Bhagavadgita Parva — Arjuna's dejection of mind

The great One said I told this imperishable (system of) Yoga to Vivasvat declared it to Manu; Manu declared it to lkshvaku.

Coming down thus, from generation to generation, it became know to the royal sages. But, O terror of foes, this yoga was lost to the worlds by long lapse of time.

You are my devotee and friend; I have, therefore, told you that old yoga to day, for it is a great Mystery.

Arjuna said Later is your birth; prior is the birth of Vivasvan. How then shall I know that you first told it?

The great one said Many births of yours and mine. O Arjuna, have taken place. I know them all, O terror of foes, but you know not.

Though I am unborn (having no birth); though I am imperishable, though I am master of the elements, yet out of my Maya (power of illusion) I take birth, resting on (material) Nature.

Wheresoever, O Bharata, virtue languishes and sin predominates, I create myself.

I take birth, age after age, for the protection of the good and the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of piety (true religion).

He, who truly knows my these (willful) births and wonderful deeds, after casting off his body, is not born again. He comes to Me.

Many holy sages, who are freed from attachment, fear and wrath, who are full of Me and who depend upon Me, have attained to my essence.

I bestow my favours (on all men) in the way in which they worship Me. All men, O Partha, follow in my path, in every way.

Desiring success of actions, men worship the Celestial (such as Indra &c.), for in this world the success of action is soon attained.

According to qualities and (fruits of) actions, I have created four castes. Though I am their Creator, yet know me as being not a creator and not perishable.

Actions do not touch me. I have no attachment in the fruits of actions. He who knows me as such is not tied down by actions.

Knowing this, men of old, desirous of emancipation, performed actions. Therefore, you too perform action, as was done by men of old in olden times.

Even men of true knowledge is confused about what is action and what is inaction. I shall speak to you about that action, learning which you will be freed from the (worldly) evils.

One must know what is action, one must also know what is forbidden action, and one must again know what is inaction. The nature of action is abstruse.

He, who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is a wise man, a Yogi and a doer of all actions.

The learned men call him wise whose all actions are free from desire and will and whose actions are burnt down by the fire of knowledge.

Getting rid of the attachment (desire) for the fruits of actions, being ever contented, and depending on none, although (such men) engages in action, they do nothing at all.

Being devoid of desires and having the mind and the senses under control casting off all concerns, he, who performs action for the preservation of the body, incurs no sin.

Being contended with what is earned spontaneously, rising superior to the pairs of opposites, being free from all jealousy, (such a man), being equable in success or failures, is not fettered by actions, although he performs actions.

The acts of the man who is devoid of attachment, who is free from passions and whose mind is steady in knowledge, are all destroyed.

Brahma is the vessel of libation, Brahma is the libation itself, Brahma is the fire, Brahma is the pourer of libation to him who thus meditates upon Brahma in all his actions, Brahma is the goal to which he proceeds.

Some yogis perform the Sacrifice to the Celestial; others (however) offer up (such) Sacrifices in the Sacrifice of Brahma-Fire.

Others offer up in the fire of Self-restraint all his senses, such as the senses of hearing and others. Others again offer up the objects of sense, such as sound into the fire of senses.

Others offer up all the actions of the senses, and those of the life-breaths, into the Yoga-fire of self-restraint, kindled by knowledge.

Some perform the sacrifice for gaining possessions, some the Sacrifice of penance; others again Sacrifice of concentration of mind; some perform the Sacrifice of Vedic study, some that of knowledge, others again the Sacrifice of asceticism of rigid vows.

Some offer up the upward life-breaths to downward life-breaths, and the down-ward life breaths to upward life breaths. Stopping up the motions of both the upward and downward life breaths some devote themselves to the restraint of the life-breath itself. Others, who take limited food, offer the life-breath to life-breath.

All these men, learned in the (various) Sacrifices, having their sins destroyed by Sacrifice, and eating the remains of the Sacrifice, which is ambrosia, go to the eternal Brahma.

O best of Kurus, this world is not for those who do not perform any Sacrifice, what to speak of the future world.

Thus Sacrifices of various sorts are in the Vedas. Know them all as the results of actions; and knowing this, you will be freed (from the fetters of the world).

The sacrifice of knowledge, O terror of foes, is superior to the Sacrifice for gaining possession (in this world or in the future), for, O Parthas, all actions are wholly and fully comprehended by knowledge.

Learn knowledge by reverently saluting the learned, by asking them questions, by doing service to them. The men of knowledge and the men that know the Truth, will teach you knowledge.

Having learnt it, O son of Pandu, you will not again fall into delusion. And by means of it, you will see all beings first in yourself and them in Me.

If you be the greatest sinner amongst all sinful men, you will (still) cross over the ocean of your sin by means of the boat of knowledge.

As, O Arjuna, a blazing fire reduces all wood to ashes, so the fire of knowledge reduces all actions to ashes.

There is nothing in this world which so much purifies (man) as knowledge. The man, perfected by Yoga, learns it within himself in time.

The man of faith, the man of assiduousness, the man of self-restraint, obtains knowledge; and obtaining knowledge, he gains the highest tranquility (Mukti) without delay.

He, who is ignorant, who has no faith and whose mind is full of misgivings and doubt, is lost. Not this world, not the next, not (any) happiness is for him whose mind is full of doubts.

Actions, O Dhananjaya, do not fetter him, who is self-possessed, whose doubts have been removed by knowledge and who has placed all his actions in Yoga.

Therefore, Oh descendant of Bharata, destroying with the sword of knowledge these inisgivings of yours produced from ignorance, engage in yoga of action, Arise.