Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1* Sridhara says that Arguna is here told to perform action, as freedom from it is only for the man of true knowledge, which Arguna is not as yet. * Ie. final emancipation ; cf. p. 59 infra, and Isopanishad, p. 6. CHAPTER III, 30. 55 nothing to acquire which has not been acquired. Still I do engage in action. For should I at any time not engage without sloth in action, men would follow in my path from all sides, O son of Pritha! If I did not perform actions, these worlds would be destroyed, I should be the cause of casteinterminglings ; and I should be ruining these people. As the ignorant act, O descendant of Bharata! with attachment to action, so should a wise man act without attachment, wishing to keep the people (to their duties). A wise man should not shake the convictions of the ignorant who are attached to action, but acting with devotion (himself) should make them apply themselves to all action. He whose mind is deluded by egoism thinks himself the doer of the actions, which, in every way, are done by the qualities of nature’. But he, O you of mighty arms! who knows the truth about the difference from qualities and the difference from actions *, forms no attachments, believing that qualities deal with qualities *. But those who are deluded by the qualities of nature form attachments to the actions of the qualities‘. A man of perfect knowledge should not shake these men of imperfect knowledge (in their convictions). Dedicating all actions to me with a mind knowing the relation of the supreme and individual self, engage in battle without ' The active principle is nature, the aggregate of the three qualities; the soul is only the looker-on; cf. inter alia, p. 104 infra. * Scil. the difference of the soul from the collection of qualities, viz. the body, senses, &c., and from the actions of which they are the authors. * Qualities (i.e. senses) deal with qualities, i.e. objects of sense. * Le. all mundane affairs. 56 BHAGAVADGITA. desire, without (any feeling that this or that is) mine, and without any mental trouble'. Even those men who always act on this opinion of mine, full of faith, and without carping, are released from all actions. But those who carp at my opinion and do not act upon it, know them to be devoid of discrimination, deluded as regards all knowledge?, and ruined. Even a man of knowledge acts consonantly to his own nature*. All beings follow nature. What will restraint effect ? Every sense has its affections and aversions towards its objects fixed. One should not become subject to them, for they are one’s opponents‘. One’s own duty, though defective, is better than another's duty well performed. Death in (performing) one’s own duty is preferable ; the (performance of the) duty of others is dangerous. Arguna said : But by whom, O descendant of Vrishzi! is man impelled, even though unwilling, and, as it were, constrained by force, to commit sin ? ' About the consequences of your actions.
2Death in (performing) one’s own duty is preferable ; the (performance of the) duty of others is dangerous. Arguna said : But by whom, O descendant of Vrishzi! is man impelled, even though unwilling, and, as it were, constrained by force, to commit sin ? ' About the consequences of your actions. 2 Of actions, or of the Brahman in its various forms. * Which is the result of the virtues and vices of a preceding life. The sequence of idcas here is as follows :—The true view stated here about the ‘difference from qualities and actions’ is disregarded by some, owing to their ‘nature’ as now explained. Then the question is, If nature is so potent, what is the good of the Sistras? The answer is, Nature only acts through our likes and dislikes. Withstand them and then you can follow the Sastras. It is under the influence of these likes and dislikes, that some may say, we shall practise duties prescribed for others (our own being bad ones) as they are equally prescribed by the Sastras. That, as stated in the last sentence here, is wrong. * Cf. Sutta Nipdta, p. ros, as to ‘likings and dislikings.’ CHAPTER III, 4%. 57 The Deity said: It is desire, it is wrath', born from the quality of passion ; it is very ravenous, very sinful. Know that that is the foe in this world. As fire is enveloped by smoke, a mirror by dust, the foetus by the womb, so is this? enveloped by desire. Knowledge, O son of Kuntt! is enveloped by this constant foe of the man of knowledge, in the shape of desire, which is like a fire® and insatiable. The senses, the mind, and the understanding are said to be its seat‘; with these it deludes the embodied (self) after enveloping knowledge. Therefore, O chief of the descendants of Bharata! first restrain your senses, then cast off this sinful thing which destroys knowledge and experience®. It has been said *, Great are the senses, greater than the senses is the mind, greater than the mind is the understanding. What is greater than the understanding is that’. Thus knowing that which is higher than the understanding, and restraining (your)self by (your)self, O you of ' Vide p. 50 supra. 3 Le. knowledge, mentioned in the next sentence, for which construction p. 71 and p. 98 may be compared. * Which becomes more powerful the more it is fed. * The mind is that which ponders over things as such or such; the understanding is that which finally determines (cf. Lewes’ History of Philosophy, II, 463-465). These and the senses are the ‘seat’ of desire, because the perception of an object by the sense, the pondering over it by the mind, and the determination about it by the understanding are the preliminaries to the awakening of the desire; supra, p. 50. * Knowledge is from books or teachers, experience is the result of personal perception. * Kashopanishad, p. 114; and see also pp. 148, 149. " I.e. the supreme Being, as in the Ka/Aopanishad. 58 BHAGAVADGITA, mighty arms! destroy this unmanageable enemy in the shape of desire.
350. * Knowledge is from books or teachers, experience is the result of personal perception. * Kashopanishad, p. 114; and see also pp. 148, 149. " I.e. the supreme Being, as in the Ka/Aopanishad. 58 BHAGAVADGITA, mighty arms! destroy this unmanageable enemy in the shape of desire. CuapTer IV. The Deity said: This everlasting ' (system of) devotion I declared to the sun, the sun declared it to Manu 2, and Manu communicated it to Ikshvaku. Coming thus by steps, it became known to royal sages. But, O terror of (your) foes! that devotion was lost to the world by long (lapse of) time. That same primeval devotion I have declared to you to-day, seeing that you are my devotee and friend, for it is the highest mystery. Arguna said : Later is your birth ; the birth of the sun is prior. How then shall I understand that you declared (this) first ? The Deity said: I have passed through many births, O Arguna! and you also. I know them all, but you, O terror of (your) foes! do not know them. Even though I am unborn and inexhaustible in (my) essence, even though I am lord of all beings, still I take up the control of my own nature*, and am born by * Because its fruit is imperishable, viz. final emancipation. * In the A*andogya-upanishad, Manu is the channel of communication for some doctrine taught by Pragapati, which Manu teaches the ‘people,’ interpreted by Sankara to mean Ikshvaku, &c. (p. 178; see too p. 625). * Nature is what goes to the formation of the material form in which he is born; the ‘power’ includes knowledge, omnipotence, &c. It is delusive because he is still really ‘unborn.’ CHAPTER IV, 16. 59 means of my delusive power. Whensoever, O descendant of Bharata! piety languishes, and impiety is in the ascendant, I create myself. I am born age after age, for the protection of the good, for the destruction of evil-doers, and the establishment of piety. Whoever truly knows thus my divine birth and work, casts off (this) body and is not born again. He comes to me, O Arguna! Many from whom affection, fear’, and wrath have departed, who are full of me, who depend on me, and who are purified by the penance of knowledge *, have come into my essence. I serve men in the way in which they approach me*. In every way, O son of Prithé! men follow in my path‘. Desiring the success of actions *, men in this world worship the divinities, for in this world of mortals, the success produced by action is soon obtained. The fourfold division of castes was created by me according to the apportionment of qualities and duties. But though I am its author, know me to be inexhaustible, and not the author. Actions defile me not. I have no attachment to the fruit of actions. He who knows me thus is not tied down by actions. Knowing this, the men of old who wished for final emancipation, performed action. Therefore do you, too, perform action as was done by men of old in olden times. Even sages are confused as to what is
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1* Sridhara says that Arguna is here told to perform action, as freedom from it is only for the man of true knowledge, which Arguna is not as yet. * Ie. final emancipation ; cf. p. 59 infra, and Isopanishad, p. 6. CHAPTER III, 30. 55 nothing to acquire which has not been acquired. Still I do engage in action. For should I at any time not engage without sloth in action, men would follow in my path from all sides, O son of Pritha! If I did not perform actions, these worlds would be destroyed, I should be the cause of casteinterminglings ; and I should be ruining these people. As the ignorant act, O descendant of Bharata! with attachment to action, so should a wise man act without attachment, wishing to keep the people (to their duties). A wise man should not shake the convictions of the ignorant who are attached to action, but acting with devotion (himself) should make them apply themselves to all action. He whose mind is deluded by egoism thinks himself the doer of the actions, which, in every way, are done by the qualities of nature’. But he, O you of mighty arms! who knows the truth about the difference from qualities and the difference from actions *, forms no attachments, believing that qualities deal with qualities *. But those who are deluded by the qualities of nature form attachments to the actions of the qualities‘. A man of perfect knowledge should not shake these men of imperfect knowledge (in their convictions). Dedicating all actions to me with a mind knowing the relation of the supreme and individual self, engage in battle without ' The active principle is nature, the aggregate of the three qualities; the soul is only the looker-on; cf. inter alia, p. 104 infra. * Scil. the difference of the soul from the collection of qualities, viz. the body, senses, &c., and from the actions of which they are the authors. * Qualities (i.e. senses) deal with qualities, i.e. objects of sense. * Le. all mundane affairs. 56 BHAGAVADGITA. desire, without (any feeling that this or that is) mine, and without any mental trouble'. Even those men who always act on this opinion of mine, full of faith, and without carping, are released from all actions. But those who carp at my opinion and do not act upon it, know them to be devoid of discrimination, deluded as regards all knowledge?, and ruined. Even a man of knowledge acts consonantly to his own nature*. All beings follow nature. What will restraint effect ? Every sense has its affections and aversions towards its objects fixed. One should not become subject to them, for they are one’s opponents‘. One’s own duty, though defective, is better than another's duty well performed. Death in (performing) one’s own duty is preferable ; the (performance of the) duty of others is dangerous. Arguna said : But by whom, O descendant of Vrishzi! is man impelled, even though unwilling, and, as it were, constrained by force, to commit sin ? ' About the consequences of your actions.
2Death in (performing) one’s own duty is preferable ; the (performance of the) duty of others is dangerous. Arguna said : But by whom, O descendant of Vrishzi! is man impelled, even though unwilling, and, as it were, constrained by force, to commit sin ? ' About the consequences of your actions. 2 Of actions, or of the Brahman in its various forms. * Which is the result of the virtues and vices of a preceding life. The sequence of idcas here is as follows :—The true view stated here about the ‘difference from qualities and actions’ is disregarded by some, owing to their ‘nature’ as now explained. Then the question is, If nature is so potent, what is the good of the Sistras? The answer is, Nature only acts through our likes and dislikes. Withstand them and then you can follow the Sastras. It is under the influence of these likes and dislikes, that some may say, we shall practise duties prescribed for others (our own being bad ones) as they are equally prescribed by the Sastras. That, as stated in the last sentence here, is wrong. * Cf. Sutta Nipdta, p. ros, as to ‘likings and dislikings.’ CHAPTER III, 4%. 57 The Deity said: It is desire, it is wrath', born from the quality of passion ; it is very ravenous, very sinful. Know that that is the foe in this world. As fire is enveloped by smoke, a mirror by dust, the foetus by the womb, so is this? enveloped by desire. Knowledge, O son of Kuntt! is enveloped by this constant foe of the man of knowledge, in the shape of desire, which is like a fire® and insatiable. The senses, the mind, and the understanding are said to be its seat‘; with these it deludes the embodied (self) after enveloping knowledge. Therefore, O chief of the descendants of Bharata! first restrain your senses, then cast off this sinful thing which destroys knowledge and experience®. It has been said *, Great are the senses, greater than the senses is the mind, greater than the mind is the understanding. What is greater than the understanding is that’. Thus knowing that which is higher than the understanding, and restraining (your)self by (your)self, O you of ' Vide p. 50 supra. 3 Le. knowledge, mentioned in the next sentence, for which construction p. 71 and p. 98 may be compared. * Which becomes more powerful the more it is fed. * The mind is that which ponders over things as such or such; the understanding is that which finally determines (cf. Lewes’ History of Philosophy, II, 463-465). These and the senses are the ‘seat’ of desire, because the perception of an object by the sense, the pondering over it by the mind, and the determination about it by the understanding are the preliminaries to the awakening of the desire; supra, p. 50. * Knowledge is from books or teachers, experience is the result of personal perception. * Kashopanishad, p. 114; and see also pp. 148, 149. " I.e. the supreme Being, as in the Ka/Aopanishad. 58 BHAGAVADGITA, mighty arms! destroy this unmanageable enemy in the shape of desire.
350. * Knowledge is from books or teachers, experience is the result of personal perception. * Kashopanishad, p. 114; and see also pp. 148, 149. " I.e. the supreme Being, as in the Ka/Aopanishad. 58 BHAGAVADGITA, mighty arms! destroy this unmanageable enemy in the shape of desire. CuapTer IV. The Deity said: This everlasting ' (system of) devotion I declared to the sun, the sun declared it to Manu 2, and Manu communicated it to Ikshvaku. Coming thus by steps, it became known to royal sages. But, O terror of (your) foes! that devotion was lost to the world by long (lapse of) time. That same primeval devotion I have declared to you to-day, seeing that you are my devotee and friend, for it is the highest mystery. Arguna said : Later is your birth ; the birth of the sun is prior. How then shall I understand that you declared (this) first ? The Deity said: I have passed through many births, O Arguna! and you also. I know them all, but you, O terror of (your) foes! do not know them. Even though I am unborn and inexhaustible in (my) essence, even though I am lord of all beings, still I take up the control of my own nature*, and am born by * Because its fruit is imperishable, viz. final emancipation. * In the A*andogya-upanishad, Manu is the channel of communication for some doctrine taught by Pragapati, which Manu teaches the ‘people,’ interpreted by Sankara to mean Ikshvaku, &c. (p. 178; see too p. 625). * Nature is what goes to the formation of the material form in which he is born; the ‘power’ includes knowledge, omnipotence, &c. It is delusive because he is still really ‘unborn.’ CHAPTER IV, 16. 59 means of my delusive power. Whensoever, O descendant of Bharata! piety languishes, and impiety is in the ascendant, I create myself. I am born age after age, for the protection of the good, for the destruction of evil-doers, and the establishment of piety. Whoever truly knows thus my divine birth and work, casts off (this) body and is not born again. He comes to me, O Arguna! Many from whom affection, fear’, and wrath have departed, who are full of me, who depend on me, and who are purified by the penance of knowledge *, have come into my essence. I serve men in the way in which they approach me*. In every way, O son of Prithé! men follow in my path‘. Desiring the success of actions *, men in this world worship the divinities, for in this world of mortals, the success produced by action is soon obtained. The fourfold division of castes was created by me according to the apportionment of qualities and duties. But though I am its author, know me to be inexhaustible, and not the author. Actions defile me not. I have no attachment to the fruit of actions. He who knows me thus is not tied down by actions. Knowing this, the men of old who wished for final emancipation, performed action. Therefore do you, too, perform action as was done by men of old in olden times. Even sages are confused as to what is
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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