Chapter 1 |
Chapter 2 |
Chapter 3 |
Chapter 4 |
Chapter 5 |
Chapter 6 |
Chapter 7 |
Chapter 8 |
Chapter 9 |
Chapter 10 |
Chapter 11 |
Chapter 12 |
Chapter 13 |
Chapter 14 |
Chapter 15 |
Chapter 16 |
Chapter 17 |
Chapter 18 |
Sri Krisna said:1 To you, who are devoid of the carping spirit, I shall now unfold the knowledge of Nirguna Brahma along with the knowledge of Sakara Brahma, knowing which you will be freed from the evil of worldly existence.
2 This knowledge (of both the Nirguna and Saguna aspects of Divinity) is a sovereign science, a sovereign secret, supremely holy, most excellent, directly enjoyable, attained with virtue, very easy to practice and imperishable.
3 Arjuna, people having no faith in this Dharma, failing to reach Me, revolve in the paths of the world of death.
4 All this is permeated by Me in My unmanifest aspect (as ice by water) and, all beings abide in the idea within Me. Therefore, really speaking, I am not in them.
5 Nay, those beings abide not in Me; but look at the wonderful power of My divine Yoga, though the Sustainer and Creator of beings, MySelf in reality dwells not in those beings.
6 Just as the extensive and all-pervading air (which is born of ether) always remains in ether, likewise know that all beings (sprung as they are from My thought) abide in Me.
7 Arjuna, at the end of every Kalpa (Brahma's day) all beings enter My Prakrti (the Prime Cause) and at the beginning of every Kalpa, I bring them forth again.
8 Laying hold of My nature, I bring forth, again and again, (according to their respective Karma) this whole multitude of beings subject to the influence of their own nature.
9 Arjuna, those actions, however, do not bind Me, unattached as I am to those actions and remain indifferent.
10 Arjuna, with Me as the supervisor, Nature brings forth the whole creation, both animate and inanimate; it is due to this cause that the wheel of Samsara is revolving.
11 Fools, not knowing My supreme nature, think low of Me, the Lord of creation, who have put on the human body. (That is, they take Me, who have appeared in human garb through My Yogamaya for the deliverance of the world, to be an ordinary mortal.)
12 Those senseless persons with vain hopes, futile actions and fruitless knowledge have embraced a nature which is fiendish, demoniacal and delusive.
Œ13 On the other hand, Arjuna, great souls, who possess a divine nature knowing Me as the prime cause of creation and imperishable, worship Me constantly with undivided mind.
14 Constantly chanting My names and glories and striving to attain Me, and bowing, again and again, to Me, those devotees of firm resolve, even united with Me through meditation, worship Me with single-minded devotion.
15 Others (Jnanayogis) betake themselves to Me through their offering of Knowledge, worshipping Me (in My Absolute and formless aspect) as their very Self; while still others worship Me in My Universal Form in many ways, taking Me to be diverse in diverse celestial forms.
16 I am the Vedic ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering to the departed, I am the herbage; I am the sacred formula, I am the clarified butter, I am the sacred fire, and I am verily the act of offering oblations into the fire.
17 I am the sustainer and ruler of this universe, its father, mother and grandfather, the knowable, the purifier, the sacred syllable Om, and the three Vedas-Rk, Yajus and Sama.
18 I am the supreme goal, supporter, lord, witness, abode, refuge, dis-interested friend, origin and end, the resting-place, the store-house (in which all beings are merged at the time of universal destruction), and the imperishable seed.
19 Arjuna, I radiate heat as the sun, and hold back as well as send forth showers. I am immortality as well as death; I am being and non-being both.
20 Those who perform action with some interested motive as laid down in the three Vedas and drink the sap of Soma plant, and have thus been purged of sin, worshipping Me through sacrifices, seek access to heaven; attaining Indra's paradise as the result of their good deeds, they enjoy the celestial pleasures in heaven.
21 Having enjoyed the extensive heaven-world, they return to this world of mortals on the stock of their merits being exhausted. Thus taking recourse to action with interested motive enjoined by the three Vedas (as the means of attaining heavenly bliss), and seeking worldly enjoyments, they repeatedly come and go (ie., ascend heaven by virtue of their meritorious deeds and return to earth when their fruit has been enjoyed).
22 Those devotees, however, who knowing no one else constantly think of Me, and worship Me in a disinterested way, to those ever united in thought with Me, I bring full security and personally attend to their needs.
23 Arjuna, even those devotees who, endowed with faith, worship other gods (with some interested motive), they too worship Me alone, though not in accordance with rules (ie., without proper knowledge).
24 For I am the enjoyer and also the lord of all sacrifices; but they do not know Me in reality (as the Adhiyajna), hence they fall (are subject to birth and death).
25 Those who take to the worship of gods go to the gods; those who worship the manes reach the manes; those who adore the spirits reach the spirits and those who worship Me attain Me. (That is why My devotees are not subjected to birth and death.)
26 Whosoever offers to Me with love a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water, I appear in person before that disinterested devotee of purified intellect, and delightfully partake of that article offered by him with love.
27 Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever you bestow as a gift; whatever you do by way of penance, offer it all to Me.
28 With your mind thus established in the Yoga of Renunciation (offering of all action to Me), you will be freed from the bonds of Karma in the shape of good and evil consequences; and freed from them, you shall attain Me.
29 I am equally present in all beings; there is none hateful or dear to Me. They, however, who devoutly worship Me abide in Me, and I also stand revealed in them.
30 Even if the vilest sinner worships Me with exclusive devotion, he should be considered a saint; for he has rightly resolved. (He is positive in his belief that there is nothing like devoted worship.)
31 Speedily he becomes virtuous and secures lasting peace. Know it for certain Arjuna, that My devotee never falls.
32 Arjuna, womanfolk, Vaisyas (members of the trading class), Sudras (those belonging to the laboring class), and even those that are born of the womb of sin (such as the pariah) taking refuge in Me, they too attain the supreme goal.
33 What wonder, then that the holy Brahmans (members of the intellectual or priestly class) and devout royal sages should attain it. Therefore, having obtained this joyless and transient human life, do you constantly worship Me.
34 Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, adore Me and make obeisance to Me; thus uniting yourself to Me and entirely depending on Me, you shall come to Me.
