foilows : qa Sa aiasca TATA aghast aes AorsagQaiaT uu Ce 11. Having in a cleanly spot established a -firm seat, neither too high nor too low, with cloth, ‘skin, and kusa grass thereon ; Cleanly: either naturally so, or made so by artificial ‘improvements. Cloth, &c. should be spread on the seatin ‘the reverse order of their enumeration here, What should be done after establishing the seat ? aaBA HA: Heal saadiegareas | fas bas A me “ sqaIaaA FasapqTAAaAgad i) 22 i 12. Making the mind one pointed, with the -actions of the mind and the senses controlled, let him, seated there on the seat, practise Yoga for ‘the purification of the self. He should withdraw the mind from all sense-objects “before concentrating it. ‘J's self: the antah-karana, the inner sense, the mind. The external seat has been described. Now, what -should be the posture of the body ?—Listen : 41—14] DHYANA YOGA 191 aa Haraina aaaas fer: | area alee @ Reaaaateaar |) 23 1 13 Holding erect and still the body, the head, and the neck, firm, gazing on the tip of his nose, without looking around ; An erect body may be in motion; hence the qualification “still.” He is to gaze as ct were on the tip of his nose.— Here we have to understand the words ‘as it were’; for, the Lord means to prescribe, not the Very act of ‘gazing on the tip of his nose’, but the fixing of the eye-sight within (by withdrawing it from external objects) ; and this, of course, depends on the steadiness of mind. If, on the other hand, ‘the very act of ‘gazing on the tip of his nose’ were meant here, then the mind would be fixed only there, not on the Self. Asa matter of fact, the Yogin is to concentrate his auind on the Self, as will be taught in vi. 25, ‘Making the mind dwell in the Self.’ Wherefore the words ‘as it were’ being understood, ‘gazing’ means here ‘the fixing of the eye- sight within.’ ie Moreover, nN as AA TMFAMAa fanadaaakad Raz | Aa: HIT ara Aw AMA AGE 11 ev 1 14, Serene-minded, fearless, firm in the vow of godly life, having restrained the mind, thinking on Me, and balanced, let him sit, looking up to Me as the Supreme. The vow of godly life (Brahmachari-vrata) consists in doing service to the Guru, in eating of the food obtained by begging, etc. He should strictly observe the vows of godly life. He should also restrain the mind, ¢.¢., repress its 192 THE BHAGAVAD~GITA [Dis. VE modifications. He should ever think of Me; the Paramesvara, the Supreme Lord. He shonld also regard Me as the. Supreme, A lover may always think of a woman, but he never regards her as supreme. He regards either his sovere- ign, or Mahadeva (the Great God), as the case may be, as the: Supreme. The Yogin, on the other hand, ever thinks of Me, and also regards Me as the Supreme Being. Now the fruit of Yoga is described as follows : qaaad aarsscara att fArdaraa: | atica frarratat meaeTATRsTA (| 84 I 15. Thus always keeping the mind balanced, the Yogin, with the mind controlled, attains to the Peace abiding in Me, which culminates in Nirvama. (moksha.) Thus : in the manner prescribed above. Here follow regulations as regards a Yogin's food, ete : MAAR Assit A AHeATAATAA: | a aitanaive aaat Aa AIGA 1 28 A 16. Yoga is not. possible for him who eats too much, nor for him who does not eat at all, nor for him who is addicted to too much sleep, nor for him whois (ever) wakeful, O Arjuna. Eats too much : eats more food than what is suited to him. The sruti says: “Whatever food is suited to oneself, that protects; it injures not. A greater quantity injures and a smaller quantity protects not.”—(Satapatha- Brahmana), 15—18] DHYANA YOGA 193 The Yogin should therefore eat neither more nor less than what is suitable for him. Or it may mean this; Yoga is not possible for him who eats more than the quantity pre- scribed for a Yogin in the Yogasastra, The quantity of food is thus prescribed : “Half (the stomach) for food and condiments, the third | (quarter) for water, and the fourth should be reserved for | free motion of air.” How then can Yoga be achieved ?—The answer follows: ~ kes S GHaTIeCS ZHASA Bag | FEAMATIA GM waft Saat ny vo yy 17. To him whose food and recreation are moderate, whose exertion in actions is moderate, whose sleep and waking are moderate, to one accrues Yoga which is destructive of pain. To him who resorts to food and recreation (such as walking) within prescribed limits, and who sleeps and who wakes up at the prescribed hours, to him accrues Yoga which is destructive of the misery of samsara. Consummation, When does he become a saint (Yukta)?—The answer follows : aat fafaad Praaraeaarafasa | fede: BARAT BH SATA al yy Ve 18. When the well restrained thought is established in the Self only, without longing for any of the objects of desire, then he is said to be a Saint. ° 13 194 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VI Well-restrained: which attained to one-pointedness or concentration. In the Self only: having abandoned all thoughts of external objects, the thinking principle (chitta) remains steadily in the Self. Objects of desire: seen or unseen. The simile of such a Yogin’s steadfast mind is described below : ar 4 NT et ae Gat sa AAAS AGA AMAT FIAT | NEN LN os ce Geese - OTA AAAS JSAA ATAKAA 1&8 Ul 19. ‘Ags alamp in a sheltered spot does not flicker,’—this has been thought as the simile of a Yogin of subdued thought, practising Yoga in the Self. This simile has been thought out by those versed in Yoga, by those who know the ways of tne thinking principle. Having thus, by virtue of the practice of Yoga, become one-pointed (fit for concentration), like a lamp sheltered from the wind, aaa Pad ed aTaaT | aA FaRAA SSAA WIAA TAA 1) Re tI 20. When thought is quiescent, restrained by the practice of Yoga; when, seeing the Self by the self, he is satisfied in his own Self ; When the mind is restrained from all quarters by practice of Yoga, the Yogin sees the Self—the Supreme Intelligence (chaitanya) and the All-resplendent Light—by self (the antahkarna, the inner sense), by the mind which has been purified by samadhi and attains satisfaction in the Self. : 19—23] DHYANA YOGA 195 and: garages ave gfemaadiegay | aft aa a Sarsa faaaels aaa: |) 22 | 21. When he knows that Infinite Joy which, transcending the senses, can be grasped by reason; when, steady (in the Self), he moves never from the Reality ; _ He: the wise man. That joy can be grasped by reason (buddhi), independently of the senses, it lies beyond the ken of the senses ; it is not produced by sense-objects, And; ° Ash e. e ben oa ° 4 wetal SG BH ATi aAlqs aa: | ol a Za ~ ~ & WAP A Tia TRIS Aareaa 1) 22 yy 22. When, having obtained it, he thinks no other acquisition superior to it; when, therein established, he is not moved even by a great pain; It: the gain of the Self. Therein: in the real Self. _ Pain: such as may be caused by a sword-cut ete. This Yoga,—this peculiar state of the Self which has been described in so many of its attributes in the verses Deginning with vi. 20: ~ _ “N * Tae Gadanaalt AaaSary | a fade amsat aha sfatontaar |) 23 -3. This severance from union with pain, be it known, is called union (Yoga). That Yoga must be practised with determination and with unde- pressed heart. 166 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VE Severance from union with pain is called Yoga (which means union) by a sort of irony. Having thus concluded speaking of the effect of Yoga, the Lord again refers to the necessity of it, with a view to show that determination and non-depresion (self-reliance) are necessary means to Yoga. That Yoga; the Yoga which can produce the result described above. | Further directions concerning the practice of Yoga. Moreover, ASCIIAAPHAARA FAUAAT: qaaargaa fafaasa aaraa: 1) AY 1 94. Abandoning without reserve all fancy- born desires, well-restraining all the senses from all quarters by the mind ; By the mind : endued with discrimination : UMA Feat gaqElaar | area aa: Heal a faisaele Feadq 1 24 I 25. Little by little let him withdraw, by reason (budhi) held in firmness; keeping the mind established in the Self, let a not think of anything. He should make the mind constantly abide in the Self, bearing in mind thatthe Self is all and that nothing else exists. This* is the highest form of Yoga. Now, as to the Yogin who thus strives to make the mind abide in the Self. * The steadiness of minde—(A-) | 24—27] DHYANA YOGA 197 aa aa feat AaamenaTT | ada aeaageneda ast AIT |) VE II 26. By whatever cause the wavering and — unsteady mind wanders away, from that let him restrain’ it and bring it back direct under the control of the Self. Sound and other objects are the causes which make the | mind wander away. It isa natural weakness of the mind to be thus Jed away by sense-objects. By convincing oneself of — the illusoriness of sense-cbjects through an investigation into their real nature, and by cultivating indifference to worldly objects, the mind can be restrained from sense-objects and brought back to the Self wherein to abide firmly. In virtue of this practice of Yoga, the Yogin’s mind attains peace in the Self. The effect of Dhyana Yoga. Ueda BA Aid GUAaAy | bas) ° di SHa Meatsneg AAYTABTAT |) RO || 27. Supreme Bliss verily comes to this Yogin, whose mind is quite tranquil, whose passion is quieted, who has become Brahman, who ig blemishless. Whose passion Sc.: in whom all passion, including attachment and other causes of pain, has disappeared; who has become a Jivan-mukta (a man whose soul is liberated while still alive), convinced that all is Brahman; who has no blemish whatsoever, who is not affected by dharma and a dharma, 198 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. VE Jara aalssmra aya faaraeeAa: Gaa aaaAaet ganz W ac yy 28. Thus always keeping the self steadfast, the Yogin, freed from sins, attains with ease to the infinite bliss of contact with the (Supreme) Brah- man. Always ; unimpeded by any of the obstacles to Yoga. Now will be described the effect of Yoga, the perception of oneness with Brahman, which leads to the cessation of all samsara ; AACA eayeie areATA salt MATT A BAA BAIA 1) RB tl 29. The Self abiding in all beings, and all beings (abiding) in the Self, sees he whose self has been made steadfast by Yoga, who everywhere sees the same. He sees all beings—from Brahma, the Creator, down to a clump of grass—as one with the Creator down to inanimate objects—he sees the same; t.e., he sees that the Self and Brahman (the Absolute) are one. Now will be described the effect of this perception of the unity of the Self; a at qaafa waa aa a afa asafa | AME ANIA @ aa a ANFAlA | 30 II 80. He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, to him I vanish not, nor to Me does he vanish. — 28—32] DHYANA YOGA 199 He who sees Me, Vasudeva, the Self of all, in all beings, and who sees Brahma, the Creator, and all other beings, in Me, the Self of all ;—when he has thus seen the anity of the Self, I—who am the Isvara—never leave his presence, nor does that wise man leave My presence; for his Self and Mine are one, and one’s own Self cannot but be manifest to oneself. Now, referring to the knowledge imparted in the preceding verse—namely that ‘I Myself, the Self of all, am the seer of the unity of Self’—the Lord will speak of moksha as the effect of that knowledge: wayafad a at wsaaaanera: | aaa aaaAase a aeh as saat Wy RV UI 31. Whoso, intent on unity, worships Me who abide in all beings, that Yogin dwells in Me, whatever his mode of life. This man of right knowledge dwells in Me, in the supreme state, in the state of Vishnu; he is ever liberated nothing obstructs his path to moksha. Moreover, Aaa BAT GA TAA asaya | ga at we arg: @ ala} qa wa: 1) 82 1) 32. Whoso, by comparison with himself, sees the same everywhere, O Arjuna, be it pleasure or pain he is deemed the highest Yogin. He sees that whatever is pleasant to himself is pleasant to all creatures, and that whatever is painful to himself is painful to all beings Thus seeing that what is pleasure or pain to Limself is alike pleasure or pain to all beings, he 200 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Dis. VI causes painto no being; he is harmless. Doing no harm, and devoted to right knowledge, he is regarded as the highest among all Yogins. Practice and Indifference are the surest means to Yoga. Seeing that the Yoga above described, the Yoga of right knowledge, is very difficult of attainment, Arjuna wished to know the surest means of attaining it, and said: Arjuna said : asa Wnesay Tie Bela ATTA | wae a asa wasn ala far i 33 U 33. This Yoga in equanimity, taught by Thee, O Destroyer of Madhu.—I see not its steady continuance, because of the restlessness (of the mind.) This is a well-known fact : aaq% f& aa: HN WANA AwaT FSq | “wn e A Sr ATAlSe AHS AeA AANA GSeH 1 2¥ II 34. The mind verily, is, O Krishza, restless, turbulent, strong and obstinate. Thereof the restraint [ deem quite as difficult as that of the wind. ‘Krishna’ is derived from ‘krish’ to scrape. Krishna is so called because He scrapes or draws away all sins and otter causes of evil from his devotees.—Not only is the mind restless, but also turbulent: it agitates the body and the senses and makes them subject to foreign influences. It is not possible to restrain it by any means, as it is quite irrepressible. It is as impossible to cut it as to cut the 32—36} DHYANA YOGA 201 tantunaga, the Varuna-pasa, akind of shark. To restrain the mind of such a nature is even more difficult than to restrain the wind. The Lord says :—So it is, a8 you say: The Blessed Lord said ; HAIG ACA! Aa Shans ASA | AAA J Beda Iw + TIT 1 84 | 35. Doubtless, O mighty-armed, the mind is hard to restrain and restless; but by practice, O son of Kunti, and by indifference it may be restrained, én.’ Practice’ consists in constantly repeating the same idea or thought regarding some one object of thought. ‘Indiffer- ence’ means freedom from desire for any pleasures seen or unseen, attained through a constant perception of evil in them. Itis by practice and indifference that vtkshepa, the passage of thougut in the direction of external objects, can be restrained.—It is thus that the mind is restrained. But as regards him who is not self-controlled : Haaaaal way soy sa a aes | AQAA F AAA AFA sacqyyraa: 1) 34 1 36. Yoga, methinks is hard to attain for a man of uncontrolled self; but by him who (often) strives, self-controlled, it can be acquired by (proper) means. Uncontrolled self: the antahkaroana not controlled by means of constant practice and by indifference to worldly gain. Self-controlled: who has subdued the mind. AO eS e symm eit 202 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VE Failures in yoga and the after-career On engaging in the practice of Yoga, all works which are. the means of attaining success in this world and in the other world have been renounced, while the right knowledge, which is the result of perfection in Yoga and which is the means to moksha, has not yet been attained; and the Yogin’s mind strays away from the path of Yoga atthe time of death. Arjuna thought that such a man would meet destruction and therefore asked : Arjuna said ; Cans Ren Geese Maer ‘oss Aya: ASA] BTC IsAa: | ara ainears at aft aot Tesia 1 38 | 37. He who strives not, but who is possessed of faith, whose mind wanders away from Yoga,— having failed to attain perfection im Yoga, what end, O Krishna, does he meet? He has faith in the efficacy of Yoga but does not strive in the path of Yoga; and during the last moments of life his. mind wanders away from Yoga, with memory lost. Having failed to attain the fruition of Yoga—namely, right knowledge —what end does such a man meet ? SAAAAUAVASAMAT ALATA | ‘\ 05 i ae aarast Aerael fay! Aan: GT NW 8S A 38. Having failed in both, does he not perish like a riven cloud, supportless, O mighty-armed, and perplexed in the path to Brahman f Both: the path of Karma and the path of Yoga. The path to Brahman; the path by which Brahman can be reached. 37—41] DHYANA YOGA 203. Ua a as He STAeTAI: | APT: STAIN SAT VATA | 33 I 39. This doubt of mine, O Krishna, do Thou dispel completely; for none other than Thyself can possibly destroy this doubt. None other : be he a Ziishi cr Deva. Thou alone couldst- destroy this doubt. The Blessed Lord said : ; < los ~ qa ade aga faa fag | fos a fe neaopReRaens aa n=als 1) vo 1 40. O Partha, neither in this world nor in. the next is there destruction for him ; none, verily,. who does good, My son, ever comes to erief, He who has failed in Yoga will not be subject to a lower. birth than the present one either here or hereafter. My son: [Sk. ‘tata’ is translated into ‘son’]. ‘Tata’ in Sanskrit mean ‘father’ because the father propagates (Sk. root ‘tan’), himself in the form of hisson. Since thus the father himself is the son, the son also is called tata. Even a disciple, though not a son, is addressed as son because he is like a son. What, then will happen to him ? AA Qvagar wrergIear ara: AAT: | Qarat Aaat Te arrasisaaa 1 #2 11 41. Having attained to the worlds of the. righteous and having dwelt there for eternal years, he who failed in Yoga is reborn in a house of the. pure and wealthy. “204 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VI This is said, as the context shows, of a samnyasin engag- -ed in the path of (Dhyana) Yoga. The righteous : those “who worship by the asva-medha or horse-sacrifice, &c: Having completely enjoyed the pleasure (he is entitled to) “in such a world, he is reborn in @ house of the pure and wealthy. ‘(he pure: acting according to the prescribed ‘rules. NON an bas a Las AAal AAA HO AAA SAAT | ep S$ GT . a UAE Feral SiH AH Gees II #2 1 42. Wlse, he is born in family of wise Yogins only. This, verily, » birth like this, is very hard to obtain in this world. Or else he is born in quite a different family, that of ‘poor wise Yogins, A birth in a family of this sort, in a ‘family of poor Yogins, is more difficult to obtain than the one mentioned above, And for the following reason : \ ° Tod Bg ~ ASAH a4 A TSAI GHA Waehs | = ~ “~ S .: aad 4 aa Ya: AAs! Hadeget || 83 II 43. There he gains touch with the knowledge ‘that was acquired in the former body and strives more than before for perfection, O son of the Kurus : More than before ; with greater vigour than that with “which he strove in the former birth. gaara aaa feat aaetisht a | ~ on ap PN Magus ant TeAAiaaat 1 ¥2 A 44—497) DHYANA YOGA 205: 44. By that very former practice is he borne. on, though unwilling. Even he who merely wishes. to know of Yoga rises superior to the Word-. Brahman. The man who failed in Yoga is borne on towards. perfection by the force of the practice of the former birth, If he has done no unrighteous deed (a-dharma) which could; overpower the tendency caused by the practice of Yoga, then, certainly, the tendency of Yoga prevails. If a-dharma be stronger, then, even the tendency born of Yoga is certainly overpowered by a-dharma. But on the exhaustion of: a-dharma the tendency caused by Yoga begins to produce its. effects: that is to say, it is not liable to destruction though it may have long been in abeyauce. Thus he—i.e., as the. context shows, a samnyasin who has failed in Yoga—who works in the path of Yoga, only wishing to know its nature, even he will free himself from the Word-Brahman (Sabda- Brahman), from the effects of the observance of Vedic. Karma : what need is there to say that he who knows Yoga and practises ib in steady devotion will be free from its. effects ? The best of Yogins, And why is the life of a Yogin preferable ? TAMA Ait BPSlaeaa: | qadawrAaagad alia wt maT 1 ¥4 I 45. Verily, a Yogin who strives with assiduity, purified from sins and perfected in the course of: many births, then reaches the Supreme Goal. In the course of many births he acquires facility in Yoga little by little,and by the aggregate facility thus, | 206 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VI ‘acquired in many births he is perfected. Then he obtains ‘right knowledge and reaches the Supreme Goal. anferaisfrat ait atfreaistt aarstera: | ~ A > S Baa BM AAT AAs Ww Ye U 46. Yogin is deemed superior to men of ‘austerity, and superior to even men of knowledge; he is also superior to men of action; therefore be thou a Yogin, O Arjuna. Knowledge: of the teachings of the sastra, Acizon: ‘such as Agnihotra, worship of the sacred fire, ararage Bast AgtaeaueAar | Ag aeAaa A at a a Away aa: yy 8 | A?. Of all Yogins, whoso, full of faith, worships Me with his inner self abiding in Me, he ‘is deemed by Me as most devout. Yogins: those who meditate upon Rudra, Aditya, etc. The inner self abiding in Me: ‘The antah-karana kept steadfast in Me, Vasudeva. gfa dlagnadiarguiaay aalaarat aaa FUNAAAANS TNAaaATAT Aa BISA: ft SEVENTH DISCOURSE VIJNANA YOGA Realisation of the Lord by meditation. Having given in vi. 47 an occasion for further interroga- tion, and wishing to teach, without being asked, that “so and so is My Real Being, and such and such is the one whose inner self abides in Me,” the Lord said : The Blessed Lord said: AAMAS WE ANT ZaeaAI: | FATT Bay at aa seals a=sq 1 1. With the mind intent on Me, O Partha, practising Yoga, and finding refuge in Me, how in full without doubt thou shalt know Me, that do thou hear. The Yogin’s mind is intent on Me, the Supreme Lord, possessed of such attributes as will be mentioned below. Hie pratises Yoga or steadfastness of mind and finds refuge in Me alone, the Supreme Lord. He who seeks a human end resorts to some action sach as Agnihotra, or to an austerity, or to a gift or the like, as a means of attaining that end. The Yogin, on the other hand, resorts to Me alone, abandoning all other means, with his thought intent on Me alone. Now, listen to what I am going to say as to how you also, thus acting, will, without doubt, know Me in full, possessed of infinite greatness, strength, power, grace and other attributes; you will know Me undoubtingly, that “ The Lord is so and 80 only.” 208 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VIE ari ds& aftarafag aemiragiaa: | TIA AE Ya seasHasaAafacad |! 2 | 2. I shall fully teach thee this knowledge combined with experience, which being known, nothing more besides here remains to be known. And this knowledge concerning Me, as born out by My own experience, I rhall relate to thee in full.—In the latter portion of the verse the Lord extols the knowledge which is going to be taught, with a view to prepare the hearer to follow it.— Nothing more; no other means to a human end. He who knows Me in truth becomes omniscient, Thus the knowledge is productive of great results and is therefore very hard to obtain. How ?—Listen: narant weey aiagara fase | aaa fagrt aiaeat aft dead: |) 3 1 38. Among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection; even among those who strive and are perfect, only one perchance knows. me in truth. Perfect; they are indeed perfect who strive for moksha. Evolution of the Universe out of Divine Prakriti. Having prepared the hearer for the teaching by inducing in him a taste for it, the Lord proceeds thus: WAIsas WZ: GT aay gfera a | Bese FAs A far saHlAcsar ty ¥ I 2—5| VIJNANA YOGA 209 4. Harth, water, fire, air, ether, thought (Manas) and reason (Buddhi), egoism (Ahamkara) —thus is My Prakriti divided eightfold. HKarth stands for the subtile rudimental element or Tanmatra, the Prithivi-tanmatra or the subtile rudimental element of earth; and so water, fire, air and ether stand for the Tanmatras of water, etc) Thought (Manas) stand for its cause Aham‘ara or egoism: reason (Buddhi) for the Mahat principle, which is the cause of Ahamkara; and Ahamkara for the Avyakta, the Uumanifested, conjoined with Avidya or nescience. Just as food which is mixed with poison is itself called poison, so the Avyakta, the First Cause, conjoined with the vasana, or latent unconscious impression, of Ahamkara, is itself called here Ahamkara inasmuch as Egoism is the impelling cause of all, 4s a matter of fact, we tind, from our ordinary experience, that egoism is the cause of the activity of every being. Thus divided eightfold is My Prakriti, the Maya belonging to the Isvara, aRafaaeat salt Mrs A ey | a ° ~ ® ea Saqat Aaa ade aaa aAT 1) &@ | 5. This is the inferior (Prakriti); but as distinct from this know thou My superior Prakriti, the very life, O mighty: armed, by which this universe in upheld. This Parkriti is inferior, impure, productive of evil, itself constituting the bondage of samsara ; but the superior Prakriti is pure; it is My very Self, the Katieten jan, that by which life is sustained, that which enters within the whole universe and sustains it. , 14 210 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. VII canes arta BarveyTATe | RS HMA ANA: Wa: TWAT 1 F 6. Know that all beings have their birth in these. So, I am the source and dissolution of the whole universe. These, My inferior Nature (Prakriti) and My superior Nature (Prakriti) matter (Kshetra) and spirit (Kshetrajna), are the womb of all creatures. Beeause my Prakriti is the womb of all beings, I am the origin and the end of the whole universe. That is to say, through this twofold Prakriti I the omniscient Isvara, am the cause of the universe. Wherefore, HA: Wat aracHsagiea TAT | ula aaa Nd GA Ao sa |) © 1 7. There is naught else higher than I, O Dhananjaya: in Me all this is woven as clusters of gems on a string. There is no other cause besides Me, the Supreme Lord. T alone am the cause of the universe. Wherefore all beings as well as the whole of this universe are woven in Me, asa cloth in the warp, clusters of beads on a string. The Divine Principle penetrating the Universe, What are Thy attributes showing that the whole of this is woven in Thee ?—Listen : wiseay Weds qarsiee aBaqaats | aan bat e qq: BAIT Asa: FT FRI TZ < I 8 [am the sapidity in water, O son of Kunti. I am the light in the moon and the sun, ‘6—10] VIJNANA YOGA 211 Tam the syllable Om in all the Vedas, sound in ‘ether, humanity in men. The essence of water is sapidity. In Me who am that sapidity waters are woven.—So in all cases.—Just as I am ‘the sapidity in waters, so am | the light in the moon and the ‘sun; Ll am the Pranava, the syllable Om in all the Vedas: in Me who am that Pranava all the Vedas are woven. So also, Tam humanity in men «.e, I am that in a person which makes that person regarded a human being. In Me as human- ity all persops are woven. Sound is the essence of akasa: in Me as sound akasa is woven, goay wea: Treat a aware aaa | A ry 2g las oa aad aagdg aqalien agagy 1 e |) ‘9. And lam the agreeable odour in the earth and the brilliance in the fire, the vitality in all beings, and I »m the austerity in ascetics. In Me as odour the earth is woven.—Odour by itself is ‘agreeable; the disagreeableness of odour in the earth and of ‘the like being due to the combination of one element with ‘some other element or elements under the influence of the avidya and a-dharma of individual souls in the world. The agreeableness thus spoken of with reference to the earth applies also to the agreeableness of the sapidity in waters, and so on.—I am the vitality in all beings, that by which all ‘beings live. In Me as austerity the ascetics are woven. dist at aaqaat fle gat aaraaq | m~ SA lon Eins HOE." FSI GAMA WAIT |; Qo | 10 Know Me, O Partha, as the eternal seed “of all beings; I am the intelligence of the intelli- gent, the bravery of the brave 212 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VIE Seed: the cause of growth. Intelligence: the discrimi-~ native power of the antah-karana. qs Toa HauTaalstay | cA ~ Sa a S qaASs! YIT HAs VTA 1) Ve 1) 11. And of the energetic am I the energy devoid of passion and attachment; and in (all) beings I am the desire unopposed to dharma, O lord of the Bharatas. Passion (Kama): thirst for objects not present to the senses. Attachment (raga): love for those presented to the senses, J am that energy which is necessary for the bare sustenance of the body, certainly not that which causes thirst and attachment: (for sense-objects) in the case of worldly mortals. So I am the desire not opposed to the teaching of the scriptures; [ am, for instance, the desire for that much of eating and drinking, etc., which is necessary for the bare sustenance of the body. Moreover, a Sa attast wal unaraaerss & | aa wala aafe a wae ag d AT 1 22 I 12. And whatever beings are of Sattva or of Rajas or of Tamas, know them to proceed from Me: still, I am not in them, they are in me. Know that all beings, whetber formed of Sattva or of Rajas, or of Tamas,and which come into existence as the result of the respective karma of living beiugs, proceed from Me. Though they thus proceed from Me, I am _ not subject to them like mortal beings (samsarins). On the other hand, they are subject to Me: they are dependent on Me. 41—14] VIJNANA YOGA 213 Maya: How to overcome it, The Lord now expresses His regret that the world does not understand Him, who is thus the Supreme Lord ; who by nature is eternal, pure, intelligent and free; who is the Self of all beings, devoid of all attributes: by knowing whom they might burn up the evil which is the seed of samsara.— What is this ignorance on the part of the world due to ?—Listen : min & FSA Kr DQ Ao faramnadarata: aalie aa | Aiea alfasrafa wreiva: qeasaaq |) 23 11 13. Deluded by these three (sorts of) things composed of gurtas, all this world knows not Me as distinct from them and immutable. Ail living beings are deluded by such things as love, hatred and attachment, which are all modifications of gunas, Immutable; devoid of such changes as birth and the like, which pertain to all things in the world. How then can one surmount this Divine Hlusion (Maya) of Vishnu made up of the three gunas P—Listen ; SS qal GU quad aa war staat | Aaa @ qgeed araat atta a yy 08 1 I4. Verily this Divine Illusion of Mine,made up of guzas, is hard to surmount. Whoever seek Me alone, they cross over this Illusion. This Illusion (Maya), formed of gunas, is inherent in Me Vishnu, the Lord, Such being the case, whoever abandon all formal religion (Dharma) and completely devote themselves to Me, their own Self, the Lord of Illusion, they cross over the Illusion which deludes all living beings; they are liberated trom the bondage of samsara. 214 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VIE If those who resort to Thee cross over the Jllusion, why do not all resort to Thee only P— a at goHiaal Fels AGT ATAAT: | WAM STARA ABE AaawAars 11 @4 15. Not Me do the evil-doers seek, the delud— ed, the vilest of men, deprived of wisdom by Illusion, following the ways of the Demons, Me, the Supreme Lord Narayana. The ways of the Demons are cruelty, untruth, and the like. Four classes of devotees - But as the best of men, men of good deeds; aaa aset at cal: BaRAAsga | aa Sarge sat a aag 1 EH 16. Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna—the distressed,the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth and the wise man, O lord of the Bharatas. The distressed: he who is in distress, overpowered by a robber, a tiger, illness or the like. Knowledge; of the real nature of the Lord. The wise man: he who knows the real nature of Vishnu. agt area faa waar | ~ os beg e mat fe alfeatsarae a aaa a: yy 29 1 17. Of them the wise man, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels; for, excessively dear am I to the wise, and he is dear to Me. 15—19| VIJNANA YOGA 215 Of the four, the wise man, as knowing the truth, is ever steadfast, and devoted to the One, finding no other object of worship. Thus, he who is devoted to the One is superior to all others. Since I am his very Self, I am excessively dear to the wice man.—It is well-known to all in this world that the Self is dear to every one. Therefore Vasudeva, as the Self of the wise man, is dear to him.—And the wise man is My very Self and is therefore very dear to Me. _ Then the three others, the distressed and the rest, are not dear to Vasudeva ?—Not so.— What then ? Sa ras Mi Ay Sas G4 Cad Meal caicHa F Hay |} aia: @ fe awa aaargaat mag 1) VS 18. Noble indeed are all these; but the wise man, | deem, is the very Self; for steadfast in mind, he resorts to Me alone as the unsurpassed goal. These are all noble indeed ; 7.¢., those three also are dear to Me. There is no devotee of Mine but is dear to Me, Vasudeva, There is, however, this difference: the wise man is excessively dear to Me.—Why so?—It is my conviction that the wise man is the very Self, not different from Me. The wise man strives to reach Me, firm in the faith that he himself is the Lord Vasudeva and is no other than He. He seeks Me ouly, the Supreme Brahman, as the highest goal to be reached. The wise man is again extolled: Feat AeHaaet MAMA AGIA | SAK qgea: aafafa a AEKAl BTea: 1) 2S 1 19. At the end of many births, the man of wisdom comes to me, (realising) that Vasudeva is 216 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VIT the all: he is the noble-souled (Mahatman), very hard to find. i 3 At the end of many births occupied in spiritual regenera- tion as preparatory to the attainment of wisdom, the man of mature wisdom resorts to Me, Vasudeva, the innermost Self (Pratyagatman).—How ?—Realising that Vasudeva is the All. He who thus comes to Me, Narayani, the Self of All, isa Mahatman, a man of high soul; there in no other either equal to him or superior to him. Therefore such a man is very hard to find; it has indeed been said that “ among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection” (vil. 3.) The ignorant worship inferior Gods, Now will be shown the cause of (the people) not seeing that the Self or Vasudeva alone is the All: BAA WAS pea ean BAMA: ATI ASACTT: | ad @& fqanneaa THAN Aaa: AT |p Ro jy 20. Those whose wisdom, has been led away by this or that desire resort to other Gods, engag- ed in this or that rite, constrained by their own nature Their desires for progeny, cattle, svarga and the like deprive them of their power of discrimination, and they resort to other Gods (Devatas), other than Vasudeva, the Self. They engage in rites peculiar to the worship of these Gods; they being constrained to do so by their own nature (prakriti), by that peculiar tendency (samskara) which they acquired in the previous births. Of these lustful men, ar ay at at ag we: agaisMg=aie | as Taras aAgl aaa fAgaeaaT 1 Ae ty 20—23] --VIJNANA YOGA 217 21. Whatever devotee seeks to worship with faith what form soever, that same faith of his I make unflinching. | | Whatever form of god (Devata) a man of desire worships in devotion and faith, I confirm his faith in the worship of that same form. By whatever. faith a man is naturally actuated and seeks to worship a particular form of Devata. a dal Asal JRaaeraasied | ead 4 aa: wrarenaa fafeareeart 1) WW UI 22. Possessed of that faith he engages in the worship of that (form); thence he obtains hig desires, these being indeed ordained by me. Possessed of that faith ordained by Me, he engages in the worship of that form of God. From the God worshipped in this form he obtaius the objects of his desire as ordained by me, the Supreme Lord, the Omniscient, as I alone know the precise relation between actions and their fruits. Because their desires are all ordained by the Lord Himself, therefore the devotees are sure to obtain them. Another interpretation is also given which would make the iast part of the verse mean that desires are beneficial. But desires can be beneficial only in a secondary sense; fors strictly speaking, they are beneficial to nobody. Because they are unwise and full of desires and resort to the means of attaining finite results, therefore, HAIG BS Ai aRaaTqWaany | qaUraaIs Aiea ABT aea aA 2B y 218 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. VII 23. That result indeed is finite, (which accrues) to those men of small intellect Wor- shippers of Gods (Devatas) go to Gods (Devatas); My devotees come unto Me. Though there is the same amount of exertion (in the two kinds of worship), people do not resort to Me so that they may attain infinite results: Alas! it is very miserable.— Thus does the Lord express His regret. ‘Why do they not come unto Me ?—it may be asked. The answer follows: : Hh SAGANGA AeAed AATSA: | qt Waanaea AASTansTAAT |) Ve 24. The foolish regard Me as the unmanifest- ed coming in manifestation, knowing not My higher, immutable, unsurpassed nature Not knowing wy higher nature as the Supreme Self, the ignorant think that I have just now come into manifestation, having been unimanifested hitherto, though [am the ever luminous Lord. To what is their ignorance due ?—Listen : 8 < . US AHR: GAS AMTAMAAAAA: | tt ° c~ Ysa AAAs sat BAIASIAT 1) 2 I 25. Iam not manifest to all, veiled (as I am) by Yoga-Maya. This deluded world knows not Me, unborn and imperishable. I am not manifest to all people; that is to say, I am manifest only to a few who are my devotees. I am veiled by Yoga-Maya.—Yoga-Maya is the Maya which is none other than the Yoga or union of the three gunas.—Or, Yoga is. 23—27 | VIJNANA YOGA 219: the firm will of the Lord or [svara. The Illusion or veil; thereby spread is called Yoga-Maya.—Wherefore people- are deluded and know Me not as unborn and imperishable. The Yoga-Maya by which [ am veiled and on account of which people do not recognise Me,is Mire, (¢.e., subject to My control, and as such, it cannot obstruct My know- ledge—the knowledge of the Isvara, of the possessor (for wielder) of the Maya, just as the glamour (maya) caused by ajuggler (mayavin) does not obsruct his own knowledge. Wherefore, age andaa aaarare aga | wfacaity a yall At Gg az a FAA 1 AA 1 26... I know, O Arjuna, the past and the pre- sent and the future beings, but Me nobody know.< Nobody knows Me except that one man who worships. Me and seeks refuge with Me. Just for want of knowledge. of My real nature, nobody worships Me. The root of ignorance It may be asked, “What is that obstacle to their know- ledge of My real nature, whereby deluded, all creatures that are born know Me not ?—Listen : bat ~\ S : FTSIAAAA BSAA ATA | ¢ ae. SRS Pay BAMA Beas AT Aiea WAT |) 2s |) 2/. From the delusion of pairs caused by desire and aversion, O Bharata, all beings are sub- ject to illusion at birth, O harasser of thy foes. The very desire and aversion which are opposed to each other like heat and cold, and which, arising in connection: with pleasure and pain and their causes, occur to every being 220 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VII ‘in its turn, are known as pairs (dvandva). Now, when desire, ‘and aversion arise on the occurrence of pleasure and pain or ‘of the canses thereof they cause delusion in ail beings and ‘create obstruction to the rise of a knowledge of the Supreme Reality, the Self, by subjugation to themselves the intelli- ‘gence of those beings. ‘To one whose mind is subject to the ‘passions of desire and aversion, there cannot indeed arise a ‘knowledge of things as they are, even of the external world; ‘and it needs no saying that toa man whose intellect is over ‘powered by passion there cannot arise a knowledge of the Innermost Self, inasmuch as there are many obstacles in its way. Allcreatures into existence are born subject to this ‘delusion. Wherefore every being has its intelligence obscur- ed by the delusion of pairs; and thus deluded it knows not that I am the Self, and therefore worships Me not as the Self. Divine worship leads to realisation Who then are free from the delusion of pairs and know Thee and worship Thee as their Self sccording to the Teaching (Sastra) ?—In answer to this, the Lord says: ast aeand a warat Guana | ~~ ~ KS ° ie qt Segueldywal AAed AT FSHAT: 1) XS 1 28. Those mortals of pure deeds whose sin has come to an end, who are freed from the delu- ‘s10n of pairs, they worship Me with a firm resolve Those persons of good deeds—good deeds causing purity ‘of mind—whose sin has almost come toanend are freed from the delusion of pairs spoken of above and worship Me. ‘their Highest Self. They resolutely abandon all else, firm ‘in the conviction that “This is the Supreme Reality and no “Other.” With what object do they worship P—Listen : 27—30] VIJNANA YOGA 22h TUT aaa aaa a | qa Weg: HAMA Be awe, 1 Re jy 29. Whoever resorting to Me strive for libera- tion from decay and death, they realise in full that: Brahman, the individual Self and all action. | Those who, with the mind steadfast in Me, the Suprema. Lord, strive for liberation from decay and death, realise in. full the Reality underlying the Innermost individual Self: (adhyatma), and they know all about action (karma). afaqaaga at atfaad a a fae: | HUITHSsS Fat at AczTAATG: wy Re 1 30. ‘Those who realise Me in the Adhibhuta (physical region), in the Adhidaiva (the divine re- gion) and in the Adhiyajza (region of Sacrifice), realise Me even at the time of departure, steadfast: in mind. gfa faananmeaofiagy aafterat aaa aiauiaaaate fasaalt am AAAISeATA: | EIGH € Be 2pisCOU RSE ee ae ee ABHYASA YOGA The seven things to be realised by meditation. Tn vii 29,80 such things have been mentioned by the ‘Lord as have given occasion to Arjuna to put a question. ‘Accordingly Arjuna proceeds to ask thus ; Raa sara— fe aga Percard fe wa getaa | aay a fe arated feagzad 1 2 1 Aaa: S1-BISA deslaeaggaa | TITS THT gsfa frwacara: i % i Arjina said ; i—2. Whatis that Brahman? What about ‘the Individual Self (Adhyatma)? What is action (Karma), O Purushottama? And what is declared ‘to be the physical region (Adhibhuta) ? And what is the divine region (Adhidaiva) said to be? And how and who is Adhiyajza (the Entity concerned with Sacrifice) here in this body, O Madhusudanah, -and how at the time of death art Thou to be known by the self controlled ? The Lord proceeds to answer these questions in their “order; i—3)| ABHYASA YOGA 22s ehanargara:— Bal AQ Wa Baalseacagzaa | yaar gaaa Fat: Baa: 1 3 I The Blessed Lord said : 3. Brahman is the Imperishable (Akshara), the Supreme. The Kgo is said to be the Indivi- dual Self (Adhyatma, He who dwells in the body). The offering which causes the origin of physical beings is called action (Karma). Brahman is the Akshara, the Imperishable, the Supreme Self (Paramatman): the sruti says “O Gargi, it is at the command of this Akshara, the imperishable Paramatman, that heaven and earth remain, held in their places.” (Bri. Upanishad, 3-8-9). ‘ Akshara’ does not here mean the eyllable “Om”; for, the latter is subsequently specified thus:— “ Uttering the syllable ‘Om,’ the Brahman” (viii, 13). And the epithet ‘supreme’ applies better to Brahman, the |m- perishable, who transcends all, (than to the syllable ‘Om’). The same Supreme Brahman existing as the Ego, as the Inuermost Self, as the Prathyagatman, in every individual body, is said to be Adhyatma: that which first shows itself as the Innermost Self in the body and turns out in the end to be identical with the Supreme bea Le the Brahman, is known by the term ‘Adhyatma’, The sacrificial act which consists in offering cooked rice, cakes and the like to the Gods (Devatas), and which causes the origin of all creatures, is known by the term ‘Karma’; for, it forms the seed as it were of all beings; it is in virtue of this act that all beings, animate and inanimate, come into existence, after passing through rain and other regions of life- 224 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA! Dis, VHE afiydt atl wa: gesaieaay | AMaAsetaa se eewat az yy ¥ 1) 4. The physical region (Adhibhuta) is the perishable existence, and Purusha or the Soul is the divine region (Adhidaivata). The Adhiyajia (Entity concerned with Sacrifice) is Myself, here in the body, O best of the embodied. The Adhibhuta is that which gathers itself round the whole animated creation and is composed of the whole perishable existence, ¢.e., of every thing that has birth. Purusha is» literally, that by which every thing is filled, (pri=to fill) or that which lies in the body (pur), ¢e., the Hiranyagarbha, the Universal soul abiding in the Sun (Aditya), the Sustainer and the Stimulator of the sense organs of all living beings. The Adhiyajna is He who identifies himself with all acts. of sacrifice, the Deity named Vishnu; the sruti says: “Yajna (Sacrifice) is verily Vishnu” (Taittiriya-Samhita, 1-7-4). He is verily Myself. I am the Deity concerned with all acts of sacrilice in the body.—As an act of sacrifice (yajna) has to be performed by the body, it is said to be inherent in it, and as such it may be said to rest in the body HIS TART META BOAT | a: qalfa agra alia aegqa aaa: i & Vy 0. And whoso, at the time of death, thinking of Me alone, leaves the body and goes forth, he reaches My being; there is no doubt in this. Me: Vishnu, the Supreme Lord. My being: My real being as Vishnu, In this: as to whether he reaches or not. 4—8] ABHYASA YOGA 225 Constant meditation of the Divine is necessary. Not to Me alone does this rule apply; but also: GF aT MTA ATA TAT | qd aaaia wieda aal agraataa: i) & 1 6. Of whatever Being thinking at the end a man leaves the body, Him alone, O son of Kunti, reaches he by whom the thought of that Being has been constantly dwelt upon. | Bewng: a particular Devata or Diety, At the end: at the time of life’s departure. Him alone: Only the Being thought of, and no other. Dwelt upon: constantly meditated. Because thus the final thought determines the character of the body to be attained next, AMKAAY BAY AAG qeq a | oy ~ ee XA ° H2a TAA SAaatqwaaaay |} © |) 7. Therefore at all times do thou meditate on Me and fight: with mind and reason fixed on Me thou shalt doubtless come to Me alone. Meditate: According to the Teaching (sastra). Fight . do thou perform thy proper duty of fighting. Me: Vasudeva, Come to Me : as meditated upon by thee. The Divine Being to be meditated upon, Moreover, Raa yaa Ada aeamizar | GH gee Reg aia qaraheaaat 1t is this, the syllable ‘Om.” (Tbid 2-14). In such passages as these, the syllable ‘Om’, regarded either as an expression of the Para-Bhahman or as @ symbol of Him like an idol, is intended for persons of dull and mid-~ dling intellects as a means of knowing the Para-Brahman ; and the contemplation of the ‘Om’ is said to produce moksha at a subsequent period. Now, the same contemplation (conjoined with firmness in Yoga) of the syllable ‘Om, productive of mukti at a subsequent period—the “Om” forming, a8 shown above, @ means of knowing the Para- Brahman described here (viii. 9, 11)—has to be taught here as well as some minor matters connected with the main subject. With this view, the Lord proceeds with the sequel ; i1—14} ABHYASA YOGA 229 Bagi aaa aay ee faeer a | TeaqAas AMAA AA ATIC WLR AMAR AL AM SASTAATMT | a: saad aaeee a ata azat TAT 1 88 12-13. Having closed all the gates, having confined mind in the heart, having fixed his life- breath in the head, engaged in firm Yoga, uttering Brahman, the one-syllabled ‘Om’, thinking of Me, whoso departs, leaving the body, he reaches the Supreme Goal. Having closed all the avenues of knowledge and having concentrated thought inthe lotus of the heart, and with thought thus controlled, he ascends by the Nadi which passes upwards from the heart, and then fixing life-breath in the head, he utters the syllable ‘Om’, the appellation of the Brahman, and meditates on Me.—‘Leaving the body’ shows the mode of departure. The departure takes place by the Self leaving the body, not by the Self being destroyed. No re-birth on attaining to the Divine Being. Moreover, | aarasa: aad ay at wala fama: | > cA nD TAME FOU Wa ATH Alita i LY i 14. Whoso constantly thinks of Me and long, to him I am,easily accessible, O son of Prvitha, to the ever-devout Yogin. He who thinks of Me, the Supreme Lord, long—z.e., not for six months or a year, but uninterruptedly throughout life, ~-to that Yogin who is ever steadfast in thought, Il am_ easily 230 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis. VIIF accessible. This being so, therefore, without thinking of another, one should ever dwell steadfast in Me. It may be asked, ‘‘What if Thou art easily accessible?’’— Listen ; J shall tell you of what use is My being thus easily accessible : WAI GAMA TASAATPIA | r ~~ ° acsara Agar: alate war Tar: 1 @& ti 15. Having attained to Me, they do not again attain birth, which is the seat of pain and is not eternal, they having reached highest perfection. Having attained to Me, the Jsvara, having reached My being, they are not again subject to birth. Birth here is the seat of all pain arising from the body, etc., andis of an ever- changing nature. Having reached the highest stage called moksha, they do not attain birth again, Those, on the other hand, who do not attain to Me, return again (to the earth), Do those again return who have reached any other being than Thyself ?— Listen : simagaaaret: gaalsarssa | WHI F Heda gasiea a faa yy LS 1 16. All worlds including the world of Brahma are subject to returning again, O Arjuna; but, on reaching Me, O son of Kunti, there is no rebirth. ‘ The Day and the Night of Brahma. Why are all the worlds including the world of Brahma subject to returning P—Because they are limited by time, How? -14—18] ABHYASA YOGA 231 BEAANIArAMILAN fag: | ufa quagarat tserafaet Tat: 1) 2s 1 17. They—those people who know day and night—know that the day of Brahma is a thousand yugas long and the night is athousand yugas long. Brahma is the Prajapati, the Viraj. Those persons who know how to compute Time know that Brahma’s day is a thousand yugas long, and that His night is of the same duration as His day, Because the worlds are thus limited by time, therefore they return again. What takes place during the Prajapati’s day and what takes place during His night will now be described : ASIMSAGA: BA: WAITS UTA | bes a be a oe Usa Ward AAGSaTRHaAH |] YS II 18 From the Unmanifested all the mani- festations proceed at the coming on of day; at the coming on of night they dissolve there only, in what is called the Unmanifested. The Unmanifested (Avyakta) is the sleeping condition of the Prajapati who is asleep. Oat of That, all manifestations (vyaktis), all creatures unmoving and moving (sthavara and - jangama) are manifested at the coming on of day, t.¢, when Brahma awakes. So atthe coming on of night, ¢e., when Brahma goes to sleep, all the manifestations dissolve there only, in what is called Avyakta, the one already spoken of. With a view to avoid the fallacious implication that a man reaps the fruits of what he has not done. or that he does not reap the fruits of what he has done, with a view to show that the teaching of the scripture concerning bondage (bandha) and liberation (moksha) has a purpose to serve, and witha - 232 THE BHAGAVAD-—GITA Dis. VIII . view further to teach detachment from samsara by showing that, as the effect of karma caused by avidya (nescience) and other sources of evil, all creatures involuntarily come into being again and again and dissolve, the Lord says: YAMA: B vas HAT WAT AGA | ~ £ USAMASAM: WA AMAAMSUAA tt 2V i 19. This same multitude of beings having come into being again and again, is dissolved at the coming on of night, not of their will, O son of Pritha,and comes forth at the coming on of day. This multitude of beings comprising of those that move as well as those that do not—-the same multitude that existed in the preceding kalpa or age, and no other—involuntarily comes into being at the coming on of day and is dissolved again at the coming on of night—at the close of the day. Again at the coming on of day, it involuntarily comes into existence. The Highest Goal—how reached. [u viii. 13, etc., has been shown the way, by which to reach the Imperishable (Akshara) described above. Now, with a view to indicate the natare of the Akshara, with a view thus to specify that so and so is the thing to be reached by this path of Yoga, the Lord proceeds as follows ; GAS WA SPaSeAT SSATAATA: | a: aay Yay AIAY A fAAagafa || Xo | 90. But that other eternal Unmanifested Being, distinct from this Unmanifested (Avyakta), —He does not perish when all creatures perish. ‘But’? indicates that the Akshara who isto be described now is distinct from the Avyakta, Being: the Supreme, the Para-Brahman, called the Akshara. Though distinct from 19—22] | ABYASA YOGA 233 the Avyakta, one may suppose that He is of the same nature as the Avyakta. To remove this impression. the Lord qualifies Him by ‘other’, meaning thereby that He is of a different nature from the Avyakta, He is unmanifested, imperceptible to the senses. Heis distinct from the Avyakta mentioned above, which is Avidya itself, the seed of the whole multitude of created beings; that isto say, He is of quite a different nature from the Avyakta. He does not perish when all beings from Brahma downwards perish, AsawBSAC FATAMAS: qar aay | ° ™~ rom, e q NG A aaAdeT TEA WA AA |] RV It 21. What is called the Unmanifested and the Imperishable, That, they say, is the highest goal; which having reached none return. That is My highest place. That: that Avyakta which is called Akshara, the Impe- rishable, the Unmanifested Being, Having reached that state , none has returned to samsara, the mundane life. That is My (¢.e., Vishnu’s) Supreme Abode. The means of attaining to that state will me be pointed out ; ' S Gea: AA: WT UTAl wrqeaaeay | o~ o~ ~ Cn e Arad Yai GA Aaa AAT 1) R21 22. Now, that Highest Purusha, O son of Pritha, within Whom all beings dwell, by Whom all this is pervaded, is attainable by exclusive devotion Purusha is so called because He rests in the body, or because He is fall. Than Him none is higher. He is attained by exclusive devotion, by jnana or knowledge of 234 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. VIIE the Self. All the created beings abide within the Purusha ; for, every effect rests within its cause; and by that Purusha _the whole world is pervaded. The Paths of Light and Darkness Now itis necessary to speak of the Uttaramarga, ‘the Northern Path’, the Path of Light by which the Yogins just spoken of attain to Brahman,—those Yogins who meditate here on Brahman as inhering in the Pranava, in the sylllable ‘Om’,and who attain to moksha later on * And this will be taught in the section beginning with viii. 23. Path of return is also described, only with a view to extol the other path. AAG ors ~~ ~ A eG GA HS AAsahad AAT Alt: | HUA Aiea T BS TeATA ATAGT || 22 1 23. Now, in what time departing, Yogins go to return not, as also to return, that time will I tell thee, O chief of the Bharetas. ‘In what time’ should be construed with ‘departing,’ ‘To return’ means to be reborn—‘Yogins’ stand for those who are engaged in meditation (7.2., those who are properly called Yogins) as well as for Karmins, z.e., those who are engaged in karma or action. The latter are spoken of as Yogins only by courtesy ; and they are so spoken of in iii. 3, I shall tell you, when dying the Yogins are not born again, and when dying they will be born again. He speaks of that time: AfMsalales VFS: Taran sawang | aA TAA Weslea AM AAA Aa: |) VP? * At the end of the kalpa- 22—25 | ABYASA YOGA 235: 24, Fire, light, day time, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northern solstice,—then departing,men who know Brahman reach Brahman. ‘Fire’ is the deity presiding over time; so also is ‘light? adeity presiding over time.—-Or, it may be that ‘fire’ and ‘light’ are the deities so called; the reference, however, to. the path as a whole by the expressions ‘in what time’ and ‘that time’ being due to the predominance of the deities presiding over ‘time. —The day-time’ isthe deity presiding _ over the day-time, the ‘bright fortnight’ is the deity presiding. over the bright fortnight. The sia months of the northern - solstice : here also, itis the deity that forms the path. The. principle on which this interpretation of the passage is based has been established elsewere.* Those who die, having been engaged in the contemplation of Brahman, reach Brahman by this path, The expression “in course of time” should be. understood after ‘reach ’; for, those who are firm in devotion to right knowledge and attain to immediate liberation have no place to go to or to return from. Fat USS Ber: Gaya eanaay | qa Aegaa safaary sca fAaaay 1) 4 4 25. Smoke, night-time, and the dark fortnight, the six months of the southern solstice, —attaining- by these to the lunar light, the Yogin returns. ‘Smoke,’ ‘night time,’ the ‘dark fortnight’, and the ‘six. months of the southern solstice,’ are all deities presiding over smoke and periods oftime spoken of. By this path, the. Yogin—the Karmin who performs sacrifices (to Gods) and, other works—attains to the lunar light, and on the exhaus-. tion thereof, returns again to earth. * Sariraka Mimazzsa, iv 3-4. ‘236 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA © [Dis. VIII TECH Tal Gt ATA: Arad Aa | cRUl UAT aaaats sada Jas |) 2s II 26. These bright and dark Paths of the world are verily deemed eternal; by the one a man goes to return not, by the other he returns again. The one is bright* because it illumines knowledge: the -other is dark* because it is wanting in that light The two paths are open to those only in the world who are engaged in action or devoted to knowledge; they are not open to the whole world. They are eternal, because samsara is eternal. By the one: by the bright one. ae al Wa saat galt aaa | 2 S AMAA HST ANZTA AIGA 1) VS 1 27. Knowing these paths, O son of Pvitha, no Yogin is deluded: wherefore at all times be steadfast in Yoga, O Arjuna. The Yogin who knows shat one of the two foregoing paths Jeads to samsara and that the other leads to moksha is mo longer deluded + Excellency of Yoga Now, hear of the greatness of that Yoga ; “The two paths are respectively called Devayana and Pitriyana, the path to the Devas and the path to the Pitris. The one is said to be bright because it illumines knowledge and is reached by knowledge, and its course is marked throughout by bright objects ; the other is said to be dark because it does not illumine knowledge, is reached by avidya or mescience, and is marked throughout by smoke and other dark things, + As the Yogin dwells on the Path of Light in his Meditation, he will mot regard the other path as the one he should resort to,— 26—28 | ABHYASA YOGA 237° aay aay ayeg Aa Tay acquans sesq | safe casing Afar dat at aragars awa 1 28. Whatever fruit of merit is declared to. accrue from the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and gifts,—beyond all this goes the Yogin on knowing this; and he attains to the Supreme Primeval abode. Whatever fruit of merit is declared by the scriptures to. be attainable when the Vedas are properly studied, when the sacrifices are performed in all their parts, when austerities are well practised,—beyond all this multitude of fruits rises the Yogin who rightly understands and follows the teaching, imparted (by the Lord) in His answers to the seven questions, and he then attains to the highest abode of Isvara—which existed even in the beginning;—He attains Brahman, the. Cause: gia dMiagnadaaiiaty aafaarat aaa HOTA aaa ate ACAISeAa: P NINTH bLISCOURSE SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET | Brahma-Jnana is the best Religion. In the eighth discourse has been declared the Yoga of ‘concentration (dharana) through nadi* as well as its processf, -and its result has been shown to be none other than the attainment of Brahman—at a subsequent period, through ‘fire and light’ and the like-—whence there is no return. Now, with a view to give no room to the supposition that the -attainment of moksha is possible only by this means and by ‘no other, the Lord proceeds as follows : heaTargara — e das e 3 aN 24 gd Tada AAS FAAS ! aa fAaAalSt ASSIA AeAasTAgT i 2 AI The Blessed Lord said: I. To thee who dost not cavil, I shall now ‘declare this, the greatest secret, knowledge com- bined with experience,t which having known thou shalt be liberated from evil This: the Brahma-Jnana, the knowledge of Brahman, ‘which is going to be declared, and which has been declared i in the preceding discourses. Now: this word points to the ‘superiority of knowledge (over Dhyana); this right knowledge a The Sushummna ‘the bright,’ Concentration (dharaza) is only an -anga or auxiliary of Yogae + Such as closing all the gates (viiie 12. 13.) t Sakshatkara, intutuitive or direct perceptions i—2] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET 239 alone forms the direct means of attaining moksha, as declared in the sruti and the smriti: “ Vasudeva is the All”—(Bhagavadgtta, vii. 19.) “ All this is the Self.” —(Chkand. Upa., 7-25-2 ) ‘‘ One only withoat a second”—(Jbid, 6-2-1.) And nothing else is a direct means to moksha, as the passaves of the sruti like the following declare: “ Now the other princes who understand otherwise than thus,* they shall attain to perishable regions.” —(TIbid, 7-25-2.) On attaining this knowledge you will be liberated from the bondage of samsara. And it is, Usa UIT Waaeaayq | e e © TAMA IY Gat BAIT || 2 II 2. The Sovereign Science, the Sovereign Secret, the Supreme Purifier is this; immediately comprehensible, unopposed to Dharma, very easy to perform, imperishable Of sciences it is the king, because itis of great splendour. Indeed, the science of Brahman is_ the most brilliant} of all sciences. Soalso,it isthe king of secrets Of all tke purifiers, this knowledge of Brahman is the best purifier. That it is @ purifier needs no saying, since it reduces karma to ashes in an instant, root and all,—all the karma, dharma and a-duarma, which has been accumulated during many thousand births. Moreover, itt can be comprehended by pratyaksha, * That all this is one Brahman. + Greater reverence is shown to thos2 who know Brahman than to other men of learning. | ¢ The Brahma-jnana or its effect. Unlike the other things which are, equally with the Brahma-jnana, revealed by the sruti and the Smriti; it is not known through revelation solely, but it is known by bratyaksha, by immediate or intuitive perception as well. 240 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA [Dis. IX by immediate perception, like the feeling of pleasure and so on. What is possessed of many a desirable quality may be opposed to Dharma ; but not so is the knowledge of Atman opposed to Dharma; on the other hand it is not separable from Dharma, ¢.e , not opposed to it. Even then it may be supposed that it is very difficult to attain; but it is not so, says the Lord- It is very easy to acquire, like the power of discriminating gems.* Now of the other acts, those which involve little trouble and are easily accomplished are seen to be productive of small results, and difficult acts are found to be productive of great results. Accordingly it may be imagin- ed that this Brahma-jnana which is so easily attained perishes when its effect is exhausted; to prevent this supposition, the Lord says that it is imperishable.’ It does not perish like an act when the effect is exhausted. Wherefore knowledge of Atman (Self) is worth acquiring. But, AANA: GSI TAA IAT | aoa at faded aegaarraaia i) 3 3. Persons having no faith in this Dharma, O harasser of thy foes, without reaching Me, remain verily in the path of the mortal world. Those who have no faith in this Dharma (law, religion) viz., knowledge of the Self those who do not believe in its existence or in its effects, the sinful who follow the doctrine of the Demons (Asuras), regarding the physical body itself as the Self,—these greedy and sinful persons do not attain to Me the Supreme Lord.—The attaining of Me is certainly out of question; wherefore, the implication is that they do not * Verily this knowledge is-easily acquired when taught by an adept; so is Brahma-jnana. 3—5] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET 241 attain even to devotion (Bhakti) which is one of the paths leading to Me; they are sure to remainin the path of the mortal world, in that path only which leads to hell (naraka) and to the lower kingdoms of animals, etc. All beings rest in the Lord Having prepared Arjuna (to listen to the Doctrine) by extolling it, the Lord says: Aa aaag Ba sTeTTAAAT rox g ~ ° ar AA AAYAA A AWE aaaeqa: |) ¥ | 4. By Me all this world is pervaded, My form unmanifested. All beings dwell in Me; and I do not dwell in them. All this world is pervaded by My Highest Being, My form being invisible to the senses. In Me, of unmanifested form, dwell all beings from Brahma down to the plant. No being devoid of the Self can ever become an object. of experience. Wherefore they dwell in Me, ze. they are self-existent (or have an individual existence) through Me, the Self, (7.e, they are what they are in virtue of Me, the Self, underlying them all.) Since Iam the Self of all those beings, it would seem to the deluded as though I dwell in them, Wherefore I say: I do not dwell in those beings, because of the absence of contact with others unlike corporeal things. lam certainly the innermost essence even of the akasa. That which is unconnected with any object cannot indeed be contained anywhere as though in a receptacle. Wherefore, as I am unconnected with any object, a7 Helin Wall WIM A anege, | asa A Yay aaa yaaaa: |) 4% 4 * 16 242 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA (Dis, IX 5. Nor do those beings dwell in Me; behold My Divine Yoga! Sustaining all the beings, but not dwelling in them, is My Self, the cause of beings. And yet these beings, from Brahma downwards, dwell not in Me; behold My Divine working, the Divine Mystery» the real nature of the Self, Accordingly, the sruti speaks of the unattached condition of the Self, seeing that He is unconnected with any object; ‘‘Devoid of attachment, He is never attached’—(Brih. Up. 3-9 26.) Behold, there is yet another mystery. Though unattach- ed, My Self supports all beings, but does not dwell in them, as shown above with reason.*—Then how to justify the Lord’s words, ‘My Self? ?—We answer: Separating (from the Real Self) the aggregate of the physical and other material environments, and regarding that aggregate as the ‘I’, the Lord speaks of the Self as ‘My Self’.—so far following only the popular conception ; not certainly that He believes, as the - masses ignorantly believe, that the Atman, the Self, is distinct from Himself ¢ And further it 1s Myself that cause all beings to come into being, that cause all beings to grow. By way of illustrating by an example what has been taught in the two preceding verses, the Lord says: TassBAMMal MA ays AAA ATL | aat aaifir qaria weeeeaTTT ye UI 6. As the mighty wind moving everywhere rests ever in the akasa, so, know thou, do all beings, rest in Me. * Because the Self is unconnected with any object.-—(A) + Because such a relation between the Self and the bodily aggregate is illusory- (A) 5—8] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET 243 It is observed in our ordinary experience that the wind, whoving everywhere and mighty in expanse, ever rests in the akasa ; so also in Me, whoam all-pervading like the akasa, do all beings rest without any contact at all. The Lord is the source and the end of all beings Thus, as the wind rests im the akasa, so do all beings rest in Me as long as the world tasts. : S n ~ (as las aad Beda safe area artery | ba lan ‘2 UE tes Sega Gaelll Beal AAIANFAET | 7. All beings, @ son of Kunti, go into My Prakriti at the end of a kalpa. I send them forth again at the beginning of (the next) kalpa. Prakrite::; the inferior one composed of the three gunas. The end of a kalpa is the time of dissolution (pralaya,) and the beginning of a kalpa is the time of production (utpaiti), Thus; qHld aasra fawaa ga: gas | 8 B ° = Yaa RAAT wT