The Blessed Lord spoke to Arjuna, illuminating the sacred order of the world. He explained that when people offer sacrifice, the gods are nourished and, in turn, grant all desired enjoyments. But if a person takes these gifts without offering back in gratitude, he is truly a thief. The virtuous, who partake only of the remnants left after sacrifice, are freed from all sin; while those who cook solely for themselves, thinking only of their own enjoyment, eat nothing but sin. All living beings are born from food, food depends on rain, rain arises from sacrifice, and sacrifice itself is born from action. Action, in turn, is rooted in the Veda, and the Veda comes from the Imperishable. Thus, the Veda, all-pervading, is ever established in sacrifice. One who does not follow this cycle, but instead lives only for the pleasures of the senses, lives in vain and leads a sinful life. Yet, there is another path. The one who delights, is satisfied, and is content only in the Self—who is fulfilled within—has nothing he must do. For such a person, there is no purpose in action or inaction, nor does he depend on any being for any reason. Still, the Lord advised, "Therefore, always perform the action that ought to be done, but without attachment; for by acting without attachment, one attains the highest." He reminded Arjuna that it was through action alone that great souls like Janaka and others reached perfection. Even for the sake of the world’s welfare, action should be performed. Whatever a great person does, others follow; whatever standard he sets, that becomes the standard for all. The Lord said, “O Partha, for me there is nothing left to do in all the three worlds, nothing unattained to attain; yet I act. For if I did not act with diligence, people everywhere would follow my example. If I refrained from action, the worlds would perish, and I would be the cause of confusion and the destruction of these beings.” He continued, “As the ignorant act with attachment, so should the wise act—but without attachment, wishing for the welfare of the world. The wise should not disturb the understanding of those who are attached to action; rather, by acting with discipline, he should encourage all actions.” “All actions are performed by the qualities of nature, but one whose mind is clouded by ego thinks, ‘I am the doer.’ The one who knows the truth sees the distinction between qualities and actions and, understanding that ‘qualities act upon qualities,’ does not become attached. Those whose minds are confused by the qualities of nature become attached to their actions. The wise should not unsettle the understanding of those who do not know fully.” Then the Lord instructed, “Surrender all your actions to me, with your mind focused on the Self. Free from desire and possessiveness, fight without distress. Those who follow this teaching of mine with faith and without envy are freed from the bonds of action. But those who, out of envy, do not follow this teaching are confused in all knowledge and lost, lacking discernment.” He observed that even the wise act according to their own nature; all beings follow their own nature, and mere restraint accomplishes little. Attachment and aversion are fixed in each sense toward its objects, but one should not come under their control, for they are obstacles on the path. The Lord emphasized, “Better is one’s own duty, even if imperfect, than another’s duty well-performed. Death in one’s own duty is better; another’s duty brings fear.” Hearing this, Arjuna asked, “By what is a person impelled to commit sin, even unwilling, as if compelled by force, O descendant of Vrishni?” The Blessed Lord replied, “It is desire and anger, born of the quality of passion. Know this as the great devourer, the great sinner, the enemy in this world. Just as fire is covered by smoke, a mirror by dust, and a fetus by the womb, so is knowledge covered by desire. This eternal enemy, in the form of insatiable desire, covers knowledge and deludes even the wise.” He explained that the senses, mind, and intellect are said to be the seats of desire. Through these, desire deludes the embodied being and covers knowledge. “Therefore,” he said, “first restrain the senses, O best of Bharatas, and destroy this evil, the destroyer of knowledge and wisdom. The senses are said to be superior to the body, the mind is superior to the senses, the intellect is superior to the mind, and that which is superior to the intellect is the Self. Thus, knowing the Self to be supreme, steady yourself, and destroy this difficult enemy in the form of desire, O mighty-armed one.” Then the Blessed Lord continued, “I imparted this imperishable yoga to Vivasvat, the sun-god; Vivasvat taught it to Manu, and Manu told it to Ikshvaku. Thus, through succession, the royal sages knew this yoga, but over time, O scorcher of foes, that yoga was lost to the world. Today, I declare to you this same ancient yoga, for you are my devotee and friend—this is indeed the highest secret.” Arjuna wondered, “Your birth is recent, while Vivasvat’s is ancient. How am I to understand that you taught this at the beginning?” The Blessed Lord replied, “Many births have passed for both you and me, Arjuna. I know them all, but you do not. Though I am unborn and my essence is imperishable, though I am the Lord of all beings, I manifest myself by controlling my own nature, through my own power. Whenever there is a decline of dharma and a rise of adharma, O Bharata, then I manifest myself. For the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of evildoers, and for the establishment of dharma, I come into being age after age.