Bhagavat Gita

Ch III The Yoga of Karma

(Karma Yoga)

Arjuna said:

If greater is wisdom

In option to action

Why I am then deputed

For duty so terrible ?

Listening to thy speech perplexing

My mind is much confused.

Hence tell me the selected one

By which I gain sure perfection.

The Blessed Lord said:

Path is two way in this world

As I told before oh Sinless.

Wisdom - Yoga for seekers;

Action - Yoga for the saints.

Abstaining from own actions

No man becomes action free

Nor by renunciation of actions

None can achieve the perfection.

Because none can remain

Actionless even for a second,

But all beings do helplessly

Act by own natural instinct.

Organs of actions restricted, yet;

Mind engaged on fondling objects

Such one ever will remain a stupid

And can only be called a hypocrite.

But one who tries to restrict his

Lust through wisdom Oh Arjuna !

Enduring organs in actions - he,

Is through excellent Karma - Yoga.

Then by staying on as active

Do noble duties as directed.

For inactive too act helplessly

At least to care own body.

Except that for the sacrifices

All other actions binds to world.

Hence to free from bondage do -

Actions as sacrifice oh Kawntheya !

Creating the mankind with sacrifice

Creator declared in the bigining that

Sacrifice will be thy way to prosper and

It is the milk-cow of thy desires too.

Worship the gods with sacrifice

In turn Gods will bless you.

Both thus pleasing each other

All will gain great excellance.

Your desires will be fulfilled by

Gods pleased with your sacrifice.

He who enjoys the gift from Gods

With out offering them is a thief only.

The righteous are fed on

Remnants of the sacrifice.

As it equals divine nectar,

Eaters of it is freed of sins.

But the sinfull cook food

For his own sake only and

Without sharing it with Gods

Verily eat but sin only.

Beings emerge from food

Food arise from the rain.

Rain emerge from sacrifice,

And sacrifice is born action.

Action comes from Brahman

Form imperishable is Brahman.

Hence all pervading Brahman

Exists ever in all sacrifices.

He who does not follow

The wheel thus set in run

Live enjoying lust in vain

His life is sinful, Oh Partha !

Man who rejoices in the self

Is satisfied with in the self

Such man content in self alone

Has nothing more to do here.

He is uninterested in

That done or left over.

He depends on no being

For gaining any objects.

Hence do thy duty unattached

There by thee reach the supreme.

Janka such others attained

Perfection through actions

Atleast in view of protection

For thy masses thee perform.

What the honoured have done

That the others will follow.

What standered he had set

World follows to scale on it.

No duty binds me ever over

In all three worlds oh Partha !

Nothing left but all achived

Yet myself engage in action.

If I do no action thus

Without any relaxation;

My way they will follow

Men allover oh Partha.

If I do not function, then

World surely will perish

Then I will be the author

Of intercaste and anarchy.

The ignorant act oh Bharatha

With attachment to action, while;

The wise acts unattached

Wishing all world the good.

Agitate not the mind of those

Ignorants with attachment to action.

Let the wise restraint too devote

To engage all and self to work.

Nature makes all to do

Work always by instinct.

I am the doer but he thinks

The ego deluded man a fool.

But who know oh Mighty armed

Divisions of actions and objects

And sense organs work for senses

Thus knowing act unattached.

Those deluded in the grip of nature acts

Attached to actions per ego or instincts

For such unsettled hypocratic foolish men

The wise should not try to reform them.

Renouncing all actions in me

With mind centered on own self

With no ego or desire on earth

Sorrow free thee do thy fight.

Men practicing my teaching

Devotionally and regulerly

With faith and envyless; they,

Are liberated from all actions.

But those who carp my teachings

And do not practice it either

Know such fools doom for ever

Loosing chance to wake his self.

Even the wise himself do

Like wise his instinct says

All beings follows nature

What else can a restraint do.

Organs made for senses

Sway by love and lust

Don’t surrender to senses

For they are thy real foes.

Greater is own duty which

Though he think its unworthy.

Than the duty of another

Even if it is well discharged.

Greater is the death if it is

Happened while discharging own duty.

Terrible is the death if it is

Happened while doing another’s duty.

Arjuna said:

But what do compels men all over

To commit sin though unwilling.

Engaged as if he is forced to do

Even against his will oh Varshneya !

The Blessed Lord said:

Unquenched is this lust and rage

Originated from the Rajogunas

So, terrible sins are caused by it

Hence treat them as thy real foes.

Like the smoke covers the fire

And the dust covers the glass or

Like womb encovers the feoetus

Likewise lust covers the wisdom.

Ever it is an enemy for the wise

For wisdom is covered by that

Kawntheya its the form of desire;

Like fire, it can never be appeased.

The sense mind and intellect

Are said to be its seats, and;

It deludes the embodied

By eclipsing his wisdom.

Therefore Oh Bharatha !

Control thy senses first.

Thus exe off the cause of sins

The destroyer of development.

Senses are superior to body

Mind is superior to senses,

Wisdom is superior to mind

Yet, most superior is the soul.

Thus realising the superior wisdom

Restraining the self by thyself

Slay foe - lust oh Mighty armed

For foe - lust is hard to be conquered.

Thus Shrimad Bhagavat Githopanishad’s

The supreme doctrine, the Science of Yoga

As Shrikrishna - Arjuna dialogue

Kama Yoga named III rd Chapter.