The Bhagavad Gita

by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

All the scriptures lead to me; I am their author and their wisdom.

Be fearless and pure; never waver in your determination or your dedication to the spiritual life. Give freely. Be self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire to serve. Realize the truth of the scriptures; learn to be detached and to take joy in renunciation. 2 Do not get angry or harm any living creature, but be compassionate and gentle; show good will to all. 3 Cultivate vigor, patience, will, purity; avoid malice and pride. Then, Arjuna, you will achieve your divine destiny. 4 Other qualities, Arjuna, make a person more and more inhuman: hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, cruelty, ignorance. 5 The divine qualities lead to freedom; the demonic, to bondage. But do not grieve, Arjuna; you were born with divine attributes. 6 Some people have divine tendencies, others demonic. I have described the divine at length, Arjuna; now listen while I describe the demonic. 7 The demonic do things they should avoid and avoid the things they should do. They have no sense of uprightness, purity, or truth. 8 “There is no God,” they say, “no truth, no spiritual law, no moral order. The basis of life is sex; what else can it be?” 9 Holding such distorted views, possessing scant discrimination, they become enemies of the world, causing suffering and destruction. 10 Hypocritical, proud, and arrogant, living in delusion and clinging to deluded ideas, insatiable in their desires, they pursue their unclean ends.

Although burdened with fears that end only with death, they still maintain with complete assurance, “Gratification of lust is the highest that life can offer.” 12 Bound on all sides by scheming and anxiety, driven by anger and greed, they amass by any means they can a hoard of money for the satisfaction of their cravings. 13 “I got this today,” they say; “tomorrow I shall get that. This wealth is mine, and that will be mine too. 14 I have destroyed my enemies. I shall destroy others too! Am I not like God? I enjoy what I want. I am successful. I am powerful. I am happy. 15 I am rich and well-born. Who is equal to me? I will perform sacrifices and give gifts, and rejoice in my own generosity.” This is how they go on, deluded by ignorance. 16 Bound by their greed and entangled in a web of delusion, whirled about by a fragmented mind, they fall into a dark hell. 17 Self-important, obstinate, swept away by the pride of wealth, they ostentatiously perform sacrifices without any regard for their purpose. 18 Egotistical, violent, arrogant, lustful, angry, envious of everyone, they abuse my presence within their own bodies and in the bodies of others. 19 Life after life I cast those who are malicious, hateful, cruel, and degraded into the wombs of those with similar demonic natures. 20 Birth after birth they find themselves with demonic tendencies. Degraded in this way, Arjuna, they fail to reach me and fall lower still. 21 There are three gates to this self-destructive hell: lust...

Therefore let the scriptures be your guide in what to do and what not to do. Understand their teachings; then act in accordance with them.

To refrain from selfish acts is one kind of renunciation, called sannyasa; to renounce the fruit of action is another, called tyaga. 3 Among the wise, some say that all action should be renounced as evil. Others say that certain kinds of action – self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline – should be continued. 4 Listen, Arjuna, and I will explain three kinds of tyaga and my conclusions concerning them. 5 Self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline should not be renounced, for they purify the thoughtful. 6 Yet even these, Arjuna, should be performed without desire for selfish rewards. This is essential. 7 To renounce one’s responsibilities is not fitting. The wise call such deluded renunciation tamasic. 8 To avoid action from fear of difficulty or physical discomfort is rajasic. There is no reward in such renunciation. 9 But to fulfill your responsibilities knowing that they are obligatory, while at the same time desiring nothing for yourself – this is sattvic renunciation. 10 Those endowed with sattva clearly understand the meaning of renunciation and do not waver. They are not intimidated by unpleasant work, nor do they seek a job because it is pleasant. 11 As long as one has a body, one cannot renounce action altogether. True renunciation is giving up all desire for personal reward. 12 Those who are

attached to personal reward will reap the consequences of their actions: some pleasant, some unpleasant, some mixed. But those who renounce every desire for personal reward go beyond the reach of karma. 13 Listen, Arjuna, and I will explain the five elements necessary for the accomplishment of every action, as taught by the wisdom of Sankhya. 14 The body, the means, the ego, the performance of the act, and the divine will: 15 these are the five factors in all actions, right or wrong, in thought, word, or deed. 16 Those who do not understand this think of themselves as separate agents. With their crude intellects they fail to see the truth. 17 The person who is free from ego, who has attained purity of heart, though he slays these people, he does not slay and is not bound by his action. 18 Knowledge, the thing to be known, and the knower: these three promote action. The means, the act itself, and the doer: these three are the totality of action. 19 Knowledge, action, and the doer can be described according to the gunas. Listen, and I will explain their distinctions to you. 20 Sattvic knowledge sees the one indestructible Being in all beings, the unity underlying the multiplicity of creation. 21 Rajasic knowledge sees all things and creatures as separate and distinct. 22 Tamasic knowledge, lacking any sense of perspective, sees one small part and mistakes it for the whole. 23 Work performed to fulfill one’s obligations, without thought of personal reward or of whether the jo...

No creature, whether born on earth or among the gods in heaven, is free from the conditioning of the three gunas. 41 The different responsibilities found in the social order – distinguishing brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra – have their roots in this conditioning. 42 The responsibilities to which brahmins are born, based on their nature, are self-control, tranquility, purity of heart, patience, humility, learning, austerity, wisdom, and faith. 43 The qualities of kshatriyas, based on their nature, are courage, strength, fortitude, dexterity, generosity, leadership, and the firm resolve never to retreat from battle. 44 The occupations suitable for a vaishya are agriculture, dairying, and trade. The proper work of a shudra is service. 45 By devotion to one’s own particular duty, everyone can attain perfection. Let me tell you how. 46 By performing one’s own work, one worships the Creator who dwells in every creature. Such worship brings that person to fulfillment. 47 It is better to perform one’s own duties imperfectly than to master the duties of another. By fulfilling the obligations he is born with, a person never comes to grief. 48 No one should abandon duties because he sees defects in them. Every action, every activity, is surrounded by defects as a fire is surrounded by smoke. 49 One who is free from selfish attachments, who has mastered himself and his passions, attains the supreme perfection of freedom from action. 50 Listen and I shall explain now, Arjuna, h...

If you egotistically say, “I will not fight this battle,” your resolve will be useless; your own nature will drive you into it. 60 Your own karma, born of your own nature, will drive you to do even that which you do not wish to do, because of your delusion. 61 The Lord dwells in the hearts of all creatures and whirls them round upon the wheel of maya. 62 Run to him for refuge with all your strength, and peace profound will be yours through his grace. 63 I give you these precious words of wisdom; reflect on them and then do as you choose. 64 These are the last words I shall speak to you, dear one, for your spiritual fulfillment. You are very dear to me. 65 Be aware of me always, adore me, make every act an offering to me, and you shall come to me; this I promise; for you are dear to me. 66 Abandon all supports and look to me for protection. I shall purify you from the sins of the past; do not grieve.

Do not share this wisdom with anyone who lacks in devotion or self-control, lacks the desire to learn, or scoffs at me. 68 Those who teach this supreme mystery of the Gita to all who love me perform the greatest act of love; they will come to me without doubt. 69 No one can render me more devoted service; no one on earth can be more dear to me. 70 Those who meditate on these holy words worship me with wisdom and devotion. 71 Even those who listen to them with faith, free from doubts, will find a happier world where good people dwell. 72 Have you listened with attention? Are you now free from your doubts and confusion?

73 You have dispelled my doubts and delusions, and I understand through your grace. My faith is firm now, and I will do your will.