Krishjan

Chapter 4 — Jnana Yoga

Bhagavad Gita

42 Shloka • Translation Only

The Blessed Lord said: I taught this imperishable Yoga to Vivasvan; Vivasvan taught it to Manu, and Manu passed it on to Ikshvaku.

Thus, received through the lineage of tradition, this Yoga was known by the royal sages. But with the passage of a long time, O Parantapa, this Yoga was lost to the world.

That same ancient Yoga has today been taught by Me to you. For you are My devotee and My friend, and this is indeed a most profound secret.

Arjuna said: Your birth is of a later time, while the birth of Vivasvan was long ago. How am I to understand that You taught this Yoga to him in the beginning?

The Blessed Lord said: Many births have passed for both Me and you, O Arjuna. I know them all, but you do not know them, O Parantapa.

Though I am unborn, of imperishable nature, and the Lord of all beings, yet, abiding in My own Prakriti, I manifest Myself through My divine power (Māyā).

Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, O Arjuna! At that time I manifest myself on earth.

For the protection of the righteous, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of Dharma, I manifest Myself age after age.

O Arjuna, one who truly understands the divine nature of My birth and actions, upon leaving the body, is not born again, but comes to Me.

Freed from attachment, fear, and anger, absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, purified by the austerity of knowledge, have attained My divine state.

As people approach Me, so do I respond to them. O Partha, in every way, all people follow My path.

Those who desire success in their actions worship the devas here. For in the human world, success born of action is attained quickly.

The fourfold order of society was created by Me according to the divisions of qualities (guṇas) and actions (karma). Though I am its creator, know Me to be the non-doer and unchanging.

Actions do not bind Me, nor do I have any desire for the fruits of action. One who truly understands this about Me is likewise not bound by actions.

Knowing this, the seekers of liberation in ancient times also performed action. Therefore, you too should perform your duty, as the great ones of old did before you.

What is action, and what is inaction? Even the wise are confused about this. Therefore, I shall explain action to you, knowing which you shall be freed from all evil.

One must understand action, one must understand wrong action, and one must also understand inaction. For the nature and course of action are profound and difficult to comprehend.

One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction— such a person is truly wise among human beings, integrated in Yoga, and has accomplished all action.

One whose every undertaking is free from desire and self-centered motives, whose actions have been burned away in the fire of knowledge—such a person is called wise by the enlightened.

Having abandoned attachment to the fruits of action, ever content and dependent on nothing, though fully engaged in action, such a person truly does nothing at all.

Free from expectation, with mind and self under control, and having renounced all possessiveness, performing only those actions necessary for the maintenance of the body, one incurs no sin.

Content with whatever comes of its own accord, beyond the pairs of opposites, and free from envy, remaining the same in success and failure, such a person is not bound, even while acting.

For one who is free from attachment, liberated, and firmly established in knowledge, all actions performed as Yajña are completely dissolved.

The offering is Brahman, the oblation is Brahman, and it is offered by Brahman into the fire of Brahman. One who is absorbed in actions as Brahman alone attains Brahman.

Some yogis worship the devas through sacrifice. Others offer the sacrifice itself into the fire of Brahman, seeing all as a sacred offering.

Some offer the senses, such as hearing and the others, into the fire of self-restraint. Others offer sense objects—such as sound and the other objects of perception—into the fire of the senses.

Others offer all the activities of the senses and the functions of the life-breaths into the fire of self-discipline, kindled and illuminated by knowledge.

Some, steadfast in their vows, perform sacrifices through material offerings; others through austerity; and others through Yoga. Still others perform the sacrifice of self-study and knowledge, devoted to disciplined spiritual practice.

Some offer the outgoing breath into the incoming breath, and others offer the incoming breath into the outgoing breath, restraining the movements of both, wholly devoted to the practice of Prāṇāyāma.

Others, regulating their food intake, offer the ,b>life-breaths into the life-breaths. All these understand the spirit of Yajña, and through sacrifice, their impurities are purified.

Those who partake of the nectar remaining from Yajña attain the eternal Brahman. But for one who performs no Yajña, even this world is not attained—how then could there be the next, O best of the Kurus?

Thus, many kinds of Yajñas have been set forth through the teachings of Brahman. Know them all to arise from action. Understanding this, you shall be liberated.

O Parantapa, the sacrifice of knowledge is superior to sacrifices made with material offerings. For all actions, O Partha, ultimately culminate in knowledge.

Learn this through humble reverence, sincere inquiry, and selfless service. The wise, who have realized the Truth, will impart that knowledge to you.

O Pāṇḍava, having attained this knowledge, you shall never again fall into such delusion. Through it, you will see all beings without exception in your own Self, and then in Me.

Even if you are the greatest sinner among all sinners, you shall cross over all evil by the boat of knowledge alone.

Just as a blazing fire reduces logs to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge consume all actions completely.

Indeed, there is nothing in this world as pure as knowledge. One who is perfected in Yoga attains it within the Self in due course.

A person of faith, devoted to the pursuit of Truth, and with the senses under control, attains knowledge. Having attained knowledge, such a person quickly reaches supreme peace.

But the ignorant and faithless, filled with doubt, perish. For such a person, there is neither this world nor the next, nor any happiness at all.

O Dhananjaya, for one who has renounced action in Yoga, whose doubt has been destroyed by knowledge, the actions no longer bind the Self, which remains established in itself.

Therefore, O Bharata, cut asunder this doubt born of ignorance and dwelling in your heart, with the sword of knowledge. Establish yourself in Yoga, and arise.