CHAPTER 3: PATH OF SERVICE

Arjuna asked: If You consider that acquiring transcendental knowledge is better than working, then why do You want me to engage in this horrible war, O Krishna? You seem to confuse my mind by a arently conflicting words! "ell me, decisi#ely, one thing by which I may attain the $u reme! %ord Krishna said: In this world I ha#e stated a twofold ath of s iritual disci line in the ast! "he ath of $elf&knowledge for the contem lati#e ones, and the ath of unselfish work '$e#a, Karma&yoga( for all others! One does not attain freedom from the bondage of Karma by merely abstaining from work! )o one attains erfection by merely gi#ing u work, because no one can remain actionless e#en for a mo&ment! *#eryone is dri#en to action +hel lessly indeed, by the forces of )ature! Anyone, who restrains the senses but mentally dwells u on the sense objects, is called a reten&der! WHY ONE SHOULD SERVE OTHERS? "he one who controls the senses by the trained and urified mind and intellect, and engages the organs of action to selfless ser#ice is considered su erior! -erform your obligatory duty, because working is indeed better than sitting idle! *#en the mainte&nance of your body would not be ossible without work! .ork other than those done as a selfless ser#ice '$e#a( binds human beings! "herefore, becoming free from selfish attachment to the fruits of work, do your duty efficiently as a ser#ice to /e! TO HELP EACH OTHER IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CREATOR In the beginning the creator created human beings together with selfless ser#ice '$e#a, sacrifice( and said: 0y ser#ing each other you shall ros er and the sacrificial ser#ice shall fulfill all your desires! )ourish the celestial controllers with selfless ser#ice, and they will nourish you! "hus nourishing one another you shall attain the $u reme goal! "he celestial controllers, ser#ed by selfless ser#ice, will gi#e you all desired objects! One who en&joys the gift of celestial controllers without sharing with others is, indeed, a thief! "he righteous who eat after feeding others are freed from all sins, but the im ious who cook food only for themsel#es +without first offering to 1od, or sharing with others, #erily eat sin! "he li#ing beings are born from food grains, grains are roduced by sacrificial work or duty er&formed by farmers and other field workers! 2uty is rescribed in the scri tures! $cri tures 'such as the 3edas, the 4oly 0ible, the 4oly Koran( come from the $u reme 0eing! "hus the all& er#a&ding $u reme 0eing or 1od is e#er resent in selfless ser#ice! "he one who does not hel to kee the wheel of creation in motion by sacrificial duty '$e#a(, and rejoices sense leasures, that sinful erson li#es in #ain! "he one who rejoices the $u reme 0eing, who is delighted with the $u reme 0eing, and who is content with the $u reme 0eing alone, for such a $elf&reali5ed erson there is no duty! $uch a erson has no interest, whatsoe#er, in what is done or what is not done! A $elf&reali5ed erson does not de end on anybody, e6ce t 1od, for anything! LEADERS SHOULD SET AN EXAMPLE

Always erform your duty efficiently and without any selfish attachment to the results, because by doing work without attachment one attains $u reme! King 7anaka and others attained erfection of $elf&reali5ation by selfless ser#ice 'Karma&yoga( alone! You should also erform your duty with a #iew to guide eo le, and for the welfare of the society! 0ecause whate#er noble ersons do, others follow! .hate#er standard they set u , the world fol&lows! O Arjuna, there is nothing in the three worlds 8 hea#en, earth, and the lower regions 8 that should be done by /e, nor there is anything unobtained that I should obtain, yet I engage in acti&on! 0ecause, if I do not engage in action relentlessly, O Arjuna, eo le would follow /y ath in e#eryway! "hese worlds would erish if I do not work, and I shall be the cause of confusion and destruction of all these eo le! WHAT SHOULD THE WISE DO TO THE IGNORANT As the ignorant work with attachment to the fruits of work, so the wise should work without at&tachment, for the welfare of the society! "he wise should not unsettle the mind of the ignorant ones who are attached to the fruits of work, but the enlightened one should ins ire others by erforming all works efficiently without selfish attachment! ALL WORKS ARE THE WORKS OF NATURE "he forces of )ature do all works! 0ut due to delusion of ignorance eo le assume themsel#es to be the doer! "he one who knows the truth about the role of the forces of )ature in getting work done does not become attached to the work! $uch a erson knows that it is the forces of )ature that get their work done by using our organs as their instruments! 0ut those who are deluded by the illusi#e ower '/aya( of )ature become attached to the works done by the forces of )ature! "he wise should not disturb the mind of the ignorant whose know&ledge is im erfect! 2o your duty dedicating all works to 1od in a s iritual frame of mind free from desire, attach&ment, and mental grief! "hose who always ractice this teaching of /ine +with faith and are free from ca#il, become free from the bondage of Karma! 0ut those who car at this teaching and do not ractice it, consider them ignorant, senseless, and lost! All beings follow their nature! *#en the wise act according to their own nature! .hat, then, is the #alue of sense restraint?

TWO MAJOR STUMBLING BLOCKS ON THE PATH OF PERFECTION Attachments and a#ersions for the sense objects remain in the senses! One should not come under the control of these two, because they are two major stumbling blocks, indeed, on one,s ath of $elf& reali5ation!

One,s inferior natural work is better than su erior unnatural work! 2eath in carrying out one,s na&tural work is useful! 9nnatural work roduces too much stress! LUST IS THE ORIGIN OF SIN Arjuna said: O Krishna, what im els one to commit sin as if unwillingly and forced against one,s will? %ord Krishna said: It is the lust born out of assion that becomes anger when unfulfilled! %ust is insatiable and is a great de#il! Know this as the enemy! As the fire is co#ered by smoke, as a mirror by dust, and as an embryo by the amnion: similarly, $elf& knowledge gets co#ered by different degrees of this insatiable lust, the eternal enemy of the wise! "he senses, the mind, and the intellect are said to be the abode of lust: with these it deludes a er&son by #eiling the $elf&knowledge! "herefore, O Arjuna, by controlling the senses first, kill this de#il of material desire that destroys $elf& knowledge and $elf&reali5ation! HOW TO CONTROL LUST "he senses are said to be su erior to the body, the mind is su erior to the senses, the intellect is su erior to the mind, transcendental knowledge is su erior to the intellect, and the $elf is su erior to transcendental knowledge! "hus, knowing the $elf to be su erior to the intellect, and controlling the mind by the intellect that is urified by s iritual ractices, one must kill this mighty enemy, lust, O Arjuna!

CHAPTER 4: PATH OF RENUNCIATION WITH KNOWLEDGE

KARMA-YOGA IS AN ANCIENT FORGOTTEN COMMANDMENT %ord Krishna said: I taught this Karma&yoga, the eternal science of right action, to King 3i#a&s#an! 3i#as#an taught it to /anu! /anu taught it to Iksh#aku! "hus handed down in succession the saintly Kings knew this science of ro er action 'Karma&yoga(! After a long time this science was lost from this earth! "oday I ha#e described the same ancient science to you, because you are my sincere de#otee and friend! "his science is a su reme secret indeed! Arjuna said: You were born later, but 3i#as#an was born in ancient time! 4ow am I to understand that You taught this science in the beginning of the creation?

THE PURPOSE OF INCARNATION OF GOD %ord Krishna said: 0oth you and I ha#e taken many births! I remember them all, O Arjuna, but you do not remember! ';!<=( "hough I am eternal, immutable, and the %ord of all beings, yet I manifest /yself by controlling the material )ature using /y own di#ine otential energy '/aya(!

.hene#er there is a decline of 2harma '>ighteousness( and a redominance of Adharma '9n& righteousness(, O Arjuna, then I manifest /yself! I a ear from time to time for rotecting the good, for transforming the wicked, and for establishing world order '2harma(! "he one who truly understands /y transcendental a earance, and acti#ities of creation, mainte&nance, and dissolution attains /y $u reme Abode and is not born again after lea#ing this body, O Arjuna! /any ha#e become free from attachment, fear, anger, and attained sal#ation by taking refuge in /e, by becoming fully absorbed in /y thoughts, and by getting urified by the fire of $elf&know&ledge! PATH OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER .ith whate#er moti#e eo le worshi /e, I fulfill their desires accordingly! -eo le worshi /e with different moti#es! "hose who long for success in their work here on the earth worshi the celestial controllers! $uccess in work comes quickly in this human world! DIVISION OF LABOR IS BASED ON THE APTITUDE OF PEOPLE I created the four di#isions of human society based on a titude and #ocation! "hough I am the author of this system of the di#ision of labor, one should know that I do nothing directly and I am eternal! .orks do not bind /e, because I ha#e no desire for the fruits of work! "he one who fully under&stands and ractices this truth is also not bound by Karma! "he ancient seekers of sal#ation also erformed their duties with this understanding! "herefore, you should do your duty as the ancients did! ATTACHED, DETACHED, AND FORBIDDEN ACTION *#en the wise ones are confused about what is action and what is inaction! "herefore, I shall clearly e6 lain what is action, knowing that one shall be liberated from the e#il of birth and death! "he true nature of action is #ery difficult to understand! "herefore, one should know the nature of attached action, the nature of detached action, and also the nature of forbidden action! A KARMA-YOGI IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE KARMIC LAWS "he one who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is a wise erson! $uch a erson is a yogi and has accom lished e#erything! A erson, whose desires ha#e become selfless by being roasted in the fire of $elf&knowledge, is called a sage by the wise! "he one who has abandoned selfish attachment to the fruits of work, and remains e#er content and de endent on no one but 1od, such a erson +though engaged in acti#ity, does nothing at all, and incurs no Karmic reaction! "he one who is free from desires, whose mind and senses are under control, and who has renoun&ced all ro rietorshi , does not incur sin +the Karmic reaction, by doing bodily action! A Karma&yogi +who is content with whate#er gain comes naturally by 4is will, who is unaffected by airs of o osites, and free from en#y, equanimous in success and failure, is not bound by Karma!

All Karmic bonds of a Karma&yogi +who is free from attachment, whose mind is fi6ed in $elf&knowledge, and who does work as a ser#ice to the %ord, dissol#es away "he $ irit shall be reali5ed by the one who considers e#erything as a manifestation, or an act, of the $ irit! DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICES OR SACRIFICES $ome yogis erform the ser#ice of worshi to celestial controllers, while others study scri tures for $elf& knowledge! $ome restrain their senses and gi#e u their sensual leasures! Others er&form breathing and other yogic e6ercises! $ome gi#e charity and offer their wealth as a sacrifice! "hose who are engaged in yogic ractices, reach the breathless state of trance by offering inhala&tion into e6halation and e6halation into inhalation as a sacrifice 'by using short breathing Kriya techniques(! Others restrict their diet and offer their inhalations as sacrifice into their inhalations! All these eo le are the knowers of sacrifice, and are urified by their sacrifice! "hose who erform selfless ser#ice obtain the nectar of $elf&knowledge as a result of their sacrifi&ce and attain the $u reme 0eing! O Arjuna, e#en this world is not a ha y lace for the non&sacri&ficer, how can the other world be? /any ty es of s iritual disci lines are described in the 3edas! Know that all of them are the acti&on of body, mind, and senses rom ted by the forces of )ature! 9nderstanding this, one shall at&tain )ir#ana or sal#ation! ACQUIRING TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE IS A SUPERIOR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Acquiring transcendental knowledge is su erior to any material sacrifice such as gi#ing charity! 0ecause, urification of mind and intellect that e#entually leads to the dawn of transcendental knowledge and $elf& reali5ation is the sole ur ose of any s iritual action! Acquire this transcendental knowledge from a $elf&reali5ed master by humble re#erence, by sin&cere inquiry, and by ser#ice! "he em owered ones, who ha#e reali5ed the "ruth, will teach you! After knowing the transcendental science, O Arjuna, you shall not again become deluded like this! .ith this knowledge you shall see the entire creation within your own higher $elf, and thus within /e! *#en if one is the most sinful of all sinners, one shall yet cross o#er the ocean of sin by the raft of $elf& knowledge alone! As the bla5ing fire reduces wood to ashes: similarly, the fire of $elf&knowledge reduces all bonds of Karma to ashes, O Arjuna! TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE IS AUTOMATICALLY REVEALED TO A KARMA-YOGI 3erily, there is no urifier in this world like the true knowledge of the $u reme 0eing! One dis&co#ers this knowledge within, naturally, in course of time when one?s mind is cleansed of selfish&ness by Karma& yoga! "he one who has faith in 1od, is sincere in yogic ractices, and has control o#er the mind and senses gains this transcendental knowledge! 4a#ing gained this knowledge, one quickly attains su reme eace or liberation!

"he irrational, the faithless, and the disbelie#er 'atheist( erishes! "here is neither this world, nor the world beyond, nor ha iness for the disbelie#er! BOTH TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE AND KARMA-YOGA ARE NEEDED FOR NIRVANA .ork does not bind a erson who has renounced work +by renouncing the fruits of work, through Karma& yoga, and whose confusion with regard to body and $ irit is com letely destroyed by the a lication of $elf&knowledge, O Arjuna! "herefore, cut the ignorance&born confusion with regard to body and $ irit by the sword of $elf& knowledge, resort to Karma&yoga, and get u for the war, O Arjuna!