arjuna uvāca
sannyāsasya mahā-bāho
tattvam icchāmi veditum
tyāgasya ca hṛṣīkeśa
pṛthak keśi-niṣūdana
Translation
Arjuna said: O mighty-armed one, I wish to understand the purpose of renunciation [tyaga] and of the renounced order of life [sannyasa], O killer...View More
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
kāmyānāḿ karmaṇāḿ nyāsaḿ
sannyāsaḿ kavayo viduḥ
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaḿ
prāhus tyāgaḿ vicakṣaṇāḥ
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The giving up of activities that are based on material desire is what ...View More
tyājyaḿ doṣa-vad ity eke
karma prāhur manīṣiṇaḥ
yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma
na tyājyam iti cāpare
Translation
Some learned men declare that all kinds of fruitive activities should be given up as faulty, yet other sages maintain that acts of sacrifice, charity a...View More
niścayaḿ śṛṇu me tatra
tyāge bharata-sattama
tyāgo hi puruṣa-vyāghra
tri-vidhaḥ samprakīrtitaḥ
Translation
O best of the Bharatas, now hear My judgment about renunciation. O tiger among men, renunciation is declared in the scriptures to be of three kinds.
View Moreyajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma
na tyājyaḿ kāryam eva tat
yajño dānaḿ tapaś caiva
pāvanāni manīṣiṇām
Translation
Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great so...View More
etāny api tu karmāṇi
sańgaḿ tyaktvā phalāni ca
kartavyānīti me pārtha
niścitaḿ matam uttamam
Translation
All these activities should be performed without attachment or any expectation of result. They should be performed as a matter of duty, O son of Pritha. Th...View More
niyatasya tu sannyāsaḥ
karmaṇo nopapadyate
mohāt tasya parityāgas
tāmasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ
Translation
Prescribed duties should never be renounced. If one gives up his prescribed duties because of illusion, such renunciation is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
View Moreduḥkham ity eva yat karma
kāya-kleśa-bhayāt tyajet
sa kṛtvā rājasaḿ tyāgaḿ
naiva tyāga-phalaḿ labhet
Translation
Anyone who gives up prescribed duties as troublesome or out of fear of bodily discomfort is said to have renounced in the mode of passion. Such a...View More
kāryam ity eva yat karma
niyataḿ kriyate ’rjuna
sańgaḿ tyaktvā phalaḿ caiva
sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥ
Translation
O Arjuna, when one performs his prescribed duty only because it ought to be done, and renounces all material association and all attachment to th...View More
na dveṣṭy akuśalaḿ karma
kuśale nānuṣajjate
tyāgī sattva-samāviṣṭo
medhāvī chinna-saḿśayaḥ
Translation
The intelligent renouncer situated in the mode of goodness, neither hateful of inauspicious work nor attached to auspicious work, has no doubts ab...View More
na hi deha-bhṛtā śakyaḿ
tyaktuḿ karmāṇy aśeṣataḥ
yas tu karma-phala-tyāgī
sa tyāgīty abhidhīyate
Translation
It is indeed impossible for an embodied being to give up all activities. But he who renounces the fruits of action is called one who has truly r...View More
aniṣṭam iṣṭaḿ miśraḿ ca
tri-vidhaḿ karmaṇaḥ phalam
bhavaty atyāgināḿ pretya
na tu sannyāsināḿ kvacit
Translation
For one who is not renounced, the threefold fruits of action—desirable, undesirable and mixed—accrue after death. But those who ar...View More
pañcaitāni mahā-bāho
kāraṇāni nibodha me
sāńkhye kṛtānte proktāni
siddhaye sarva-karmaṇām
Translation
O mighty-armed Arjuna, according to the Vedanta there are five causes for the accomplishment of all action. Now learn of these from Me.
View Moreadhiṣṭhānaḿ tathā kartā
karaṇaḿ ca pṛthag-vidham
vividhāś ca pṛthak ceṣṭā
daivaḿ caivātra pañcamam
Translation
The place of action [the body], the performer, the various senses, the many different kinds of endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul...View More
śarīra-vāń-manobhir yat
karma prārabhate naraḥ
nyāyyaḿ vā viparītaḿ vā
pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ
Translation
Whatever right or wrong action a man performs by body, mind or speech is caused by these five factors.
View Moretatraivaḿ sati kartāram
ātmānaḿ kevalaḿ tu yaḥ
paśyaty akṛta-buddhitvān
na sa paśyati durmatiḥ
Translation
Therefore one who thinks himself the only doer, not considering the five factors, is certainly not very intelligent and cannot see things as they are...View More
yasya nāhańkṛto bhāvo
buddhir yasya na lipyate
hatvāpi sa imāḻ lokān
na hanti na nibadhyat
Translation
One who is not motivated by false ego, whose intelligence is not entangled, though he kills men in this world, does not kill. Nor is he bound by his actions.
View Morejñānaḿ jñeyaḿ parijñātā
tri-vidhā karma-codanā
karaṇaḿ karma karteti
tri-vidhaḥ karma-sańgrahaḥ
Translation
Knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the knower are the three factors that motivate action; the senses, the work and the doer are the three co...View More
jñānaḿ karma ca kartā ca
tridhaiva guṇa-bhedataḥ
procyate guṇa-sańkhyāne
yathāvac chṛṇu tāny api
Translation
According to the three different modes of material nature, there are three kinds of knowledge, action and performer of action. Now hear of them fr...View More
sarva-bhūteṣu yenaikaḿ
bhāvam avyayam īkṣate
avibhaktaḿ vibhakteṣu
taj jñānaḿ viddhi sāttvikam
Translation
That knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all living entities, though they are divided into innumerable forms, you should und...View More
pṛthaktvena tu yaj jñānaḿ
nānā-bhāvān pṛthag-vidhān
vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu
taj jñānaḿ viddhi rājasam
Translation
That knowledge by which one sees that in every different body there is a different type of living entity you should understand to be in the...View More
yat tu kṛtsna-vad ekasmin
kārye saktam ahaitukam
atattvārtha-vad alpaḿ ca
tat tāmasam udāhṛtam
Translation
And that knowledge by which one is attached to one kind of work as the all in all, without knowledge of the truth, and which is very meager, is said to be in...View More
niyataḿ sańga-rahitam
arāga-dveṣataḥ kṛtam
aphala-prepsunā karma
yat tat sāttvikam ucyate
Translation
That action which is regulated and which is performed without attachment, without love or hatred, and without desire for fruitive results is said to be in the m...View More
yat tu kāmepsunā karma
sāhańkāreṇa vā punaḥ
kriyate bahulāyāsaḿ
tad rājasam udāhṛtam
Translation
But action performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify his desires, and enacted from a sense of false ego, is called action in the mode of passion.
View Moreanubandhaḿ kṣayaḿ hiḿsām
anapekṣya ca pauruṣam
mohād ārabhyate karma
yat tat tāmasam ucyate
Translation
That action performed in illusion, in disregard of scriptural injunctions, and without concern for future bondage or for violence or distress caused to oth...View More
mukta-sańgo ’nahaḿ-vādī
dhṛty-utsāha-samanvitaḥ
siddhy-asiddhyor nirvikāraḥ
kartā sāttvika ucyate
Translation
One who performs his duty without association with the modes of material nature, without false ego, with great determination and enthusiasm, and wi...View More
rāgī karma-phala-prepsur
lubdho hiḿsātmako ’śuciḥ
harṣa-śokānvitaḥ kartā
rājasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ
Translation
The worker who is attached to work and the fruits of work, desiring to enjoy those fruits, and who is greedy, always envious, impure, and moved b...View More
ayuktaḥ prākṛtaḥ stabdhaḥ
śaṭho naiṣkṛtiko ’lasaḥ
viṣādī dīrgha-sūtrī ca
kartā tāmasa ucyate
Translation
The worker who is always engaged in work against the injunctions of the scripture, who is materialistic, obstinate, cheating and expert in i...View More
buddher bhedaḿ dhṛteś caiva
guṇatas tri-vidhaḿ śṛṇu
procyamānam aśeṣeṇa
pṛthaktvena dhanañ-jaya
Translation
O winner of wealth, now please listen as I tell you in detail of the different kinds of understanding and determination, according to the three...View More
pravṛttiḿ ca nivṛttiḿ ca
kāryākārye bhayābhaye
bandhaḿ mokṣaḿ ca yā vetti
buddhiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī
Translation
O son of Pritha, that understanding by which one knows what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, what is to be feared and what...View More
yayā dharmam adharmaḿ ca
kāryaḿ cākāryam eva ca
ayathāvat prajānāti
buddhiḥ sā pārtha rājasī
Translation
O son of Pritha, that understanding which cannot distinguish between religion and irreligion, between action that should be done and action that should ...View More
adharmaḿ dharmam iti yā
manyate tamasāvṛtā
sarvārthān viparītāḿś ca
buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī
Translation
That understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and strives alw...View More
dhṛtyā yayā dhārayate
manaḥ-prāṇendriya-kriyāḥ
yogenāvyabhicāriṇyā
dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī
Translation
O son of Pritha, that determination which is unbreakable, which is sustained with steadfastness by yoga practice, and which thus controls the a...View More
yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān
dhṛtyā dhārayate ’rjuna
prasańgena phalākāńkṣī
dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī
Translation
But that determination by which one holds fast to fruitive results in religion, economic development and sense gratification is of the nature...View More
yayā svapnaḿ bhayaḿ śokaḿ
viṣādaḿ madam eva ca
na vimuñcati durmedhā
dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī
Translation
And that determination which cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness, lamentation, moroseness and illusion—such unintelligent determination, O so...View More
sukhaḿ tv idānīḿ tri-vidhaḿ
śṛṇu me bharatarṣabha
abhyāsād ramate yatra
duḥkhāntaḿ ca nigacchati
Translation
O best of the Bharatas, now please hear from Me about the three kinds of happiness by which the conditioned soul enjoys, and by which he someti...View More
yat tad agre viṣam iva
pariṇāme ’mṛtopamam
tat sukhaḿ sāttvikaḿ proktam
ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam
Translation
That which in the beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happine...View More
viṣayendriya-saḿyogād
yat tad agre ’mṛtopamam
pariṇāme viṣam iva
tat sukhaḿ rājasaḿ smṛtam
Translation
That happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar at first but poison at the end is said to ...View More
yad agre cānubandhe ca
sukhaḿ mohanam ātmanaḥ
nidrālasya-pramādotthaḿ
tat tāmasam udāhṛtam
Translation
And that happiness which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion from beginning to end and which arises from sleep, laziness and illusion is said to...View More
na tad asti pṛthivyāḿ vā
divi deveṣu vā punaḥ
sattvaḿ prakṛti-jair muktaḿ
yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhir guṇaiḥ
Translation
There is no being existing, either here or among the demigods in the higher planetary systems, which is freed from these three modes b...View More
brāhmaṇa-kṣatriya-viśāḿ
śūdrāṇāḿ ca paran-tapa
karmāṇi pravibhaktāni
svabhāva-prabhavair guṇaiḥ
Translation
Brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras are distinguished by the qualities born of their own natures in accordance with the material mod...View More
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaḿ
kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
jñānaḿ vijñānam āstikyaḿ
brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
Translation
Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness—these are the natural qualities by whic...View More