 Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita, translated by Sir Edwin Arnold. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater. The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Sir Edwin Arnold. Chapter 12 of the Religion of Faith. Arjuna, Lord of the men who serve thee, true in heart as God revealed, and of the men who serve worshipping thee unrevealed, unbodied, far, which take the better way of faith and life. Krishna, whoever serve me, as I show myself, constantly true in full devotion fixed, these hold I very holy. But who serve worshipping me the one, the invisible, the unrevealed, unnamed, unthinkable, uttermost, all pervading, highest sure, who thus adore me, mastering their sense of one set mind to all, glad in all good. These blessed souls come unto me, yet hard the travail is for who so bend their minds to reach the unmanifest, that viewless path shall scarce be trod by man bearing his flesh. But where so any doeth all his deeds, renouncing self in me, full of me, fixed to serve only the highest night and day, musing on me, him will I swiftly lift forth from life's ocean of distress and death. Whose soul clings fast to me, cling thou to me, class me with heart and mind, so shalt thou dwell surely with me on high. But if thy thought droops from such height, if thou beest weak to set body and soul upon me constantly, despair not, give me lower service, seek to read me, worshipping with steadfast will, and if thou canst not worship steadfastly, work for me, toil in works pleasing to me, for he that labrith right for love of me shall finally attain. But if in this thy faint heart fails, bring me thy failure, find refuge in me, let fruits of labour go, renouncing all for me, with lowliest heart, so shalt thou come, for though to know is more than diligence, yet worship better is than knowing, and renouncing better still, near to renunciation, very near dwelleth eternal peace, who hatheth not of all which lives, living himself benign, compassionate from arrogance exempt, exempt from love of self, unchangeable by good or ill, patient, contented, firm in faith, mastering himself, true to his word, seeking me, heart and soul, vowed unto me that man I love, who troubleth not his kind, and is not troubled by them, clear of wrath, living too high for gladness, grief or fear, that man I love, who dwelling quiet-eyed, stainless serene, well-balanced, unperplexed, working with me, yet from all works detached, that man I love, who, fixed in faith on me, dotes upon none, scorns none, rejoices not and grieves not, letting good and evil hap, light when it will, and when it will depart, that man I love, who unto friend and foe, keeping an equal heart with equal mind, bears shame and glory with an equal peace, takes heat and cold, pleasure and pain, abides, quit of desires, hears praise or calamity in passionless restraint, unmoved by each, linked by no ties to earth, steadfast in me, that man I love, but most of all I love those happy ones, to whom tis life to live in single, fervid faith and love unseeing, eating the blessed amrit of my being. End of Chapter 12. Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater. Recorded in Alexandria, Egypt, North Africa. The Bhagavad Gita or Song Celestial. Translated by Sir Edwin Ornard. Chapter 13. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The present recording is by Raju. Ramina45 at HotMile.com Chapter 13. Of Religion by Separation of Matter and Spirit. Arjuna. Now would I hear, O Gracious Keshava, of life which seems and soul beyond which sees and what it is we know or seem to know. Krishna. A son of Kunti for this flesh easy is Chetra. Is a field where life disposes. And that which views and knows it is a soul, Chetra Jnana. In all fields, though Indian Prince, I am Chetra Jnana. I am what surveys. Only that knowledge knows, which knows the known by the knower. What it is. That field of life. What qualities it had and when cities and why it changed and the faculty that voted it. The mightiness of this and how it voted. Hear these things from me. The elements. The conscious life. The mind. The unseen vital force. The nine great gates of the body. Or the five domains of sense. Desire. Dislike. Pressure and pain. And thought. Deep oven. And consistency of being. These all are wrought on matter by the soul. Humbleness. Truthfulness. And homelessness. Patience and honor. Reverence for the wise. Purity. Constancy. Control of self. Contempt of sense delights. Self sacrifice. Perception of this attitude of ill. Inbirth. Death. A. Disease. Suffering. And sin. Detachment. Lightly holding unto home. Children and wives. And all that bindeth men. And ever tranquil heart. In fortunes good. And fortunes evil. With a will set firm to worship me. Me only. Ceasing not. Loving all solitudes. And shunning noise. Of foolish crowds. Endowers. Resolute. To reach perception of the utmost soul. And grace to understand what gain it were. So to attain. This is true wisdom. Friends. And what is otherwise its ignorance. Now will I speak of knowledge best to know. The truth which giveth man amrit to drink. The truth of him. A parabram. The all. The uncreated. Not assert. Not sets. Not form. Nor the unformed. Yet both and more. Whose hands are everywhere and everywhere. Planted his feet and everywhere. His eyes beholding. And his ears in every place hearing. And all his faces everywhere. Enlightening and incomprehensible. Glorified by the senses he hath given. Yet beyond sense he is. Sustaining all. He dwelleth unattached. Of forms and modes. Master. Yet neither form nor mode hath he. He is within all beings. And without motionless. Yet still moving. Not discerned. For subtlety of instant presence. Close to all. Yet still moving. Not discerned. For subtlety of instant presence. Close to all. To each. Yet measurelessly far. Not manifold. And yet subsisting still in all which lives. Forever to be known as the sustainer. Yet at the end of times. He makeeth all to end. And recreates. The light of lights. He is. In the heart of the dark. Shining eternally. Wisdom he is. And wisdom's way. And gate of all the wise. Planted in every heart. So have I told. Of life's tough. And the moulding. And the lore. To comprehend. Whoso adoring me. Perceiveeth this. Shall surely come to me. Know thou that nature and the spirit both have no beginning. Know that qualities and changes of them are by nature wrought. The nature puts to work the acting frame. But spirit does inform it. And so cause feeling of pain and pleasure. Spirit linked to moulded matter entered into bond with qualities by nature framed. And thus married to matter. Breach the birth again in good or evil yonies. Yet is this a in its bodily prison. Spirit pure. Spirit supreme. Surveying. Governing. Guarding. Possessing. Lord and master. Still Purusha ultimate one soul with me. Whoso thus knows himself and knows his soul Purusha. Working through the qualities with nature's smokes the light had come for him. Whatever flesh he bears never again shall he take on its load. Some few there be by meditation find the soul in self. Self-school. And some by long philosophy. And holy life reached thither. Some by words. Some never so attaining. Here a flight from other lips and seas. And cleave to eat. Worshipping. A. And those to teaching through over past death. Wherever Indian prince life is of moving things or things unknown. Plant or still seed. Know what is there have grown by bond of matter and spirit. Know he sees indeed who sees in all alike. The living. Lordly soul. The soul supreme. Imperishable amid the perishing. For whoso thus beholds in every place in every form the same. One living Lord. Death no more wrongfulness unto himself. But goes the highest road which brings to bliss. Seeing he sees indeed who sees that verse or nature's own. For soul to use not love. Acting yet not the actor. He sees the mass of separate living things. Each of his kind. Issue from one and blend again to one. Then had he Brahma. He attains. O Prince. That ultimate high spirit uncreate. Unqualified. Even when it entered flesh. Take at no stain of acts. Work at in not. Light to the ethereal air. Pervading all which for sheer subtlety. Avoid at taint. The subtle soul sits everywhere. Unstained. Like to the light of all piercing sun. Which is not changed by art. It shines upon. The soul's light shine through in every place. And they who by such eye of wisdom see. How matter and God deals with it. Divide. And how the spirit and the flesh have strive. These wise ones go the way which leads to life. Here in the chapter. Of the Bhagavad Gita. Entitled. Or the book of religion by separation. Of matter and spirit. This is a liberal works recording. All liberal works recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit liberalworks.org. The present recording is by Raju. The Bhagavad Gita or song Celestial. Translated by Sir Edwin Arnald. Chapter 14. This is a liberal works recording. All liberal works recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit liberalworks.org. The present recording is by Raju. Ramina 45 at hotmail.com. Chapter 14. Of religion by separation from the qualities. Krishna. At father will I open unto thee. This wisdom of all wisdoms utter most. The witch possessing all my saints have passed to perfectness. On these high varieties. The land rising in fellowship with me. They are not born again at birth. Of kalpas. Nor at playas. Suffer change. This universe. The womb is where I plant seed of all lives. Then Prince of India comes births to all beings. Husso. Unthi son. Mothers each mortal form. Ramma conceives. And I am he that fathers sending seed. Satvan. Rajas. And Thomas. So are named the qualities of nature. Soot fastness. Passion and ignorance. These three bind down the changeless spirit in the changeful flesh. Whereof sweet soot fastness by purity living and solid and enlightened. Binds the sinless soul to happiness and truth. And passion being keen to appetite and breathing impulse and propensity. Binds the embodied soul. O Kunti son. By tie of works. But ignorance. The child of darkness. Blinding mortal men. Binds down their souls to stupor, sloth and drowsiness. A Prince of India. Soot fastness. Binds souls in pleasant vice to flesh. And passion binds by toilsome strain. But ignorance which plots the beams of wisdom. Binds the soul to sloth. Passion and ignorance. Once overcome. Leave soot fastness. O Bharata. Wear this with ignorance or absent. Passion rules. And ignorance in hearts. Not good. Not quick. Then at all gateways of the body shrines. The lamp of knowledge. Then may one see well. Soot fastness settled in that city range. Where longing is. And ardour and unrest. Impulse to strive and gain. And avarice. Those spring from passion. Prince and grain. And where darkness and dullness. Sloth and stupor are. Its ignorance had cost them. Kuru chief. Moreover, when a soul departed. Fixed in soot fastness. It goeth to the place. Perfect and pure. Of those that know all truth. If it departed in set habit you of impulse. It shall go into the world of spirits. Try to work. And if it dies in hardened ignorance. That blinded soul is born a new in some. Unlighted home. The fruit of soot fastness is true and sweet. The fruit of lust is pain and toy. The fruit of ignorance is deeper darkness. A. For light brings light. And passion ate to hell. Blindness. Builderments. And ignorance. Grow forth from ignorance. Those of the first rise ever higher. Those of the second mode take a mid place. The darkened soul sink back to lower deeps. Loaded with witlessness. When watching life. The living man perceives. The only actors or the qualities. Who knows what lives beyond the qualities. Then is he come nigh unto me. The soul thus passing forth from the three qualities. Whereof arise all bodies, Overcomes birth, death, sorrow, and age. And drinketh deep the undying point of amrits. Arjuna. O my lord. Which be the signs to know him That hath gone past the three modes. How liveeth he? What will leadeth him safe beyond the three-four modes? Krishna. He who with equanimity surveys Luster of goodness, strife of passion, Sloth of ignorance. Not angry if they are. Not angry when they are not. He who sits, a sojourner, And stranger in their midst. Unruffled, standing off, Saying, serving, and troubles break. These are the qualities. He unto whom, self-centered, Grief and joy sound as one word. To whose deep-seeing eyes The cloud, the marble, and the gold are won. Whose equal heart holds the same gentleness For lovely and unloy things, Firm set, well-pleased in praise and despise. Satisfied with honor or dishonor, Unto friends and unto foes, Alike in tolerance, Detached from undertakings, He is named surmountor of the qualities. And search with single fervent faith, Alluring me, passing beyond the qualities, Conforms to Brahma and attains me. For I am that whereof Brahma is the likeness. Mine, the Amrit is, and immortality is mine, And mine perfect felicity. Here ends Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita, Entitled, Unathrayavad Bhagayok, Or the Book of Religion by Separation From the Qualities. These are LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The present recording is by Raju. Ramina, 45, at heartmail.com Recording by Shubhda Garani The Bhagavad Gita, Translated by Sir Edwin Arnold, Chapter 15 Of Religion by Attaining the Supreme. Krishna Men call the Ashwatha, The banyan tree, Which hath its boughs beneath, Its roots on high, The ever holy tree. Ye for its leaves are green And waving hymns, Which whisper truth, Who knoweth well the Ashwatha knows all. Its branches shoot to heaven And sink to earth, Even as the deeds of men Which take their birth From qualities. Its silver sprays and blooms And all the eager Verdu of its girth Leap to quick life At touch of sun and air, As men's lives Quicken to the tempting sphere Of wooing sense. Its hanging rootlets Seek the soil beneath Helping to hold it there. As actions wrought Amid this world of men Bind them by ever tightening Bonds again. If ye knew well The teaching of the tree, What its shape saith And whence it springs And then how it must end And all the ills of it The acts of sharp detachment Ye would wet And cleave the clinging Snakey roots And lay this Ashwatha Of sense like low To set new growths Upspringing to that happier sky Which They who reach Shall have no day to die Nor fade away nor fall To him I mean Father in first Who made the mystery Of old creation For to him come day From passion and from dreams Who break away Who part the bonds Constraining them to flesh And him, the highest Were shipping away No longer grow at mercy Of what breeze of summer pleasure Sturs the sleeping trees What blast of tempest Tears them bow and stem To the eternal world Pass such as these Another sun gleams there Another moon Another light A light which none shall lack Whose eyes once see For those return no more They have attained My utter most abode When in this world Of manifested life The undying spirit Setting forth from me Taketh on form It draweth to itself From being's storehouse Which containeth all Senses and intellect The sovereign soul Thus entering the flesh Or quitting it Gathers these up As the wind gathers sense Blowing above the flower banks Ear and eye And touch and taste And smelling These it takes And a sentient mind Linking itself To sense things so The unenlightened ones Mark not that spirit When he goes or comes Nor when he takes his pleasure In the form conjoined With qualities But those see plain Who have the eyes to see The holy souls see Which strive thereto Enlightened They behold that spirit In themselves But foolish ones Even though they strive Discern not Having hearts Unkindled, ill-informed No too from me Shineeth the gathered glory Of the sun Which lightens all the world Then draws silvery beams And fire fears loveliness I penetrate the clay And lend all shapes Their living force I glide into the plant Its root leaf bloom To make the woodland Green with springing sap Becoming vital warmth I glow in glad Respiring frames And pass with outward And with inward breath To feed the body With all needs For in this world Being is twofold The divided one The undivided one All things that live Are the divided That which sits apart The undivided Higher still is one The highest Holding all whose name is lord The eternal sovereign first Who fills all worlds Sustaining them And dwelling thus Beyond divided life And undivided I am called Of men and Vedas God supreme The purushottama Who knows me thus With mind unclouded Knoweth all, dear prince And with his whole soul Ever worshipeth me Now is the sacred secret mystery Declared to thee Who comprehended this Hath wisdom He is quit of works and bliss Here ends Chapter 15 Of the Bhagavad Gita Entitled Purushottama Praptiyogo Or the book of religion By attaining the supreme The Bhagavad Gita Or sound celestial Translated by Sir Edwin Arnog Chapter 16 This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer Please visit LibriVox.org The present recording is by Raju Pramina45 At HothMile.com Chapter 16 Of the separateness of the divine And the undivine Krishna Fearlessness Singleness of soul The will always to strive for wisdom Opened hand And governed appetites And piety And love of lonely study Humbleness Uprightness Heed to endure not Which lives Truthfulness Flowness and to wrath Purity Which spires no man's force And tenderness towards all that suffer A contended heart Fluttered by no desires A bearing mind, modest and grave With manhood nobly mixed With patience, fortitude and purity An Unrevengeful spirit Never given to rate itself too high Such be the signs O Indian Prince Of him who's feet are set On earth, which leads to heavenly birth Deceitfulness And arrogance And pride, quickness to anger Harsh and evil speech And ignorance to its own darkness These be the signs, my Prince Of whom whose birth Is fated for the regions of the wild The heavenly birth Brings to deliverance So shouldst thou know The birth with asuras brings into bondage Be thou Joyous Prince Whose lot is set apart for heavenly birth Two stamps there Or mark an all living man Divine and un-divine I speak to thee By what marks thou shouldst know The heavenly man Hear from me now of the un-heavenly They comprehend not The un-heavenly Households go forth from me Nor how they come back unto me Nor is there truth in these Nor purity Nor role of life This world hath not a law Nor order Nor a law So say they Nor hath risen up by cause Following on cause In perfect opposing But is none other than a house of lust And this thing Thinking all those vain ones Of little wit Dark-minded give themselves The curses of their kind Surrendered to desires insatiable Full of deceitfulness Folly and pride In blindness cleaving to their errors Caught into the sinful course They trust this lie As it were true This lie which leads to death Finding in pleasure all the good which is And crying here it finisheth Yen snarred in noose of a hundred Ideal hopes Slaves to their passion and their wrath They buy wealth with base Deeds to glut hot appetites Thus much today They say We gained thereby Such and such wish of heart Shall have its fill And this is ours And the other shall be ours Today we slew a foe And we will slay our other enemy Tomorrow, look, are we not lords Make we not gootly cheer Is not our fortune famous Brave and great Rich are we, proud-born What other men live like to us Kill them for sacrifice Cast lovelies and beamleries So they speak, darkened by ignorance And so they fall Tossed to and fro with projects Tricked and bound In net of plaque delusion Lost in lust Down to foul naraka Conceited, fawn, stubborn and proud Dead drunken with the wine of wealth And reckless All their offerings Have but a show of reverence Being not made in piety Of ancient faith Thus owed to self-hood Force, insolence, feasting, wrath These my blasphemers In the forms they wear And in the forms they breed My foremen are hateful And hating, cruel, evil, wild Least of whom I cast down Again and it again At end of lives Into some devilish fume Whence birth by birth The devilish fumes respawned them All beguiled And till they find And worship me, my sweet prince Thread they not another road The doors of hell are three-fold Whereby men to ruin paths The door of lust, the door of wrath The door of avarice Let a man shun these three He who shall turn aside From entering all those three gates Of Narak Vendeth straight To find his peace And comes to Sargasth gate Here end of Chapter 16 Of the Bhagavad Gita Entitled Deva Sarasopad Vibhagya Yog Or the book of the separateness Of the Divine and Undivine End of Chapter 16 Of the Bhagavad Gita The present recording is by Raju Ramina45 At Hotmail.com The Bhagavad Gita Or Song Celestial Translated by Sir Edwin Arnault Chapter 17 This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information Or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org The present recording is by Raju Ramina45 at Hotmail.com Chapter 17 Of religion by the three-fold kinds of faith Arjuna If men forsake the holy ordinance Heedless of Shastras Yet keep faith at heart And worship What shall be the state of those Great Krishna Satvan Rajas Thomas Krishna Threefold the faith is of mankind And springs from those three qualities Or passion stained Or dark as thou shalt hear The faith of each believer Indian Prince Confirms itself to what he truly is Where thou shalt see a worshipper That one To what he worships Lives assimilate Such as the shrine, so is the rotary The soothfast souls Adore true gods The souls obeying Rajas worship Rajasas Or Yaksas And the men of darkness pray To Prethas and to Bhutas A. And those who practice Bitter penance Not enjoined by rightful root Penance which hath its root In self-sufficient proud hypocrisies Those men Passion beset Violent, wild Torturing the pitless ones My elements shut in fire company Within their flesh Me myself present within the flesh Know them to devils devoted Not to heaven For like as foods are Threefold for mankind in nourishing So is their threefold way of worship Abstainence and arms giving Here this of me There is a food which brings Force, substance, strength And health and joy to live Being well seasoned Cordial comforting Soothfast meat And there been foods Which bring aches and unrest And burning blood and grief Being too biting, Heating, salt and sharp And therefore craved by too strong appetite And there is foul food Kept from overnight Saverless, filthy Which the foul will eat A feast of rottenness Meat for the lips Of such as love the darkness Thus with rites A sacrifice not for Rewardment made Offered in rightful wise When he who vows Sayeth with heart devout This I should do Is soothfast rite But sacrifice for gain Offered for good repute Be sure that this O best of Bharatas is Rajas rite With stamp of passion With no due door of forgiving With no accompaniment of Hollowed hymn Nor larges to the priests In faithless celebration Call it while The deed of darkness last Worship of Gods Meriting worship Lowly reverence of twice bombs Teachers, purity, rectitude And the brahmacharyas bow And not endure any helpless thing These make a true religiousness Of act Words causing no man war Words ever true Gentle and pleasing words And those they say In murmured reading of sacred rite These make the true religiousness Of speech Serenity of soul, benignity Sway of the silent spirit Constant stress To sanctify the nature These things make good rite And true religiousness of mind In highest piety Kept with no hope of gain By heart's devotee Is perfect work of sattvan True belief Religion shown in act of proud display To win good entertainment, worship, fame Such say I Is of Rajas, trash and vain Religion Followed by a witless will To torch herself For come at power to hurt another Sattvamas, dark and ill Lovingly given, when one shall say Now must I gladly give When he who takes Can render nothing back Made in due place, due time And to a neat recipient Is gift of sattvan Fair and profitable The gift selfishly given Where to receive is hoped again For when some end is sought Or where the gift is preferred With a grudge This is of Rajas, stained with impulse Ill The gift selfishly fun At evil time In wrongful place To base recipient made in disdain Or harsh unkindliness Is gift of sattvamas, dark It doth not bless Here end of Chapter 17 Of the Bhagavad Gita Entitled Sraddha Traya Vibhagaya Or the Book of Religion By the three-fold kinds of faith Chapter 17 Of the Bhagavad Gita Present recording is by RajuRamina45 at hotmail.com Chapter 18 Arjuna Fain would I better know, thou glorious one, The very truth Hearts Lord of Sannyas Abstention and renunciation Lord Tia and what separates these Twain Krishna The poets rightly teach that Sannyas is the foregoing Of all acts which spring Out of desire And their wisest say Is renouncing fruit of acts There be among the saints Some who have held All actions sinful And to be renounced And some who answer Nay, the goodly acts As worship, penance, alms Must be performed Here now my sentence Best of Bharatas Tis well set forth O chaser of thy foes Renunciation is of three-fold form The worship, penance, alms Not to be stayed Nay, to be gladly done For all those three are Purifying waters for true souls Yet must be practiced Even those high works In yielding up attachment And all fruit produced by works This is my judgment, Prince This my insuperable And fixed decree Abstaining from a work By right prescribed Never is meat So to abstain doth spring From darkness And delusion teacheth it Abstaining from a work Grievous to flesh When one saith Tis unpleasing This is null Such in one acts from passion Not of gain Wins his renunciation But Arjun, abstaining from Attachment to the work With it full faithfully Saying Tis right to do That is true act In abstinence Who doeth duty so Unvext if his work fail If it succeed unflattered In his own heart justified Quit of debates and doubts His is true act For being in the body None may stand Holy aloof from act Yet who abstains From profit of his acts Is abstinent The fruit of labours And the lives to come Is threefold for all men Desirable and undesirable And mixed of both But no fruit is at all Where no work was Here from me long-armed lord The makings five Which go to every act In Sankya taught as necessary First the force And then the agent Next the various instruments Fourth the special effort Fifth the God What works, however, Any mortal doth Of body, mind, or speech Evil or good By these five doth he that Which being thus Whoso for lack of knowledge Seeeth himself as the sole actor Knoweth not at all And seeeth not Therefore I say If one, holding aloof from self With unstained mind Should slay all yonder host Being bid to slay He doth not slay He is not bound thereby Knowledge, the thing known And the mind which knows These make the threefold Starting ground of act The act, the actor, and the instrument These make the threefold Total of the deed But knowledge, agent, act Are differenced by three Dividing qualities Here now which be the qualities Dividing them There is true knowledge Learn thou it is this To see one changeless life In all the lives And in the separate One inseparable There is imperfect knowledge That which sees the separate Existences apart And being separated Holds them real There is false knowledge That which blindly clings to one As if to her all Seeking no cause Deprived of light, narrow And dull and dark There is right action That which being enjoined Is wrought without attachment Passionlessly For duty Not for love Nor hate, nor gain There is vain action That which men pursue Aking to satisfy desires Impilled by sense of self With all absorbing stress This is of rajas Passionate and vain There is dark action When one doth a thing Heedless of issues Heedless of the hurt Or wrong for others Heedless if he harm his own soul Tis of tamas Black and bad There is the rightful doer He who acts free From self-seeking, humble Resolute, steadfast In good or evil Have the same Content to do a right He truly acts There is the impassioned doer He that works from impulse Seeking profit Rude and bold to overcome Unchastened Slave by turns of sorrow And of joy Of rajas he And there be evildoers Loose of heart Low-minded, stubborn Fraudulent, remiss Dull, slow, despondent Children of the dark Here too Of intellect and steadfastness The threefold separation Conqueror Prince How these are set apart by qualities Good is the intellect Which comprehends the coming forth And going back of life What must be done And what must not be done What should be feared And what should not be feared What binds and what emancipates the soul That is of satwan Prince of soothe fastness Marred is the intellect Which knowing right And knowing wrong And what is well to do And what must not be done Yet understands not with firm mind Nor as the calm truth is This is of rajas Prince and passionate Evil is intellect Which wrapped in gloom Looks upon wrong as right And sees all things Contrary-wise of truth O Preta's son That is of Thomas Dark and desperate Good is the steadfastness Whereby a man masters His beats of heart His very breath of life The action of his senses Fixed in never-shaken faith And piety That is of satwan Prince soothe fast And fair Stained is the steadfastness Whereby a man holds to his duty Purpose, effort, end For life's sake And the love of goods to gain Arjuna Tis of rajas Passion stamped Sad is the steadfastness Wherewith the fool cleaves To his sloths, his sorrow And his fears, his folly And despair This, Preta's son, is born Of Thomas, dark And miserable Hear further, chief of Bartas, from me The threefold kinds of pleasure Which there be Good pleasure Is the pleasure that endures Banishing pain for I Bitter at first as poison to the soul But afterwards sweet as the taste of omrit Drink of that It springeth in the spirit's deep content And painful pleasure springeth From the bond between the senses And the sense world Sweet as omrit is its first taste But its last, bitter as poison Tis of rajas, Prince And foul and dark The pleasure is Which springs from sloth and sin And foolishness At first and at the last And all the way of life The soul bewildering Tis of Thomas, Prince For nothing lives on earth Nor midst the gods In utmost heaven But hath its being bound With these three qualities By nature framed The work of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, And Sudras, O thou slayer Of thy foes, is fixed By reason of the qualities planted In each. A Brahmin's virtues, Prince Born of his nature Are serenity, self-mastery, Religion, purity, Patience, uprightness, Learning, and to know the truth Of things which be. A Kshatriyas pride Born of his nature Lives in valor, fire, Constancy, skillfulness, Spirit and fight, And open-handedness And noble mean, As of a lord of men. A Vaishyas task Born with his nature Is to till the ground, Tin cattle, venture trade, A Sudras state Suiting his nature Is to minister. Whoso performeth Diligent, content The work allotted him Whatever it be Lays hold of perfectness Here how a man Findeth perfection Being so content He findeth it through worship Wrought by work Of him that is the source Of him by whom the universe Was stretched. Better thine own work is Though done with fault Than doing others work Even excellently. He shall not fall in sin Who fronts the task set him By nature's hand. Let no man leave His natural duty prints Though it bear blame. For every work hath blame As every flame is wrapped By smoke. Only that man attains Perfect surses of work Whose work was wrought With mind unfettered, Soul wholly subdued, Desires forever dead, Results renounced. Learn from me, son of Kunti, Also this How one attaining Perfect peace Attains Brahm, the supreme, The highest height of all. Dwelled with a heart-grown pure, Restrained in lordly self-control, Forgoing wiles of song and senses, Freed from love and hate, Dwelling mid-solitudes, In diet spare, With body, speech, and will, Tamed to obey, Ever to holy meditation vowed, From passions liberate, Quit of the self, Of arrogance, in patience, Anger, pride, And love. Anger, pride, Freed from surroundings, Quiet, lacking not. Such and one grows to oneness With the Brahm. Such and one growing one With Brahm, serene, Sorrows no more, Desires no more, His soul, Equally loving all that lives, Loves well me, Who have made them, And attains to me. This same love and worship Doth he know me as I am, How high and wonderful, And knowing straightway enters into me. And whatsoever deeds he doeth Fixed in me as in his refuge, He hath won, For ever and for ever, By my grace, the eternal rest. So win thou, In thy thoughts Do all thou dost for me, Renounce for me, Sacrifice heart and mind And will to me. Live in the faith of me. In faith of me All dangers thou shalt Vanquish by my grace. But trusting to thyself And heeding not, Thou canst but perish. If this day thou sayest, Relying on thyself, I will not fight. Vein will the purpose prove. Thy qualities would spur thee To the war. What thou dost shun Misled by fair illusions, Thou wouldest seek Against thy will, When the task comes to thee, Waking the promptings In thy nature set. There lives a master In the hearts of men, Makeeth their deeds By subtle pulling-strings, Dance to what tune he will. With all thy soul Trust him, and take him For thy succor prints. So, only so, Arjuna, Shall thou gain By grace of him The uttermost repose, The eternal place. Thus hath been Open thee, this truth Of truths. This truth of truths, The mystery more hid Than any secret mystery. Meditate, and, Thou wilt, then act. Nay, but once more, Take my last word, My utmost meaning have. Precious thou art to me, Bright well beloved. Listen, I tell thee For thy comfort, this. Give me thy heart, Adore me, Serve me, Cling and faith and love And reverence to me. So shall thou come to me. I promise true For thou art sweet to me. And let go, those Rights and writ duties. Fly to me alone. Make me thy single refuge. I will free thy soul From all its sins. Be of good cheer. Hide, the Holy Krishna Sayeth, This from him that hath No faith, Him that worships not, Wisdom's teaching when she speaks. Hide it from all men who mock. But wherever Mid the flock of my lovers One shall teach This divinest wisest speech Teaching in the faith To bring truth to them And offering of all honour unto me, Unto Brahma, Kamithi. Nay, and nowhere shall you find Any man of all mankind Doing dearer deed for me. Nor shall any dearer be In my earth. Nay, furthermore, Whoso reads this converse Or held by us upon the plain, Pondering piously in vain, He hath paid me sacrifice. Krishna, speaketh in this wise. Nay, and whoso Full of faith Heareth wisely what it sayeth, Heareth meekly. When he dies, When he dies, Surely shall his spirit rise To those regions where the Blessed, free of flesh, Enjoyance rest. Have this been heard By thee, O Indian Prince, With mind intent, Hath all the ignorance Which bred thy trouble Vanished my Arjun? Arjunah. Trouble and ignorance are gone, The light hath come unto me By thy favour, loyally Hath come unto me By thy favour, Lord. Now am I fixed, My doubt is fled away According to thy word, So will I do. Sanjaya. Thus gathered I The gracious speech of Krishna, O my King, Thus have I told With heart a thrill This wise and wondrous thing. By great Vyasa's How Krishna's self made known, The yoga being Yoga's Lord. So is the high truth shown. And I, when I remember, O Lord, my King, Again Arjunah And the God in talk, And all this holy strain, Great is my gladness. When I muse that Splendour passing speech Of Hari, visible In plain, there is no Tung to reach my marble And my love and bliss. O archer-prince, All hail, O Krishna, Lord of yoga, Surely there shall not fail Blessing and victory And power for thy most Mighty sake, Where this song comes of Arjun And how with God He spake. Here ends Chapter 18 Entitled Moksha-san Moksha-yoga Or the Book of Religion By Deliverance and Renunciation End of Chapter 18 End of The Bhagavad Gita Translated by Sir Edwin Arnold