CHAPTER 5: PATH OF RENUNCIATION

Arjuna asked: O Krishna, You praise the path of transcendental knowledge, and also the path of performance of selfless service (Karma-yoga ! "ell me, definitely, which one is the #etter of the two paths! $ord Krishna said: "he path of %elf-knowledge and the path of selfless service #oth lead to the supreme goal! &ut, of the two, the path of selfless service is superior to path of %elf-knowledge, #ecause it is easier to practice! A person should #e considered a true renunciant who has neither attachment nor aversion for any-thing! One is easily li#erated from Karmic #ondage #y #ecoming free from attachment and aver-sion! BOTH PATHS LEAD TO SUPREME "he ignorant ' not the wise ' consider the path of %elf-knowledge and the path of selfless ser-vice (Karma-yoga as different from each other! "he person, who has truly mastered one, gets the #enefits of #oth! (hatever goal a renunciant reaches, a Karma-yogi also reaches the same goal! "herefore, the one who sees the path of renunciation and the path of unselfish work as the same really sees! &ut, true renunciation, O Arjuna, is difficult to attain without Karma-yoga! A sage e)uipped with Karmayoga )uickly attains *irvana! A Karma-yogi, whose mind is pure, whose mind and senses are under control, and who sees one and the same %pirit in all #eings, is not #ound #y Karma though engaged in work! A TRANSCENDENTALIST DOES NOT CONSIDER ONESELF AS THE DOER "he wise who knows the truth thinks: +, do nothing at all!+ ,n seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, #reathing- and speaking, giving, taking, as well as opening and closing the eyes, the wise #elieves that only the senses are operating upon their o#jects! A KARMA-YOGI WORKS FOR GOD One who does all work as an offering to .od ' a#andoning selfish attachment to results ' re-mains untouched #y Karmic reaction or sin as a lotus leaf never gets wet #y water! "he Karma-yogis perform action /without selfish attachment0 with their #ody, mind, intellect, and senses only for the purification of their mind and intellect! A Karma-yogi attains %upreme &liss #y a#andoning attachment to the fruits of work- while others, who are attached to the fruits of work, #ecome #ound #y selfish work! THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE A person, who has completely renounced the fruits of all works, dwells happily in the 1ity of *i-ne .ates, neither performing nor directing action! "he $ord neither creates the urge for action, nor the feeling of doership, nor the attachment to the results of action in people! "he powers of material *ature do all these!

"he $ord does not take the responsi#ility for the good or evil deeds of any#ody! "he veil of igno-rance covers the %elf-knowledge- there#y people #ecome deluded and do evil deeds! "ranscendental knowledge destroys the ignorance of the %pirit and reveals the %upreme &eing just as the sun reveals the #eauty of o#jects of the world! 2ersons, whose mind and intellect are totally merged in the %upreme &eing, who are firmly devo-ted to the %upreme, who have .od as their supreme goal and sole refuge, and whose impurities are destroyed #y the knowledge of the self, do not take #irth again! ADDITIONAL MARKS OF AN ENLIGHTENED PERSON An enlightened person ' #y perceiving .od in all ' looks at a learned person, an outcast, even a cow, an elephant, or a dog with an e)ual eye! 3verything has #een accomplished in this very life #y the one whose mind is set in e)uality! %uch a person has reali4ed the %upreme &eing, #ecause the %upreme &eing is flawless and impartial! One who neither rejoices on o#taining what is pleasant, nor grieves on o#taining the unpleasant, who has a steady mind, who is undeluded, and who is a knower of the %upreme &eing, such a person eternally a#ides with the %upreme &eing! %uch a person who is in union with the %upreme &eing #ecomes unattached to e5ternal sensual pleasures #y discovering the joy of the %elf through contemplation, and enjoys transcendental #liss! %ensual pleasures are verily the source of misery, and have a #eginning and an end! "herefore the wise, O Arjuna, does not rejoice in sensual pleasures! One who is a#le to withstand the impulse of lust and anger #efore death is a yogi, and a happy person! One who finds happiness with the %upreme &eing, who rejoices %upreme &eing within, and who is illuminated #y %elf-knowledge- such a yogi attains *irvana, and goes to the %upreme &eing! %eers, whose sins (or imperfections are destroyed, whose dou#ts have #een dispelled #y %elf-knowledge, whose minds are disciplined, and who are engaged in the welfare of all #eings, attain the %upreme &eing! "hose who are free from lust and anger, who have su#dued the mind and senses, and who have known the %elf, easily attain *irvana! THE THIRD PATH: THE PATH OF DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION AND CONTEMPLATION A sage is verily li#erated #y renouncing all sense enjoyments, fi5ing the eyes and the mind at an imaginary #lack dot #etween the eye #rows, e)uali4ing the #reath moving through the nostrils #y using yogic techni)ues, keeping the senses, mind, and intellect under control, having salvation as the prime goal, and #y #ecoming free from lust, anger, and fear! 6y devotee attains peace #y knowing the %upreme &eing as the enjoyer of sacrifices and austeri-ties, as the great $ord of the entire universe, and as the friend of all #eings!

CHAPTER 6: PATH OF MEDITATION

A KARMA-YOGI IS A RENUNCIANT

$ord Krishna said: One who performs the prescri#ed duty without seeking its fruit for personal enjoyment is a renunciant and a Karma-yogi! One does not #ecome a renunciant merely #y not lighting the fire, and one does not #ecome a yogi merely #y a#staining from work! O Arjuna, renunciation (%amnyasa is same as Karma-yoga! &ecause, no one #ecomes a Karma-yogi who has not renounced the selfish motive #ehind an action! A DEFINITION OF YOGA 7or the wise, who seeks to attain yoga of meditation, or the e)uanimity of mind, Karma-yoga is said to #e the means! 7or the one who has attained yoga, the e)uanimity #ecomes the means of %elf-reali4ation! A person is said to have attained yogic perfection when he or she has no desire for sensual pleasures, or attachment to the fruits of work, and has renounced all personal selfish motives! MIND IS THE BEST FRIEND AS WELL AS THE WORST ENEMY One must elevate /and not degrade0 oneself #y one0s own mind! "he mind alone is one0s friend as well as one0s enemy! "he mind is the friend of those who have control over it, and the mind acts like an enemy for those who do not control it! One who has control over the lower self /the mind and senses0 is tran)uil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor, and remains ever steadfast with the supreme %elf! A person is called yogi who has #oth %elf-knowledge and %elf-reali4ation, who is e)uanimous, who has control over the mind and senses, and to whom a clod, a stone, and gold are the same! A person is considered superior who is impartial towards companions, friends, enemies, neutrals, ar#iters, haters, relatives, saints, and sinners! TECHNIQUES OF MEDITATION A yogi, seated in solitude and alone, should constantly try to contemplate on a mental picture or just the majesty of the %upreme &eing after #ringing the mind and senses under control, and #e-coming free from desires and proprietorship! One should sit on his or her own firm seat that is neither too high nor too low, covered with grass, a deerskin, and a cloth, one over the other, in a clean spot! %itting there in a comforta#le position and concentrating the mind on .od, controlling the thoughts and the activities of the senses, one should practice meditation for self-purification! One should sit #y holding the waist, spine, chest, neck, and head erect, motionless and steady- fi5 the eyes and the mind steadily on the front of the nose, without looking around- make your mind serene and fearless, practice celi#acy- have the mind under control, think of 6e, and have 6e as the supreme goal! "hus, #y always practicing to keep the mind fi5ed on 6e, the yogi whose mind is su#dued attains peace of *irvana and comes to 6e! "his yoga is not possi#le, O Arjuna, for the one who eats too much, or who does not eat at all- who sleeps too much or too little! "he yoga of meditation destroys all sorrow for the one who is moderate in eating, recreation, wor-king, sleeping, and waking! A person is said to have achieved yoga, the union with the %pirit, when the perfectly disciplined mind #ecomes free from all desires, and gets completely united with the %pirit in trance!

A lamp in a spot sheltered #y the %pirit from the wind of desires does not flicker! "his simile is used for the su#dued mind of a yogi practicing meditation on the %pirit! (hen the mind disciplined #y the practice of meditation #ecomes steady, one #ecomes content with the %pirit #y #eholding the %pirit of .od with purified intellect! One feels infinite #liss that is perceiva#le only through the intellect, and is #eyond the reach of the senses! After reali4ing the A#solute 8eality, one is never separated from it! After %elf-reali4ation one does not regard any other gain superior to %elf-reali4ation! 3sta#lished in %elfreali4ation, one is not moved even #y the greatest calamity! "he state of severance of union with sorrow is called yoga! "his yoga should #e practiced with firm determination, and without any mental reservation! One gradually attains tran)uillity of mind #y totally a#andoning all selfish desires, completely restraining the senses from the sense o#jects #y the intellect, and keeping the mind fully a#sor#ed in the %pirit #y means of a well-trained and purified intellect and thinking of nothing else! (heresoever this restless and unsteady mind wanders away, one should gently #ring it #ack to the reflection of .od! WHO IS A YOGI %upreme #liss comes to a %elf-reali4ed yogi whose mind is tran)uil, whose desires are under con-trol, and who is free from faults! %uch a sinless yogi, who constantly engages his or her mind and intellect with the %pirit, easily enjoys the infinite #liss of contact with "he %pirit! A yogi, who is in union with the %upreme &eing, sees every #eing with an e)ual eye #ecause of perceiving the omnipresent %pirit a#iding in all #eings, and all #eings a#iding in the %upreme &e-ing! "hose who perceive 6e in everything, and #ehold everything in 6e, are not separated from 6e, and , am not separated from them! "he non-dualists, who adore 6e as a#iding in all #eings, a#ide in 6e irrespective of their mode of living! One is considered the #est yogi who regards every #eing like oneself, and who can feel the pain and pleasures of others as one0s own, O Arjuna! TWO METHODS TO SUBDUE THE RESTLESS MIND Arjuna said: O Krishna, You have said that the yoga of meditation is characteri4ed #y the e)uani-mity of mind, #ut due to restlessness of mind , do not perceive the steady state of mind! &ecause the mind, indeed, is very unsteady, tur#ulent, powerful, and o#stinate, O Krishna! , think restrai-ning the mind is as difficult as restraining the wind! $ord Krishna said: 9ndou#tedly, O Arjuna, the mind is restless and difficult to restrain, #ut it is su#dued #y any constant vigorous spiritual practice /such as meditation0 with perseverance, and #y detachment, O Arjuna! ,n 6y opinion, yoga is difficult for the one whose mind is not su#dued! :owever, yoga is attai-na#le #y the person of su#dued mind #y striving through proper means! DESTINATION OF UNSUCCESSFUL YOGI

Arjuna said: "he faithful who deviates from the path of meditation and fails to attain yogic per-fection due to unsu#dued mind ' what is the destination of such a person, O Krishna; <o they not perish like a dispersing cloud, O Krishna, having lost #oth the heavenly and the worldly pleasures, supportless and #ewildered on the path of %elf-reali4ation; O Krishna, only You are a#le to completely dispel this dou#t of mine! &ecause there is none, other than You, who can dispel this dou#t! $ord Krishna said: "here is no destruction, O Arjuna, for a yogi either here or hereafter! A transcendentalist is never put to grief, 6y dear friend! "he less evolved unsuccessful yogi is re#orn in the house of the pious and prosperous after attai-ning heaven and living there for many years! "he highly evolved unsuccessful yogi does not go to heaven, #ut is #orn in a spiritually advanced family! A #irth like this is very difficult, indeed, to o#tain in this world! "here he or she regains the knowledge ac)uired in the previous life, and strives again to achieve perfection, O Arjuna! "he unsuccessful yogi is instinctively carried towards .od #y virtue of the impressions of yogic practices of previous lives! 3ven the in)uirer of yoga /the union with .od0 surpasses those who perform =edic rituals! "he yogi, who diligently strives, #ecomes completely free from all imperfections after gradually perfecting through many incarnations, and reaches the %upreme A#ode! WHO IS THE BEST YOGI "he yogi, who is devoted to meditation, is superior to the ascetics! "he yogi is superior to the =e-dic scholars! "he yogi is superior to the ritualists! "herefore, O Arjuna, #e a yogi! And , consider the yogi-devotee /who lovingly contemplates on 6e with supreme faith, and whose mind is ever a#sor#ed in 6e0 to #e the #est of all the yogis!

CHAPTER 7: SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND ENLIGHTENMENT

$ord Krishna said: O Arjuna, listen how you shall know 6e fully without any dou#t, with your mind a#sor#ed in 6e, taking refuge in 6e, and performing yogic practices! METAPHYSICAL KNOWLEDGE IS THE ULTIMATE KNOWLEDGE , shall impart you %elf-knowledge together with enlightenment, after comprehending that nothing more remains to #e known in this world! SEEKERS ARE VERY FEW %carcely one out of thousands of persons strives for perfection of %elf-reali4ation! %carcely one among those successful strivers truly understands 6e! DEFINITIONS OF MATTER, CONSCIOUSNESS, AND SPIRIT

"he mind, intellect, ego, ether, air, fire, water, and earth are the eightfold division of 6y material energy! "he material *ature or matter is 6y lower *ature! 6y other higher *ature is the %pirit #y which this entire universe is sustained, O Arjuna! SUPREME SPIRIT IS THE BASIS OF MATTER, CONSCIOUSNESS, AND SPIRIT Know that all creatures have evolved from this twofold energy- and the %upreme %pirit is the source of origin as well as dissolution of the entire universe! "here is nothing higher than the %upreme &eing, O Arjuna! 3verything in the universe is strung on the %upreme &eing, like jewels are strung on the thread of a necklace! SUPREME SPIRIT IS THE BASIS OF EVERYTHING O Arjuna, , am the sapidity in the water, , am the radiance in the sun and the moon, the sacred sylla#le O6 in all the =edas, the sound in the ether, and potency in human #eings! , am the sweet fragrance in the earth! , am the heat in the fire, the life in all living #eings, and the austerity in the ascetics! O Arjuna, know 6e to #e the eternal seed of all creatures! , am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the #rilliance of the #rilliant! , am the strength of the strong who is devoid of selfish attach-ment! , am the lust in human #eings that is devoid of sense gratification, and is in accord with <harma (for the sacred purpose of procreation after marriage , O Arjuna! Know that three modes of material *ature /goodness, passion, and ignorance0 also emanate from 6e! , am not dependent on, or affected #y, the modes of material *ature- #ut the modes of mate-rial *ature are dependent on 6e! :uman #eings are deluded #y various aspects of these three modes of material *ature- therefore, they do not know 6e, who is eternal and a#ove these modes! HOW TO OVERCOME THE DELUSIVE DIVINE POWER (MAYA) "his divine power (6aya of 6ine, consisting of three states of matter or mind, is very difficult to overcome! Only those who surrender unto 6e easily cross over this 6aya! WHO SEEKS GOD? "he evil doers, the ignorant, the lowest persons who are attached to demonic nature, and whose power of discrimination has #een taken away #y divine illusive power (6aya do not worship or seek 6e! 7our types of virtuous ones worship or seek 6e, O Arjuna! "hey are: "he distressed, the seeker of %elfknowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the enlightened one who has e5perienced the %upreme &eing! Among them the enlightened devotee, who is ever united with 6e and whose devotion is single-minded, is the #est! &ecause , am very dear to the enlightened, and the enlightened is very dear to 6e! All these seekers are indeed no#le! &ut, , regard the enlightened devotee as 6y very %elf, #ecause the one who is steadfast a#ides in 6y %upreme A#ode! After many #irths the enlightened one resorts to 6e #y reali4ing that everything is, indeed, 6y (or %upreme &eing0s manifestation! %uch a great soul is very rare!

2ersons, whose discernment has #een carried away #y various desires impelled #y their Karmic impression, resort to celestial controllers and practice various religious rites! WORSHIP OF DEITY IS ALSO A WORSHIP OF GOD (hosoever desires to worship whatever deity ' using any name, form, and method ' with faith, , make their faith steady in that very deity! 3ndowed with steady faith they worship that deity, and o#tain their wishes through that deity! "hose wishes are, indeed, granted only #y 6e! %uch material gains of these less intelligent human #eings are temporary! "he worshipers of ce-lestial controllers go to celestial controllers, #ut 6y devotees certainly come to 6e! GOD CAN BE SEEN IN AN IMAGE OF ANY DESIRED FORM OF WORSHIP "he ignorant ones ' una#le to understand 6y immuta#le, incompara#le, incomprehensi#le, and transcendental form ' assume that ,, the %upreme &eing, am formless and take forms or incarna-te! 1oncealed #y 6y divine power (6aya , , do not reveal 6yself to such ignorants who do not know and understand 6y un#orn, eternal, and transcendental form and personality! , know, O Arjuna, the #eings of the past, of the present, and those of the future, #ut no one really knows 6e! All #eings in this world are in utter ignorance due to delusion of pairs of opposites #orn of likes and dislikes, O Arjuna! &ut persons of unselfish deeds, whose Karma or sin has come to an end, #ecome free from the delusion of pairs of opposites and worship 6e with firm resolve! "hose who strive for freedom from the cycles of #irth, old age, and death ' #y taking refuge in .od ' fully comprehend the true nature and powers of the %upreme! "he steadfast persons, who know 6e alone as the #asis of all /the mortal #eings, "emporal &e-ings, and the 3ternal &eing0 even at the time of death, attain 6e!