The Bhagavad Gita (7 page)

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Brahman,
the Godhead, is the Supreme, Divine Presence—the Absolute Highest Consciousness (not to be confused with
Brahma,
the Creator, or
Brahmin,
the priestly class).

1-2  Arjuna interrupts, “O Krishna, you’re adding to my confusion! You imply that knowledge is greater than action, but then you push me to fight this awful war. Well, fighting is action! Please be clearer: Which path, knowledge or action, is right for me — which one will without a doubt bring me to the supreme goal?”

  3  Krishna replies, “Over the many good years that we have been as close as brothers I have not made this totally clear to you, but now I will. Know that at the very beginning it was I who laid out both spiritual paths: knowledge and action. I established the path of knowledge for
the more contemplative person and the path of action for the busy, action-oriented person.

“Remember, Arjuna, true knowledge is knowing the
Atma,
the True Self Within. When you clarify your intellect through either contemplation or selfless action you get to realize the
Atma.
Both paths lead to realization of Self.

4-5  “Those who merely shirk worldly activities, thinking they are ‘renouncing’ action, cannot attain the Supreme goal. You first have to act. Mere refusal to act is futile. Even the supposedly ‘passive’ goal of clarifying the intellect and acquiring knowledge cannot be achieved without action. Look at nature. The fruit engaged in its task of ripening does not ‘renounce’ its task and sever its connection to the tree until it is fully ripe. Indeed, Arjuna, inaction, for even a moment, is impossible. Eating, sleeping, breathing, the heartbeat, even subconscious mental activities — all are actions. Everyone is helplessly driven to action by their own nature and by nature itself. Action is inherent throughout nature. From the single whirling atom up to the entire universe, all is movement, action.

  6  “If one sits motionless but with one’s mind ever thinking of sense attractions, that too is engaging in action. If you think that merely being motionless is being actionless, you are being a hypocrite and deluding yourself.

  7  “Engage in action, do your work, but with full control of your mind and senses. And be aware that the work you do should contribute in some way, directly or indirectly, to the higher good of humanity.

  8  “One is obligated to work, to act, even to maintain one’s body — bathing, eating, sleeping, breathing. So
do your obligated duties, Arjuna. Duty-bound action is far better than inaction.”

  9  “Action
(karma)
normally ties the human being to the wheel of birth and death, but not when performed as an act of sacrifice — not when the person offers up both the action and the fruits of the action to Divinity. Then, the action is nonbinding. One’s job in life is to act selflessly, even sacramentally, without thinking of personal benefit. It is very possible for you to make great moral and spiritual progress in worldly life through action and yet not become fastened to the negative consequences of your actions.

10  “In the beginning, when I created the world, I set in motion the principle of sacrifice, saying, ‘It is through
sacrifice
that thou shalt prosper and propagate.’ My word ‘sacrifice’ is in no way associated with the common image of self-neglect or self-flagellation.
Sacrifice
is used here in a very special way: it means offering, helping, and being dedicated to the welfare of all humanity. It implies a mutuality of existence with all other beings.
Sacrifice
in this spiritual meaning of the word is a universal rule, a fundamental law of nature;
sacrifice
as the spirit of giving, which permeates all of creation. This
sacrifice
is a way for mankind to convert earthly misery into happiness.

11  “Worship, for example (also a misinterpreted word, which means honoring and revering), is a meaningful form of
sacrifice
as I use the term. Therefore, Arjuna, revere and honor (worship) the
devas,
the Divine entities, subtle powers of nature that dwell in sacrifice. Cherish them and they will cherish you. This mutuality is good for all humanity.

12  “Dear old friend, you should strike a balance in life between giving and getting. When you engage in selfless service (which is
sacrifice),
your desires are fulfilled, unasked, by nature. Righteous people give more than they receive; indebted ones get more than they give. The one who receives without giving is stealing.

13  “You should even eat your food in the spirit of sacrifice. Then you are freed from the strong attachment to tastiness and enjoyment that so quickly binds one to physical gratification, which is a bottomless pit. The person who eats solely for physical enjoyment gets turned away from life’s true purpose: achieving Divinity. Indeed, the very definition of
sin
is not, as so many think, committing evil acts, but veering from God. In that sense, eating merely for physical pleasure is a sin.

14  “The very cycle of life emanates from the subtle effects of
sacrifice
as here defined. Let Me explain the cycle: all living creatures are nourished and sustained by food; food is nourished and sustained by rain; rain, the water of life, emanates from nature, called down from heaven, freely given (
sacrificed
) for the eventual benefit of humanity. All of life, Arjuna, is therefore born of, nourished, and sustained by selfless action, by sacrifice.

“Sacrifice is the noblest form of action. Work performed in the right attitude of mind becomes sacrifice. Service is sacrifice. This level of sacrifice actually has Divinity in it, performing it becomes a subtle but powerful mental force. This makes life itself sacred. Eventually, all your actions, mental and physical, become an offering (a sacrifice) for the betterment of the universe.

15  “As I said, every selfless, sacred action (every sacrifice) is born from Brahman, the Godhead, the Absolute
Highest Consciousness. He is present, consciously, in every act of service. Work performed with the best of motives becomes sacrifice. Life itself is turned into a sacrifice when directed to the service of Divinity. When people perform service as sacrifice, no matter what their work or profession, the universe itself becomes elevated and sublime. The whole scheme of nature is centered not on grabbing, but on offering selfless action, which is sacrifice.

“This important law of life may seem distant from the individual, Arjuna, but that is not so. Each selfless act done by anyone contributes in an important way to this mysterious whole.

16  “All life turns on this law of sacrifice, called ‘the wheel
of yajna.’
Those who veer from this and seek instead to indulge the senses for personal gratification and ignore the needs of others, live in vain and squander their life. Why did I, the Creator, set this in motion? Because this world is a learning ground, a place to discipline, train, and elevate all beings. If we decline to learn we cannot derive the benefit of the schooling.”

17  “Arjuna, those who have found the pure contentment, satisfaction, and peace of the
Atma
(the True Self Within) are fulfilled. They have nothing more in this world to accomplish, no more obligations to meet. Being in the
Atma,
these people are beyond karma.

18  “The one who is firmly established in the
Atma
knows the real meaning of being
Self-
sufficient. That person has no dependence of any kind on anybody and has nothing to gain or lose by either action or inaction.”

19  “The point, old friend — and this is very important — is to do your worldly duty, but do it without any attachment to it or desire for its fruits. Keep your mind always on the Divine (
Atma
, the Self). Make it as automatic as your breath or heartbeat. This is the way to reach the supreme goal, which is to merge into God.

20  “There have been many who have done this. The renowned King Janaka (an ancient
karma-yogi)
attained union with God by performing worldly duties in this spirit. The ignorant cannot lead the community, Arjuna; it is the enlightened who are the best servants of society. So do your worldly work without attachment and for the best interests of all.

21  “Whatever a great man or woman does, others also do. Eminent people must in the public interest put forth their best virtues. Then ordinary people try to rise to that level.

22-24  “Consider Me, Arjuna. There is nothing I do not have, so I have nothing to gain in this or the other worlds. And yet I continue doing. If I, Divinity, were to stop working, humanity would follow that example and this would inflict havoc. Indeed, if I cease to act it would cause cosmic chaos and result in confusion and the destruction of humanity.

25  “The people who are ignorant of the True SelfWithin work as though tightly harnessed to action, working for their own welfare. But enlightened persons who know the True Self work for the welfare of the world, unattached, ever helping to point humanity toward
dharma
(right action, living a truth-based life).

“And yet, do not bewilder the ignorant who are hungry for selfish action. Let them continue to work, but show them by example that work can be made sacred when done in the right spirit, with the heart fixed on Divinity.

27  “The ignorant one, mistakenly identifying with the body, erroneously thinks, ‘I am the doer.’ This is the mark of egoism. In truth, Arjuna, all actions are really performed by worldly nature, not by
Atma.
The Self
(Atma),
remember, is beyond all action, all
karma.

28  “The person who really knows nature — which I will explain to you in detail later — knows that when the senses, which are a part of nature, attach themselves to worldly objects, which are also a part of nature, it is merely nature attaching to nature. It is only ‘I,’ this ego-self, doing this or that. The wise one, aware of this, stands apart and just watches this play of nature.

29  “The wise ones who understand these things should not refrain from action, as that would confuse the minds of the unknowing who are entangled in and tied to the consequences of action
(karma).
There is no harm in some people performing their duties with attachment; work with attachment has its place in humanity’s evolution.”

30  “Now that you are aware of the indispensable necessity of performing action, I will tell you the best path for you, old friend. Shake off this fever of ignorance that has enveloped you. Break free of your ego. Stop thinking of worldly rewards. Fix your mind in Me, the Truth, your
Atma,
the Divinity within you. Know
that it is the Divine who propels all actions in the universe. Offer up all your actions to Me, Divinity. And then, with a perfectly clear mind and heart, go forth, fight this battle of life!

31  “There are marvelous benefits from this selfless way of life, Arjuna, but you cannot acquire them without firm faith. These principles must be lived, not intellectualized. Those who earnestly live them are released from their
karma,
the consequences of their actions.

32  “But those who carp about these teachings and do not practice them are deluded and without spiritual discrimination. They are the cause of their own sorrow and ruin, and become lost.

33  “All living creatures, even wise sages, behave in accordance with their own nature. This is an important point. Everyone’s behavior is rooted in the thoughts and the tendencies that predominate in them. This is the meaning of one’s ‘nature.’ Therefore, if one’s nature is so powerful, one might well question the value of even attempting to live by the scriptural injunctions to ‘do this, don’t do that.’ One could ask: ‘Why, if we are but pawns of our nature, should we even try to restrain it?’

34  “The answer is not to try to restrain your nature but to progressively improve your nature. Examine this thing called ‘nature’ more closely. One’s own senses are major stumbling blocks to spiritual attainment. Senses derive their power from the many likes and dislikes imprinted in the mind (by family, by culture, and by one’s actions in this and previous lives). This deeply embedded, largely unconscious system of likes and dislikes is what gives rise to one’s thoughts,
desires, and tendencies. This mental pattern is in large part what is meant by one’s ‘nature.’

“Arjuna, the best thing to do with these thoughts and desires is to transmute them into a devotional attitude, a desire for God. When this attitude takes hold, the system of likes and dislikes melts away, which causes the fierce power of the senses to gradually dry up. Desires are enemies when directed outward, but allies when pointed inward toward Divinity.