Chapter 3. "Karma-Yoga, or The Path of Work".
Arjuna said:
1. O Janardana, O Keshava (Krishna), if to thy mind (the path of) wisdom is superior to (the path of) action, when why art thou engaging me in this terrible action?
2. By these seemingly conflicting words thou art bewildering my understanding; therefore tell me with certainty that one of these, by following which I can attain the highest.
The Blessed Lord said:
3. O sinless one, in this world twofold is the path already described by me. The path of wisdom is for the meditative and the path of work is for the active.
4. A man does not attain to freedom from action by non-performance of action, nor does he attain to perfection merely by giving up action.
5. No one can ever rest even for an instant without performing action, for all are impelled by the Gunas (qualities), born of Prakriti (Nature), to act incessantly.
6. He who, restraining the organs of action, sits holding thoughts of sense-objects in mind, that self-deluded one is called a hypocrite.
7. But, O Arjuna, he who, controlling the senses by the mind, follows without attachment the path of action with his organs of action, he is esteemed.
8. Do thou therefore perform right and obligatory actions, for action is superior to inaction. Without work, even the bare maintenance of thy body would not be possible.
9. This world is bound by actions, except when they are performed for the sake of Yajna. Therefore, O son of Kunti, do thou perform action without attachment.
10. In the beginning the Lord of creatures, having created mankind, together with Yajna, said: "By this (Yajna) ye shall prosper and obtain all desired results, like Kamadhuk.
11. "By this (Yajna) ye shall please the Devas (bright ones) and the Devas, in their turn, will cherish you. Thus by cherishing one another, ye shall obtain the highest good.
12. "The Devas, pleased by the Yajna, will bestow upon you all the objects of your desire." He who enjoys the objects given by the Devas without offering to them, he is indeed a thief.
13. The righteous, eating the remnants of Yajna (sacrifice), become free from all sins; but the unrighteous, who cook for themselves, eat sin.
14. Creatures come forth from food; food is produced from rain; rain comes as a result of Yajna; and Yajna is born of Karma (action).
15. Know that Karma rises from the Vedas and Vedas from the Imperishable. Therefore the all-pervading Truth (Brahman) is ever established in Yajna (sacrifice).
16. He who here (on earth) does not follow the wheel thus set revolving, lives in sin and sensuality; O Partha, he lives in vain.
17. That man, who is devoted to the Self, is satisfied with Self and is content in the Self alone, for him there is nothing to do.
18. For him there is nothing in this world to gain by action or to lose by inaction; nor does he need to depend on any being for any object.
19. Therefore, being unattached, perform thy duties (the work that ought to be done) unceasingly; for through the performance of action, unattached, man attains the highest.
20. Verily, by work alone, Janaka and other (great souls) attained perfection. Also just from the point of view of benefiting mankind, thou shouldst perform action.
21. Whatsoever a superior (man) does, that alone inferior men do. Whatever example he sets by his actions, that the people (masses) follow.
22. O Partha, there is nothing for Me to accomplish; nothing there is in the three worlds unattained or to be attained by Me, and yet I continue in action.
23. For if I do not work unceasingly, O Partha, men would follow my path (example) in every way.
24. If I did not work, these worlds would perish. I should cause the confusion of castes, and also the destruction of all beings.
25. O descendant of Bharata, as the ignorant (who are attached to results) work, so also (with the same fervor) the wise should act, devoid of attachment, being desirous to help mankind.
26. One should not unsettle the understanding of the ignorant who are attached to action; the man of wisdom, by steadily performing actions, should engage (the ignorant) in all right action.
27. All these actions are peformed by the Gunas, born of Prakriti (Nature). One whose understanding is deluded by egoism alone thinks: "I am the doer."
28. But, O mighty-armed, the Seer of Truth, understanding the divisions of Guna and Karma (qualities, senses and actions), and knowing that it is only the senses which run after sense-objects, does not become deluded therein.
29. A man of perfect wisdom should not unsettle the people of small and imperfect understanding, who are deluded by the qualities born of Nature and are attached to the function of the Gunas (senses).
30. Surrendering all action to me and fixing the mind on the Self, devoid of hope and egoism, and free from the fever (of grief), fight, O Arjuna.
31. Those who constantly practise this teaching of Mine with true faith and devotion and unflinching heart, they too are freed from (the fetters of) action.
32. But those who find fault with my teaching and do not follow it, such self-deluded ones, devoid of all knowledge and discrimination, know them to be ruined.
33. Even a wise man acts according to his nature; beings follow nature: What can restraint do?
34. Attachment and aversion of the senses are based on sense-objects; let none come under the sway of these two. They are his enemies.
35. Better one's own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of another, well performed. Better is death, in following one's own duty; the duty of another is full of danger.
Arjuna said:
36. But, O Descendant of Vrishni (Khrishna), impelled by what power does a man commit sin even against his wish, constrained, as it were, by force?
The Blessed Lord said:
37. It is desire, it is anger, born of Rajo-Guna (quality of passion); of unappeasable craving and of great sin; know this as the foe in this world.
38. As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo by the womb, so is this (Self) covered by that.
39. O son of Kunti, wisdom is covered by this insatiable fire of desire, the constant enemy of the wise.
40. The senses, mind and intellect are said to be its seats; through these it deludes the embodied one by covering his wisdom.
41. Therefore, O mightiest of the Bharata race, first subduing the senses, kill this (desire), the sinful, destroyed of wisdom and Self-knowledge.
42. The senses are said to be superior (to the body), the mind is superior to the senses and intellect is superior to the mind; and that which is superior to the intellect is He (Atman, Self).
43. O mighty-armed, thus knowing Him who is superior to the intelelct, and subduing self by the Self, destroy this enemy in the form of desire, difficult to overcome.
Here ends the Third Chapter called "Karma-Yoga, or The Path of Work"
Arjuna said:
1. O Janardana, O Keshava (Krishna), if to thy mind (the path of) wisdom is superior to (the path of) action, when why art thou engaging me in this terrible action?
2. By these seemingly conflicting words thou art bewildering my understanding; therefore tell me with certainty that one of these, by following which I can attain the highest.
The Blessed Lord said:
3. O sinless one, in this world twofold is the path already described by me. The path of wisdom is for the meditative and the path of work is for the active.
4. A man does not attain to freedom from action by non-performance of action, nor does he attain to perfection merely by giving up action.
5. No one can ever rest even for an instant without performing action, for all are impelled by the Gunas (qualities), born of Prakriti (Nature), to act incessantly.
6. He who, restraining the organs of action, sits holding thoughts of sense-objects in mind, that self-deluded one is called a hypocrite.
7. But, O Arjuna, he who, controlling the senses by the mind, follows without attachment the path of action with his organs of action, he is esteemed.
8. Do thou therefore perform right and obligatory actions, for action is superior to inaction. Without work, even the bare maintenance of thy body would not be possible.
9. This world is bound by actions, except when they are performed for the sake of Yajna. Therefore, O son of Kunti, do thou perform action without attachment.
10. In the beginning the Lord of creatures, having created mankind, together with Yajna, said: "By this (Yajna) ye shall prosper and obtain all desired results, like Kamadhuk.
11. "By this (Yajna) ye shall please the Devas (bright ones) and the Devas, in their turn, will cherish you. Thus by cherishing one another, ye shall obtain the highest good.
12. "The Devas, pleased by the Yajna, will bestow upon you all the objects of your desire." He who enjoys the objects given by the Devas without offering to them, he is indeed a thief.
13. The righteous, eating the remnants of Yajna (sacrifice), become free from all sins; but the unrighteous, who cook for themselves, eat sin.
14. Creatures come forth from food; food is produced from rain; rain comes as a result of Yajna; and Yajna is born of Karma (action).
15. Know that Karma rises from the Vedas and Vedas from the Imperishable. Therefore the all-pervading Truth (Brahman) is ever established in Yajna (sacrifice).
16. He who here (on earth) does not follow the wheel thus set revolving, lives in sin and sensuality; O Partha, he lives in vain.
17. That man, who is devoted to the Self, is satisfied with Self and is content in the Self alone, for him there is nothing to do.
18. For him there is nothing in this world to gain by action or to lose by inaction; nor does he need to depend on any being for any object.
19. Therefore, being unattached, perform thy duties (the work that ought to be done) unceasingly; for through the performance of action, unattached, man attains the highest.
20. Verily, by work alone, Janaka and other (great souls) attained perfection. Also just from the point of view of benefiting mankind, thou shouldst perform action.
21. Whatsoever a superior (man) does, that alone inferior men do. Whatever example he sets by his actions, that the people (masses) follow.
22. O Partha, there is nothing for Me to accomplish; nothing there is in the three worlds unattained or to be attained by Me, and yet I continue in action.
23. For if I do not work unceasingly, O Partha, men would follow my path (example) in every way.
24. If I did not work, these worlds would perish. I should cause the confusion of castes, and also the destruction of all beings.
25. O descendant of Bharata, as the ignorant (who are attached to results) work, so also (with the same fervor) the wise should act, devoid of attachment, being desirous to help mankind.
26. One should not unsettle the understanding of the ignorant who are attached to action; the man of wisdom, by steadily performing actions, should engage (the ignorant) in all right action.
27. All these actions are peformed by the Gunas, born of Prakriti (Nature). One whose understanding is deluded by egoism alone thinks: "I am the doer."
28. But, O mighty-armed, the Seer of Truth, understanding the divisions of Guna and Karma (qualities, senses and actions), and knowing that it is only the senses which run after sense-objects, does not become deluded therein.
29. A man of perfect wisdom should not unsettle the people of small and imperfect understanding, who are deluded by the qualities born of Nature and are attached to the function of the Gunas (senses).
30. Surrendering all action to me and fixing the mind on the Self, devoid of hope and egoism, and free from the fever (of grief), fight, O Arjuna.
31. Those who constantly practise this teaching of Mine with true faith and devotion and unflinching heart, they too are freed from (the fetters of) action.
32. But those who find fault with my teaching and do not follow it, such self-deluded ones, devoid of all knowledge and discrimination, know them to be ruined.
33. Even a wise man acts according to his nature; beings follow nature: What can restraint do?
34. Attachment and aversion of the senses are based on sense-objects; let none come under the sway of these two. They are his enemies.
35. Better one's own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of another, well performed. Better is death, in following one's own duty; the duty of another is full of danger.
Arjuna said:
36. But, O Descendant of Vrishni (Khrishna), impelled by what power does a man commit sin even against his wish, constrained, as it were, by force?
The Blessed Lord said:
37. It is desire, it is anger, born of Rajo-Guna (quality of passion); of unappeasable craving and of great sin; know this as the foe in this world.
38. As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo by the womb, so is this (Self) covered by that.
39. O son of Kunti, wisdom is covered by this insatiable fire of desire, the constant enemy of the wise.
40. The senses, mind and intellect are said to be its seats; through these it deludes the embodied one by covering his wisdom.
41. Therefore, O mightiest of the Bharata race, first subduing the senses, kill this (desire), the sinful, destroyed of wisdom and Self-knowledge.
42. The senses are said to be superior (to the body), the mind is superior to the senses and intellect is superior to the mind; and that which is superior to the intellect is He (Atman, Self).
43. O mighty-armed, thus knowing Him who is superior to the intelelct, and subduing self by the Self, destroy this enemy in the form of desire, difficult to overcome.
Here ends the Third Chapter called "Karma-Yoga, or The Path of Work"
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Text source: Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita. Translated by Swami Paramananda.
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