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Bhagavad Gita with
Commentaries
Russian edition of the Bhagavad Gita
and commentaries by Vladimir Antonov
Translated from Russian
by Mikhail Nikolenko
© Antonov V.V., 2002
CONTENTS
The Bhagavad Gita — or, in
translation from Sanskrit,
the Song of God — is the most important part
of the Indian epic poem
Mahabharata. The latter describes events that
took place 5-7 thousand years ago.
The Bhagavad Gita is a great
philosophical work that played the same role in the
history of India, as the New Testament did in the
history of countries of the European culture. Both
these books powerfully proclaim the principle of
Love-Bhakti as the basis of spiritual
self-perfection of man. The Bhagavad Gita also
presents to us a complete notion about such
fundamental problems of philosophy as what is man,
what is God, what is the meaning of human life and
the principles of human evolution.
The main hero of the Bhagavad Gita
is Krishna — an Indian raja and an Avatar — an
embodiment of a Part of the Creator, Who gave to
people through Krishna the greatest spiritual
precepts.
Philosophical truths are expounded
in the Bhagavad Gita in the form of a dialogue
between Krishna and His friend Arjuna before a
military combat.
Arjuna prepared long before to this
righteous battle. But when the day of the battle has
come and Arjuna with his army stands in the front of
the warriors of the belligerent party, he recognizes
among them his own kinsmen and former friends. And
he, being provoked to it by Krishna, begins to doubt
his right to participate in the battle. He shares
these doubts with Krishna.
Krishna reproaches him: watch, how
many people gathered here to lay down their lives
for you! And the encounter is unavoidable!
How can you, who brought these people here to die,
leave them at the very last moment!? Since you — a
professional warrior — took up arms, then fight for
the righteous cause. And understand that life of
every one of us in the body is but a short space of
the true life. Man is not a body, and he does not
die with death of the body. And in that sense no one
can kill and no one can be killed.
Arjuna, intrigued by such words of
Krishna, asks Him more and more questions. And from
the answers it becomes clear that the path to the
Perfection goes not through killing, but through
Love — Love, at first, to the
manifested aspects of God-Absolute and then
to the Creator Himself.
These answers of Krishna are the
essence of the Bhagavad Gita — one of the greatest —
by profoundness of wisdom and breadth of the
fundamental problems covered — books existing on the
Earth.
There are several translations of
the Bhagavad Gita into Russian language. Among them
the translation by A.Kamenskaya and I.Mantsiarly
reproduces the meditative aspect of the Krishna’s
sayings best. Yet, for many verses of the text, the
translation is incomplete.
The translation by V.S.Sementsov
is a successful attempt to reproduce the poetic
structure of the Sanskrit Bhagavad Gita. The text,
indeed, began to flow like a song. But the exactness
of the translation in some cases got worse.
The advantage of the Russian
translation made by the Society for Krishna’s
Consciousness
is that it is accompanied by the Sanskrit text
(including transliteration). But the content (in
Russian translation) is extremely distorted.
The translation made under the
editorship of B.L.Smirnov
is supposed — according to the intention of the
translators — to be highly exact. Yet, its language
is somewhat “dry”. But, as it happened to the all
mentioned translations, many important statements of
Krishna were not understood by the translators and
thus were translated incorrectly. Among such typical
errors is interpretation of the word
Atman as “smaller than the smallest”, and not
as “subtler than the subtlest”; or translation of
the word
buddhi as “supreme mind”, “pure thought”,
etc, and not as “consciousness”. Only the
translators who have mastered the highest levels of
yoga can avoid such errors.
The readers are presented a new
edition of the translation of the Bhagavad Gita made
by the compiler of this book.
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Atman — the main essence of beings:
that part of a multidimensional organism which
abides in the highest spatial dimension.
Brahman — Holy Spirit.
Buddhi yoga — a system of methods
for development of human consciousness following
after raja yoga.
Varnas — evolutionary stages of
man’s development that are corresponded by his
social role:
shudras — servants, vaishyas —
merchants, farmers, craftsmen,
kshatriyas — leaders, warriors, brahmans
— in the original meaning of this word — those who
have attained the state of Brahman. In India and in
a number of other countries the varna membership
became inherited by birth. This rule has been
disputed by many thinkers and is denied by God (see
below).
Gunas — three human qualities:
tamas — dullness, ignorance;
rajas — energy, passion; sattva —
harmony, purity. Every evolving person has to ascend
by these gunas-steps and then go higher (see about
this in the text). The qualities peculiar to the
gunas rajas and sattva have to be mastered
sequentially by every person who wants to go
further.
Guru — spiritual teacher.
Dharma — objective law of life;
predestination, path of man.
Indriyas — “tentacles” that we
“extend” from our organs of sense and also from the
mind (manas) and buddhi — to the objects which we
perceive or think about.
Ishvara — God-the-Father,
Creator, Allah, Tao (in the Taoist meaning),
Primordial Consciousness, Adibuddha.
Yoga — Sanskrit equivalent of the
Latin word
religion, which means “link with God”,
“methods of advancement to Him”, “Mergence” of a
person with God. One may speak of yoga: a) as of the
Path and methods of religious advancement and b) as
of the state of Union with God (in the latter case
the first letter of this word is capitalized).
Maya — Divine Illusion: the world of
matter, seemed to us existing on its own.
Manas — mind.
Mahatma — “Great Atman”, i.e. a
person with highly right developed consciousness,
evolutionary mature, wise person.
Muni — wise man, sage.
Paramatman — Highest, United
Divine Atman:
the same as Ishvara.
Prakriti — cosmic matter (in the
collective sense).
Purusha — cosmic spirit (in the
collective sense).
Raja — ruler, king.
Rishi — sage.
Back to the Contents
Dhritarashtra said:
1:1. On the field of Dharma, on the
sacred field of Kuru, my
sons and the sons of Pandu have gathered desiring to
battle; what are they doing, O Sanjaya?
Sanjaya replied:
1:2. Raja Duryodhana, seeing the
army of the Pandavas drawn up for battle, approached
his guru Drona and said:
1:3. Behold, O master, this powerful
army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed for battle by the
son of Drupada, your talented disciple.
1:4. Here are the mighty archers,
equal to Bhima and Arjuna in battle: Yuyudhana and
Virata, and Drupada on a great chariot,
1:5. Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana,
valorous raja of Kashi Purujit, Kuntibhoja and
Shaivya, the heroes among men,
1:6. Mighty Yudhamanyu, fearless
Uttamoja, the son of Saubhadra, and the sons of
Drupada — all on great chariots.
1:7. Know also our chiefs, O best of
twice-born, the leaders of my army. These are their
names:
1:8. Yourself, Bhishma, victorious
Karna and Kripa, Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and the son
of Somadatta,
1:9. And many other heroes, who are
ready to lay down their lives for me — all equipped
with diverse weapons, all are experienced warriors.
1:10. Our forces seem to me
insufficient, though they are commanded by Bhishma;
and theirs seem to me sufficient, though they are
commanded by Bhima.
1:11. Therefore, let everyone,
standing in his place in troops, and you, chiefs,
guard Bhishma.
1:12. To inspirit him, the oldest of
the Kurus, glorious Bhishma blew his conch shell,
which sounds like a roaring lion.
1:13. Right away, conch shells and
cymbals, drums and horns blared in response
producing a tumultuous noise.
1:14. Then, seated in a great
chariot yoked to white horses, Madhava
and Pandava
blew their heavenly conch shells.
1:15. Hrishikesha
blew the Panchajanya, Dhananjaya
blew the Devadatta,
and a man of great exploits Vrikodara blew his conch
shell, the Pandura.
1:16. King Yudhishtira the son of
Kunti, blew the Anantavijaya, Nakula blew the
Sughosa, and Sahadeva blew the Manipushpaka.
1:17. And Kashiya the great archer,
and Shikhandi the mighty warrior on a chariot, and
invincible Dhristadyumna, Virata, and Satyaki,
1:18. and Drupada and his sons, and
the mighty-armed Saubhadra, — all they blew each his
own conch shell, O lord of the Earth.
1:19. And this terrible roar,
filling the sky and the Earth with thunder, shatters
the hearts of Dhritarashtra’s sons.
1:20. Then, seeing the sons
Dhritarashtra ready to begin the battle, Pandava,
whose helmet bore the image of a monkey, lifted his
bow.
1:21. And addressed Hrishikesha, the
Lord of the Earth, with such words:
1:22. My chariot is between the two
armies, O Infallible One; I see here warriors
gathered for battle, whom I must combat;
1:23. I see those anxious to please
the wicked son of Dhritarashtra.
Sanjaya said:
1:24. O Bharata, addressed thus by
Arjuna, Hrishikesha stopped their magnificent
chariot between the two armies
1:25. and pointing at Bhishma,
Drona, and all other kings, said: “Behold, O Partha,
the Kurus assembled together!”
1:26. Then Partha saw, standing
against each other, fathers and grandfathers, gurus,
uncles, cousins, sons, grandsons, and friends,
1:27. fathers-in-law and comrades
separated into the hostile armies. Beholding all
these arraying kinsmen, overcome with deep pity,
Arjuna sadly said:
1:28. O Krishna, as I see my kinsmen
here eager to wage war,
1:29. my limbs fail and my mouth is
parched, my body quivers and my hair stands on end;
1:30. Gandiva
slips from my hand and all my skin burns; I am
unable to stand and my mind whirls.
1:31. I see evil omens, O Keshava,
and do not expect any good from slaughtering of my
own kinsmen.
1:32. O Krishna, I desire neither
victory, nor kingdom, nor worldly pleasures. Of what
avail for us is kingdom, O Govinda? Of what avail
are worldly pleasures or the life itself?
1:33. Those for whose sake we seek
kingdom, joy, and worldly pleasures stand here in
battle having renounced their wealth and life —
1:34. teachers, fathers, sons,
grandfathers, uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons,
brothers-in-law, and other relatives.
1:35. I do not want to kill them
even though I am to be killed, O Madhusudana! I do
not want, even if it would give me the power over
the three worlds!
How am I to do it for the sake of “earthly”
power?
1:36. What satisfaction can be for
us in killing these sons of Dhritarashtra, O
Janardana? By killing these rebels, we will commit a
great sin.
1:37. We should not kill the sons of
Dhritarashtra, our kinsmen! How can we be happy
after killing our own kinsmen, O Madhava?
1:38. Even if their minds overcome
by greed perceive no evil in destroying the family
grounds and in treachery to friends,
1:39. then why should we, who see
clearly the evil of such destruction, commit this
act of sin, O Janardana?
1:40. With the destruction of the
family perish the age-old traditions; and when
virtue is lost, vice overcomes entire family;
1:41. Krishna, when vice prevails,
the women of the family become unchaste; the
corruption of women leads to mixture of the varnas.
1:42. The mixture of the varnas
ensures hell both for the destroyers of the family
and for the family itself, since the souls of the
ancestors languish because of lack of offerings of
rice and water.
1:43. By the sin of these
family-destroyers, who caused the intermixture of
the varnas, the ancient caste and family virtues are
ruined too.
1:44. We have heard, O Janardana,
that those who destroy the family traditions go
forever to hell.
1:45 Alas! Out of desire to rule the
kingdom, we are ready to commit a great sin: to kill
our own kinsmen!
1:46. Much better it would be for me
to be killed unarmed and unresisting in the battle
by the Dhritarashtra’s sons.
Sanjaya said:
1:47. Having said this on the
battlefield, Arjuna sat down in his chariot,
overwhelmed with sorrow. He dropped his bow and
arrows.
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the first conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Arjuna’s Despair.
Back to the Contentss
Sanjaya said:
2:1. To him, who was overwhelmed
with sorrow and despair, whose eyes were flowing
with tears, Madhusudana said:
2:2. Whence has come over you, in
this crucial moment, such shameful, unbecoming to an
Aryan, despair which blocks the gate to paradise, O
Arjuna?
2:3. Do not yield to feebleness, O
Partha! Cast off this miserable faint-heartedness, O
Parantapa, and arise!
Arjuna said:
2:4. O Madhusudana! How can I attack
with arrows Bhishma and Drona — they who deserve the
deepest reverence, O Conqueror of the enemies?
2:5. Verily, it is better to live on
alms as a beggar than to kill these great gurus. If
I kill these highly esteemed gurus, then all my food
will be stained with their blood.
2:6. I do not know what is better
for us — to be conquered or to conquer they who
stand against us — the sons of Dhritarashtra. Having
killed them, we will not wish to live.
2:7. My heart is full of sorrow, my
mind is perplexed — I am confused about my duty. I
beseech You: tell me certainly — what is better? I
am Your disciple and ask You: please, instruct me.
2:8. The sorrow is shivering my
senses, and I know nothing that would dispel it:
neither attainment of the highest power on the Earth
nor even lordship over the gods.
Sanjaya said:
2:9. Having said this to
Hrishikesha, Gudakesha, the destroyer of enemies,
uttered: “Govinda, I will not fight,” and became
silent.
2:10. Stationed in between the two
armies, Hrishikesha, with a smile, told despondent
Arjuna:
2:11. You are mourning for that
which should not be mourned for, though you have
said the words of wisdom. But the wise bemoan
neither the living nor the dead.
2:12. For, verily, never there was a
time when I or you or these kings did not exist;
and, verily, we will not cease to exist in the
future.
2:13. Just as the indweller of the
body goes through childhood, maturity, and old age,
so does he leaves one body and enters another. The
strong one does not grieve about this.
2:14. The contact with matter, O
Kaunteya, produces feelings of heat and cold, of
pleasure and pain. These feelings are transient:
they come and go. Endure them with fortitude, O
Bharata!
2:15. He who is unmoved by them, O
greatest of men, who remains sober and unfaltering
in joy and in trouble — such one is able to attain
Immortality.
2:16. Know that the transient,
impermanent has no true existence. And the eternal,
imperishable never ceases to exist. This is
discerned by those who have perceived the essence of
things and see the truth.
2:17. Know that no one can destroy
That Who pervades the entire universe. None can
bring Him to death. That Eternal and Imperishable is
beyond of control of anyone.
2:18. Only the bodies of the
incarnite are perishable, but he himself is eternal
and indestructible. Fight, therefore, O Bharata!
2:19. He who thinks that he can kill
and he who thinks that he can be killed are both
mistaken. Man can neither kill nor can be killed.
2:20. He neither appears nor
disappears; having once came into being, he never
ceases to be. An immortal soul, he does not perish,
when his body is destroyed.
2:21. He who knows that man is
imperishable, eternal, unborn, and immortal — how he
can kill, O Partha, or be killed?
2:22. As man throws off worn-out
clothes and puts on others that are new, so does he
throws off worn-out bodies and enters new ones.
2:23. Weapons cannot cut him, fire
cannot burn him, water cannot wet him, nor can wind
wither him.
2:24. Nothing can cut, burn, wet, or
wither him — uncutable, unburnable, unwettable,
unwitherable.
2:25. He is said to be unmanifest,
formless, and imperishable. Therefore, knowing this,
you should not grieve!
2:26. Even if you thought that he
gets born and dies again and again, even then, O
mighty-armed, you should not grieve!
2:27. Verily, death is predestinated
for the born one, and birth is unavoidable for the
one who has died. Do not grieve over what is
inevitable!
2:28. All beings are unmanifest
before the material manifestation, and unmanifest
after. They are manifest only in the middle, O
Bharata. What is the reason to grieve, then?
2:29. Some think about soul as a
wonder, others speak of it as a wonder, and there
are those who having come to know about it cannot
understand what it means.
2:30. The incarnate can never be
killed, O Bharata! Therefore, do not mourn any
killed (creature).
2:31. And thinking of your own
dharma, you should not waver, O Arjuna: verily, for
a kshatriya there is nothing more desirable than a
righteous war.
2:32. Happy are those kshatriyas, O
Bharata, to whose lot falls such a battle; it is
like an open gate to the Heaven.
2:33. But if you withdraw now from
this righteous battle refusing your dharma and your
honor, then you will incur sin.
2:34. All people will know about
your eternal disgrace. And for the glorious one
disgrace is worse than death.
2:35. The great warriors on chariots
will think that fear made you flee from the
battlefield. And you, whom they esteemed so much,
will be despised by them.
2:36. Your enemies will say many
mean words slandering your valor. What can be more
painful?
2:37. Killed — you will go to
paradise; winner — you will enjoy the Earth. Arise
therefore, O Kaunteya, and be ready to fight!
2:38. Regarding alike joy and
sorrow, success and failure, victory and defeat, —
enter into this battle! Thus you will avoid sin.
2:39. What I have declared to you is
the teaching of sankhya about consciousness. Now
listen how you can know this through buddhi yoga. By
means of buddhi, O Partha, you can break the bondage
of karma.
2:40. On the path of this yoga there
is no loss. Even a little advancement on this path
saves one from great danger.
2:41. The will of the resolute is
firmly directed toward this purpose. The impulses of
irresolute one branch endlessly, O joy of the Kurus.
2:42. O Partha, the unwise who hold
to the letter of the Vedas
utter flowery words declaring that beyond that there
is nothing else.
2:43. They are full of desires;
their highest purpose is paradise; their concern is
a good reincarnation; all their actions and rituals
are aimed only at getting pleasure and power.
2:44. Those who are attached to
pleasure and power, who are bound by this — they are
not capable for resolute determination aimed at
Samadhi.
2:45. The Vedas teach about the
three gunas. Transcend these gunas, O Arjuna! Be
free from the duality,
always live in harmony seeking not “earthly”
possessions, remaining ever established in the
Atman.
2:46. To the one who has cognized
Brahman the Vedas are as much useful as a pond in a
flooded area.
2:47. Regard only the work, and not
the reward for it. Let your motive for actions be
not the profits from them! Yet, do not indulge in
indolence!
2:48. Renouncing the attachment to
the reward for your actions become even-minded in
success and failure, O Dhananjaya. Yoga is
characterized by evenness.
2:49. Ceaselessly casting away all
vain activity with the help of buddhi yoga, learn to
control yourself as a consciousness. Miserable are
those who act for the sake of getting reward for
their activity.
2:50. The one who works with the
consciousness is not subjected any more to good or
bad karmic consequences of his activity. Therefore,
devote yourself to yoga! Yoga is the art of action.
2:51. The wise devoted to work with
the consciousness free themselves from the law of
karma and from the necessity to incarnate again.
They attain full liberation from suffering.
2:52. When you as a consciousness
break free from the net of illusion, then you will
be indifferent to the things you have heard and
those yet to be heard.
2:53. When you transcend the charm
of the Vedas and become established in the peace of
Samadhi, then you will attain Yoga.
Arjuna said:
2:54. What is the mark of man whose
thoughts are calmed and who is established in
Samadhi, O Keshava? How does he talk, walk, sit?
The Blessed One said:
2:55. If man has renounced all
sensual cravings and, having gone deeply into the
Atman, found satisfaction in the Atman, then he is
said to be steadfast in wisdom.
2:56. He whose mind is calm amidst
sorrows, unmoved amidst pleasures, fear, and anger —
who is steadfast in this is called muni.
2:57. He who is attached to nothing
(“earthly”), who facing pleasant and unpleasant
neither rejoices nor recoils — such a one is
established in the true knowledge.
2:58. If he takes his indriyas off
the worldly objects like a tortoise withdraws its
limbs and head into its shell, — then he has
attained the true understanding.
2:59. He who walks the path of
detachment becomes free from the objects of senses,
but not from the taste to the objects. But even the
taste to them vanishes in the one who has cognized
the Supreme.
2:60. O Kaunteya! Agitated indriyas
can distract the mind even of a wise person, who
tries to control them.
2:61. Having tamed his indriyas, he
should enter into harmony and have Me as his Highest
Goal. For only he who controls his indriyas has the
true understanding.
2:62. But if he comes back in his
mind to the earthly objects, then inevitably the
attachment to them arises. The attachment leads to
desire to possess these objects, and impossibility
to satisfy this desire produces anger.
2:63. Because of anger the
perception gets completely distorted. The distortion
of perception causes the loss of memory.
And the loss of memory leads to the loss of the
energy of the consciousness. By losing the energy of
the consciousness, man degrades.
2:64. But he who has conquered his
indriyas, renounced attractions and distractions,
and established himself in the Atman attains the
inner purity.
2:65. When the inner purity is
attained, all sorrow disappears and the
consciousness strengthens.
2:66. The non-resolute cannot have
(strong) consciousness; he has neither happiness nor
peace. And without them — is the bliss possible?
2:67. The reason of man who yields
to the pressure of passions gets carried away like a
ship is carried away by a storm.
2:68. Therefore, O mighty-armed one,
he whose indriyas are completely taken away from the
worldly objects has the true understanding.
2:69. What is night for all beings
for the wise one is the time of staying awake. And
when others are awake, the night for the wise muni
comes.
2:70. If man stays unmoved by
sensual desires as an ocean is unmoved by the rivers
that flow into it — such man attains calm. And he
who follows his desires can never find calm.
2:71. He who renounced the desires
to such an extent and goes forward free from
passions, selfishness, and feeling of “I” — such one
attains peace.
2:72. This is the state of Brahman,
O Partha. The one who has attained it is never
deluded. And he who achieves this state even at the
moment of death attains the Nirvana of Brahman.
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the second conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Sankhya Yoga.
Back to the Contents
Arjuna said:
3:1. If You say, O Janardana, that
the path of knowledge is superior to the path of
action, then why do you encourage me to such a
terrible action?
3:2 Your unclear words confuse me.
Tell me certainly: how can I attain bliss?
The Blessed said:
3:3 There are two possibilities of
development, as I have said already, O sinless one:
the yoga of consideration and the yoga of right
action.
3:4. Man does not attain liberation
from the chains of destiny by refusing action; by
renunciation alone he does not ascend to
Perfection.
3:5. No one can stay truly
actionless even for a moment, for the properties of
prakriti compel all to act.
3:6. The one who has mastered
control over his indriyas, but still dreams about
worldly objects, — such one deludes oneself. He can
be likened to a hypocrite.
3:7. But he who has conquered his
indriyas and freely performs karma yoga deserves
respect.
3:8. Therefore, perform righteous
actions, for action is better than inaction; being
idle, one cannot support even one’s own body.
3:9. People are enslaved by action
if it is not performed as sacrifice. Perform your action as
sacrifice staying free from the attachment to the
“earthly”, O Kaunteya!
3:10. God created humankind together
with the law of sacrifice. He said at that, “Prosper
through sacrificial deeds! Let it be desired by you!
3:11. “Satisfy the Divine with your
sacrificial deeds — and It will satisfy you! By
acting for Its sake, you will achieve the highest
good.
3:12. “For the Divine satisfied with
your sacrificial deeds will grant you whatever you
need in life.” The one, who receives gifts and gives
no gifts in return, is verily a thief.
3:13. The righteous who live on the
remains of (their) sacrificial gifts to God are
liberated from sins. But those who are anxious only
about their own food — they feed on sin!
3:14. Thanks to the food the bodies
of creatures grow. The food arises from rain. The
rain arises from sacrifice.
Sacrifice is performance of right action.
3:15. Know that realization of
destinies is performed by Brahman. And Brahman
represents the Supreme. Omnipresent Brahman always
supports sacrificial behavior in people.
3:16. The one who does not follow
this law of sacrifice-requital, whose life therefore
is full of sin, who lives following only sensual
pleasures — such one lives in vain, O Partha!
3:17. Only he, who has found joy and
peace in the Atman and is happy in the Atman, is
alone free from the “earthly” duties.
3:18. He has no duties of doing or
non-doing something in this world anymore, and in no
creature he seeks patronage for realization of his
purpose.
3:19. Therefore, ceaselessly perform
your duties without expecting the reward. Verily,
performing action thus does man attain the Supreme.
3:20. Verily, it is through action
that Janaka and others attained Perfection. So, you
too act remembering about the wholeness of the
world.
3:21. What the best one is doing the
other are doing as well: people follow his example.
3:22. There is nothing, O Partha, in
the three worlds what I am required to do or what I
has not achieved! Yet, I am constantly engaged in
action.
3:23. For, if I had not been always
acting, O Partha, then people everywhere would
follow My example.
3:24. The world would be destroyed
if I had cease to act. I would be the cause of
mixture of the varnas and destruction of the
nations.
3:25. The unwise one acts out of
selfishness, O Bharata. The wise one acts without
selfishness, for the good of others!
3:26. The wise one should not
confuse unwise people attached to worldly activity.
But he should try to bring such their activity into
harmony with Me.
3:27. All actions arise from the
three gunas. But the one deluded by conceit thinks:
“I am the doer!”.
3:28. But he who knows the essence
of discrimination of actions according to the gunas
and remembers that “gunas move around in gunas” — he
gets liberated from the worldly activity.
3:29. People deluded by the gunas
are attached to the matters of these gunas. The wise
one does not disturb such people whose knowledge is
not complete yet and who are lazy.
3:30. Let Me control all actions;
and you, immersed into the Atman, calm, free from
selfishness and conceit, — fight, O Arjuna!
3:31 They who steadily follow My
Teachings, who are full of devotion and free from
envy — they can never be bound by action!
3:32. And those insane who revile My
Teachings and do not follow them, who are devoid of
understanding — know that they are doomed!
3:33. Wise people seek to live in
harmony with prakriti. All incarnate creatures are
included in it! What can opposition to prakriti
give?
3:34. Attraction and distraction to
(earthly) objects depends on the distribution of
indriyas. Yield neither to the first nor to the
second: verily, these states are obstacles on the
Path!
3:35. To perform one’s own duties,
even very modest ones, is better than to perform
other’s duties, even the grandest ones. It is better
to end the incarnation performing one’s own dharma:
the dharma of others is full of danger.
Arjuna said:
3:36 What does drive man to commit
sin against his will, O Varshneya? Truly, it is like
he being impelled by some unknown force.
The Blessed One said:
3:37. It is lust, it is anger —
scions of the insatiable, sinful guna rajas. Study
them — one’s greatest enemies on the Earth!
3:38 As a flame can be veiled by
smoke, as a mirror can be covered by dust, as an
embryo is enveloped in amnion, so is everything in
the world enshrouded in passions!
3:39. The wisdom too is enshrouded
by this eternal enemy of the wise — the desire of
the worldly, which is insatiable as a flame!
3:40. Indriyas, including the mind
and buddhi are the field of its action. Through
them, having enshrouded the wisdom, it deludes the
indweller of the body.
3:41. Therefore, controlling your
indriyas, O best of the Bharatas, restrain this
source of sin — the foe of knowledge and the
destroyer of wisdom.
3:42. They say that control over the
indriyas is good. The highest of the indriyas are
the indriyas of mind. But the developed
consciousness is superior to the mind. And superior
to a developed (individual human) consciousness is
He.
3:43. Knowing that He is superior to
developed (human) consciousness and being
established in the Atman, destroy, O mighty-armed,
the enemy in the form of the hard-to-conquer desire
of “earthly” boons.
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the third conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Karma Yoga.
Back to the Contents
The Blessed said:
4:1. This eternal yoga I taught to
Vivasvan, Vivasvan passed it to Manu, Manu related
it to Ikshvaku.
4:2. In this way the king-sages
learned it from each other. But with time, yoga on
the Earth has deteriorated, O Parantapa.
4:3. The same ancient yoga I has
related to you now, for you are devoted to Me and
you are My friend; in this yoga the highest mystery
is revealed.
Arjuna said:
4:4. You were born later, Vivasvan
was born before. How should I understand that You
were the first who revealed this Teaching?
The Blessed said:
4:5. You and Me had many births in
past, O Arjuna! I know all of them, but you do not
know any of yours, O Parantapa!
4:6. Though I am the eternal,
imperishable Atman, though I am Ishvara, but inside
the prakriti controlled by Me, I manifest Myself
through My maya.
4:7. When there is a decline of
righteousness (on the Earth), O Bharata, and
unrighteousness begins to prevail, then I manifest
Myself.
4:8. For the sake of saving good
people and defeating those who do evil, for
restoring the dharma — I manifest Myself thus from
age to age.
4:9. He who has really cognized the
essence of My miraculous Manifestations does not get
born again after leaving the body but merges with
Me, O Arjuna.
4:10. Many those who have freed
themselves from false attachments, fear, and anger,
who have cognized My Beingness and got purified in
the Fire of Wisdom attain Great Love for Me.
4:11. In whatever way people go to
Me, in the same way I receive them. For the paths by
which people come to Me from all sides are My paths,
O Partha.
4:12 They who seek success in the
“earthly” matters worship “gods”. They can quickly
achieve success in the world of matter from such
actions.
4:13. In accordance to the gunas and
variants of people’s activity, I established the
four varnas. Know that I am the creator of them,
though I do not act and stay uninvolved in them.
4:14. And actions do not affect Me,
and the reward for actions does not attract Me. The
one who knows Me thus does not get entangled in the
karmic consequences of his activity.
4:15 Knowing this, the sages who
attained the Liberation performed actions. So you —
perform actions having examples of your
predecessors.
4:16. “What is action and what is
non-action?” — even the reasonable are confused by
this. I am going to explain it to you, so that you
may become free from confusion.
4:17. One should understand that
there are necessary action, vain action, and
non-action.
4:18. He who sees non-action
in activity and action in inactivity is truly
conscious, and even being involved in action among
other people, he remains free.
4:19. He whose undertakings are free
from the worldly inclinations and pursuits of
personal profit — about him the wise say that his
deeds are purified by the fire of his developed
consciousness.
4:20. Pursuing not personal profit,
always being content, seeking not support from
anyone, he is in non-action though acts
constantly.
4:21. Desiring not benefits for
himself, surrendering his thoughts to the Atman,
renouncing the feelings “This is mine!”, performing
his dharma, he does not stain his destiny.
4:22. Since he is satisfied with
whatever comes to him, free from duality, devoid of
envy, even-minded in success and failure, his
actions does not fetter him even when he acts.
4:23. He who renounced the
attachments to the material and became free from the
earthly passions, whose thoughts are established in
wisdom, who performs action as sacrificial offerings
to God — all his actions merge with the harmony of
the entire Creation.
4:24. The Life of Brahman is
sacrificial. Brahman is a Sacrifice coming in a
Fiery Appearance. One can attain Brahman only with
His help; at that, one submerges into Samadhi.
4:25. Some yogis believe that they
perform sacrifice by worshipping “gods”. Others
perform sacrificial service, being the Brahmanic
Fire.
4:26. Some sacrifice their hearing
and other organs of sense for the sake of
self-control.
Others sacrifice sound and other objects of sense
that excite the indriyas.
4:27. Others yet, aspiring to
wisdom, burn in the Fire of the Atman all
unnecessary activity of the indriyas and the
incoming energies, aspiring thus to gain wisdom.
4:28. Others sacrifice the property,
or perform sacrifice through asceticism, or through
religious rituals, or through diligence in sciences,
in learning, and through observance of austere vows.
4:29. Others expose the outgoing
from the body energy to the incoming one, or the
incoming — to the outgoing. Others move the outgoing
and the incoming energies performing pranayama.
4:30. All they — though of different
appearance, but understanding the essence of
sacrifice — purify their destinies in the process of
such activity.
4:31. Those partaking of the nectar
of the remnants of their offerings, they approach
the Abode of Brahman. This world is not for the one
who does not sacrifice, say nothing of the next
world, O best of the Kurus!
4:32. The offerings to Brahman are
numerous and diverse. Know that all they are born of
action. Having known this you will become free.
4:33. Superior to all outer
sacrifices is the sacrifice of wisdom,
O destroyer of enemies! All actions, O Partha,
become perfect when they are performed by the wise.
4:34. Therefore, gain wisdom through
devotion, inquiry, and service. Sages and
clairvoyants, who perceived the essence of things,
will impart this to you.
4:35. And having known this, you
will not be confused anymore, O Pandava, for you
will see all incarnate beings in the world of maya —
from the world of the Atman.
4:36. And even if you were the most
sinful one, even then you could cross the deep of
suffering on the boat of this wisdom!
4:37. Even as fire turns fuel into
ashes, so does the fire of wisdom burns all false
actions to ashes.
4:38. There is no purifier better
than wisdom in this world. Through it, the one
skilled in yoga attains Enlightenment in the Atman
in due course.
4:39. The one full of faith gains
wisdom. The one controlling his indriyas gains it
too. Having achieved wisdom, they quickly attain the
higher worlds.
4:40. But the ignorant, devoid of
faith, irresolute go to destruction. For doubting
ones there is neither this world, nor the next one,
nor happiness.
4:41. He who abandoned false action
with the help of yoga, who removed all doubts with
the help of wisdom, who established himself in the
Atman cannot be bound by action, O Dhananjaya.
4:42. Therefore, cutting the doubts
born of ignorance with the sword of Atman’s wisdom
stay in yoga, O Bharata!
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the fourth conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Yoga of Wisdom.
Back to the Contents
Arjuna said:
5:1. You praise sannyasa,
O Krishna, as well as yoga! Which of these two
should I choose? Tell me for certain!
The Blessed said:
5:2. Both sannyasa and karma yoga
will bring you to the highest good. But, verily,
karma yoga is preferable.
5:3. Know that the true sannyasi is
the one who hates no one and does not desire the
worldly. Free from duality, O mighty-armed, he
easily breaks free from bondage.
5:4. Also they are not sages but
children who speak about sankhya and yoga as about
something different: he who is zealous even in one
of them gains the fruits of both.
5:5. The level of advancement
achieved by the followers of sankhya is achieved by
yogis as well. He is right who sees that sankhya and
yoga are one in essence.
5:6. But without yoga, O
mighty-armed, it is hard to achieve sannyasa. On the
other hand, the wise directed by yoga attains
Brahman quickly.
5:7. He who is persevering in yoga,
who has cleared thus his path to the Atman and
established oneself in It, who has conquered his
indriyas, who has cognized oneness of the Atmans of
all beings, — he remains steady even when acting.
5:8. “I do not perform unnecessary
actions!” — this should know he who has attained
harmony and cognized the truth when looking,
hearing, smell, touching, eating, moving, sleeping,
breathing.
5:9. Speaking, giving, receiving,
opening and closing the eyes, he should be aware: It
is only the indriyas moving among objects.
5:10. He who dedicates all his
actions to Brahman performing them without
attachment will never be stained with sin as lotus’
leaves can never be wet with water.
5:11. Having renounced attachments
(to actions in the world of matter and to their
fruits), a yogi acts by his body, consciousness,
mind and other indriyas for the sake of cognition of
his Atman.
5:12. He who has become steady and
renounced the desire of reward for his activity
attains the perfect peace. The unsteady one driven
by his worldly desires, attached to rewards is
fettered.
5:13. Having renounced actions with
his mind, the one incarnated into a body dwells
evenly in this city of nine gates, neither acting
nor coercing anyone to act.
5:14. Neither attitude to objects as
to property, nor vain activity of people, nor
attachments to its fruits are created by the Lord of
the world. All this is created by the life
self-developing in the matter.
5:15. The Lord is not responsible
for the deeds of people, be they bad or good. This
wisdom is covered by ignorance that overcame people.
5:16. But for him who cognized the
Atman and thus destroyed the ignorance, this wisdom,
shining like the Sun, reveals the Supreme!
5:17. The one who has cognized
oneself as a buddhi, who has associated oneself with
the Atman, who is devoted only to the Lord and takes
refuge in Him — such one, purified by salvational
wisdom, goes to Liberation.
5:18. The wise looks equally upon
all — be it a brahman endowed with knowledge and
humility, an elephant, a cow, a dog, or even a man
eating a dog.
5:19. Here on the Earth, birth and
death are conquered by the one whose mind is
appeased. Brahman is devoid of sin and exists in
calm. Therefore, those living in calm — cognize
Brahman.
5:20. With calmed pure
consciousness, the one who has cognized Brahman and
established oneself in Brahman neither rejoices
receiving the pleasant nor grieves receiving the
unpleasant.
5:21. He who is not attached to
satisfaction of his senses by the outer things and
finds joy in the Atman — he, upon reaching unity
with Brahman, partakes of the eternal Bliss.
5:22. Joys arising from contacts
with material objects are verily the source of
suffering, for all they begin and end, O Kaunteya.
The wise finds joy not in them.
5:23. The one who here, on the
Earth, before liberation from the body, can resist
the power of worldly attractions and anger — such
one achieved harmony, he is a happy person.
5:24. He who is happy within, who
finds joy not in the outer, who is illuminated (by
love) within — such a yogi is capable of cognizing
the essence of Brahman and attaining the Nirvana in
Brahman.
5:25. The Nirvana in Brahman is
attained by those rishis who have got rid of vices,
became free from duality, cognized the Atman, and
dedicated themselves to the good of all.
5:26. Free from the worldly
attractions and anger, dedicated to spiritual
pursuits, having subdued the mind and cognized the
Atman — they attain the Nirvana in Brahman.
5:27. Taking the indriyas off all
the “earthly”, directing all his vision inside,
paying attention to the incoming and outgoing
energies,
5:28. controlling the indriyas,
mind, and consciousness, regarding Liberation as his
goal, renouncing worldly attractions, fear, and
anger, man attains full Freedom.
5:29. Knowing Me as Great Ishvara,
Who rejoices at sacrificial deeds and spiritual
feats and Who is the Benefactor of all living
beings, he attains full contentment.
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the fifth conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Yoga of Detachment.
Back to the Contents
The Blessed said:
6:1. The one who actively performs
his duty without desiring self-profit is a true
sannyasi. Such one is a yogi, and not those living
without a fire and duties.
6:2. Know, O Pandava: that which is
called sannyasa is the same as yoga. The one who has
not renounced worldly desires cannot become a yogi!
6:3. For the reasonable one who is
aspiring to Yoga, action is the means. For the one
who has attained Yoga, non-action is the
means.
6:4. He who has renounced the
worldly desires and attained Yoga is attached
neither to earthly objects nor to his activity.
6:5. By the power of the Atman let
man uncover his Atman! And let the Atman be never
lowered again! One can be a friend to the Atman; one
can be a foe to the Atman.
6:6. He is a friend to the Atman who
cognizes the Atman. He who opposes the Atman remains
the Atman’s foe.
6:7. He who has cognized the Atman
attains the full peace, for he takes refuge in the
Divine Consciousness
when he (his body) is in cold or heat, in situations
of joy or grief, honor or dishonor.
6:8. He is called a true yogi who is
calmed by wisdom and knowledge of the Atman,
steadfast, whose indriyas are subjugated, to whom a
clod, a stone and gold are the same.
6:9. He possesses a developed
consciousness and is advanced spiritually who is
well-disposed both to friends and to foes, to
neutrals, to strangers, to the envious, to
relatives, to the pious, to the vicious.
6:10. Let a yogi be constantly
concentrating in the Atman, being in seclusion,
self-disciplined, not indulging in reveries, devoid
of the feeling of possessiveness.
6:11. Having arranged in a clean
place a firm seat for working with the Atman,
neither too high nor too low, covered with the kusha
grass and with cloth which is alike to deer skin,
6:12. having concentrated his mind
on one thing and subjugated his indriyas, staying
calmly in one place, — he should practice yoga
experiencing bliss in the Atman.
6:13. Keeping upright the trunk,
neck, and head, directing his look to the tip of the
nose, but not looking, scattering not his attention,
6:14. having established himself in
the Atman, fearless, steadfast in brahmachariya,
his mind conquered, his thoughts directed toward Me
— he should aspire to Me as to His Ultimate Goal.
6:15. The yogi who has merged with
the Atman and who controls his mind enters the
Highest Nirvana and abides there in Me.
6:16. Verily, the yoga is not for
those who eat too much or do not eat at all, nor for
those who sleep too long or wake too long, O Arjuna!
6:17. Yoga dispels all suffering in
him who became moderate in eating, resting, working,
and also in sleeping and waking.
6:18. When he, as a refined
consciousness free from all cravings is concentrated
in the Atman alone, then he is said about: “He is in
harmony”.
6:19. The yogi who has subjugated
his mind and is being one with the Atman is like a
lamp in a windless place whose flame does not
flicker.
6:20 When the mind calmed by yoga
exercises becomes quiet, when man finds bliss in the
Atman contemplating the Atman by the Atman,
6:21. when he attains that highest
Bliss accessible only to a developed consciousness
and lying beyond the ordinary reach of indriyas,
when having cognized this bliss he never strays from
the Truth,
6:22. and having attained that he
cannot imagine something higher, and existing in
this state he is not shaken even by the most grave
sorrow, —
6:23. such a break of ties with
grief is to be called Yoga. One should give oneself
to such Yoga resolutely, without wavering!
6:24. Having abandoned vain desires
and conquered all indriyas,
6:25. gradually calming the
consciousness, he should study his own Essence — the
Atman — without distracting thoughts to anything
else.
6:26. If the uneasy and fickle mind
wanders away, curb it and constantly direct to the
Atman.
6:27. The highest happiness awaits a
yogi whose mind became calm and passions faded, who
became sinless and alike to Brahman.
6:28. The yogi who brought himself
into harmony and got rid of vices experiences easily
the unlimited Bliss of contact with Brahman.
6:29. The one established in Yoga
sees the Atman in every being and all beings
dwelling in the Atman; everywhere he sees the same.
6:30. He who sees Me everywhere and
sees everything in Me — him I will never forsake and
he will never forsake Me.
6:31. He, established in such
oneness, who worships Me present in everything —
such a yogi lives in Me whatever his activity is.
6:32. The one who sees
manifestations of the Atman in everything and who
has cognized through this sameness of everything —
both the pleasant and the unpleasant — such one is
regarded as a perfect yogi, O Arjuna.
Arjuna said:
6:33. For such Yoga, which is
attained through inner evenness, O Madhusudana, I do
not see a firm ground in myself, because of the
restlessness of the mind.
6:34. For the mind is truly
restless, O Krishna! It is turbulent, obstinate,
hard to restrain! I think it is as difficult to curb
it as to curb the wind!
The Blessed One said:
6:35. No doubt, O mighty-armed, the
mind is restless, and it is hard to curb. Yet, one
can put it under control by constant practice and
dispassionateness.
6:36. Yoga is hard to attain for man
who has not cognized his Atman. But he who has
cognized his Atman is on the right way to Yoga, —
this is My opinion.
Arjuna said:
6:37. The one who has not renounced
the worldly but is endowed with faith, who has not
subjugated his mind and fell away from yoga, — what
will happen to him, O Krishna?
6:38. Will such unsteady man who has
failed on the both paths and strayed from the path
to Brahman be destroyed like a riven cloud, O Mighty
One?
6:39. Dispel my doubts, O Krishna!
You alone can do this.
The Blessed said:
6:40. O Partha, there is no
destruction for him either in this world or in the
next! Never the one who wished to behave righteously
will come on the path of sorrow, O My beloved!
6:41. The one fallen away from yoga
attains the worlds of righteous people and stays
there countless years; then he gets born again in a
pure and blessed family,
6:42. or he may even be born in a
family of wise yogis, but such birth is very hard to
attain.
6:43. He is born again, his
consciousness is developed in the previous
incarnation, and he continues his advancement on the
Path to Perfection, O joy of the Kurus!
6:44. Merits of the previous life
drive him forward: the one, who aspired to cognition
of Yoga, surpassed the level of the ritual religious
practice.
6:45. The yogi who strives
tirelessly, who has rid himself of vices, and
through many incarnations was going to Perfection —
such a yogi achieves the Supreme Goal.
6:46. A yogi is superior to
ascetics, to sages, to a man of action. Therefore,
become a yogi, O Arjuna!
6:47. Among all yogis, I respect
most the one who lives in Me being connected with Me
through the Atman and serves Me whole-heartedly.
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the sixth conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Yoga of Self-control.
Back to the Contents
The Blessed said:
7:1. Listen, O Partha, how, being
directed with your mind to Me and practicing yoga
under My guidance, you can come to the ultimate
cognition of Me.
7:2. I am going to reveal to you the
knowledge and wisdom in all their fullness. After
knowing them you will have nothing to learn more.
7:3. Among thousands of people,
scarcely one strives for Perfection. And among the
striving, only a few come to know My Essence.
7:4. Earth, water, fire, air, akasha,
mind, consciousness, and also personality — all this
is what exists in the world of My prakriti, eight in
total.
7:5. This is My lower nature. Know
also, O mighty-armed, My higher nature, which is
that element of Life thanks to which the whole world
is sustained.
7:6. It is the womb of everything
existing. I am the Source of the (manifest)
universe, and it disappears in Me.
7:7. There is nothing superior to
Me. All is threaded on Me like stringed pearls.
7:8. I am the taste of water, O
Kaunteya. I am the shining of the Moon and the light
of the Sun, and Pranava,
and Universal Knowledge, and Cosmic Voice, and
humanity in people.
7:9. I am the pure scent of earth
and the warmth of fire. I am the life of all the
living and exploits of spiritual warriors.
7:10. Try to cognize in Me the
Primordial Essence of all beings, O Partha! I am the
Consciousness of all who developed the
consciousness; I am the splendor of all the
beautiful!
7:11. I am the strength of the
strong who is devoid of attachments and sexual
passions. I am the sexual power
in all beings that does not contradict dharma, O
lord of the Bharatas.
7:12. Know that sattva, rajas, and
tamas originate from Me. But understand that they
are in Me, not I am in them.
7:13. The entire world deluded by
the properties of the three gunas does not know Me —
Eternal, existing beyond of these gunas.
7:14. Verily, it is hard to overcome
My maya formed by the gunas. Only they who approach
Me transcend it.
7:15. They who do evil are ignorant,
the worst among people — they do not come to Me: the
maya deprives them of wisdom, and they become
demons.
7:16. There are four types of
righteous men worshipping Me, O Arjuna: desiring to
free themselves from suffering, aspiring to
knowledge, seeking personal achievements, and the
wise.
7:17. Among them superior to the
three others is the wise, even-minded and devoted to
Me completely. Verily, I am dear to the wise and he
is dear to Me.
7:18. All they are worthy. But I
deem the wise to be alike to Me. Because merging
with his Atman he cognizes Me — his Supreme Goal.
7:19. At the end of many births, the
wise comes to Me. “Vasudeva is Everything,”
says the one of rare Mahatma’s qualities.
7:20. They who were deprived of
wisdom by desires worship “gods”, perform rituals,
which correspond to their nature.
7:21. Whatever image people worship
with faith — I strengthen the faith of everyone.
7:22. Imbued with this faith they
pray — and receive what they ask from the same
source. But the command to give the asked originates
from Me.
7:23. Verily, ephemeral is the gain
of the ignorant: they who worship “gods” go to these
“gods”, and they who love Me go to Me.
7:24. The ignorant deem Me,
Unmanifest, achieved manifestation
knowing not about My unlimited, eternal, and supreme
Existence.
7:25. Not everyone cognizes Me,
concealed in My creative maya. The mistaken world
does not know Me — Unborn, Eternal.
7:26. I know the past, the present,
and the future Creations, O Arjuna, but no one here
knows Me.
7:27. Due to wandering in duality
because of attraction and distraction (to worldly
objects), O Bharata, all (newly) born beings live in
ignorance.
7:28. But righteous people, who have
rooted out their vices, become free from this
duality and resolutely advance toward Me.
7:29. Seeking refuge in Me, they
long for liberation from birth and death. They come
to the knowledge of the Atman, to realization of the
Atman for themselves, to understanding of the
principles of destiny formation.
7:30. And they who cognize Me as the
Highest Existence, as Supreme God, Who receives all
sacrifices — they, devoted to Me, meet Me at the
moment of departure from the body.
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the seventh conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Yoga of Profound Knowledge.
Back to the Contents
Arjuna said:
8:1. What is Brahman, what is the
Atman, what is action, O Greatest Soul? What is the
material, and what is the Divine?
8:2. What is sacrifice, and how it
is performed by the incarnated? And how, O
Madhusudana, he who cognized the Atman cognizes You
at the moment of his death?
The Blessed said:
8:3. The Indestructible and Highest
is Brahman. The main essence (of incarnate beings)
is the Atman. What sustains life of the incarnate is
called action.
8:4. The knowledge about the
material concerns My perishable nature; the
knowledge about the Divine concerns purusha. The
knowledge about the Highest Sacrifice concerns Me in
this body, O best of the embodied.
8:5. And he who departing from the
body at the moment of death is conscious about Me
alone — he, no doubt, comes to My Existence.
8:6. Whatever state is habitual to
man at the end of his existence in the body, in that
very state he remains,
O Kaunteya.
8:7. Therefore, remember Me always —
and fight. Aspiring to Me with the mind and
consciousness, you will surely enter Me.
8:8. Having achieved peace with the
help of yoga, distracting his attention to nothing
else, reflecting always on the Supreme, such one
attains the Highest Divine Spirit.
8:9. He who knows everything about
the Eternal Omnipresent Ruler of the world, the One
subtler than the subtlest, the Foundation of
everything, formless, shining like the Sun behind
the darkness,
8:10. who at the moment of departure
does not distract his mind and love, being in Yoga,
who opens the passage of energy
between the eyebrows, — such one attains the
Highest Divine Spirit.
8:11. The Path which men of
knowledge call Eternal, which spiritual warriors go
through self-control and liberation from passions,
which brahmachariyas walk — that Path I will
describe to you in brief.
8:12. Having closed all gates of the
body,
locked the mind in the heart, directing the Atman
to the Supreme, and being established firmly in
Yoga,
8:13. chanting the mantra of Brahman
AUM
and being conscious about Me — anyone departing so
from the body attains the Supreme Goal.
8:14. He who constantly thinks only
about Me, having no thoughts about anything else —
such a steady yogi, O Partha, easily attains Me.
8:15. Having come to Me, these
Mahatmas never get born again in the transient vales
of tears: they attain the Highest Perfection.
8:16. Those dwelling in the worlds
lower than the world of Brahman
get born again. But they who have attained Me are
not subject to new births.
8:17. He who knows the Day of
Brahman, which lasts a thousand of yugas,
and His Night, which comes to an end after a
thousand of yugas — he knows Day and Night.
8:18. From the Unmanifest all the
Manifest comes forth at the beginning of the Day.
With coming of the Night, it dissolves in that,
which is called Unmanifest.
8:19. All the multitude of beings
giving birth one to another disappear with the
beginning of the Night. With the beginning of the
Day, all beings, by the Highest Command, appear
anew.
8:20. But, verily, superior to this
Unmanifest, there is yet another Unmanifest, Which
too remains at the time when all the Manifest
perishes.
8:21. This Unmanifest is called “the
Most Perfect One” and is known as the Ultimate Goal.
They who have attained Him do not come back. This is
That Which dwells in My Supreme Abode.
8:22. This Highest Consciousness, O
Partha, is attained by steadfast devotion to Its
alone — to the One in Whom exists all the existing
and Who pervades the whole world.
8:23. Now I am going to tell you, O
best of the Bharatas, about the time at which depart
the yogis who are never to return and the time at
which depart the yogis who are to return again.
8:24. Dying at fire, at daylight, on
the wax of the Moon, at the time of six months of
the northward passage of the Sun, yogis knowing
Brahman go to Brahman.
8:25. Dying in smoke, at night, on
the wane of the Moon, at the time of six months of
the southward passage of the Sun, yogis obtaining
the light of the Moon come back.
8:26. Light and Darkness — these are
the two ever existing paths. By the first path goes
he who does not return; by the second path goes the
one who returns again.
8:27. Knowing these two paths, let a
yogi never go astray! So, be steadfast in yoga, O
Arjuna!
8:28. Studying the Vedas, performing
sacrifice, ascetic exploits, and good deeds give one
proper fruits. But a yogi possessing the true
knowledge is superior to all these; he attains the
Supreme Abode.
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the eighth conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Imperishable and Eternal Brahman.
Back to the Contents
The Blessed said:
9:1. To you, devoid of envy, I am
going to reveal the greatest mystery, the wisdom by
knowing which you will get free from the bondage of
the material existence.
9:2. It is a sovereign science, a
sovereign mystery, the supreme purifier. It is
cognized through direct experience as the
righteousness grows. It is easily realized and gives
imperishable fruits.
9:3. They who deny this knowledge do
not attain Me and return to the ways of this world
of death.
9:4. By Me — in My unmanifest form —
this entire world is pervaded. All beings have roots
in Me, but I do not have a root in them.
9:5. Yet, all beings are not in Me —
behold My Divine Yoga! Supporting all beings, having
no root in them, My Essence represents the power
that sustains them.
9:6. As mighty wind blowing
everywhere exists in the space, even so everything
exists in Me. Try to understand this.
9:7. At the end of a Kalpa, O
Kaunteya, all beings
are consumed by My prakriti. In the new Kalpa, I
produce them again.
9:8. Entering into My prakriti, I
create anew all beings, them — powerless — by My
Power.
9:9. These actions do not bind Me,
unruffled, unattached to actions.
9:10. Under My supervision, prakriti
gives birth to the moving and nonmoving. This is
why, O Kaunteya, this cosmic manifestation
functions.
9:11. The insane disregard Me when
they meet Me in the corporal human form, for they do
not know My Supreme Divine Essence.
9:12. They are astray in faith,
astray in deeds, astray in knowledge, wandered to
the dead end, demoniac, indulging in lie.
9:13. But Mahatmas, O Partha, having
transcended My Divine Maya, serve Me purposefully,
knowing Me as Inexhaustible Source of Creations.
9:14. Some of them, praising Me
always, ardently aspiring to Me, simply worship Me
with love.
9:15. Others, making sacrifice of
wisdom, worship Me as One and Multiform, present
everywhere
9:16. I am the act of sacrifice. I
am the sacrifice. I am also the butter, the fire,
and the offering.
9:17. I am the Father of the
universe, the Mother, the Support, the Complete
Knowledge, the Purifier, the mantra AUM. I am also
the Rig, Sama, and Yajur Vedas.
9:18. I am the Destination, the
Beloved, the Ruler, the Witness, the Abode, the
Refuge, the Loving, the Beginning, the End, the
Basis, the Treasury, the Inexhaustible Seed.
9:19. I give warmth. I hold back or
send forth rain. I am Immortality, and I am death. I
am existence and non-existence, O Arjuna.
9:20. Those knowing the Vedas,
drinking soma,
devoid of vices, worshipping Me with sacrificial
deeds, asking of Me the way to paradise — they reach
the world of “gods” and partake of “divine feasts”.
9:21. Having enjoyed this vast
Heavenly world, they return to the world of mortals
when their merits are exhausted. Thus, following the
three Vedas, indulging in worldly desires, they
attain the perishable.
9:22. They who aspire to Me alone
with steadfast faith and devotion, thinking about
nothing else — them I present with My Covering.
9:23. And even they who are devoted
to “gods”, yet worship them with full faith, — they
worship also Me, O Kaunteya, though in a wrong way.
9:24. All sacrifices are received by
Me, for I am the Lord. But they do not know My
Essence and therefore fall away from the truth.
9:25. Those worshipping “gods” go to
“gods”; those worshipping ancestors go to the
ancestors; those worshipping the spirits of nature
go to the spirits of nature; and those who devote
themselves to Me go to Me.
9:26. If one offers to Me with love
even a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water — I accept
this as a gift of love from the one pure in the
Atman.
9:27. Whatever you do, whatever you
eat, whatever you sacrifice or offer, whichever feat
you perform, O Kaunteya, — perform it as an offering
to Me!
9:28. Thus you will break free from
the fetters of actions that produce good or bad
karmic fruits. Having united with the Atman through
sannyasa and yoga, you will attain Liberation in Me.
9:29. I am equal toward all beings.
To Me there is no hateful or dear. But, verily, they
who are devoted to Me with love — they are in Me and
I am in them.
9:30. Even if the most “sinful” one
worships Me with undivided heart — he should be
counted as righteous, because he decided
righteously.
9:31. He will promptly become a
performer of dharma and attain eternal peace. Be
sure, he who loves Me will never perish!
9:32. All who seek refuge in Me, O
Partha, even if they are born by bad parents —
women, vaishyas, shudras — they nevertheless come to
the Highest Path.
9:33. How much more it concerns
righteous brahmans and wise rajas full of love! So,
you — being in this joyless world — seek refuge in
Me!
9:34. Fix your mind at Me, love Me,
sacrifice to Me, revere Me! To Me will you finally
come, being consumed by the Atman, if you have Me as
your Highest Goal.
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the ninth conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Sovereign Knowledge and Sovereign
Mystery.
Back to the Contents
Blessed said:
10:1. Again, O mighty-armed, listen
My highest instructions for the good of yours — My
beloved.
10:2. My origin is known neither to
“gods” nor to the multitude of great sages. For I am
the progenitor of all “gods” and all great sages.
10:3. Among mortals, he who cognizes
Me — Unborn, Originless, the Great Lord of the
universe — such truly non-deluded one becomes free
from the bondage of his fate.
10:4. Awareness of actions, wisdom,
resoluteness, all-forgiveness, honesty,
self-control, calm, joy, pain, birth, death, fear,
and fearlessness,
10:5. compassion, equanimity,
contentment, spiritual aspiration, generosity, fame,
and infamy — I create all this diversity of states
of the living beings.
10:6. The seven great sages and the
four Manus prior to them also were born of My nature
and by My thought. From them all nations originated.
10:7. He who cognized My Greatness
and My Yoga is really deeply immersed into yoga;
there is no doubt about this.
10:8. I am the Source of everything;
everything originates from Me. Having understood
this, the wise worship Me with great delight.
10:9. Directing their thoughts to
Me, devoting their lives to Me, enlightening each
other, always conversing about Me, they are happy
and content.
10:10. To them — always full of love
— I gift buddhi yoga, by means of which they attain
Me.
10:11. Helping them, I dispel the
darkness of ignorance from their Atmans by the
radiance of knowledge.
Arjuna said:
10:12. You are the Supreme God, the
Supreme Abode, the Perfect Purity, the Universal
Soul, the Primordial, our Eternal Lord!
10:13. All sages proclaimed You thus
— divine sage Narada, and Asita, and Devala, and
Vyasa. And now You Yourself told Me the same.
10:14. I believe in the truth of
everything said by You! Your Manifestations, O
Blessed Lord, are comprehensible neither to gods,
nor to demons!
10:15. You alone know Yourself as
the Atman of Atmans, as the Supreme Soul, as the
Source of all creatures, as the Ruler of everything
existing, as the Lord of gods, as the Master of the
universe!
10:16. Tell me in full about Your
Divine Glory, in which You abide pervading all the
worlds!
10:17. How can I cognize You, O
Yogi, by constant contemplation? In what forms
should I think about You, O Blessed One?
10:18. Tell Me again in detail about
Your Yoga and Glory! I can never be satiated
listening to Your life-giving words!
The Blessed One said:
10:19. Let it be as you wish! I will
tell you about My Divine Glory, but only the most
important of it — since there is no limit to My
manifestations.
10:20. O conquer of enemies! I am
the Atman that resides in the hearts of all beings.
I am the beginning, the middle, and also the end of
all creatures.
10:21. Of the adityas, I am Vishnu.
Of the lights, I am the radiant Sun. Of all winds, I
am the Ruler of winds. Of the other lights, I am the
Moon.
10:22. Of the Vedas, I am the Saama
Veda. Of “gods”, I am the King of “gods”. Of the
indriyas, I am the mind. In all beings, I am the
Life-giving Force.
10:23. Of the rudras, I am Shankara.
I am the Ruler of the Divine and demonic. Of the
vasus, I am fire. Of mountains, I am Meru.
10:24. Know Me, O Partha, as the
Head of all priests Brihaspati. Of warrior-chiefs, I
am Skanda. Of water reservoirs, I am the ocean.
10:25. Of the great rishis, I am
Brigu. Of words, I am AUM. Of offerings, I am
chanting of mantras. Of the immovable, I am
Himalayas.
10:26. Of trees, I am ashvattha. Of
the gandharvas, I am Chitraratha. Of the perfect
ones, I am wise Kapila.
10:27. Of all horses, know Me as
Uchchaishrava born of nectar. Among kingly
elephants, I am Airavata. Among men, I am the King.
10:28. Of weapons, I am the
lightning. Of cows, I am kamadhuka. Of the
procreating ones, I am Kandarpa. Of serpents, I am
Vasuki.
10:29. Of the nagas, I am Ananta. Of
the inhabitants of sea, I am Varuna. Of the
ancestors, I am Aryama. Of the judges, I am Yama.
10:30. Of the daityas, I am
Prahlada. Of those who count, I am the time. Of the
wild animals, I am the lion. Of birds, I am Garuda.
10:31. Of the purifying elements, I
am the wind. Of warriors, I am Rama. Of fishes, I am
Makara. Of rivers, I am Ganges.
10:32. For creations, I am the
beginning, the end, and the middle, O Arjuna. Of the
sciences, I am the science about the Divine Atman. I
am also speech of those endowed with eloquence.
10:33. Of the letters I am “A”. I am
also duality in combinations of letters. I am the
eternal time. I am the all-pervasive Creator.
10:34. I am death carrying
everything off, and rising of everything to come. Of
the women’s qualities, I am uncommonness, beauty,
exquisite speech, memory, wit, constancy,
forgiveness.
10:35. Of hymns, I am brihatsaman.
Of the meters, I am gayatri. Of the months, I am
magashirsha. Of the seasons, I am the blossoming
spring.
10:36. I am in games of cheats, in
the magnificence of the most magnificent things. I
am victory. I am resoluteness. I am the truth of the
truthful.
10:37. Of the descendants of
Vrishni, I am Vasudeva. Of the Pandavas, I am
Dhananjaya. Of munis, I am Vyasa. Of singers, I am
Ushana.
10:38. I am scepter of rulers. I am
morals for those seeking victory. I am the silence
of secret. I am the knowledge of knowers.
10:39. I am everything which is the
semen of all existing, O Arjuna! There is nothing
moving or nonmoving which can exist without Me!
10:40. There is no limit to My
Divine Power, O conqueror of enemies! All that was
declared to you are but examples of My Divine Glory!
10:41. All which is mighty, true,
beautiful, firm — know that all this is but a
trifling part of My Magnificence!
10:42. But of what use for you the
knowledge of all these details, O Arjuna? Having
enlivened the whole universe with a minute part of
Myself, I remain.
Thus in the upanishads of the
blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the
Scripture of yoga, says the tenth conversation
between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Manifestation of Power.
Back to the Contents
Arjuna said:
11:1. Out of compassion You revealed
to me this Highest Mystery of the Divine Atman. It
has dispelled my ignorance.
11:2. You have told me, O
Lotus-eyed, how all beings arise and disappear. I
have learned also about Your Imperishable Greatness.
11:3. As You describe Yourself, O
Great Lord, I am thirsting to see You in Your Divine
Form, O Supreme Spirit!
11:4. If You hold me worthy to see
It, O God, then show me Your Eternal Being, O Lord
of Yoga!
The Blessed One said:
11:5. Behold, O Partha, My Form — of
hundred faces, of thousand shapes, Divine,
multicolored, multifarious!
11:6. Behold adityas, vasus, rudras,
asvins, maruts. Behold countless miracles, O Bharata!
11:7. Behold in My Being, O
Gudakesha, the entire universe — moving and
nonmoving — with everything that you desire to see!
11:8. But truly you are not capable
of seeing Me with your eyes, so I endow you with
Divine eyes. Behold My Supreme Yoga!
Sanjaya said:
11:9. Having uttered this, the Great
Lord of Yoga showed to Arjuna His Universal Form
11:10. with countless eyes and
mouths, with many miraculous sights, with numerous
divine adornments, brandishing numerous divine
weapons,
11:11. in divine garments and
necklaces, anointed with divine fragrant oils, with
faces to all sides, all-wonderful, flaming,
infinite.
11:12. And if the shining of
thousand Suns blazed forth in the sky, it would be
comparable to the Glory of this Great Soul!
11:13. In it Arjuna saw the whole
universe subdivided into many worlds, but united
into one in the Body of the Highest Deity.
11:14. Then astonished Arjuna bowed
his head to the Deity, joined his palms and spoke.
Arjuna said:
11:15. In You, O God, I see gods,
all kinds of beings, the Lord-Brahman seated in a
wonderful lotus asana, all rishis, and wondrous
celestial serpents.
11:16. With countless arms, bellies,
mouths, eyes — everywhere I see You — unlimited are
Your manifestations. My eyes can see neither the
beginning, nor the middle, nor the end of Your
Glory, O Infinite, Boundless Lord!
11:17. I behold Your Radiance, Your
infinite omnipresent Light with discs, diadems, and
scepters! Like blazing flame, or a dazzling Sun, You
radiate the rays of light hard to look at!
11:18. You are beyond my thinking, O
Imperishable Lord, the Supreme Goal, the Foundation
of the universe, the Immortal Keeper of the eternal
dharma, the Primordial Soul — thus my mind conceives
You!
11:19. There is neither the
beginning of You, nor the middle, nor the end! You
are unlimited in Your Power! Your arms are
countless! Like Suns and Moons are Your eyes! When I
behold Your Face, It blazes like sacrificial fire
and scorches the worlds with Your Glory!
11:20. You alone fill heaven and all
planets and all which is extended invisibly between
them! The whole triune world trembles in front of
You, O Mighty One, in front of Your terrifying Face!
11:21. Hosts of “gods” surrender to
You folding palms in awe. All appeal to You! And
armies of saints praising You make hymns that sound
throughout the entire universe!
11:22. And hosts of rudras, adityas,
vasus and sadhyas, visvas, asvins, maruts,
ancestors, gandharvas, asuras, yakshas, “gods” — all
are admiring You!
11:23. Seeing Your mighty Form with
eyes and mouths of untold number, with rows of
fearsome teeth, with vast breast, with countless
hands and feet, the worlds are trembling, and so am
I!
11:24. Like a rainbow in heaven You
are shining with dazzling light — with mouths wide
open and giant flaming eyes. You permeate my Atman!…
As I behold You, my strength fades away, my peace
vanishes…
11:25. Like flaming glittering
swords are Your numerous teeth in the open fearful
jaws. The sight of them terrifies me; I do not know
where to hide from the vision of You! Be merciful, O
Lord, the Refuge of the worlds!
11:26. Dhritarashtra’s sons and many
rulers from various countries of the Earth, Bhishma,
Drona and Karna, and heroes from the both
belligerent parties —
11:27. all they are rushing into
Your open mouths where rows of teeth glitter
fearfully! Like mighty millstones they grind all
warriors, clutched between them, turning their
bodies to ashes!
11:28. As waters of rivers rapidly
and violently rush toward the great ocean, even so
these mighty warriors, rulers of the Earth rush
headlong into Your open burning mouths.
11:29. As a moss swiftly flies into
a flame to die in it, so they rush into the dreadful
jaws to disappear in them and find death there!
11:30. Devouring everything in all
directions, the fire of Your countless tongues burns
to ashes all creatures! The space is filled with
Your Radiance! The world is blazing under Your
all-pervading rays, O Lord!
11:31. Reveal to me Your essence!
Your vision is frightening me beyond all measure! I
prostrate myself in front of You! Have mercy on me,
O Mighty Lord! What is concealed in You I aspire to
know! But Your present form is terrifying to me!
The Blessed One said:
11:32. I am the Time that brings
despair to the world, that slays all people,
manifesting its law on the Earth. No one of the
warriors arraying here for battle will escape death!
You alone will not cease to live!
11:33. Therefore, arise! And reach
your glory, vanquish your enemies, and enjoy the
power of your kingdom! They are already slain by My
Will! You are to provide just the outer appearance,
to slay them with your hand!
11:34. Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha,
Karna, and all the warriors present here are already
doomed to die! Therefore, fight boldly, O Arjuna!
And the victory on this battlefield will be yours!
Sanjaya said:
11:35. Having heard the words said
by the Lord, Arjuna, trembling and prostrating,
addressed Krishna again with voice faltering of
fear:
11:36. The worlds are right to
rejoice in praising You in songs and hymns beholding
Your Magnificence, O Hrishikesha! Hosts of saints
prostrate in front of You and demons scatter in
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