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18ChapterBG Conclusion Numbered
Text Translation and Commentary by Dr. Radhakrishnan Sanskrit
Text, Transliteration and word to word Translation: Veeraswamy Krishnaraj Renunciation
is to be practiced not towards Work but to the
Fruits of Work. अर्जुन उवाच संन्यासस्य
महाबाहो तत्त्वमिच्छामि
वेदितुम् । त्यागस्य
च हृषीकेश पृथक्केशिनिषूदन
॥१८- १॥ arjuna
uvāca arjuna uvāca arjuna uvāca = Arjuna said: mahābāho2 = O mighty-armed one; hṛṣīkeśa9 = O Killer of Demon Kesi; icchāmi4 = I desire; veditum5 = to know; tattvam3 = the truth; sannyāsasya1 = of asceticism or renunciation;
ca7 = and; tyāgasya6 = of Tyaga; pṛthak9 = severally [one by one,
individually and comparatively = compare and contrast ]; keśi-niṣūdana10 = O Killer of Demon Kesi. 18.1 18.1. I
desire, O Mighty-armed (Kṛṣṇa), to know the true nature of renunciation
and of relinquishment, O Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa),
severally, O Keśiniṣūdana (Kṛṣṇa). Dr.
Radhakrishnan. The Gītā insists
not on renunciation of action but on action with renunciation of desire. This
is true saṁnyāsa, In this verse, saṁnyāsa
is used for the renunciation of all works and tyāga for
the renunciation of the fruits of all works. Not by karma, not by progeny or wealth but by tyāga or
relinquishment is release obtained.
I Dr. Radhakrishnan. The Gītā urges
that the liberated soul can remain in service even after liberation and is
opposed to the view which holds that, as all action springs from ignorance,
when wisdom arises, action ceases. The teacher of the Gītā considers the view, that
he who acts is in bondage and he who is free cannot act, to be incorrect. Dr. Radhakrishnan. 1
Na karmaṇā na prajayā dhanena tyāgam aike amṛtatvam
ānaśtuḥ श्रीभगवानुवाच काम्यानां
कर्मणां न्यासं
संन्यासं कवयो
विदुः । सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं
प्राहुस्त्यागं
विचक्षणाः ॥१८-
२॥ śrībhagavān
uvāca śrībhagavān uvāca The Blessed Lord said: śrībhagavān uvāca = Sri Bhagavan
said: kavayaḥ5 = the learned; viduḥ6 = know; sannyāsam4 =
renunciation; [is] nyāsam3 = renunciation; karmaṇām2 = of
actions; kāmyānām1 = attached to desire; vicakṣaṇāḥ10 = the
wise (the experienced); prāhuḥ8 = declare; tyāgam9 = Tyaga; [is] sarva7A-karma7B-phala7C-tyāgam7D = giving up7D the fruits7C of all7A actions7B.18.2 18.2.
The wise understand by renunciation the giving up of works prompted by
desire: the abandonment of the fruits of all works, the learned declare, is
relinquishment. Dr. Radhakrishnan. Inertia
or non-action is not the ideal. Action without any selfish desire or
expectation of gain, performed in the spirit that "I am not the doer, I
am surrendering myself to the Universal Self" is the ideal set before
us. The Gītā. does not teach
the complete renunciation of works but the conversion of all works into niṣkāma karma or desireless action. Saṁkara
however, contends that tyāga as taught here is applicable only to
karmayogins, while for jñānins complete abandonment of works is imperative.
He holds that knowledge is incompatible with work. Dr. Radhakrishnan. त्याज्यं
दोषवदित्येके
कर्म प्राहुर्मनीषिणः
। यज्ञदानतपःकर्म
न त्याज्यमिति
चापरे ॥१८- ३॥ tyājyaṁ
doṣavad ity eke karma prāhur manīṣiṇaḥ tyājyam1 doṣavat2 iti3 eke4 karma5 prāhuḥ6 manīṣiṇaḥ7 eke4 = Some; manīṣiṇaḥ7 = wise men; prāhuḥ6 = say or declare; karma5 = work or action; doṣavat2 = laden with evil; iti3 tyājyam1 = should be renounced1 thus3; ca12 = and; apare13 = others; [say] yajña8A-dāna8B-tapaḥ8C-karma8D = acts8D of
sacrifice8A, charity8B &
penance8C; [should] na9 tyājyam10 = not
be relinquished; iti11 = thus.18.3 18.3. Action should be given up as an evil, ' say some learned men:
others declare that 'acts of sacrifice" gift and penance are not to be
given up.' Dr. Radhakrishnan. निश्चयं
शृणु मे तत्र त्यागे
भरतसत्तम । त्यागो
हि पुरुषव्याघ्र
त्रिविधः संप्रकीर्तितः
॥१८- ४॥ niścayaṁ śṛṇu me tatra
tyāge bharatasattama niścayam1 śṛṇu2 me3 tatra4 tyāge5 bharata-sattama6 bharata-sattama6 = O the Best of Bharatas; niścayam1 = certainly; śṛṇu2 = hear; me3 = from Me; tatra4 = with regards to; tyāge5 = renunciation; tyāgaḥ7 = renunciation; hi8 = indeed; puruṣa-vyāghra8 = O tiger among men; saṁprakīrtitaḥ10 = is declared to be; trividhaḥ9 = of three kinds. 18.4 18.4. Hear now from Me, O Best of the
Bharatas (Arjuna), the truth about relinquishment: relinquishment" O
Best of men (Arjuna), has been explained as threefold. Dr. Radhakrishnan. Rāmānuja divides
relinquishment into (I) relinquishment of fruit, (2) relinquishment of the idea that the self is the agent and so of attachment also, and (3)
relinquishment of all idea of agency with the realization that the Lord is
the author of all action. Dr. Radhakrishnan. यज्ञदानतपःकर्म
न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव
तत् । यज्ञो
दानं तपश्चैव
पावनानि मनीषिणाम्
॥१८- ५॥ yajñadānatapaḥkarma na tyājyaṁ
kāryam eva tat yajña1 dāna2 tapaḥ3 karma4 na5
tyājyam6 kāryam7 eva8 tat9 karma4 = Acts;
[of] yajña1 =sacrifice; dāna2 18.5 . Acts
of sacrifice, gift and penance are not to be
relinquished but should be performed. For sacrifice, gift and penance are
purifiers of the wise. Dr. Radhakrishnan. Against the view that all action
should be abandoned, since it leads to bondage, the Gītā asserts that sacrifice, gift
and penances should not be abandoned. Dr. Radhakrishnan. एतान्यपि
तु कर्माणि सङ्गं
त्यक्त्वा फलानि
च । कर्तव्यानीति
मे पार्थ निश्चितं
मतमुत्तमम् ॥१८-
६॥ etāny api tu karmāṇi saṅgaṁ
tyaktvā phalāni ca etāni1 api2 tu3 karmāṇi4 saṅgam5 tyaktvā6
phalāni7 ca8 tu3 = But; etāni1 = these; karmāṇi4 = actions;
api2 = indeed; kartavyāni9 = should be performed;
tyaktvā6 = by renouncing; saṅgam5 =
attached; phalāni7 =
fruits; ca8= and; iti10 = thus; [it is] me11 = My; niścitam13 = firm/decided/entrenched; [and] uttamam15 = the best/the highest; matam14 = opinion; pārtha12 = O Pārtha .18.6 18.6. But even
these works ought to be performed, giving up
attachment and desire for fruits. This, O Pārtha (Arjuna), is my decided and final
view. Dr. Radhakrishnan. The teacher is decidedly for the
practice of Karmayoga. Actions are not to be set aside: only they have to be done without selfish attachment or expectation of
rewards. Salvation is not a matter of outward action or inaction. It is the
possession of the impersonal outlook and inner renunciation of ego. Saṁkara’s observation that
this does not refer to the devotees of wisdom who renounce all works (jñānaniṣṭāḥ
sarvakarma-saṁnyāsinaḥ)is not borne out by the text. Cp. Bṛhadāraṇyaka
Up, IV, 4, 22. "It is the Brahman whom the Brahmins wish to
know by the study of the Vedas, and also by means of sacrifice, gift, and
austerities performed without attachment." नियतस्य
तु संन्यासः कर्मणो
नोपपद्यते । मोहात्तस्य
परित्यागस्तामसः
परिकीर्तितः
॥१८- ७॥ niyatasya tu saṁnyāsaḥ karmaṇo
nopapadyate niyatasya1 tu2 saṁnyāsaḥ3 karmaṇaḥ4 na5 upapadyate6 tu2 = But; saṁnyāsaḥ3 =
renunciation; niyatasya1 = of prescribed/obligatory; karmaṇaḥ4 = acts/duty; [is] na5 = not; upapadyate6 = proper. parityāgaḥ9 = renunciation; tasya8 = of them [obligatory acts]; mohāt7 = because of delusion; parikīrtitaḥ11 = is said to be; tāmasaḥ10 = due to ignorance.18.7 18.7. Verily
the renunciation of any duty that ought to be done
is not right. The abandonment of it through ignorance is
declared to be of the nature of "dullness." Dr.
Radhakrishnan. दुःखमित्येव
यत्कर्म कायक्लेशभयात्त्यजेत्
। स कृत्वा
राजसं त्यागं
नैव त्यागफलं
लभेत् ॥१८- ८॥ duḥkham ity eva yat karma
kāyakleśabhayāt tyajet duḥkham1 iti2 eva3 yat4 karma5 kāya-kleśa-bhayāt6 tyajet7 yat4 =
Whatever; karma5 =
work; tyajet7 = one renounces; iti2 eva3 = thus indeed from [on account of'] duḥkham1 =
difficulty; [and] kāya-kleśa-bhayāt6 = for fear of bodily pain; saḥ8 = he; kṛtvā9 = having done; rājasam tyāgam10 = renunciation based on passion; na11 = does not;
eva12 = indeed; labhet14 = gain; tyāga-phalam13 = the fruits of renunciation 18.8 18.8. He who
gives up a duty because it is painful or from fear of physical suffering,
performs only the relinquishment of the "passionate' kind and does not
gain the reward of relinquishment. Dr. Radhakrishnan. कार्यमित्येव
यत्कर्म नियतं
क्रियतेऽर्जुन
। सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा
फलं चैव स त्यागः
सात्त्विको मतः
॥१८- ९॥ kāryam ity eva yat karma niyataṁ kriyaterjuna kāryam1
iti2 eva3
yat4 karma5
niyatam6 kriyate7
arjuna8 yat4 = Whatever; niyatam6 = obligatory; karma5 = action/duty; kriyate7 = is done; iti2 = thus; eva3 = indeed; [is] kāryam1 = prescribed duty; arjuna8= O Arjuna; tyaktvā10 = giving up; saṅgam9 = attachment; ca12 = and; phalam11 = fruits; saḥ14 = that; eva13 = indeed; mataḥ17 = is regarded; sāttvikaḥ16 = Sattvic; tyāgaḥ15 = renunciation.18.9 18.9. But he
who performs a prescribed duty as a thing that ought to be done, renouncing
all attachment and also the fruit-his relinquishment
is regarded as one of "goodness." Dr. Radhakrishnan. What ought to be done is what is in harmony with the
cosmic purpose. Dr. Radhakrishnan. न द्वेष्ट्यकुशलं
कर्म कुशले नानुषज्जते
। त्यागी सत्त्वसमाविष्टो
मेधावी छिन्नसंशयः
॥१८- १०॥ na dveṣṭy akuśalaṁ karma kuśale nānuṣajjate na1
dveṣṭi2 akuśalam3
karma4 kuśale5
na6 anuṣajjate7 [He who]
na1 = neither; dveṣṭi2 = hates; akuśalam3 = disagreeable; karma4 = action; na6 = nor; anuṣajjate7 = is attached to; kuśale5 = agreeable; [action]
[is] tyāgī8 = a renouncer; samāviṣṭaḥ10 = full of; sattva9 = Sattva/goodness; medhāvī11 = a wise man; chinna12 = having cut off; saṁśayaḥ13 = doubts. 18.10
न हि देहभृता
शक्यं त्यक्तुं
कर्माण्यशेषतः
। यस्तु कर्मफलत्यागी
स त्यागीत्यभिधीयते
॥१८- ११॥ na hi dehabhṛtā śakyaṁ tyaktuṁ karmāṇy
aśeṣataḥ na1
hi2 deha-bhṛtā3
śakyam4 tyaktum5
karmāṇi6 aśeṣataḥ7 [It is]
na1 = never; hi2 = indeed; śakyam4 = possible; [for] deha-bhṛtā3 = the corporeal being; [to] tyaktum5 = renounce; karmāṇi6 = actions; aśeṣataḥ7= entirely; tu9 = but; yaḥ8 = whoever; karma10A-phala10B-tyāgī10C = renounces10C fruits10B of actions10A; saḥ11 = he; abhidhīyate14 = is said to be; iti13 = thus; tyāgi12 = the renouncer. 18.11 18.11.It is
indeed impossible for any embodied being to abstain from work altogether. But
he who gives up the fruit of action he is said to be the relinquisher, अनिष्टमिष्टं
मिश्रं च त्रिविधं
कर्मणः फलम् । भवत्यत्यागिनां
प्रेत्य न तु संन्यासिनां
क्वचित् ॥१८- १२॥ aniṣṭam iṣṭaṁ miśraṁ ca trividhaṁ
karmaṇaḥ phalam aniṣṭam1
iṣṭam2 miśram3
ca4 trividham5
karmaṇaḥ6 phalam7 aniṣṭam1 = The undesirable (hell); iṣṭam2 = the desirable (gods); ca4 = and; miśram3 = mixed (humans): trividham5 = three kinds; [of] phalam7
= fruits/results; karmaṇaḥ6 = of actions; [that] bhavati8 = happen; pretya10 = after death; atyāginām9 = to the non-renouncer; tu12 = but; na11 = not; sannyāsinām13 = to the Sannyasis or renouncers; kvacit14 = at any time. 18.12 18.12.
Pleasant, unpleasant and mixed-threefold is the fruit of
action accruing after death to those who have not relinquished:
there is none whatever for those who
have renounced. S. considers atyāgins to be karmayogins and saṁnyāsins
to be those who have renounced all work except that which is essential for
the maintenance of the body. पञ्चैतानि
महाबाहो कारणानि
निबोध मे । सांख्ये कृतान्ते
प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये
सर्वकर्मणाम्
॥१८- १३॥ pañcaitāni mahābāho kāraṇāni nibodha me pañca1
etāni2 mahābāho3
kāraṇāni4 nibodha5
me6 nibodha5 = Learn; me6 = from Me; mahābāho3 = O Mighty-armed one; etāni2 = these; pañca1 = five; kāraṇāni4 = factors/causes; siddhaye10 = for fulfillment; sarva-karmaṇām11 = of all actions; proktāni9 = as said; sāṁkhye7 = in Sāṁkhya doctrinal; kṛtānte8 = conclusions. 18.13 18.13.O Mighty-armed (Arjuna), learn of Me, these five factors
.. for the accomplishment of all actions, as stated
in the Sāṁkhya doctrine. Sāṁkhya here means the
Vedanta. S. kṛtānte
is interpreted as the end of the kṛta
age, that is, as taught in the original
Sāṁkhya. अधिष्ठानं
तथा कर्ता करणं
च पृथग्विधम्
। विविधाश्च
पृथक्चेष्टा
दैवं चैवात्र
पञ्चमम् ॥१८- १४॥ adhiṣṭhānaṁ tathā kartā karaṇaṁ
ca pṛthagvidham adhiṣṭhānam1
tathā2 kartā3
karaṇam4
ca5 pṛthak6
vidham7 adhiṣṭhānam1 = The place (the body); tathā2 = also; kartā3
= the doer/the agent/the
experiencer/the enjoyer; pṛthak6 = different; vidham7= kinds; karaṇam4 = of the organs/instruments; ca5 = and; vividhāḥ8 = various; ca9 = and; pṛthak10 = different; ceṣṭāḥ11 = efforts; ca13 = and; eva14 = indeed; daivam12 = divinity; [are] atra15 = here; pañcamam16 = the fifth. 18.14 (the body1, the doer2, the organs3, efforts4 and divinity5) 18.13. The seat of action and likewise the agent, the instruments
of various sorts, the many kinds of efforts and providence being the fifth. adhiṣṭhāna
or the seat refers to the physical
body. kartā:
agent. He is, according to S., the phenomenal ego, upādhilakṣaṇo
avidyākalpito bhoktā, the psychophysical self which mistakes
the organism for the true self; for R. it is the individual self, the
Jīvātman; for Madhva, it is the supreme Lord Viṣṇu. The kartā or the agent is one of the five
causes of action. According to the Sāṁkhya doctrine, Puruṣa
or the self is a mere witness. Though, strictly speaking, the self is akartṛ
or non-doer, still its witnessing starts the activities of prakṛti and
so the self is included among the determining causes. cheṣṭā:
efforts: functions of the vital
energies within the body. daivam:
providence: represents the
non-human factor that interferes and
disposes of human effort. It is the wise, all-seeing will
that is at work in the world. In all human actions,
there is an unaccountable
element which is called luck, destiny, fate or the
force accumulated by the acts of one's past lives. It is called here daiva.1
The task of man is to drop a pebble into the pond of time and we may not see
the ripple touch the distant shore. We may plant the seed but may not see the
harvest which lies in hands higher than our own. Daiva or the superpersonal
fate is the general cosmic necessity, the resultant of all that has happened
in the past, which rules unnoticed. It works in the
individual for its own incalculable purposes. Belief in daiva should
not be an excuse for quiescence. Man is a term of transition. He is conscious
of his aim, to rise from his animal ancestry to the divine ideal. The pressure
of nature, heredity, and environment can be overcome
by the
will of man. 1 Cp, pūrvajanmakṛtaṁkarma tad
daivam iti kathyate. Hitopadesa. शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म
प्रारभते नरः
। न्याय्यं वा
विपरीतं वा पञ्चैते
तस्य हेतवः ॥१८-
१५॥ śarīravāṅmanobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ śarīra-vāṅ-manobhiḥ1
yat2 karma3
prārabhate4 naraḥ5 yat2 = Which [whatever]; karma3 = action; naraḥ5
= man; prārabhate4 = performs/does; śarīra-vāṅ-manobhiḥ1 = by body, speech and mind; nyāyyam6 = proper; vā7 = or; tasya12 = its; viparītam8 vā9 = opposite/reverse/contrary/perverse; ete11 = these; pañca10 = five; [are] hetavaḥ13 = the causes.18.15 18.14. Whatever
action a man undertakes by his body, speech or mind, whether
it is right or wrong, these five are its factors. तत्रैवं सति
कर्तारमात्मानं
केवलं तु यः । पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न
स पश्यति दुर्मतिः
॥१८- १६॥ tatraivaṁ sati kartāram ātmānaṁ kevalaṁ
tu yaḥ tatra1
evam2 sati3
kartāram4 ātmānam5
kevalam6 tu7
yaḥ8 tu7 = But; tatra1
evam2 sati3 = that being so; yaḥ8
= he; paśyati9 = sees; kevalam6 = the pure; ātmānam5 = his own Self; kartāram4 = As the doer; saḥ12 = he; akṛta-buddhitvāt10 = due to lack of intelligence; na11 = never; paśyati13 = sees; [ and thus he is] durmatiḥ14 = one with perverse intellect. 18.16. 18.16.Such being the case, the man of
perverse mind who, on account of his untrained understanding, looks upon
himself as the sole agent, he does not see (truly). The agent is one factor among five
and so he misapprehends the facts when he looks upon the agent as the sole
cause. S. reads
"looks on the pure self as the doer." If he attributes agency to
the pure self, he misapprehends the facts. The ego is
generally taken to be the doer but it is only one of the main determinants
of human action, which are all the products of nature. When the ego is recognized as such, we are freed from its binding
influence and we live in the greater knowledge of the Universal Self, and in
that self-vision all acts are the products of prakṛti. यस्य नाहंकृतो
भावो बुद्धिर्यस्य
न लिप्यते । हत्वापि स इमाँल्लोकान्न
हन्ति न निबध्यते
॥१८- १७॥ yasya nāhaṁkṛto bhāvo buddhir yasya na lipyate yasya1
na2 ahaṅkṛtaḥ3
bhāvaḥ4 buddhiḥ5
yasya6 na7 lipyate8 yasya1 = He who; na2 = does not; [have] bhāvaḥ4 = the state of mind; [of] ahaṅkṛtaḥ3
= doership; yasya6 = whose; buddhiḥ5 = intelligence; [is] na7 = not; lipyate8= attached or tainted; api10 = even; hatvā9 = by killing; imān12 = these; lokān13 = beings; saḥ11 = he; na14 = does not; hanti15 = kill; na16 = nor; nibadhyate17 = is bound.18.17 18.17. He who is free from self-sense, whose understanding is not sullied, though he slay these people, he slays not
nor is he bound (by his actions). The
freed man does his work as the instrument of the Universal Spirit and for the
maintenance of the cosmic order. He performs even terrific deeds without any
selfish aim or desire but because it is the ordained duty. What matters is
not the work but the spirit in which it is done. "Though he slays from the
worldly standpoint" he does not slay in truth." S.1 This
passage does not mean that we can commit crimes with impunity. He who lives
in the large spiritual consciousness will not feel any need to do any wrong.
Evil activities spring from ignorance and separatist consciousness and from
consciousness of unity with the Supreme Self, only good can result. 1
laukikīm dṛṣṭim āśritya
ha vāpi…pāramrthikīṁ dṛṣṭim
āśritya na hanti. Knowledge and Action ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं
परिज्ञाता त्रिविधा
कर्मचोदना । करणं कर्म
कर्तेति त्रिविधः
कर्मसंग्रहः
॥१८- १८॥ jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ parijñātā
trividhā karmacodanā jñānam1
jñeyam2 parijñātā3
trividhā4 karma-codanā5 jñānam1 = Knowledge;
jñeyam2 = object of knowledge; [and] parijñātā3 = the
knower; [are] trividhā4 = three kinds; [of] karma-codanā5 = impeller to action. karaṇam6 = The sense
organs; karma7 = the
action; [and] karta8 = the doer; iti9 = thus; [are] trividhaḥ10 = three kinds; karma-saṅgrahaḥ11 = components of action [forming the aggregate].18.18 18.18. Knowledge,
the object of knowledge and the knowing subject, are the threefold incitement
to action: the instrument, the action and the agent are the threefold
composite of action. See XIII.20. Nature is
said to be the cause of effect, instrument and agent (ness) and the
soul is said to be the cause, in regard to the experience of pleasure and
pain. Karmacodanā refers to the mental
planning anti karmasaṁgraha to the actual execution of the action and
each has three aspects. ज्ञानं कर्म
च कर्ता च त्रिधैव
गुणभेदतः । प्रोच्यते
गुणसंख्याने
यथावच्छृणु तान्यपि
॥१८- १९॥ jñānaṁ karma ca kartā ca tridhaiva guṇabhedataḥ jñānam1
karma2 ca3
kartā4 ca5
tridhā6 eva7
guṇa-bhedataḥ8
Knowledge, action
and the agent are said, in the science of modes, to be of three kinds only,
according to difference in the modes. Hear thou duly of these also. The
Sāṁkhya system is referred to and it is
authoritative in some matters though not in regard to the highest truth. Three
Kinds of Knowledge सर्वभूतेषु
येनैकं भावमव्ययमीक्षते
। अविभक्तं
विभक्तेषु तज्ज्ञानं
विद्धि सात्त्विकम्
॥१८- २०॥ sarvabhūteṣu yenaikaṁ bhāvam
avyayam īkṣate sarvabhūteṣu1 yena2 ekam3 bhāvam4 avyayam5 īkṣate6 īkṣate6
= One sees; sarvabhūteṣu1 = all beings; [in] ekam3 = One; avyayam5 = imperishable; bhāvam4 = Being; yena2 = by which; [that Being remains] avibhaktam7 = undivided; vibhakteṣu8 = in the divided; viddhi11 = know; tat9 = that; jñānam10 = knowledge; [is] sāttvikam12 = goodness.18.20 18.20. The knowledge by which
the one Imperishable Being is seen in all
existences, undivided in the divided, know that that
knowledge is of "goodness." पृथक्त्वेन
तु यज्ज्ञानं
नानाभावान्पृथग्विधान्
। वेत्ति
सर्वेषु भूतेषु
तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि
राजसम् ॥१८- २१॥ pṛthaktvena tu yaj jñānaṁ
nānābhāvān pṛthagvidhān pṛthaktvena1
tu2 yat3
jñānam4
nānā-bhāvān5
pṛthagvidhān6 tu2 = But; jñānam4 = knowledge; yat3 = which; vetti7 = knows or sees; sarveṣu8 = among all; bhūteṣu9 = beings; pṛthaktvena1 = because of separateness or individuality; nānā-bhāvān5
= distinct nature; [and] pṛthagvidhān6
= diverse condition; viddhi12 = know; tat10 = that; jñānam11 = knowledge; [comes] rājasam13 = from Rajas.18.21 Rajas: The principle of motion,
activity and disharmony constituent of Prakrti. (18.21) The knowledge which
sees multiplicity of beings in the different creatures, by reason of their separateness, know that that knowledge is of the nature of
"passion.'' यत्तु कृत्स्नवदेकस्मिन्कार्ये
सक्तमहैतुकम्
। अतत्त्वार्थवदल्पं
च तत्तामसमुदाहृतम्
॥१८- २२॥ yat tu kṛtsnavad ekasmin kārye saktam ahetukam yat1
tu2 kṛtsnavat3
ekasmin4 kārye5
saktam6 ahaitukam7 tu2 = But; tat11 = that; udāhṛtam13
= is said to be; tāmasam12 = of the nature of
Tamas; yat1 = which is; saktam6 = clinging/attached; ekasmin4 = to one; kārye5 = act; kṛtsnavat3 = as if it were the whole; ahaitukam7
= without regard to
the cause; ca10 = and; a-tattva-artha-vat8 = without regard to
knowledge of the Reality or Truth; [and therefore] alpam9 = is frivolous. 18.22 (18.22) But that which clings to one single effect as
if it were the whole, without concern for the cause, without grasping the
real, and narrow is declared to be of the nature of ''dullness.'' नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः
कृतम् । अफलप्रेप्सुना
कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते
॥१८- २३॥ niyataṁ saṅgarahitam arāgadveṣataḥ kṛtam niyatam1
saṅga-rahitam2 arāga-dveṣataḥ3
kṛtam4 tat8 = That; karma6 = action; yat7 = which; kṛtam4= is performed; [as]
niyatam1 = obligation; saṅga-rahitam2 = free from attachment; arāga-dveṣataḥ3 = without love or hatred; aphala-prepsunā5 = by one without attachment to
fruits; ucyate10 = is called; sāttvikam9 =
Sattva.18.23 Sattva = goodness. (18.23) An action which is obligatory, which is performed without attachment, without love or hate by one
undesirous of fruit, that is said to be of "goodness." यत्तु कामेप्सुना
कर्म साहंकारेण
वा पुनः । क्रियते
बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम्
॥१८- २४॥ yat tu kāmepsunā karma sāhaṁkāreṇa
vā punaḥ yat1
tu2 kāmepsunā3
karma4 sa-ahaṅkāreṇa5
vā6 punaḥ7 tu2 = But; karma4 = action; yat1 = which; kriyate8 = is done; kāmepsunā3 = by one
attached to fruits; [and] sa-ahaṅkāreṇa5 =
an egoistic person; vā6 = or;
punaḥ7 = again; bahula-āyāsam9 = with extraordinary effort; tat10 = that; udāhṛtam12 = is declared to be; rājasam11 = imbued with Rajas. 18.24 (18.24) But that action which is done in
great strain by one who seeks to gratify his desires or is impelled by
self-sense, is said to be of the nature of "passion." bahulāyāsam: with great strain. The consciousness of suffering, the
sense that we are doing something disagreeable, that we are passing through
grim suffering and toil takes away from the value of the act. To feel
consciously that we are doing something great, that we are sacrificing
something vital is a failure of the sacrifice itself. But when the work is undertaken for the cause, it is a labor of love and
sacrifice itself is not felt as a sacrifice. Doing unpleasant things from a
sense of duty, feeling the unpleasantness all the time is of the nature of
"passion," but doing it gladly in utter unself-conscious ness,
with a smile on the lips, as Socrates drank hemlock, is of the nature of
"goodness." It is the difference between an act of love and an act
of law, an act of grace and an act of obligation. अनुबन्धं
क्षयं हिंसामनवेक्ष्य
च पौरुषम् । मोहादारभ्यते
कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते
॥१८- २५॥ anubandhaṁ kṣayaṁ hiṁsām anapekṣya ca
pauruṣam anubandham1
kṣayam2 hiṁsām3
anapekṣya4 ca5 pauruṣam6 tat11 =That; karma9 = work; yat10 = which; ārabhyate8 = is undertaken; mohāt7 = with delusion; anapekṣya4 = without regard to; anubandham1 = bondage/consequence; kṣayam2 = loss; hiṁsām3 = injury; ca5 = and; pauruṣam6= capability; ucyate13 = is regarded; tāmasam12 = Tamas.18.25 (18.25) The action which is undertaken through ignorance, without regard to
consequences or to loss and injury and without regard to one's human
capacity, that is said to be of ''dullness. " The effects of actions on others must
always be considered; only selfish aims are to be renounced. Three Kinds of Doer मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी
धृत्युत्साहसमन्वितः
। सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्विकारः
कर्ता सात्त्विक
उच्यते ॥१८- २६॥ muktasaṅgonahaṁvādī dhṛtyutsāhasamanvitaḥ muktasaṅgaḥ1
anahaṁvādī2 dhṛti-yutsāha-samanvitaḥ3 kartā6 = The doer/agent;
[who] muktasaṅgaḥ1 = is liberated from attachment; anahaṁvādī2 = is not egoistic in speech; dhṛti-yutsāha-samanvitaḥ3 = is endowed with determination and enthusiasm; [and] nirvikāraḥ5 = is unaffected by;
siddhi-asiddhyoḥ4 = success and failure; ucyate8 = is said to be; sāttvika7 = imbued with
Sattva. 18.26 (18..26) The doer who is free from attachment, who has no speech
of egotism, full of resolution and zeal and who is unmoved by success or failure-he is said to be of the nature of "goodness." रागी कर्मफलप्रेप्सुर्लुब्धो
हिंसात्मकोऽशुचिः
। हर्षशोकान्वितः
कर्ता राजसः परिकीर्तितः
॥१८- २७॥ rāgī karmaphalaprepsur lubdho hiṁsātmakośuciḥ rāgī1
karma-phala-prepsuḥ2 lubdhaḥ3
hiṁsa-ātmakaḥ4 aśuciḥ5 kartā7 =The doer/agent; rāgī1 = who is attached; karma-phala-prepsuḥ2 = who desires for fruits of actions; [is] lubdhaḥ3 = greedy; hiṁsa-ātmakaḥ4 = injurious by nature; aśuciḥ5 = impure/unclean; [and] harṣa-śoka-anvitaḥ6 = who is subject to joy and sorrow; parikīrtitaḥ9 = is proclaimed to
be; rājasaḥ8 = imbued with Rajas
.18.27 Rajas = motion and passion. (18.27) The doer who is swayed by passion,
who eagerly seeks the fruit of his works, who is greedy, of
harmful nature, impure, who is moved by joy and sorrow-he is
said to be of "passionate" nature. अयुक्तः
प्राकृतः स्तब्धः
शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलसः
। विषादी
दीर्घसूत्री
च कर्ता तामस उच्यते
॥१८- २८॥ ayuktaḥ prākṛtaḥ stabdhaḥ śaṭhao
naiṣkṛtikolasaḥ ayuktaḥ1
prākṛtaḥ2 stabdhaḥ3
śaṭhaḥ4 naiṣkṛtikaḥ5
alasaḥ6 kartā10 = Doer/agent; [who]
ayuktaḥ1 = is unbalanced; prākṛtaḥ2 = uncultivated; stabdhaḥ3 = stubborn; śaṭhaḥ4 = deceitful; naiṣkṛtikaḥ5 = usurping; alasaḥ6 = lazy; viṣādī7 = despondent; ca9 = and; dīrghasūtrī8 = procrastinating; ucyate12 = is said to be; tāmasa11 = imbued with
Tamas.18.28 (18.28) The doer who is unbalanced, vulgar, obstinate, deceitful, malicious, indolent,
despondent and procrastinating he is said to be of the nature of ''dullness." prākṛtaḥ,: "quite
uncultured in intellect and like a child." Saṁkara. बुद्धेर्भेदं
धृतेश्चैव गुणतस्त्रिविधं
शृणु । प्रोच्यमानमशेषेण
पृथक्त्वेन धनंजय
॥१८- २९॥ buddher bhedaṁ dhṛteś caiva guṇatas trividhaṁ
śṛṇu buddheḥ1
bhedam2 dhṛteḥ3
ca4 eva5 guṇataḥ6
trividham7 śṛṇu8 śṛṇu8= Hear; trividham7 = the three kinds; [of] bhedam2 = differences; buddheḥ1 = of intellect; ca4 = and; dhṛteḥ3 = of steadiness; eva5 = indeed; guṇataḥ6 = according to the Gunas; procyamānam9 = that being said; aśeṣeṇa10 = fully; [and] pṛthaktvena11 = severally; dhanañjaya12 = O Dhananjaya. 18.29 (18.29) Hear now the threefold distinction of
understanding as also of steadiness, O winner of wealth (Arjuna), according
to the modes, to be set forth fully and separately. प्रवृत्तिं
च निवृत्तिं च
कार्याकार्ये
भयाभये । बन्धं मोक्षं
च या वेत्ति बुद्धिः
सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी
॥१८- ३०॥ pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca
kāryākārye bhayābhaye pravṛttim1
ca2 nivṛttim3
ca4 kārya-ākārye5
bhaya-abhaye6 buddhiḥ12 = Intellect;yā10 = by which;[ one] vetti11 = knows; pravṛttim1 = Pravrrti Marga; ca2 = and; nivṛttim3 = Nivrrti Marga; ca4 = and; kārya-ākārye5 = duty and unduteousness; bhaya-abhaye6 = fear and fearlessness; bandham7 = bondage; ca9 = and; mokṣam8 = liberation: sā13 = that [Buddhi]; pārtha14 = O Pārtha ; sāttvikī15 = is imbued with
Sattva.18.30. Sattva = virtue and goodness. kārya-ākārye5 = right action and wrong action; 'enjoined and prohibited action'. (Sankara). pravṛttim1 = Path of worldly action; nivṛttim3 = Path of spirituality or
renunciation, the path that leads through unfolding back to the spiritual
worlds; often called the path of light or luminous arc. (Theosophical
dictionary). (18.30) The understanding which knows action and
non-action, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, what is to
be feared and what is not to be feared, what binds and what frees the soul
(that understanding), O Pārtha (Arjuna), is of the nature
of "goodness." यया धर्ममधर्मं
च कार्यं चाकार्यमेव
च । अयथावत्प्रजानाति
बुद्धिः सा पार्थ
राजसी ॥१८- ३१॥ yayā dharmam adharmaṁ ca kāryaṁ cākāryam
eva ca yayā1
dharmam2 adharmam3 ca4 kāryam5
ca6 akāryam6 eva7
ca8 buddhiḥ11 = Intellect; yayā1 = by which; prajānāti10 = it knows; ayathāvat9 = imperfectly/wrongly; dharmam2 = virtue; ca4 = and; adharmam3 = vice; ca6 = and; kāryam5 = permitted action; eva7 ca8
= as also; akāryam6 = prohibited action: sā12 = that [intellect]; pārtha13 = O Pārtha ; rājasī14 = is imbued with Rajas.18.31 Rajas = passion and motion. (18.3I) That by which one knows in a mistaken way the right
and the wrong, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done—that understanding, O Pārtha (Arjuna), is of the nature of
"passion." अधर्मं
धर्ममिति या मन्यते
तमसावृता । सर्वार्थान्विपरीतांश्च
बुद्धिः सा पार्थ
तामसी ॥१८- ३२॥ adharmaṁ dharmam iti yā manyate tamasāvṛtā adharmam1
dharmam2 iti3 yā4 manyate5 tamasā6
āvṛtā7 buddhiḥ11 = Intellect; yā4 = which; manyate5 = thinks; adharmam1 = vice; iti3 = thus; [as] dharmam2 = virtue; āvṛtā7 = is covered; tamasā6 = by darkness or ignorance; ca10 = and; [sees] sarva-arthān8 = all objects; viparītāñ9 = contrary [to
truth]: sā12 = that [intellect];
pārtha13 = O Pārtha ; tāmasī14 = is imbued with
Tamas.18.32 (18.32) That which, enveloped in darkness, conceives as
right what is wrong and sees all things in a perverted way (contrary to the
truth), that understanding, O Pārtha
(Arjuna), is of the nature of "dullness." Three Kinds of Steadiness धृत्या
यया धारयते मनःप्राणेन्द्रियक्रियाः
। योगेनाव्यभिचारिण्या
धृतिः सा पार्थ
सात्त्विकी ॥१८-
३३॥ dhṛtyā yayā dhārayate manaḥprāṇendriyakriyāḥ dhṛtyā1
yayā2 dhārayate3
manaḥ4 prāṇa5
indriya6 kriyāḥ7 avyabhicāriṇyā9 = Unswerving,
unfailing; dhṛtyā1 = determination; yayā2 = by which; dhārayate3 = one controls; manaḥ4
prāṇa5 indriya6 kriyāḥ7 = actions7 of mind4, breath5 and sense organs6; yogena8 = by Yoga: sā11 = that; dhṛtiḥ10 =
firmness/steadiness of attention; pārtha12 = O Pārtha ; sāttvikī13 = is imbued with
Sattva.18.33 (18.33) The unwavering steadiness by which, through
concentration, one controls the activities of the mind, the life breaths and
the senses, that, O Pārtha (Arjuna), is of the nature of "goodness." dhṛtiḥ,: steadiness
of attention which makes us aware of much that our ordinary vision is not
able to observe. Its power is proportional to our detachment from regrets
over the past and anxieties for the future. यया तु धर्मकामार्थान्धृत्या
धारयतेऽर्जुन
। प्रसङ्गेन
फलाकाङ्क्षी
धृतिः सा पार्थ
राजसी ॥१८- ३४॥ yayā tu dharmakāmārthān dhṛtyā
dhārayaterjuna yayā1
tu2 dharma-kāma-arthān3
dhṛtyā4 dhārayate5
arjuna6 arjuna6 = O Arjuna; tu2 = but; dhṛtyā4 = determination; yayā1 = by which; [one] dhārayate5 = holds fast; dharma-kāma-arthān3 = duty, desire and wealth; prasaṅgena7 = with attachment; phala-ākāṅkṣī8 = desirous of fruits:; sā10 = that; dhṛtiḥ9 = determination; pārtha11 = O Pārtha; rājasī12 = is imbued with Rajas.18.34 (18.34) The steadiness by which one
holds fast to duty, pleasure, and wealth desiring the fruit in consequence
thereof-that, O Pārtha (Arjuna), is of the nature of
"passion." यया स्वप्नं
भयं शोकं विषादं
मदमेव च । न विमुञ्चति
दुर्मेधा धृतिः
सा पार्थ तामसी
॥१८- ३५॥ yayā svapnaṁ bhayaṁ śokaṁ viṣādaṁ
madam eva ca yayā1
svapnam2 bhayam3 śokam4
viṣādam5 madam7 eva8 ca9 dhṛtiḥ13 = Determination; yayā1 = by which; durmedhā12 = a fool; na10 = never; vimuñcati11 = gives up; svapnam2 = dream; bhayam3 = fear; śokam4 = grief; viṣādam5 = despondence; ca9= and;
madam7 = conceit: eva8 = indeed; sā14 = that
[determination]; pārtha15 = O partha; tāmasī16 = is imbued with Tamas.18.35 (18.35) That steadiness by which a
fool does not give up sleep, fear, grief, depression and arrogance, that, O
Partha (Arjuna), is of the nature of dullness. सुखं त्विदानीं
त्रिविधं शृणु
मे भरतर्षभ । अभ्यासाद्रमते
यत्र दुःखान्तं
च निगच्छति ॥१८-
३६॥ sukhaṁ tv idānīṁ trividhaṁ śṛṇu
me bharatarṣabha sukham1
tu2 idānīm3
trividham4 śṛṇu5
me6 bharatarṣabha7 tu2 = But; idānīm3 = now; śṛṇu5 = hear; me6 = from Me; bharatarṣabha7
= O the Best of Bharatas; sukham1 = happiness; [is of] trividham4 = three kinds; yatra10 = which; ramate9 = one enjoys; abhyāsāt8 = by practice;
ca12 = and; nigacchhati13 = attains; duḥkhāntam11 = end of suffering. 18.36 (18.36) And now hear from Me, O Best of the
Bharatas (Arjuna), the three kinds of happiness, That in which a
man comes to rejoice by long practice and in which he reaches the end of his
sorrow. यत्तदग्रे
विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम्
। तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं
प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम्
॥१८- ३७॥ yat tadagre viṣam iva pariṇāmemṛtopamam yat1
tat2 agre3
viṣam4 iva5
pariṇāme6 amṛta7
upamam8 tat2 = That; sukham10 = happiness; yat1 = which; [is] iva5 = like; viṣam4 = poison; agre3 = at the outset; [and] pariṇāme6 = at the end; upamam8
= comparable to; amṛta7 = nectar: tat9 = that [happiness];
sāttvikam11 = imbued with
Sattva; proktam12 = is said; ātma-buddhi-prasādajam13 = to arise from the Grace of the intellect of the Self. 18.37 (18.37) That happiness which is like poison at first
and like nectar at the end, which springs
from a clear understanding of the Self is said to be of the nature of
"goodness." विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम्
। परिणामे विषमिव
तत्सुखं राजसं
स्मृतम् ॥१८- ३८॥ viṣayendriyasañyogād yat tad agremṛtopamam viṣaya1
indriya2 saṁyogāt3
yat4 tat5
agre6 amṛtopamam7 tat5 = That; sukham12 = happiness; yat4 = which; [arises from] viṣaya1
indriya2 saṁyogāt3
= contact3 between sense organs2 and objects of the senses1; [is] amṛtopamam7
= like ambrosia; agre6 = at the outset; [and] iva10 = like; viṣam9 = poison; pariṇāme8 = at the end: tat11 = that [happiness]; smṛtam14 = is said to be; rājasam13 = imbued with Rajas.18.38 (18.38) That happiness which arises from the
contact of the senses and their
objects and which is like nectar at first but like poison at the
end-such happiness is recorded to be ''passionate. " यदग्रे चानुबन्धे
च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः
। निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं
तत्तामसमुदाहृतम्
॥१८- ३९॥ yad agre cānubandhe ca sukhaṁ mohanam ātmanaḥ yat1
agre2 ca3
anubandhe4 ca5
sukham6 mohanam7
ātmanaḥ8 tat13 = That; sukham6 = happiness; yat1 = which; [is] mohanam7 = delusive; ātmanaḥ8
= of the self; agre2 = in the beginning; ca3 = and; anubandhe4 = at the end; [which] uttham12 = rises; [from] nidrā9 = sleep; ālasya10 = laziness; ca5 = and; pramāda11 = negligence; udāhṛtam15 = is declared to be; tāmasam14 = imbued with Tamas.18.39 (18.39) That happiness which deludes the soul both at the beginning and at the end and which arises from sleep, sloth and negligence—that is declared to be of the nature of ''dullness." Happiness is the universal aim of life. Only it is of
different kinds according to the modes which dominate our nature. If the
tamas predominates in us, we are satisfied with violence and inertia,
blindness and error. If rajas prevails, wealth and
power, pride and glory give us happiness. True happiness of human beings lies
not in the possession of outward things but in the fulfilment of the higher
mind and spirit, in the development of what is most inward in us. It may mean
pain and restraint but it will lead us to joy and freedom. We can pass from the
happiness of knowledge and virtue to the eternal calm and joy, ānanda of
the spirit, when we become one with the Highest Self and one with all beings. न तदस्ति पृथिव्यां
वा दिवि देवेषु
वा पुनः । सत्त्वं प्रकृतिजैर्मुक्तं
यदेभिः स्यात्त्रिभिर्गुणैः
॥१८- ४०॥ na tad asti pṛthivyāṁ vā divi deveṣu vā
punaḥ na1
tat2 asti3
pṛthivyām4 vā5
divi6 deveṣu7
vā8 punaḥ9 asti3 = There is; na1 = no; tat2 = such; sattvam10 = being or entity; pṛthivyām4 = on earth; vā5 = or; divi6 = in heaven; vā8 = or; punaḥ9
= again;
deveṣu7 = among the gods; yat13 = who/which; syāt15 = is/can be; muktam12 = free; ebhiḥ14 = from these; tribhiḥ16 = three; guṇaiḥ17 = Gunas; prakṛti-jaiḥ11 = born of Nature.18.40 (18.40) There is no creature either on earth or again among the gods in heaven, which is free from the three modes
born of nature. ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां
शूद्राणां च परन्तप
। कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि
स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः
॥१८- ४१॥ brāhmaṇakṣatriyaviśāṁ
śūdrāṇāṁ ca paraṁtapa brāhmaṇa-kṣatriya-viśām-śūdrāṇām-ca1
parantapa2- karmāṇi3 pravibhaktāni4 svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ5 guṇaiḥ6 18.41 parantapa2
= O Parantapa; brāhmaṇa1A-kṣatriya1B-viśām1C-ca1D-śūdrāṇām1E
= of the Brahmanas1A, Ksatriyas1B, Vaisyas1C, and1D Sudras1E: karmāṇi3 = their activities; pravibhaktāni4 = are separated/distinguished;
[according to] guṇaiḥ6 = Gunas; svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ5 = born of their own inherent disposition.18.41 (18.4I) Of Brahmins, of Kṣatriyas, and
Vaiśyas as also of Śūdras, O Conqueror of the foe (Arjuna), the activities are distinguished, in accordance with the qualities born of their
nature. The fourfold order is not peculiar to Hindu society. It
is of universal application. The classification depends on types of human
nature. Each of the four classes has certain well-defined characteristics
though they are not to be regarded as exclusive.
These are not determined always by heredity.
The Gītā cannot be used to support the existing social order with its rigidity
and confusion. It takes up the theory of the four orders and enlarges its
scope and meaning. Man's outward life must express his inward being; the
surface must reflect the profundity. Each individual has his inborn nature,
svabhāva, and to make it effective in his life is his duty, svadharma.
Each individual is a focus of the Supreme, a fragment of the Divine. His
destiny is to bring out in his life this divine possibility. The one Spirit
of the universe has produced the multiplicity of souls in the world, but the idea
of the Divine is our essential nature, the truth of our being, our
svabhāva, and not the apparatus of the guṇas, which is only the
medium for expression. If each
individual does what is appropriate to him, if he follows the law of his
being, his svadharma, then God would express Himself in the free volitions of human
beings. All that is essential for the world will be done
without a conflict. But men rarely do what they ought to do. When
they undertake to determine events believing that they know the plan of the
whole, they work mischief on earth. So long as our work is
done in accordance with our nature, we are righteous, and if we
dedicate it to God, our work becomes a means of spiritual perfection. When
the divine in the individual is completely manifested,
he attains the eternal
imperishable status, śāsvataṁ padam avyayam.1 The
problem that human life sets to us is to discover our true self and live
according to its truth; otherwise we would sin against our nature. The
emphasis on svabhāva indicates that human beings are to be treated as individuals and not as types. Arjuna is told that he who fights gallantly as a warrior becomes
mature for the peace of wisdom. There are four broad types of nature and answering to
them are four kinds of social living. The four classes are
not determined by birth or colour but by psychological characteristics
which fit us for definite functions in society. I XVIII, 56. शमो दमस्तपः
शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव
च । ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं
ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम्
॥१८- ४२॥ śamao damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ kṣāntir
ārjavam eva ca śamaḥ1
damaḥ2 tapaḥ3
śaucam4 kṣāntiḥ5
ārjavam6 eva7
ca8 śamaḥ1
damaḥ2 tapaḥ3
śaucam4 kṣāntiḥ5 ārjavam6
jñānam9 vijñānam10 ca8 eva7
āstikyam11 = Tranquility1,
self-control2, austerity3, purity4, patience5,
honesty6, knowledge9, wisdom10, and8
indeed7 belief in God11; [are] brahma-karma12 = duty of Brahmana;
svabhāvajam13 = born of his innate disposition.
18.42 (18.42) Serenity, self-control, austerity, purity, forbearance and uprightness, wisdom, knowledge and faith in religion, these
are the duties of the Brahmin, born of his nature. Those who belong to the order of Brahminhood are expected to possess mental and moral qualities. Cp, Dhammapada,
393: "Not by matted hair, nor by lineage, nor by birth is
one a Brahmin. He is a Brahmin in whom there are truth and
righteousness." Power corrupts and blinds insight. Uncontrolled power is
fatal to mental poise. So the Brahmins eschew direct power
and exercise a general control through persuasion and love and save
the wielders of power from going astray. शौर्यं तेजो
धृतिर्दाक्ष्यं
युद्धे चाप्यपलायनम्
। दानमीश्वरभावश्च
क्षात्रं कर्म
स्वभावजम् ॥१८-
४३॥ śauryaṁ tejo dhṛtir dākṣyaṁ yuddhe cāpy
apalāyanam śauryaṁ tejo dhṛtir dākṣyaṁ yuddhe
cāpy apalāyanam śauryam1
tejaḥ2 dhṛtiḥ3
dākṣyam4 yuddhe5
ca6 api7
apalāyanam8 śauryam1 = Heroism; tejaḥ2 = boldness; dhṛtiḥ3 = determination; dākṣyam4 = skill; ca6 = and; api7 = also; apalāyanam8
= not running away;
yuddhe5 = from battle; dānam9 = generosity; ca11 = and; īśvarabhāvaḥ10 = lordliness; [are] karma13 = the duty; kṣātram12 = of a Ksatriya; svabhāvajam14 = born of his inherent
disposition.18.43 (18.43) Heroism, vigour, steadiness, resourcefulness,
not fleeing even in a battle, generosity and leadership, these
are the duties of a Kṣatriya born of his nature. Though the Kṣatriyas cannot claim to be spiritual
leaders, they have the qualities which enable them to adapt spiritual truths
to the requirements of action. कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं
वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम्
। परिचर्यात्मकं
कर्म शूद्रस्यापि
स्वभावजम् ॥१८-
४४॥ kṛṣigaurakṣyavāṇijyaṁ vaiśyakarma
svabhāvajam kṛṣi-gaurakṣya-vāṇijyam1 vaiśya-karma2
svabhāvajam3 kṛṣi-gaurakṣya-vāṇijyam1 = Cultivation, cow protection, and trade; vaiśya-karma2 = duties of Vaisya; [are] svabhāvajam3
= born of his own nature; paricaryātmakam4 = the nature of service; [and] karma5 = duty; śūdrasya6 = of the Sudra; api7 = also; [are] svabhāva-jam8 = born of his own inherent disposition. 18.44 (18.44) Agriculture, tending cattle and trade are the
duties of a Vaiśya born of his nature; work of the character of service
is the duty of a Sudra born of his nature. It is not a question of identical opportunities
for all men to rise to the highest station in social life, for men differ in
their powers, but a question of giving equal opportunities for all so
that they may bring their respective gifts to fruition. Each one should have
the opportunity of achieving his human fullness, the fruits of wisdom and
virtue, according to his effort and condition. It makes little difference
whether we dig the earth or do business or govern a state
or meditate in a cell. The varṇa rules recognize that different men
contribute to the general good in different ways, by supplying directly
urgent wants of which all are conscious and by being in their lives and work
witnesses to truth and beauty. Society is a functional organization and all functions
which are essential for the health of society are to be
regarded as socially equal. Individuals of varying capacities are bound together in a living organic social system.
Democracy is not an attempt at uniformity which is impossible but at an
integrated variety. All men are not equal in their capacities but all men are
equally necessary for society, and their contributions from their different
stations are of equal value.1 1 Mr. Gerald
Heard in his book on Man the Master (1942) emphasizes the need for a
"quadritype organization of society." He writes: "It would
seem then, that there have always been present in human community four types or strata of consciousness. We have already
spoken of the first level. These are the eyes or antennae, the emergent seers
and sensitives.... Below the eyes are the hands; behind the forebrain are the motor centers. The two mental classes below the
seers, the upper and lower middle classes, the politician
and the technician—it is to them that is mainly due our present crisis.
The one by its great advances in administration, in social instruments, has
made it possible for the monster states to exist—and so for
their unresolved internal stresses to become more acute. The other, by its
even greater technical advances in plant, in power machinery, in material
instruments has made our societies hypertrophies—organisms
of unbalanced internal structure and mutually deadly. Besides the two middle
classes already made unstable and disruptive by their becoming
individualized, there remained the basic, unspecialized, unquestioning class
or mass—the coherers. This class is not only capable of faith:
it will not hold together, it will not live without it" (pp. I33-7). Mr.
Heard reminds us that "the Aryan-Sanskrit sociological thought, which
first defined and named this fourfold structure of society, is as much ours as
India's" (p. I45) स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः
संसिद्धिं लभते
नरः । स्वकर्मनिरतः
सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति
तच्छृणु ॥१८- ४५॥ sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ sve
sve1 karmaṇi2
abhirataḥ3 saṁsiddhim4
labhate5 naraḥ6 abhirataḥ3 = Devoted to; sve sve1 = one's own; karmaṇi2 = duty; naraḥ6
= man;
labhate5 = attains; saṁsiddhim4 = perfection. śṛṇu12 = Hear; yathā9 = as; [to how] sva-karma-nirataḥ7 = one engaged in his own duty; vindati10 = attains/achieves;
tat11 = that; siddhim8 = success.18.45 (18.45) Devoted each to his own duty man attains
perfection. How one, devoted to one's own duty, attains perfection, that do thou hear. suesue karmaṇy abhirataḥ: devoted each to his own duty. Each of us should be loyal at our level to our
feelings and impulses; it is dangerous to attempt work beyond the level of
our nature, our svabhāva. Within the power of our nature, we must live
up fully to our duty. यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां
येन सर्वमिदं
ततम् । स्वकर्मणा
तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं
विन्दति मानवः
॥१८- ४६॥ yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁ yena sarvam idaṁ
tatam yataḥ1
pravṛttiḥ2 bhūtānām3
yena4 sarvam5
idam6 tatam7 [By doing] svakarmaṇā8 = his own duties; [and] abhyarcya10 = by worshipping; tam9 = Him; yataḥ1 = from whom; pravṛttiḥ2 = manifestation; [of] bhūtānām3 = all beings; [arises] yena4 = by whom; sarvam5 = all; idam6 = this; tatam7
= is pervaded; mānavaḥ13 = a man; vindati12 = attains; siddhim11 = perfection/success.18.46 (18.46) He from whom all beings arise and by whom all
this is pervaded-by worshipping Him through the performance of his own duty
does man attain perfection. Work is worship of the Supreme, man's homage to God.
The Gītā holds that quality and capacity are the basis of functional
divisions. Accepting the theory of rebirth, it holds that a man's inborn
nature is determined by his own past lives. All
forms of perfection do not lie in the same direction. Each one aims at
something beyond himself, at self-transcendence, whether he strives after
personal perfection, or lives for art or works for one's
fellows. See also XVIII, 48 and 60. श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो
विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्
। स्वभावनियतं
कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति
किल्बिषम् ॥१८-
४७॥ śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmot svanuṣṭhitāt śreyān1
svadharmaḥ2 viguṇaḥ3
paradharmāt4 su-anuṣṭhitāt5 śreyān1 = Better/superior; svadharmaḥ2 = one's own dharma/duty; [though] viguṇaḥ3 = imperfect/deficient; [than] paradharmāt4 = dharma of another; su-anuṣṭhitāt5 = perfectly done. [By] kurvan8 = doing; karma7 = duty; svabhāva-niyatam6 = according to one's own nature; [one] na9 = never; āpnoti10 = attains/incurs; kilbiṣam11 = sin.18.47 (18.47) Better is one's own law though imperfectly
carried out than the law of another carried out perfectly. One does not incur
sin when one does the duty ordained by one's own nature.
See III, 35. It is no use employing
our minds in tasks which are alien to our nature. In each of us lies a
principle of becoming, an idea of divine self-expression. It is our real
nature, svabhāva, finding partial expression in our various activities.
By following its guidance in our thought, aspiration
and endeavor, we progressively realize the intention of the Spirit for us.
What we call democracy is a way of life which requires us to respect the
rights of every human being to be a person, a unique entity. We should never
despise any man, for he can do something which others cannot. सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय
सदोषमपि न त्यजेत्
। सर्वारम्भा
हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः
॥१८- ४८॥ sahajaṁ karma kaunteya sadoṣam api na tyajet sahajam1
karma2 kaunteya3
sadoṣam4 api5
na6 tyajet7 kaunteya3 = O son of Kunti; [one should] na6 = never; tyajet7
= abandon/give up; sahajam1 = natural/innate/inborn; karma2 = duty; api5 = though; sadoṣam4 = defective. sarva-ārambhāḥ8 = All endeavors; hi9 = indeed; [are
afflicted] doṣeṇa10 = with defects; iva13 = as; agniḥ12 = fire; āvṛtāḥ14 = is surrounded/covered/enveloped; dhūmena11 = with smoke. 18.48 (18.48) One should not give up the work suited to one's
nature, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), though it may be defective, for
all enterprises are clouded by defects as
fire by smoke. असक्तबुद्धिः
सर्वत्र जितात्मा
विगतस्पृहः । नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं
परमां संन्यासेनाधिगच्छति
॥१८- ४९॥ asaktabuddhiḥ sarvatra jitātmā vigataspṛhaḥ asakta-buddhiḥ1
sarvatra2 jitātmā3
vigata-spṛhaḥ4 [He whose] asakta-buddhiḥ1 = Buddhi or intellect is unattached; sarvatra2 = everywhere; jitātmā3 = who has control over self; vigata-spṛhaḥ4 = whose desires departed; [who attained] naiṣkarmya-siddhim5 = perfection of non-action or transcendence of Karma; adhigacchati8 = attains; paramām6 = the Supreme; sannyāsena7 = through renunciation.18.49 (18.49) He whose understanding is unattached
everywhere, who has subdued his self and from whom desire has fled— he comes
through renunciation to the supreme state transcending all work. The Gītā repeats that restraint and
freedom from desire are essential to spiritual perfection. Attachment
to objects, a sense of ego, are the characteristics of our lower nature.
If we are to rise to a knowledge of our true self, self-possessed and
self-luminous, we must conquer our lower nature with its ignorance and
inertia, its love of worldly possessions, etc. naiṣkarmya: the state
transcending all work. It is not a complete withdrawal from all work. Such a
quietism is not possible so long as we live in the body, The Gītā
insists on inner renunciation. As the ego and nature are akin, the
liberated soul becorning Brahman, the Pure Self described as silent, calm,
inactive, acts in the world of prakṛti, knowing what the latter is. The
highest state is here described, not positively as
entering into the Lord but negatively as freedom from kāma. Karma Yoga and Absolute Perfection सिद्धिं
प्राप्तो यथा
ब्रह्म तथाप्नोति
निबोध मे । समासेनैव
कौन्तेय निष्ठा
ज्ञानस्य या परा
॥१८- ५०॥ siddhiṁ prāpto yathā
brahma tathāpnoti nibodha me siddhim1 prāptaḥ2 yathā3 brahma4 tathā5 āpnoti6 nibodha7 me8 nibodha7 = Learn; me8 = from me; samāsena9 = briefly; eva10 = indeed; kaunteya11 = O son of Kunti; prāptaḥ2 = having achieved; siddhim1 = spiritual perfection; [he] yathā3 = as tathā5 = by that; āpnoti6 = attains; brahma4 = Brahman; yā14 = which; [is] parā15 = the supreme; niṣṭhā12 = state; jñānasya13 = of knowledge. 18.50 (18.50) Hear from
me, in brief, O Son of Kuntī (Arjuna), how, having attained perfection,
he attains to the Brahman; that supreme consummation
of wisdom. S. writes:
"Though thus quite self-evident, easily knowable, quite near and forming the very self,
Brahman appears—to the
unenlightened, to those whose understanding is carried away by the differentiated phenomena of names and forms created
by ignorance, as unknown, difficult to know, very remote, as though he were a
separate thing." As there is no need of evidence for knowing one's own
body, even so there is no need of evidence for knowing the self which is nearer than the body. When we
turn away from the outward and train our understanding, it is
immediately comprehended. See IX, 2. बुद्ध्या
विशुद्ध्या युक्तो
धृत्यात्मानं
नियम्य च । शब्दादीन्विषयांस्त्यक्त्वा
रागद्वेषौ व्युदस्य
च ॥१८- ५१॥ buddhyā viśuddhayā
yukto dhṛtyātmānaṁ niyamya ca buddhyā1 viśuddhayā2 yuktaḥ3 dhṛtyā4 ātmānam5 niyamya6 ca7 yuktaḥ3 = Endowed with; viśuddhayā2 = pure; buddhyā1 = intellect; niyamya6 = controlling; ātmānam5 = the self; [with] dhṛtyā4 = steadiness; ca7 = and; tyaktvā10 = giving up/rejecting; viṣayān9 = sense objects; śabdādīn8 = beginning with sound; ca13 = and; vyudasya12 = casting aside; rāga-dveṣau11 = likes and dislikes... 18.51
continued (18.51)
Endowed with a pure understanding, firmly restraining oneself, turning away
from sound and other objects of sense and
casting aside attraction and aversion. विविक्तसेवी
लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानसः
। ध्यानयोगपरो
नित्यं वैराग्यं
समुपाश्रितः
॥१८- ५२॥ viviktasevī
laghvāśī yatavākkāyamānasaḥ vivikta-sevī1 laghu-āśī2 yata3 vāk-kāya-mānasaḥ4 vivikta-sevī1 = living in solitude; laghu-āśī2 = eating lightly; yata3 =controlling; vāk-kāya-mānasaḥ4 = speech, body, and mind; [engaged] nityam6 = always; dhyāna-yoga-paraḥ5 = in the highest as in
meditation and yoga; samupāśritaḥ8 = taking refuge in; vairāgyam7 = detachment or dispassion; 18.52 continued... (18.52)
Dwelling in solitude, eating but little, controlling speech, body and mind,
and ever engaged in meditation and concentration and taking refuge in
dispassion … Dhyānayoga
is taken as a dvandva compound
meaning "meditation on the nature of the self and mental concentration
thereon. S. अहंकारं
बलं दर्पं कामं
क्रोधं परिग्रहम्
। विमुच्य
निर्ममः शान्तो
ब्रह्मभूयाय
कल्पते ॥१८- ५३॥ ahaṁkāraṁ balaṁ
darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ ahaṅkāram1 balam2 darpam3 kāmam4 krodham5 vimucya7 = giving up; ahaṅkāram1 = ego; balam2 = power; darpam3 = pride; kāmam4 = lust; krodham5 = anger; parigraham6 = possession; [exercising] nirmamaḥ8 = indifference to a sense of mine;
[and upholding] śāntaḥ9 = peace; [he] kalpate11 = becomes worthy of; brahma-bhūyāya10 = absorption in Brahman. 18.53 (18.53)
And casting aside self-sense, force, arrogance, desire, anger, possession,
egoless and tranquil in mind, he becomes worthy of becoming one with Brahman. Aṭṭār
quotes a saying of Ibrāhim Adham: "Three veils must be removed
from before the pilgrim's heart ere the door of Happiness is opened to him.
First, that, should the dominion of both worlds be offered to him as an
eternal gift, he should not rejoice, since whosoever rejoiceth on account of any created thing is still covetous, and the
covetous man is debarred from the knowledge of God. The second veil is this, that,
should he possess the dominion of both worlds, and should
it be taken from him, he should not sorrow for his impoverishment, for
this is the sign of wrath and he who is in wrath is tormented. The third is
that he should not be beguiled by any praise or favour, for whosoever is so beguiled is
of mean spirit, and such a one is veiled (from the Truth): the pilgrim must
be high-minded." Browne: A Literary. History of Persia, Vol.
I (1902), p. 425. ब्रह्मभूतः
प्रसन्नात्मा
न शोचति न काङ्क्षति
। समः
सर्वेषु भूतेषु
मद्भक्तिं लभते
पराम् ॥१८- ५४॥ brahmabhūtaḥ
prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati brahma-bhūtaḥ1 prasanna-ātmā2 na śocati3 na kāṅkṣati4 brahma-bhūtaḥ1 = Being one with Brahman; prasanna-ātmā2 = the bliss-self; na śocati3 = does neither lament; na kāṅkṣati4 = nor desires; [being] samaḥ5 = the same; sarveṣu bhūteṣu6 = towards all beings; [he] labhate8 = gains; parām9 = supreme; madbhaktim7 = devotion to Me. 18.54 (18.54)
Having become one with Brahman, and being tranquil in spirit, he neither
grieves nor desires. Regarding all beings as alike he attains supreme devotion to Me. This verse
is another indication that, for the Gītā, disappearance of
the individual in a featureless Absolute is not the highest state but
devotion to the Supreme Lord who combines in Himself the immobile and the mobile. भक्त्या
मामभिजानाति
यावान्यश्चास्मि
तत्त्वतः । ततो
मां तत्त्वतो
ज्ञात्वा विशते
तदनन्तरम् ॥१८-
५५॥ bhaktyā mām
abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ bhaktyā1 mām2 abhijānāti3 yāvān4 yaḥ5 ca6 asmi7 tattvataḥ8 bhaktyā1 = Through devotion; mām2 = to Me; abhijānāti3 = he knows; tattvataḥ8 = in truth; yāvān4 = what I am; ca6 = and; yaḥ5 = who; asmi7 = I am; tataḥ9 = then; jñātvā12 = knowing; mām10 = Me; tattvataḥ11 = in truth; viśate13 = he enters; [into Me] tadanantaram14 = after that. 18.55 (18.55)
Through devotion he comes to know Me, what My measure is and who I am in
truth; then, having known Me in truth, he forthwith enters into Me. The
knower, the devotee, becomes one with the Supreme Lord, the Perfect Person,
in self-knowledge and self-experience, Jñāna, supreme wisdom and
bhakti, supreme devotion have the same goal. To become Brahman is to love God,
to know Him fully and to enter into His being. सर्वकर्माण्यपि
सदा कुर्वाणो
मद्व्यपाश्रयः
। मत्प्रसादादवाप्नोति
शाश्वतं पदमव्ययम्
॥१८- ५६॥ sarvakarmāṇy api sadā
kurvāṇo madvyapāśrayaḥ sarva1 karmāṇi2 api3 sadā4 kurvāṇaḥ5 madvyapāśrayaḥ6 kurvāṇaḥ5 api3 = While performing; sarva1 = all; karmāṇi2 = activities; sadā4 = all the time; madvyapāśrayaḥ6 = he who takes refuge in Me; avāpnoti8 = attains; śāśvatam9 = eternal; avyayam11 = imperishable; padam10 = abode; mat-prasādāt7 = by My Grace.18.56 (18.56) Doing
continually all actions whatsoever, taking refuge in Me, he reaches by My
grace the eternal, undying abode. It is also
the goal of karmamārga. In these three verses, the author indicates that
wisdom, devotion and work go together. Only the work is done with the knowledge that nature or prakṛti is
the power of the Divine and the individual is only an instrument of God. With
his heart fixed on the Eternal and through His grace, whatever he does, he
dwells eternally within the Great Abode. चेतसा
सर्वकर्माणि
मयि संन्यस्य
मत्परः । बुद्धियोगमुपाश्रित्य
मच्चित्तः सततं
भव ॥१८- ५७॥ cetasā sarvakarmāṇi
mayi saṁnyasya matparaḥ cetasā1 sarva-karmāṇi2 mayi3 sannyasya4 matparaḥ5 cetasā1 = Mentally; sannyasya4 = renouncing; sarva-karmāṇi2 = all actions; mayi3 = to Me; upāśritya7 = by observing; buddhi-yogam6 = concentration with your
intellect; [on] matparaḥ5 = Me as the Supreme; bhava10 = become such; [by] satatam9 = constantly; mat-cittaḥ8 = thinking of Me in your mind. 18.57 (18.57)
Surrendering in thought all actions to Me,
regarding Me as the Supreme and resorting
to steadfastness in understanding, do thou fix thy thought
constantly on Me. "Be
always one with Me in heart, will and consciousness.
A perfect self-giving to the Universal Lord makes Him the spirit of our life. मच्चित्तः
सर्वदुर्गाणि
मत्प्रसादात्तरिष्यसि
। अथ
चेत्त्वमहंकारान्न
श्रोष्यसि विनङ्क्ष्यसि
॥१८- ५८॥ maccittaḥ sarvadurgāṇi
matprasādat tariṣyasi maccittaḥ1 sarva-durgāṇi2 mat-prasādat3 tariṣyasi4 maccittaḥ1 = Concentrating your mind on Me; tariṣyasi4 = you will overcome (traverse); sarva-durgāṇi2 = all obstacles; mat-prasādat3 = by My Grace; atha5 = moreover; cet6 = if; tvam7 = you; ahaṅkārāt8 = because of ego; na9 = do not; śroṣyasi10 = listen; [you] vinaṅkṣyasi11 = will perish.18.58 (18.58) Fixing
thy thought on Me, thou shalt, by My grace,
cross over all difficulties; but if, from self-conceit, thou wilt not listen (to Me), thou shalt perish. Man is
free to choose salvation or perdition. If we fondly believe that we can resist
the will of the Almighty, we will come to grief. Defiance of God is due to
self-sense (ahaṁkāra) and it is powerless ultimately. यदहंकारमाश्रित्य
न योत्स्य इति
मन्यसे । मिथ्यैष
व्यवसायस्ते
प्रकृतिस्त्वां
नियोक्ष्यति
॥१८- ५९॥ yad ahaṁkāram
āśritya na yotsya iti manyase yat1 ahaṅkāram2 āśritya3 na3 yotsye4 iti5 manyase6 āśritya3 = Taking refuge; [in] yat1 = that; ahaṅkāram2 = ego; manyase6
= you think; na3 yotsye4 = I shall not fight; iti5 = thus. eṣaḥ8 = This; [is] mithya7 = false; vyavasāyaḥ9 = determination/decision; te10 = of yours. prakṛtiḥ11 = [your] nature;
niyokṣyati13
= will compel; tvām12 = you [to fight]. (18.59) If
indulging in self-conceit, thou thinkest ICI will not
fight." vain is this, thy resolve. Nature will compel thee. The desire
'not to fight" Will only be the expression of his surface nature: his
deeper being will lead him to fight. If he casts down his
arms for fear of suffering and holds back from the fight, and if
the war proceeds without him, and he realizes that the consequences of his
abstention would be disastrous to humanity, he will be impelled to take
up arms by the remorseless pressure of the Cosmic Spirit. He should try
therefore to further and cooperate with the cosmic evolution instead of
denying and oppos ing it. If he does so, he will change from an essentially determined
to a determining factor. It is Arjuna's lower nature that will cause the
confusion and the fall from the greater truth of his being. Now Arjuna has
seen the truth and he can act, not for selfish ends" but as a conscious
instrument of the Divine. The disciple must put aside all selfish fear and
obey his Inner Light which will carry him past all dangers and obstacles. God lays
down the conditions and it is for us to accept them. God lays down the
conditions and it is for us to accept them. We should not waste our strength
in fighting against the stream. Most of us are natural men, eager, impulsive and definite about our own little schemes, but
we must change. The way in which we can be most useful is by submission
to God's choice. St. Francis de Sales' favorite prayer sums up this spirit
of total subordination: 'Yes, Father! yes, and always Yes!"
स्वभावजेन
कौन्तेय निबद्धः
स्वेन कर्मणा
। कर्तुं
नेच्छसि यन्मोहात्करिष्यस्यवशोऽपि
तत् ॥१८- ६०॥ svabhāvajena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ
svena karmaṇā svabhāvajena1 kaunteya2 nibaddhaḥ3 svena4 karmaṇā5 svabhāvajena1 = Begotten by your nature; kaunteya2 = O Kaunteya; nibaddhaḥ3 = bound; svena4 = by your own; karmaṇā5 = activities; yat9 = that which; [you] icchasi8 = wish; na7 = not; kartum6 = to do; [because of] mohāt10 = delusion: api13 = even; tat14 = that; kariṣyasi11 = you will do; avaśa12 = against your will.18.60 (18.60)
That which, through delusion, thou wishest not to do, o son of
Kuntī (Arjuna) , that thou shalt do even against thy will,
fettered by thy own acts born of thy nature. You will be driven to do it by the compulsive power of your
nature. ईश्वरः
सर्वभूतानां
हृद्देशेऽर्जुन
तिष्ठति । भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि
यन्त्रारूढानि
मायया ॥१८- ६१॥ īśvaraḥ
sarvabhūtānāṁ hṛddeśerjuna tiṣṭhati īśvaraḥ1 sarva-bhūtānām2 hṛt-deśe3 arjuna4 tiṣṭhati5 īśvaraḥ1 = The Supreme Lord; tiṣṭhati5 = abides; hṛt-deśe3 = in the place of the heart; sarva-bhūtānām2 = of all beings. arjuna4 = O Arjuna; [Isvara] bhrāmayan6 = spins; sarva-bhūtāni7 = all beings; [as if] ārūḍhāni9 = mounted on; yantra8 = a machine; māyayā10 = through Maya.18.61 (18.6I)
The Lord abides in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing them to turn
round by His power as if they were mounted
on a machine. The relations of our unborn nature and its fateful compulsion are
regulated by the Divine who dwells in our hearts and guides and constrains
our development. The power that determines events is not, as in Hardy,
a blind, unfeeling, unthinking will to which we give the name of "Fate,"
"Destiny," or "Chance."1 The Spirit
that rules the cosmos, the Lord who presides over the evolution of the cosmic
plan, is seated also in the heart of every being and
will not let him rest. "Without Thee we cannot live for a moment. As the
truth Thou dost exist eternally within and without. The
Supreme is the inmost self of our existence. All life is a movement of the
rhythm of His life and our powers and acts are all derived
from Him. If, in our ignorance, we forget this deepest truth, the truth does
not alter. If we live consciously in His truth, we will resign all actions to
God and escape from our ego. If we do not, even then the truth will prevail.
Sooner or later we will yield to the purpose of God but in the meanwhile
there is no compulsion. The Supreme desires our free co-operation when beauty
and goodness are born without travail and effortlessly. When we become
transparent media for the light of God, He uses us for His work. I Like a
knitter drowsed, Whose
fingers play in skilled unmindfulness The will
has woven with an absent heed Since life
first was, and ever will so weave. तमेव
शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन
भारत । तत्प्रसादात्परां
शान्तिं स्थानं
प्राप्स्यसि
शाश्वतम् ॥१८-
६२॥ tam eva śaraṇaṁ
gaccha sarvabhāvena bhārata tam1 eva2 śaraṇam3 gaccha4 sarva-bhāvena5 bhārata6 bhārata6 = O Scion of Bharata; gaccha4 = take; śaraṇam3 = refuge/surrender; tam1 eva2 = in Him; sarva-bhāvena5 = with all your being. tat-prasādāt7 = By His Grace; prāpsyasi11 = you will attain; parām8 = Supreme; śāntim19 = peace; [and] śāśvatam12 = eternal; sthānam10 = abode. 18.62 (18.62)
Flee unto Him for shelter with all thy being, O Bharata (Arjuna).
By His grace shalt thou obtain supreme peace and eternal abode. sarvabhāvena: with all thy being. We must grow conscious of the
Divine on all the planes of our being. The love of Rādhā for Kṛṣṇa
is the symbol of integral love in all planes of being from the spiritual to
the physical. Arjuna is called upon to co-operate
with God and do his duty. He must change the whole orientation of his being.
He must put himself at the service of the Supreme. His illusion will then be
dispelled, the bond of cause and consequence will be broken
and he will attain shadowless light, perfect harmony and supreme blessedness. इति
ते ज्ञानमाख्यातं
गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं
मया । विमृश्यैतदशेषेण
यथेच्छसि तथा
कुरु ॥१८- ६३॥ iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ
guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā iti1 te2 jñānam3 ākhyātam4 guhyāt5 guhyataram6 mayā7 iti1 = Thus; jñānam3 = knowledge; guhyataram6 = more secret; guhyāt5 = than the most secret; ākhyātam4 = has been related; te2 = to you; mayā7= by Me. vimṛśya8 = Reflect; etat9 = on this; aśeṣeṇa10 = fully; [and] kuru14 = do; yatha11 = as; icchasi12 = you wish; tathā13 = likewise. 18.63 (18.63) Thus
has wisdom more secret than all secrets, been declared to thee by Me. Reflect
on it fully and do as thou choosest. vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa: reflect on
it fully. We must use our intelligence,1 exercise our discrimination. I Cp, M.B.
XII, 141, 102. tasmāt
kaunteya viduṣā dharmādkarmaviniścaye buddhim āsthāya lokesmin
vartitavyaṁ kṛtātmanā. yatha11 icchasi12 tathā13 kuru14 = do as thou choosest. God is
seemingly indifferent, for He leaves the, decision to Arjuna's choice. His
apparent indifference is due to His anxiety that each one of us should get to Him of his own free choice. He constrains no
one since free spontaneity is valuable. Man is to be wooed
and not coerced into co-operation. He is to be drawn, not driven, persuaded, not compelled. The Supreme does not impose His command. We
are free at any moment to reject or accept the Divine call. The integral
surrender should be made with the fullest consent of
the seeker. God does not do the climbing for us,
though He is ever ready to help us when we stumble, comfort us when we fall. God is
prepared to wait in patience till we tum to Him. The
conflict between the doctrine of human freedom and that of predestination has
roused much discussion in Europe and India. Thomas Aquinas holds that freedom
of the will and human effort play a chief part in
man's salvation, though the will itself may need the support of God's grace.
"Whence, the predestined must strive after good works and prayer;
because through these means predestination is most certainly fulfilled ...
and therefore predestination can be furthered by creatures, but it cannot be impeded by
them. "1 Man has
the freedom to refuse the grace offered to him by God. Bonaventura thinks
that it is God's intention to offer grace to man but only those who prepare
themselves for its reception by their conduct, receive it. For Duns Scotus,
since freedom of the will is God's command, even God has no direct influence
on man's decision. Man can co-operate with God's grace but he can also
refrain from it. Spiritual
leaders act on us not by physical violence, miraclemongering
or spell-binding. A true teacher does not assume a false responsibility. Even
if the pupil takes a wrong turn, he would only counsel but not compel him to
turn back, if such a procedure should interfere with his individual freedom
of choice. Even error is a condition of growth. The teacher encourages the
pupil's early steps even as the father does the tottering steps of the child.
He stretches out a hand to help, when he trips but he leaves it to the
disciple to choose his path and control his steps. Kṛṣṇa
is only the charioteer; he will obey Arjuna's direction. He bears no arms. If
he influences Arjuna, it is through his allconquering love which is
inexhaustible. Arjuna should think for himself and discover for himself. He
should not act from simple and blind beliefs acquired from habit or
authority. Inarticulated assumptions adopted inevitably and emotionally have
led to fanatic bigotries and caused untold human misery. It is therefore
important that the mind should seek rational and experiential justification
for its beliefs. Arjuna must have a sense of real integrity, that his ideas
are his own and not those imposed on him by his teacher. Teaching is not
indoctrination. I Summa
Theologica E..T. by the
Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Second
Edition (1929), Part I Q. 23, Art. 8. सर्वगुह्यतमं
भूयः शृणु मे परमं
वचः । इष्टोऽसि
मे दृढमिति ततो
वक्ष्यामि ते
हितम् ॥१८- ६४॥ sarvaguhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ
śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ sarva-guhya-tamam1 bhūyaḥ2 śṛṇu3 me4 paramam5 vacaḥ6 śṛṇu3 = Hear; me4 = from Me; bhūyaḥ2 = again; paramam5 = the Supreme; vacaḥ6 = word; sarva-guhya-tamam1 = the most secret of all: iti12 = thus; asi9 = you are; dṛḍham11 = very; iṣṭaḥ8 = dear; me10 = to Me. tataḥ13 = Therefore; vakṣyāmi14 = I speak; te15 = to you; [for your] hitam16 = benefit. 18.64 (18.64)
Listen again to My supreme word, the most secret of all. Well beloved art
thou of Mel therefore I shall tell thee what is good for thee. मन्मना
भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी
मां नमस्कुरु
। मामेवैष्यसि
सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने
प्रियोऽसि मे
॥१८- ६५॥ manmanā bhava madbhakto
madyājī māṁ namaskuru manmanā1 bhava2 mad-bhaktaḥ3 madyājī4 mām5 namaskuru6 manmanā1 = Keeping your thoughts on Me; bhava2 = become; mad-bhaktaḥ3 = My votary; madyājī4 = My sacrificer. namaskuru6 = Do obeisance;
mām5 = to Me. mām7 = To Me; eva8 = indeed; eṣyasi9 = you will come. [I] satyam10 = truly; pratijāne12 = promise; te11 = to you; asi14 = you are; priyaḥ13 = dear; me15 = to Me. 18.65 (18.65)
Fix thy mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice
to Me; prostrate thyself before Me; so shalt thou come to Me. I promise thee
truly, for thou art dear to Me. The
ultimate mystery, the supreme teaching with which the teacher wound up
Chapter IX (34) is repeated here. Thought, worship, sacrifice and reverence, all must be directed to the Lord.
We must let ourselves go in a simple, sustained, trustful surrender of oneself to God, open
ourselves out to Him in the words of the Christian hymn. O Love, I give myself to Thee, Thine ever, only Thine to be. God
discloses His nature, His graciousness and love and eagerness to take us back
to Him. He is waiting, ready to enter and take possession of us, if only we open our
hearts to Him. Our spiritual life depends as much on our going to Him, as on
His coming to us. It is not only our ascent to God but His descent to man.
Look at the words of the poet Tagore: Hast thou not heard His silent steps? He comes, comes, ever comes. The love
of God is pressing in on our souls and if we throw ourselves open to His
perpetual coming, He will enter our soul, c1eanse and
redeem our nature and make us shine like a blazing light. God, who is
ever ready to help, is waiting only for our trustful
appeal to Him. सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य
मामेकं शरणं व्रज
। अहं
त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो
मोक्षयिष्यामि
मा शुचः ॥१८- ६६॥ sarvadharmān parityajya mām
ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja sarva-dharmān1 parityajya2 mām3 ekam4 śaraṇam vraja5 parityajya2 = abandoning; sarva-dharmān1 = all duties; śaraṇam vraja5 = take refuge; mām3 = in Me; ekam4 = only/alone . aham6 = I; mokṣyayiṣyāmi9 = shall deliver; tvā7 = you; sarva-pāpebhyaḥ8 = from all sins. ma10 = do not; śucaḥ11 = worry.18.66 (18.66)
Abandoning all duties, come to Me alone for shelter. Be not grieved, for I
shall release thee from all evils. We should willingly
yield to His pressure, completely surrender to His will
and take shelter in His love. If we destroy confidence in our own little self
and replace it by perfect confidence in God He will
save us. God asks of us total self-giving and gives us in return the power of
the spirit, which changes every situation. Arjuna was perturbed by the various duties, ritualistic and
ethical, that the war will result in the confusion of castes and indifference
to the ancestors as well as in the violation of sacred duties of reverence
for the teachers, etc. Kṛṣṇa tells him not to worry about
these laws and usages but to trust Him and bow to His win. If he
consecrates his life, actions, feelings and thoughts, and surrenders himself
to God, He will guide him through the fight of life and he need
have no fears. Surrender is the easiest way to self-transcendence. "He
only is fit to contemplate the Divine light who is the slave to nothing, not
even to his virtues." Ruysbroeck. If we are
to realize our destinies, we must stand naked and guileless before the
Supreme. We, now and then, vainly try to cover
ourselves up and hide the truth from the Lord. That way the gopis failed to
realize their destinies. We do not
even seek God as await His touch. When we tum to Him and let Him fill our
whole being. our responsibility ceases. He deals
with us and leads us beyond all sorrow. It is an unreserved
surrender to the Supreme who takes us up and raises us to our utmost possible
perfection. Though the Lord conducts the world according to fixed laws
and expects us ,to conform to the law of right
action based on our nature and station in life, if we take shelter in Him, we
transcend all these. A seemingly outer help must come to man, for his soul
cannot deliver itself from the trap in which it is caught
by its own effort. When we wait on God without words and desire only His
taking hold of us, the help comes. Cp, "He, who cares nothing: for
merits and demerits even though taught by Me, who, setting aside all duties,
serves Me alone, is the greatest."1 The
followers of R. look upon this verse as the carama śloka or the final
verse of the whole book. I ajñāyaivaṁ guṇān doṣān mayādiāṭān
api svakāu dharmān saṁtyajya yaḥ sarvān bhajet sa hi sattamaḥ. इदं
ते नातपस्काय
नाभक्ताय कदाचन
। न
चाशुश्रूषवे
वाच्यं न च मां
योऽभ्यसूयति
॥१८- ६७॥ idaṁ te nātapaskāya
nābhaktāya kadācana idam1 te2 na3 atapaskāya4 na5 abhaktāya6 kadācana7 idam1 = This; [should] na3 = not; [be divulged or taught] te2 = by you: na5 = neither; [to] atapaskāya4 = one who is not a Tapasvin; ca9 = and; na8 = nor; [to] abhaktāya6 = one who is not a devotee; na12 = nor; [to] aśuśrūṣave10 = one who has no desire to listen to;
[My] vācyam11 = words; ca13 = and; [to] yaḥ = one who; abhyasūyati16 = speaks ill; mām14 = of Me; kadācana7 = at any time. 18.67 (18.67)
Never is this to be spoken by thee to one who is not austere in life or who
has no devotion in him or who is not obedient or who speaks ill of Me. Only those
who are disciplined, loving and have a desire to
serve are capable of understanding the message; others may listen to it and
abuse it. य
इमं परमं गुह्यं
मद्भक्तेष्वभिधास्यति
। भक्तिं
मयि परां कृत्वा
मामेवैष्यत्यसंशयः
॥१८- ६८॥ ya imaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
madbhakteṣv abhidhāsyati yaḥ1 imam2 paramam3 guhyam4 madbhakteṣu5 abhidhāsyati6 yaḥ1 = He who; abhidhāsyati6 = teaches; imam2 = this; paramam3 = Supreme; guhyam4 = Secret; madbhakteṣu5 = to My devotees; [is] kṛtvā10 = doing/offering; parām9 = Supreme; bhaktim7 = devotion; mayi8 = to Me; eṣyati13 = attains; mām11 = Me; eva12 = indeed; asaṁśayaḥ14 = without any doubt. 18.68 (18.68) He
who teaches this supreme secret to My devotees, showing the highest devotion
to Me, shall doubtless come to Me. It is the duty
of those who are previously initiated to initiate their uninitiated brethren.1 1asaṁskṛtās tu saṁskāryāḥ bhrātṛbhiḥ pūrvasaṁskṛtaiḥ. Cp. durjanaḥ
sajjano bhūyāt sajjanaḥ śāntim āpnuyāt śānto mucyeta bandhebhyo muktaś cānyān
vimocayet. May the wicked
become virtuous, may the virtuous attain tranquility, may the tranquil be
freed from bonds, may the freed make others free. न
च तस्मान्मनुष्येषु
कश्चिन्मे प्रियकृत्तमः
। भविता
न च मे तस्मादन्यः
प्रियतरो भुवि
॥१८- ६९॥ na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
kaścin me priyakṛttamaḥ na1 ca2 tasmāt3 manuṣyeṣu4 kaścit5 me6 priya-kṛt-tamaḥ7 ca2 = And; [there is] na1 = no; kaścit5 = one; tasmāt3 = other than him;
manuṣyeṣu4 = among men; priya-kṛt-tamaḥ7 = dearer; me6 = to Me; ca10 = and; na9 = nor; bhavitā8 = will there be; anyaḥ13 = anyone; priyataraḥ14 = dearer; me11 = to Me; tasmāt12 = than him; bhuvi15 = in the world. 18.69 (18.69) There
is none among men who does dearer service to Me than he; nor shall there be
another dearer to Me in the world. The great
ones who have crossed the ocean of samsara and help others
to cross are the dearest to God. अध्येष्यते
च य इमं धर्म्यं
संवादमावयोः
। ज्ञानयज्ञेन
तेनाहमिष्टः
स्यामिति मे मतिः
॥१८- ७०॥ adhyeṣyate ca ya imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṁvādam
āvayoḥ adhyeṣyate1
ca2 yaḥ3
imam4 dharmyam5
saṁvādam6 āvayoḥ7 ca2 = And; yaḥ3
= he who; adhyeṣyate1 = will learn by study; imam4 = this; saṁvādam6 = dialogue; āvayoḥ7
= of us two; dharmyam5 = steeped in virtue; aham10 = I; syām12 = shall be; iṣṭaḥ11 = worshipped; tena9 = by him; jñāna-yajñena8 = through sacrifice
of knowledge; iti13 = thus; [is] me14 = My; matiḥ15 = opinion. 18.70 (1.70) And he who studies this sacred dialogue
of ours, by him I would be worshipped through the sacrifice of knowledge, so
I hold. श्रद्धावाननसूयश्च
शृणुयादपि यो
नरः । सोऽपि मुक्तः
शुभाँल्लोकान्प्राप्नुयात्पुण्यकर्मणाम्
॥१८- ७१॥ śraddhāvān anasūyaś ca śṛṇuyād
api yo naraḥ śraddhāvān1
anasūyaḥ2 ca3
śṛṇuyāt4
api5 yaḥ6
naraḥ7 śraddhāvān1 = The faithful; ca3 = and; anasūyaḥ2
= the good-willed; naraḥ7
= man; śṛṇuyāt4 = listens; api5 = indeed; api9 = also; saḥ8 = he; yaḥ6
= who; [is] muktaḥ10 = free; prāpnuyāt13 = attains; śubhān11 = auspicious; lokān12 = world; [of] puṇya-karmaṇām14 = pious Karmics (the pious).
18.71 (18.71) And the man who listens to it with faith
and without scoffing, even he, being liberated, shall attain to the happy
worlds of the righteous. कच्चिदेतच्छ्रुतं
पार्थ त्वयैकाग्रेण
चेतसा । कच्चिदज्ञानसंमोहः
प्रनष्टस्ते
धनंजय ॥१८- ७२॥ kaccid etac chrutaṁ pārtha tvayaikāgreṇa
cetasā kaccit1
etat2 śrutam3
pārtha4 tvayā5
ekāgreṇa6 cetasā7 pārtha4 = O Partha; kaccit1 = has; etat2 = this; śrutam3 = been heard; tvayā5 = by you; [with] ekāgreṇa6 = one-pointed; cetasā7= mind? kaccit8 = Has; te13 = your; saṁmohaḥ11 = delusion; [born of] ajñāna10 = ignorance; [been] pranaṣṭaḥ12 = destroyed; dhanañjaya14 = O Dhananjaya ?18.72 (18.72) O Pārtha (Arjuna), has this been
heard by thee with thy thought fixed to one point? O Winner of wealth
(Arjuna), has thy
distraction (of
thought) caused by ignorance been dispelled? Conclusion अर्जुन उवाच नष्टो मोहः
स्मृतिर्लब्धा
त्वत्प्रसादान्मयाच्युत
। स्थितोऽस्मि
गतसन्देहः करिष्ये
वचनं तव ॥१८- ७३॥ arjuna uvāca arjuna uvāca arjuna uvāca = Arjuna said: [my] mohaḥ2 = delusion; naṣṭaḥ1 = has been destroyed; [and] smṛtiḥ3 = knowledge/memory; labdhā4 = has been gained; mayā6 = by me; tvat-prasādāt5
= because of Your Grace. acyuta7= O Acuyta [Krishna]; asmi9 = I am; sthitaḥ8 = firm; gata10 = removed; [of] saṁdehaḥ11 = doubts. kariṣye12 = I shall act; [according to] tava14 = Your; vacanam13 = words.18.73 Arjuna said: (18.73) Destroyed is my delusion and recognition has
been gained by me
through thy grace, O Acyuta (Krsna).I stand firm with my doubts dispelled, I shall act according
to Thy word. Arjuna turns to his appointed action, not with an egoistic mind but
with self-knowledge.1 His
illusions are destroyed, his doubts are dispelled.
The chosen instrument of God takes up the duty set to it by the Lord of the
world. He will now do God's bidding. He realizes that He made us for His
ends, not our own. Freedom to choose rightly depends on moral training.
Through sheer goodness we rise up to a liberty of spirit) which carries us
out of the grossness to which the flesh is prone. Arjuna had the onset of
temptation and won his way to a liberating victory. He feels that he will
fulfil the command of God as He is there
to strengthen him. It is our duty to live in the spirit of the
verse, ''As I am ordained by Thee, O Hṛṣīkeśa, seated in my heart,
so I act."2 Jesus says: I seek not my own will
but the will of Him who sent me." We must live
as God would have us live in His eternal life. To will what God wills is the
secret of diving life. When Jesus cried "May
this cup pass from me,'' He was yet having His own
preferences and asked for personal satisfaction. He wished to escape the
bitter humiliation and death, but when He uttered "Thy will be done," "kariṣye vacanam tava,'' he gave up His
separate existence and identified
Himself with the work of the Father who sent Him.3 This evolution means a great shedding of all pretenses and evasions, a
stripping of all sheaths, a vastrāpaharaṇa, the self-naughting of the soul. I ajñānasaṁmohanāśa
ātmasmṛtitābhaḥ. Ś 2 tvayā
hṛṣīkeśa hṛdisthitena, yathā niyuktosmi tathā karomi 3 Mark XIV, 32-41. "As
the Father gave me commandment, even so I do." John
xiv, 31. संजय उवाच इत्यहं वासुदेवस्य
पार्थस्य च महात्मनः
। संवादमिममश्रौषमद्भुतं
रोमहर्षणम् ॥१८-
७४॥ sañjaya uvāca sañjaya uvāca sañjaya uvāca = Sanjaya said: iti1 = thus; aham2 = I; aśrauṣam9 = heard; imam8 = this; adbhutam10 = marvelous; saṁvādam7 = conversation; vāsudevasya3 = of Vāsudeva; ca5 = and; pārthasya4 = of Partha; mahātmanaḥ6
= the Great-souled [warrior]; roma-harṣaṇam11 = causing horripilation. 18.74 Samjaya said: (18.74) Thus have I heard this wonderful dialogue
between Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) and the high-souled
Pārtha (Arjuna) causing my hair to stand on end. व्यासप्रसादाच्छ्रुतवानेतद्गुह्यमहं
परम् । योगं योगेश्वरात्कृष्णात्साक्षात्कथयतः
स्वयम् ॥१८- ७५॥ vyāsaprasādāc chrutavān etad guhyam ahaṁ param vyāsa-prasādāt1
śrutavān2 etat3
guhyam4 aham5
param6 vyāsa-prasādāt1 = By the Grace of Vyasdeva; aham5 = I; śrutavān2 = heard; etat3 = this; param6= Supreme; guhyam4 = secret; [and] yogam7 = Yoga; sākṣāt10 = directly; kṛṣṇāt9 = from Krishna; yogeśvarāt8 = Lord of Yoga; svayam12 = Himself; kathayataḥ11 = speaking [to Arjuna]. 18.75 (18.75) By the grace of Vyāsa, I heard this
supreme secret, this yoga taught by Kṛṣṇa himself, the Lord
of yoga, in person Vyāsa
granted to Saṁjaya the power to see and hear from a distance all that transpired on the battlefield
so that he might report the
events to the blind King Dḥṛtarāṣṭra. राजन्संस्मृत्य
संस्मृत्य संवादमिममद्भुतम्
। केशवार्जुनयोः
पुण्यं हृष्यामि
च मुहुर्मुहुः
॥१८- ७६॥ rājan saṁsmṛtya saṁsmṛtya saṁvādam
imam rājan1
saṁsmṛtya2 saṁsmṛtya3
saṁvādam4 imam5 rājan1 = O king; saṁsmṛtya2 saṁsmṛtya3
= remembering again and again; imam5
= this; adbhutam6 = wonderful; ca11 = and; puṇyam9 = pious;
saṁvādam4 = dialogue; [between] keśava7 = Kesava; [and] arjunayoḥ8 Arjuna; hṛṣyāmi10 = I am thrilled with joy; muhuḥ muhuḥ12 = every moment upon moment. 18.76 (18.76) O King, as I recall again and again this
dialogue, wondrous and holy; of Keśava (Kṛṣṇa)
and Arjuna, I thrill with joy again and again. तच्च संस्मृत्य
संस्मृत्य रूपमत्यद्भुतं
हरेः । विस्मयो मे
महान् राजन्हृष्यामि
च पुनः पुनः ॥१८-
७७॥ tac ca saṁsmṛtya saṁsmṛtya rūpam atyadbhutaṁ
hareḥ tat1
ca2 saṁsmṛtya saṁsmṛtya3
rūpam4 ati5
adbhutam6 hareḥ7 ca2 = And; saṁsmṛtya saṁsmṛtya3 = remembering again and again; tat1 = that; ati5 = greatly; adbhutam6 = wondrous; rūpam4 = form; [of] hareḥ7
= Hari [Bhagavan Krishna]; [in] mahān10 = great; vismayaḥ8 = amazement; ca13 = and; me9 = I; hṛṣyāmi12 = rejoice; punaḥ punaḥ14 = again and again; rājan11 = O King. 18.77 1 (18.77) And as often as I recall that most wondrous
form of Hari (Kṛṣṇa), great is my astonishment, O King, and
I thrill with joy again and again. saṁsmṛtya
saṁsmṛtya3: as often
as I recall. The dialogue of Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna and the fact
of God are not philosophical propositions but are spiritual facts. We do not
learn their meaning by simply recounting them but by dwelling upon them in a
spirit of prayer and meditation. यत्र योगेश्वरः
कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो
धनुर्धरः । तत्र श्रीर्विजयो
भूतिर्ध्रुवा
नीतिर्मतिर्मम
॥१८- ७८॥ yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho
dhanurdharaḥ yatra1
yogeśvaraḥ2 kṛṣṇaḥ3
yatra4 pārthaḥ5
dhanuḥ-dharaḥ6 yatra1 = Where; [there is] kṛṣṇaḥ3 = Krishna; yogeśvaraḥ2 = the Lord of Yoga; yatra4 = where; [there is] pārthaḥ5 = partha; dhanuḥ-dharaḥ6
= the archer; tatra7 = there; [are] śrīḥ8 = fortune; vijayaḥ9 = victory; bhūtiḥ10 = power; [and] dhruvā11 = firm; nītiḥ12 = morality. [that is] mama14 = my; matiḥ13 = opinion.18.78 (18.78) Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the
lord of yoga, and Pārtha (Arjuna), the archer, I think, there will
surely be fortune, victory, welfare and morality. The teaching of the Gītā is yoga and the teacher is yogeśvara. When the human soul becomes
enlightened and united with the Divine, fortune and
victory, welfare, and morality are assured. We are called upon to unite vision
(yoga) and energy (dhanuḥ) and not allow the former to degenerate
into madness or the latter into savagery. "The great centralities of religion,"
as Baron Von Hugel loved to call them, the tremendous facts of life divine
are yoga, the realization of God through worship and entire submission to His
will and dhanuḥ or active participation in the
furtherance of the cosmic plan. Spiritual vision and social service should go
together. The double purpose of human life, personal should go together. The double purpose of human
life, personal perfection and social efficiency is
indicated here.1 When Plato prophesied that there would be no good government
in the world until philosophers became kings, he meant that human perfection was a sort of
marriage between high thought and just action. This, according to the Gītā, must be, forever, the aim of man. iti . . . mokṣasaṁnyāsayogo nāmā ' ṣṭadaśo 'dhyāyaḥ iti śrīmadbhagavadgītā upaniṣadaḥ samāptāḥ This is the eighteenth chapter entitled The Yoga of
Release by Renunciation, Here the Bhagavadgītā-Upaniṣad ends.
I Cp,
"That holy world I fain would know, wherein the priesthood and the kingship
move together in one accord." Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā
XX, 5. |