Bhagavad Gita
Chapter IV — The Religion of Knowledge
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa18856 min read
Bhagavad GitaKrishnaBhakti
Krishna
This deathless Yoga, this deep union,I taught Vivaswata, the Lord of Light;Vivaswata to Manu gave it; heTo Ikshwaku; so passed it down the lineOf all my royal Rishis. Then, with years,The truth grew dim and perished, noble Prince!Now once again to thee it is declared--This ancient lore, this mystery supreme--Seeing I find thee votary and friend.
Arjuna
Thy birth, dear Lord, was in these later days,And bright Vivaswata's preceded time!How shall I comprehend this thing thou sayest,"From the beginning it was I who taught?"
Krishna
Manifold the renewals of my birthHave been, Arjuna! and of thy births, too!But mine I know, and thine thou knowest not,O Slayer of thy Foes! Albeit I beUnborn, undying, indestructible,The Lord of all things living; not the less--By Maya, by my magic which I stampOn floating Nature-forms, the primal vast--I come, and go, and come. When RighteousnessDeclines, O Bharata! when WickednessIs strong, I rise, from age to age, and takeVisible shape, and move a man with men,Succouring the good, thrusting the evil back,And setting Virtue on her seat again.Who knows the truth touching my births on earthAnd my divine work, when he quits the fleshPuts on its load no more, falls no more downTo earthly birth: to Me he comes, dear Prince!Many there be who come! from fear set free,From anger, from desire; keeping their heartsFixed upon me--my Faithful--purifiedBy sacred flame of Knowledge. Such as theseMix with my being. Whoso worship me,Them I exalt; but all men everywhereShall fall into my path; albeit, those soulsWhich seek reward for works, make sacrificeNow, to the lower gods. I say to theeHere have they their reward. But I am HeMade the Four Castes, and portioned them a placeAfter their qualities and gifts. Yea, ICreated, the Reposeful; I that liveImmortally, made all those mortal births:For works soil not my essence, being worksWrought uninvolved. Who knows me acting thusUnchained by action, action binds not him;And, so perceiving, all those saints of oldWorked, seeking for deliverance. Work thouAs, in the days gone by, thy fathers did.
Thou sayst, perplexed, It hath been asked beforeBy singers and by sages, "What is act,And what inaction? "I will teach thee this,And, knowing, thou shalt learn which work doth saveNeeds must one rightly meditate those three--Doing,--not doing,--and undoing. HereThorny and dark the path is! He who seesHow action may be rest, rest action--heIs wisest 'mid his kind; he hath the truth!He doeth well, acting or resting. FreedIn all his works from prickings of desire,Burned clean in act by the white fire of truth,The wise call that man wise; and such an one,Renouncing fruit of deeds, always content.Always self-satisfying, if he works,Doth nothing that shall stain his separate soul,Which--quit of fear and hope--subduing self--Rejecting outward impulse--yielding upTo body's need nothing save body, dwellsSinless amid all sin, with equal calmTaking what may befall, by grief unmoved,Unmoved by joy, unenvyingly; the sameIn good and evil fortunes; nowise boundBy bond of deeds. Nay, but of such an one,Whose crave is gone, whose soul is liberate,Whose heart is set on truth--of such an oneWhat work he does is work of sacrifice,Which passeth purely into ash and smokeConsumed upon the altar! All's then God!The sacrifice is Brahm, the ghee and grainAre Brahm, the fire is Brahm, the flesh it eatsIs Brahm, and unto Brahm attaineth heWho, in such office, meditates on Brahm.Some votaries there be who serve the godsWith flesh and altar-smoke; but other someWho, lighting subtler fires, make purer riteWith will of worship. Of the which be theyWho, in white flame of continence, consumeJoys of the sense, delights of eye and ear,Forgoing tender speech and sound of song:And they who, kindling fires with torch of Truth,Burn on a hidden altar-stone the blissOf youth and love, renouncing happiness:And they who lay for offering there their wealth,Their penance, meditation, piety,Their steadfast reading of the scrolls, their lorePainfully gained with long austerities:And they who, making silent sacrifice,Draw in their breath to feed the flame of thought,And breathe it forth to waft the heart on high,Governing the ventage of each entering airLest one sigh pass which helpeth not the soul:And they who, day by day denying needs,Lay life itself upon the altar-flame,Burning the body wan. Lo! all these keepThe rite of offering, as if they slewVictims; and all thereby efface much sin.Yea! and who feed on the immortal foodLeft of such sacrifice, to Brahma pass,To The Unending. But for him that makesNo sacrifice, he hath nor part nor lotEven in the present world. How should he shareAnother, O thou Glory of thy Line?
In sight of Brahma all these offeringsAre spread and are accepted! ComprehendThat all proceed by act; for knowing this,Thou shalt be quit of doubt. The sacrificeWhich Knowledge pays is better than great giftsOffered by wealth, since gifts' worth--O my Prince!Lies in the mind which gives, the will that serves:And these are gained by reverence, by strong search,By humble heed of those who see the TruthAnd teach it. Knowing Truth, thy heart no moreWill ache with error, for the Truth shall showAll things subdued to thee, as thou to Me.Moreover, Son of Pandu! wert thou worstOf all wrong-doers, this fair ship of TruthShould bear thee safe and dry across the seaOf thy transgressions. As the kindled flameFeeds on the fuel till it sinks to ash,So unto ash, Arjuna! unto noughtThe flame of Knowledge wastes works' dross away!There is no purifier like theretoIn all this world, and he who seeketh itShall find it--being grown perfect--in himself.Believing, he receives it when the soulMasters itself, and cleaves to Truth, and comes--Possessing knowledge--to the higher peace,The uttermost repose. But those untaught,And those without full faith, and those who fearAre shent; no peace is here or other where,No hope, nor happiness for whoso doubts.He that, being self-contained, hath vanquished doubt,Disparting self from service, soul from works,Enlightened and emancipate, my Prince!Works fetter him no more! Cut then atwainWith sword of wisdom, Son of Bharata!This doubt that binds thy heart-beats! cleave the bondBorn of thy ignorance! Be bold and wise!Give thyself to the field with me! Arise!
“HERE ENDETH CHAPTER IV. OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA, Entitled "Jnana Yog," Or "The Book of the Religion of Knowledge,"”
— Bhagavad Gita