The Bhagavad Gita (20 page)

^*
Sacrifice as a “sacred life,” an offering of devotion, etc. See chapter 3, 10–16; chapter 4, 23”33;.

^*
Literally “Om That Is.” In essence Om Tat Sat means “God alone is the Reality.”

  1  Arjuna asks, “Krishna, Divine One, what is the difference between
sanyasa
and
tyaga?
Since both words mean
renunciation,
how does the one differ from the other?”

  2  Krishna answers, “The sages say that giving up selfish actions
(sanyasa)
is one kind of renunciation, and abandoning and relinquishing the fruits of actions
(tyaga)
is another kind of renunciation.

  3  “Some sages assert that one should give up all actions because, being worldly actions, they all have a tinge of the impure, the not-Real in them. Others declare that one should continue certain actions, namely the three highest kinds: sacrifice, purification, and charity.

  4  
“Listen, Arjuna, while I give you the truth. Both terms,
sanyasa
and
tyaga
mean renunciation. Renunciation is not a negative process, but rather the positive act of giving up. We are surrounded by examples of this in nature: the sun constantly giving up its heat and light to foster life; a ripened fruit abandoning its parent tree; the mother giving birth to the baby she has carried for so long; students leaving school upon graduation; and grandest of all, the individual soul abandoning worldly entanglements to join Me, the Divine.

  5  “The ‘renunciations’ we have already considered, sacrifice, purification, and charity, are the three highest of human activities. You should never give them up. They all are methods of removing impurities for those who understand them — and purity is absolutely necessary to move Godward, which, as I have made clear so often, is the goal.

  6  “Also, as I explained, you have to selflessly perform these three high activities with no attachment or desire. It is essential to know this. The cow is sacred because of her selfless gift of her milk, which becomes the strength of life in other beings.
Yogis
and sages contribute to the purity of the world by giving, not by amassing. This, as I said, is the essential law that governs life at the spiritual level.

  7  “Indeed, the scriptures proclaim that the sacred acts of sacrifice, purification, and charity are obligatory and should be performed as long as the body lasts. Those who, through ignorance, do not perform them are
tamasic.

  8  “To avoid these sacred duties out of fear or aversion to physical discomfort is
rajasic.
No spiritual benefit will accrue to that person.

  9  “But when one engages in these activities for duty’s 9 sake alone, without attachment, with no desire for any reward, then the action is
sattvic.
Calmness and purity are born of this attitude.

10  
“Sattvic
people, not plagued by doubt and aware of the True Self
(Atma),
are steady in their obligations. They neither shy from the disagreeable nor yearn for the pleasant. They just do.

11  “It is impossible, as I said, for a human being to fully n be a renunciate (to give up all action) while still in the body. It simply cannot be done. But the person who detaches from the
fruits
of actions can be regarded as a genuine renunciate. True renunciation is relinquishing all desire for personal reward.

12  “Those still attached, who do things for selfish purposes, will reap their rewards in due season — either here or hereafter. Their accrued
karma
can be either bad, good, or mixed, depending on their actions.

“Being hurled into darkness to be reborn as a beast is an example of a reward for evil actions. Being born as a celestial being in heaven is an example of a reward for good actions. Taking birth as a human is an example of a mixed reward. But remember, Arjuna, those who renounce desire and attachment reap no consequences whatsoever of their actions, either in this world or the next.”

13-15  “Listen while I explain the five factors that spiritual philosophy says contribute to every action: first, the body (there could be no action without it); second, the doer of the action; third, the various senses; fourth, the
effort (the motion or energy involved in the doing); and fifth, the presiding deity manipulating all these instruments, including the unseen destiny latent in all actions
(prarabdha).
These five factors are involved in all human activity, whether an action of mind, speech, or body (thought, word, or deed), and whether the action is right or wrong
(dharmic
or
adharmic
).

16  “A common misapprehension is that the Self
(Atma)
is the doer of actions. But
Atma
has nothing to do with any of the five factors of action. The
Atma
performs no acts, no work at all, is eternal and pure, wholly unattached to the realm of matter (where all action takes place). The sense of doership belongs to ego, the mistaken sense rooted in the mind that you are an entity separate from
Atma.

17  “Spiritually evolved persons, established in the
Atma,
whose minds are free from the notion of doership, understand the True SelfWithin and are therefore not tainted by their actions. To them, worldly activities (such as, in your case, killing or being killed) are modifications taking place in the realm of nature
(prakriti).
Nature, remember, is really the doer of all
karmas.
As they are firmly aware of
this, yogis
rise above the turmoil and bondage of
karma.

18-19  “Now, Arjuna, I will explain how the forces of nature
(gunas)
interact with action. There are three general elements of action: knowledge, action, and the doer. Examining these three elements from the perspective of each of the three
gunas,
you see that there are three types of knowledge, three types of action, and three types of doers.

20  “The person of
sattvic
knowledge knows the Divinity of the Self, sees Divinity in all beings, knows the
oneness of all creatures in the universe, and sees none of the separateness that others see.

21   “The person of
rajasic
knowledge perceives separateness everywhere and sees each individual as distinct from all others. He or she believes there are as many separate souls as there are bodies.

22  “The person of
tamasic
knowledge has, in reality, no knowledge at all, only ignorance. This deluded one clings to the belief that an individual is only a body. To him or her the loss of the body means the loss of everything. There is no subtlety of reason in this.

23  “Now consider the three kinds of action.
Sattvic
actions are those acts set forth in the scriptures and performed without attachment. The person who performs a
sattvic
action does it as a sacred duty for duty’s sake alone, not for pleasure or personal reward. There is no drudgery in
sattvic
work.

24  “Work (action) is
rajasic
when goaded by desire for the fruits of that action.
Rajasic work
entangles one in self-indulgent pursuits, and requires an inordinate amount of egoistic effort. This type of action hinders spiritual growth and yields sorrow.

25  “Actions are
tamasic
when undertaken blindly without thinking or considering consequences. No thought is given to the cost or merit of doing the action, and the doer has no notion of his or her own capacity to accomplish it.

26  “Consider now the three types of doers.
Sattvic
doers see it all as the work of the Divine, and see themselves as but instruments of Divinity. Thus completely
egoless, these doers are free of desire and attachment. They are ardent about the work to be done, and yet unaffected by success or failure.

27  
“Rajasic
doers are driven by desires for personal gain; they are greedy and destructive to the point of cruelty, and joyous or despondent depending on the success or failure of their acts. They are overzealous and even harmful to others who seem to get in the way. Spiritual achievement is not for these doers.

28  
“Tamasic
doers are inattentive, unconcerned, lethargic, and lazy. Indolence and procrastination are their main features, along with deceitfulness, maliciousness, and dishonesty.

29  “Also consider, from the perspectives of the
gunas,
two additional qualities: intellect and firmness of mind. Intellect refers to the faculty of discrimination
(buddhi);
firmness of mind
(dhrti)
refers to the strength of convictions, resolve, fortitude, and courage on the spiritual path. Listen now as I first describe the levels of intellect and then the levels of firmness.

30  “The
sattvic
intellect
(buddhi)
discriminates between Truth and non-Truth, Real and not Real. It knows the difference between action and inaction
(karma
and
akarma),
and knows what helps or hinders spiritual progress. It differentiates between fear and fearlessness, and understands what sets the soul free and what imprisons it. The
sattvic
intellect leads one Godward.

31  “The
rajasic
intellect also discriminates, but wrongly. It has a distorted understanding of right and wrong deeds, rationalizing that the means justify the ends no matter how selfish or hurtful. This type of
buddhi
is
capable of converting truth into falsehood and vice versa. Greed, passion, anger, and fear cloud its vision. It stays mired in base worldly life instead of guiding one upward.

32  “The
tamasic
intellect, wrapped in ignorance and enveloped in darkness, simply cannot discriminate. Goodness appears bad to this intellect while evil seems good. It understands life in a perverted way. The
tamas-
dominated intellect drags one ever downward.

33  “Now consider the three degrees of firmness of mind
(dhrti). Sattvic
firmness is an absolutely unwavering devotion to the Divine, a deeply profound resolve to move toward and merge in God. You carefully cultivate this fixity of purpose through inner discipline and meditation. You turn all life energy
(prana)
and all functions of mind (feelings, thoughts, and senses) Godward, and then firmly fasten them. Like the compass needle that points north regardless of the direction of travel, this focus on the Divine never veers from the ultimate goal of merging in That.

34  
“Rajasic
firmness of mind is similarly resolute but holds fast to the desires for pomp, power, property, and prestige (or even to the attachment to virtuous living). If turned Godward this resolve could lift you toward the Supreme, but directed toward worldly enjoyment it condemns you to repeated lifetimes of turmoil and pain.

35  
“Tamasic
firmness of mind is born of ignorance, lack of purpose, and lack of fortitude, which results in a deadening inertia. In the absence of discrimination or understanding, the only resolve in
tamas
is to eat, drink, and sleep away one’s time. The
tamasic
person ignores the rest of life as if it were a dream.”

36  “We can also understand happiness
(sukha,
joy) in terms of the three
gunas.
The search for happiness gives impetus to life. All beings join this endless hunt but very few find it. The happiness I speak of here comes only after long practice. Sporadic, halfhearted attempts to achieve it do not succeed. Those who achieve everlasting happiness end all sorrow in life! Listen, Arjuna, to the three classifications of happiness.

37  
“Sattvic
happiness is the serenity of mind that meditation brings, the sweet joy that comes with Self-realization. Like all things good, it is hard work in the beginning but sheer joy later — bitter poison at first, sweet nectar in the end. The fountain of lasting bliss flows from
Atma,
the True Self Within. You can find this bliss inside through
abhyasa,
steady practice.

38  
“Rajasic
happiness is just the opposite: nectar at first, poison in the end. It is temporary pleasure obtained from the contact of your senses with objects in the world. Give in to this type of happiness and you invite the pain that always accompanies it. Rely compulsively on your senses for enjoyment and you rob your strength, stamina, and capacity for growth. Your spiritual wisdom fades. Pleasure and its corollary, pain, are what one drinks in the world; real bliss is what one sips within.