SRI GITAMRTA

C H A P T E R O N E

Dhrtarastra: O Sanjaya, what is happening with my sons and the sons of Pandu since they assembled at Kuruksetra for battle?

Sanjaya: Maharaja, after looking over the Pandavas’ military formation, your son approached Dronacarya and began to speak.

Duryodhana: Acarya!, behold the vast Pandava army so expertly arranged by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada. In this army are many heroic bowmen equal to Bhima and Arjuna. Great fighters like Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada. There are also powerful fighters like Dhrstaketu, Cekitana, Kasiraja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and Saibya. Look, there is Yudhamanyu, the powerful Uttamauja, the son of Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. All these warriors are powerful chariot fighters.

But for your information, O best of the brahmanas, let me tell you about the warriors who are especially qualified to lead my armies. They are personalities like your good self, Bhisma, Karna, Krpa, Asvattama, Vikarna, and Bhurisrava. They are always victorious in battle. And there are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake. All of them are well-equipped with many weapons and all are experienced in military science. Our strength is immeasurable. We are perfectly protected by grandfather Bhisma, but the strength of the Pandavas is limited. Every-one must now give full support to Bhisma while standing at our respective strategic points of entrance into the phalanx of the army.

Sanjaya: Then Bhisma blew his conchshell very loudly like a roaring lion which gave Duryodhana joy. Bhisma was thinking:

Bhisma: Victory or defeat is in the Lord’s hands, but I’ll do my duty as a ksatriya and give my life. And now that I’ve blown my conchshell, Krishna will respond by blowing His conchshell, which I long to hear.

Sanjaya: After that, the conchshells, drums, bugles, trumpets and horns all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous. On the other side of the battlefield, both Krishna and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells. Krishna blew His conchshell, called Pancajanya; Arjuna blew his, the Devadatta, and Bhima blew his terrific conchshell called Paundra. King Yudhisthira, blew his conchshell, the Ananta-vijay. Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosa and Manipuspaka. That great archer, the king of Kasi, the great fighter Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna, Virata, the unconquerable Satyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadi and the others all blew their respective conchshells. The sound became uprorious, vibrating both in the sky and on the earth. It shattered the hearts of your sons, Maharaja. At that time, Arjuna, seated in the chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanuman, took up his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows. After looking at your sons drawn in military array, Arjuna then spoke to Krishna:

Arjuna: O Krishna, please bring my chariot between the two armies so that I may see those present here with whom I must contend in this great battle.

Krishna: [JOKINGLY] Why, you will simply see friends and make friends, Arjuna.

Arjuna: No. I want to see those who have come here to fight wishing to please that evil-minded son of Dhrtarastra.

Sanjaya: O King, having been addressed by Arjuna, Krishna drew up their chariot in the midst of both armies. In the presence of all the great warriors of the world and directly facing Bhisma and Drona, Krsna said:

Krsna: Just behold Partha, all the Kurus assembled here.

Sanjaya: There Arjuna could see within the midst of the armies, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons and friends. When Arjuna saw all these different friends and relatives he became overwhelmed with compassion.

Arjuna: O Krishna, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit I feel my body quivering. My mouth is drying up. My hair is standing on end. My Gandiva bow is slipping from my hand and my skin is burning. I am unable to stand here any longer. My mind is reeling, Krsna. I see only causes of disaster in this war.

Krishna: But you’ll get a kingdom, Arjuna.

Arjuna: I do not want a kingdom. Nor can I see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle. O Govinda, why should I think of getting a kingdom? What is the use of a kingdom, happiness, or even life itself in the absence of those we want to enjoy them with? O Madhusudana, when my grandfather, teachers, and other relatives are ready to give up their lives and are standing before me, why should I wish to kill them even though they might kill me?

Krishna: So do not kill your elders, Partha. But at least kill the sons of Dhrtarastra.

Arjuna: No. What happiness will I get from that? I might enjoy the kingdom for a short time, but I’ll suffer so long for having killed them. Sin will overcome me if I slay my relatives. I’ll not get happiness.

Krishna: But they are aggressors, Arjuna. There is no sin for killing aggressors.

Arjuna: Certainly there is sin.

Krishna: Why are you so sure, when sastra says the opposite?

Arjuna: Artha sastra says there is no sin, but dharma sastra is higher and dharma sastra says that there is sin from killing aggressors.

Krishna: You do not know the truth, Arjuna.

Arjuna: I know the results that will come, especially for the destruction of the dynasty. [PAUSE] Why shouldn’t we refrain from fighting, Krishna?

Krishna: Why aren’t Bhisma and Drona refraining? They also know these things.

Arjuna: Their hearts are overtaken by greed, but we know. Why should we act like them?

Krishna: But a ksatriya’s duty is to fight when challenged.

Arjuna: But I see the imminent result of family destruction. With the destruction of dynasty, the family tradition is lost and the rest of the family becomes irreligious. When irreligion is prominent in the family, the women of the family become polluted, and from the degradation of womanhood comes unwanted progeny. O Krishna, I have heard by authorities that those who destroy family traditions go to hell. How strange it is that we are preparing to commit such great sins, driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness. I deserve to be killed unarmed on the battlefield for even considering killing my kinsmen.

Sanjay: Then Arjuna cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, overwhelmed with grief.

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C H A P T E R T W O

Sanjaya: Seeing Arjuna full of compassion, depressed and crying, Krishna began to speak:

Krishna: Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the values of life. They do not lead to higher planets, but to infamy. O son of Prtha, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not become you. Give up this petty weakness of heart and arise, O chastiser of the enemy.

Arjuna: Krsna, this is not impotency. It’s discrimination based on religious principles. When I see Bhisma and Drona, my heart feels for them.

Krishna: This is weakness of heart, Arjuna. Give it up. You are Partha, the son of Indradeva.

Arjuna: It’s not weakness but compassion, Krishna.

Krishna: Give it up, Arjuna. Get ready to fight. You are Parantapa, chastiser of enemies. Do not become the object of ridicule.

Arjuna: But how can I fight men like Bhisma and Drona?

Krishna: Why shouldn’t you fight with them?

Arjuna: Because they are worshipable. I should offer them flowers, not arrows. I would rather beg than live after having taken the lives of my superiors. I am ready to give up my fame and take up begging. At least my future will not be spoiled. Besides, great souls like Bhisma are not fallen and therefore should never be disrespected.

Krishna: Bhisma has lost his greatness having been purchased by Kaurava grains, Arjuna.

Arjuna: Still, killing him will cause me misery. The spoils of victory will be contaminated having been acquired from that lowly Duryodhana. O Krsna, I do not even know which is better—conquering them or being conquered by them. If I kill the sons of Dhrtarastra I shall not care to live. Yet they are now standing before us on the battlefield.

Krishna: Fight or beg Arjuna - the choice is yours.

Arjuna: Which is better, Krishna? Who will win?

Krishna: You will win Arjuna. You are pious and a great fighter.

Arjuna: But I do not desire to live or win, what to speak of enjoying a kingdom. O Krishna, I am confused about my duty. I’ve lost all composure because of my miserly weakness. Please tell me what is best for me. Now I am your disciple and a soul surrendered unto you. Please instruct me.

Krishna: O Partha, your scriptural arguments and logic are so expert and you have already decided to beg, so what is the need of My speaking?

Arjuna: Principles of religion are hard to understand. Please instruct me.

Krishna: Whatever I speak, you’ll simply defeat with your scholarship.

Arjuna: No! I surrender Krishna! No more counter arguments now.

Krishna: The sastra says to approach a guru, but I’m just your friend, Arjuna.

Arjuna: So I’ll become your disciple Krishna. Now teach me.

Krishna: I’m your friend. I cannot be your guru. Go to Vyasadeva.

Arjuna: But no one else can help me, not even Brhaspati. No one else can remove this distress.

Krishna: Just fight, Arjuna! That will remove all problems and distress. There is no need for Me to be your guru. The distress will go when you win the war.

Arjuna: No, winning the war or obtaining a kingdom on earth or even in heaven will not help, Krishna. Even if I die and go to heaven, I won’t be satisfied. What I want is transcendental knowledge. Winning a kingdom or going to heaven are both temporary. [PAUSE] O Govinda, I shall not fight and fell silent.

Sanjaya: O King, then, Krishna, smiling in the midst of both armies, began to speak to Arjuna:

Krishna: While speaking learned words you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are truely wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead. Try to understand that there was never a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings. Nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. As the embodied soul continuously passes in this body from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change. King Yayati was old and he became young. That was the cause of happiness for everyone. Similarly, Bhisma is old and he’ll become young. So why feel distressed?

Arjuna: What you are saying is correct, but my mind is distressed. I’m attached to our relationship, the way it is now. Thinking of him dying soon is causing me pain.

Krishna: O Kaunteya, the temporary appearance of happiness and distress and their disappearance are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. One who tolerates both happiness and distress is eligible for liberation.

Sages have concluded that of the non-existent there is no endurance, and of the eternal, there is no change. Both Bhisma and you are eternal. Why are you thinking that either of you can be destroyed? This is the defect of your knowledge. No one is able to destroy the soul—therefore fight, O descendent of Bharata.

Arjuna: But what will people say about one who has killed his own grandfather?

Krsna: Those who will criticise you for killing Bhisma are less intelligent, and why should you worry about what the less intelligent say? Actually, for the soul there is never birth nor death. The soul is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain. O Partha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible and eternal kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?

Arjuna: I accept all that, but why should I be the cause of their accepting new bodies?

Krishna: Whether you fight or not they must change their bodies anyway, just as a person gives up his old and useless garments and accepts new ones. It’s not a cause for distress, but for happiness. It is for their welfare. Otherwise they will get old and suffer. And dying in battle promotes them to heaven. Fighting does not cause pain to anyone for the soul cannot be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.

Arjuna: But Krishna, a burning house harms the living entities within, so won’t the soul be harmed by the destruction of the body?

Krishna: No. Arjuna, no harm can come to the soul. The soul cannot be harmed by any weapon that you have in your chariot. The soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Therefore, you should not grieve for the body.

[NOW KRSNA IS MOCKING ARJUNA]. Even if you do not accept Vedic philosophy, O mighty-armed one, and you accept the opinions of atheists who think that there is no existence of life before or after the body, still there is no reason to lament. One who has taken his birth is sure to die and after death one is sure to take birth again. When the soul contacts the body it is called birth. And when that contact is lost it is called death. Both happen according to karma. There should be no lamentation for the body. This is all karma. You must understand this principle—that no one can change this. Therefore you shouldn’t lament. They have to die anyway, but you’ll act irreligiously if you do not do your duty and fight.

Now.... considering your specific duty as a ksatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting for religious principles. So do not hesitate. Religious wars bring heaven and happiness for ksatriyas. Since you want to benefit your relatives, send them to heaven by fighting and killing them. This war has come without effort, accept it as the grace of providence. You are fortunate to fight with such people as Drona and Bhisma. Glory will come by fighting. Death brings heaven or victory brings glory. If however, you do not perform your religious duty of fighting then you will certainly incur sin for neglecting your duty. You’ll also lose your reputation as a fighter. Thus people will always speak of your infamy.

Arjuna: I can tolerate infamy, Krishna.

Krishna: But this pain will be worse than death, Arjuna. If you leave the battlefield before the battle even begins people will call you a coward and if you think that people may call you ill names, but that you will save your life by fleeing the battlefield, then my advice is that you would do better to die in battle. So you should not flee for fear of your life. Better to die in battle. That will save you from the ill-fame of misusing my friendship and from losing your prestige in society. These people will belittle your glories, thinking you have run away out of fear. Fear could be the only reason for a ksatriya not to fight—certainly not affection for the family.

Arjuna: But I have considered that the battle will destroy the family. People will think that I am compassionate. I’ll keep my fame.

Krishna: Do not think that the maharathis like Duryodhana and Karna will think that you have left the battlefield out of compassion for your brothers and grandfathers. They will think that you have left out of fear for your own life, and their high estimation of your personality will go to hell. Your enemies will describe you in many unkind words and call you a eunuch. What could be more painful for you? O Kaunteya, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain the heavens or you will conquer and enjoy an earthly kingdom. Therefore, get up with determination and fight. Use your intelligence. Become detached. Fight. Do not consider happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat. By so doing you shall never incur sin. [PAUSE]

Thus far I have given you knowledge through analytical study. Now listen as I explain it in terms of working without fruitive results. When you act in this knowledge you will free yourself from the bondage of karma. Arjuna, in this endeavour there is no loss or diminution. A little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear. Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose and their aim is one, but the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched. Irresolute persons are less intelligent and are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas which recommend fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, power and wealth. Desirous of sensual life and opulence they perform pompous ceremonies and think that there is nothing more than this. Bewildered by sense enjoyment, they do not resolve to sacrifice for the Supreme Lord. You see, the Vedas deal mainly with the subject of the three modes of material nature and you must become transcendental to these modes. Free yourself from all anxieties for gain and safety and be established in the self.

All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water. Similarly, all purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them. And I know that purpose, Arjuna. I am therefore telling you as your gurudeva that you are fit only to perform your duty of fighting, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. This will create a feeling of duty in your heart. Your heart is almost pure so I am instructing you in this way. Never neglect your duty and never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities. I am blessing you now so that you will not think like that. O Arjuna, I am driving your chariot without question. Now you do what I say without question. Throw away all selfishness and fully surrender. Those who enjoy the fruits of their work are misers, but a man engaged in sacrificial work rids himself of both good and bad actions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga which is the art of all work. By engaging in this yoga, great sages freed themselves from bondage in the material world and attained that state beyond all miseries.

When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion and you are no longer concerned with conventional dharma, you shall become indifferent to all secondary considerations. When your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas and when it is fixed in trance of self realisation, then you will have attained divine con-sciousness.

Arjuna: O Kesava, what are the symptoms of one in divine consciousness? How does he speak? How does he sit? And how does he walk?

Krishna: When a man gives up all varieties of desire for sense grat-ification which arise from mental concoction and when his mind finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in transcendental consciousness. One who is not disturbed in misery nor elated in happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind. Such a person is unaffected by favourable or unfavourable situations, neither praising them nor despising them. He is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects as a tortoise withdraws its limbs within the shell.

Someone may be restricted from sense enjoyment though the taste for sense objects remains, but ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, one is fixed in consciousness. The senses are so strong and impetuous, Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of an intelligent person who is endeavouring to control them. However, one who restrains his senses, keeping them under full control and fixes his consciousness upon Me, is known as a person of steady intelligence.

While contemplating the objects of the senses a person develops attachment for them and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises. From anger complete delusion arises and from delusion, bewilder-ment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into material consciousness. But a person who is free from all attachment and aversion and is able to control his senses through regulative principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord. For such a person, the threefold miseries exist no longer. However, one who is not connected with the Supreme can have neither transcendental intelligence nor a steady mind, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace? Since you have controlled your enemies in the past with your mighty arms, now control your senses, Arjuna. If you do so then you will become transcendental and see that what is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage. A sage is not disturbed by the flow of desires that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still. He alone can achieve peace and not the person who strives to satisfy such desires. That is the way of spiritual life after attaining which a person is not bewildered. If one is thus situated, even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God.

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Arjuna: O Kesava, why do You want to engage me in this ghastly war if you think that intelligence fixed in devotion is superior to fruitive work?

Krishna: My dear Arjuna, listen. It is true that pure devotional service is the best, but it is obtained only by the mercy of a pure devotee. Therefore, I have already blessed you, nistraigunya bhavarjuna, so that you may become free from the modes of nature and then by Providence you’ll get the mercy of My devotee. To become free from the modes, you should perform your work of fighting. Then you’ll get mercy.

Arjuna: You are explaining clearly, but my intelligence is still per-plexed. If you think that I am unqualified for pure devotion, then give me knowledge so that later I’ll be qualified for bhakti. But why engage me in passion?

Krishna: You are My dear friend. How can you be confused?

Arjuna: I’m not really confused, but please tell me decisively just one thing, then I’ll fix my mind on that.

Krishna: If I had spoken two different things then your question would be meaningful. But I have spoken about one thing. I have said that there are different stages of the same thing. Some try to realise the self through jnana-yoga and others through karma yoga. But unless the heart is pure, knowledge will not come. And unless one works according to sastra, one’s heart will not be purified.

You see, Arjuna, not by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction, nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection. The renunciation of duties cannot be accomplished if the heart is still unclean. If one takes sannyasa at such a stage then he will be forced to act and take up materialistic work. Attachment and false ego will make him work. A sannyasi who controls the external senses but thinks of sense gratification is a fool—a pretender. This kind of person is controlling the working senses but his heart is not clean. He’ll get neither knowledge nor advancement. On the other hand, if a sincere house-holder engaged in varnasrama duties tries to control the active senses by the mind and begins detached karma yoga, he is by far superior. He will make gradual progress and come to knowledge.

Therefore, do not try to give up activities and become a jnani—that type of renunciation is useless. In that situation you will find it difficult to even maintain the body. Even a jnani must actively beg, but ksatriyas cannot beg. Therefore your duty is to maintain the kingdom, collect taxes, and make advancement.

Arjuna: But Krishna, the living entity becomes bound by activity. Why then are you asking me to work?

Krishna: Work offered to Visnu for His satisfaction is yajna, which causes no bondage. It is the fruitive desires that cause bondage, Arjuna. So work without desire. Such work is called niskam karma.

Arjuna: What if a person cannot perform niskam karma?

Krishna: Then he should perform sakam karma and offer the fruits to the Lord in a religious sacrifice. Then his material desires will be satisfied through the sacrifice and gradually he will get knowledge and liberation.

Arjuna: How will his desires be fulfilled?

Krishna: The demigods will be pleased and then they will satisfy him. Since they are in charge of the various necessities of life, they will supply them to him. But he who enjoys such gifts without offering them to the demigods in return is certainly a thief. Saintly persons, however, are relieved from this sin because even the food they eat is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.

Try to understand, all humans subsist on food grains which are dependent on rain. Rain is produced by performance of sacrifice and sacrifice is performed by prescribed duties. Prescribed duties are given in the Vedas, and the Vedas are directly manifested from the Supreme Lord. Therefore the Supreme Lord is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice. O Arjuna, one who does not follow this system of Vedic sacrifice certainly leads a life of sin. Concerned only for the satisfaction of his senses, such a person lives in vain.

But for one whose aim of life is self realisation, there is no duty because his heart is like a clean mirror. Such a self realised person has no purpose to fulfill in the discharge of his prescribed duties, nor has he any reason not to perform such work. Nor has he any need to depend on any other living being. For him there is no need to satisfy the demigods nor fear obstacles from them. The demigods sometimes become envious of the increased knowledge in the jnani. But even a demigod’s weapon of beautiful apsara women cannot disturb such a person. A self-realised person does not need to work, but you are not on that platform, Arjuna. You are not qualified to act like a jnani, nor are you overly attached. Therefore you must do your prescribed duties without attachment to the results - that is niskam karma. Then you will become liberated and see the soul.

Arjuna: Are there any examples of persons who acted in this way?

Krishna: Yes, kings such as Janaka attained perfection solely by performance of prescribed duties.

Arjuna: But I feel that I’m already on the jnana platform, Krishna so why should I work?

Krishna: Even if you are, you should perform your duty for the sake of educating the people in general. Set the example. Otherwise foolish people will imitate you. They will renounce work and fall down. They will consider that they are like you. But if you fight, it will help the common people follow sastra. Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. O Partha, there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three worlds nor am I in want of anything, and yet I am engaged in prescribed duties. I am the Supreme Lord and have appeared in the Yadu dynasty, still, if I am careless about sastric rules, everyone will follow My example and fall down. If I did not perform work, then all people would follow My path. I would be the cause of creating unwanted population and that would destroy the peace of all beings. Try to understand this Arjuna. As ignorant men perform their duties with attachment to the results, the learned may also act but without attachment, for the sake of leading people on the right path. Because the hearts of those attached to work are not pure, giving up work will not purify them, but degrade them. Rather, they should be told to work, but without attachment to the results.

Arjuna: But Narada told Vyasadeva that, "You’ve made people work, but you haven’t explained the goal of life, only working in varnasrama."

Krishna: Narada spoke about devotion. I am speaking about knowledge. To engage in devotion it is not necessary to first purify one’s heart. I am speaking on a different topic so there is no contradiction, Arjuna.

Arjuna: If people in knowledge and people in ignorance both work then what is the difference?

Krishna: The person bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities, but one in knowledge sees that activities are actually carried out by the modes of nature. One who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth does not engage himself in sense gratification because he knows the difference between devotional work and fruitive work. But the ignorant who are bewildered by the modes of nature engage themselves in material activities and become attached. However, the wise should not unsettle them, although these duties are inferior. Therefore, Arjuna, just like a servant works for a king, surrender all your work unto Me with full knowledge of Me, but act without thinking that you are the doer. As a king orders his servant, I am ordering you to fight and accept the kingdom but do so on the spiritual platform. Anyone who follows Me faithfully, without envy, will definitely become liberated. But those who, out of envy, do not have faith in these teachings and do not follow them, become lost.

Arjuna: You are the Supreme Lord and Your opinion is given in sastra. People know that they will go to hell if they do not follow, so why do they not follow?

Krishna: Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone follows the nature he has acquired from the three modes.

Arjuna: Nature is very powerful, Krishna. Even one in knowledge is controlled by it, as You Yourself have just said. But You are like a king, so why don’t You make a law which everyone will fear and obey?

Krishna: What you’re saying is reasonable, but it won’t help because people are controlled by their senses and will break the sastric laws just as they break state laws. Even though a person may have knowledge of the results he will still perform sins, misguided by his own nature. That will cause him great problems and he will go to hell.

Arjuna: Then what is the solution Krishna?

Krishna: As I said Arjuna, niskam-karma will purify one’s material desires, not repress them. What can repression accomplish? But if one’s heart is very dirty one cannot even engage in niskam-karma. This kind of person is difficult to change, but he can improve by associating with a pure devotee, like Narada Muni.

Arjuna: If everyone is controlled by nature, then the rules and regulations of sastra are useless.

Krishna: No. The knowledge gathering senses are attached to mundane things and averse to scriptural injunctions. One who desires ultimate benefit should not become controlled by the senses, which are like theives on a journey. Since time immemorial people have engaged in mundane activities and have developed attachment to material things. This attachment causes hatred of devotional life and pulls them to mundane life. Sastra tries to switch this attachment and aversion by engaging one on the proper path to guide oneself. That’s why sastric rules and regulations are not useless.

Arjuna: You have said that by giving up animalistic attachment and by following sastra one’s heart will become purified. Therefore wouldn’t it be better if I lived as a brahmana?

Krishna: The svadharma of a ksatriya is fighting. Do not create your own idea of religion, Arjuna. Accept the authority of the Vedas. Just as one perceives form by the eyes and not by any other sense, one knows religion by the Vedas. Those statements of the Vedas in the imperative mood are dharma. Even if one dies by doing one’s duty it is better than doing another’s duty which will ultimately be the cause of fall down. Do not follow the example of Parasurama and Visvamitra, who changed their positions. They became powerful by austerity and could do that. Dronacarya’s position is also not glorious because he is a brahmana who is fighting.

Arjuna: Krishna, what is it that drives one to sinful acts, even unwillingly as if engaged by force?

Krishna: It is lust Arjuna, which is born of passion and later becomes anger. It is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world. As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, the soul is similarly covered by different degrees of lust. A wise person’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and burns like fire. The senses, mind, and intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. Through them, lust covers the real knowledge of the soul and bewilders him. Therefore, Arjuna, start by controlling the senses which are the easiest of the three to control. One’s mind may still be attracted, but one can control the senses. Mind control will come later. Lust is very, very sinful and it causes one to act despicably, so it should be destroyed at any cost.

Arjuna: But how can one do that?

Krishna: The working senses are superior to dull matter. Mind is higher than the senses, intelligence is still higher than the mind, and the soul is even higher than the intelligence. Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the senses, mind, and intelligence, Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence directed towards one’s pure identity. Thus by spiritual strength conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.

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C H A P T E R F O U R

Krishna: The yoga system I am describing to you is eternal. I previously instructed this same system to your great predecessor, Vivasvan, who is the head of the surya ksatriya dynasty. Vivasvan gave it to Manu and Manu gave it to his son Iksvaku. This science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in the course of time the succession was broken and therefore this science appears to be lost. I have spoken this to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend. Therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this knowledge.

Arjuna: But Krishna, the sun god Vivasvan is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?

Krishna: [LAUGHS] Ha! You are dull like a tree Arjuna. That is why you are asking such a foolish question. I have taken many forms and in those different forms I’ve given this teaching to you. You were present when I spoke to Visvasvan, but now you do not remember this. Why? Because I have covered your knowledge by my inconceivable potency so this pastime can go on.

Arjuna: If You have covered me then why are You laughing and calling me a dull tree?

Krishna: Actually, you are Parantapa—one who gives to others—and because you know that a gentleman will never speak about himself, you are giving Me an opportunity to do so. That is the real reason why you posed this question.

Arjuna: If You have taken birth many times, how can You remember them Vasudeva?

Krishna: I am unborn and eternal. And although I am the Lord of all living beings, I appear in every millenium in My original transcendental form.

Arjuna: What is so unique about that Krishna? The living entity is also eternal and unborn.

Krishna: But I am avyayatma. My body is indestructible. The living beings take birth because of karma and ignorance. But I am Isvara, the supreme controller, and although I take birth, I keep the same form. The living beings cannot do this. This is wonderful and beyond logic. As the sun rises in the morning, only appearing to take birth, I appear in My original sac-cid-ananda form which undergoes no transformations. I appear by My mercy to uplift the living beings. I only seem to take birth.

Arjuna: When do You appear? Is it according to Your whim?

Krishna: I descend whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice and a predominant rise of irreligion.

Arjuna: Why do You come?

Krishna: To deliver the pious and annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I Myself appear millenium after millenium.

Arjuna: Your devotees are powerful enough to do these things aren’t they?

Krishna: Yes, My devotees can perform all these, but because they are very eager to have My darshan I appear to protect them from the misery of separation from Me.

Arjuna: What is the result of knowing about Your appearance?

Krsna: Arjuna, anyone who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode. Being freed from attachment, fear, and anger, and being fully absorbed in Me, many persons became purified by knowledge of Me. Their austerity was understanding the reality of My janma and karma, and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.

Arjuna: Your unalloyed devotees know for certain that Your birth and activities are eternal, but others take shelter of You for knowledge Govinda. They do not think that Your birth and activities are eternal. They do not want bhakti, but they want jnana.

Krishna: Whatever they come to get, I give them accordingly—not more, not less, Arjuna. There are those who think, "Our Lord’s activities are eternal," and considering this, they meditate on Me and serve Me. I make these people My associates and perform pastimes with them when I descend. And I give them prema bhakti—the fruit of their austerities. But the jnanis who serve without faith in My eternal form and activities—I hand over to Maya devi for repeated birth and death. Other jnanis who know that My form is eternal but surrender to Me for liberation, I give Brahmananda and they merge into Brahman. Therefore not only devotees surrender, but also jnanis, karmis, yogis and followers of demigods, all follow My path and all get their results from Me according to their desires. Men in this world who desire success on the path of fruitive activities worship the demigods. They get quick results from fruitive work in this world.

Arjuna: The paths of bhakti and jnana lead to liberation, but the path of karma leads to bondage. Why did You create this karma path Krishna?

Krishna: According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. These four varnas and their acts deal with controlling the mind and senses and they were made by Me according to peoples’ modes and karma. But although I am the creator of this system, I am not the creator. I am not the direct doer. It is done through My energy. So I am the doer and the non-doer. And although I use My energy to do it, I do not diminish. I remain unchangeable.

Arjuna: I see, but now You are born as a ksatriya and are working as a ksatriya. So will You also get karma?

Krishna: There is no work that affects Me because I do not aspire for the fruits of action, Arjuna. Therefore, I am still free. I am not like a living entity. I do not become bound. I work not for Myself but for the living entities. I am completely perfect and completely satisfied. I know everything perfectly and I am not attached to the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work. All the liberated souls in ancient times acted with this understanding. They, like the sun god, performed their duty. You should also perform your duty, Arjuna, following in their footsteps.

Arjuna: But aren’t I above the stage of working to simply control the mind and senses?

Krishna: If one’s heart is not clean then one should work to clean it. If one’s heart is clean then one should work to set a good example for others. However, if you follow these instructions without understanding, you will be a blind follower. You should not work blindly like sheep but with discrimination, knowing the objective results of the work.

Arjuna: You work as liberated persons have worked in the past, but that implies that one should not work in any other way. Tell me about that.

Krishna: Even the intelligent are bewildered in determining what is action and what is inaction. Now I shall explain. One should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is. One who sees no reactions in detached work and reactions in so-called renunciation, is intelligent among men.

Arjuna: Can you give an example Krishna?

Krishna: When a pure person is in knowledge, like Maharaja Janaka, even if he is not a sannyasi, his work is yoga, his karma is akarma - free from reaction. His work does not cause bondage. On the other hand, a sannyasi who is lacking in transcendental knowledge, will be bound in this world. Only a person who can discriminate between these two is intelligent and his acts will be free from reaction. Anyone can be in full knowledge if his every endeavour is devoid of selfish desires.

The sages say that such a person is a worker for whom the reactions of work have been burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge. Such a man of under-standing acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled and gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions. He acts only for the bare necessities of life and is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord. His work merges into transcendence. Therefore Arjuna, your work of fighting, if done in knowledge, is like a brahmana offering a sacrifice in a temple. Your bow Gandiva is the spoon, your arrows are the ghee and the Kaurava army is the fire. You are the brahmana in this sacrifice Arjuna and by your complete absorption in this meditation you will certainly reach the spiritual kingdom.

Arjuna: I’ve never heard about fighting as a sacrifice, Vasudeva! What are the different kinds of sacrifices and what are their results?

Krishna: There are many ways to perform sacrifice given in the Vedas for different types of people. Some yogis perfectly worship the demigods by offering different sacrifices to them and some offer sacrifices in the fire of the supreme Brahman. Brahmacaris sacrifice the hearing process and the senses in the fire of mental control and the grhastas sacrifice the objects of the senses in the fire of the senses. Accepting strict vows, some sacrifice their possessions and others perform severe austerities. Others practise astanga-yoga and others study the Vedas. Some practice pranayama and still others, curtailing the eating process, offer the outgoing breath into itself as a sacrifice.

Arjuna: And their results?

Krishna: All these performers become cleansed of sinful reactions and having tasted the nectar of sacrifice, they advance in spiritual life. O best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live happily in this life—what then of the next? All these different types of sacrifice are approved by the Vedas and all of them are suited for different types of people. Knowing them as such, you will become liberated.

Arjuna: Which type of sacrifice is superior, Krishna?

Krishna: The sacrifice performed in knowledge is better than the mere sacrifice of material possessions. After all, sacrifices of work culminate in transcendental knowledge.

Arjuna: How may I learn more about sacrificing in knowledge?

Krishna: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self realised souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. Having obtained real knowledge from them, you will never fall again into illusion—thinking that you will kill your relatives. By this knowledge you will see your kin as different from their bodies. You will see that they are part of Me and that they are Mine. Even the most sinful person can cross over the ocean of sin in the boat of transcendental knowledge. As a blazing fire turns wood to ashes, Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn up all reactions to material activities.

In this world there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. Not simply by abruptly taking sannyasa can one acquire that knowledge, but by performing niskam karma over a long period of time one will acheive it. One must work for it and one must be faithful as well. Neither the ignorant, nor the faithless, nor the sceptics who doubt the revealed scriptures attain God consciousness. Rather, they fall down. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next. But one who acts in devotional service, renouncing the fruits of his actions, and whose doubts have been destroyed by transcendental knowledge, is situated factually in the self. Thus one is not bound by the reactions of work, O Dhananjaya. Therefore cut all the doubts in your heart with the sword of knowledge which I have given you. Be fixed in selfless sacrifice. Stand up and fight.

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C H A P T E R F I V E

Arjuna: Should a person who has acquired knowledge work or not work? First, You asked me to renounce work and then You recommended karma yoga which means working. Please tell me which is the best path to follow?

Krishna: Both are beneficial but karma-yoga is better because if one in knowledge works, one’s knowledge and realisation will deepen. But a sannyasi who renounces work, and later finds that he’s really not so detached, should remove the impurity in his heart through working. How-ever, work is forbidden for sannyasis. Therefore there could be difficulty on this path. But when one has knowledge, he will automatically renounce and become situated in detachment. Therefore, because there is no risk on the path of work, karma-yoga is superior.

Arjuna: But shouldn’t one strive for sannyasa, renunciation and ultimately liberation?

Krishna: One who neither hates nor desires the fruits of his work is always renounced. Such a pure-hearted worker is always a sannyasi. By working he will attain realisation of the self. You are Mahabaho—one with mighty arms—therefore, you will be able to conquer the city of liberation. Intelligent people see no difference between the path of karma-yoga and jnana-yoga. Their results are one and the same. Only children consider them to be different. One who knows that the position reached by jnana-yoga can also be attained by karma-yoga sees correctly. However, merely renouncing activities yet not engaging in karma-yoga brings distress because to become a sannyasi, one’s heart must be completely purified.

Arjuna: Why distress?

Krishna: Because the sannyasi has senses like all of us, and since he does not work, any little impurity becomes a problem. But for the karma-yogi working is pleasurable. The process of purifying the heart for a karma-yogi is working with the senses. Sannyasa is difficult because one must give up the work of the senses. Impurities in the heart will make sannyasa problematic but a karma-yogi achieves the supreme realisation without such difficulty.

Arjuna: Please tell me more about the karma-yogi.

Krsna: One who works in devotion, who is a pure soul, and who controls his mind and senses is dear to everyone and everyone is dear to him. Though always working, such a person is never entangled. A person in divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, and eating, always knows within that he actually does nothing at all. Because while speaking, or opening or closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them. And even if a person has some false ego, as long as he performs his duty without attachment, he is still unaffected by sinful reactions as the lotus leaf is untouched by water.

The karma yogis, although detached, act with the body, the mind, the intelligence and even with the senses, but only for the purpose of purification. They give up the fruits of their work and achieve peace in self realisation. Such a yogi resides in the body as one resides in a city, but he does not think that he is the city. A living being who has developed knowledge knows that he is not the doer. He performs actions but he does not think himself to be the doer. He does not create activities nor does he order others to act, nor does he create the fruits of action.

Arjuna: Then who is acting, if he is not?

Krishna: The modes of material nature, Arjuna.

Arjuna: But the material nature is controlled by the Lord. Is He responsible for our actions?

Krishna: No, the Supreme Lord does not assume anyone’s sinful or pious activities, but the embodied beings become bewildered because of ignorance which covers their real knowledge. However, when one is enlightened then that knowledge reveals everything as the sun lights up everything in the daytime. When one’s intelligence, mind, faith and refuge are all fixed in the Supreme, then one becomes fully cleansed of misgivings through complete knowledge and proceeds straight on the path of liberation. At that point, such sages, by virtue of their true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater. Their minds are established in equanimity. Thus they have already conquered the conditions of birth and death. They are flawless and impartial because they are situated in Brahman.

Arjuna: How should such a person act, Krishna?

Krishna: He should neither rejoice upon achieving something pleasant, nor lament upon obtaining something unpleasant. He must be self-intelligent, unbewildered, and know the science of God. Such a liberated person is not attracted to sense pleasures but is always in trance. He enjoys pleasure within because he concentrates on the Supreme. He never takes part in the sources of misery which are due to contact with the material senses. He knows that such pleasures have a beginning and an end and so does not delight in them.

Arjuna: How long must he tolerate the senses and their urges?

Krsna: If he is able to tolerate sensual urges and control desires and anger untill giving up this body, he is successful and is happy in this world. One whose happiness is within, who is active within, who rejoices within, and whose aim is inwards, is actually the perfect mystic and he obtains the Supreme. Those who are free from lust and anger, who have full control over the mind and are constantly endeavouring for perfection are assured of liberation in the very near future.

Arjuna: How can one do it?

Krsna: By shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the vision concentrated between the eyebrows, suspending the breaths and controlling the mind, a yogi can become free from desire, fear and anger. One who is always in this state is certainly liberated. But ultimately, Arjuna, those who know that I am the beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the friend of all beings, attain peace from all miseries.

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C H A P T E R S I X

Krishna: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work, Arjuna, and who works as he is obligated is a true yogi and sannyasi, not he who lights no fire and performs no duty.

Arjuna: O Vasudeva, I have heard that sannyasa means giving up work and being situated in knowledge, whereas yoga means fixing the mind on one point devoid of sense gratification. How is a sannyasi the same as a yogi?

Krishna: Sannyasa means giving up the fruits of activities and yoga means freeing one’s mind from desires for sense gratification. Therefore, the words sannyasa and yoga mean the same thing.

Arjuna: Must the astanga yogi perform niskam karma as long as he lives, or is there a limit?

Krishna: For one who is a neophyte in the astanga-yoga system, niskam karma is said to be the means. And for one who is already elevated in yoga, cessation of all karma is said to be the means. A person is elevated in yoga when he has given up all attachment for the objects of the senses and the work to obtain them.

In order to do that, he must deliver himself with the help of his mind—not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul and his enemy as well. For one who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends, but for one who has failed to do so, the mind will remain the greatest enemy. However, for one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached and he has obtained tranquility. To such a person, happiness - distress, heat - cold, honour - dishonour, are all the same.

A person is established in self realisation and is called a yogi when he is fully satisfied by knowledge and realisation. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. He sees everything, whether it be pebbles, jewels, or gold, as the same. A person is still further advanced when he regards honest well-wishers, the envious, the neutral, saints and sinners all with an equal mind.

Arjuna: How does one begin to practice astanga-yoga, Krishna?

Krishna: A yogi should concentrate on the Supreme. He should live alone in a secluded place and carefully control his mind. He should be free from desires and feelings of posessiveness. To begin the practice, he should go to a sacred place, lay kusa grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft cloth. The seat should be neither too high nor too low. The yogi should then sit on it firmly and practice yoga to purify his heart by controlling his senses and fixing his mind on one point. He should hold his body, neck and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with a subdued mind, devoid of fear and completely free from sex desire, he should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life. After practicing constant control of the body and mind and for a long time, the mystic yogi attains to the kingdom of God.

Arjuna: Are there any more regulations for this practice?

Krishna: There is no possibility of one’s becoming a yogi, Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough. One who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing this yoga system. When the yogi disciplines his mental activities and becomes situated in tran-scendence, devoid of all material desires, he is said to be well establish-ed in yoga. Just as lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the yogi whose mind is controlled is always steady in his meditation on the tran-scendent self.

Arjuna: Please describe the perfection of this yoga, Krishna.

Krishna: In this stage of perfection called samadhi, one’s mind is completely restrained from material activities. This perfection is characterised by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless, spiritual happiness, realised through spiritual senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth and upon gaining this, one thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, the yogi is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This is real freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.

Gradually, step by step, one should become situated in trance by means of intelligence sustained by full conviction. The mind should be fixed on the self alone and should think of nothing else. When the mind wanders due to its flickering nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self. One whose mind is fixed on Me will experience pleasure even before he has attained perfection. He is beyond the mode of passion and he realises his qualitative identity with the Supreme. Thus the self-controlled yogi becomes free from all material contamination and achieves the highest stage of happiness.

A true yogi observes Me in all beings and also sees every being in Me. Indeed, a self-realised person sees Me everywhere. For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to me. The yogi who engages in the worshipful service of the Supersoul, knowing that I and the Supersoul are one, remains always in Me in all circumstances. One in samadhi has equal vision, but the yogi should also practice feeling for others’ welfare through his own experience of happiness and distress. He is the best yogi because he does not desire perfection in yoga for his personal benefit only but tries to benefit others as well.

Arjuna: O Madhusudhan, I cannot do this yoga that You’re speaking of because the mind is restless and unsteady. You say I should empathise with the happiness and distress of living beings. I can empathise with friends and relatives, but not with those who are envious and criticise me. I cannot feel for both Yudhisthira and Duryodhana. And if You tell me to use discrimination, knowing that the Supersoul is in all beings, You should know that my mind is flickering and hard to control. It’s impossible for me.

Krishna: What is the problem? Why do you find it so difficult to control the mind? The mind is the reins and the intelligence is the driver of the chariot of the body. Knowing this, you should control the mind with the intelligence. So what is th