The Bhagavadgîtâ, with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ — SBE Vol. 8 (trans. K. T. Telang, 1882)
The translator’s English as printed (K. T. Telang). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
CHAPTER III.
There is no destruction here of actions good or not good*. Coming to one body after another they become ripened in their respective ways*. As a fruitful (tree) producing fruit may yield much fruit, so does merit performed with a pure mind become expanded*. Sin, too, performed with a sinful mind, is similarly (expanded). For the self engages in action, putting forward this mind And now further, hear how 5 a man, overwhelmed with action, and enveloped in desire and anger*, enters a womb. Within the womb of a woman, (he) obtains as the result of action a body good or else bad’, made up of virile semen and blood. Owing to (his) subtlety and imperceptibility, though he obtains a body appertaining to the Brahman, he is not attached anywhere; hence is he the eternal Brahman’. That is the seed of all beings; by that all creatures exist. That soul, entering all the limbs of the foetus, part by part, and dwelling in the seat of the life-wind*, supports (them) with the mind” Then the foetus, becoming possessed of consciousness, moves about its limbs. As liquefied iron being poured out assumes the form of the image*, such you must know is the entrance of the soul into the foetus. As fire entering a ball of iron, heats it, such too, you must understand, is the manifestation of the soul in the fœtus. And asa blazing lamp shines in a house, even so does consciousness light up bodies 4 And whatever action he performs, whether good or bad, everything done in a former body must necessarily be enjoyed (or suffered). Then⁵ that is exhausted, and again other (action) is accumulated, so long as the piety which dwells in the practice of concentration of mind for final emancipation⁵ has not been learnt. As to that, O best (of men)! I will tell you about that action by which, verily, one going the round of various births, becomes happy. Gifts, penance, life as a Brahmakârin, adherence to prescribed regulations, restraint of the senses⁷, and also
* Cf. Maitri-upanishad, p. 53, and Mundaka, p. 270. And see generally as to this passage, Sârîraka Bhâshya, pp. 751-760. ? L.e. they yield their respective fruits; cf. Maitri, p. 43, and Khandogya, p. 358. ’ This explains, say the commentators, how even a little merit or sin requires sometimes more than one birth to enjoy and exhaust.
* As a king performs sacrifices ‘putting forward’ a priest, Arğuna Misra ; and cf. Dhammapada, the first two verses,
5 Arğuna Misra has tathâ, ‘in the same way,’ instead of this, and renders it to mean ‘ putting forward’ the mind. ® Hence he does not get rid of birth and death.
7 Good=of gods or men; bad=of the lower species of creatures, Arğuna.
8 He, in the preceding sentences, according to Arğuna Misra, means the self, through the mind, or ‘ putting forward’ the mind, as said above. In this sentence, he takes ‘he’ to mean the mind itself; Brahman=the self; and the mind, he says, is called the Brahman, as it, like the self, is the cause of the Aaitanya, intelligence, in all creatures.
CHAPTER III.
There is no destruction here of actions good or not good. Coming to one body after another, they ripen in their respective ways. As a fruitful tree bearing fruit may yield much fruit, so does merit performed with a pure mind become expanded. Sin, too, performed with a sinful mind, is similarly expanded. For the self engages in action, putting forward this mind. And now further, hear how 5 a man, overwhelmed with action and enveloped in desire and anger, enters a womb. Within the womb of a woman he obtains, as the result of action, a body good or else bad, made up of virile semen and blood. Owing to his subtlety and imperceptibility, though he obtains a body appertaining to the Brahman, he is not attached anywhere; hence is he the eternal Brahman. That is the seed of all beings; by that all creatures exist. That soul, entering all the limbs of the fœtus part by part, and dwelling in the seat of the life-wind, supports them with the mind. Then the fœtus, becoming possessed of consciousness, moves about its limbs. As liquefied iron being poured out assumes the form of the image, such, you must know, is the entrance of the soul into the fœtus. As fire entering a ball of iron heats it, such too, you must understand, is the manifestation of the soul in the fœtus. And as a blazing lamp shines in a house, even so does consciousness light up bodies 4. And whatever action he performs, whether good or bad, everything done in a former body must necessarily be enjoyed or suffered. Then⁵ that is exhausted, and again other action is accumulated, so long as the piety which dwells in the practice of concentration of mind for final emancipation⁵ has not been learnt. As to that, O best of men, I will tell you about that action by which, verily, one going the round of various births becomes happy. Gifts, penance, life as a Brahmakârin, adherence to prescribed regulations, restraint of the senses⁷, and also
* Cf. Maitri-upanishad, p. 53, and Mundaka, p. 270. And see generally as to this passage, Sârîraka Bhâshya, pp. 751-760. ? That is, they yield their respective fruits; cf. Maitri, p. 43, and Khandogya, p. 358. ' This explains, say the commentators, how even a small amount of merit or sin sometimes requires more than one birth to be enjoyed and exhausted.
* Just as a king performs sacrifices by 'putting forward' a priest, Arjuna Misra; and cf. Dhammapada, the first two verses.
5 Arjuna Misra has tathâ, "in the same way," instead of this, and takes it to mean "putting forward" the mind. Hence he does not get rid of birth and death.
7 Good means belonging to gods or men; bad means belonging to the lower species of creatures, Arjuna.
8 In the preceding sentences, according to Arjuna Misra, "he" means the self acting through the mind, or "putting forward" the mind, as stated above. In this sentence he takes "he" to mean the mind itself; Brahman equals the self; and the mind, he says, is called the Brahman because, like the self, it is the cause of Caitanya, intelligence, in all creatures.