THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Dr. Waldemar Westergaard 
 
 W
 
 THE 
 
 Bhagavad Gita 
 
 OR 
 
 The Message of the Master 
 
 Compiled and adapted from numerous 
 
 old and new translations of the 
 
 Original Sanscrit Text 
 
 By YOGI RAMACHARAKA 
 
 REVISED EDITION 
 
 THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL., U. S. A. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sold by 
 The Brotherhood of Light 
 Box 1525 Los Angeles 
 
 
 

 
 Copyright 190T 
 
 by 
 
 THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY 
 
 Chicago 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 Copyright 1011 
 
 by 
 
 THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY 
 
 Chicago
 
 MIN. 
 TV 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 
 Introduction 5 
 
 The Scene; Theme; and Character 11 
 
 PART I. The Gloom of Arjuna 17 
 
 PART II. The Inner Doctrine 25 
 
 PART III. The Secret of Work 43 
 
 PART IV. Spiritual Knowledge 53 
 
 PART V. Renunciation 62 
 
 PART VI. Self Mastery 70 
 
 PART VII. Spiritual Discernment 81 
 
 PART VIII. The Mystery of Omnipresence ... 88 
 
 PART IX. The Kingly Knowledge 94 
 
 PART X. Universal Perfection 102 
 
 TART XI. The Universal Manifestation 110 
 
 PART XII. The Yoga of Devotion 123 
 
 PART XIII. The Knower and the Known 128 
 
 PART XIV. The Three Gunas or Qualities 137 
 
 PART XV. Consciousness of the Supreme .... 144 
 
 PART XVI. The Good and Evil Natures 149 
 
 PART XVII. The Threefold Faith 157 
 
 PART XVIII. Renunciation and Freedom 164 
 
 537245
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The "Bhagavad Gita" sometimes called 
 ''The Lord's Lay;' or the "Message of the 
 Master," is an episode of the great Hindu 
 epic, the Mahabharata, in the Sixth (or 
 "Bhishma") Parva. It enjoys the highest 
 esteem among the Hindu people, and is con- 
 stantly quoted there as a great authority 
 regarding doctrine. Its philosophy embodies 
 the prevailing Hindu beliefs, as expounded 
 by the Brahmans, and in its teachings it 
 subtly blends into a harmonious whole the 
 varying points of doctrine of Patanjali, Kapila 
 and of the Vedas. It is supposed to have 
 been written by Vyasa whose personality is 
 veiled in doubt for of the time of his exist- 
 ence in the world no record seems to have 
 been kept. 
 
 To the reader who finds in this marvelous 
 dialogue merely the record of a literal con- 
 versation dressed up in fancy by the Oriental 
 imagination, the real beauty and purpose of 
 the teaching is lost. But to him who is able 
 5
 
 6 INTRODUCTION 
 
 to pierce the outer covering, which surrounds 
 all of the great Oriental writings, and find 
 beyond that the esoteric teachings, this poem 
 is one of the grandest that has ever been 
 given the race. One must needs read behind 
 the covering — and between the lines, in order 
 to understand the Bhagavad Gita. No at- 
 tempt has been made by the compiler of this 
 publication to interpret the inner teachings of 
 the Gita. It has, as the Hindu teachers in- 
 struct their pupils, seven texts, each super- 
 imposed upon the other, so that each man 
 may read his own lesson from it, according to 
 his plane of unfoldment. Each will get from 
 it that which is fitted to his stage of unfold- 
 ment. And each reading will bring to light 
 new beauties, for the mind of the reader will 
 grow with each perusal and soon be prepared 
 for the understanding of higher phases of 
 thought. 
 
 There have been a number of English 
 translations of the Gita, from the first effort 
 of Charles Wilkins, in India, in 1785, up to 
 the present time. Some are very good, others 
 indifferent, and others actually misleading 
 and causing confusion. Some of these trans-
 
 INTRODUCTION 7 
 
 lations have evidently been made by persons 
 inclining to certain schools of philosophy; 
 and the meaning, as colored by their own 
 philosophical glasses, while most satisfactory 
 to them and their followers, is distracting to 
 those outside the pale, who have had the op- 
 portunity of comparing the various editions. 
 
 This particular edition, issued by us, is not 
 a new translation, but rather a compilation 
 from the best of the various good translations 
 of Hindu and English translators, some of 
 which are now out of print, or inaccessible to 
 the general public. The compiler has endeav- 
 ored to give the spirit of the teachings, in a 
 plain, practical, understandable form, adapted 
 to the requirements and needs of the English 
 speaking reader, although such a presentation 
 has often necessitated the sacrifice of any at- 
 tempt at literary merit. In fact this book 
 makes no claim whatsoever to literary style. 
 It merely seeks to carry the Message con- 
 tained within its pages, in plain words and 
 simple form, to those who are ready for it. 
 
 The compiler has purposely omitted many 
 Sanscrit terms which have proved to be con-, 
 fusing to the English reader, notably the
 
 8 INTRODUCTION 
 
 many titles and names bestowed upon both 
 Krishna, and Arjuna, in the original. In 
 some editions the English reader is confused 
 by these, and has often been led to imagine 
 that there were several persons engaged in 
 conversation instead of but two principal 
 characters. We trust that we have simplified 
 the text, and that those who read it will un- 
 derstand the reason for the plain, simple, and 
 unpolished style adopted. 
 
 To those who, after studying this little 
 book, are desirous of further acquainting 
 themselves with the subject — and who seek 
 the Inner Doctrine underlying the various 
 forms of the Hindu Philosophy, we would 
 recommend the Lessons in "Guard Yoga," 
 issued by our house. These Lessons contain, 
 in the plainest form and style, the higher 
 teachings of the Yogi Philosophy — the Inner 
 Doctrines. 
 
 We further recommend to the readers of 
 this work a little book, also issued by us, bear- 
 ing the title of "The Spirit of the Upani- 
 shads," which contains a collection of texts, 
 quotations and selections from the great sa- 
 cred books of India. The texts, etc., bear
 
 INTRODUCTION 9 
 
 directly upon the subjects touched upon in the 
 Bhagavad Gita, and will aid the student in 
 obtaining a fuller conception of the underly- 
 ing principles of the teachings. 
 
 We strongly advise that those who intend 
 to read this book, should first read the little 
 notice, which follows this formal prefatory 
 introduction. By so doing, the reader will 
 become acquainted with certain circumstances 
 concerning the characters, scene, and theme 
 of the story, which will make the reading of 
 the text far more pleasing and instructive. 
 
 We trust that this little book may fulfill its 
 mission in the carrying abroad the "Message 
 of the Master." 
 
 THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY. 
 
 Chicago, III.
 
 THE SCENE; THEME; AND 
 CHARACTERS. 
 
 The scene of the action, or story, is laid in 
 the low, level land in India, between the 
 Jumna and the Sarsooti rivers — now known 
 as Kurnul and Jheed — the land being known 
 in the story as "the plain of the Kurus." The 
 word "Kuru" was the name of the common 
 ancestor of the contending factions in the 
 battle — the theme of the story — the opposing 
 factions being known, respectively, as the 
 "Kurus" and the "Pandus" as you will notice 
 a little farther on. 
 
 The theme of the great Hindu epic, the 
 Mahabharata, of which the Bhagavad Gita is 
 an episode, is the great war which was car- 
 ried on between two factions, or parties, of a 
 certain large tribe, or family, the descendants 
 of the common ancestor Kuru. The bone of 
 contention between the opposing factions was 
 the sovereignty of Hastinapura, which some 
 authorities suppose to be identical with mod- 
 ern Delhi The elder branch, faction, or 
 11
 
 12 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 party, bore the general name of the whole 
 people — Kurus: the younger branch bearing 
 the name of Pandits, the term being derived 
 from the name of Pandu, the father of the 
 five chiefs commanding the army of their 
 faction or branch. 
 
 The whole Kuru people were an old family, 
 many generations having passed between the 
 time of Kuru, its founder, and the time of the 
 battle between the two branches. It is stated 
 that the family, or people, originally inhab- 
 ited a region beyond the Himalayas, and 
 afterward emigrated into the northwest of 
 the peninsula, and there founded the nucleus 
 of a race who called themselves the Arya, or 
 exalted, the term being intended to distin- 
 guish them from the lower tribes whom they 
 conquered, and whose territory they wrested 
 from them and occupied. 
 
 The history of the people immediately pre- 
 ceding the great war, and from the occur- 
 rences of which the war itself arose, is as 
 follows : 
 
 At the capital of the country, a city called 
 Hastinapura (supposed to be modern Delhi), 
 reigned the king Vichitravirya. He married
 
 THE SCENE, THEME AND CHARACTERS 13 
 
 (wo sisters, but he died shortly after the dual- 
 marriage, leaving no children. Following the 
 custom of the ancient Oriental peoples, and 
 moved by love and respect for his deceased 
 brother, his half-brother, the Vyasa, married 
 the widows, and begat two sons named 
 Dhritarashtra and Pandu. The eldest son, 
 Dhritarashtra, had one hundred sons, the 
 eldest being named Duryodhana. The 
 younger brother, Pandu, had five sons, all 
 great warriors, and known as the "five Pandu 
 princes." Dhritarashtra became blind, and, 
 although remaining nominally king, his real 
 power passed to his eldest son Duryodhana, 
 who influenced his father and caused him to 
 banish from the land his cousins, the five 
 Pandu princes. 
 
 After many vicissitudes, travels, and hard- 
 ships, these princes returned to their native 
 land, surrounded by their friends and sym- 
 pathizers, and reinforced by warriors fur- 
 nished by neighboring friendly kings, the 
 whole forming a mighty army. They 
 marched on to the plain of the Kurus, and be- 
 gan a campaign against the older branch of 
 the family, the partisans and followers of
 
 14 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 Dhritarashtra, who gathered under the lead- 
 ership of the eldest son of the latter, named 
 Duryodhana, who was in command by reason 
 of his father's blindness; and under the gen- 
 eral name of the family, "the Kurus" the 
 elder branch began a determined resistance to 
 the invasion or attack of the younger branch, 
 the Pandus. 
 
 This brings us to the scene and time of the 
 battle. The Kuru faction led by Duryodhana 
 (acting for his blind father, Dhritarashtra) 
 was arrayed on one side; and on the other 
 side was the hosts of the Pandus, led by the 
 five Pandu princes. The active command of 
 the Kuru army was vested in Bhishma, the 
 oldest war-chief of his faction; the Pandu 
 army being led by Bhima, a renowned war- 
 rior. Arjuna, one of the five Pandu princes, 
 and one of the leading characters in the story, 
 was present at the battle with his brothers, 
 and was accompanied in his war chariot by 
 the human incarnation of THE SUPREME 
 SPIRIT — Krishna, the latter having become 
 the friend and companion of Arjuna as a 
 reward for the fortitude with which the latter 
 had borne his persecutions, and as a recogni-
 
 THE SCENE, THEME AND CHARACTERS 15 
 
 tion for the nobility of character displayed by 
 him. 
 
 The battle was opened by Bhishma, the 
 Kuru chieftain, blowing his great war-shell 
 or conch, to the sound of which his followers 
 joined with the blare of their battle shells and 
 horns. Arjuna, and the Pandu host answer 
 the challenge with mighty blasts. The fight 
 then begins with great flights of arrows, in 
 which both sides exert themselves to the ut- 
 most. Arjuna, at the beginning of the battle, 
 asks Krishna to drive his chariot to a posi- 
 tion where he may witness the two contend- 
 ing parties. From the desired position Ar- 
 juna surveys the two battle lines, and is 
 overcome with horror at the sight of blood 
 relatives and friends opposing each other in 
 the two contending armies. He sees dear 
 ones on both sides, seeking each other's blood. 
 He is overcome with the thought of the hor- 
 ror of the fratricidal war, and, throwing down 
 his weapons, he declares that he would rather 
 die without defending himself, than be the 
 cause of the death of his kinsmen on the other 
 side. Krishna replies with subtle philosoph- 
 ical discourse, which forms the greater part
 
 16 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 of the episode of the epic, called the Bhagavad 
 Git a, the poem or story which is offered to 
 your consideration in this little book. Arjuna 
 is made to see the weakness of his position, 
 judged from the absolute point-of-view, and 
 he consents to play his part in the drama. 
 The battle finally results in the overthrow of 
 the Kurus, or -elder branch, and the triumph 
 of the Pandus, or younger branch, the latter 
 being Arjuna's party. 
 
 The scene opens at a place removed from 
 the battle field, where the old blind king Dhri- 
 tarashtra inquires of the faithful Sanjaya, of 
 the events transpiring at the front. Sanjaya 
 replies, giving the news "of the day, his story 
 comprising the poem. 
 
 The battle, of course, serves but as a set- 
 ting for the discourse of Krishna to Arjuna, 
 at least so far as this poem is concerned
 
 The Bhagavad Gita 
 
 PART I. 
 
 THE GLOOM OF ARJUNA. 
 
 Spoke Dhritarashtra, King of the Kurus, 
 to Sanjaya, the faithful, saying : 
 
 "Tell me, O Sanjaya, of my people and the 
 Pandus, assembled in battle array on the plain 
 of the Kurus I What have they been doing?" 
 
 Sanjaya: "Thy son Duryodhana, com- 
 mander of thy hosts of battle, when he beheld 
 the host of the Pandus, arrayed for strife and 
 combat, approached his preceptor, Drona, the 
 son of Bharadvaja, saying : 
 
 "Behold, O Master, the mighty host of the 
 sons of Pandu, comprising the vast array of 
 experienced and bold fighting-men, com- 
 manded by thy former pupil, the wily and 
 resourceful son of Drupada. 
 
 "Behold how, gathered together in the op- 
 posing ranks are mighty warriors in their 
 17
 
 18 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 chariots of battle. Their names are synonyms 
 for valor, strength and cunning. 
 
 " 'And on our own side, gathered together, 
 under my command, are the greatest warriors 
 of our people, heroes, valiant and experienced, 
 each well armed with his favorite weapons, 
 and most ready to use them; and all devoted 
 to me and my cause and willing and anxious 
 to risk and renounce their lives for my sake. 
 
 " 'But, alas, O Master, this army of ours, 
 although most valiant and though commanded 
 by Bhishma, seems unto me too insufficient 
 and weak, while the enemy, commanded by 
 Bhima, and confronting us in threatening 
 array, seems more strong and sufficient. 
 Therefore, let all the captains of my host pre- 
 pare to stand by Bhishma, to support and 
 guard him well.' 
 
 "Then Bhishma, the ancient chief of the 
 Kurus, blew his great battle-shell, sounding it 
 like unto the roar of the lion, to awaken the 
 spirits and courage of the Kurus. And an- 
 swering its great roar, there sounded at once 
 innumerable other shells and horns, drums 
 and tabors ; and other instruments of warlike 
 music, so that the sound was tumultuous and
 
 THE GLOOM OF ARJUNA 19 
 
 stirred the hearts of the Kurus to valiant 
 deeds and high resolves. 
 
 "Then, in brave response and mighty defi- 
 ance, sounded forth the instruments of the 
 hosts of the Pandas. 
 
 "Standing in their great war-chariots, 
 trimmed with gold and precious stones, and 
 drawn by milk-white steeds, Krishna, the in- 
 carnation of God, and Arjuna, the son of 
 Pandu, sounded their war shells until the air 
 quivered in vibration. And all the rest of the 
 mighty host of the Pandus joined in the de- 
 fiance, and the mightiest warriors of the 
 throng sounded their instruments again and 
 again, until the sound was as the sound of the 
 violent thunder, and earth's surface answered 
 in responsive rhythm. And the hosts of the 
 Kurus were affrighted and dismayed. 
 
 "Then Arjuna, perceiving that the hosts of 
 Kuru stood ready to begin the fight, and see- 
 ing that even then the arrows were beginning 
 to wing their flight through the air, raising 
 his bow, spake thus to Krishna, the God, who 
 stood beside him in the chariot :" 
 
 "O Krishna, drive thou, I pray thee, my 
 chariot so that it stand between the two op-
 
 20 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 posing armies, that I may gaze upon the men 
 of the Kuru hosts that stand ready to begin 
 this bloody fight, and with whom I must com- 
 bat, battle, and strive in this fray. Let me 
 look upon mine enemies, the followers of the 
 evil-minded and vindictive commander of the 
 Kurus!" 
 
 Then drove Krishna the chariot containing 
 himself and Arjuna, until at last it stood in a 
 space between the two opposing hosts. And 
 then Krishna bade Arjuna look attentively 
 upon the hostile army of the Kurus, and then 
 upon the faces of his friends, the host of the 
 Pandits. And Arjuna, looking, saw arrayed 
 on either side, grandsires, uncles, cousins, 
 tutors, sons and brothers. Gazing farther he 
 saw, likewise, near relations and bosom 
 friends. Loved ones, benefactors, playmates, 
 companions, and many others whose welfare 
 was dear to him, he saw standing opposed to 
 him, fretting for the fight. And also standing 
 back of him, awaiting the word to join him in 
 the fray, stood others of like relationship, 
 both of blood and of friendship. 
 
 And Arjuna, seeing these things, was over- 
 come with gloom. Compassion, pity, com-
 
 THE GLOOM OF ART UNA 21 
 
 punction, despondency, and sadness filled his 
 heart, and, sighing deeply, with sorrow perme- 
 ating his tones, he spake thus to Krishna, 
 who stood by his side in the chariot : 
 
 "O Krishna now that I behold the faces 
 and forms of my kindred and loved ones, thus 
 arrayed against each other, and chafing for 
 the fight, my heart faileth me. My legs 
 tremble; mine arms refuse to do my bidding; 
 my face is drawn in agony ; my skin burns as 
 with a fever ; my hair standeth upon end ; my 
 brain reels ; my whole body is convulsed with 
 horror; my war-bow slips from my fingers. 
 
 "Evil omens fill the air, and strange voices 
 seem to speak around me, so that I am over- 
 come with confusion and indecision. What 
 good can come from my killing these my kin- 
 dred, and loved ones, and friends? I desire 
 not the glory of victory, O Krishna. Nor do 
 I long for the kingdoms or dominion; nor do 
 I seek for enjoyments of life, or pleasure; nor 
 even life itself. These things appear most 
 vain and undesirable to me when those for 
 whom they were to be coveted have aban- 
 doned life and all else. 
 
 "Tutors, sons and fathers; grandsires and
 
 22 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 grandsons ; uncles and nephews ; cousins, kin- 
 dred all ; and friends, comrades and com- 
 panions, stand before me, inviting my arrows. 
 Even though these may desire to kill me ; nay, 
 may even actually slay me — still do I wish not 
 to slay them, even though the three great re- 
 gions of the universe be my reward, much less 
 the petty thing we call the earth, or the pettier 
 kingdoms thereof. 
 
 "Were I to kill my relatives, the sons of 
 Dhritarashtra, what happiness or pleasure 
 could be ours, O great one. Should we de- 
 stroy them, remorse would be our companion 
 and indweller. Therefore, it seems to me as 
 a truth that we should refrain from slaying 
 these, our kinsmen, for how can we be happy, 
 hereafter, if we are guilty of having de- 
 stroyed those of our race. 
 
 "It is no excuse for us, who see these things 
 as we do, to say that these others have minds 
 so depraved and bloodthirsty that they can 
 see no evil in the shedding of the blood of 
 their kinsmen and friends. Can -such an ex- 
 cuse justify us, who knoweth better, in com- 
 mitting a like horror? 
 
 "We have been taught that in the annihila-
 
 THE GLOOM OF ARJUNA 23 
 
 tion of a family, the ancient virtue of the 
 family is destroyed. And in the destruction 
 of the virtue and traditions of a people, vice 
 and impiety overwhelm the whole race. Thus 
 may the women of the family become corrupt, 
 and the purity of the blood vanish. This 
 adulteration of the blood prevents the per- 
 formance of the ceremonies of the rites due 
 the ancestors, according to our ancient cus- 
 toms, and the forefathers, if the teachings of 
 the people be true, must sink into a state of 
 misery and unhappiness. 
 
 "Thus by the crimes of those who destroy 
 their own relations, sore contamination of the 
 family-virtue and glory is made possible, and 
 the forefathers of the race are given great 
 mortification, and pain and degradation, as 
 we have been taught from childhood, as a 
 people, O Krishna. 
 
 "O woe is me ! Woe unto us who are pre- 
 paring to commit the horrible crime of mur- 
 dering these, our blood-relations and kind, for 
 the bauble of dominion — the lust of power ! 
 
 "Rather would I bare my breast to the 
 weapons of the Kurns, and let them drink 
 deep of the blood of my heart — rather would
 
 24 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 I await their coming, unresistingly, and un- 
 armed meet their thrusts — than commit this 
 foul crime against my blood-relations. 
 Surely, that for me would be far the better! 
 O woe is me, and woe unto us all !" 
 
 And having spoken thus, Arjuna sank back 
 upon the seat of his chariot, and sitting down, 
 he put away from him his bow and his ar- 
 rows, and, placing his head between his hands, 
 he gave away to the gloom, despondency and 
 grief that was consuming his heart. 
 
 THUS EXDETH PART I OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA, 
 WHICH PART IS CALLED "THE GLOOM OF 
 ARJUNA."
 
 PART II. 
 
 THE INNER DOCTRINE. 
 
 Krishna, the Blessed One, filled with love, 
 compassion and pity for Arjuna who was thus 
 smitten with compunction and gloom, and 
 whose eyes were overflowing with tears of 
 grief, spake unto him these words : 
 
 "Whence cometh this dejection, O Arjuna, 
 which hath overcometh thee who art standing 
 on the field of battle. This folly and unmanly 
 weakness is most disgraceful, contrary to 
 thy duty — such weakeneth the foundation of 
 honor. Yield not thyself to this unmanly 
 weakness, for it ill fitteth thee who hath been 
 called the Tormentor Of His Foes. Shake 
 off this despicable fancy, and stand up bravely 
 and resolutely, O Conqueror of Foes I" 
 
 Arjuna : "Alas O Krishna, how can I at- 
 tack with the arrows of the battle, such 
 worthy and honorable men as Bhishma and 
 Drona — they who are full worthy of my rev- 
 erence, O Master — how shall I do this wicked 
 thing ? 
 
 25
 
 26 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 "Better were it for me to eat even the dry 
 and tasteless crust of the ragged beggar, than 
 to be the instrument of death to these most 
 noble and worshipful men, who were my pre- 
 ceptors and teachers! Were I to slay these 
 well-wishers of mine, verily I should partake 
 of but blood-besprinkled possessions, wealth 
 and pleasures — a horrid feast to which the 
 beggar's crust would be noble and most 
 worthy. 
 
 "I cannot see whether it would be better 
 for me whether we be the victors or the de- 
 feated, for I should not wish to live after 
 having caused the death of those arrayed 
 against us — my kinsmen and friends — the 
 sons and people of Kuril's king Dhritarashtra, 
 who now confront us in angry battle array. 
 My compassion weighs down my heart even 
 unto faintness, and my mind reels confusedly 
 before the problem presented to it. What is 
 Right Action for me — what is my Duty? O 
 most blessed Krishna, my Lord, decide these 
 weighty questions for me — tell me what is 
 Right. I, Thy disciple and student, beg for 
 Thy instruction in this my hour of dire need. 
 
 "So confused and dazed am I, that my
 
 THE INNER DOCTRINE 27 
 
 understanding is confounded by the dictates 
 of my Duty, and I can discover nothing that 
 will give peace to the fever of mind which 
 burneth within me, and drieth up my facul- 
 ties. Even though I should gain a kingdom 
 on earth, surpassing all other earthly king- 
 doms, even as the sun surpasseth the stars — 
 nay, even though I were to gain dominion 
 over the Hosts of Heaven, my grief would 
 not be assuaged." 
 
 "Nay, nay, I will not fight— I will not 
 fight." 
 
 And, saying these words Arjuna became 
 silent. But Krishna, smiling most tenderly 
 upon the despondent prince, standing, cast 
 down in mind, in the midst of the two armies, 
 spake unto him these words : 
 
 "Thou grievest for those who need not thy 
 grief, Arjuna, yet thy words are not those of 
 the foolish, but bear within them the seeds of 
 wisdom. Thy utterances have a wise sound, 
 but yet express only the outer wisdom, and 
 fail to show the flower of the inner doctrine 
 of the wise. They are true, and yet not 
 wholly true — the half-truth is apparent — but 
 the missing half is the deeper portion.
 
 28 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A 
 
 'The truly wise grieve neither for the dead, 
 nor yet for the living. Just as the brave man 
 feareth neither Death nor Life, so doth the 
 wise man avoid grief over either, though the 
 half -wise grieve over either or both, accord- 
 ing to mood and circumstance. 
 
 "Know thou, O Prince of Pandu, that there 
 never was a time when I, nor thou, nor any 
 of these princes of earth was not; nor shall 
 there ever come a time, hereafter, when any 
 of us shall cease to be. 
 
 "As the soul, wearing this material body, 
 experienceth the stages of infancy, youth, 
 manhood, and old age, even so shall it, in due 
 time, pass on to another body, and in other 
 incarnations shall it again live, and move and 
 play its part. Those who have attained the 
 wisdom of the Inner Doctrine, know these 
 things, and fail to be moved by aught that 
 cometh to pass in this world of change; to 
 such Life and Death are but words, and both 
 are but surface aspects of the deeper Being. 
 
 "The senses, through their appropriate fac- 
 ulties of the mind, give thee reports of cold 
 and heat, pleasure and pain. But these 
 changes come and go; they are shifting, tran-
 
 THE INNER DOCTRINE 29 
 
 sient and inconstant. Bear them with equa- 
 nimity, bravely and patiently, O Prince. 
 
 "For, verily I say unto you, that the man 
 whom these things have ceased to further 
 torment — he who stands steadfast, undis- 
 turbed by pleasure and pain — he to whom all 
 things seem alike — such an one, say I, hath 
 acquired the road to Immortality. 
 
 'That which is unreal hath no shadow of 
 Real Being, notwithstanding the illusion of ap- 
 pearance and false knowledge. And that 
 which hath Real Being hath never ceased to 
 be — can never cease to be, in spite of all ap- 
 pearances to the contrary. The wise have 
 inquired into these things, O Arjuna, and have 
 discovered the real Essence, and Inner Mean- 
 ing of things. 
 
 "Know that The Absolute, which pervades 
 all things, is indestructible. No one can work 
 the destruction of the Imperishable One. 
 
 "These bodies, which act as enveloping 
 coverings for the souls occupying them, are 
 but finite things of the moment — and not the 
 Real Man at all. They perish as all finite 
 things perish. Let them perish. Up, O
 
 30 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 Prince of Pandu, knowing these things, pre- 
 pare to fight ! 
 
 "He who in his ignorance thinketh : 'I slay,' 
 or 'I am slain,' babbleth like an infant lacking 
 knowledge. Of a truth, none can slay — none 
 can be slain. 
 
 "Take unto thy inner mind, this truth, O 
 Prince! Verily, the Real Man — the Spirit of 
 Man — is neither born, nor doth it die. Un- 
 born, undying, ancient, perpetual and eternal, 
 it hath endured and will endure forever. The 
 body may die; be slain; be destroyed com- 
 pletely; but He that hath occupied it remain- 
 eth unharmed. 
 
 "How can a man who knoweth the truth 
 — that the Real Man is eternal, indestructible, 
 superior to time, change and accident, com- 
 mit the folly of thinking that he can either 
 kill; cause to be killed; or be killed himself? 
 
 "As a man throweth away his old garments, 
 replacing them with new and brighter ones, 
 even so the Dweller of the body, having quit- 
 ted its old mortal frame, entereth into others 
 which are new and freshly prepared for it. 
 
 "Weapons pierce and cut not the Real Man, 
 nor doth the fire burn him , the water affect-
 
 THE INNER DOCTRINE 31 
 
 eth him not, nor doth the wind dry him nor 
 blow him away. For he is impregnable and 
 impervious to these things of the world of 
 change; he is eternal, permanent, unchange- 
 able and unalterable ; He is Real. 
 
 "In his Essence he is immutable, unthink- 
 able, inconceivable, unknowable; therefore 
 why shouldst thou allow thyself to be made a 
 weakling by childish grief? 
 
 "Or if, perchance, thou believeth not these 
 things, and liveth in the illusion of belief in 
 birth and death as realities— even so, asketh 
 thee, why shouldst thou lament and grieve? 
 For, if this last be true, then as certain as it 
 is that all men have been born, so is it certain 
 that all men must die; therefore why grieve 
 and fret thyself over the inevitable and un- 
 avoidable ? 
 
 "To those who lack the Inner Wisdom, 
 there is ho knowledge of whence we come, or 
 whither we go; such know only what is at the 
 moment. Why should they, then disturb 
 themselves regarding this thing or that— why 
 should they lament ? 
 
 "Some wonder greatly regarding the soul, 
 while others hear of and speak of it with in-
 
 32 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 credulity and lack of comprehension. And 
 no one, by mortal mind, really understandeth 
 the mystery, nor knoweth it in its true and 
 essential nature, in spite of all that has been 
 said, taught and thought, concerning it. 
 
 'This Real Man that inhabiteth the body, 
 O Arjuna, is invulnerable to harm, hurt, or 
 death — therefore, why shouldst thou trouble 
 thyself further about the matter? Instead, 
 it is far more worthy of thee, thou Prince of 
 the Warrior Caste, to face thy Duty in the 
 matter, manfully and resolutely. The Duty 
 of a soldier is to fight — and fight well. And 
 the reward of Duty well done is the opening 
 of the heaven of thy kind, which is possible 
 only to warriors who are so fortunate as to be 
 able to participate in a glorious, just and 
 righteous battle, coming to them unsought. 
 
 "And shouldest thou decline the battle, and 
 cast away thy righteous Duty with thy weap- 
 ons, surely thou wouldst commit a grave 
 crime against thine honor, thy duty and thy 
 people. And, men will see it only as such, 
 and will recite thy crimes in terms of perpetual 
 dishonor; and to such as thou, O Prince, the 
 pangs of death are preferable to the reproach
 
 THE INNER DOCTRINE 33 
 
 of such dishonor. The generals of the host 
 will think thou hast fled from the field from a 
 sense of cowardly fear; those who have 
 thought so highly of thee until now, will hold 
 thee in abhorrence and contempt. Even thine 
 enemies will speak of thee in shameful terms, 
 with many a jest and sneer at thy lack of 
 strength and courage ; and what could be more 
 painful than that, to such as thou art? 
 
 "If thou chance to be slain in the battle, the 
 warrior's heaven wilt be thy reward ; if victo- 
 rious thou emergeth from the fray, the joys 
 of earth await thee. Therefore, O Prince of 
 Pandu, arise and fight! being willing to take 
 whatever betideth thee — be it pain or pleas- 
 ure ; loss or gain ; victory or defeat ; thine only 
 concern being whether thou hast done thy best 
 — prepare thou for the fray. That is your 
 plain Duty ! 
 
 "Know thou, O Arjuna, that in these words 
 of mine hath been set before thine under- 
 standing the Doctrine, which deals with the 
 speculative philosophy of life and things. 
 Now, prepare thyself for the teachings of the 
 other school ; thou shalt there find escape from
 
 34 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 the bonds of action, and be forever after free 
 from them. 
 
 "In this there is no loss or waste of effort, 
 nor is there therein any danger of trans- 
 gression, as even a small portion of this 
 knowledge and practice delivereth one from 
 great fear and danger, because in this branch 
 of knowledge there is but a single object, upon 
 which the mind may safely concentrate. 
 
 "Many are they, who, saturating themselves 
 with the letter of the spiritual writings and 
 teachings, and failing to catch the true spirit 
 thereof, take great delight in technical contro- 
 versies regarding the text. Hair-splitting defi- 
 nitions and abstruse interpretations are the 
 pleasures and amusements of such men. Such 
 are tainted with worldly lusts, and, therefore, 
 incline toward a belief in a heaven filled with 
 objects and employments in accordance with 
 their desires and tastes, instead of the final 
 spiritual goal of all great souls. Flowery 
 words, and imposing ceremonies are invented 
 by these people, and, among them, there is 
 much talk of rewards for this observance, and 
 punishment for that lack of it. To these whose 
 minds incline to such teachings, the use of the
 
 THE INNER DOCTRINE 35 
 
 concentrated, determined reason and the still 
 higher Spiritual Consciousness, is unknown. 
 
 "The object of the spiritual teachings is the 
 instruction of the thoughtful ones to the end 
 that they may rise above these Three Qualities 
 or Gunas. Be thou free from them, O Ar- 
 jitna! Free thyself from the pairs of oppo- 
 sites — the changeful things of finite life; and 
 careless about the same dwelleth thou in the 
 consciousness of the Real Self. Be free from 
 worldly anxiety, and the fierce cravings for 
 material possessions. Be self-centered and 
 uncontrolled by the illusions of the finite 
 world. 
 
 "Just as does the full water-tank, when 
 drawn upon, supply the crystal fluid which 
 will fill every vessel according to its shape and 
 size, so do the spiritual teachings, when 
 drawn upon, furnish just what is needed to fill 
 the mind of the earnest student, according to 
 the degree and character of its development. 
 
 "So rule thy actions and thought that thy 
 motive be Right Doing rather than the Reward 
 which may come from the action. Be not 
 moved by hope or expectation of what may 
 come as the result of thy action. But also
 
 36 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 must thou avoid the temptation of Inaction, 
 which cometh often to him who has lost the 
 illusion of the hope of reward for action. 
 
 " Stand thou between these two extremes, 
 O Prince, and perform thy Duty because it is 
 Duty, freeing thyself from all desire of re- 
 ward for the performance, and concerning 
 not thyself whether the consequences seem 
 good or evil ; success or failure. Do thy best, 
 according to the dictates of thy Duty, and 
 then maintain that equal-mindedness which is 
 the mark of the Yogi. 
 
 "Important though Right Action be, yet it 
 yields precedence to Right Thinking. There- 
 fore take thou refuge in the peace and calm of 
 Right Thinking, O Arjuna, for they who stake 
 their well-being upon action alone must needs 
 lose happiness and peace, and find themselves 
 possessed only of misery and discontent. 
 
 "He who hath attained the Yogi conscious- 
 ness is able to rise above good and evil results. 
 Strive to attain unto this consciousness ; for it 
 is the key to the mystery of action. 
 
 "Those who have so far attained that they 
 mentally relinquish the possible fruit of the 
 Right Action, are on the road to the mastery
 
 THE INNER DOCTRINE 37 
 
 of Karma. Their chains, which bind them to 
 the round of involuntary rebirth, become loos- 
 ened, and in the end drop from their limbs and 
 leave them free. Eternal bliss is in sight for 
 these. 
 
 "When thou shalt rise beyond the plane of 
 illusion, then shalt thou cease to disturb thy- 
 self regarding doctrines, theology, disputa- 
 tions concerning rites or ceremonies, and other 
 useless trimmings upon the cloth of spiritual 
 thought. Then shalt thou be liberated from 
 attachments to sacred books, to writings of 
 learned theologians, or to those who would in- 
 terpret that which they fail themselves to 
 understand; but instead, shalt thou fix thy 
 mind in earnest contemplation of the Spirit, 
 and thus reach the harmony with thy Real 
 Self, which underlies all." 
 
 Arjuna : "Tell me, O Krishna; thou whose 
 knowledge includes all wisdom — tell me, I 
 pray, the distinguishing characteristics of the 
 Wise Man, who, stable of mind, blessed with 
 spiritual knowledge, and fixed in contempla- 
 tion, is worthy of the name of Sage. How sit- 
 teth, moveth, or acteth he? How may he be 
 known to ordinary men ?"
 
 38 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 Krishna: "Know, O Prince, that when a 
 man freeth himself from the bonds of the 
 desires of his heart, and findeth satisfaction in 
 the Real Self within himself — such a one has 
 attained Spiritual Consciousness. His mind 
 is disturbed neither by adversity nor by pros- 
 perity; accepting both, he is tied to neither. 
 Anger, fear and worry have been cast off by 
 him as discarded garments. He is worthy 
 of the name of Sage. 
 
 "Such a man meets the charges and events 
 of life, be they favorable or unfavorable, with 
 equanimity — likes and dislikes being foreign 
 to him, for he is no longer bound by attach- 
 ments, or things. 
 
 "When a man hath attained true spiritual 
 knowledge, he becometh like unto the tortoise 
 which is able to draw within its shell its limbs, 
 for such a man may withdraw his faculties of 
 sense-impression from the objects of sense, and 
 shelter them from the illusions of the sense- 
 world, well protected by the armor of the 
 Spirit. 
 
 "It is true that there are those who are able 
 to refrain from gratification of the senses, but 
 the desire for gratification still disturbs. But
 
 THE INNER DOCTRINE 39 
 
 he who has found the Real Self within and 
 who knoweth what he hath found — even 
 Desire fadeth away from such a one, and temp- 
 tation is temptation no more, but becomes even 
 as a shadow which hath been effaced by the 
 glare of the noon-sun overhead. 
 
 "The abstainer is oft carried away by a 
 sudden rush of tumultuous desire, which 
 sweeps away his resolutions — but he who 
 knoweth the Real Self to be the only Reality is 
 master of himself, his desires and his senses. 
 Wrapt in contemplation of the Real, the un- 
 real exists not for him. 
 
 "The man who allows his mind to dwell 
 closely on the objects of sense, becomes so 
 wrapped up in the object of his contemplation 
 that he creates an attachment which binds 
 him to them. From this attachment ariseth 
 Desire; from Desire springeth Passion; from 
 Passion come Folly and Recklessness; from 
 these proceed loss of Memory; and from loss 
 of Memory cometh loss of Reason ; thus he 
 loseth all. 
 
 "But he who hath gained freedom from 
 attachment to, or fear of, objects of sense; 
 he who findeth his strength and love in the
 
 40 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A 
 
 Real Self; he gaineth Peace. And in that 
 Peace which passeth all understanding, he 
 finds release from all the troubles and pains of 
 life. And, his mind, now freed from these 
 disturbing elements, is open to the inflow of 
 Wisdom and Knowledge. 
 
 'There is no true Knowledge possible for 
 those who have not entered into this Peace, 
 for without the Peace there can be no calm, 
 and without calm how can there be knowl- 
 edge or Wisdom? Outside of the Peace there 
 is naught but the storm of the sense-desires, 
 which sweepeth away the faculties of knowl- 
 edge, as the fierce gale sweepeth away the 
 mighty ship which is borne on the bosom of 
 the ocean. 
 
 "Verily, only he, O Prince, whose senses are 
 shielded from the object of sense, by the pro- 
 tection of the knowledge of the Spirit — only 
 he is possessed of wisdom. 
 
 "To him, what seemeth the bright things of 
 day to the mass, are known to be the things 
 of darkness and ignorance — and what seemeth 
 dark as night to the many, he seeth suffused 
 with the light of noonday. That is to say, O 
 Prince, that that which seemeth real to the
 
 THE INNER DOCTRINE 41 
 
 men of the sense-world, is known to be illusion 
 by the Sage. And that which seemeth unreal 
 and non-existent to the crowd, is known to the 
 Sage as the only Reality. Such is the differ- 
 ence in the powers and vision of men. 
 
 "The man whose heart is like unto the ocean, 
 into which all rivers flow, but remaineth con- 
 stant and unmoved in its bed — the man, who 
 feeleth the inrush of the desires, passions and 
 inclinations, but who is moved not thereby, 
 hath obtained Peace. But he who lusteth in 
 his lust is without Peace, and is forever the 
 plaything of disturbing desires. 
 
 He who hath divorced himself from the 
 effects of desires and abandoned the lusts of 
 the flesh, in thought as in action, walketh 
 straight to Peace. He, who hath left behind 
 him Pride, Vain-glory, and Selfishness, goeth 
 straight to Happiness. Yea, so goeth he ! 
 
 "This, O Prince of Pandu, is the state of 
 Union with the Real Self — the Blissful state — 
 the state of Spiritual Consciousness. And he 
 who hath attained it no longer is bewildered 
 nor led astray by Illusion. If having attained 
 it, he dwelleth therein unto the hour of death,
 
 42 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A 
 
 he pass # eth straight to the Bosom of the 
 Father." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART II OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "THE INNER 
 DOCTRINE."
 
 PART III. 
 
 THE SECRET OF WORK. 
 
 Then spake Arjuna, the Pandu Prince, unto 
 Krishna, the Blessed Lord, saying: 
 
 "O Bestower of Knowledge! If, as thou 
 hath said unto me, Right Thinking is more im- 
 portant than Right Action — if the Thought be 
 superior to the Deed — then wherefore dost 
 thou incite me to Action ? Why dost thou urge 
 me on to this horrible battle with my kinsmen 
 and friends? Thy subtle words and doubtful 
 speech confuse my understanding, and the re- 
 membrance thereof causeth my brain to spin 
 and whirl unsteadily. Inform me, I pray thee 
 — and inform me with certainty — of the one 
 course that leads toward Peace and Satisfac- 
 tion/' 
 
 Krishna: "As I have already told thee, O 
 Pandu Prince, there are two roads to the goal 
 thou seeketh. The first of these is the road of 
 Right Thought ; and the second that of Right 
 Actioq . Each road hath its travelers, who de- 
 clare their own road to be the only true one 
 43
 
 44 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 And, yet, I say unto thee, that both of these 
 roads are one, when seen from above. Listen 
 to my words ! 
 
 "He is deceived who thinketh that by shrink- 
 ing from action, and resting in inactivity, he 
 escapeth the results of action. Nor doth he 
 gain happiness from such practices. There is 
 no such thing as real inaction, for all the Uni- 
 verse is in constant activity, and no single point 
 in the Universe may escape the general law. 
 
 "No one — not even for a moment — can re- 
 main inactive. For the laws of his nature im- 
 pel him to constant activity of body, or mind, 
 or both. Even against his will, is he impelled 
 into action of some kind. There is no escape 
 from the universal law. 
 
 "And, again, I say unto you, that he, who 
 restrains and controls his sense-organs and in- 
 struments of activity, and, yet, in his foolish 
 mind, dwells upon the objects and things of the 
 senses, is a deluded and deceived soul. 
 
 "But he, who, expressing his mind in Right 
 Action, through Duty, without attachment to 
 rewards, performeth his work in the world — 
 verily, he is to be esteemed wise and worthy. 
 
 "Act well thy part in the world — perform
 
 THE SECRET OF WORK 45 
 
 well thine allotted tasks — take hold of that 
 work which lies nearest thy hand, and do it 
 the best that is in thy power to do — and it will 
 be well with thee. Work is far preferable to 
 idleness — the one doth strengthen the mind 
 and body, and is conducive to a long and nor- 
 mal life; while the other doth weaken both 
 body and mind, and leadeth to an impotent and 
 unhappy life, of uncertain duration. 
 
 'The race of men is bound because of action 
 performed from motives of reward and gain; 
 it hath become attached to its desired objects, 
 and must toil on, bound, until freedom comes 
 at last. But do thou avoid, this folly, O Ar- 
 jitna, and do thou perform thy dutiful and 
 proper tasks unattached and free. Perform 
 thy tasks for the sake of Duty to the Real Self 
 alone, and for no other motive. 
 
 Rememberest thou, Ad j una, the ancient 
 teachings which inform thee of the creation 
 of the world, and of the words the Creator 
 spake to his created beings? Listen to his 
 words, which I repeat to thee: '"Worship! 
 Sacrifice! And remember the Source Of 
 All Things — the Bestower of Desired Ob- 
 jects ! Think of the gods, that the gods may
 
 16 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 think of you ! Ask that ye may receive ! He 
 who receiveth the gifts of the gods, and 
 faileth to accord to them his thought and 
 recognition is like unto a thief. From food, 
 creatures are nourished and grown ; from rain 
 cometh the food ; from the gods come the rain 
 in response to the desires and demands of 
 man ; and the desires and demands of man are 
 forms of action ; and the actions proceed from 
 the One — All-pervading Life.' 
 
 "He, who, living in this world of action, 
 attempts to refrain from action — he, who, 
 enjoying the fruits of action of the acting 
 world, would still shirk from his share of the 
 work and action of the world — he who would 
 thus idle away his life lives a life most vain 
 and shameful. He who profiteth by the turn 
 of the wheel, at every moment of his life, yet 
 refuseth to touch his hand to it to impart mo- 
 tion, is a shirker of tasks and a thief who 
 takes, giving nothing in return. 
 
 "But wise is he who acteth otherwise, and 
 who performeth well his work of the world, 
 providing, that he be unattached to the fruits 
 thereof and that he be always centered in the 
 knowledge of the Real Self. For such an one
 
 THE SECRET OF WORK 47 
 
 ooncerneth not himself regarding what is be- 
 ing done in the world, nor what is being left 
 undone; in all created things, there is no one 
 thing upon which he needs lean, or in which 
 he need place dependence for his being. Par- 
 taking of all, and acting in all — according to 
 the dictates of Duty — he never depends upon 
 any external thing; his trust, and hope and 
 knowledge are fixed upon the Imperishable — 
 the only sure dependence. 
 
 "Therefore, such action, springing from 
 Duty, free from attachment or dependence, 
 leadeth one straight to the consciousness and 
 plane of Spirit. 
 
 "Rememberest thou not, that Janaka and 
 many others reached a stage of perfection by 
 means of Good Works and Right Action? 
 Thou shouldst take note of the universal prac- 
 tice of mankind, and act accordingly, for such 
 universal practice must needs be the result 
 of long experience in happiness. The wise, in 
 all times, have taught the virtue of work and 
 action, and thou mayst well follow the best of 
 thy race. 
 
 "Considereth thou Me, O Prince! Thou 
 knowest that there is nothing in the Universe
 
 48 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 of Universes which I desire, or which is 
 necessary for Me to perform. Nor is it pos- 
 sible for anything to be attained by Me, which 
 I have not already attained. And yet, O 
 Pandu Prince, and yet, I am in constant 
 action and motion. I work without ceasing. 
 And if I were not constantly in action, O 
 Arjuna, would not men follow my example? 
 Should I refrain from action, would these 
 Universes not fall into ruin, and utter confu- 
 sion and chaos reign? 
 
 "Remember, O Arjuna, that even as the 
 undeveloped do labor and act through attach- 
 ment and hope of reward, so should the de- 
 veloped and enlightened act and work for the 
 common cause and universal law, and not 
 from attachment to personal ends and objects, 
 
 "It is not wisdom to unsettle the minds of 
 the undeveloped with these thoughts; let 
 them labor on, each doing the best that he 
 can ; but do thou and the other wise ones, 
 work in harmony with me and endeavor to 
 render all action attractive to them. And 
 this is best done by the force of example. 
 
 "Place the responsibility for action upon 
 the shoulders of Him to whom it belongs — the
 
 THE SECRET OF WORK 49 
 
 One; and then doeth thy duty as a man 
 should, with mind fixed on the Real Self, and 
 without expectation of reward. The fool, in 
 his conceit, saith 'I do this/ and 'I did that/ 
 but the wise look behind the personality for 
 the cause and effect of action. 
 
 Knowing the whole truth, thou shouldst be- 
 ware of unsettling the minds of those not 
 yet prepared to grasp it, as untimely teaching 
 may drive from their work such as seee only 
 half-truths, and become unsettled thereby. 
 
 "Then, prepare to fight, Arjuna, throwing 
 the responsibility where it belongs, and with 
 thy mind freed from egotism and selfish ex- 
 pectation, but centered upon the Real Self, 
 engage in the battle task before thee! 
 
 "Those who with confidence and faith shall 
 constantly follow this teaching shall be made 
 free even by works and action. But those who 
 reject the teachings of Truth and act con- 
 trary thereto shall suffer the fate of the 
 senseless and deluded ones and be confused 
 and lacking in Peace. 
 
 "But the wise man also seeketh that which 
 is in harmony with his own nature and en- 
 deavors to fit his life according thereto, rather
 
 50 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 than to seek after things contrary to his 
 nature. Let each do the best he can, in his 
 own way, and in accordance with the highest 
 within his own character. 
 
 "Beware of the fixed aversion or affection, 
 for objects of sense which each will find 
 within himself. They are obstacles on the 
 path, and the wise beware of putting them- 
 selves in the power of these enemies within 
 their camp. 
 
 "And, finally, O Arjuna, remember this, 
 that it is better to do one's own duty, humble 
 and insignificant though it be, than to 
 seek to perform the duty of another, no mat- 
 ter how much nobler that may seem. Better 
 death in the performance of one's own duty 
 and tasks, than victor in performing the bor- 
 rowed duty of another. The assumed tasks 
 are full of danger. Doeth the task at hand. 
 When you are prepared to perform a higher 
 one, it will be placed before you, in the same 
 manner." 
 
 Arjuna: "But, O Krishna, it oft would 
 seem that a man is pushed into evil doing, by 
 some power outside of himself — as if, con- 
 trary to his inclinations, he were impelled by
 
 THE SECRET OF WORK 51 
 
 some secret force. Inform me, thou, of this 
 mystery." 
 
 Krishna: "It is the essence of his accu- 
 mulated Desires, combining for attack, that 
 urgeth him on. It is this enemy of man, 
 called lust or passion, begotten of the carnal 
 nature, full of sin and error. As the flame 
 is dimmed by the smoke, the bright metal by 
 the rust, so is the understanding of man ob- 
 scured by this foe called Desire, which rageth 
 like the fire, and is difficult of being extin- 
 guished. The senses and the mind are its 
 seat; and through these it serves to confound 
 and confuse the Discrimination. Thy first 
 task should be to conquer this foul dweller in 
 the mind. Mastering first the senses, and 
 sense organs, proceedeth thou then to put to 
 death this thing of evil. 
 
 "The senses are great and powerful; but 
 greater and more powerful than the Senses 
 is the Mind ; and greater than the Mind is the 
 Will; and greater than the Will is the Real 
 Self. 
 
 "So, thus, rcognizing the Real Self as 
 higher than all, proceedeth thou to govern the 
 Personal Self, by the power of the Real Self,
 
 52 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 and thus conquer this foul monster, Desire, 
 most difficult to seize, and yet possible of 
 being mastered by the Real Self. Then bind 
 him fast for evermore, thy slave instead of 
 thy master." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART III OF THE BHAGVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "THE SECRET OF 
 WORK."
 
 PART IV. 
 
 SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE. 
 
 And the Blessed Lord spake further unto 
 Arjuna, the Pandu Prince, as together they 
 stood in the war chariot between the two 
 armies, saying: 
 
 "This eternal teaching of Yoga, spake I 
 unto Vivaswat, whom men call the Sun — the 
 Lord of Light. And he in turn communicated 
 it to Manu, the reigning spirit. And he in 
 turn transmitted it to Ikshwaku, the found- 
 er of the solar dynasty. And from him it was 
 passed on from higher to lower degree, until 
 it was known to the Royal- Sages. 
 
 "But, know, O Prince, that as the years 
 have passed by, this noble teaching hath de- 
 cayed and its light hath grown dim. Almost 
 lost hath become its inner spirit, and men 
 know naught but its letter. Such is ever the 
 fate of Truth among the race of men. 
 
 "But once more, to thee, do I declare the 
 Truth, knowing that thou art a true devotee. 
 53
 
 54 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 Listen well to it, Arjuna, because it is the 
 supreme mystery and ancient Truth." 
 
 Arjuxa: "How mayeth I solve the riddle, 
 O Krishna, when thou sayest that thou taught 
 this truth to Vivaszvat in the beginning — for 
 it is taught that Vivaswat existed before 
 Time began, and thou wert born in more re- 
 cent time?" 
 
 Krishxas "Many have been my births and 
 re-births, O Prince — and many also have been 
 thine own. But between us lies this difference 
 — I am conscious of all my lives, but thou 
 lackest remembrance of thine. 
 
 "Listen to this great secret. Although I 
 am above birth and rehirth, or Law, being 
 the Lord of all there is, for all emanateth 
 from me — still do I will to appear in my own 
 universe, and am therefore born by my 
 Power and Thought, and Will. 
 
 "Knoweth thou this, O Prince, that when- 
 ever the world declineth in virtue and right- 
 eousness ; and vice and injustice mount the 
 throne — then cometh I, the Lord, and revisit 
 my world in visible form, and mingleth as a 
 man with men, and by my influence and teach- 
 ings do I destroy the evil and injustice, and re-
 
 SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE 55 
 
 establish virtue and righteousness. Many 
 times have I thus appeared ; many times here- 
 after shall I come again. 
 
 "He who is able to pierce my disguise, and 
 who knoweth me in my Essence, when he 
 quitteth his mortal frame, is released from re- 
 birth in worlds, but is granted the joy of 
 dwelling with Me. 
 
 "Many, freeing themselves from anger, 
 hate, fear and attachment to things, and keep- 
 ing their minds fixed upon me, have been 
 purified by the Sacred Flame of Wisdom, and 
 have come to dwell with Me. 
 
 "No matter by what path men approach 
 Me, they are made welcome. For all paths no 
 matter how diverse lead straight to Me. All 
 paths are mine, notwithstanding by what 
 names they may be called. 
 
 "Even they who tread the path of the 
 lower deities and imaginary gods and who 
 pray to them for success through action — 
 even these, say I, meet with reward, for they 
 reap the success that comes from earnest ap- 
 plication and industrious action. Through 
 the laws of Mind and Nature, do their gods, 
 real or imagined, answer them.
 
 56 THE BHAGAYAD GITA 
 
 "But I am the creator of all mankind in all 
 of its phases and forms. From me proceed 
 the four castes, with their distinguishing 
 qualities and activities. Know me as the cre- 
 ator of all these, though in Myself I am 
 changeless and without qualities. 
 
 "In my essence I am free from the effects 
 of action ; and I have not any desire for re- 
 wards or the fruits of actions ; for these things 
 are produced by My power and have no hold 
 upon Me. Verily I say that he who is able 
 to see and perceive Me as I am, in mine own 
 essence — he is freed from the effects of 
 action. Understanding this, the Wise Men of 
 old still performed actions, but were not at- 
 tached to the fruits thereof, and so moved on 
 to Deliverance. Follow thou their example 
 and reap their reward. 
 
 "But even the wise, at times, have been 
 confused as to what was Action and what 
 Inaction. Therefore, I will inform thee re- 
 garding this. I shalt tell thee of what action 
 consisteth, knowing which thou shalt be re- 
 lieved from evil and set free. 
 
 "He who would learn the truth concerning 
 action must grasp these three things — Action,
 
 SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE 57 
 
 Inaction, and Wrong Action. Difficult to 
 clearly discern is the path of Action. 
 
 "He who hath so far attained that he is 
 able to see Action in Inaction and Inaction in 
 Action is among the wise of his race, and to 
 him cometh harmony and peace even while he 
 performeth actions. His works are free from 
 the bonds of desire, and his activities are 
 purged of their dross by the Flame of Wis- 
 dom. 
 
 "Having freed himself from attachment to 
 the fruits of actions, and not being depend- 
 ent thereon, he is enjoying Inaction even while 
 in the very exercise of Action. Freed from 
 all and dependent upon naught, his mind 
 and senses under control, he goeth through 
 the motion of action and seemeth even to 
 perform it in the most approved and success- 
 ful manner ; but full well he knoweth that his 
 Real Self is not entangled in the action, and 
 is far above reward or punishment, for vic- 
 tory or defeat. He is released from the con- 
 sequences of Action, which are bonds and 
 chains holding down those who know not the 
 truth. 
 
 "Being content with what the day bring-
 
 58 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 eth forth ; and being freed from like and dis- 
 like ; being without envy ; being willing to ac- 
 cept success or failure with a cheerful heart, 
 after having done his best, he is not bound. 
 For him who hath killed attachment and who 
 dwelleth harmoniously with his mind fixed in 
 the true knowledge and wisdom, all the bind- 
 ing effects of action melt away as the cloud 
 before the rising sun. 
 
 "As the sacrifice which goeth to the Eternal 
 One is in reality but a mere form of That to 
 which it goes — so he who knoweth Me in all 
 of his actions shall come to Me. 
 
 "Some there be who offer up sacrifices to 
 the lesser gods, and others there be who wor- 
 ship the Divine Principle in the fire ; others 
 pour their sense-desires upon the altar ; others 
 offer up the very functions of life ; others still 
 there be who make offering of the sacrifice of 
 wealth — or who practice austerity as a token 
 of worship — or who meditate in silence and 
 thought ; others there be who practice Yoga 
 as a worship ; and some make vows and ren- 
 der devotional exercises ; still others practice 
 sacred breathings as their share of offering; 
 others perform fastings.
 
 SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE 59 
 
 "All make sacrifices, though their offerings 
 be far different in nature and kind. And all 
 are benefitted by the spirit which causes their 
 form of sacrifice ; all gain merit by the sacrifi- 
 cial spirit behind the observance. There is 
 much virtue and merit in self-restraint and 
 self-mastery, O Prince, and thus do the sac- 
 rifices come nearer to Me. Yea, they who 
 rise from their sacrificese with increased 
 spiritual comprehension draw nearer unto Me. 
 But, for him who maketh no sacrifices, O 
 Prince, there is no merit for him in this world 
 — how then can there be merit for him in 
 another ? 
 
 "Thou hast seen that there are many forms 
 of sacrifices and worship in the world, O 
 Arjuna. Knoweth thou, then, that Action 
 pervadeth all these forms. Knowing this, 
 thou art freed from error. But better than 
 the sacrifice of objects and things, O 
 Prince, is the offering of Wisdom. Wisdom, 
 in itself, is the sum of all Action — the Spirit- 
 ual Knowing comprehends all Action. 
 
 "Learn thou this lesson by study, thought, 
 service and investigation. The Wise Ones — 
 the Seers — the possessors of the Inner Knowl-
 
 60 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 edge — will aid thee, from time to time, as 
 thou art ready. When the pupil is ready, the 
 Master appeareth. When thou most needeth 
 knowledge — the next link in thy chain — wait 
 in patience and confidence, for lo ! suddenly at 
 thy hand, shalt come that which thou needest. 
 And having acquired this wisdom, O Prince, 
 thou shalt be freed from confusion, misunder- 
 standing and error; for by means of this 
 Wisdom shalt thou know all beings as in the 
 One Life, and thus in Me. 
 
 "Though thou hath been the greatest of 
 sinners, yet even thou shalt be carried over the 
 sea of error upon the boat of Truth. As the 
 flame reduceth the wood to ashes which are 
 borne away by the wind, so shalt the fire of 
 Truth convert into ashes the result of the evil 
 actions which thou hast committed in ignor- 
 ance and error. Verily, in the world, there is 
 no purifying agent like unto the Flame of 
 Spiritual Truth. And he who acquireth it 
 findeth himself purged of the dross of Person- 
 ality and in time findeth the Real Self. 
 
 "He that hath great faith, that mastereth 
 the Personal Self and its sense-attachments — 
 hath attained Wisdom, and is on the path to
 
 SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE 61 
 
 the Supreme Peace. But the ignorant and 
 those of little faith, find not even the begin- 
 ning of the path. Without faith there is no 
 happiness or peace, neither in this world nor 
 the next. 
 
 "Free from the bonds of action is that man 
 who by means of Spiritual Knowledge hath 
 attached himself to Wisdom and thus torn 
 asunder the illusion of doubt — he indeed is 
 Free. 
 
 "Then rise in thy might, O Arjuna, Prince 
 of the Pandus, seize thy bright and gleaming 
 sword of Spiritual Wisdom, and cut thou, with 
 one strong sweep of thy blade, the bonds of 
 doubt and unbelief which confine thy mind 
 and heart. Arise, O Prince, and perform 
 thine appointed action !" 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART IV, OF THE BHAGVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "SPIRITUAL 
 KNOWLEDGE."
 
 PART V. 
 
 RENUNCIATION. 
 
 Then, again, spake Arjuna, the Pandu 
 Prince, unto Krishna, the Blessed Lord, say- 
 ing: 
 
 "O Krishna, thou speakest in paradoxes, 
 for first dost thou praise renunciation of ac- 
 tions, and then praisest thou the performance 
 of service through actions. Pray which of 
 these two hath the greater merit? And I beg 
 of thee that thou telleth me plainly and with- 
 out danger of further doubt and confusion on 
 my part." 
 
 Krishna: "Say I unto thee, O Prince, 
 that both Renunciation of Action and Serv- 
 ice through Action have great merit — both 
 lead toward the highest goal. But, verily, I 
 say unto thee, that, of the two, the perform- 
 ance of Service is preferable to the Renun- 
 ciation of Action — Right Action is better 
 than is Inaction. But even in the use of these 
 terms, thou must be watchful lest thou fail 
 into confusion. For truly is he the greatest 
 62
 
 RENUNCIATION 63 
 
 Renouncer who neither seeks action nor yet 
 avoids it — who neither runs after action, nor 
 yet runs away from it. He thus renounceth 
 all, both likes and dislikes. Free from the 
 pairs of opposites is he, and calm and content, 
 ready to perform all tasks and actions that 
 may be set before him, and yet likewise ready 
 to refrain from all action, not being attached 
 thereto; yea, verily is such a one freed from 
 bondage. 
 
 ''The grown-up children who are entering 
 into the study of the Truth are most prone to 
 speak of Renunciation of Action and the Per- 
 formance of Right Action as different. Sages 
 know them both as one. Both lead to the 
 same goal, and the followers of the one attain 
 that which is attained by the followers of the 
 other. He who seeth beneath the surface of 
 things, perceiveth that in their essence both 
 are one. 
 
 "But it is a most difficult task to attain to 
 Renunciation of Action without the perform- 
 ance of Service through Action, O Arjuna, 
 and the man who harmonizes the two ways is 
 blessed indeed, for he is well started upon the 
 road to Peace. He who is engaged in the per-
 
 64 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 formance of Right Action, and who at the 
 same time keepeth himself free from the de- 
 sire of the fruit of action — he thus renoun- 
 ced action, although performing it. He is 
 thus able to subdue his senses and desires, and 
 by such mastery is enabled to see beyond the 
 Personal Self, and to become conscious of the 
 Real Self which is one with the Real Self of 
 all beings. He knoweth the Universal Life, 
 and that from which the Universal Life pro- 
 ceeds. And so knowing and acting, he is not 
 bound by the bonds of Action, but is free 
 therefrom. 
 
 "Being so, he is at harmony between the 
 two ideas. And, although he seeth, heareth. 
 feeleth, smelleth, eateth, moveth, sleepeth, 
 breatheth, yet knoweth he that the Real Self 
 underlieth all action and therefore may say 
 'Of my Personal Self, do I nothing.' Truly 
 he may also say 'The senses perform their 
 parts in the sense-world. — let them play — I 
 am not bound by, nor deceived by them, for I 
 know them for what they are.' 
 
 "He, who thus acteth, seeing back of all 
 action the Real Self which is actionless, is free 
 from the stain of the world. He remaineth
 
 RENUNCIATION 65 
 
 like the lotus-leaf which is harmed not by the 
 waters around it. The wise, having aban- 
 doned attachment, perform the actions of 
 body, mind and intellect and even of the 
 senses understanding^, and ever have Right 
 Action and Purification in view. Harmo- 
 nized, and abandoning the desire and hope 
 of reward for actions, they gain Peace. But 
 those who lack this harmony and who are 
 held fast in the bonds of desire of rewards for 
 actions are troubled and filled with unrest and 
 dissatisfaction. 
 
 "The wise man, setting himself free, men- 
 tally, from actions and their results, dwelleth 
 in the Temple of the Spirit, even that which 
 men call the Body, resting calmly therein, at 
 peace, and neither desiring to act, nor causing 
 to act, and yet always willing to play well his 
 part in action when Duty calleth him. For he 
 knoweth that although his body, senses, and 
 mind may engage in action, yet the Real Self 
 remaineth forever undisturbed. For the Real 
 Self acteth not in these ways — such belong 
 to the lower nature of man, through the qual- 
 ities of such nature. The Real Self perform- 
 ed neither good nor evil actions ; it remaineth
 
 66 ' THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 above these distinctions and their manifesta- 
 tions. 
 
 "The Light of Wisdom is oft obscured by 
 the Smoke of Ignorance ; and man is deluded 
 thereby, and seeth the smoke for the flame, 
 knowing not what lieth behind the smoke. 
 But, they, who are able to pierce behind the 
 pall of smoke, perceive the bright Flame of 
 the Spirit, shining like unto an infinity of suns, 
 free and undimmed by the smoke which hath 
 shielded it from the eyes of the majority of 
 men. 
 
 "Meditating upon the Real Self — blended 
 into the Real Self — seated firmly in the knowl- 
 edge of the Real Self — loving with fierce de- 
 votion the Real Self — the wise are freed from 
 their bonds. Their eyes are cleared from the 
 smoke which filleth the eyes of men, blinding 
 them; and they pass into those higher states, 
 from which none return to these lower planes 
 of existence. Blessed beyond measure are 
 such. 
 
 "He whose eyes have been freed from the 
 smoke of error and illusion, looks with equal 
 feeling and respect upon the revered, learned 
 and enlightened leader of men and the veriest
 
 RENUNCIATION 67 
 
 outcast among men. For, know you, Arjuna, 
 that the eyes so freed from illusion see the 
 Personalities of forms of life as so unreal 
 when compared with the Real Self, that even 
 very great worldly distinctions disappear 
 when viewed from such a height. Those 
 whose minds are able to dwell in this realiza- 
 tion, gain the Life above Illusion even in this 
 life, for in this realization is the realization 
 of the Real Self. 
 
 "Verily those who see the Real Self ever 
 underlying all that seems to be— the only 
 Reality in the world of apparent Reality— who 
 see this and are able to dwell in that knowl- 
 edge, even as the wood floateth upon the 
 bosom of the waters— they refrain from over- 
 joy on obtaining that which is pleasant ; and 
 from over-sorrow on receiving that which is 
 unpleasant. They have freed themselves from 
 attachment to these pairs of opposites— these 
 fruits of action and external objects; and 
 therefore they find inexpressible joy in the 
 knowledge and consciousness of the Real Self. 
 And, having entered into this Real Conscious- 
 ness they pass into the realm of Eternal Bliss 
 and Peace.
 
 68 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 'Tor know thou, Arjuna, that the joys and 
 pleasures of the senses — those so-called satis- 
 factions that arise from external objects — 
 are verily the wombs of future pain. They 
 belong to the world of beginnings and 
 endings — and the wise man taketh no delight 
 in such. He who, even in this world of senses 
 and sense-objects, is so filled with the strength 
 which proceedeth from true knowledge, that 
 he is able to bear with equanimity the urgings 
 and longings of the desire nature — and who, 
 thus bearing them, is able to hold them in 
 their places with master hand — he hath gained 
 harmony, and is indeed thrice-blessed. 
 
 "He who hath found the Peace Within, and 
 who hath been so illumined that he findeth 
 his joy and happiness within himself — and 
 knoweth that within him is the Kingdom of 
 Heaven — verily, he gaineth the Peace of the 
 Real Self, because he hath blended himself 
 with the Real Self. They, from whom the il- 
 lusion of duality and separation hath been 
 removed, see all Life as One, and emanating 
 from One. The welfare of the All becomes 
 the welfare of the One to them ; and to such 
 cometh the Peace of the One. This Peace
 
 RENUNCIATION 69 
 
 which passeth all Understanding, cometh to 
 those who know themselves for what they are, 
 rather than for what they seem to the smoke- 
 blinded eyes of the world. Being freed from 
 the bondage of desire and sense-passion they 
 master their thoughts by their Wisdom — and 
 theire senses by their thoughts. 
 
 ''Having mastered the body by the Yogi 
 teachings, so that the same is rendered a fit 
 habitation for the soul, and keeping it well 
 swept and in good order, under the eye of the 
 mind — having senses, faculties, mind and 
 understanding well controlled and in good 
 condition — with the eye of the soul forever 
 fixed upon Freedom and Attainment of 
 Peace — the Sage casteth behind him the 
 wornout sheaths of desire, fear, passion and 
 lust, and passeth into the state of Freedom 
 and attainment. Knowing Me for what I 
 am — knowing that I rejoice in the Mastery of 
 Self-Control — knowing that I am the Lord of 
 the Universe, and the true lover of all souls 
 — the Wise One findeth and knoweth Me in 
 my Peace, at the last." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART V, OF THE BHAGVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "RENUNCIATION."
 
 PART VI. 
 
 SELF MASTERY. 
 
 Then spake, again, Krishna, the Blessed 
 Lord, unto At j una, the Prince of the Pandus, 
 saying: 
 
 "Hearken unto my words, O Prince. Truly 
 say I unto thee, that he, who performeth hon- 
 orably and to the best of his ability, such 
 Action as may appear to him to be plain and 
 righteous Duty, remembering always that he 
 has naught to do with the reward or fruits of 
 the Action, is both a- Renouncer of Action, 
 and also a Performer of the Service of Right 
 Action. More truly is he an Ascetic and Re- 
 nouncer than he who merely refuses to per- 
 form Actions; for the one hath the spirit of 
 the doctrine, while the other hath grasped 
 merely the empty shell of form and letter. 
 Know thou such Intelligent Right Action as 
 Renunciation; and also know that the best of 
 Right Action without Intelligent understand- 
 ing of the renunciation of results is not Right 
 Action at all. 
 
 70
 
 SELF MASTERY 71 
 
 "In the earlier stages of the path, Right 
 Action is taught as the most merit-gaining 
 plan; while to the same man, when he hath 
 attained Wisdom and Understanding of the 
 Doctrine, and hath also freed himself from 
 attachment even unto Right Action, then to 
 him Calm Meditation and Serene Peace of 
 Mind is called the better. To each is given, 
 according to his needs and stage of unfold- 
 ment. When a man frees himself from at- 
 tachment to the Fruits of Action; Action it- 
 self; or the objects of the sense-world — then 
 hath he reached the highest stage of Right 
 Action. 
 
 "Let each raise up his soul by the knowl- 
 edge of the Real Self. And let not the soul be 
 depressed nor cast down, for truly hath it been 
 said that the Real Self is the lover of the soul, 
 and its true friend, notwithstanding the fact 
 that the ignorant soul may feel that the Real 
 Self is its enemy, inasmuch as it tends to an- 
 nihilate its sense of separate personality. 
 
 "The Real Self is the friend of him in whom 
 the Personality hath yielded mastery; but to 
 him whose personality is defiant, the Real 
 Self appeareth as his bitterest foe. Whereas,
 
 72 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 in truth, the Real Self is seeking but to liber- 
 ate the soul from its own bondage of illusion 
 and error — seeking to add to its riches, rather 
 than to rob and despoil it of things of worth. 
 Thus, through the smoke of illusion and er- 
 ror, the True Friend is seen as the Bitter 
 Enemy. 
 
 "The soul of him who hath perceived the 
 Real Self within him is peaceful and calm, in 
 heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, in that 
 which the world calleth honor and dishonor. 
 The wise man is content with the knowledge 
 and wisdom which hath been unfolded to him, 
 as earth's rarest treasures. His senses are 
 harmonized by Self-Mastery, and Wisdom 
 hath taken the place of Desire. 
 
 "Such an one excelleth in wisdom, to such 
 an extent that he regardeth both friends and 
 enemies, aliens and countrymen, saints and 
 sinners, the righteous and unrighteous — with 
 equal love and sense of brotherhood. 
 
 "The Yogi sitteth in his secret place, en- 
 gaged in meditation and deep thought. With 
 mind and body mastered by the Real Self, he 
 is divorced from greed and desire of reward. 
 He sitteth in a clean place, neither too high or
 
 SELF MASTERY 73 
 
 too low; his seat made of a cloth, a black 
 antelope skin, and kusha grass, arranged as 
 his teachers have well taught him, in accord- 
 ance with the traditions of his kind. Sitting 
 thus, he mastereth his mind, and directeth it 
 to one point of concentration — holding at the 
 same time his senses and wandering thoughts 
 firmly in hand. Sitting thus steady and at 
 rest, he doth purify his soul by directing his 
 consciousness upon the Real Self — the Ab- 
 solute which underlieth all. 
 
 "With his body well under control, accord- 
 ing to the traditional customs of the Yogi, he 
 gazeth undisturbed into the Eternal and In- 
 finite, seeing naught of the world of sense 
 around him. Serene, fearless and at peace 
 — firm in his resolve — his mind, controlled and 
 harmonized, is directed toward Me, to whom 
 he aspireth. And, such a Yogi, thus united 
 with his Real Self, and with mind thus con- 
 trolled, passeth into that Peace and Bliss 
 which is to be found in Me alone. 
 
 "Of a truth, to him who eatheth like a glut- 
 ton, or else maketh too much of a virtue of 
 fasting, or who is too much inclined to sleep, 
 or else who doth make a virtue of abstaining
 
 74 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 from sleep, cometh not the true Yogi knowl- 
 edge. Such a one inclineth too much toward 
 extremes, and departeth from the middle path 
 of temperance. The Yogi knowledge, which 
 destroyeth pain, cometh rather to him who 
 observeth moderation and temperance in eat- 
 ing and recreation ; in action and rest — who in 
 fleeing from the evil of excess of action, doth 
 not run into the twin evil of the excess of 
 repression. 
 
 "When a man's thought, mastered by the 
 Real Self, and fixed upon the Real Self, find- 
 eth itself free from lust and desire, then in- 
 deed hath that man gained the inward har- 
 mony which bringeth peace and satisfaction. 
 Then doth his mind become stable and steady, 
 like the flame of the lamp which resteth in the 
 place where no wind cometh to disturb or 
 cause it to flicker. Such a mind delighteth in 
 the contemplation of the Real Self, and is well 
 content to dwell in its peace and presence. 
 Seeing the Real Self by the aid of its own 
 light, it realizes that it has All, and is there- 
 fore satisfied. 
 
 'The Wise Man findeth his chief delight in 
 that which is far above anything that the mind
 
 SELF MASTERY 75 
 
 can obtain by means of the senses — and hav- 
 ing found it, resteth in its Reality. Resting 
 there in his new found realm, he knoweth well 
 that beyond it there is no greater satisfaction; 
 and being securely established in it, the great- 
 est sorrows and griefs of the life of the world 
 disturb not his peace or content, for he hath 
 risen above them. This freedom from pain 
 and sorrow, is known by the name of Yoga, 
 which means Spiritual Union. Gasp it well 
 to thee, O Prince, with firm resolution and 
 with confident expectation. 
 
 "Casting behind thee the vain desires of the 
 imagination ; and mastering, by enlightened 
 mind, the inclinations of the senses, step 
 by step wilt thou attain tranquility and calm, 
 by the exercise of the Awakened Mind, guided 
 by the Spiritual. The mind once fixed upon 
 the Real Self, it is folly for it to wander away 
 from its Supreme Object. But if it doth, be 
 thou vigilant to rein in the unruly steed, and 
 by skillful guidance, lead it steadily back to 
 where thou hast bidden it stand. 
 
 "The man, who hath attained this peace of 
 mind, who hath gained this mastery of the 
 carnal-mind, hath departed from that which
 
 76 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 the world calls sin — hath escaped from error 
 — hath passed into the realm of Truth. Har- 
 mony of mind and soul — and the Blissful 
 State, is his. He seeth the Real Self in All — 
 and All in the Real Self. He seeth that One 
 is All, and All is One. Verily, say I unto 
 thee, that he who seeth Me in All, and All in 
 Ale — him will I never forsake, nor will I suf- 
 fer him to forsake me. Forever shall I bind 
 him to Me, with the golden fetters of Love, 
 which chafe not nor fret the soul. Yea even 
 say I that he who realizeth Me in my Unity, 
 and who loveth Me so, him shalt I cause to 
 live forever within my Being, even though he 
 appeareth to live separately in his own mode 
 of life, even in this world. 
 
 "The true Yogi, O Arjuna, is he who know- 
 eth by what he hath found within himself, 
 that there is one underlying Essence pervad- 
 ing all life, and things ; and recognizeth all 
 pain and pleasure as of equality and sameness 
 of nature. A great Yogi is such a one, O 
 Prince." 
 
 Arjuna : "Alas, O Krishna, I am unable to 
 accept thy teaching of the steadfastness of 
 the controlled mind, of which thou hatn
 
 SELF MASTERY 77 
 
 spoken. I know the mind to be most restless, 
 unsteady, turbulent, strong and stubborn, ob- 
 stinate, and not yielding readily to the Will. 
 As well tell me to curb and control the wind, 
 as it bloweth and passeth — now the gentle 
 breeze, and now the raging storm — as to 
 master and control with steady hand this mys- 
 terious principle which is called the Mind." 
 
 Krishna: "Well sayeth thou, O Prince, 
 that the mind is restless and as difficult to re- 
 strain as the winds. Yet by constant practice, 
 discipline and care may it be mastered. True 
 it is that Yoga is most difficult of attainment, 
 by a soul that is uncontrolled and that lack- 
 eth the touch of the hand of the master. But, 
 nevertheless, the soul, when it has recognized 
 the master-touch of the Real Self, may attain 
 unto true Yoga by care and patience, coupled 
 with firm resolution and determination." 
 
 Arjuna: "What fate befalleth him, O 
 Krishna, who though being filled with earnest 
 faith, faileth to attain perfection in Yoga, 
 because of his unmastered mind wandering 
 away from the path of discipline and mastery? 
 Doth he, thus standing between the merit of 
 Right Action on one hand, and Spiritual At-
 
 78 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 tainment on the other — lacking each support, 
 and yet gaining not the other — doth he like a 
 broken cloud, having severed its allegiance, 
 and yet having failed to gain a new one, come 
 to nothing and melt away to nothingness ? Is 
 he, standing thus confused in the very path of 
 the Absolute, lost and forsaken? Answer me 
 this my question, O Krishna, for it doth sore 
 perplex me, and none other than Thee canst 
 rightly inform me." 
 
 Krishna: "Know thou then, Arjuna, that 
 such a one findeth not destruction either here 
 nor in the worlds to come. His faith hath 
 saved him alive — his goodness hath preserved 
 him for annihiliation. The path of destruction 
 is never for him who hath lived righteously, 
 and with faith reached out toward Me. The 
 man whose devotions and faith, attended by 
 good works, were unattended by acquirement 
 of the full discipline — such an one, I say, after 
 death, cometh to a place of abode devoted to 
 the righteous who have not as yet found de- 
 liverance. Dwelling there happily for an im- 
 mensity of years, the soul is finally reborn in 
 conditions and surroundings best adapted to
 
 SELF MASTERY 79 
 
 the further attainment and unfoldment that 
 await it. 
 
 "Perhaps, even, it may be reborn in the im- 
 mediate family and company of some learned 
 Yogi, although such a reward is bestowed only 
 when fully deserved and called for by the 
 Law. There, in the new life, doth he regain 
 that which he hath acquired in the former 
 life, and is thus enabled to take up the lesson 
 where it was left off, and thereby advance 
 gradually to a more perfect mastery. 
 
 "Nothing once gained is ever lost by death ; 
 '.he essence of attainment is preserved and re- 
 bestowed upon the new born soul. His ear- 
 nest reaching out for the attainment of Yoga, 
 carrieth him even farther than would the 
 mere study of the Sacred Writings. And, 
 laboring with patience, perseverance and ap- 
 plication, freed from his errors, and fully 
 developed through many rebirths, he attain- 
 eth the goal he seeketh, and obtaineth Peace 
 and Mastery. 
 
 "Thus thou seest that the faithful and 
 earnest seeker after Truth — he who doth the 
 best he can and ever trusts to the workings of 
 the Law, — is greater by far than the fanatics
 
 80 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 who seek merit by penance and self-torture. 
 Yea, also, better even, than many who call 
 themselves learned, is he. And more merit 
 hath he than many of those who seek merit 
 by good works. Therefore, O Arjuna, be- 
 come thou one who, with Faith and Love, let- 
 teth My love and life flow through him. Of 
 all the Yogis, O Prince, I consider him the 
 most devoted whose heart is filled to over- 
 flowing with love for Me, and who dwelleth in 
 perfect Faith." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART VI OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "SELF MASTERY/'
 
 PART VII. 
 
 SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT. 
 
 Then, further unto Arjuna, spake Krishna, 
 the Blessed Lord, saying: 
 
 "Listen now to My words, O Arjuna, and 
 thou shalt learn how, having thy mind firmly 
 fixed upon Me, and observing the Yogi teach- 
 ings, thou shalt of a verity know Me without 
 a doubt. I shall instruct thee in this won- 
 drous wisdom and knowledge, without reserve 
 or withholding, and when thou learnest this 
 teaching, then shalt thou have acquired that 
 knowledge which leaves nothing else to be 
 known by man. 
 
 "But a few men, among the thousands of 
 the race, have sufficient discernment to desire 
 to attain Perfection. And of this few, the 
 successful seekers are so rare, that there is but 
 here one and there one who knoweth Me in 
 my essential nature. 
 
 "In my nature are to be found the eightfold 
 forms known as earth, water, fire, air, and 
 ether, together with mind, reason and self- 
 81
 
 82 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 consciousness. But, besides these, I possess 
 a higher and nobler nature — the nature or 
 principle which supporteth and sustaineth the 
 universe. Know this as the womb of creation. 
 
 ''For I am the Creator of the universe — 
 likewise am I the dissolution of the universe. 
 Higher than I, there is naught. All the objects 
 of the universe depend upon M e, and are sus- 
 tained by Me, even as precious gems depend 
 upon the thread which passeth through them 
 holding all together and sustaining them. 
 
 "Moisture in the water am I, O Prince of 
 Pandu — light of the sun and moon am I, O 
 Prince — the Sacred Syllable, 'aum' in the 
 Vedas am I, O Companion in the Chariot — 
 the sound-waves in the air ; the virility in 
 men; the perfume of the earth; the glowing 
 flame in the fire, am I, O Warrior of the 
 Pandus. Yea, even the very Life of all living 
 things, am I, O Beloved — and likewise the 
 very Yoga of the Yogis. 
 
 "Know thou, O Arjuna, that I am the eter- 
 nal seed of all nature. I am the wisdom of 
 the wise. I am the glory of the glorious. I 
 am the strength of the strong. I am the love 
 of Right Action, in ftiose who follow the
 
 SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT 83 
 
 teachings of Service through Right Action. 
 The three natures — the nature of harmony, 
 the nature of activity, the nature of inactivity 
 — these are in me, although I am not in them. 
 
 "The world of men, fallen under the illusion 
 of these three qualities or natures, under- 
 standeth not that I am above these, standing 
 untouched and unchanged, even amidst their 
 countless changes and happenings. This il- 
 lusion is most dense, and difficult of penetra- 
 tion by the eyes of men. But those there be 
 who are able to see through the illusion, even 
 unto the light of My flame which burns 
 brightly beyond the enfolding garment of the 
 smoke, and such come direct to Me. 
 
 "But there be many who cannot pierce the 
 envelope of the smoke of illusion — such come 
 not to Me ; for they knoweth Me not ; but they 
 worship the gods of the material and sense- 
 world, which alone seem Real to them. 
 
 "Among those who worship Me, O Prince, 
 are four classes. I name them thus : the 
 Distressed, the Seekers after Knowledge, t\\t 
 Seekers after Worldly Success, and the Wise 
 Ones. Of these, the Wise Ones are the best ; 
 they recognize the One, and live in the world
 
 84 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 of the One, doing its work with the light of 
 knowing. Such love Me much indeed; and 
 greatly loveth I them. Yea, holdeth these as 
 Myself, because they have blended themselves 
 with me, and find their lives in Me alone. 
 
 "After many lives, and with accumulated 
 wisdom, the Wise Ones come to Ale, knowing 
 me to be All. Such are called Mahatmas, 
 and are rare and difficult to find by lesser 
 men. And the others, who are drawn away 
 through lack of understanding, to this deity, 
 or that one, with varying rites and ceremonies, 
 find other gods. They find that which they 
 seek, according to their natures. 
 
 "But, knoweth this, O Arjuna — and note it 
 well, for it is difficult of understanding among 
 those who are bigoted, fanatical and narrow 
 of mind and sympathy — the Truth is this : 
 that though men worship many gods, and 
 images, and hold many conceptions of Deity, 
 which they reverence as objects of worship — 
 yea, even though these men seem utterly op- 
 posed to each other, and to Me — yet doth their 
 faith arise from a latent and unfolded faith 
 in Me. 
 
 "Their faith in their gods and images is but
 
 SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT 85 
 
 the dawning of faith in Me; in worshipping 
 these forms and conceptions, they wish to 
 worship Me, although they know it not. And, 
 verily, say I unto you, such Faith and Wor- 
 ship, when honestly and conscientiously held 
 and performed, shall not go unrewarded nor 
 unaccepted by Me. Such men do the best pos- 
 sible to them, according to their light of dawn- 
 ing knowledge ; and the benefits they seek, ac- 
 cording to their faith, shall come to them, yea, 
 even from Me. Such is my Love, Under- 
 standing and Justice. 
 
 "But, remembereth always this, O Prince, 
 that these very rewards of finite desires, are 
 likewise finite in the nature of things. The 
 things these men pray for, are things of the 
 moment — and things of the moment are given 
 them as their reward. Those who worship the 
 lesser gods — these distorted shadows of Me — 
 pass into the shadow-worlds ruled over by 
 these shadow-gods. But those who are wise, 
 and are able to know Me as Myself — the All 
 — the One — such come to Me in My world of 
 Reality, where shadows are not, but where all 
 is Real, even as the Flame which casteth the 
 shadow.
 
 86 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 ''There be those, who lacking in Discern- 
 ment, think of Me as being Manifest and visi- 
 ble to their eyes. Know thou, Arjuna, that in 
 my essence I am not manifest or visible to 
 men. Back of my emanated forms, rest I, 
 undiscovered and invisible to the ignorant. 
 Birthless and deathless am I — though the 
 smoke-blinded world discerneth this not, for 
 they take the shadow for the substance. Full 
 well knoweth I the countless beings which 
 have passed before my gaze, on the broad field 
 of the universe, in the misty path. Likewise, 
 knoweth I all who are now present on the 
 field. And, moreover — mighty mystery this 
 to men, O Prince — I also know all that shall 
 hereafter tread the field. But of them all — 
 past, present and future — not one fully know- 
 eth Me. I hold them all in my mind, but their 
 minds cannot hold Me in my essence. 
 
 "Blinded by the pairs of opposites, O Prince 
 their eyes filled with 'the smoke of illusion — 
 seeking instead of Unity, the opposing forms 
 of like and dislike; men walk in the field of 
 the Universe, deluded, all. Nay, not all — for 
 there be a few who have freed ihemselves 
 from the pair of opposites — who have dis*
 
 SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT 87 
 
 carded attachment — who have cleared their 
 eyes of the smoke of illusion ; such as these, O 
 Prince, know Me to be the One — the All — and 
 hold to Me, steadfast and constant, in their 
 love and devotion. 
 
 "They who have thus found Me cling to 
 Me, even as a babe clingeth to the breast of 
 the mother. They move ever onward toward 
 deliverance and attainment — they know the 
 Real Self — the Eternal — the Infinite — the 
 Absolute — the One — Myself ! They know 
 My works. They know My Wisdom. They 
 know My Lordship of All in All. They know 
 that all Life is Mine — that all worship comes 
 to Me. With steadfast minds, and hearts 
 overflowing with love for Me, they know Me 
 in life — yea, even in the hour of the passing 
 of their souls from their wornout bodies, 
 such know Me." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART VII OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "SPIRITUAL 
 DISCERNMENT."
 
 PART VIII. 
 
 THE MYSTERY OF OMNIPRESENCE. 
 
 Yet again, spake Arjuna, unto Krishna, the 
 Blessed Lord, saying: 
 
 "Tell me, I pray Thee, O Krishna, My Be- 
 loved Teacher, what is the Universal Life? 
 And what is that which we call Self-conscious- 
 ness ? And what is the essential nature of Ac- 
 tion? And what is the constitution of the 
 Universal Principles? And what is that 
 knowledge of the Arch-angelic hosts, higher 
 far than that of man? And what is the secret 
 of Thine appearance in the body? Inform me 
 of all these things, O Wisest of Teachers, and 
 further tell me how the Wise Ones know Thee 
 at the hour of death?" 
 
 Krishna: "I am the All, from which All 
 proceedeth. From Me floweth out the Soul of 
 Souls — the Universal Life — the One Life of 
 the Universe. Karma, which many call the 
 essence of Action, is that principle of my 
 emanation which causeth things to live, and 
 move and act. The Universal Principles, in 
 88
 
 THE MYSTERY OF OMNIPRESENCE 89 
 
 their inner constitution, are but my Will 
 manifested in the Natural laws of the uni- 
 verse. The knowledge of the Arch-angelic 
 hosts is the knowledge of the Spirit. The 
 secret of Mine appearance in the flesh, belong- 
 eth to those who are able to understand the 
 higher teachings, and is closely woven with 
 the Law of Sacrifice. 
 
 "At the hour of death, the Wise One, with 
 mind fixed- upon me, goeth straight to Me, 
 without doubt or mischance. But, he who fas- 
 teneth his desire upon aught else — if there be 
 to him a greater god, material or otherwise, 
 than Me — to that god of materiality, or super- 
 materiality, goeth that man. Each goeth to 
 that which is his Ruling Passion, strong even 
 in the hour of death. Therefore, make Me 
 thy Ruling Passion, even unto the hour of 
 death, and then fight the fight that is before 
 thee. 
 
 "With thy mind and understanding fixed 
 firmly upon Me, of a certainty shalt thou 
 come to Me. To the Spirit goeth he, who, set- 
 ting aside all other desire, liveth the life of 
 the Spirit by constant Right Thinking and
 
 90 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 Right Action ; to the Spirit goeth he who is of 
 the Spirit. 
 
 "He who thinketh, with enlightened mind, 
 of the Eternal as the All Wise, the All Power- 
 ful, the infinitely small, the infinitely large — 
 the underlying sustainer of all — the invisible 
 essence, — the opposer of darkness — with a 
 mind fixed steadily upon the task, and with 
 his vital powers devoted to the one end — 
 passeth to the Spirit Divine and Imperishable. 
 
 "There is a Path to Spirit, which those well- 
 learned in the Vedas, (or Sacred Writings,) 
 call the Imperishable. — that Path upon which 
 the strong men, who have mastered their 
 minds and controlled their passions, seek to 
 tread — that Path which is chosen by those 
 who take the vow of continence, and asceti- 
 cism, and godly study and thought. Listen, 
 and I will inform thee of this Path. 
 
 "Close tightly those gates of the body, 
 which men call the avenues of the senses. 
 Concentrate thy mind upon thine inner self. 
 Let thine T dwell, in full strength, within its 
 abode, not seeking to move outward. Stand 
 firm, fortified by thy Yogi power, and repeat 
 in The Silence, the mystic syllable 'Aum' (the
 
 THE MYSTERY OF OMNIPRESENCE 91 
 
 symbol of My Being as Creator, Preserver, 
 and Destroyer, according to the letters or 
 sounds thereof). Then, faithful to this, when 
 thou quittest thy mortal frame, with thy 
 thoughts fixed upon Me, shalt thou pass on to 
 the Path of Supreme Bliss. 
 
 "He who thinketh constantly and fixedly of 
 Me, O Prince, letting not his mind ever stray 
 toward another object, will be able to find 
 Me without overmuch trouble — yea, he will 
 find me, will that devoted one. 
 
 "Once having reached Me, those Wise Ones 
 need come not again to earthly birth — that 
 plane of pain and finitude. Nay, indeed, there 
 be no need of this for them, for they have 
 passed beyond these lower planes and reached 
 the plane of Bliss. 
 
 "The worlds and universes — yea, even the 
 world of Brahm, a single day of which is like 
 unto a thousand Yugas, (four billion years of 
 the earth,) and his night as much — these 
 worlds must come and go, but, even when 
 they pass, and pass again, the souls of the 
 Wise Ones who reach Me, return not. 
 
 "The days of Brahm, are succeeded by the 
 nights of Brahm. In Brahmic days all things
 
 92 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 emerge from invisibility and become visible. 
 And on the coming of the Brahmic Night, all 
 visible things again melt into invisibility. The 
 universe, having once existed, melteth away ; 
 but lo ! is again re-created. But there existeth 
 that which is higher than visibility or invisi- 
 bility, and such is called the Unmanifest and 
 Imperishable. 
 
 "On this Highest Path, then, O Prince, is 
 found the way to that which is Unmanifest 
 and Indestructible, and which when once 
 reached is forever gained, without danger of 
 loss. It is My Supreme Abode. 
 
 "The Spirit may be reached by those of the 
 Spirit alone — those who have no other long- 
 ing — those who have no other gods to wor- 
 ship. In this Spirit is enfolded all Nature 
 and universes. From It proceedeth all things, 
 flowing out in accordance to My Will. 
 
 "I would tell thee, O Prince, of that time of 
 death, in which men, passing out, shall never 
 return ; and of that time of death, in which 
 they, passing out, shalt again return to earth. 
 He who departeth in the Light returneth not 
 to this plane of pain. But he who departeth in 
 the Darkness, returneth he to mortal re-birth,
 
 THE MYSTERY OF OMNIPRESENCE 93 
 
 again and again, until he findeth the Light. 
 The true Yogi understandeth this saying, O 
 Prince ! 
 
 "Therefore, perfecteth thyself in Yoga, O 
 Arjuna, Prince' of Pandu! The fruit of this 
 knowledge, Arjuna, surpasseth all the rewards 
 of virtue, as pointed out to the students of the 
 Sacred Writings ; of all worshippings ; all sac- 
 rifices ; all austerities ; all alms-giving, even 
 great though these be. The Yogi, learned in 
 the knowledge of the Truth, passeth beyond 
 these, and taketh precedence to those who fol- 
 low them; he reacheth the Supreme Goal. 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART VIII, OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED THE "MYSTERY 
 OF OMNIPRESENCE."
 
 PART IX. 
 
 THE KINGLY KNOWLEDGE. 
 
 Then spake Krishna, the Blessed Lord, unto 
 Prince Arjuna, saying : 
 
 "And, now giveth I to thee, O Arjuna, thou 
 faithful and trusting one, the final and su- 
 preme knowledge — the wisdom royal — whose 
 secret, when once known to thee, O Prince, 
 shalt set thee free from evil and misfortune. 
 This is the true Kingly Science — Royal Secret 
 — Imperial Purifier — most easy of intuitional 
 comprehension to such as thou art — not dif- 
 ficult of performance — and imperishable and 
 never-failing. Those who possess not this 
 knowledge fail to find Me, and therefore re- 
 turn again and again to this world of birth 
 and death. 
 
 "This universe, in its parts, and in its en- 
 tirety, is an emanation of Me, and I fill it in 
 my invisible form — yea, even I, the Unmani- 
 fest. All things are of Me — not I of them. 
 But, mistake thou not, O Prince, lest thou in 
 error think that even All Things are Myself. 
 94
 
 THE KINGLY KNOWLEDGE 95 
 
 I am the sustainer of all things, but All 
 Things are not I. Knoweth thou that even as 
 the vast volume of Air, everywhere present, 
 and in constant activity, is sustained and con- 
 tained within the Universal Ether — so do all 
 manifested things rest in Me, the Unmanifest. 
 This is the Secret, O Arjuna; ponder well 
 upon it. At the end of a Kalpa — a day of 
 Brahm — a period of creative activity — I with- 
 draw into my nature all things and beings. 
 And, at the beginning of another Kalpa, I 
 emanate all things and beings, and re-perform 
 my creative act. Throughout Nature, which 
 ?oo is mine own, I emanate, again and again, 
 all these things that constitute the universe, 
 r>y the power of this Nature, which by itself 
 is without power. 
 
 "But I am not bound or entangled in these 
 works, O Prince, for I sit on high, unattached 
 and unbound by actions. I super-impose my 
 power upon nature, and she builds up and 
 tears down — producing the animate and the 
 inanimate ; and thus the universal action pro- 
 ceeds and operates. 
 
 "The unenlightened, seeing Me in human 
 form, and being ignorant of My true nature
 
 96 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 as Supreme Lord of All, disregard me, and 
 hold me in but small esteem. Such hold to 
 vain hopes and petty actions; they lack wis- 
 dom, and live on the lower planes of their 
 being, the evil, brutal and deceitful nature 
 being their highest development. 
 
 "But the Wise Ones, they who have un- 
 folded their higher natures, know Me to be 
 the Infinite and Eternal Origin of All Things, 
 and they worship Me with single-mind. 
 Always realizing My Power, such worship Me 
 continually, firm in their faith, and earnest in 
 their devotion, being not diverted or tempted 
 toward other worship or devotion. Others see 
 Me in various forms and aspects, and thus 
 worship Me in various ways. Both as the 
 One and as the Many am I worshipped. 
 
 "Yea, in all worship am I. Yea, verily, in- 
 deed, I am the worship ; I am the sacrifice ; I 
 am the libation offered the souls of the ances- 
 tors ; I am the sacrificial spices ; I am the 
 prayers and invocation ; I am the mantram; I 
 am the burnt offering and the butter sacrificed 
 to the gods ; I am the fire that consumes the 
 offering; I am that which is consumed by 
 the fire. Yea, also am I the Father of the
 
 THE KINGLY KNOWLEDGE 97 
 
 universe — and likewise the Mother. I am the 
 Preserver. I am the Holy One whom all seek 
 to know. I am the mystic word 'Aum.' I am 
 the three sacred books or Vedas— the Rik, 
 Samur and Yajur. 
 
 "Even so, am I the Path; the Comforter; 
 the Creator ; the Witness ; the Resting Place ; 
 the Place of Refuge; and the Friend of All. 
 I am the Origin and the End — the Creation 
 and the Destruction — the Store-house — the 
 Eternal Seed. I am the Sunshine — I am the 
 Rain. I now press out, and I now draw in. 
 I am Death, and yet am I Immortality. I am 
 Being and yet am I Non-Being. I am the 
 One beyond both. 
 
 "Those learned in the three Vedas, offering 
 many sacrifices, drinking the sacred Soma 
 juice at the end of the sacrifice, and thus seek- 
 ing purification, according to the ancient rites 
 — in reality pray to Me beseeching me to point 
 out the Way to Heaven. And thus gain they 
 their desired Heavenly Realm, and partake 
 of the celestial foods, and enter into the 
 divine enjoyments. 
 
 "But, when they have partaken of the heav- 
 enly feasts, and the divine enjoyments, and
 
 98 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 have entered into the pleasures of that vast 
 Heaven-world, and have thus exhausted the 
 reward for their good deeds, virtues, and wor- 
 ship — then are they carried back by the Law, 
 to re-birth in this plane of sorrow which we 
 call the earth. They have followed the finite 
 and transitory road, and have received the 
 finite and transitory reward. Following the 
 precepts of the Vedas, and becoming good wor- 
 shippers and observers of forms, they come 
 to desire these rewards — and their desires 
 blossom into the fruit of realization, each ac- 
 cording to its kind. Transitory and finite de- 
 sires blossom into finite rewards 
 
 "But, he who holdeth Me constantly in 
 mind and serveth no other will be brought 
 through safely; for him / perform the sacri- 
 fice and ceremonies. He is mine own ! 
 
 "But, again, remember, O Prince, that even 
 those who worship other gods, worship Me, 
 though they realize it not. If they be full of 
 love and faith, I accept it as intended for Me, 
 and give to such their reward according to 
 their merit and desires. But although all such 
 worship Me, and are rewarded accordingly, 
 yet because of their lack of knowledge of Me
 
 THE KINGLY KNOWLEDGE 99 
 
 in my Essence, they must in due time relin- 
 quish Heaven, and return again to earth in 
 re-birth. 
 
 "Each goeth to that which he worshipeth, 
 according to his degree of spiritual compre- 
 hension. Those who worship personal gods, 
 or angels, go to dwell with personal gods and 
 angels ; those who worship ancestors, go to 
 dwell with the ancestors; those who worship 
 spirits, go to the land of spirits. And those 
 who worship Me, in my Essence, come to 
 dwell with Me in my Essence. 
 
 "But know thou, Arjuna, that I despise not 
 the worship of the humble and simple folk, 
 who in their loving worship present Me with 
 leaves, flowers, fruits and water. I say unto 
 thee that I accept and enjoy such offerings 
 from these, my children ; in the spirit of the 
 gift do I accept it. All sacrifices I accepteth, 
 even in the spirit of the offering, not in the 
 value of the gift. Therefore, whatever thou 
 dost, O Prince, whether it be eating, giving, 
 sacrificing, or performance of ceremonies or 
 rites — do these things in earnest offering to. 
 Me. And offering up to Me all thy works, 
 thou shalt be delivered, and set free from the
 
 100 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 bonds of action and the consequences thereof. 
 Thy mind thus having become evenly balanced 
 and harmonized, to me shalt thou come at the 
 appointed time. 
 
 "I see My children of the world — all living 
 beings — with an equal eye, and without par- 
 tiality. There is none more dear to me than 
 another, nor less dear. None do I love more, 
 or hate more, than any other one. Those who 
 worship me with devotion, verily they findeth 
 for themselves the road to my heart, and I am 
 in them, and they in Me. If one who is most 
 evil turneth to Me with undivided heart, he 
 hath started toward Me on the Path of Right- 
 eousness. And, if he persisteth in his right- 
 eous resolve, O Arjuna, he cannot escape be- 
 coming virtuous, and he shall obtain the 
 Peace, even as shall the pious man. 
 
 "Know for a certainty, O Arjuna, that he 
 who is my faithful servant perishes not. All 
 who seek sanctuary in Me, O Prince of Pan- 
 du — even those born of the womb of sin ; and 
 those whom the priests tell us are beyond the 
 pale — yea, even such shall tread the highest 
 paths, if they but place their hopes and faith 
 upon Me. And if this be so, O Prince, how
 
 THE KINGLY KNOWLEDGE 101 
 
 certain is the salvation of the holy men, and 
 learned souls. 
 
 'Then, regard this earth as but a finite and 
 transitory abode, and know and worship Me, 
 Fix upon Me, without distraction thine earnest 
 mind, and thou shalt come unto me — yea, shalt 
 thou be blended into Me and thus reach the 
 Supreme Goal." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART IX OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "THE KINGLY 
 KNOWLEDGE/'
 
 PART X. 
 
 UNIVERSAL PERFECTION. 
 
 Then, Krishna, the Blessed Lord, unto Ar> 
 juna, Prince of the Pandus, in these words, 
 spoke further: 
 
 "Hearken to my words, Thou Strong- 
 armed One of Pandu, while I inform thee of 
 My supreme teachings, desiring thy welfare. 
 For know thou that thou art beloved of Me, 
 O Arjuna. 
 
 "Knoweth thou that neither the angels, nor 
 gods, nor great spirits, nor adepts, nor others 
 high in knowledge, know aught of my Begin- 
 ning; for even before angels and gods and 
 great spirits or adepts was I, yea, even am I 
 their Beginning. He, who, in his wisdom, 
 knoweth Me to be birthless and beginningless 
 — eternal — without commencement — the Su- 
 preme Lord of all that came afterward from 
 Ale — he, being free from illusion and error, 
 shall be free from the consequences of sin. 
 
 "Know thou those things that are 
 named: Reason, Knowledge, Wisdom, 
 102
 
 UNIVERSAL PERFECTION 103 
 
 Patience; Truth; Forgiveness; Self-mastery; 
 Calmness; Pleasure and Pain; Birth and 
 Death ; Courage and Fear ; Mercy ; Joy ; 
 Charity; Earnestness; Fame and Infamy; all 
 these various qualities of Personalities flow 
 forth from Me. Even so came the seven 
 great Sages ; and the four original Beings, or 
 Manus; all emanated from my Mind — and 
 from these sprang the race which people the 
 world. He who knoweth this truth regarding 
 My sovereignty and essential super-universal- 
 ity, is, without doubt, endowed with the 
 spring or unerring and intelligent faith and 
 devotion. 
 
 "I am the Emanator of all this — all things 
 flow from me. Knowing this as the Truth, 
 the Wise Ones revere and worship Me with 
 rapt souls. With Me ever in mind, and with 
 Me ever occupying the sacred chamber of 
 their hearts, they are filled with a secret joy 
 and calm content. And from within the 
 minds and hearts of such, I constantly illumi- 
 nate and inspire them, so that they are a con- 
 stant source of inspiration to each other, and 
 their inward lights combine to shine forth to 
 the world of darkness and ignorance. To such
 
 104. THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 as these, of even mind and faith, I give Dis- 
 crimination and Spiritual Insight, and they 
 unfold unto Spiritual Consciousness, by 
 which they know and come unto Me. 
 
 "From My great love for these, my faithful 
 ones, I shine forth from within them, in the 
 light of the Spirit, and the dark places of 
 ignorance, which existed in their minds, are 
 thus made light and shining with Wisdom." 
 
 Arjuna: "Verily art thou the Supreme 
 Lord — Parabrahm — beyond even great Brahm 
 art Thou. The gods, sages, angels, and wise 
 souls, acknowledge Thee to be the Supreme 
 Abode, the Supreme Eternal One, the Infinite 
 Pure One, the Absolute Being, Omnipotent, 
 Omnipresent, Omniscient — and now hath 
 Thou likewise proclaimed the Truth of these 
 sayings to me. And verily do I believe Thee, 
 in full and without reserve, O Blessed Lord 
 of All. Thy present incarnate manifestation 
 — that mighty mystery of thy presence in 
 earthly form — is understood not, even by the 
 gods, and angels, and mighty souls of all the 
 worlds. Only thyself, understandest Thyself. 
 Thou Fount of Life ; Thou Supreme Lord of 
 All the Universe of Universes ; God of gods ;
 
 UNIVERSAL PERFECTION 105 
 
 Master and Ruler of All that is, has been, or 
 ever will be — without Beginning and without 
 End-— without Limits on any side — this and 
 infinitely more art Thou, O Blessed One ! 
 
 "I, thine unworthy pupil, pray thee to con- 
 descend to inform me by what wondrous 
 power hast Thou pervaded all the universe, 
 and yet remained Thyself? How shalt I, 
 although constantly worshipping Thee, ever 
 come to know Thee? How shalt I think of 
 Thee — how shalt Thou be meditated upon O 
 Lord, when I knoweth not Thy proper form? 
 Tell me, fully, I pray Thee, of Thy powers 
 and forms of manifestation — of Thy distinc- 
 tions and glorious condescensions. For, 
 verily, do I thirst for such knowledge, even 
 as one thirsteth for the living waters — for 
 Thy words are to me like the clear waters 
 which quench the thirst of him to whom 
 water hath been denied for many days. Give 
 me the blessing of thy words, O Lord I" 
 
 Krishna: "My Blessings and Peace to 
 thee, O Beloved Prince ! I will acquaint thee 
 with the chief of my divine distinctions, and 
 manifestations — this must suffice, for know
 
 106 THE 1HAGAVAD GITA 
 
 thou that my essen ial nature and being is 
 infinite. 
 
 "I, O Prince, am th. Spirit which is well- 
 seated in the consciousne^ of all beings, the 
 reflection of which they eacn know as 'I' or 
 the Ego. I am the Beginning, the Middle, and 
 also the Ending, of all things. Ax^ong the 
 Sun-gods, I am the Supreme Creator. Ain^ng 
 the shining suns, I am the Supreme Sun. 
 I am the Supreme Mover of the Winds. 
 Among the stars, I am the Moon which out- 
 shines them. Among the Vedas, or sacred 
 books, I am the Highest Book, or Book of 
 Song. I am the Super-god. I am the Mind, 
 I am the Life. 
 
 "Among the attributes of fate, I am Fate. 
 Among the genii of good fortune and bad 
 fortune, I am Fortune. Among the Original 
 I am the Original Being. Among the teach- 
 ers, I am the Teacher of the Divine Teach- 
 ers. Among the generals, I am the Leader of 
 the Celestial Armies. Among the bodies of 
 waters, I am the Ocean. Among the Wise 
 Ones, I am Wisdom. Among the words, I 
 am the sacred syllable Aum. Among wor- 
 shipers, I am the Name of God. Among the
 
 UNIVERSAL PERFECTION 107 
 
 hills, I am the Himalayas. I am the Sage of 
 Sages. I am the Saint. 
 
 "Among the horses, I am the Mighty Horse 
 who arose with the Amrita from the ocean. 
 Among men, I am the Emperor of Emperors. 
 Among weapons, I am the Divine Thunder- 
 bolt. Among lovers, I am Love. Among ser- 
 pents, I am the Eternal Serpent, the joined 
 ends of which are a symbol of the beginning- 
 less and endless ring of eternity. Among the 
 creatures of the deep, I am the God of the 
 Ocean. I am the Judge of the Day of Judg- 
 ment. I am Spirit. 
 
 "I am Eternity. Among the beasts, I am 
 the Lion. Among the birds, I am Vainateya, 
 the bird of the fabulous stories, whose wings 
 extend even unto the ends of the earth. 
 Among purifiers, I am the Pure Air. Among 
 those who carry arms, I am the Lord of 
 Arms. Among the fishes, I am Makara, the 
 mighty fish of the legends. Among rivers, I 
 am the Sacred Ganges. Of changeful things, 
 I am the Beginning, the Middle, and the End. 
 I am Absolute Knowledge. 
 
 "And, also, am I the never-failing Preser- 
 ver, whose gaze is turned in all directions, and
 
 108 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 who allows none to perish. And, also am I 
 Death, from whose visits none are exempt. 
 And, likewise, am I the Re-birth, which dis- 
 solves Death. I am Fame ; Fortune ; Elo- 
 quence ; Memory ; Understanding ; Fortitude ; 
 and Patience. Among hymns, I am the 
 Hymn of Hymns, or Brihat Sama. And 
 among harmonious metres, I am the Gaya- 
 tree, or most harmonious. Among the sea- 
 sons, I am the Season of Flowers. The 
 Splendor of splendid things, am I. And Vic- 
 tory am I ; and Earnestness ; and Determina- 
 tion; and the Truth of the truthful. 
 
 "I am the Head of the great clans and 
 families. I am the Sage of the sages; the 
 Poet of the poets ; the Bard of bards ; Seer of 
 seers ; Prophet of prophets. To rulers of 
 men, I am the Sceptre of Power. Among 
 statesmen and those who seek to conquer, I 
 am Statescraft and Policy. Among the secre- 
 tive I am Silence. I am Wisdom. 
 
 "In short, and most briefly stated, O Prince, 
 I am That which is the essential principle in 
 the seed of all beings and things in nature; 
 and everything whether animate or inanimate 
 is infilled with me — without Me nothing could
 
 UNIVERSAL PERFECTION 109 
 
 exist for even the twinkling of an eye, O 
 Prince. 
 
 'There is no end to my manifestations, O 
 Arjuna — my powers are infinite in quality and 
 variety. Every being or thing that can be 
 known is the product of an infinitesimal 
 portion of my power and glory. Those which 
 I have mentioned are but trifling examples of 
 the same. Whatever is known to thee as 
 existing, know that as being a tiny manifesta- 
 tion of my infinite power and glory. 
 
 "But why concern thyself with all this 
 knowledge, and all these instances? Know 
 thou, Arjuna, that I manifested all this Uni- 
 verse with but an infinitesimal fragment of 
 Myself — and still I remain, its Lord, unat- 
 tached and apart, although pervading all!' 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART X OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED 
 PERFECTION."
 
 PART XL 
 
 THE UNIVERSAL MANIFESTATION. 
 
 Then spake Arjuna, unto the Blessed Lord, 
 Krishna, saying: 
 
 "Thou hast removed my illusion and 
 ignorance, by thy words of Wisdom, regard- 
 ing the Supreme Mystery of the Spirit, which 
 thou hast spoken unto me out of Thy great 
 love and compassion. From thee have I 
 learned the full truth regarding the creation 
 and destruction of all things ; and also con- 
 cerning Thy greatness and all-embracing im- 
 manence. Thou art indeed the Lord of All, 
 even as thou describeth Thyself. But, one 
 final token of Thy love for me, I beg of Thee, 
 O Lord and Master. I would, if such be pos- 
 sible for me, that Thou showeth unto me 
 Thine own Countenance and Form — the Im- 
 perishable Spirit." 
 
 Krishna : "Since thou asketh me for this, 
 O Arjuna, even shalt it be granted thee. Be- 
 hold then, O Prince, my millions of forms di- 
 vine, of all shapes and forms, species, colors 
 110
 
 THE UNIVERSAL MANIFESTATION 111 
 
 and kinds. Behold thou first the numberless 
 heavenly hosts and celestial beings — angels; 
 arch-angels ; planetary gods ; rulers of uni- 
 verses ; and many other wonderful and mighty 
 beings scarce dreamt of in thy wildest specu- 
 lations and fancies, O Arjuna. 
 
 "Then behold as a Unity, standing within 
 My body, the whole Universe, animate and 
 inanimate, and all things else that thy mind 
 impelleth thee to see. Exercise thy fullest 
 desires and hopes, and even thine imagination, 
 and lo! all that thou hast desired, or hoped 
 for, or even imagineth, that shalt thou see 
 within Me. But not with thine natural 
 human eye see these things, O Arjuna, for 
 they are finite and imperfect. But now I en- 
 dow thee with the Eye of the Spirit with 
 which thou mayest see the glorious sight 
 awaiting thee." 
 
 Then, having thus spoken, Krishna, the 
 Blessed Lord of Lords, showed himself to 
 Arjuna in the aspect of the Supreme and 
 Absolute, through Its manifestations. And 
 this aspect showed itself as Many within the 
 One. The Many had millions of eyes and 
 mouths; many wonderful appearances; many
 
 112 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 forms of upraised weapons ; many forms of 
 clothing and array, jewels and vestments. 
 The Face of faces was turned everywhere, 
 and in all directions. The glory and radiance 
 of a million suns would pale into insignifi- 
 cance before that vision of the Mighty Face. 
 
 Then saw Arjuna the Universe separated 
 into its manifold parts and varieties, as One 
 within the body of Krishna, the Lord of All. 
 And the Prince of the Pandus, was overcome 
 with awe and wonder, and each hair upon his 
 head extended itself erect, like unto the blades 
 of grass in the field. Then with hands joined 
 together, in the attitude of reverence and de- 
 votion, he bowed his head before the Lord, 
 saying : 
 
 "O Mighty Lord, within Thy form I seeth 
 the lesser gods and arch-angels, and angels, 
 and all the heavenly hosts of greater and les- 
 ser degree. Within Thee I see even Brahma, 
 the Creator, sitting on his lotus throne, sur- 
 rounded by the revered Sages and the Wise 
 Ones. And, on all sides, in infinite variety, 
 I see the countless forms of all living beings. 
 With millions of arms, eyes, and bodies, ap-
 
 THE UNIVERSAL MANIFESTATION 113 
 
 peareth Thou to me, but even so I fail to dis- 
 cover Thy beginning, middle or end. 
 
 "I see Thee with crown of Universal Glory, 
 armed with the Universal weapons of mighty 
 power. And darting from Thee, on all sides, 
 I see wondrous beams of effulgent radiance 
 and glorious brilliancy. Difficult indeed is it 
 to see Thee at all, for the light, like unto the 
 rays of a million-million suns, multiplied and 
 magnified a million-million times, dazzleth 
 even the divine eye with which thou hast 
 endowed me. Verily, indeed, art Thou the 
 Supreme Lord — ever immanent — containing 
 all that is; or can be thought of or known. 
 Thou art indeed the Preserver and Supporter 
 of the Universe. Thou art indeed the Fount 
 of Wisdom ! Thou art indeed the Ancient of 
 Days, and the Beginningless One! Spirit of 
 Spirit, art Thou! Yea, Thou art The AB- 
 SOLUTE ! 
 
 "Without beginning, middle, or. ending — 
 with infinite arms — with infinite power — with 
 eyes like unto the sun — with radiance flowing 
 from Thee and filling the entire universe — 
 thus I behold Thee. The heavens and the 
 earth, and all the space that is between and
 
 114 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 around them is rilled by Thee alone, and 
 every point and corner containeth Thee ! The 
 Three Worlds behold thy Awful Countenance 
 with awe and bewilderment. 
 
 "Flying to Thee for refuge and haven, seeth 
 I pouring in the wondrous bands of the 
 heavenly hosts, with joined palms and rev- 
 erent attitude. Cometh all the heavenly hosts 
 of celestial beings, whom men call by the 
 many names of Mararshis; Siddhas; Rudras; 
 Adityas; Vasus; Vishvas; Ashvvis; Kumars; 
 Maruts; Ushmapas; Gandharvas; Yakshas; 
 Asuras, and all the other hosts of the celestial 
 and heavenly worlds, regions and planes ; all 
 pouring into Thee as the rivers into the ocean 
 — all gazing upon Thy Being with wonder and 
 amazement ! 
 
 "I seeth the many worlds standing awe- 
 struck and amazed at the sight of Thy won- 
 drous manifestations. 
 
 "I see Thee touching the very heavens, and 
 shining forth with glorious radiance, of all 
 hues, shades and colors. My resolution fail- 
 eth me, and I am without calm and peace. 
 I see Thy awful countenance appearing as 
 dreadful as Eternity. And then would I fly
 
 THE UNIVERSAL MANIFESTATION 115 
 
 from Thee, but nowhere can I go where I can 
 escape the sight of Thy awful presence — no- 
 where is there a Place outside of the AIL 
 Have mercy upon me then, O Lord and All, 
 Thou harborer of the Universe ! 
 
 ''Ah, now, seeth I the sons of Dhritarashtra, 
 the Kuru Princes, and with them the thou- 
 sand others of earthly kings and rulers. With 
 them come Bhishma and Drona, and the 
 mighty warriors of the hosts. O, horror of 
 horrors ! even as I gazeth upon them, I see 
 the battlehosts rushing into Thy gaping, fiery 
 mouths and frightful rows of teeth! Yea, 
 many are caught between Thy teeth, and are 
 mangled and ground to a pulp. 
 
 "Even as the floods from swollen streams 
 pour tumultuously into the sea, so pour and 
 rush these living streams of warriors into 
 Thy flaming mouths, with much haste, as if 
 seeking their own destruction. Yea, even as 
 the evening moths, in great number, fly with 
 quickening speed, and find their destruction 
 in the bright flame, so do these generals, 
 chiefs and warriors pour into Thy flaming 
 mouths, and are consumed and reduced unto 
 dust and powder.
 
 116 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A 
 
 "I see Thee, with thy blazing mouths, 
 drawing in, devouring, swallowing and con- 
 suming all mankind, on all sides, and without 
 limit, while thy fiery beams shine forth with 
 dreadful force filling the Universe. Verily, 
 Thou consumeth the worlds, O Krishna, Lord 
 of All! Prostrate before Thee I fall, and 
 with joined palms I pray to Thee, O Lord! 
 But even as I pray in awe of Thee — yet do I 
 beg of Thee to inform me what is this that I 
 see in Thee? Where and what are Thou, in 
 thine Own Aspect?" 
 
 Krishna : "Thou seest me as Time, fully 
 matured and complete — the Destroyer of 
 Mankind — who cometh hither to seize and 
 consume all those who stand before Me. 
 Knoweth thou, that excepting thyself who 
 shall be saved, not one of these many war- 
 riors ranged here in battle array, confront- 
 ing each other with fierce resolve — yea, not 
 even one else shall escape Me. 
 
 "Wherefore arise and fight thy fight ! Play 
 well thy part as warrior and chief ! Win for 
 thyself the renown and fame of battle ! Con- 
 quer thy foes ! Enter into and enjoy the con- 
 quered kingdom ! For know that, by me,
 
 THE UNIVERSAL MANIFESTATION 117 
 
 already art they overcome and conquered — 
 thou art only mine immediate agent — the in- 
 strument to execute the decree of that which 
 men call Fate. Then do thou slay Drona, and 
 Bhishma, and Jayadratha, and Kama, and all 
 the other warriors of the field, for they are al- 
 ready killed by Me in Destiny and Law. Fight 
 then without fear or holding back, and thou 
 shalt destroy thy rivals and enemies of the 
 opposing hosts! Fight, Arjuna — Fight!" 
 
 Then Arjuna, the Pandu Prince, having 
 heard these words of Krishna, the Blessed 
 Lord, fell prostrate before the Lord, with 
 joined palms, and with devout demeanor. 
 And addressing the Lord, in broken acents 
 spake he thus : 
 
 "O Krishna, Krishna — Blessed Lord — the 
 universe rejoiceth and is filled with thy power 
 and glory ! The evil spirits flee in terror from 
 thy sight — and the hosts of the Holy Ones 
 sing thy praises, and adore Thee with awe and 
 wonder ! And wherefore, O Lord, should not 
 all mighty beings bow before thee in adoration 
 and awe-struck humility, for art Thou. not the 
 Being of Beings — the Mighty of the Mighty — 
 the Brahm of Brahma^- the Supreme Creator
 
 118 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 — the Eternal God of Gods — the World con- 
 taining the worlds ? Being and No-Being art 
 Thou, and even That which lieth back of both. 
 Thou art the Infinite, Eternal Absolute ! Thou 
 art the Supporter of All ! Thou art the Spirit 
 of the Spirit ! Thou art All Wisdom known, 
 and all Wisdom possessing — Wisdom Absolute 
 art Thou ! Thou art the dwelling-place of uni- 
 verses — and by Thee was the universe eman- 
 ated and spread out ! Vaya, the god of wind 
 — Agni the god of fire — Varuna the god of 
 oceans — Sashanka the moon — Prajapati the 
 god of nations — Prapitamaha the common an- 
 cestor of the race — all • these art Thou, O 
 Krishna, my Lord and Love — Reverence 
 a thousand times multiplied and magni- 
 fied be unto Thee. Reverence to Thee a mil- 
 lion-million times repeated. Again and again 
 a million-million times, be this repeated rev- 
 erence be Thine, O Infinite One! On all 
 sides of Thee, reverence and worship! Be- 
 fore and behind Thee, reverence ! O Omnipo- 
 tent, Omnipresent, Omniscient One, who art 
 All in All! Infinite is thy Glory! Thou in- 
 cludeth within Thyself All Things — where-
 
 THE UNIVERSAL MANIFESTATION 119 
 
 fore art Thou All Things, and more than All 
 Things ! 
 
 "Alas, alas ! in my ignorance, O Lord, and 
 regarding thee merely as my friend, I have 
 called Thee with familiarity, saying: 'O 
 Krishna; O Friend!' and other names of fa- 
 miliar intercourse. Thus did I address Thee, 
 in my ignorant love and esteem and brotherly 
 feeling. Unknowing of Thy real nature and 
 greatness was I, hence my error — hence my 
 great presumption. And, Thou, even Thou 
 hath been treated by me with irreverence and 
 undue familiarity, even at play and at sports ; 
 in public upon many and various occasions — 
 for all of which, O Being Absolute and In- 
 finite, I humbly beg thy forgiveness and par- 
 don. 
 
 "Thou art the Parent of the animate and 
 inanimate! Thou art the Wise Instructor of 
 all who seek wisdom ! Thou art the One alone 
 worthy to be adored ! Thou art the One like 
 whom there is none ! Yea, in all the three 
 worlds there is none like unto Thee! Where- 
 fore, bow down to the very earth, myself 
 do I, and crave thy forgiving mercy and com- 
 passion. Lord, Lord, Krishna, My Lord!
 
 120 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A 
 
 Adorable Lord ! bear with me even as a 
 father beareth with his son; a friend with a 
 friend ; a lover with his beloved — so bear with 
 me, O Lord! 
 
 "Most favored am I in being shown that 
 which no man hath ever yet seen — and most 
 happy am I to have been so favored, and to 
 have witnessed these things, O Lord ; yea, even 
 when I remembereth that which I have seen, 
 my heart beateth strongly, and my breath com- 
 eth and goeth rapidly^ so overwhelmed doth 
 my mind become. And, yet, even from my 
 awe doth my words spring, when I beg of 
 Thee still another gift ; I beseech Thee to 
 show me Thyself in Thy Celestial Form. As- 
 sume then, O Thousand armed One — Univer- 
 sal Former of Form — assume Thou then, I 
 pray Thee, Thy familiar shape in which I 
 have seen Thee countless times, and upon 
 which I can look without so great fear." 
 
 Krishna: "Arjuna, out of my love and 
 affection for thee, hath I shown thee, by my 
 divine power, this my supreme forms as the 
 Universe, in all its splendid glory, eternal and 
 infinite. None other than thyself hath ever 
 seen this sight. For know you this, that no
 
 THE UNIVERSAL MANIFESTATION 121 
 
 such sight can be obtained as a reward, even 
 by the study of the Vedas; or by sacrifice ; or 
 by great learning; or by charity and alms- 
 giving ; or by good deeds ; or by penance and 
 self-denial. Not even these things, great as 
 they may be and are, can win for a reward this 
 vision and sight of Me which hath been 
 granted unto thee, alone in all the three worlds. 
 Having, witnessing these things — beheld My 
 form, so awful to thee — be not dismayed, nor 
 confounded or confused in thy faculties. 
 When thy mind hath been quieted in its fears, 
 and peace and calmness again cometh to thee, 
 then mayest thou again behold My wondrous 
 form !" 
 
 Then Krishna, the blessed Lord, having 
 thus reassured Arjuna, resumed his milder and 
 less terrible shape and consoled Arjuna' s ter- 
 rified mind. And, thus reassured and com- 
 forted, and his fears having departed, Arjuna 
 spake to Krishna, saying: 
 
 "Beholding again thy less terrible shape, O 
 Lord, I am again myself and in calmer frame 
 of mind and less disturbed." 
 
 Krishna: "Yea, O Arjuna, hast thou be- 
 held my wondrous form, which even the gods
 
 122 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 and arch-angels and the higher heavenly host 
 ever long with earnest craving to witness and 
 behold. But such can see me not, as thou hast 
 seen me. Nay not even through the Vedas, 
 nor by self-denial, nor by gifts of charity, nor 
 by sacrifices. But by supreme devotion to Me 
 alone, may I thus be perceived, O Prince, and 
 he who thus perceiveth men and knoweth Me, 
 verily he entereth into my essence and is en- 
 folded by Me. He who doeth actions for Me 
 alone — whose Supreme Good I am — My true 
 devotee, freed from attachment to all but Me 
 — regardless of consequences — free from 
 hatred of any being or thing whatsoever — 
 verily I say he cometh unto Me, O Arjuna; 
 he cometh unto Me." 
 
 THUS EXDETH PART XI OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "THE UNIVERSAL 
 MANIFESTATION/'
 
 PART XII. 
 
 THE YOGA OF DEVOTION. 
 
 Once again, Krishna, the Blessed Lord, 
 spake to Arjuna, saying: 
 
 "Tell me, O Lord, which of those who wor- 
 ship and serve thee, with earnest minds well- 
 mastered, as Thou hath just mentioned to 
 me — which of such serve Thee most worthily 
 and best? Which are on the best path, those 
 who worship Thee as God in thy revealed 
 form, on the one hand ; or those who worship 
 Thee as The Absolute — The Unmanifest — 
 The Infinite — on the other hand? Which of 
 these two classes of Yogis are more deeply 
 versed in Yoga?" 
 
 Krishna: "Those, who have concentrated 
 their minds fixedly upon me as God, and who 
 serve Me with unwavering zeal and impreg- 
 nable and steady faith — are regarded by Me 
 as being most devoted. But, also, those who 
 worship Me as The Absolute; The Infinite; 
 The Unmanifest; The Omnipresent, Omnipo- 
 tent, Omniscient; The Unknowable; The Un- 
 123
 
 124 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 thinkable; The Ineffable; The Invisible; The 
 Eternal ; The Immutable ; The All ; or as that 
 to which similar terms attempting to express 
 similar conceptions of Being are applied — such 
 so worshipping, and mastering the mind and 
 senses, and regarding all things in nature as 
 good and deserving to fare well, and rejoicing 
 in the welfare of all, equally — verily, these 
 also cometh unto Me. 
 
 "The path of those who are attracted by Me 
 as the Absolute and Unmanifest is much 
 harder to travel than is that of those who wor- 
 ship Me as God manifest, and having form. 
 This Absolute conception is most difficult of 
 realization to the finite mind of man. It is 
 most difficult for the visible to realize the in- 
 visible — the finite, the infinite — the possessor 
 of qualities and attributes, that which hath 
 neither but yet is above both. 
 
 "And, this also, say I to thee, O Arjuna, that 
 those also who, fixing their minds solely 
 upon me, and seeing in Me the Actor of ac- 
 tions, worship Me single-mindedly without 
 fear or hope of reward, them too shall I raise 
 up from the ocean of change and mortality. 
 
 "Place thy mind firmly upon Me, O Prince,
 
 THE YOGA OF DEVOTION 125 
 
 and let thine understanding penetrate into My 
 being, and then, of a truth, shalt thou enter 
 into Me, hereafter. But if thou art not able 
 to hold thy mind firmly fixed upon Me, Ar- 
 juna, then seek to reach Me by the path of 
 Practice and Discipline. And if even by 
 Practice and Discipline thou art still unable to 
 attain, then shalt thou seek me by the path of 
 Service through Right Action. For by the 
 performance of Right Actions, solely for My 
 sake, shalt thou then attain perfection. 
 
 "And, if even this last task shall be beyond 
 thy powers, then shalt thou follow the path of 
 Renunciation, and putting thy trust earnestly 
 upon Me, renounce thou the fruit of every 
 action. 
 
 "Better, truly, is Wisdom and Knowledge 
 than Practice and Discipline ; and Meditation 
 is still better than even Knowledge ; and Re- 
 nunciation is better than Meditation, for 
 Renunciation of the fruits of action bringeth 
 peace and satisfaction. 
 
 "Verily, I say unto Thee, that he is vei> 
 dear and near to Me, who harboreth no malice 
 or ill-will to any being or thing; who is the 
 friend and lover of all Nature, who is mer^r*
 
 126 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 ful, free from pride and vanity and selfishness ; 
 who is undisturbed by pleasure or pain, being 
 balanced in each ; who is patient under wrongs 
 and injustice and who is forgiving, contented, 
 ever devout, with mind, senses and passions 
 ever under control, and whose mind and un- 
 derstanding is ever fixed upon Me. 
 
 "He, also, is dear to Me, who neither fears 
 the world of men, nor is feared by it ; and who 
 is delivered from the turbulence of anger, 
 joy, impatience, or fear, regarding finite things 
 or happenings. 
 
 "And he who desireth nothing; who is just 
 and pure ; impartial ; free from anxieties ; and 
 who hath abandoned all finite rewards or 
 hopes of rewards, is also dear to me. Like- 
 wise he who loveth not, nor hateth not ; who 
 neither rejoiceth nor findeth fault with world 
 happenings ; who grieveth not nor coveteth ; 
 who hath renounced both good and evil for 
 sake of Me. 
 
 "And dear to Me, also, is he who regardeth 
 equally both friend and foe; who sees repute 
 and disrepute as one to the wise mind ; who 
 knows cold and heat, and pain and pleasure, 
 to be not one more desirable than the other.
 
 THE YOGA OF DEVOTION 127 
 
 Such a one also regardeth not solicitously the 
 passing of events ; and to him praise and con- 
 demnation are the same. He is silent and well 
 satisfied with whatsoever befall him or come 
 to pass in the world ; and he hath no particu- 
 lar place of abode in the world, but feeleth at 
 home everywhere in Me. He, of whom I 
 have just spoken, is of a steady and equable 
 mind, and devotion is ever manifested by him 
 — he verily loveth Me, and I him. He is very 
 dear to Me. 
 
 "Yea, yea, they who imbibe this Water of 
 Immortality — this Divine Nectar — of the 
 teaching, as given by me to thee, O Arjuna, 
 and receive it with faith and devotion, verily, 
 are such dear and exceedingly beloved by Me/' 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART XII OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GIT A, WHICH PART IS CALLED THE "YOGA OF 
 DEVOTION."
 
 PART XIII. 
 
 THE KNOWER AND THE KNOWN. 
 
 Then spake Arjuna unto Krishna, the 
 Blessed Lord, saying: 
 
 'Tray inform me, Blessed Lord, concern- 
 ing that which we call the Personal Self, and 
 that great Something beyond and above this, 
 which we call the 'I,' or 'Ego,' or perchance, 
 the 'Soul/ which knows. Tell me of this 
 Knower and also of the Known, or which is 
 seemingly Known." 
 
 Krishna: 'That which thou calleth thy 
 Personal Self, Arjuna, is called by philoso- 
 phers, 'The Known.' That which thou calleth 
 the T,' the 'Ego/ or the 'Soul/ is called by the 
 philosophers 'the Knower.' And remember 
 this, O Prince, that I am the Knower of the 
 Known in whatever form it may appear and 
 manifest. This understanding of the Knower 
 and the Known is esteemed by Me as Wisdom 
 worthy of attainment. 
 
 "Now, listen to My words, while I inform 
 thee of the nature of the Known; what it 
 128
 
 THE KNOWER AND THE KNOWN 129 
 
 resembleth; what are its various parts; from 
 what it proceedeth; and also what is That 
 which Knoweth the Known, and what are Its 
 characteristics. Briefly will I state it — that 
 which has been sung by the Sages in various 
 chants; and which appeareth in manifold 
 verses of the sacred writings, with many 
 reasonings, arguments and proofs. 
 
 "The Personal Self is made up of the five 
 Mahabuta, or Principles, known as follows, 
 by the teachers : Ahankara, or the Conscious- 
 ness of Personality; Buddhi, or Understand- 
 ing or Intellect; Avyaktam, the unseen Vital 
 Force; the eleven Indriyas, or sense-centers; 
 and the five Indriya-gochar, or sense-organs; 
 then cometh Ichha and Dwesha, or Love and 
 Hatred; Sukha and Dukha, or Pleasure and 
 Pain ; Chetana, or Sensibility ; and Dhrita, or 
 Firmness. These, Arjuna, constitute the Per- 
 sonal Self — the Known — and its characteris- 
 tics. 
 
 "Spiritual Wisdom consists in freedom 
 from Self-esteem or Hypocrisy, or Injury to 
 Others. It inculcates Patience ; Rectitude ; Re- 
 spect for Teachers and Masters; Chastity; 
 Steadfastness; Self-control; Freedom from
 
 130 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 Sense-attachments; Freedom from Pride and 
 Vainglory in the Personal Self; It brings a 
 constant realization of the true nature of Birth 
 and Death; Sickness and Decay; Pain and 
 Imperfection. It also brings with it the loosen- 
 ing of the bonds of attachment in the personal 
 relation between the possessor of Wisdom and 
 his wife, children and home. It brings a con- 
 stant equanimity and balance of mind and 
 temper, notwithstanding the nature of the 
 passing or occurring event, or whether it be 
 desired or non-desirable. 
 
 ''Such Wisdom also brings to its possessor 
 a desire for unfailing, and unrelaxing worship 
 and devotion : — worship in private places and 
 secluded spots ; and a corresponding distaste 
 for crowds of men. Likewise bringeth it a 
 love of the Spirit which pervadeth all things ; 
 and the meditation upon the nature of Wis- 
 dom, and the goal awaiting its possessor, or 
 traveller upon its path. This is what is called 
 by philosophers, Dnyana, or Knowledge, as 
 contrasted with Adnyana, or Ignorance. 
 
 "Now, will I inform thee what is called 
 Dneya, or the Object of Wisdom, for the right 
 knowledge and understanding of which thou
 
 THE KNOWER AND THE KNOWN 131 
 
 shalt enjoy Immortality. This Object of 
 Wisdom is that which the teachers and philoso- 
 phers call Brahma, or Universal Life. The 
 Universal Life hath no beginning, and can be 
 called neither Being nor yet Non-Being. In 
 the midst of the world it dwelleth, and en- 
 velopeth all the universe even to its utmost 
 ends. In itself free from every organ and 
 sense, yet doth it manifest through every or- 
 gan and sense in all the universe. Unattached 
 and free, it containeth all things within its 
 nature — and free from qualities or attributes, 
 yet doth it partake of the knowledge of all 
 qualities and attributes. Within and yet with- 
 out — inside and outside — it is. And inanimate 
 and animate is it — movable and non-movable, 
 in and throughout all Nature. It is infinite in 
 its minuteness, and is therefore invisible and 
 imperceptible. And yet although most near, 
 yet it is also afar off. Undivided is it in its 
 nature, and yet infinite in its apparent division. 
 "It is the womb of all things — from it pro- 
 ceedeth creation and destruction. It is the 
 source of Light — beyond all darkness is it. It 
 is Wisdom — also that which is the object of 
 Wisdom — and also that which is to be ob-
 
 132 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A 
 
 tained by Wisdom. In the minds and hearts 
 of all, it dwelleth always. 
 
 "This then is what is known as Kshetra or 
 the Personal Self; Dnyna, or Wisdom; and 
 Dneya, or the Object of Wisdom. Thus hath 
 been told thee the secret of the Substance of 
 Life, and its distribution and moulding. The 
 Wise One, thus knowing, entereth into Me. 
 
 "Know also, Arjuna, that Prakriti, or 
 Nature, and also Purusha, the Soul, are both 
 without beginning. Knoweth thou, also, O 
 Prince, that the Principles of Nature are in- 
 herent in Nature, and from her they flow out. 
 Nature is that which, produceth what we call 
 Cause and Effect, or Causation ; it is the 
 Source of Action. 
 
 "Knoweth thou also, Arjuna, that Soul, 
 seated in Nature, or in Nature's Matter, re- 
 ceiveth the impressions which proceed from 
 Material Life. It is the Principle which is 
 operative in the experiences of Pleasure and 
 Pain. The consequences of these impressions 
 and experiences and the attachment thereto, 
 on the part of the personal manifestation of 
 Soul, is the cause of birth and rebirth. The 
 incidents and circumstances of reincarnation
 
 THE KNOWER AND THE KNOWN 133 
 
 arise therefrom, and persist until the higher 
 Wisdom is gained, which overcometh the 
 qualities that bind the soul to the things and 
 objects of the material world. The Soul is 
 that superior nature of one, which, dwelling 
 in the body, doth observe, direct, protect and 
 partake of Life. 
 
 "He who thus comprehendeth Prakriti, or 
 Nature ; Purusha, or Soul ; and the Gunas, or 
 Principles of Nature, even as I have spoken 
 of them to thee, Arjuna, though he may be 
 living in any state or condition or manner — 
 he shall not be again subject to mortal birth. 
 
 "Some men, by means of meditation, behold 
 the Universal Soul within Nature — the Soul 
 within the Body. Others attain the perception 
 by means of Renunciation of Action. And 
 others, still, by the Service of Right Action. 
 Others there be who have not discovered this 
 truth of themselves, and in themselves; but 
 have heard the doctrine and teachings from 
 others, and thereafter heed the same and re- 
 spect it and attend unto it. Yea, I say unto 
 you, O Arjuna, that even these last, if they 
 manifest earnest faith and attention, and ob- 
 serve the truth thus obtained by them — even
 
 134 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 they shall lay the foundations of Immortality, 
 and pass beyond the Gulf of Death. 
 
 "Knoweth thou, O Prince of Pandu, that 
 every thing that is created, be it animate or 
 inanimate, is produced by the combination of 
 Soul and Nature — the Knower and the Known. 
 He who seeth the Universal Soul immanent in 
 all things — imperishable, although in all per- 
 ishable things — verily, indeed such a one truly 
 seeth. Seeing the same Universal Soul imma- 
 nent in all things, he avoideth the error of 
 identifying the Self with the lower principles, 
 and thus he is released from the illusion of 
 mortality, and goes forward on the road to 
 immortality. 
 
 "He who sees that his actions are really per- 
 formed by Nature, and Nature's principles, 
 and that the Soul is not to be entangled there- 
 in — he sees indeed. When he perceiveth that 
 all the various forms of Nature's manifesta- 
 tions are really rooted in the One Life, and 
 from thence are spread forth in their branches, 
 limbs, twigs, and leaves of infinite variety — 
 then he passeth into a consciousness of the 
 One Life. 
 
 'The Spirit, O Prince — the Spirit of the
 
 THE KNOWER AND THE KNOWN 135 
 
 Universal Soul — even when it is within one of 
 Nature's bodily forms, never really acts nor 
 is really affected. Because of its essential 
 nature, it is above and beyond action. And 
 being without beginning, and without qualities 
 or attributes, it is beyond the storm of action 
 and change. The Universal Ether is not af- 
 fected by the action of objects within it and 
 within which it is. And even so is the Uni- 
 versal Soul, in which are all material forms^ 
 and which is within all material forms — so is 
 it unaffected by the action and changes of 
 those forms, although it knows them all, as the 
 Knower of the Known. 
 
 "Even as doth the single Sun illuminate the 
 whole world, O Arjuna, so doth the One Soul 
 illumine the whole of Nature — the One 
 Knower, the whole Field of the Known. 
 
 "And he who by the power of Spiritual 
 Wisdom doth perceive this difference between 
 the Soul and the Material and Personal Self; 
 between the Soul and Nature and Nature's 
 Principles — between the Knower and the 
 Known — verily he perceiveth the liberation of 
 the Soul from the illusion of Matter and Per- 
 sonality, and he passeth to the Spiritual Con-
 
 186 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 sciousness, in which all is seen as One Reality,, 
 without Illusion or Error." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART XIII OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "THE KN0WER 
 AND THE KNOWN."
 
 PART XIV. 
 
 THE THREE GUNAS OR QUALITIES. 
 
 Then spake unto Arjuna, the Prince of the 
 Pandus, Krishna, the Blessed Lord, saying: 
 
 "Draw near, Arjuna, and I will further in- 
 form you in the Supreme Wisdom — that Wis- 
 dom of all Wisdom the best — that Wisdom by 
 which the Wise Ones mounted unto the heights 
 of Supreme Attainment and perfection. And, 
 such, having become blended into Me, by rea- 
 son of this Wisdom, they are not again re- 
 born, even in the creation of a new universe at 
 the beginning of a Day of Brahm, nor are they 
 blotted out upon the dissolution of the uni- 
 verse, at the beginning of a Night of Brahm. 
 
 "Know thou, Arjuna, that Nature is the 
 Great Womb in which I place my seed — from 
 this proceedeth all natural forms, shapes, 
 things, and objects. Nature is the Great 
 Womb of all those things which are conceived 
 in the natural womb, and I am the Father 
 whose Seed is within the seed of all natural 
 things. 
 
 137
 
 188 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 "The three great Gunas, or Principles of 
 Nature, oft times called the Three Qualities, 
 and which are inherent in, and which spring 
 from Nature, are known by these names, O 
 Prince ; Salivas, or Truth ; Rajas, or Passion ; 
 and Tamas, or Indifference — these be the 
 Three. And each, and all, tend to bind the 
 Soul within the Body — the Universal Soul 
 within Nature. As Above so Below, the 
 Three serve to bind and hold the higher to the 
 lower. But the binding differeth in its nature, 
 O Prince, though all are bonds. Thus Sattvas, 
 or Truth, being pure and stainless, bindeth the 
 sould by attachment to Wisdom and Harmony, 
 and bringeth it back to -re-birth because of the 
 bonds of Knowledge and Understanding. 
 And, Rajas, or Passion, is of the nature of 
 burning Desire, and doth bind the soul by at- 
 tachment to Action, and Things and Objects, 
 and doth bring it back to re-birth because of 
 the bonds of Worldly Hunger and Thirst for 
 Having and Doing. And Tamas, or Indiffer- 
 ence, is of an ignorant, dark, stupid and heavy 
 nature, and bindeth the soul by attachment to 
 Sloth, and Idleness, and Folly and Indolence, 
 bringing it back to re-birth because of the
 
 THE THREE GUNAS OR QUALITIES 139 
 
 bonds of Ignorance, Stupidity, Heedlessness 
 and Low-Content. 
 
 'To Sattvas Guna, pertaineth Wisdom and 
 Harmony; to Rajas Guna pertaineth Action 
 and Possessions; and to Tamos Guna per- 
 taineth Sloth, Stupidity and Indolence. When 
 one overcometh the Tamas and the Rajas, 
 then the Sattvas reigneth. When the Rajas 
 and Sattvas are overcome, then reigneth the 
 Tamas. When the Tamas and Sattvas have 
 been overcome, then reigneth the Rajas. 
 ' "When Wisdom is manifest in one, then 
 know that the Sattvas is the ruling Guna. 
 When great Action is manifest, or great De- 
 sire is apparent, then know you that Rajas is 
 the Guna ruling. When Stupidity, Sloth, Idle- 
 ness and Lack of Thought is manifest, then 
 know thou truly that Tamas Guna is on the 
 throne. 
 
 "When the soul forsakes the body in which 
 the Sattvas ruleth, then does it proceed to the 
 plane inhabited by the Wise and Intelligent. 
 When it leaves the body in which the Rajas 
 hath been the strongest, then doth it pass to 
 the plane of rest, from whence in time it is 
 reborn again in a body adapted to the mani-
 
 140 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 festation of action, and possessed of a ten- 
 dency toward Desires, and among people and 
 enivronment adapted to and in harmony with 
 these qualities. When it leaves the body in 
 which the Tamas hath been in the ascendent, 
 then doth it pass to re-birth in a body, and 
 among those in harmony with its low plane 
 of manifestation. 
 
 ''The fruit of Sattvas is called good; the 
 fruit of Rajas is called pain and dissatisfac- 
 tion and unrest. The fruit of Tamas is called 
 Ignorance and Stupidity and Inertia. From 
 Sattvas is produced Wisdom ; from Rajas, Un- 
 rest and Covetousness ; from Tamas, Ig- 
 norance, Delusion and Foolishness, together 
 with Sloth. Those of the Sattvas Guna, are 
 raised up on high; those of the Rajas Guna 
 reach no higher than the middle plane, which 
 is the plane of Man's world activities and life ; 
 while those of the Tamas Guna are borne 
 down by the heavy weight of their quality and 
 sink down far below. 
 
 "Say I unto thee, O Prince, that those who 
 see that the only agents of action are these 
 very Ganas, the Principles of Nature — and
 
 THE THREE GUNAS OR QUALITIES 141 
 
 also discover that there is a Being superior to 
 them — know the true nature of the Soul and 
 enter into Me. 
 
 "And when an embodied soul hath passed 
 beyond these three Qualities, which are in the 
 Nature of all embodiment — and hath learned 
 of the consciousness beyond them — then is 
 that soul delivered from the bonds, and is 
 freed from Birth and Death; Old Age and 
 Pain; and drinketh of the Nectar of Immor- 
 tality." N 
 
 Arjuna: "What are the distinguishing 
 characteristics of the man who hath passed 
 beyond the Three Gunas, or Qualities? How 
 acteth he ? And by what means hath he over- 
 come and passed beyond the Three? 
 
 Krishna: "Hearken to my words, O 
 Prince ! He doth not hate these qualities, Wis- 
 dom, Energy and Ignorance, when they come 
 to him — nor yet longeth after them when they 
 are not with him ; but unattached to either like 
 or dislike for them, he sitteth neutral among 
 the coming and going thereof, unmoved and 
 unshaken by them — knowing that the Gunas, 
 or Qualities, exist and are constantly coming
 
 142 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 and going, yet witnessing their succession and 
 movement as one outside who witnesseth a 
 procession of objects. 
 
 "Yet, even he who standeth self-reliant, and 
 at ease, balanced equally between pleasure 
 and pain — he to whom a stone, iron, and gold 
 seem alike and equally valuable — he who ap- 
 peareth the same amidst like and dislike ; and 
 who regardeth praise and blame with equal 
 emotion, or lack of emotion — he who is ever 
 the same in honor or disgrace — he who know- 
 eth no difference between treatment of friend 
 or foe — he who hath forsaken all ambition for 
 enterprises or undertakings of a worldly kind 
 — verily hath such a one surpassed and passed 
 beyond the effects of the Three Gimas, or 
 Qualities, and escaped from them. 
 
 "And he, my follower and devotee, who 
 hath devoted himself entirely to Me, and who 
 serveth Me with exclusive heart and mind — 
 he having completely passed beyond the qual- 
 ities, is surely fitted to be blended with the 
 One. 
 
 "Yea, verily, sayeth I unto thee, Arjuna, 
 that I am the Symbol and the Reality of Im-
 
 THE THREE GUNAS OR QUALITIES 143 
 
 mortality; the Eternal; the Absolute Justice; 
 the Bliss Unending." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART XIV OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "THE THREE 
 GUNAS OR QUALITIES."
 
 PART XV. 
 
 CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE SUPREME. 
 
 Once more, spake Krishna, the Blessed 
 Lord, unto Arjuna, saying : 
 
 "The Ashwattha, the sacred tree, the sym- 
 bol of the Universe in our teachings, is said to 
 be indestructible. Its roots are above, and its 
 branches are below. Its leaves are the Vedas, 
 or Sacred Writings. He who knowest this, 
 knowest the Vedas. Its branches grow out of 
 the Three Qualities, or Ganas; and their les- 
 ser shoots or twigs' are the organs of sense, 
 some spreading forth high up, and others 
 down low. The roots which are spreading 
 abroad below, on the plane of men, are the 
 bonds of action. 
 
 "Its form is beyond the knowledge of men ; 
 as is its beginning, its end, or its connections. 
 When this mighty tree is finally cut down by 
 the strong axe of Discriminative Non-Attach- 
 ment, in spite of its strongly fixed roots — then 
 the destroyer of that tree shalt seek for that 
 place from which there is no more return to 
 144
 
 CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE SUPREME 145 
 
 re-birth, for that place is the One Supreme 
 Soul, from which floweth out the Soul im- 
 manent in and animating all things. 
 
 "There be those who, having freed them- 
 selves from pride, ignorance and delusion, 
 have overcome those faults which arise from 
 attachments to action. They employ their 
 minds constantly in contemplation of the Real 
 Self, and thus are restrained from inordinate 
 desires, and made free from attraction of the 
 Pairs of Opposites, and from the attendant ef- 
 fect of these which are known as Pleasure and 
 Pain. They are thus relieved of confusion 
 and illusion, and they ascend to that plane 
 which endureth forever. They pass on to that 
 place which is not lighted by either the sun or 
 the moon, nor yet by fire, but which is yet 
 radiant beyond imagination. For this place is 
 My Supreme Abode, and there is no return 
 therefrom. 
 
 "Yea, it is even a portion of myself, that, as 
 an apparently separate soul doth draw around 
 itself the five senses and the mind, that it may 
 obtain embodiment in a mortal frame and 
 that it may leave this frame again. And the 
 Ego carrieth this mind and these senses to
 
 146 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 whatever body he inhabits, and again carrieth 
 they away again when he leaves that body. 
 Through the instrumentality of the organs of 
 seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting, 
 together with the mind, he experienceth the 
 objects of sense. 
 
 "The deluded and ignorant do not see the 
 soul when it leaves the body, or remaineth in 
 the body; nor yet when as swayed by the 
 Gunas, or Qualities, it experienceth the ob- 
 jects of sense. But the Wise Ones/ see and 
 understand. And, there are those who, by in- 
 dustrious meditation, acquire an inward sight 
 by which they may perceive this occurrence 
 within themselves — but those of untrained 
 minds and ignorant understanding, though 
 laboring hard, yet fail to so perceive this 
 within themselves. 
 
 "Know thou, Arjuna, that the light and radi- 
 ance which proceedeth from the sun and en- 
 lighteneth and illumineth the whole world — 
 and that radiance which proceedeth from the 
 moon, and sheddeth soft beams over the earth 
 — and the fiery flame within the fire, which 
 burneth fiercely upon all upon which its light 
 falleth — all this splendor is of Me.
 
 CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE SUPREME 147 
 
 "Know, also, O Prince, that I enter the 
 earth and nourish all living things by my life 
 and vitality. I am the life-giving juice of the 
 plants and growing things. Likewise am I the 
 Vital Force — the Fire of Life — which per- 
 formeth the functions of life within the body 
 — I inspire the breathing, and I direct the di- 
 gestive, assimilative and eliminative processes. 
 I am in the hearts and minds of men, and from 
 Me proceedeth memory and knowledge and 
 also the absence of both. 
 
 "And, all that is to be known from the 
 Vedas am I. Yea, verily am I also the wis- 
 dom of the Vedanta and the knowledge of the 
 Vedas. 
 
 "There are two aspects of Soul in this 
 world — the One, and the Many — the Over- 
 Soul and the Under-Souls — the Undivided and 
 the Divided — many names there be to express 
 this truth, and yet all names fail to express it 
 fully. The Many-Soul is manifest in the 
 body of Nature, and in the bodies of Nature's 
 forms — the One- Soul standeth apart and 
 above Nature, and Nature's things. And yet 
 both of these are but aspects of One. Yea, 
 and there is also the Spirit — the Soul of the
 
 148 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 Soul — the Supreme — the Highest — the Sus- 
 tainer — the Source — the Lord — yea, even I, 
 Krishna, who, dwelling within and yet above 
 the One-Soul and the Many-Soul, am SPIRIT 
 ABSOLUTE. 
 
 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Arjuna, and 
 to all who follow after, that he whose eyes 
 have been cleared of the Smoke of Illusion 
 and who knoweth me, Krishna, thus as 
 SPIRIT ABSOLUTE; and who thus know- 
 ing, loveth me with all his heart, and all his 
 mind, and all his soul — he knoweth ME in 
 truth. And knowing ME, he knoweth all 
 things, and worshipeth and loveth the ONE 
 and ALL. 
 
 "Now, Arjuna, have I declared unto thee 
 \!he Secret of Secrets — the Mystery of Mys- 
 teries — which once fully understood and com- 
 prehended, O Prince, bringeth to one the 
 Supreme Illumination. Who knoweth this 
 hath done all that is to be done — he hath ac- 
 complished the Divine Adventure — he hath 
 gained All that can be Known." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART XV OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "CONSCIOUSNESS 
 OF THE SUPREME."
 
 PART XVI. 
 
 THE GOOD AND EVIL NATURES. 
 
 Now again, spake Krishna, the Blessed 
 Lord, unto Arjuna, saying : 
 
 "These be the characteristics and nature 
 of those who are walking The Path that lead- 
 eth to Heavenly Rewards — these are the 
 marks of Good Character and Destiny. Fear- 
 lessness have they, and Purity of Heart. And 
 a steady attention to the Life of Wisdom. 
 And Charity ; and Self-Mastery and True Re- 
 ligious Inclination; and Earnest Study; and 
 Temperate Living. And Right Action; and 
 Freedom from Evil Doing ; and Truthfulness ; 
 and Fredom from Anger. And Renunciation ; 
 and Equanimity; and Freedom from Evil 
 Speaking of others. Love and Compassion for 
 all beings ; Freedom from the Desire to Kill ; 
 Mildness; Modesty; Discretion; Dignity; Pa- 
 tience; Fortitude; Chastity; Forgiveness; and 
 Freedom from Vainglory. 
 
 "And these be the characteristics and nature 
 of those who are walking the downward path 
 149
 
 150 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 that leadeth to Loss of Heavenly Rewards — 
 these are the marks of Evil Character and 
 Destiny. Hypocrisy is theirs, and Pride; and 
 Arrogance ; and Conceit ; and Anger ; and 
 Harsh Speech; and Ignorance." 
 
 "Yea, the Good Character and Destiny 
 make for Liberation from Mortality, and for 
 the Absorption in the Divine." And the Evil 
 Character and Destiny make for repeated 
 birth and re-birth amidst the mire of Mortal- 
 ity. The one meaneth Freedom — the other 
 Bondage. Feareth not, Arjuna, for thou hast 
 the Good Character and Destiny, and Freedom 
 shall be thine. 
 
 "There are two kinds of Natures observable 
 among human beings in the world — the Good 
 Xature and the Evil Nature. The character- 
 istics of the Good Nature have been spoken 
 of. Listeneth thou now, O Arjuna, to a re- 
 cital of the characteristics of the Evil Nature. 
 
 "Those who possess the Evil Nature, O 
 Prince, knoweth not what it is to perform 
 Right Action, and to refrain from performing 
 Wrong Action. Nor is Purity, Morality or 
 Veracity to be found in them. They lack 
 Faith and in their folly would believe that
 
 THE GOOD AND EVIL NATURES 151 
 
 the universe hath no creator, but is in itself 
 without beginning or end, and is its own 
 cause. They deny the existence of Law or 
 Truth in the universe. And they deny the 
 existence of Spirit. They believe in Material- 
 ism, in Godlessness, and they hold that Lust 
 is the moving and operating cause of all 
 things, bringing about mutual union and re- 
 production. 
 
 "And, believing these evil and foolish 
 things, these men of imperfect understanding, 
 with this conception fixed in their minds, de- 
 vote themselves to evil deeds and sow in the 
 world the seeds of Evil Thought and Error. 
 They live for Carnal Enjoyment, teaching this 
 as the highest good. They strive after gratifi- 
 cation of sensual appetites, and the creation 
 of new appetites — and there is no peace or sat- 
 isfaction in them, for appetite springeth from 
 appetite, and the sensual craving groweth 
 more acute in the measure in which it is grati- 
 fied. Such men are hypocrites, and full of 
 madness and intoxication. 
 
 "Because of their folly and false reasoning, 
 they invent new doctrines and theories, and 
 give themselves to the material life of sensual
 
 152 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 enjoyment. They live and die in their delu- 
 sions, holding to the error that in the gratifica- 
 tion of the sensual nature alone is satisfaction 
 and happiness to be found. Believing that 
 death endeth all for them, they would fill their 
 days of life full to the brim with sense gratifi- 
 cation and the performance of the behests of 
 an abnormal and perverted sensuality. Desire 
 is their God, and its worship and service their 
 only religion. 
 
 "Bound by the thousand ties of Desire for 
 Things and Objects, they are attached to the 
 body of Lust and Wrath and Avarice. They 
 prostitute their minds and their sense of jus- 
 tice, in their vain search for wealth wherewith 
 to gratify their inordinate and swollen appe- 
 tite for sense experiences. 
 
 "They say unto themselves: 'To-day have 
 I acquired this thing. Tomorrow shall I ac- 
 quire the desire of my heart. This wealth 
 have I gained, and tomorrow shall I gain that 
 other wealth also. This foe hath been slain, 
 and tomorrow others shall I destroy. I am 
 my own God — there is none other God but 
 Me — and I shalt enjoy this my world, which 
 is mine for the pleasure I may extract from it.
 
 THE GOOD AND EVIL NATURES 153 
 
 I am rich and overflowing with wealth. I take 
 precedence among other men. Where is there 
 one alike so perfect, wise, and shrewd as I? 
 I will scatter handfuls of money among the 
 throng, that they may realize my bounty, and 
 know how great, powerful and rich am I — 
 yea, even 1/ In this manner do these fools 
 talk — they who imagine themselves wise, but 
 who in reality have disordered and unbalanced 
 minds. 
 
 "And such, confounded and confused in their 
 minds by reason of their delusions, excesses, 
 and vain living — they become entangled in the 
 nets of their own desires and attachments. 
 And the weight of their objects of attachment, 
 holding them fast, drags them down into the 
 quicksands of Hell, which is the repeated re- 
 birth into the lower and lower planes of the 
 mire and slime of Maternality and Sensuality. 
 There is no Hell like unto this, even among 
 the imaginings of those who would teach of 
 places of torment and torture — this is the most 
 fearful Hell of all. 
 
 "Yea, and some of these men, in their hy- 
 pocrisy and desire to appear well before the 
 world, do even ape piety and true religion.
 
 154 THE BHAGAYAD GITA 
 
 Following the letter instead of the spirit, they 
 imitate the worship, and perform the churchly 
 rites and ceremonies, with much show of zeal ; 
 with much outward show and display ; and 
 with ostentatious scattering of alms. Their 
 Ignorance, and Conceit, and Self-esteem fol- 
 low them into the temple, and they pollute the 
 holy places with their thievish presence and 
 natures. 
 
 "Being filled with Pride, Power, Ostenta- 
 tion, Lust and Selfishness, they are consumed 
 with H^ate, Malice and Slander, and hate Me 
 in themselves and in others. Wherefore, are 
 these vile, sensual, hating, pitiless ones — these 
 evil beings who hate Me and all that is Good 
 — cast down into continual re-birth into the 
 wombs of mire and filth and uncleanliness. 
 
 "And, if even in these lower depths of un- 
 cleanliness, they learn not the lesson, and grow 
 not sick and filled with nausea at the filth 
 of sensuality and long not to begin the upward 
 path from the Hell into which they have been 
 cast— if they learn not even this lesson, but, 
 instead, still true to their nature, they prefer 
 to sink to lower and still lower planes — then 
 finally they sink into the final stage which
 
 THE GOOD AND EVIL NATURES 155 
 
 meaneth Annihilation. And thus do they lose 
 their souls indeed and exist no more, even as 
 their foolish philosophies have taught them to 
 expect, but in a far different manner and 
 even from causes which they strenuously de- 
 nied. Such come not to Me — ever or at any 
 time — but are lost forever and ever, for from 
 Nothingness there is no return. 
 
 "Three passages are there to this Hell of 
 Lower Re-birth, and these three are, Lust, 
 Anger and Avarice — the destroyers of the 
 soul if finally persisted in. Therefore. should 
 men avoid them as demoniac roads to destruc- 
 tion and Inferno. He who renounceth them 
 as such, and freeing himself from the Tamas 
 Guna, or Dark Quality, shall rise upward, and 
 advancing step by step, shall regain The Path 
 which leadeth to the Heavenly State of the 
 Divine Union. But he who abandoneth the 
 dictates of Spiritual Wisdom, and giveth him- 
 self up to the delusions and errors of Lust, 
 Anger and Avarice, verily shalt he attain 
 neither Perfection, Happiness, nor the Divine 
 State. 
 
 "Wherefore, O Arjuna, thou should ac- 
 quaint thyself with the highest Spiritual
 
 156 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 Teachings; and the understanding regarding 
 Right Action and Wrong Action, that thou 
 may perform the one and avoid the other. 
 Seeketh thou the Highest Light of Wisdom, 
 and govern thy works accordingly." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART XVI, OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH PART IS CALLED "THE GOOD AND 
 EVIL NATURES.""
 
 PART XVII. 
 
 THE THREEFOLD FAITH. 
 
 Thus further, spake Arjuna, unto Krishna, 
 the Blessed Lord, saying: 
 
 "What is the condition and state of those 
 men who casteth aside the authority of the 
 Sacred Writings, yet who still retain their 
 faith and worship? Are they under the con- 
 trol of the Sattvas; the Rajas; or the Tamas 
 Gunasf Tell me thus, O Blessed Krishna, my 
 Lord, I pray Thee !" 
 
 Krishna : "The Faith of Man is of a three- 
 fold kind — three forms of manifestations hath 
 it, according to the nature, character and dis- 
 position of the man. Named after the Gunas 
 are these three forms, namely Sattvakee; Ra- 
 jasee; and Tamas ee — or in other words, The 
 Pure; the Desire-colored; and The Dark. 
 Heareth thou what these are, O Prince. 
 
 "The faith of each man is a reflection of 
 that man's character or nature. That in which 
 each hath faith, is the essence of that man him- 
 self. Each man's God — his Conception of 
 157
 
 158 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 Deity — is himself at his best, magnified to in- 
 finity. Likewise, is his Evil Spirit, or Devil, 
 but himself at his worst, magnified to infinity. 
 By one's Dieties shalt thou know the man him- 
 self, if thou observest well. 
 
 "This being so, those in whom the Sattvas 
 Guna is supreme, worshippeth the Gods — the 
 most advanced worshipping only the Absolute 
 Spirit — ME ! And those under the mastery of 
 the Rajas Guna, worshippeth the lesser gods 
 — the gods of qualities, attributes, powers, 
 gifts ; or other exalted beings of the higher 
 planes and regions. And those under the do- 
 minion of the dark Tamas Guna, worship the 
 departed spirits, ghosts, goblins, devils, 
 demons, gnomes, evil spirits and the elemen- 
 tals, and such beings of the lower planes of the 
 unseen world, oftimes times calling them by 
 the name of God. 
 
 "As for those misguided men, who seek 
 merit by the performance of severe austerities, 
 and mortifications of the flesh, unauthorized 
 by the Sacred Teachings — they are gainglori- 
 ous creatures, overcome with pride, self- 
 righteousness and hypocrisy, and are urged on 
 by desire and passion for reward and praise.
 
 THE THREEFOLD FAITH 159 
 
 These men torture the fair body, and torment 
 the parts and principles of the same — thus 
 disturbing the soul which resideth within, and 
 even Me who am within the soul in its inner 
 chamber. Such are demoniacal, in their in- 
 fernal resolves and wrongful practices. 
 
 "Know thus also, Arjuna, that there be 
 three kinds of food which are dear to all man- 
 kind. Also are Worship, Zeal, and Charity 
 threefold. Hearken thou to their distinctions. 
 
 "The food that is most agreeable to those 
 in whom the Sattvas Guna is predominant, is 
 that conducive to Long Life, Power and 
 Strength, and which prevents Sickness, and 
 renders one Happy and Contented. Such 
 food is pleasing to the taste ; nourishing, sub- 
 stantial, and gratifying to the hunger. Too 
 bitter it is not ; neither is it too sour, too salt, 
 too hot, too pungent, too astringent, nor too 
 burning. Those of the Rajas Guna nature, 
 prefer food which is bitter, sour, hot, pungent, 
 dry and burning, to an excessive degree — 
 that which stirs up the appetites, stimulates 
 the taste-sense and produces, finally, pain, 
 sickness, and dissatisfaction. Those who are 
 under the rule of the dark Tamas Guna, in-
 
 160 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 cline to food which hath been dressed the day 
 before, and that which is out of season; also 
 that which hath lost its savor and hath grown 
 putrid ; also the uneaten parts of others' meals, 
 and all food that is unclean and impure. 
 
 "And as to Worship, know the three forms. 
 The man of Sattvas Guna doth worship ac- 
 cording to the custom of the Sacred Writings 
 without desire of reward; with pure heart 
 worship for the love of worship; and with a 
 mind ever attentive to that which he worship- 
 ped. And he, of the Rajas Guna nature, doth 
 worship as the hypocrite with mind full of 
 hope of reward; asking favors and seeking 
 merit and notice — such is his vain worship. 
 And he of the Tamas Guna nature doth wor- 
 ship without faith, or devotion, or thought, 
 or reverence, and without spirit — such is his 
 so-called worship, which is not worship at all, 
 but which is merely a form of habit and cus- 
 tom, and stupid, sheep-like following of cus- 
 tomary motions and forms. 
 
 "Respect for the Heavenly Beings; the 
 Holy Men; the Learned Men; Masters; to- 
 gether with Chastity, Rectitude, the Worship 
 of God, and Harmlessness — these constitute
 
 THE THREEFOLD FAITH 161 
 
 what is known as Bodily Zeal. Gentleness, 
 Justice, Kindness, Soft Speech, and Perform- 
 ance of Duty — these are what is known as the 
 Zeal of Speech. Mental Content ; Mildness of 
 Temper; Devotion; Control over Passions; 
 Purity of Soul — these are what are known as 
 Mental Zeal. 
 
 "This Threefold zeal, which is performed 
 by men who longeth not for reward or fruit of 
 action, but who are stirred and warmed by 
 True Faith — this belongeth to the Sattvas 
 Guna. But the Zeal which springeth from 
 hypocrisy and is built upon hope of reward; 
 the reputation of piety and sanctity; honor 
 and good-name; that which is uncertain and 
 not constant — that belongeth to Rajas Guna. 
 And the Zeal which is manifested by the fool- 
 ish and stupid, and which consisteth of self- 
 torture and similar folly, or which is per- 
 formed in the hopes of injuring or destroying 
 another — that belongeth to Tamas Guna. 
 
 "And as for Charity, these are the three 
 kinds. That Charity which is bestowed for 
 Charity's sake and because it is right; dis- 
 interestedly, and at due time, place and sea- 
 son, and to proper objects — this is of the Satt-
 
 162 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 vas Guna. And that Charity which is be- 
 stowed in expectation or hope of return, or 
 reward; or attached to the fruits of action, 
 or begrudgingly — this is of Rajas Guna. And 
 that Charity which is bestowed out of place 
 and season to unworthy objects; ungraciously 
 and scornfully, the real spirit of Charity being 
 entirely absent from the gift — this is of the 
 Tamas Guna. 
 
 « <AUM— TAT— SAT,' this is the Three- 
 fold Designation of the ABSOLUTE. By the 
 Absolute, in the beginning were appointed the 
 Teachers ; the Sacred Teachings ; and Re- 
 ligion. Hence before the ceremonies, sacri- 
 fices, rites, and religious teachings, cometh the 
 pronouncing of the Sacred Syllable, 'AUM/ 
 And before the performance of the rites of 
 sacrifice and the ceremonies, almsgiving, aus- 
 terities, zeal and worship, of those who seek 
 Immortality, comes the pronouncing of the 
 word TAT.' And in the state of mental wor- 
 ship, sacrifice, and renunciation, when action 
 is at rest — also in the performance of good 
 actions, and in the observance of good quali- 
 ties — also in the dedication of action and life
 
 THE THREEFOLD FAITH 163 
 
 to the Supreme — then is pronounced the word 
 'SAT.' 
 
 "And whatever is performed without Faith 
 whether it be sacrifice ; charity ; mortifications 
 of the flesh ; austerity ; or any other act or 
 observance which lacketh goodness, truth and 
 faith — that is called 'ASAT/ and is without 
 merit of virtue, either in this world or in other 
 worlds; either here or hereafter." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART XVII OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH IS CALLED "THE THREEFOLD 
 FAITH."
 
 PART XVIII. 
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM. 
 
 Then spake Arjuna, unto Krishna, the 
 Blessed Lord, saying: 
 
 "O Blessed Lord, inform me, I pray thee, 
 regarding the nature of Sannyasa, or the Ab- 
 staining from Action, on the one hand ; and 
 Tyaga, or the Renunciation of the Fruits of 
 Action, on the other hand. Pray tell me, O 
 Lord, of the true principle of each and also of 
 the differences and distinction between these 
 two. 
 
 Krishna: 'The Sages have told us that 
 the principle of Sannyasa, or Abstaining from 
 Action, lieth in the forsaking of all Action 
 which hath a desired object; and that the 
 principle of Tyaga, or Renunciation of Fruits 
 of Action, lieth in the forsaking of all the 
 Fruits of every Action. Notest thou this 
 subtle distinction, O Prince? Then, also, have 
 certain teachers informed us that Actions are 
 to be forsaken as evil, yea, even as evil as 
 crimes. Still other teachers have informed us 
 164
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 165 
 
 that actions of worship, sacrifice, austerity, 
 and devotion, are worthy and virtuous, and 
 therefore should not be forsaken. In view of 
 this confusion of teachings, hear thou, O 
 Prince, to this my certain teaching upon this 
 subject of Tyaga, or the Renunciation of the 
 Fruits of Action, which is taught as being 
 threefold. 
 
 "Tyaga, or Renunciation of Action, doth not 
 rest in the forsaking of virtuous and religious 
 action. Therefore actions of worship, devo- 
 tion, austerity, and charity, are not to be for- 
 saken or renounced. For most proper are 
 they. Performance, and devotion, austerity, 
 and charity are the purifiers of the teachers 
 and philosophers. 
 
 "It is my certain teaching, O Arjuna, that 
 such virtuous and religious actions and works 
 are to be performed for their own sake — for 
 their own inherent virtue — and not from hope 
 of reward here or hereafter, but with full 
 renunciation of reward, merit, consequences 
 or fruits of the action or works. The teach- 
 ing that it is proper to abstain from these vir- 
 tuous works, (which surely are to be per- 
 formed by the virtuous), is erroneous, false
 
 166 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 and improper — and the following of such per- 
 nicious teachings result from the folly and 
 confusion of mind resulting from the Tamas 
 Guna, or Quality of Ignorance. 
 
 "And also know this, O Prince, that most 
 erroneous is the forsaking of work and action, 
 for the reason that it is painful, tiresome and 
 unpleasant to the physical body, or because it 
 is unattractive to the mind. Verily he that 
 for these reasons leaveth undone that which 
 he should have done, and would take merit 
 therefor, he is self-deceived and shall not ob- 
 tain the merit accruing from Renunciation. 
 This folly doth arise, from the Rajas Guna, or 
 Quality of Desire. 
 
 "But that work and action which is per- 
 formed because it seemeth proper and neces- 
 sary to be done, providing it be performed 
 with a full forsaking of the consequences -and 
 fruits, and without hope or expectation of 
 reward, verily such is true Renunciation, 
 most proper, good and pure. Such ariseth 
 from Sattvas Guna, or the Quality of Truth 
 and Intelligence. 
 
 "And, he who is moved by the Sattvas 
 Guna, or Quality of Truth and Intelligence,
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 167 
 
 verily, is known as a Tyagee, or a Renouncer 
 of the Fruit of Action. His judgment is most 
 sound, and he has risen above doubt and dis- 
 traction of mind. He rejoiceth not in the at- 
 tainment of successful results, neither doth he 
 complain over the failure of his actions — he 
 accepteth either, being attached to neither. 
 
 "Know thou, Arjuna, that it were the 
 veriest folly to attempt to absolutely abstain 
 from action and works — the very constitution 
 of the mortal body forbiddeth it. There- 
 fore, he is most properly called a Tyagee who 
 is a Renouncer of the Fruit of Action. The 
 Fruit of Action is threefold, namely: that 
 which is coveted or desired ; that which is de- 
 tested and undesired ; and that which is neither 
 one or the other, being of mixed quality and 
 undetermined nature. And these fruits, ac- 
 cording to their nature, accrue after death 
 and in re-birth, to those who earn them. But 
 where there is no seed of Fruit in the Action, 
 there is no fruit. And where the Fruits are 
 renounced, none accrueth. 
 
 'T«earn from Me, Arjuna, that for the per- 
 formance of every act five agents are neces- 
 sary, as is declared in the Sacred Teachings,
 
 168 THE B HAG AY AD GIT A 
 
 These are the body; the acting mind; the 
 various energies ; the muscles and nerves ; and 
 the soul. All work or actions which engageth 
 a man — the work of the body, or work of the 
 mind, or speech, whether good or evil, law- 
 ful or unlawful, hath these five agents in 
 operation in the performance. He therefore, 
 who knoweth this, and yet conceiveth the Real 
 Self to be the sole agent of the action is as 
 one blind, and seeth not in truth. He who 
 hath freed himself from the bonds of Per- 
 sonality, and who hath gained Right Under- 
 standing, verily he knoweth that although he 
 destroyeth these hosts gathered together in 
 battle-array, yet hath he killed not at all, nor is 
 he bound by the Fruit of his Action in his 
 re-births. 
 
 "There be Three Moving Causes of Action 
 — those which precede the performance of 
 every act — they are Dyana or Knowledge; 
 Dyena, or the Object of Knowledge; and 
 Parijnata, or the Knower. Thus the Knowl- 
 edge, the Known, and the Knower — these be 
 the three Moving Causes of Action. Like- 
 wise is the accomplishment of an action, three-
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 169 
 
 fold, namely : The Implement ; the Act ; and 
 the Agent. 
 
 "Knoweth thou, also, that the Wisdom, 
 the Action, and the Agent, hath each its dis- 
 tinguishing characteristics, produced by the 
 influence of the Three Gunas, or Qualities. 
 Learn now, the influence of the Qualities, or 
 Gunas, as manifested therein. 
 
 "That Dnyana, or Wisdom, which is of the 
 Sattvas Guna, or Quality of Truth, is that by 
 which a man believeth and understandeth that 
 One Principle — indestructible and eternal, 
 and not separated — prevaileth and manifesteth 
 in all Nature, in all of her destructible and 
 separated forms. And that Dnyana, or Wis- 
 dom, which is of the Rajas Guna, or Quality 
 of Desire and Passion, is that by which a man 
 believeth and understandeth that in Nature 
 there are manifold Principles prevailing, in- 
 stead of One. And that Dynana, or Wisdom, 
 which is of the Tamas Guna, or Quality 
 of Ignorance and Stupidity, is that by 
 which a man believeth and understandeth not 
 any Principle whatsoever; and which looking 
 not beyond the form, nor beneath the surface 
 of things, seeth each object or thing, regard-
 
 170 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A 
 
 less of its relation to another or to the whole 
 — thinking of each as if it were the whole — 
 without any conception of Cause or Origin — 
 bathed in Slothful Thought and Ignorance. 
 
 "That Act which one performeth as lawful 
 and virtuous, without regard for its conse- 
 quences, fruit, or reward — dispassionately and 
 without attachment — that proceedeth from 
 the Sattvas Guna. And that Act which one 
 performeth with great care and concern for 
 consequences, and rewards — inspired by sel- 
 fish desire and egotism — that proceedeth from 
 the Rajas Guna. And that Act which one per- 
 formeth regardless whether it be Right Ac- 
 tion or Wrong Action— heedless of its possible 
 evil and hurtful effects upon others — that 
 which is performed in ignorance, stupidity or 
 folly — that proceedeth from the Tamas Guna. 
 
 "That Agent, who is free from selfishness 
 and personal pride — who hath fortitude and 
 resolution — and who regardeth not the fruit 
 of his right action, neither looketh for reward 
 — he is moved by the Sattvas Guna. And that 
 Agent who is filled with desire, passion, and 
 hope of selfish gain and reward — who is ava- 
 ricious, lacking in sympathy, impure, and a
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 171 
 
 bondsman of joy or sorrow — he is moved by 
 the Rajas Guna. And that Agent, who is 
 stupid, slothful, inattentive, stubborn, indis- 
 creet, careless, inactive, and dilatory, and who 
 lacketh energy and the right spirit of work — 
 he is moved by the Tamas Guna. 
 
 "And, further, O Arjuna, Prince of Pandu, 
 who art my pupil and dearly beloved student, 
 listen while I inform thee clearly and without 
 reserve concerning the threefold divisions and 
 nature of Intelligence and Will. 
 
 "That Intelligence which knoweth how and 
 when to enter into an undertaking, and how 
 and when to withdraw ; what is needful to be 
 done, and what is needful to refrain from do- 
 ing; — which knoweth what is Fear, what 
 Fearlessness, and what Prudent Caution ; what 
 is Freedom, what Bondage, and what Foolish 
 License; — that Intelligence cometh through 
 Sattvas Guna. And that Intelligence which 
 knoweth not fully what is proper and what is 
 improper — what is right and what is wrong — 
 this imperfect understanding being because of 
 the sway of personal desire and passion, which 
 warpeth the reason, and which causeth one to 
 see every act by the light of his own personal
 
 172 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 desire — that Intelligence cometh through Rajas 
 Guna. And that Intelligence which, wrapped 
 in its dense stupidity and sloth, mistaketh 
 Wrong for Right, Injustice for Justice and 
 which seeth all things awry, distorted and in- 
 verted, and contrary to their real meaning and 
 nature — that Intelligence cometh through 
 Tamas Guna. 
 
 "That Will by which a man mastereth and 
 controlleth himself, his mind, his actions, his 
 organs, his body, with devotion and firmness 
 — that Will ariseth from Sattvas Guna. And 
 that Will by which a man is firm and per- 
 sistent in his calling, from selfish desires and 
 hope of reward ; and which is employed in the 
 furthering of avaricious undertakings ; or in 
 the gratification of lust — that Will ariseth 
 from Rajas Guna. And that Will by which 
 a man-manifesteth a stubborn mind, like unto 
 that of the wild ass, by which he holdeth fast 
 to folly, ignorance, sloth, superstition, bigotry, 
 foolish vanity, laziness, and fears — that Will 
 ariseth from Tamas Guna. 
 
 "And, now, O Prince, hearken unto Me, 
 while I inform thee regarding the threefold
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 173 
 
 division of Pleasure, wherein Happiness con- 
 quereth Pain. 
 
 "The Pleasure that proceedeth from Sattvas 
 Guna, is that which a man acquireth through 
 his work and rightful energies — such is as 
 poison at the beginning, and as nectar of 
 sweetest flavor at the ending — this is the 
 Pleasure of Right Attainment, which flows 
 from Work Well-done — this is possible only to 
 him of pure understanding and clear mind. 
 The Pleasure that floweth from Rajas Guna, is 
 that which a man experienceth through the 
 union of the senses with the objects of their 
 desire — such is as nectar in the beginning, but 
 as bitter as poison in the ending — this be- 
 longeth to the nature of passion and desire. 
 The Pleasure that proceedeth from Tamas 
 Guna, is that which a man acquireth through 
 idleness, indolence, drowsiness, the taking of 
 drugs, and intoxication — such is as poison, 
 both in the beginning and in the ending — this 
 belongeth to the nature of darkness, sloth, and 
 stupidity. 
 
 "Yea, the manifestation of the three Gunas, 
 or Qualities is to be found everywhere in the 
 earth and in regions above the earth — there is
 
 174 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 no creature or created thing on earth or in the 
 super-terrestrial hosts, which is free from the 
 operation of the Gunas or Qualities that spring 
 from Nature's bosom. 
 
 'The duties of the various castes, and 
 classes, and divisions of kind among men, are 
 determined by these Gunas or Qualities, which 
 are within the nature of each. The Priestly 
 Caste of Brahmans, hath the duty of serenity, 
 self-mastery, zeal, purity, patience, rectitude, 
 wisdom, learning, and religious knowledge. 
 The Warrior Caste, of Kshatriyas, hath the 
 duty of courage, bravery, fortitude, honor, 
 obedience, discipline, nobility and soldierly 
 conduct. The Farmer Caste, of Vaishyas, 
 hath the duty of industry, knowledge of the 
 soil, of grains, of fruits, of cattle, and knowl- 
 edge of trading, buying and selling. The La- 
 boring Caste, of Sudras, hath the duty of faith- 
 ful service, industry, attention, faithfulness, 
 and honesty. And each duty is inspired and 
 fostered by the Natural Disposition of each, 
 which springeth from the Gunas, or Qualities, 
 coming down to the man through his past 
 thoughts, desires, and lives in the shape of 
 character.
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 175 
 
 "Blessed is he that doeth his work as well 
 as he can — that performeth his duty faithfully, 
 according to his nature and walk of life — for 
 from such good work coupled with a con- 
 tented mind, doth Perfection arise. 
 
 "Listen thou, Arjuna, while I informeth 
 thee how Perfection is gained by him who is 
 intent upon his own duty, and who is faithful 
 in the performance thereof. 
 
 "He who worketh to his best, in the line of 
 his duty, and then ofTereth his work, and labor, 
 and Duty, as a sacrifice to THE ABSOLUTE 
 SPIRIT, from which proceedeth all the prin- 
 ciples of Nature, Life, and the Universe, and 
 from which is spread out the Universal Life 
 in all of its forms and shapes and degrees of 
 manifestation — he that worketh and who per- 
 formeth his Duty in that spirit, verily I say 
 unto thee, that man obtaineth Perfection by 
 reason of such service and sacrifice. This is 
 the Supreme Sacrifice of Life, which each 
 man must ofTer to the Supreme Source of Life. 
 
 "Far better it is for one to perform his own 
 Duty in the world, even though that work be 
 lowly, and possessing faults, than the Duty of 
 another, though the work be great and well-
 
 176 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 performed. He who doeth the Duty and work 
 established and indicated by his own nature ; 
 and character, erreth not. He who follows 
 Nature's guidance in this, doeth well. Natural 
 inclination toward occupation and manner of 
 life, when coupled with ability for its per- 
 formance, is worthy of performance, and thus 
 becometh Duty. And then, let all remember, 
 that every calling, or occupation, or duty, or 
 manner or class of life, hath its painful side 
 and its drawbacks and hindrances. Let all 
 remember that every fire hath its smoke, and 
 that it is folly to vainly imagine that one's 
 own task is the hardest, and that the tasks of 
 others are free from defects and hardships. 
 
 "One who hath a mind unattached, and un- 
 affected by the pairs of opposites — whose 
 mind is controlled, and whose Personal Self is 
 mastered — whose desires are dead — he hath 
 by Renunciation acquired the Highest Per- 
 fection of Freedom. He hath gained Free- 
 dom from Work, by the performance of 
 Work without Desire for Fruits. Listen, now, 
 while I inform thou how such an one, having 
 gained this Perfection, may enter into the 
 Eternal Bliss.
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 177 
 
 Having purified his mind, and cleared his 
 understanding; having mastered his personal 
 self by firm resolution, and having forsaken 
 the objects of sense ; having delivered himself 
 from desire, dislike, and passion ; worshipping 
 with intelligent discretion and understanding; 
 eating with moderation and temperance; with 
 controlled speech, body and mind; being well 
 practiced in meditation and concentration ; be- 
 ing dispassionate; having freed himself from 
 ostentation, egotism, tyranny, vain-glory, lust, 
 anger, avarice, covetousness, and selfishness — 
 possessing calmness and peace, amidst the 
 feverish unrest of the world around him — 
 such a man is fitted to enter into the con- 
 sciousness of the Universal Life. 
 
 "And, having thus entered into this Univer- 
 sal Life Consciousness, he obtaineth absolute 
 peace of mind, and he no longer wondereth, 
 longeth, nor lamenteth. The same to all be- 
 ings and things — and all beings and things the 
 same to him — he attaineth Supreme Devotion 
 to ME. And by this devotion to Me, gaineth 
 he the fundamental knowledge of what I AM 
 in ESSENCE. And having known what is
 
 178 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 MY ESSENCE, he entereth, without hin- 
 drance or further obstacle, into MY BEING. 
 
 "Know, also, O Prince, that a man being 
 engaged in any or every work — performing 
 any or all actions — with faith, and devotion, 
 and confidence in Me — placing his faith, and 
 hope and confidence and mind upon Me and 
 Me alone — he shall find his way to Ale, and 
 I to him. Then, O Arjuna, Well-Beloved, place 
 thou thy heart, and soul and mind upon Ale. 
 Perform all thy acts, and work, and duty, for 
 Me — place upon Ale each and every one of 
 them. Make me thy supreme choice and pref- 
 erence ; and with the light of thine unfolded 
 understanding, do thou think earnestly and 
 constantly of Ale. And by so doing, shalt 
 thou, through my Divine Love, surmount and 
 conquer every difficulty which doth surround 
 and encompass all mortals. 
 
 "But, beware, lest in the pride of Person- 
 ality thou heedst not My words and teachings, 
 for if thou so failst in thy understanding and 
 discrimination, then shalt thou escape Me, and 
 I thee. 
 
 "And, if in thy self -sufficiency and half- 
 wisdom, thou shouldst affirm to thyself: 'I
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 179 
 
 will not fight,' then shalt even that, thy deter- 
 mination, prove vain and fallacious — for even 
 then shalt the principle, qualities and character 
 of thy nature force thee into the fight, and 
 cause thee to grapple with thy foemen. Yea„0 
 Prince, even that which thou, in thy illusion 
 and personal conceit, think'st thou wilt not do, 
 even that shalt thy character, nature and qual- 
 ities compel thee to do — from Duty there is no 
 escape — helpless art thou within the net. Be- 
 ing bound to thy Dharma, or Duty, by thy 
 Karma, or the Law of Cause and Effect, com- 
 ing to thee from thy past lives, and the es- 
 sence of which is thy nature and character, 
 with its qualities and tendencies — even so art 
 thou free only in one direction, and that is the 
 direction of thy Natural Duty, even that which 
 thou seekst in thy ignorance to avoid. 
 
 "Knoweth thou, Arjuna, that within the 
 heart of every being there dwelleth Ishwara — 
 the Master — who causeth all things to revolve 
 upon the wheels of Time. He is the Potter, 
 upon whose wheel these forms and shapes re- 
 volve, feeling the touch of his finger as he 
 moulds them into shape. Take refuge in Him, 
 and Him alone, O Arjuna, upon each and
 
 180 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 every occasion of thy life; in all thine actions 
 and undertakings — for in him alone shalt thou 
 find Peace and Happiness, and a Safe Abode, 
 which endureth forever and forever. And in 
 this teaching of the truth, have I made known 
 to thee a knowledge which is a mystery of 
 Mystery — a secret" of Secrets — a truth of 
 Truths. Ponder well upon it, O Prince, and 
 when thou fully understandst it, then act as 
 seemeth best unto thee, in the light of thy il- 
 luminated understanding. 
 
 "And now, O Prince of Pandu — Arjuna 
 my Well-Beloved Student — listen unto my 
 further and supremely mysterious teachings, 
 which now I shalt reveal unto thee, for thy 
 good, and because of my love for thee. Give 
 unto Me thy heart, and mind and soul, and 
 understanding, and thought, and interest and 
 attention, O Arjuna, My Beloved. Place them 
 all upon Me, who hath declared My true be- 
 ing unto thee. Serve Me alone ; worship only 
 Me ; bow down to Me alone ; and I pledge thee 
 that thou shalt surely come to Me, thou who 
 art my loved one. 
 
 "Forsaking every other teaching, philoso- 
 phy, science, or religion, fly to Me alone.
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 181 
 
 Grieve and distress thyself no longer, O Ar- 
 juna, for I shall surely deliver thee from all 
 thy sins, transgressions and short-comings. 
 
 "And, now a final word of caution to thee, 
 Arjuna — hearken thou, and those who come 
 after thee, to it, and govern ourselves accord- 
 ingly. Know thou that this my teachings is 
 not to be revealed to any who hath not sub- 
 dued their bodies by devotion, or who are not 
 my servants ; nor to those who are not willing 
 and desirous to acquire the wisdom-teaching; 
 nor to those who despise Me. 
 
 "They who shalt teach this divine wisdom 
 — this supreme mystery — to those who are my 
 servants ; and who practicing true devotion to 
 Me, doth instruct them in My service; they 
 shalt truly come unto Me. And, heed by 
 words, Arjuna, there shall not be any among 
 mankind who doth Me a greater kindness than 
 this teaching and spreading of the Truth — nor 
 shall there be any more dear to me than these. 
 
 "And, among those who shall come after 
 thee, in all the long ages until the Night of 
 •Brahm shall have swept away all forms — if 
 there be any among them who shall read, and 
 hear, and study these teachings which I this
 
 182 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 
 
 day made known unto thee, as well as the 
 words then hast said unto me and to which I 
 made reply — such shall do well, for verily shall 
 I consider that by thus doing they have wor- 
 shipped me, and such worship will I accept as 
 a sacrifice. And the devotion of their minds 
 shall rise unto Me. This is my promise. 
 
 "And even the man who shall listen to 
 these teachings, in faith, and without reviling, 
 shall also have his feet directed toward The 
 Path which leadeth toward Happiness, and 
 Peace, and during his periods of rest shall he 
 be accorded admission to the regions wherein 
 dwell those who have performed Right Action 
 and Good Deeds. 
 
 "Hast thou heard and memorized these 
 words which I have spoken unto thee, Arjunaf 
 Hast thou listened with mind one-pointed and 
 fixed upon Me? What hath become of the 
 confusion and distraction of thought, which 
 arose from thy ignorance and illusion, O 
 Prince?" 
 
 Arjuna: "By Thy Divine Power, O Im- 
 mutable One, my Blessed Lord and Master, 
 my mind hath been cleared of its confusion, 
 and I see now with clear understanding, and
 
 RENUNCIATION AND FREEDOM 183 
 
 by the Light of the Spirit. I now stand firmly 
 fixed upon principles, and my doubts have 
 vanished into air. From this time on, shall I 
 act according to the Light of Thy Teachings. 
 In the Radiance of Thy Wisdom, so will I 
 Act!" 
 
 And then in conclusion spake Sanjaya, to 
 Dhritarashtra, the blind Kuril king, to whom 
 he had related this wondrous story of the 
 dialogue, between Arjuna, the Prince of the 
 Pandus, and Krishna, the Blessed Lord, and 
 visible manifestation in personal form of the 
 Absolute Spirit, saying: 
 
 "And now thou hast heard, O Dhritarash- 
 tra, of the wondrous words which I, even I 
 myself, overheard in this conversation be- 
 tween Krishna and Arjuna. By the favor of 
 some high being was I enabled to hear and 
 remember this mystic and wondrous doctrine 
 and teaching, as it fell from the lips of 
 Krishna himself. Remembering, again and 
 again, this holy conversation, am I filled with 
 great joy and happiness. And when I recall 
 the mysterious form of Krishna, My Lord, 
 then am I still more astonished, and still more 
 rejoiced. Wherever these words of Krishna,
 
 184 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A 
 
 the Lord, and Arjuna, the Prince, may chance 
 to be seen, and read, and known — then even 
 there too must come Prosperity, Attainment, 
 and Happiness — yea Blessing and Peace. Of 
 this I have no doubt — this is my belief." 
 
 THUS ENDETH PART XVIII OF THE BHAGAVAD 
 GITA, WHICH IS CALLED "RENUNCIATION AND 
 FREEDOM." 
 
 AND THUS COMETH TO AN END THE BHAGA- 
 VAD GITA, OR THE MESSAGE OF THE MASTER, 
 WHICH, WHEN TRULY UNDERSTOOD, WILL 
 BRING TO ALL WHO READ IT, OR WHO HEAR IT, 
 PEACE AND THE INNER WISDOM. 
 
 PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL! 
 
 "AUM 
 
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