arjuna uvāca
1. jyāyasī cet karmaṇas te matā buddhir janārdana |
tat kiṁ karmaṇi ghore māṁ niyojayasi keśava ||
Arjuna said:
If it is your opinion that intelligence is better than action, O Janārdana, then why do you urge me to do this horrible action, O Keśava?
2. vyāmiśreṇeva vākyena buddhiṁ mohayasīva me |
tad ekaṁ vada niścitya yena śreyo ‘ham āpnuyām ||
As if with contradictory, equivocal words you seem to bewilder my intelligence. Tell me the one thing for sure by which I can reach the highest goal.
śrībhagavān uvāca
3. loke ‘smin dvividhā niṣṭhā purā proktā mayānagha |
jñānayogena sāṁkhyānāṁ karmayogena yoginām ||
The Beautiful Lord said:
In this world there is a twofold (dual) foundation of the path taught by Me from ancient times: the yoga of knowledge for the practitioners of contemplative Sāṁkhya, and the yoga of action for practitioners of yoga.
4. na karmaṇāmanārambhān naiṣkarmyaṁ puruṣo ‘śnute |
na ca saṁnyasanād eva siddhiṁ samadhigacchati ||
It is not by abstaining from action that one (puruṣa) attains freedom from action, nor by renunciation (saṁnyāsa) alone does one reach perfection.
5. na hi kaścit kṣaṇamapi jātu tiṣṭhatyakarmakṛt |
kāryate hyavaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛtijairguṇaiḥ ||
Indeed, no one can exist, even for a moment, without performing action. Everyone is forced to do work, even against their will, by the guṇas born of prakṛti.
6. karmendriyāṇi saṁyamya ya āste manasā smaran |
indriyārthān vimūḍhātmā mithyācāraḥ sa ucyate ||
One who controls the organs of action while brooding over the objects of the senses with a deluded sense of self is said to be the hypocrite.
7. yastvindriyāṇi manasā niyamyārbhate ‘rjuna |
karmendriyaiḥ karmayogam asaktaḥ sa viśiṣyate ||
But one who contains the senses with the mind, O Arjuna, and who, without attachment, uses the organs of action in the yoga of action, surpasses others and is the best.
8. niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥ |
śarīrayātrāpi ca te na prasidhyedakarmaṇaḥ ||
Do then the necessary action! Action is truly better than inaction. Even the maintaining of your body cannot be done without action.
9. yajñārthāt karmaṇo ‘nyatra loko ‘yaṁ karmabandhanaḥ |
tadarthaṁ karma kaunteya muktasaṅgaḥ samācara ||
This whole world is in bondage to action except for action done as and for sacrifice. O Son of Kuntī, perform action for the sake of sacrifice, free from attachments.
10. sahayajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā purovāca prajāpatiḥ |
anena prasaviṣyadhvam eṣa vo ‘stviṣṭakāmadhuk ||
Having created sacrifice along with mankind, Prajāpati (the god Brahmā) said long ago, “By this (sacrifice) may you bring forth, and may this be the Cow of Plenty for your desires.”
11. devān bhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ |
parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ śreyaḥ paramavāpsyatha ||
By this may you nurture the gods and may the gods nurture you. By nurturing each other you will gain the highest happiness.
12. iśṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajñabhāvitāḥ |
tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṇkte stena eva saḥ ||
Nourished by sacrifice the gods will certainly give you the desired pleasures. One who enjoys these gifts without any offering to them is merely a thief.
13. yajñaśiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarvakilbiṣaiḥ |
bhuñjate te tvaghaṁ pāpā ye pacantyātmakāraṇāt ||
The good, eating the residual remains of sacrifice, are freed from all wrongs. But the wicked, who cook merely for themselves, eat their own misery.
14. annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād annasaṁbhavaḥ |
yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karmasamudbhavaḥ ||
From food living beings come to be; from rain is the origin of food; from sacrifice comes the rain. It is action (karma) that gives birth to sacrifice.
15. karma brahmodbhavaṁ viddhi brahmākṣarasamudbhavam |
tasmāt sarvagataṁ brahma nityaṁ yajñe pratiṣṭhitam ||
Know action to be born of the Brahman (Vedic hymns), which is born from the imperishable. Therefore omnipresent, all-pervading Brahman is always established in sacrifice.
16. evaṁ pravartitaṁ cakraṁ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ |
aghāyurindriyārāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati ||
Thus the wheel is made to turn. One who, in this world, does not help to turn this wheel lives, O Son of Pṛthā, in vain; cruel and absorbed in sensuality.
17. yas tvatāmaratireva syādātmatṛptaśca mānavaḥ |
ātmanyeva ca saṁtuṣṭas tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate ||
For the person who takes delight in the self (ātman) alone, whose satisfaction is in the self (ātman), and who is totally contented in the self (ātman), for them there is no work that needs to be done.
18. naiva tasya kṛtenārtho nākṛteneha kaścana |
na cāsya sarvabhūteṣu kaścid arthavyapāśrayaḥ ||
They have no purpose to gain by action, nor anything at all by inaction. And no purpose or need at all from any and all beings.
19. tasmād asaktaḥ satataṁ kāryaṁ karma samācara |
asakto hyācaran karma param āpnoti pūruṣaḥ ||
Therefore, without attachment, always do the work that needs to be done. Truly, doing work without attachment, a person attains the highest.
20. karmaṇaiva hi saṁsiddhim āsthitā janakādayaḥ |
lokasaṁgrahamevāpi saṁpaśyan kartuṁ arhasi ||
It was by work alone that Janaka and others attained perfection. You should also act (do work) with the vision of holding together the world.
21. yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tadtad evetaro janaḥ |
sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokastadanuvartate ||
Whatsoever the great person does, the rest of humanity does. Whatever standards that one sets the world follows.
22. na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ triṣu lokeṣu kiṁcana |
nānavāptamavāptavyaṁ varta eva ca karmaṇi ||
For Me, O Pārtha, there is not anything at all to be done in the three worlds, nor is there anything to obtain or which has not been obtained. Yet, I engage in work.
23. yadi hyahaṁ na varteyaṁ jātu karmaṇyatandritaḥ |
mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ||
Indeed, if ever I did not engage in untiring work, mankind would follow my path incompletely, Son of Pṛthā.
24. utsīdeyurime lokā na kuryāṁ karma cedaham |
saṅkarasya ca kartā syām upahanyām imāḥ prajāḥ ||
If I did not do work, these worlds would fall to ruin. I would be the creator of confusion and I would destroy these beings.
25. saktāḥ karmaṇyavidvāṁso yathā kurvanti bhārata |
kuryād vidvāṁs tathā saktaś cikīrṣur lokasaṁgraham ||
Just as the ignorant do work with attachment, O Bhārata, the wise one should work thus with no attachment, with the aim of holding together the world.
26. na buddhibhedaṁ janayed ajñānāṁ karmasaṅginām |
joṣayet sarvakarmāṇi vidvān yuktaḥ samācaran ||
They (the wise) should not cause a splitting in the intelligence (buddhi) of the ignorant attached to action. The wise performing action as yoga should cause them to delight in all actions.
27. prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ |
ahaṅkāravimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate ||
All actions everywhere are done by the guṇas of prakṛti. The being who is confused by egotism thinks, “I am the doer.”
28. tattvavittu mahābāho guṇakarmavibhāgayoḥ |
guṇā guṇeṣu vartanta iti matvā na sajjate ||
But one who knows the true nature of things, the two roles of guṇa and karma, O Mighty Armed One, is not attached, having thought, “The guṇas are merely acting on the guṇas.”
29. prakṛter guṇasaṁmūḍhāḥ sajjante guṇakarmasu |
tān akṛtsnavido mandān kṛtsnavin na vicālayet ||
Those who are deluded by the guṇas of prakṛti are attached to the actions of the guṇas. The one who knows the complete whole should not unsettle the minds of those who do not know the whole.
30. mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi saṁnyasyādhyātmacetasā |
nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigatajvaraḥ ||
Offering and entrusting all actions to Me, conscious of the true ātman, having become free from desire and egotism, with your grief departed, fight!
31. ye me matam idaṁ nityam anutiṣṭhanti mānavāḥ |
śraddhāvanto ‘nasūyanto mucyante te ‘pi karmabhiḥ ||
Those who continuously practice this teaching of mine, full of trust and not spiteful/envious of others, are certainly released from the bonds of actions.
32. ye tvetad abhyasūyanto nānutiṣṭhanti me matam |
sarvajñānavimūḍhāṁs tān viddhi naṣṭānacetasaḥ ||
But those who sneer at and do not mindfully practice this teaching of mine, confusing all types of knowledge, know them to be lost and stupid.
33. sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛter jñānavān api |
prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati ||
One moves according to one’s own nature (prakṛti), even those filled with wisdom. All beings follow their embodied nature. What will repression achieve?
34. indriyasye ndriyasyārthe rāgadveṣau vyavasthitau |
tayor na vaśamāgacchet tau hyasya paripanthinau ||
Attachment and repulsion are established in the very sensing of a sense object. One should not come under their power for they are one’s two antagonists in every way.
35. śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt |
svadharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ paradharmo bhayāvahaḥ ||
One’s own dharma (duty) done imperfectly is better than another’s dharma done perfectly. Death in doing one’s true duty (svadharma) is better. Doing another’s dharma invites great danger.
arjuna uvāca
36. atha kena prayukto ‘yaṁ pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ |
anicchannapi vārṣṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ ||
Arjuna said:
By what then is a person impelled to commit evil, even against their will as if pushed by a force, O Vṛṣṇi’s Clansman?
śrībhagavān uvāca
37. kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajoguṇasamudbhavaḥ |
mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhyenamiha vairiṇam ||
The Beautiful Lord said:
It is craving, it is wrathful anger born from the guṇa of passion (rajas), all consuming and greatly hurtful (evil). In this situation, know this to be the enemy.
38. dhūmenāvriyate vahnir yathādarśo malena ca |
yatholvenā vṛto garbhas tathā tenedam āvṛtam ||
As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror by dust, and as an embryo is enveloped in a membrane, so is all this enveloped by that passion.
39. āvṛtaṁ jñānam etena jñānino nityavairiṇā |
kāmarūpeṇa kaunteya duṣpūrenānalena ca ||
It is wisdom (jñāna) that is covered by this form of lust and anger, by this insatiable fire, the constant enemy of the wise.
40. indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣṭhānam ucyate |
etair vimohayatyeṣa jñānam āvṛtya dehinam ||
It is said that it dwells in the senses, the mind, and the intelligence. With these it deludes, veiling the wisdom of the embodied one.
41. tasmāt tvaṁ indriyāṇyādau niyamya bharatarṣabha |
pāpmānam prajahi hyenaṁ jñānavijñānanāśanam ||
Therefore from the beginning, control the senses, O Bull of the Bharatas, and slay this sinful destroyer of wisdom and discriminating knowledge.
42. indriyāṇi parāṇyāhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ |
manasas tu parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ ||
They say that the senses are important. Higher than the senses is the mind (manas), greater than the mind (manas) is the intelligence (buddhi), but this is higher than the intelligence.
43. evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānamātmanā |
jahi śatruṁ mahābāho kāmarūpaṁ durāsadam ||
Therefore, having understood (buddhvā) that which is higher than the intelligence (buddhi), which holds the ātman with the ātman, slay the enemy in the form of desire who is so difficult to approach, O Mighty Armed.