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This page tells the thirds installment of an amazing story occurring in the midst of a battle field, long long ago. I am only re-writing (the translation of) this wonderful story on this blog. Originally written in Sanskrit, the Bhagavad Gita, even though conceived as a religious text, is an entire coded system in itself for any human being (irrespective of cast, creed, sex and religion) to become perfect. While the Bhagavad Gita has been been translated into English by many great authors, I have mostly referred to the version of Swami Chinmayanada Ji. This page - and the 17 others in this series/story - are dedicated, with great respect, to the author of the most amazing book (according to me) ever written, Sage Vyasa.
3.
Karma Yoga
1)
ARJUNA:
If it be thought by you that
“knowledge” is superior to “Action” O Janardana (Sri Krishna), Why then do you,
O Keshava (Sri Krishna), engage me in this terrible action?
2)
With this apparently perplexing speech, you confuse
my understanding; Therefore, tell me that “one” way by which, I, for certain,
may attain the highest.
3)
SRI KRISHNA:
In this world, there is a
two-fold path, as I said before, O sinless one (Arjuna); the path-of-Knowledge
(Jnana yoga) of the Sankhyans and the path-of-Action of the Yogins.
4)
Not by the non-performance of actions does not
man reach ‘action-less ness’; nor by mere renunciation does he attain
‘perfection.’
5)
Verily, none can ever remain, even for a moment,
without performing action; everyone is made to act helplessly, indeed, by
qualities born of Prakriti.
6)
He who, restraining the organs-of-action, sits
thinking in his mind of the sense-objects, he, of deluded understanding, is
called a hypocrite.
7)
But whosoever, controlling the senses by the mind,
O Arjuna, engages his organs of action in Karma Yoga, without attachment, he
excels.
8)
You perform (your) bounden duty; for, action is
superior to inaction. Even the maintenance of the body would not be possible
for you by inaction.
9)
The world is bound by actions other than those
performed ‘for the sake of sacrifice’; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti
(Arjuna), perform action for that sake (of Yajna) alone, free from all
attachments.
10)
The Prajapati (the Creator), having in the
beginning, created mankind, together with sacrifices, said, “by this shall you
prosper; let this be the milch-cow of your desire – Kamadhuk (“the mythological
cow which yields all desired objects”)
11)
With this, you do nourish the Gods and may those
Devas nourish you; Thus nourishing one another, you shall attain the highest
Good.
12)
The Devas, nourished by sacrifice, will give you
the desired objects. Indeed, he who enjoys objects given by the devas, without
offering (in return) to them, is verily a thief.
13)
The righteous who eat the ‘remnants of
sacrifices’ are freed from all sins; but those sinful ones, who cook food
(only) for their own sake, verily eat but sin.
14)
From food come forth beings; from rain, food is
produced; from sacrifice arises rain; and sacrifice is born of action.
15)
Know you that action comes from BRAHMAJI (the
creator) and BRAHMAJI come from the Imperishable. Therefore, the all-pervading
BRAHMAN (God-principle) ever rests in sacrifice.
16)
He who does not follow here, the wheel thus set
revolving, is of a sinful life, rejoicing in the senses. He lives in vain, O
Son of Pritha.
17)
But the man who rejoices only in the self, who
is satisfied with the self, who is content in the self alone, for Him verily,
there is nothing (more) to be done.
18)
For him, there is here no interest whatever in what
is done, or what is not done; nor does he depend upon any being for any object.
19)
Therefore always perform actions which should be
done without attachment; for performing action without attachment, man attains
the supreme.
20)
Janaka and others attained Perfection verily
through action alone; even with a view of protecting the masses you should
perform action.
21)
Whatever a great man does, that other men also
do (imitate); whatever he sets up as the standard, that the world follows.
22)
There is nothing in this world, O Partha
(Arjuna) that has to be done by me, nor is there anything unattained, that
should be attained by me; yet I engage myself in action.
23)
For, should I not ever engage in action, without
relaxation, men would in every way follow my path, O son of Pritha.
24)
These worlds would perish if I do not perform
action; I would be the author of confusion of ‘castes’ and would destroy these
beings.
25)
As the ignorant men act from attachment to
action, O Bharata, so should the wise men act without attachment, wishing the
welfare of the world.
26)
Let no wise-man unsettle the minds of ignorant
people, who are attached to action; he should engage them all in actions,
himself fulfilling them with devotion.
27)
All actions are performed, in all cases, merely
by the gunas. He whose mind is deluded by egoism, thinks, ‘I am the doer.’
28)
But he – who knows the truth, O mighty armed
(Arjuna) about the divisions of the qualities and their functions, and he who
knows that GUNAS-as-senses move amidst GUNAS-as-objects, is not attached.
29)
Those deluded by Gunas, are attached to the
functions of the qualities. The man of perfect knowledge should not unsettle
the ‘foolish’, who are of imperfect knowledge.
30)
Renouncing all actions in Me, with the mind
centered on the Self, free from hope and egoism (ownership), free from (mental)
fever, do fight!
31)
Those men who constantly practice this teaching
of mine, full of faith and without caviling, they too are freed from actions.
32)
But those
who carp at my teaching and do not practice it, deluded in all knowledge, and
devoid of discrimination, know them to be doomed to destruction.
33)
Even a wise man acts in accordance with his own
nature; beings will follow their own nature; what can restraint do?
34)
Attachment and aversion for the objects of the
sense abide in the senses; let none come under their sway; for they are his
foes.
35)
Better is 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 fraught with fear.
36)
ARJUNA:
But impelled by what does man
commit sin, though against his wishes, O Varshaneya (Sri Krishna), constrained
as it were, by force?
37)
SRI KRISHNA:
It is desire, it is anger born
of the ‘active’, all-devouring, all-sinful; know this as the foe here (in this
world)
38)
As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by
dust, as an embryo by the womb, so this (wisdom) is enveloped by that
(desire/anger)
39)
Enveloped, O son of Kunti, (Arjuna) is ‘wisdom’
by this constant enemy of the wise in the form of ‘desire’, which is difficult
to appease.
40)
The senses, the mind, and the intellect are said
to be its seat; through these, it deludes the embodied by veiling his wisdom.
41)
Therefore, O best of Bharatas, controlling first
the senses, kill this sinful thing, the destroyer of knowledge and wisdom.
42)
They say that the senses are superior (to the
body); superior to the senses is the mind; superior to the mind is the
intellect; one who is superior to the intellect is He (the Atman)
43)
Thus, knowing Him, who is superior to intellect,
and restraining the self by the Self, slay you, O Mighty-armed, the enemy in
the form of ‘desire’, no doubt hard indeed to conquer.
Thus ends the 3rd chapter of Bhagavad Gita.
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