Bhagavad Gita
Chapter XVIII — Religion by Deliverance and Renunciation
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa188511 min read
Bhagavad GitaKrishnaBhakti
Arjuna
Fain would I better know, Thou Glorious One!The very truth--Heart's Lord!--of Sannyas,Abstention; and enunciation, Lord!Tyaga; and what separates these twain!
Krishna
The poets rightly teach that SannyasIs the foregoing of all acts which springOut of desire; and their wisest sayTyaga is renouncing fruit of acts.
There be among the saints some who have heldAll action sinful, and to be renounced;And some who answer, "Nay! the goodly acts--As worship, penance, alms--must be performed!"Hear now My sentence, Best of Bharatas!
'Tis well set forth, O Chaser of thy Foes!Renunciation is of threefold form,And Worship, Penance, Alms, not to be stayed;Nay, to be gladly done; for all those threeAre purifying waters for true souls!
Yet must be practised even those high worksIn yielding up attachment, and all fruitProduced by works. This is My judgment, Prince!This My insuperable and fixed decree!
Abstaining from a work by right prescribedNever is meet! So to abstain doth springFrom "Darkness," and Delusion teacheth it.Abstaining from a work grievous to flesh,When one saith "'Tis unpleasing!" this is null!Such an one acts from "passion;" nought of gainWins his Renunciation! But, Arjun!Abstaining from attachment to the work,Abstaining from rewardment in the work,While yet one doeth it full faithfully,Saying, "Tis right to do!" that is "true " actAnd abstinence! Who doeth duties so,Unvexed if his work fail, if it succeedUnflattered, in his own heart justified,Quit of debates and doubts, his is "true" act:For, being in the body, none may standWholly aloof from act; yet, who abstainsFrom profit of his acts is abstinent.
The fruit of labours, in the lives to come,Is threefold for all men,--Desirable,And Undesirable, and mixed of both;But no fruit is at all where no work was.
Hear from me, Long-armed Lord! the makings fiveWhich go to every act, in Sankhya taughtAs necessary. First the force; and thenThe agent; next, the various instruments;Fourth, the especial effort; fifth, the God.What work soever any mortal dothOf body, mind, or speech, evil or good,By these five doth he that. Which being thus,Whoso, for lack of knowledge, seeth himselfAs the sole actor, knoweth nought at allAnd seeth nought. Therefore, I say, if one--Holding aloof from self--with unstained mindShould slay all yonder host, being bid to slay,He doth not slay; he is not bound thereby!
Knowledge, the thing known, and the mind which knows,These make the threefold starting-ground of act.The act, the actor, and the instrument,These make the threefold total of the deed.But knowledge, agent, act, are differencedBy three dividing qualities. Hear nowWhich be the qualities dividing them.
There is "true" Knowledge. Learn thou it is this:To see one changeless Life in all the Lives,And in the Separate, One Inseparable.There is imperfect Knowledge: that which seesThe separate existences apart,And, being separated, holds them real.There is false Knowledge: that which blindly clingsTo one as if 'twere all, seeking no Cause,Deprived of light, narrow, and dull, and "dark."
There is "right" Action: that which being enjoined--Is wrought without attachment, passionlessly,For duty, not for love, nor hate, nor gain.There is "vain" Action: that which men pursueAching to satisfy desires, impelledBy sense of self, with all-absorbing stress:This is of Rajas--passionate and vain.There is "dark" Action: when one doth a thingHeedless of issues, heedless of the hurtOr wrong for others, heedless if he harmHis own soul--'tis of Tamas, black and bad!
There is the "rightful"doer. He who actsFree from self-seeking, humble, resolute,Steadfast, in good or evil hap the same,Content to do aright-he "truly" acts.There is th' "impassioned" doer. He that worksFrom impulse, seeking profit, rude and boldTo overcome, unchastened; slave by turnsOf sorrow and of joy: of Rajas he!And there be evil doers; loose of heart,Low-minded, stubborn, fraudulent, remiss,Dull, slow, despondent--children of the "dark."
Hear, too, of Intellect and SteadfastnessThe threefold separation, Conqueror-Prince!How these are set apart by Qualities.
Good is the Intellect which comprehendsThe coming forth and going back of life,What must be done, and what must not be done,What should be feared, and what should not be feared,What binds and what emancipates the soul:That is of Sattwan, Prince! of "soothfastness."Marred is the Intellect which, knowing rightAnd knowing wrong, and what is well to doAnd what must not be done, yet understandsNought with firm mind, nor as the calm truth is:This is of Rajas, Prince! and "passionate!"Evil is Intellect which, wrapped in gloom,Looks upon wrong as right, and sees all thingsContrariwise of Truth. O Pritha's Son!That is of Tamas, "dark" and desperate!
Good is the steadfastness whereby a manMasters his beats of heart, his very breathOf life, the action of his senses; fixedIn never-shaken faith and piety:That is of Sattwan, Prince! "soothfast" and fair!Stained is the steadfastness whereby a manHolds to his duty, purpose, effort, end,For life's sake, and the love of goods to gain,Arjuna! 'tis of Rajas, passion-stamped!Sad is the steadfastness wherewith the foolCleaves to his sloth, his sorrow, and his fears,His folly and despair. This--Pritha's Son!--Is born of Tamas, "dark" and miserable!
Hear further, Chief of Bharatas! from MeThe threefold kinds of Pleasure which there be.
Good Pleasure is the pleasure that endures,Banishing pain for aye; bitter at firstAs poison to the soul, but afterwardSweet as the taste of Amrit. Drink of that!It springeth in the Spirit's deep content.And painful Pleasure springeth from the bondBetween the senses and the sense-world. SweetAs Amrit is its first taste, but its lastBitter as poison. 'Tis of Rajas, Prince!And foul and "dark" the Pleasure is which springsFrom sloth and sin and foolishness; at firstAnd at the last, and all the way of lifeThe soul bewildering. 'Tis of Tamas, Prince!
For nothing lives on earth, nor 'midst the godsIn utmost heaven, but hath its being boundWith these three Qualities, by Nature framed.
The work of Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas,And Sudras, O thou Slayer of thy Foes!Is fixed by reason of the QualitiesPlanted in each:
A Brahman's virtues, Prince!Born of his nature, are serenity,Self-mastery, religion, purity,Patience, uprightness, learning, and to knowThe truth of things which be. A Kshatriya's pride,Born of his nature, lives in valour, fire,Constancy, skilfulness, spirit in fight,And open-handedness and noble mien,As of a lord of men. A Vaisya's task,Born with his nature, is to till the ground,Tend cattle, venture trade. A Sudra's state,Suiting his nature, is to minister.
Whoso performeth--diligent, content--The work allotted him, whate'er it be,Lays hold of perfectness! Hear how a manFindeth perfection, being so content:He findeth it through worship--wrought by work--Of Him that is the Source of all which lives,Of HIM by Whom the universe was stretched.
Better thine own work is, though done with fault,Than doing others' work, ev'n excellently.He shall not fall in sin who fronts the taskSet him by Nature's hand! Let no man leaveHis natural duty, Prince! though it bear blame!For every work hath blame, as every flameIs wrapped in smoke! Only that man attainsPerfect surcease of work whose work was wroughtWith mind unfettered, soul wholly subdued,Desires for ever dead, results renounced.
Learn from me, Son of Kunti! also this,How one, attaining perfect peace, attainsBRAHM, the supreme, the highest height of all!
Devoted--with a heart grown pure, restrainedIn lordly self-control, forgoing wilesOf song and senses, freed from love and hate,Dwelling 'mid solitudes, in diet spare,With body, speech, and will tamed to obey,Ever to holy meditation vowed,From passions liberate, quit of the Self,Of arrogance, impatience, anger, pride;Freed from surroundings, quiet, lacking nought--Such an one grows to oneness with the BRAHM;Such an one, growing one with BRAHM, serene,Sorrows no more, desires no more; his soul,Equally loving all that lives, loves wellMe, Who have made them, and attains to Me.By this same love and worship doth he knowMe as I am, how high and wonderful,And knowing, straightway enters into Me.And whatsoever deeds he doeth--fixedIn Me, as in his refuge--he hath wonFor ever and for ever by My graceTh' Eternal Rest! So win thou! In thy thoughtsDo all thou dost for Me! Renounce for Me!Sacrifice heart and mind and will to Me!Live in the faith of Me! In faith of MeAll dangers thou shalt vanquish, by My grace;But, trusting to thyself and heeding not,Thou can'st but perish! If this day thou say'st,Relying on thyself, "I will not fight!"Vain will the purpose prove! thy qualitiesWould spur thee to the war. What thou dost shun,Misled by fair illusions, thou wouldst seekAgainst thy will, when the task comes to theeWaking the promptings in thy nature set.There lives a Master in the hearts of menMaketh their deeds, by subtle pulling--strings,Dance to what tune HE will. With all thy soulTrust Him, and take Him for thy succour, Prince!So--only so, Arjuna!--shalt thou gain--By grace of Him--the uttermost repose,The Eternal Place!
Thus hath been opened theeThis Truth of Truths, the Mystery more hidThan any secret mystery. Meditate!And--as thou wilt--then act!
Nay! but once moreTake My last word, My utmost meaning have!Precious thou art to Me; right well-beloved!Listen! I tell thee for thy comfort this.Give Me thy heart! adore Me! serve Me! clingIn faith and love and reverence to Me!So shalt thou come to Me! I promise true,For thou art sweet to Me!
And let go those--Rites and writ duties! Fly to Me alone!Make Me thy single refuge! I will freeThy soul from all its sins! Be of good cheer!
[Hide, the holy Krishna saith,This from him that hath no faith,Him that worships not, nor seeksWisdom's teaching when she speaks:Hide it from all men who mock;But, wherever, 'mid the flockOf My lovers, one shall teachThis divinest, wisest, speech--Teaching in the faith to bringTruth to them, and offeringOf all honour unto Me--Unto Brahma cometh he!Nay, and nowhere shall ye findAny man of all mankindDoing dearer deed for Me;Nor shall any dearer beIn My earth. Yea, furthermore,Whoso reads this converse o'er,Held by Us upon the plain,Pondering piously and fain,He hath paid Me sacrifice!(Krishna speaketh in this wise!)Yea, and whoso, full of faith,Heareth wisely what it saith,Heareth meekly,--when he dies,Surely shall his spirit riseTo those regions where the Blest,Free of flesh, in joyance rest.]
Hath this been heard by thee, O Indian Prince!With mind intent? hath all the ignorance--Which bred thy trouble--vanished, My Arjun?
Arjuna
Trouble and ignorance are gone! the LightHath come unto me, by Thy favour, Lord!Now am I fixed! my doubt is fled away!According to Thy word, so will I do!
Sanjaya
Thus gathered I the gracious speech of Krishna, O my King!Thus have I told, with heart a-thrill, this wise and wondrous thingBy great Vyasa's learning writ, how Krishna's self made knownThe Yoga, being Yoga's Lord. So is the high truth shown!And aye, when I remember, O Lord my King, againArjuna and the God in talk, and all this holy strain,Great is my gladness: when I muse that splendour, passing speech,Of Hari, visible and plain, there is no tongue to reachMy marvel and my love and bliss. O Archer-Prince! all hail!O Krishna, Lord of Yoga! surely there shall not failBlessing, and victory, and power, for Thy most mighty sake,Where this song comes of Arjun, and how with God he spake.
HERE ENDS, WITH CHAPTER XVIII.,Entitled "Mokshasanyasayog,"Or "The Book of Religion by Deliverance and Renunciation,"THE BHAGAVAD-GITA.