Sanskrit Corpus

ye tvetadabhyasūyanto nānutiṣṭhanti me matam । sarvajñānavimūḍhāṃstānviddhi naṣṭānacetasaḥ ॥

“But those who cavil and do not follow this teaching of Mine — know them, deluded about all knowledge and witless, as lost.”

sadṛśaṃ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛterjñānavānapi । prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati ॥

“Even the wise man acts after the likeness of his own nature; beings follow nature — what can repression do?”

indriyasyendriyasyārthe rāgadveṣau vyavasthitau । tayorna vaśamāgacchettau hyasya paripanthinau ॥

“Likes and dislikes are fixed toward each sense's objects; let none come under their sway, for they are his foes.”

śreyānsvadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmātsvanuṣṭhitāt । svadharme nidhanaṃ śreyaḥ paradharmo bhayāvahaḥ ॥

“Better one's own duty, though wanting, than another's well-performed; death in one's own duty is better — another's duty brings danger.”

atha kena prayukto'yaṃ pāpaṃ carati pūruṣaḥ । anicchannapi vārṣṇeya balādiva niyojitaḥ ॥

“Then by what impelled does a man commit sin, O Vārṣṇeya, unwilling though he be, as if yoked by force?”

kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajoguṇasamudbhavaḥ । mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhyenamiha vairiṇam ॥

“It is desire, it is anger, born of the quality of passion — the great devourer, the great evil; know it here as the foe.”

dhūmenāvriyate vahniryathādarśo malena ca । yatholbenāvṛto garbhastathā tenedamāvṛtam ॥

“As fire is covered by smoke, a mirror by dust, as an embryo is wrapped by the womb, so is this covered by that.”

āvṛtaṃ jñānametena jñānino nityavairiṇā । kāmarūpeṇa kaunteya duṣpūreṇānalena ca ॥

“Knowledge is covered by this, the wise man's constant foe, in the form of desire, O son of Kuntī — hard to fill, like fire.”

indriyāṇi mano buddhirasyādhiṣṭhānamucyate । etairvimohayatyeṣa jñānamāvṛtya dehinam ॥

“Senses, mind and thought are called its seat; through these it deludes, covering knowledge, the embodied self.”

tasmāttvamindriyāṇyādau niyamya bharatarṣabha । pāpmānaṃ prajahi hyenaṃ jñānavijñānanāśanam ॥

“So first restraining the senses, O best of Bharatas, strike down this evil that destroys knowledge and discernment.”

indriyāṇi parāṇyāhurindriyebhyaḥ paraṃ manaḥ । manasastu parā buddhiryo buddheḥ paratastu saḥ ॥

“The senses are called high, higher than the senses is the mind, higher than the mind is thought — and higher than thought is He.”

evaṃ buddheḥ paraṃ buddhvā saṃstabhyātmānamātmanā । jahi śatruṃ mahābāho kāmarūpaṃ durāsadam ॥

“Thus knowing Him as higher than thought, steadying the self by the self, slay the foe, O mighty-armed, whose form is desire and who is hard to seize.”

imaṃ vivasvate yogaṃ proktavānahamavyayam । vivasvānmanave prāha manurikṣvākave'bravīt ॥

“I taught this imperishable discipline to Vivasvat; Vivasvat told it to Manu, and Manu spoke it to Ikṣvāku.”

evaṃ paramparāprāptamimaṃ rājarṣayo viduḥ । sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa ॥

“Thus received in succession, the royal sages knew it; with long time that discipline was lost here, O tormentor of foes.”

sa evāyaṃ mayā te'dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ । bhakto'si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṃ hyetaduttamam ॥

“That same ancient discipline I have declared to you today, for you are My devotee and friend — and this is the highest secret.”

aparaṃ bhavato janma paraṃ janma vivasvataḥ । kathametadvijānīyāṃ tvamādau proktavāniti ॥

“Your birth is later, the birth of Vivasvat earlier; how am I to understand that you taught it first?”

bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna । tānyahaṃ veda sarvāṇi na tvaṃ vettha parantapa ॥

“Many births of Mine have passed, and yours too, O Arjuna; I know them all, but you know them not, O tormentor of foes.”

ajo'pi sannavyayātmā bhūtānāmīśvaro'pi san । prakṛtiṃ svāmadhiṣṭhāya saṃbhavāmyātmamāyayā ॥

“Though unborn, though My self is unchanging, though Lord of beings, I come forth, ruling My own nature, by My own power.”

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati bhārata । abhyutthānamadharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmyaham ॥

“Whenever there is a waning of dharma, O Bhārata, and a rise of lawlessness, then I send forth Myself.”

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām । dharmasaṃsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge ॥

“To save the good and destroy the evil-doers, to refound dharma, I come into being age after age.”

janma karma ca me divyamevaṃ yo vetti tattvataḥ । tyaktvā dehaṃ punarjanma naiti māmeti so'rjuna ॥

“Whoever truly knows thus My divine birth and work — leaving the body, he comes not to rebirth; he comes to Me, O Arjuna.”

vītarāgabhayakrodhā manmayā māmupāśritāḥ । bahavo jñānatapasā pūtā madbhāvamāgatāḥ ॥

“Freed from passion, fear and anger, full of Me, sheltered in Me, many, purified by the austerity of knowledge, reached My state.”

ye yathā māṃ prapadyante tāṃstathaiva bhajāmyaham । mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ॥

“As men take refuge in Me, so I serve them; men follow My path in all ways, O Pārtha.”

kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṃ siddhiṃ yajanta iha devatāḥ । kṣipraṃ hi mānuṣe loke siddhirbhavati karmajā ॥

“Seeking success in deeds, men here sacrifice to the gods; for in the human world quick comes success born of deeds.”

cāturvarṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭaṃ guṇakarmavibhāgaśaḥ । tasya kartāramapi māṃ viddhyakartāramavyayam ॥

“The fourfold order I fashioned by divisions of quality and work; though its maker, know Me as the non-maker, unchanging.”

na māṃ karmāṇi limpanti na me karmaphale spṛhā । iti māṃ yo'bhijānāti karmabhirna sa badhyate ॥

“Deeds do not stain Me, nor have I craving for the fruits of deeds; whoever knows Me thus is not bound by deeds.”

evaṃ jñātvā kṛtaṃ karma pūrvairapi mumukṣubhiḥ । kuru karmaiva tasmāttvaṃ pūrvaiḥ pūrvataraṃ kṛtam ॥

“Knowing thus, deeds were done of old even by seekers of freedom; so do you do deeds as the ancients did in former times.”

kiṃ karma kimakarmeti kavayo'pyatra mohitāḥ । tatte karma pravakṣyāmi yajjñātvā mokṣyase'śubhāt ॥

“What is action, what is inaction — even sages are bewildered here; I will declare to you that action by knowing which you will be freed from ill.”

karmaṇo hyapi boddhavyaṃ boddhavyaṃ ca vikarmaṇaḥ । akarmaṇaśca boddhavyaṃ gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ ॥

“For one must understand action, and understand wrong action, and understand inaction — deep is the course of action.”

karmaṇyakarma yaḥ paśyedakarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ । sa buddhimānmanuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt ॥

“Whoever sees inaction in action, and action in inaction — he is wise among men, disciplined, doing all deeds.”

yasya sarve samārambhāḥ kāmasaṃkalpavarjitāḥ । jñānāgnidagdhakarmāṇaṃ tamāhuḥ paṇḍitaṃ budhāḥ ॥

“Whose every venture is free of desire and resolve, whose deeds are burned by the fire of knowledge — him the learned call wise.”

tyaktvā karmaphalāsaṅgaṃ nityatṛpto nirāśrayaḥ । karmaṇyabhipravṛtto'pi naiva kiṃcitkaroti saḥ ॥

“Abandoning attachment to the fruits of deeds, ever content, shelterless, though busied in deeds he does nothing at all.”

nirāśīryatacittātmā tyaktasarvaparigrahaḥ । śārīraṃ kevalaṃ karma kurvannāpnoti kilbiṣam ॥

“Hopeless, with mind and self restrained, giving up all possessions, doing mere bodily deeds, he incurs no stain.”

yadṛcchālābhasaṃtuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ । samaḥ siddhāvasiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate ॥

“Content with chance gains, beyond opposites, free of envy, even-minded in success and failure — though acting, he is not bound.”

gatasaṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthitacetasaḥ । yajñāyācarataḥ karma samagraṃ pravilīyate ॥

“For one rid of attachment, freed, his mind fixed in knowledge, acting for sacrifice — his deeds wholly melt away.”

brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma havirbrahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam । brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahmakarmasamādhinā ॥

“The offering is Brahman, the oblation is Brahman, poured by Brahman into Brahman's fire; Brahman alone is to be reached by him through concentration on Brahman-deeds.”

daivamevāpare yajñaṃ yoginaḥ paryupāsate । brahmāgnāvapare yajñaṃ yajñenaivopajuhvati ॥

“Some seekers offer sacrifice to the gods alone; others pour sacrifice by sacrifice into Brahman's fire.”

śrotrādīnīndriyāṇyanye saṃyamāgniṣu juhvati । śabdādīnviṣayānanya indriyāgniṣu juhvati ॥

“Some pour hearing and the other senses into the fires of restraint; others pour sound and the other objects into the fires of the senses.”

sarvāṇīndriyakarmāṇi prāṇakarmāṇi cāpare । ātmasaṃyamayogāgnau juhvati jñānadīpite ॥

“Others pour all workings of the senses and workings of the breaths into the fire of self-restraint's discipline, kindled by knowledge.”

dravyayajñāstapoyajñā yogayajñāstathāpare । svādhyāyajñānayajñāśca yatayaḥ saṃśitavratāḥ ॥

“Some with wealth-sacrifice, austerity-sacrifice, discipline-sacrifice, and likewise others — men of keen vows — with study-sacrifice and knowledge-sacrifice.”

apāne juhvati prāṇaṃ prāṇe'pānaṃ tathāpare । prāṇāpānagatī ruddhvā prāṇāyāmaparāyaṇāḥ ॥

“Some pour the in-breath into the out-breath, and the out-breath into the in-breath, checking the courses of both, devoted to breath-control.”

apare niyatāhārāḥ prāṇānprāṇeṣu juhvati । sarve'pyete yajñavido yajñakṣapitakalmaṣāḥ ॥

“Others of measured diet pour the breaths into the breaths; all these know sacrifice and have their stains burned away by sacrifice.”

yajñaśiṣṭāmṛtabhujo yānti brahma sanātanam । nāyaṃ loko'styayajñasya kuto'nyaḥ kurusattama ॥

“Eating the nectar left from sacrifice, they reach the eternal Brahman; this world is not for the non-sacrificer, how then the other, O best of Kurus?”

evaṃ bahuvidhā yajñā vitatā brahmaṇo mukhe । karmajānviddhi tānsarvānevaṃ jñātvā vimokṣyase ॥

“Thus many kinds of sacrifice lie spread at Brahman's mouth; know them all as born of deeds — knowing thus, you will be freed.”

śreyāndravyamayādyajñājjñānayajñaḥ parantapa । sarvaṃ karmākhilaṃ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate ॥

“Better than wealth-sacrifice is knowledge-sacrifice, O tormentor of foes; all deeds in full, O Pārtha, end in knowledge.”

tadviddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā । upadekṣyanti te jñānaṃ jñāninastattvadarśinaḥ ॥

“Learn it by humble approach, by questioning, by service; the knowers, the seers of truth, will teach you that knowledge.”

yajjñātvā na punarmohamevaṃ yāsyasi pāṇḍava । yena bhūtānyaśeṣeṇa drakṣyasyātmanyatho mayi ॥

“Knowing which, you will not again come to such delusion, O Pāṇḍava — by which you will see all beings without exception in the self, and then in Me.”

api cedasi pāpebhyaḥ sarvebhyaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ । sarvaṃ jñānaplavenaiva vṛjinaṃ santariṣyasi ॥

“Even if you are the worst sinner of all sinners, you will cross all evil by the boat of knowledge alone.”

yathaidhāṃsi samiddho'gnirbhasmasātkurute'rjuna । jñānāgniḥ sarvakarmāṇi bhasmasātkurute tathā ॥

“As a kindled fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so the fire of knowledge turns all deeds to ashes.”

na hi jñānena sadṛśaṃ pavitramiha vidyate । tatsvayaṃ yogasaṃsiddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati ॥

“Nothing here purifies like knowledge; in time the man perfected in discipline finds it by himself in the self.”