I - Arjuna Vishatha Yogam

1/I. Dhratrastra said : Sanjaya, gathered on the sacred soil of Kuruksetra, eager to fight, what did my children and the children of Pandu do?

2/I. Sanjaya said, At that time, seeing the army of the Pandavas drawn up for battle and approaching Dronacarya King Duryodhana spoke these words:

3/I Behold, Master, the mighty army of the sons of Pandu arrayed for battle by your talented pupil, Dhrstadyumna, son of Drupada.

4,5,6/I. There are in this army heroes wielding mighty bows and equal in military prowess to Bhima and Arjuna - Satyaki and Virat and the Maharathi (warrior chief) Drupada; Dharstaketu, Chekitana and the valiant King of Kasi, and Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and Saivya, the best of men and mighty Yudhamanyu, and valiant Uttamauja, Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadra, and the five sons of Draupadi, - all of them Maharathis (warrior chiefs).

7/I. O best of Brahmanas, know them also who are the principal warriors on our side - the generals of army. For your information, I mention them below:-

8/I Yourself and Bhisma and Karna and Kripa, who is ever victorious in battle; and even so Asvatthama, Vikarna and Bhurisrava (the son of Somadatta);

9/I And there are many other heroes, equipped with various weapons and missiles, who have staked their lives for me, all skilled in warfare.

10/I This army of ours, fully protected by Bhisma, is unconquerable; while that army of theirs, guarded in every way by Bhisma, is easy to conquer.

11/I Therefore, stationed in your respective positions on all fronts, you all guard Bhisma in particular on all sides.

12/I. The grand old man of the Kaurava race, their glorious grand-uncle Bhisma, cheering up Duryodhana, roared terribly like a lion and blew his conch.

13/I. Then conches kettledrums tabors, drums and trumpets suddenly blared forth and the noise was tumultuous.

14/I. Then seated in a glorious chariot drawn by white horses, Sri Krsna as well as Arjuna blew their celestial conches.

15/I. Sri Krishna blew His Conch named Pancajanya; Arjuna, his own called Devadatta; while Bhima of terrible deeds blew his mighty conch Paundra.

16/I. King Yudhisthira, son of Kunti, blew his conch, Anantavijaya; while Nakula and Sahadeva blew theirs, known as Sughosa and Manipuspaka respectively.

17/I. And the excellent archer, the King of Kasi and Sikhandi the Maharathi (great car-warrior), Dhrstadyumna and Virata; and invincible Satyaki, Drupada as well as the five sons of Draupadi, and the mighty - armed Abhimanyu, son of Subhadra, all of them, O Lord of the earth, severally blew their respective conchs from all sides:

19/I. And the terrible sound, echoing through heaven and earth, rent the hearts of Dhritarastra's sons.

20,21/I. Now, O Lord of the earth, seeing your sons arrayed against him, and when missiles were ready to be hurled, Arjuna, son of Pandu, took up his bow and then addressed the following words to Sri Krisna " Krishna, place my chariot between the two armies.

22/I. And keep it there till I have carefully observed these warriors drawn up for battle, and have seen with whom I have to engage in this fight.

23/I. I shall scan the well-wishers in this war of evil-minded Duryodhana, whoever have assembled on this side and are ready for the fight.

24,25 /I. Sanjaya said : O king, thus addressed by Arjuna, Sri Krishna placed the magnificent chariot between the two armies in front of Bhisma, Drona, and all the kings and said, Arjuna, behold these Kauravas assembled here.

26,1/27 /I Now, Arjuna, saw stationed there in both the armies his uncles, grand-uncles and teachers, even great grand-uncles, maternal uncles, brothers and cousins, sons and nephews, and grand-nephews, even so friends, fathers-in-law and well-wishers as well.

28 /I. Seeing, all those relations present there, Arjuna was filled with deep compassion, and uttered these words in sadness.

2/28, 29 /I. Arjuna said: Krishna, at the sight of these kinsmen arrayed for battle my limbs give way, and my mouth is parching ; nay, a shiver runs through my body and hair stand upright.

30/I The bow, Gandiva,slips from my hand and my skin too burns all over ; my brain is whirling , as it were, and I can stand no longer.

31/I. And, Kesava, I see such omens of evil, nor do I see any good in killing my kinsmen in battle.

32/I. Krshna, I do not covet victory, nor kingdom nor pleasures. Govinda, of what use will kingdom, or luxuries, or even life be to us!

33,34/I. Those very persons for whose sake we covet the throne, luxuries and pleasures, - teachers, uncles, sons and nephews and even so grand-uncles and great grand-uncles, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grand-nephews, brothers-in-law and other relations, - are here arrayed on the battle-field risking their lives and wealth.

35/I. Oslayer of Madhu, I do not want to kill them, though they should slay me, even for the throne of the three worlds; how much the less from earthly lordship!

36/I. Krishna, how can we hope to be happy slaying the sons of Dhrtarastra ; killing these desperadoes sin will surely take hold of us.

37/I. Therefore, Krishna, it does not behove us to kill our relations, the sons of Dhritarastra. For how can we be happy after killing our own kinsmen?

38,39/I. Even,if these people, with minds blinded by greed; perceive no evil in destroying their own race and no sin in treason to friends, why should not we, O Krishna, who see clearly the sin accruing from the destruction of one's family think of turning away from this crime.

40/I. Age-long family traditions disappear with the destruction of a family; and virtue having been lost, vice takes hold of the entire race.

41/I. With the preponderance of vice, Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt; and with the corruption of women, O descendant of Vrsni, there ensues an intermixture of castes.

42/I. Admixture of blood damns the destroyers of the race as well as the race itself. Deprived of the offerings of rice and water (Sraddha, Tarpana., etc.,) the manes of their race also fall.

43/I. Through these evils bringing about an intermixture of caste, the age-long caste-traditions and family customs of the killers of kinsmen get extinct.

44/I. Krishna, we hear that men who have lost their family traditions dwell in hell for an indefinite period of time.

45/I. Oh what a pity! Though possessed of intelligence we have set our mind on the commission of a great sin in that due to lust for throne and enjoyment we are intent on killing own kinsmen.

46/I. It would be better for me if the sons of Dhrtarastra, armed with weapons, killed me in battle while I was unarmed and unresisting.

47/I. Sanjaya said: Arjuna, whose mind was agitated by grief on the battle-field, having spoken, thus, and having thrown aside his bow and arrows, sank into the hinder part of his chariot.

II - Saangya Yogam

1/II. Sanjaya said "Sri Krishna then addressed the following words to Arjuna, who was as mentioned before overwhelmed with pity, whose eyes were filled with tears and agitated, and who was full of sorrow"

2/II. Sri Bhagavan said " Arjuna, how has this infatuation overtaken you at this odd hour? It is shunned by noble souls; neither will it bring heaven, nor fame, to you"

3/II. "Yield not to unmanliness, Arjuna; ill does it become you. Shaking off this paltry faint-heartedness stand up, O scorcher of enemies"

4/II. Arjuna said: How, Krishna, shall I fight Bhisma and Drona with arrows on the battlefield? They are worthy of deepest reverence, O destroyer of foes.

5/II. It is better to live on alms in this world without slaying these noble noble elders, because even after killing them we shall after all enjoy only blood-stained pleasures in the form of wealth and sense-enjoyments.

6/II. We do not even know which is preferable for us - to fight or not to fight; nor do we know whether we shall win or whether they will conquer us. Those very sons of Dhrtarastra, killing whom we do not even wish to live, stand in the enemy ranks.

7/II. With my very being tainted by the vice of faint-heartedness and my mind puzzled with regard to duty, I am asking you. Tell me that which is decidedly good; I am Your desciple. Pray instruct me, who have put myself into Your hands.

8/II. Foreven on obtaining undisputed sovereignty and an affluent kingdom on this earth and lordship over the gods, I do not see any means that can drive away the grief which is drying up my senses.

9/II. Sanjaya said: O king, having thus spoken to Sri Krishna, Arjuna again said to Him, " I will not fight ", and became silent.

10/II. Then, O Dhrtarastra, Sri Krishna, as if smiling, addressed the following words to sorrowing Arjuna, in the midst of the two armies.

11/II. Sri Bhagavan said: Arjuna, you grieve over those who should not be grieved for, and yet speak like the learned; wise men do not sorrow over the dead or the living.

12/II. In fact, there was never a time when I was not, or when you or these kings were not. Nor is it a fact that hereafter we shall all cease to be.

13/II. Just as boyhood, youth and old age are attributed to the soul through this body, even so it attains another body. The wise man does not
get deluded about this.

14/II. O son of Kunti, the contacts between the senses and their objects, which give rise to the feeling of heat and cold, pleasure and pain etc., are transitory and fleeting; therefore, Arjuna, ignore them.

15/II. Arjuna, the wise man to whom pain and pleasure are alike, and who is not tormented by these contacts, becomes eligible for immortality.

16/II. The unreal has no existence, and the real never ceases to be, the reality of both has thus been perceived by the seers of truth.

17/II. Know that alone to be imperishable, which pervades this universe; for no one has power to destroy this indestructible substance.

18/II. All these bodies pertaining to the imperishable, indefinable and eternal soul are spoken of as perishable; therfore, Arjuna, fight.

19/II. They are both ignorant, he who knows the soul to be capable to killing and he who takes it as killed; for verily the soul neither kills, nor is killed.

20/II. The soul is never born nor dies; nor does it become only after being born. For it is unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient; even though the body is slain, the soul is not.

21/II. Arjuna, the man who knows this soul to be imperishable, eternal and free from birth and decay,- how and whom will he cause to be killed, how and whom will he kill?

22/II. As a man shedding worn-out garments, takes other new ones, likewise the embodied soul, casting off worn-out bodies, enters into others which are new.

23/II. Weapons cannot cut it, nor can fire burn it; water cannot wet it nor can wind dry it.

24/II. For this soul is incapable of being cut; it is proof against fire, impervious to water and undriable as well. This soul is eternal, omnipresent, immovable, constant and everlasting.

25/II. This soul is unmanifest; it is unthinkable; and it is spoken of as immutable. Therefore, knowing this as such, you should not grieve.

26/II. And, Arjuna, if you should suppose this soul to be subject to constant birth and death, even than you should not grieve like this.

27/II. For in that case death is certain for the born, and rebirth is inevitable for the dead. You should not, therefore, grieve over the inevitable.

28/II. Arjuna, before birth beings are not manifest to our human senses; at death they return to the unmanifest again. They are manifest only in the interim between birth and death. What occasion, then, for lamentation?

29/II. Hardly, anyone perceives this soul as marvellous, scarce another likewise speaks thereof as marvellous, and scarce another hears of it as marvellous; while there are some who know it not even on hearing of it.

30/II. Arjuna, this soul dwelling in the bodies of all can never be slain; therefore, you should not mourn for anyone.

31/II. Besides: considering your own duty too you should not waver; for there is nothing more welcome for a man of the warrior class than a righteous war.

32/II. Arjuna, happy are the Ksatriyas who get such an unsolicited opportunity for war; which opens the door to heaven.

33/II. Now, if you refuse to fight this righteous war, then, shirking your duty and losing your reputation, you will incur sin.

34/II. Nay, people will also pour undying infamy on you; and infamy brought on a man enjoying popular esteem is worse than death.

35/II. And the warrior-chiefs who thought highly of you, will now despise you, thinking that it was fear which drove you from battle.

36/II. And your enemies, disparaging your might, will speak many unbecoming words; what
can be more distressing than this?

37/II. Die, and you will win heaven; conquer, and you enjoy sovereignty of the earth; therefore, stand up, Arjuna, determined to fight.

38/II. Treating alike victory and defeat, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, get ready for the fight, then; fighting thus you will not incur sin.

39/II. Arjuna, this attitude of mind has been presented to you from the point of view of Jnanayoga; now hear the same as presented from the standpoint of Karmayoga (the Yoga of selfless action). Equipped with this attitude of mind, you will be able to throw off completely the shackles of Karma.

40/II. In this path ( of disinterested action ) there is no loss of effort, not is there fear of contrary result. Even a little practice of this descipline saves one from the terrible fear of birth and death.

41/II. Arjuna, in this Yoga (of disinterested action) the intellect is determinate and directed singly towards one ideal; whereas the intellect of the undecided ( ignorant men moved by desires) wandes in all derections, after innumerable aims.

42,43,44/II. Arjuna, those who are full of worldly desires and devoted to the letter of the Vedas, who look upon heaven, as the supreme goal and argue that there is nothing beyond heaven are unwise. They utter flowery speech recommending many ritual of various kinds for the attainment of pleasure and power with rebirth as their fruit. Those minds are carried away by such words, and who are deeply attached to pleasure and worldly power, cannot attain the determinate intellect concentrated on God.

45/II. Arjuna, the Vedas thus deal with evolutes of the three Gunas (modes of Prakriti); viz., worldly enjoyments and the means of attaining such enjoyments; be thou indefferent to these enjoyments and their means, rising above pairs of opposites like pleasur and pain etc., established in the Eternal Existence (God), absolutely unconcerned about the supply of wants and the preservation of what has been already attained, and self-controlled.

46/II. A Brahmana, who has obtained enlightenment, has the same use for all the Vedas as one who stands at the brink of a sheet of water overflowing on all sides has for a small reservoir of water.

47/II. Your right is to work only, but never to the fruit thereof. Be not instrumental in making your actions bear fruit, nor let your attachment be to inaction.

48/II. Arjuna, perform your duties established in Yoga, renouncing attachment, and even-tempered in success and failure; envenness of temper is called Yoga.

49/II. Action (with a selfish motive) is far inferior to this Yoga in the form of equanimity. Do you seek refuge in this equipoise of mind, Arjuna; for poor and wretched are those who are instrumental in making their actions bear fruit.

50/II. Endowed with equanimity, one sheds in this life both good and evil. Therefore, strive for the practice of this Yoga of equanimity. Skill in action lies in (the practice of this) Yoga.

51/II. For wise men possessing an equiposied mind, renouncing the fruit of actions and freed from the shackles of birth, attain the blissful supreme state.

52/II. When your mind will have fully crossed the more of delusion, you will then grow indifferent to the enjoyments of this world and the next that have been heard of as well as to those that are yet to be heard of.

53/II. When your intellect, confused by hearing conflicting statements, will rest, steady and undistracted ( in meditation) on God, you will then attain Yoga (for lasting union with God).

54/II. Arjuna said: Krsna, what is the definition (mark) of a God-realized soul, stable to mind and established in Samadhi (perfect tranquillity of mind) ? How does the man of stable mind speak, how does he sit, how does he walk ?

55/II. Sri Bhagavan said: Arjuna, when one thoroughly dismisses all cravings of the mind, and is satisfied in the self through ( the joy of ) the self, then he is called stable of mind.

56/II. The sage, whose mind remains unperturbed amid sorrows, whose thirst for pleasure has altogether disappeared, and who is free from passion, fear and anger, is called stale of mind.

57/II. He who is unattached to everything, and meeting with good and evil, neither rejoices nor recoils, his mind is stable.

58/II. When like a tortoise, which draws in its limbs from all directions, he withdraws his senses from the sense-objects, his mind is (should be considerd as) stable.

59/II. Sense-objects turn away from him, who does not enjoy them with his senses; but the taste for them persists. This relish also disappears in the case of the man of stable mind when he sees the Supreme.

60/II. Turbulent by nature, the senses even of a wise man, who is practising self-control, forcibly carry away his mind, Arjuna.

61/II. Therfore, having controlled them all and collecting his mind one should sitr for meditation, devoting oneself heart and soul to Me. For he, whose senses are mastered is known to have a stable mind.

62/II. The man dwelling on sense-objects develops attachment for them; from attachment springs up desire, and from desire (unfulfilled) ensues anger.

63/II. From anger arises infatuation; from infatuation, confusion of memory; from confusion of memory, loss of reason; and from loss of reason one goes to complete ruin.

64/II. But the self-controlled practicant, while enjoying the various sense-objects through his senses, which are disciplined and free from likes and dislikes, attains placidity of mind.

65/II. With the attainment of such placidity of mind, all his sorrows come to an end; and the intellect of such a person of tranquil mind, soon withdrawing itself from all sides, becomes firmly established in God.

66/II. He who has not controlled his mind and senses can have no reason; nor can such an undisciplined man think of God. the unthinking man can have no peace; and how can there be happiness for one lacking peace of mind.?

67/II. As the wind carries away a boat upon the waters, even so of the senses moving among sense-objects, the one to which the mind is joined takes away his discrimination.

68/II. Therefore, Arjuna, he whose senses are completely restrained from their objects, is said to have a stable mind.

69/II. That which is night to all beings, in that state (of Divine Knowledge and supreme Bliss) the God-realized Yogi keeps awake. And that (the ever-changing, transient worldly happiness) in which all beings keep awake is night to the seer.

70/II. As the waters of different rivers enter the ocean, which though full on all sides remains undisturbed, likewise he is whom all enjoyments
merge themselves attains peace; not he who hankers after such enjoyments

71/II. He who has given up all desires, and moves free from attachment, egoism and thirst for enjoyment attains peace.

72/II. Arjuna, such is the state of the God-realized soul; having reached this state, he overcomes delusion. And established in this state, even at the last moment, he attains Brahmic Bliss.

III - Karma Yogam

1/III. Arjuna said "Krishna, if you consider Knowledge as superior to Action, then why do you urge me to this dreadful action, Kesava"

2/III. "You are, as it were, puzzling my mind by these seemingly involved expressions; therefore, tell me difinitely the one discipline by which I may obtain the highest good" .

3/III. Sri Bhagavan said "Arjuna, in this world two courses of Sadhana (Spiritual discipline) have been enunciated by Me in the past. In the case of the Sankhyayogi, the Sadhana proceeds along the path of Knowledge; whereas in the case of the Krmayogi, it proceeds along the path of Action"

4/III. "Man does not attain freedom from action (culmination of the discipline of Action) without entering upon action; nor does he reach perfection ( culmination of the discipline of Knowledge) merely by ceasing to act"

5/III. "Surely none can ever remain inactive even for a moment; for everyone helplessly driven for action by nature-born qualities"

6/III. "He who outwardly restraining the organs of sense and action, sits mentally dwelling on the objects of senses, that man of deluded intellect is called a hypocrite"

7/III. "On the other hand, he who controlling the organs of sense and action by the power of his will, and remaining unattached, undertakes the Yoga of Action through those organs, Arjuna, he excels"

8/III. "Therefore, do you perform your allotted duty; for action is superior to inaction. Desisting from action, you cannot even maintain your body"

9/III. “Man is bound by his own action except when it is performed for the sake of sacrifice. Therefore, Arjuna, do you efficiently perform your duty, free from attachment; for the sake of sacrifice alone”

10/III. “Having created mankind alongwith the spirit of sacrifice at the beginning of Creation the Creator, Brahma, said to them, “You shall prosper by this; may this yield the enjoyment you seek” ”

11/III. “Foster the gods through this (sacrifice), and let the gods be gracious to you. Each fostering other disinterstedly, you will attain the highest good”

12/III. “Fostered by sacrifice, the gods will surely bestow on you unasked all the desired enjoyments. He who enjoys the gifts bestowed by them, without giving them in return, is undoubtedly a thief”

13/III. “The virtuous who partake of what is left over after sacrifice are absolved of all sins. Those sinful ones who cook for the sake of nourishing their body alone eat only sin”

14,15/III. “All beings are evolved from food; production of food is dependent on rain; rain ensues from sacrifice, and sacrifice is rooted in prescribed action. Know that prescribed action has its origin in the Vedas, and the Vedas proceed from the Indestructible (God); hence the all-pervading Infinite is always present in sacrifice”

16/III. “Arjuna, he who does not follow the wheel of creation thus set going in this world (i.e., does not perform his duties), sinful and sensual, he lives in vain”

17/III. “He, however, who takes delight in the self alone and is gratified with the Self, and is contented in the self, has no duty”

18/III. “In this world that great soul has no use whatsoever for things done nor for things not done; nor has he selfish dependence of any kind on any creature”

19/III. “Therefore, go on efficiently doing your duty without attachment. Doing work without attachment man attains the Supreme”

20/III. “It is through action (without attachment) alone that Janaka and other wise men reached perfection. Having an eye to maintenance of the world order too you should take to action”

21/III. "For whatever a great man does, that very thing other men also do; whatever standard he sets up; the generality of men follow the same"

22/III. "Arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds for Me to do, nor is there anything worth attaining unattained by Me. Yet I continue to work"

23/III. "Should I not engage in action, scrupulously at any time, great harm will come to the world; for, Arjuna, men follow My way in all matters"

24/III. "If I cease to act, these worlds will perish; nay, I should prove to be the cause of confusion, and of the destruction of these people"

25/III. "Arjuna, as the unwise act with attachment, so should the wise man, seeking maintenance of the world order, act without attachment"

26/III. "A wise man established in the Self, should not unsettle the mind of the ignorant attached to action, but should get them to perform all their duties, duly performing his own duties"

27/III. "All actions are being performed by the modes of Prakrti (Primordial Matter). The fool, whose mind is deluded by egoism, thinks; " I am the doer""

28/III. "He, however, who has true insight into the respective spheres of Gunas (modes of Prakrti) and their actions, holding that it is the Gunas ( in the shape of the senses, mind, etc.,) that move among the Gunas (objects of perception), does not get attached to them, Arjuna"

29/III. "Those who are completely deluded by the Gunas (modes) of Prakrti remain attached to those Gunas and actions; the man of perfect Knowledge should not unsettle the mind of those insufficiently knowing fools"

30/III. "Therefore, dedicating all actions to Me with your mind fixed on Me, the Self of all freed from hope and the feeling of meum and cured of mental fever,fight"

31/III. "Even those men who, with an uncavilling and devout mind, always follow this teaching of Mine are released from the bondage of all actions"

32/III. "They, however, who, finding fault with this teaching of Mine, do not follow it, take those fools to be deluded in the matter of all knowledge, and lost"

33/III. "All living creatures follow their tendencies; even the wise man acts according to the tendencies of his own nature. What use is any external restraint?"

34/III. "Attraction and repulsion are rooted in all sense-objects. Man should never allow himself to be swayed by them, because they are the two principal enemies standing in the way of his redemption"

35/III. "One's own duty, though devoid of merit, is preferable to the duty of another well performed. Even death in the performance of one's own duty brings blessedness; another's duty is fraught with fear"

36/III. Arjuna said, "Now impelled by what, Krishna, does this man commit sin even involunatarily, as though driven by force?"

37/III. Sri Bhagavan said, "It is desire begotten of the element of Rajas, which appears as wrath; nay, it is insatiable and grossly wicked. Know this to be the enemy in this case"

38/III. "As a flame is covered by smoke, mirror by dirt, and embryo by the amnion, so is Knowledge covered by it (desire)"

39/III. "And, Arjuna, Knowledge stand covered by this eternal enemy of the wise, known as desire, which is insatiable like fire"

40/III. "The senses, the mind and the intellect are declared to be its seat; screening the light of Truth through these; it (desire) deludes the embodied soul"

41/III. "Therefore, Arjuna, you must first control your senses; and then kill this evil thing which obstructs Jnana (Knowledge of the Absolute or Nirguna Brahma) and vijnana (Knowledge of Sakar Brahma or manifest Divinity)"

42/III. "The senses are said to be greater than the body; but greater than the senses is the mind. Greater than the mind is the intellect; and what is greater than the intellect is he (the Soul/Self)"

43/III. "Thus, Arjuna, knowing that which is higher than the intellect and subduing the mind by reason, kill this enemy in the form of Desire that is hard to overcome"

-- END OF CHAPTER - III --

-- OM THATH SATH --

IV. Gna Karma Sanyasa Yogam

1/IV. Sri Bhagavan said "I taught this immortal Yoga to Vivasvan (Sun-god); Vivasvan conveyed it to Manu (his son); and Manu imparted it to (his son) Iksvaku"

2/IV. "Thus transmitted in succession from father to son, Arjuna, this Yoga remained known to the Rajarisis (royal sages). It has, however, long since disappeared from this earth"

3/IV. "The same ancient Yoga has this day been imparted to you by Me, because you are My devotee and friend; and also because this is a supreme secret"

4/IV. Arjuna said, "You are of recent origin, while the birth of Vivasvan dates back to remote antiquity. How, then, am I to believe that You taught this Yoga at the beginning of creations?"

5/IV. Sri Bhagavan said " Arjuna, you and I have passed through
many births, I remember them all; you do not remember, O chastiser of foes"
6/IV. "Though birthless and deathless, and the Lord of all beings, I manifest Myself through My own Yogamaya (divine potency), keeping My nature (Prakrti) under control"

7/IV. "Arjuna, whenever righteousness is on the decline, and unrighteousness is in the ascendant, then I body Myself forth"

8/IV. "For the protection of the virtuous, for the extirpation of evil-doers, and for establishing Dharma (righteousness) on a firm footting, I born from age to age"

9/IV. "Arjuna, My birth and activities are divine. he who knows this in reality is not reborn on leaving his body, but comes to Me"

10/IV. "Completely rid of passion, fear and anger, wholly absorbed in Me, depending on Me, and purified by the penance of wisdom; many have become one with Me even in the past"

11/IV. "Arjuna, howsoever men seek Me; even so do I approach them; for all men follow My path in every way"

12/IV. "In this world of human beings; men seeking the fruition of their activities worship the gods; for success born of actions follow quickly"

13/IV. "The four orders of society (the Brahmana, the Ksatriya, the Vaisya and the Sudra) were created by Me classifying them according to the mode of Prakrti predominant in each and apportioning corresponding duties to them; though the author of this creation, know Me, the immortal Lord, tobe a non-doer"

14/IV. "Since I have no craving for the fruit of actions; actions do not contaminate Me, Even he who thus knows Me in reality is not bound by actions"

15/IV. "Having known thus, action was performed even by the ancient seekers for liberation; therefore, you also perform such action as have been performed by the ancients from the beginning of time"

16/IV. "What is action? and what is inaction? Even men of intelligence are puzzled over this question. Therefore, I shall expound to you the truth about action, knowing which you will be freed from its evil effect (binding nature)"

17/IV. "The truth about action must be known and the truth of inaction also must be known; even so the truth about prohibited action must be known. For mysterious are the ways of action"

18/IV. "He who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is wise among men; he is a yogi, who has performed all action"

19/IV. "Even the wise call him a sage, whose undertaking are all free from desire and thoughts of the world, and whose actions are burnt up by the fire of wisdom"

20/IV. "He who, having totally given up attachment to acions and their fiuit, no longer depends on the world, and is ever satisfied, does nothing at all, though fully engaged in action"

21/IV. "Having subdued his mind and body, and given up all objects of enjoyment, and free from craving; he who performs sheer bodily actions, does not incur sin"

22/IV. "The Karmayogi, who is contented with whatever is got unsought, is free from jealousy and has transcended all pairs of opposites (like joy and grief), and is balanced in success and failure, is not bound by his action"

23/IV. "All his actions melt away, who is free from attachment, who has no identification with the body and does not claim it as his own, whose mind is established in the Knowledge of Self and who works merely for the sake of sacrifice"

24/IV. "In the practice of seeing Brahma everywhere as a form of sacrifice Brahma is the ladle (with which the oblation is poured into the fire, etc.,); Brahma, again, is the oblation; Brahma is fire, Brahma itself the sacrificer, and so Brahma itself constitutes the act of pouring the oblation into the fire. And finally Brahma is the goal to be reached by him who is absorbed in Brahma as the act of such sacrifice"

25/IV. "Other yogis duly offer sacrifice only in the shape of worship to gods. Others pour into the fire of Brahma the very sacrifice in the shape of the self through the sacrifice known as the perceptionof identity"

26/IV. "Others offer as sacrifice their senses of hearing etc., into the fires of self-discipline. Other yogis, again, offer sound and other objects of perception into the fires of the senses"

27/IV. "Others sacrifice all the functions of their senses and the functions of the vital airs into the fire of Yoga in the shape of self-control, kindled by wisdom. (Here the Yoga is that thinking of God at all time)"

28/IV. "Some perform sacrifice with material possessions; some offer sacrifice in the shape of austerities; others sacrifice through the practice of Yoga; while some striving souls, observing austere vows, perform sacrifice in the shape of wisdom through the study of sacred texts"

29,30/IV. "Other yogis offer the act of exhalation into that of inhalation even; so others, the act of inhalation into that of exhalation. There are still others given to the practice of Pranayama (breath-control), who having regulated their diet and controlled the processes of exhalation and inhalation both pour their vital airs into the vital airs themselves. All these have their sins consumed away by sacrifice and understand the meaning of sacrificial worship"

31/IV. "Arjuna, Yogis who enjoy the nectar that has been left over after the performance of a scrifice attain the eternal Brahma. To the man who does not offer sacrifice, even this world is not happy; how, then, can the other world be happy?"

32/IV. "Many such forms of sacrifice have been set forth in detail through the mouth of the Vedas; know them all as involving the action of mind, senses and body. Thus knowing the truth about them you shall be freed from the bondage of action (through their performance)"

33/IV. "Arjuna, sacrifice through Knowledge is superior to sacrifice performed with material things. For all actions without exception culminate in Knowledge" "O son of Kunti!!"

34/IV. "Understand the true nature of that Knowledge by approaching illumined soul. If you prostrate at their feet, render them service, and question them with an open and guileless heart, those wise seers of Truth will instruct you in that Knowledge"

35/IV. "Arjuna, when you have reached enlightenment, ignorance will delude you no more. In the light of that Knowledge you will see the entire creation first with in your own self, and then in Me (the Oversoul)"

36/IV. "Even though you were the foulest of all sinners, this Knowledge alone would carry you, like a raft, across all your sin"

37/IV. "For as the blazing fire turns the fuel to ashes, Arjuna, even so the fire of Knowledge turns all actions to ashes"

38/IV. "On earth there is no purifier as great as Knowledge, he who has attained purity of heart through a prolonged practice of Karmayoga automatically sees the light of Truth in the self in course of time"

39/IV. "He who has mastered his senses, is exclusively devoted to his practice and is full of faith, attains Knowledge; having had the revelation to Truth, he immediately attains supreme peace (in the form of God Realization)"

40/IV. "He who lacks discrimination, is devoid of faith, and is at the same time possessed by doubt is lost to the spiritual path. For the doubting soul there is neither this world nor the world beyond, nor even happiness"

41/IV. "Arjuna, actions do not bind him who has dedicated all his actions to God according to the spirit of Karmayoga, whose doubts have been torn to shreds by wisdom, and who is self-possessed"

42/IV. "Therefore, Arjuna, slashing to pieces, with the sword of wisdom, this doubt in your heart, born of ignorance, establish youself in karmayoga in the shape of even-temperedness, and stand up for the fight"

--- END OF CHAPTER - IV ---

-- OM THATH SATH --

V. Karma Sanyasa Yogam

1/V. Arjuna said Krishna, "you extol sankhyayoga (the Yoga of knowledge) and then the yoga of Action. Pray tell me which of the two is decidedly conducive to my good"

2/V. Sri Bhagavan said "The Yoga of Knowledge and the Yoga of Action both lead to supreme Bliss. Of the two, however, the Yoga of Action (being easier of practice) is superior to the Yoga of Knowledge"

3/V. "The Karmayogi who neither hates nor desires should be ever considered a renouncer. For, Arjuna, he who is free from the pairs of opposites is easily freed from bondage"

4/V. "It is the ignorant, not the wise, who say that Sankhyayoga and Karmayoga lead to divergent results. For one who is firmly established in either gers the fruit of both (which is the same, viz., God-Realization)"

5/V. "The (supreme) state which is reached by the Sankhyayogi is attained also by the Karmayogi. Therefore, he alone who sees Sankhyayoga and Karmayoga as one ( so far as their result goes) really sees"

6/V. "Without Karmayoga, however, Sankhyayoga (or renunciation of doership in relation to all activities of the mind, senses and body) is difficult to accomplish; whereas the Karmayogi, who keeps his mind fixed on God, reaches Brahma in no time, Arjuna"

7/V. "The Karmayogi, who has fully conquered his mind and mastered his senses, whose heart is pure, and who has identified himself with the self of all beings (viz,God), remains untainted, even though performing action"

8,9/V. "The Sankhyayogi, however, who knows the reality of things, must believe, even though seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating or drinking, walking, sleeping, breathing, speaking, answering the calls of nature, grasping and opening or closing the eyes, that he does nothing, holding that it is the senses that are moving among their objects"

10/V. "He who acts offering all actions to God, and shaking off attachment, remains untouched by sin, as the lotus leaf by water"

11/V. "The Karmayogis perform action only with their senses, mind, intellect and body as well, withdrawing the feeling of mine in respect of them and shaking off attachment simply for the sake of self-purification"

12/V. "Offering the fruit of actions to God, the Karmayogi attains everlasting peace in the shape of God-Realization; whereas he who works with a selfish motive, being attached to the fruit of action through desire, gets tied down"

13/V. "The self-controlled Sankhyayoga, doing nothing himself and getting nothing done by others, rests happily in God, the embodiment of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss, mentally relegating all actions to the mansion of nine gates ( the body with nine openings)"

14/V. "God determines not the doership nor the doings of men, nor even their contact with the fruit of actions; but it is Nature alone that functions"

15/V. "The omni present God does not receive the virtue or sin of anyone. Knowledge is enveloped in ignorance; hence it is that beings are constantly falling a prey to delusion"

16/V. "In the case, however, to those whose said ignorance has been set aside by true Knowledge of god, that wisdom shining like the sun reveals the supreme"

17/V. "Those whose mind and intellect are wholly merged in Him, who remain constantly established in identity with Him, and have finally become one with Him, their sins being wiped out by wisdom, reach the state whence there is no return"

18/V. "The wise look with the same eye on a Brahmana endowed with learning and culture, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a pariah too"

19/V. "Even here is the mortal plane conquered by those whose mind is established in unity; since the Absolute is untouched by evil and knows no distinction, hence they are established in the Eternal"

20/V. "He who, with reason firm and free from doubt, rejoices not on obtaining what is pleasant and does not feel perturbed on meeting with the unpleasant, that knower of Brahma lives eternally in identity with Brahma"

21/V. "He whose mind remains unattached to sense-objects, derives through meditation the Sattvika joy which dwells in the mind; then that Yogi, having completely identified himself through meditation with Brahma enjoys eternal Bliss"

22/V. "The pleasures which are born of sense-contacts are verily a source of suffering only (though appearing as enoyable to worldly minded people). They have a beginning and an end (they come and go). Arjuna, it is for this reason that a wise man does not indulge in them"

23/V. "He alone who is able to stand, in this very life before-casting off this body, the urges of lust and anger is Yogi; and he alone is a happy man"

24/V. "He who is happy within himself, enjoys within himself the delight of the soul, and even so is illumined by the inner light (light of the soul), such a Yogi (Sankhyayogi) identified with brahma attains Brahma, who is all Peace"

25/V. "The seers whose sins have been wiped out, whose doubts have been dispelled by Knowledge, whose disciplined mind is firmly established in God and who are actively engaged in the service of all beings, attain Brahma, who is all peace"

26/V. "To those wise men who are free from lust and anger, who have subdued their mind and have realized God, Brahma, the abode of eternal peace, is present all round"

27,28/V. "Shutting out all thoughts of external enjoyments, with the gaze fixed on the space between the eye-brows, having regulated the Prana (out going) and the Apana (ingoing) breaths flowing within the nostrils; he who has brought his senses, mind and intellect under control - such a contemplative soul intent on liberation and free from desire, fear and anger, is ever liberated"

29/V. "Having Known Me in reality as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the supreme Lord of all the worlds, and the disinterested friend of all beings, My devotee attains peace"

-- END OF CHAPTER - V --

-- OM THATH SATH --

VI - Athma Samyama Yogam

1/VI. Sri Bhagavan said, “he who does his duty without expecting the fruit of actions is a Sanyasi (Sankhyayogi) and a Yogi (Karmayogi) both. He is no Sanyasi (renouncer) who has merely renounced the sacred fire; even so he is no Yogi, who has merely given up all activity”

2/VI. “Arjuna, you must know that what they call Sanyasa is no other than Yoga; for none becomes a Yogi, who has not given up thoughts of the world”

3/VI. “To the contemplative soul who desires to climb to the heights of Karmayoga, disinterested action is spoken of as the stepping-stone; for the same man when he is established in Yoga, absence of all thoughts of the world is said to be the way to blessedness”

4/VI. “When a man ceases to have any attachment either for the objects of senses or for actions, and has renounced all thoughts of the world, he is said to have climbed to the heights of Yoga”

5/VI. “One should lift oneself by one's own efforts and should not degrade oneself; for one's own self is one's friend, and ones own self is one's enemy”

6/VI. “One's own self is the friend of the soul by whom the lower self (consisting of the mind, senses and body) has been conquered; even so the very self of him who has not conquered his lower self behaves antagonistically like an enemy”

7/VI. “The Supreme Spritit is rooted in the knowledge of the self-controlled man whose mind is perfectly serene in the midst of pairs of opposites, such as cold and heat, joy and sorrow, and honour and ignominy”

8/VI. “The Yogi whose mind is sated with Jnana (Knowledge of Nirguna Brahm) and Vijnana (Knowledge of Manifest Divinity), who is unmoved under all circumstances, whose senses are completely mastered, and to whom earth, store and gold are all alike, is spoken of as a God-realized soul”

9/VI. “He who looks upon well-wishers and neutrals as well as mediators, friends and foes, relatives and objects of hatred, the virtuous and the sinful with the same eye, stand supreme”

10/VI. “Living in seclusion all by himself, the Yogi who has controlled his mind and body, and is free from desires and void of possessions, should constantly engage his mind in meditation”

11/VI. “Having firmly placed his seat in a spot which is free from dirt and other impurities with the sacred Kusa grass, a deerskin and a cloth spread thereon one below another (Kusa below, deerskin in the middle and cloth uppermost), neither very high nor very low”

12/VI. “And occupying that seat, concentrating the mind and controlling the functions of the mind and senses, he should practise Yoga for self-purification”

13/VI. “Holding the trunk, head and neck straight and steady, remaining firm and fixing the gaze on the tip of his nose, without looking in other direction”

14/VI. “Firm in the vow of complete chastity and fearless, keeping himself perfectly calm and with the mind held in restraint and fixed on Me, the vigilant Yogi should sit absorbed in Me”

15/VI. “Thus constantly applying his mind to Me, the Yogi of disciplined mind attains the everlasting peace, consisting of supreme bliss, which abides in Me”

16/VI. “Arjuna, this Yoga is neither for him who over eats, nor for him who observes a complete fast; it is neither for him who is given to too much sleep; nor even for him who is ceaselessly awake”

17/VI. “Yoga, which rids one of woe, is accomplished only by him who is regulated in diet and recreation, regulated in performing actions, and regulated in performing actions, and regulated in sleep and wakefulness”

18/VI. “When the mind which is thoroughly disciplined gets riveted on God alone, then the person who is free from yearning for all enjoyments is said to be established in Yoga”

19/VI. “As a light does not flicker in a windless place, such is stated to be the picture of the disciplined mind of the Yogi practising meditation on God”

20/VI. “The state in which, curbed through the practice of Yoga, the mind becomes still, and in which, realizing God through subtle reason (purified by meditation on God) the soul rejoices only in God”

21/VI. “Nay, in which the soul experience the eternal and super sensuous job which can be apprehended only through the subtle and purified intellect, and wherein established the said Yogi moves not from Truth on any account”

22/VI. “And having obtained which he does not reckon any other gain as greater than that, and established in which he is not shaken even by the heaviest of sorrows”

23/VI. “That state, called Yoga, which is free from the contact of sorrow (in the form of transmigration), should be known. Nay, this Yoga should be resolutely practised with an unwearied mind”

24/VI. “Completely renouncing all desires arising from thoughts of the world, and fully restraining the whole pack of the senses from all sides by the time”

25/VI. “He should through gradual practice attain tranquillity; and fixing the mind on God through reason controlled by steadfastness, he should not think of anything else”

26/VI. “Drawing back the restless and fidgety mind from all those objects after which it runs, he should repeatedly fix it on God”

27/VI. “For the Yogi whose mind is perfectly serene who is sinless, whose passion is subdued, and who is identified with Brahma, the embodiment of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss, supreme happiness comes as a matter of course”

28/VI. “The sinless Yogi, thus uniting his self constantly with God, easily enjoys the eternal Bliss of oneness with Brahma”

29/VI. "The Yogi who is united in identity with the all-pervading, infinite Consciousness; and sees unity everywhere, beholds the Self present in all beings, and all beings as assumed in the Self”

30/VI. “He who sees Me (the Universal Self) present in all beings, and all beings existing within Me, never loses sight of Me, and I never lose sight of him”

31/VI. “The Yogi who is established in union with Me, and worships Me as residing in all beings (as their very Self); abides in Me; no matter what he does”

32/VI. “Arjuna, he who looks on all as one, on the analogy of his own self, and looks upon the joy and sorrow of all with a similar eye, such a Yogi is deemed the highest of all”

33/VI. Arjuna said, “Krishna, owing to restlessness of mind I do not perceive the stability of this Yoga in the form of equability, which You have just spoken of”

34/VI. “For Krishna, the mind is very unsteady, turbulent, tenacious and powerful therefore, I consider it as difficult to control as the wind”

35/VI. Sri Bhagavan said, “The mind is restless no doubt; and difficult to curb, Arjuna; but it can be brought under control by repeated practice (of meditation) and by the exercise of dispassion, O son of Kunti!!”

36/VI. “Yoga is difficult of achievement for one whose mind is not subdued; by him; however who has the mind under control, and is ceaselessly striving, it can be easily attained through practice. Such is My conviction”

37/VI. Arjuna said, “Krishna, what becomes of the soul who, though endowed with faith, has not been able to subdue his passions, and whose mind is therefore diverted from Yoga (at the time of death), and who thus fails to reach perfection in Yoga (God-Realization)?”

38/VI. “Krishna, strayed from the path leading to God-Realization and without anything to stand upon, is he not lost like the torn cloud, deprived of both God-Realization and heavenly enjoyment?”

39/VI. “Krishna, it behoves You to slash this doubt of mine completely; for none other than You can be found, who can tear this doubt”

40/VI. Sri Bhagavan said, “Dear Arjuna, there is no fall for him either here of hereafter. For none who strives for self-redemption (i.e., God-Realization) ever meets with evil destiny”

41/VI. “He who has fallen from Yoga, obtains the higher worlds (heaven etc.,) to which men of meritorious deeds alone are entitled, and having resided there for countless years, takes birth in the house of pious and wealthy men”

42/VI. “Or (if he is possessed of dispassion) he is born in the family of enlightened Yogis; but such a birth in this world is very difficult to obtain”

43/VI. “Arjuna, he automatically regains in that birth the spiritual insight of his previous birth; and through that he strives, harder than ever, for perfection (in the form of God-Realization)”

44/VI. “The other one (who takes birth in a rich family), though under the away of his senses, feels drawn towards God by force of the habit acquired in his previous birth; nay, even the seeker of enlightenment on Yoga (in the form of even-mindedness) transcends the fruit of actions performed with some interested motive as laid down in the Vedas”

45/VI. “The Yogi, however, who dilligently takes up the practice attains perfection in this very life with the help of latencies of many births, and being throughly purged of sin, forthwith reaches the supreme state”

46/VI. “The yogi is superior to the ascetics; he is regarded as superior even to those versed in sacred lore. The Yogi is also superior to those who perform action with some interested motive. Therefore, Arjuna, do you become a Yogi”

47/VI. “Of all Yogis, again, he who devoutly worship Me with his mind focussed on Me is considered by Me to be the best Yogi”

--- END OF CHAPTER VI ---

OM THATH SATH

VII - Gna Vingna Yogam

1/VII. Sri Bhagavan said, “Arjuna, now listen how with the mind attached to Me (through exclusive love) and practising Yoga with absolute dependence of Me, you will know Me (the Repository of all power, strength and glory and other attributes, the Universal Soul) in entirety and without any shadow of doubt”


2/VII. “I shall unfold to you in its entirety this wisdom (Knowledge of God in His absolute formless aspect) along with the Knowledge of the qualified aspect of God (both with form and without form), having known which nothing else remains yet to be known in this world”


3/VII. “Hardly one among thousands of men strives to realize Me; of those striving Yogis, again, some rare one (devoting himself exclusively to Me) knows Me in reality”


4,5/VII. “Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, reason and also ego; these constitute My nature eightfold divided. This indeed is My lower (material) nature; the other than this, by which the whole universe is sustained, know it to be My higher (or spiritual) nature in the form of Jiva ( the life-principle), O Arjuna”


6/VII. “Arjuna, know that all beings have evolved from this twofold Prakrti, and that I am the source of the entire creation, and into Me again it disappears”


7/VII. “There is nothing else besides Me, Arjuna. Like clusters of yarn-beads formed by knots on a thread, all this is threaded on Me”


8/VII. “Arjuna, I am the sapidity in water and the light of the moon and the sun; I am the sacred syllable OM in all the Vedas, the sound in other; and the manlinss in men”


9/VII. “I am the pure odour (the subtle principle of odour) in the earth and the brilliance in fire; nay, I am the life in all beings and the austerity in men of askesis”


10/VII. “Arjuna, know Me the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent; the glory of the glorious am I”


11/VII. “Arjuna, of the mightly I am the might, free from passion and desire; in beings I am the sexual desire not conflicting with virtue or scriptural injunctions”


12/VII. “Whatever other entities there are, born of Sattva (the quality of goodness), and those that are born of Rajas (the principal of activity) and Tamas (the principal of intertia), know them all as evloved from Me alone. In reality, however, neither do I exist in them, nor they in Me”


13/VII. “The whole of this creation is deluded by these objects evolved from the three modes of Prakrti-Sattva, Rajas and Tamas; that is why the world fails to recognize Me, standing apart from these and impersihable”


14/VII. “For this most wonderful Maya (veil) of Mine, consisting of the three Gunas (modes of Nature), is extremely difficult to break through; those, however, who constantly adore Me alone are able to cross it”


15/VII. “Those whose wisdom has been carried away by Maya, and who have embraced the demoniac nature, such foolish and vile men of evil deeds do not adore Me”


16/VII. “Four types of devotees of noble deeds worship Me, Arjuna, the seeker after worldly possessions, the afflicted, the seeker for knowledge, and man of wisdom, O best of Bharatas”


17/VII. “Of these best is the man of wisdom, ever established in indentity with Me and possessed of exclusive devotion. For I am extremely dear to the wise man (who knows Me in reality), and he is extremely dear to me”


18/VII. “Indeed all these are noble, but the man of wisdom is My very self: such is My view. For such a devotee, who has his mind and intellect merged in Me, is firmly established in Me alone, the highest goal”


19/VII. “In the very last of all births the enlightened soul worships Me, realizing that all this is God. Such a great soul is very rare”


20/VII. “Those whose wisdom has been carried away by various desires, being prompted by their own nature, worship other deities adopting rules relating to each”


21/VII. “Whatever celestial form a devotee (craving for some worldly object) chooses to worship with reverence, I stabilize the faith of that particular devotee in that very form”


22/VII. “Endowed with such faith he worship that particular deity and obtains through him without doubt his desired enjoyments as ordained by Myself”


23/VII. “The fruit gained by these people of small understanding, however, is perishable. The worshippers of gods attain the gods; whereas My devotees, howsoever they worship Me, eventually come to Me and me alone”


24/VII. “Not knowing My unsurpassable and undecaying supreme nature, the ignorant believe Me, the supreme Spirit beyond the reach of mind and senses, the embodiment of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss, to have assumed a finite form through birth (as an ordinary human being)”


25/VII. “Veiled by My Yogamaya (divine potency); I am not manifest to all. Hence these ignorant folk fail to recognize Me, the unborn and imperishable Supreme Deity (i.e., consider Me as subject to birth and death)”


26/VII. “Arjuna, I know all beings, past as well as present, nay, even those that are yet to come; but none (devoid of faith and reverence) knows Me”


27/VII. “O valiant Arjuna, through delusion in the shape of pairs of opposites (such as pleasure and pain etc.,), born of desire and hatred, all living creatures in this world are falling a prey to infatuation”


28/VII. “But those men of virtuous deeds whose sins have come to an end, being freed from delusion in the shape of pairs of opposites (born of attraction and repulsion), worship Me with a firm resolve in every way”


29,30/VII. “They who, having taken refuge in Me, strive for deliverance from old age and death know Brahma (the Absolute), the whole Adhyatma (the totality of Jivas or embodies souls), and the entire field of Karma (action) as well as My integral being, comprising Adhibhuta (the field of matter), Adhidaiva (Brahma) and Adhiyajn (the unmanifest Divinity dwelling in the heart of all beings as their witness). And they who, possessed of a steadfast mind, know thus even at the hour of death, they too know Me alone”

--- END OF CHAPTER - VII ---

OM THATH SATH

VIII - Akshara Brahma Yogam

1/VIII. Arjuna said, “Krishna, what is that Brahma (Absolute), what is Adhyatma (Spririt), and what is Karma (Action)? What is called Adhibhuta (Matter) and what is termed as Adhidaiva (divine intelligence)?”


2/VIII. “Krishna, who is Adhiyajna here and how does he dwell in the body? And how are You to be realized at the time of death by those of steadfast mind”


3/VIII. Sri Bhagavan Said, “The supreme Indestructible is Brahma; one's own self (the individual soul) is called Adhyatma; and the discharge of spirits (Visarga), which brings forth the existence of beings, is called Karma (Action)”


4/VIII. “All perishable objects are Adhibhuta; the shining Purusa (Brahma) is Adhidaiva; and in this body I Myself, dwelling as the inner witness, am Adhiyajna, O Arjuna!”


5/VIII. “He who departs from the body, thinking of Me alone even at the time of death, attains My state; there is no doubt about it”


6/VIII. “Arjuna, thinking of whatever entity one leaves the body at the time of death, that and that alone one attains, being ever absorbed in its thought”


7/VIII. “Therefore, Arjuna, think of Me at all times and fight. With mind and reason thus set on Me, You will doubtless come to Me”


8/VIII. “Arjuna, he who with his mind disciplined through Yoga in the form of practice of meditation and thinking of nothing else, is constantly engaged in contemplation of God attains the supremely effulgent divine Purusa (God)”


9/VIII. “He who contemplates on the all-wise, ageless Being, the Ruler of all, subtler than the subtle, the universal sustainer, possessing a Form beyond human conception, refulgent like the sun and far beyond the darkness of ignorance”


10/VIII. “Having by the power of Yoga firmly held the life-breath in the space between the two eyebrows even at the time of death, and the contemplating on God with a steadfast mind, full of devotion, he reaches verily that supreme divine Purusa (God)”


11/VIII. “I shall tell you briefly about that supreme goal (viz., God who is an embodiment of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss), which the knowers of the Veda term as the Indestructible; which striving recluses free from passion enter, and desiring which the celibates practise Brahmacharya”


12,13/VIII. “Having closed all the doors of the senses, and firmly holding the mind in the cavity of the heart, and then fixing the life-beath in the head, and thus remaining steadfast in Yogic concentration on God, he who leaves the body and departs uttering the one indestructible Brahma, Om, and dwelling on Me in My absolute aspect, reaches the supreme goal”


14/VIII. “Arjuna, whosoever always and constantly thinks of Me with undivided mind, to that Yogi ever absorbed in Me I am easily attainable”


15/VIII. “Great souls, who have attained the highest perfection, having come to Me, are no more subjected to rebirth, which is the abode of sorrow, and transient by nature”


16/VIII. “Arjuna, All worlds, till Brahma worlds, have got uncertinity time to being i.e., those are all have to be disappeared and appeared in a limited time cycle. Even if go to them, they have to re-birth again. But, O son of Kunti, after attained me there is no re-birth again because I am beyond the life cycle (Creater of the universe)”


17/VIII. “Those Yogis who know from realization Brahma's day as covering a thousand Mahayugas, know the reality about time”


18/VIII. “All embodied beings emanate from the Unmanifest (i.e., Brahma's subtle body) at the coming of the cosmic day; at the cosmic nightfall they merge into the same subtle body of Brahma, known as the Unmanifest”


19/VIII. “Arjuna, this multitude of beings, being born again and again, is dissolved under compulsion of its nature at the coming of the cosmic night, and rises again at the commencement of the cosmic day”


20/VIII. “Far beyond even this Unmanifest, there is yet another unmanifest Existence, that Supreme Divine Person, who does not perish even though all beings perish”


21/VIII. “The same Unmanifest which has been spoken of as the Indestructible is also called the supreme Goal; that again is My supreme Abode, attaining which they return not to this mortal world”


22/VIII. “Arjuna, that eternal unmanifest supreme Purusa in whom all beings reside, and by whom all this is pervaded, is attainable only through exclusive Devotion”


23/VIII. “Arjuna, I shall now tell you the time (path) departing when Yogis do not return, and also the time (path) departing when they do return”


24/VIII. “(Of the two paths) the one is that which are stationed the all-effulgent fire-god and the deities presiding over daylight, the bright fortnight, and the six months of the northward course of the sun respectively; proceeding along it after death Yogis, who have known Brahma, being successively led by the above gods, finally reach Brahma”


25/VIII. “The other path is that wherein are stationed the gods presiding over smoke, night, the dark fornight, and the six months of the southward course of the sun; the Yogi (devoted to action with an interested motive) taking to this path after death is led by the above gods, one after another, and attaining the lustre of the moon (and enjoying he fruit of this meritorious deeds in heaven) returns to this mortal world”


26/VIII. “For these two paths of the world, the bright and the dark, are considered to be eternal. Proceeding by one of them, one reaches the supreme state from which there is no return; and proceeding by the other, one returns to the mortal world, ie., becomes subject to birth and death once more”


27/VIII. “Knowing thus the secret of these two paths, O son of Kunti, no Yogi gets deluded. Therefore, Arjuna, at all times be steadfast in Yoga in the form of equanimity (i.e., strive constantly for My realization)”


28/VIII. “The Yogi, realizing this profound truth, doubtless transcends all the rewards, ascribed in the scriptures to the study of the Vedas, as well as to the performance of sacrifices, austerities and charities, and attains the beginningless supreme state”

--- END OF CHAPTER - VIII ---

OM THATH SATH

IX - Rajavidya Rajagukya Yogam

1/IX. Sri Bhagavan said “ To you, who are devoid of the carping spirit, I shall now unfold the most secret knowledge of Nirguna Brahma alongwith the knowledge of manifest Divinity, knowing which you shall be free from the evil of worldly existence”

2/IX. “This knowledge of both the Nirguna and Saguna aspects of Divinity is a sovereign science, a soveregin secret, supremely holy, most excellent, directly enjoyable, attended with virtue, very easy to practise and imperishable”

3/IX. “Arjuna, people having no faith in this Dharma, failing to reach Me, revolve in the path of the world of death”

4/IX. “The whole of this universe is permeated by Me as unmanifest Divinity, and all beings rest on the idea within Me. Therefore, really speaking, I am not present in them”

5/IX. “Nay, all those beings abide not in Me; but behold the wonderful power of My divine Yoga; though the Sustainer and Creator of beings, My self in reality dwells not in those beings”

6/IX. “Just as the extensive air, which is moving everywhere, (being born of ether) ever remains in ether, likewise know that all beings (who have originated from My thought) abide in Me”

7/IX. “Arjuna, during the Final Dissolution all beings enter My Prakrti (the prime Cause), and at the beginning of creation, I send them forth again”

8/IX. “Wielding My Nature I release, again and again, (according to their respective Karmas) all this multitude of beings subject to the influence of their own nature”

9/IX. “Arjuna, those actions, however, do not bind Me, unattached as I am to such actions and standing apart as it were”

10/IX. “Arjuna; with Me as the supervisor, Nature brings forth the whole creation, consisting of both sentient and insentient beings; it is due to this cause that the wheel of Samsara is going round”

11/IX. “Fools, not knowing My supreme nature, think low of Me, the Overlord of the entire creation, who have put on the human semblance. (That is to say, they take Me, who have appeared in human garb through My Yogamaya for the deliverance of the world, for an ordinary mortal)”

12/IX. “Those bewildered persons with vain hopes, futile actions and fruitless knowledge have embraced a fiendish, demoniacal and delusive nature”

13/IX. “On the other hand, Arjuna, great souls who have embraced the divine nature, knowing Me as the prime source of all lives and the imperishable eternal, worship Me constantly with none else in mind”

14/IX. “Constantly chanting My names and glories and striving for My realization, and bowing again and againg to Me, those devotees of firm resolve, ever united with Me through meditation, worship Me with single-minded devotion”

15/IX. “Other (who follow the path of Knowledge) betake themselves to Me through their offering of Knowledge, worshipping Me (in My absolute, formless aspect) as one with themselves; while still others worship Me in My Universal Form in many ways, taking Me to be diverse in diverse clelestial forms”

16/IX. “I am the Vedic ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering to the departed; I am the herbage and foodgrains; I am the sacred formula, I am the clarified butter, I am the sacred fire, and I am verily the act of offering oblations into the fire”

17/IX. “I am the sustainer and ruler of this universe, its father, mother and grandfather, the one worth knowing, the purifier, the sacred syllable OM and the three Vedas-Ruk, Yajus and Sama”

18/IX. “I am the supreme goal, supporter, lord, witness, abode, refuge, wellwisher seeking no return, origin and end, resting-place, store-house (to which all beings return at the time of universal destruction), and imperishable seed”

19/IX. “I radiate heat as the sun, and hold back as well as send forth showers, Arjuna. I am immortality as well as death; even so I am being and non-being both”

20/IX. “Those who perform action with some interested motive as laid down in these three Vedas and drink the sap of the Soma plant, and have thus been purged of sin, worshipping Me through sacrifices, seek access to heaven; attaining Indra's paradise as the result of their virtuous deeds, they enjoy the celestial pleasures of gods in heaven”

21/IX. “Having enjoyed the extensive heaven-world, they return to this world of mortals on the stock of their merits being exhausted. Thus devoted to the ritual with interested motive recommended by the three Vedas (as the means of attaining heavenly bliss), and seeking worldly enjoyments, they repeatedly come and go (i.e., ascend to heaven by virtue of their merits and return to earth when their fruit has been enjoyed)”

22/IX. “The devotees, however, who loving no one else constantly think of Me, and worship Me in disinterested spirit, tho those ever united in thought with Me I bring full security and personally attend to their needs”

23/IX. “Arjuna, even those devotees who, endowed with faith, worship other gods (with some interested motive) worship Me alone, though with a mistaken approach”

24/IX. “For I am the enjoyer and also the lord of all sacrifices; but they know Me not in reality (as the supreme Deity), hence they fall (i.e., return to life on earth)”

25/IX. “Those who are vowed to gods go to the gods; those who are vowed to the manes reach the manes; those who adore the spirits reach the spirits and those who worship Me come to Me alone. (That is why My devotees are no longer subject to birth and death)”

26/IX. “Whosoever offers to Me with love a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water, I appear in person before that disinterested devotee of sinless mind, and delightfully partake of that article offered by him with love”

27/IX. “Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever you bestow as a gift, whatever you do by way of penance, offer it all to Me”

28/IX. “With your mind thus established in the Yoga of renuciation (offering of all actions to Me), you will be freed from the bonds of Karma in the shape of good and evil consequences; and freed from them, you will attain Me”

29/IX. “I am equally present in all beings; there is none hateful or dear to Me. They, however, who devoutly worship Me abide in Me; and I too stand revealed in them”

30/IX. “Even if the vilest sinner worship Me with exclusive devotion, he should be accounted a saint; for he has rightly resolved. (He is positive in his belief that there is nothing like devoted worship of God)”

31/IX. “Speedily he becomes virtuous and secures lasting peace. Know it for certain, Arjuna, that My devotee never falls”

32/IX. “Arjuna, women, Vaisyas (members of the trading and agricultruist classes) Sudras (those belonging to the labouring and artisan classes), as well as those of vile birth (such as the pariah), whoever they may be, taking refuge in Me they too attain the supreme goal”

33/IX. “Howmuch more, then, holy Brahmanas and royal sages devoted to Me! Therefore, having obtained this joyless and transient human life, constantly worship Me”

34/IX. “Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me and make obeisance to Me; thus linking yourself with Me and entirely depending on Me, you shall come to Me”

--- END OF CHAPTER - IX ---
-- OM THATH SATH --