Listen, as the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita unfolds in a radiant, seamless stream. There is a person whose every action is untouched by desire or selfish intention, whose deeds have been consumed in the fire of true knowledge. The wise recognize such a soul as truly learned. This person, having abandoned attachment to the fruits of action, remains always content, relying on nothing external. Even while fully engaged in the world’s activities, he is not truly the doer; he acts, yet does nothing at all. Such a one, without expectation, with mind and senses under control, having given up all possessions, acts only through the body, incurring no fault. Content with whatever arrives by chance, beyond the sway of opposites, free from envy, and steady in both success and failure, he moves through life unbound by his actions. For one who is free from attachment, whose mind is established in knowledge, and who acts solely for the sake of sacrifice, all actions dissolve completely. For him, the offering is Brahman, the oblation is Brahman, and it is Brahman who offers into the fire of Brahman. Such a person, absorbed in seeing all acts as Brahman, attains Brahman alone. Many paths of sacrifice are followed by seekers. Some worship the gods alone through ritual, while others offer sacrifice directly into the fire of Brahman itself. Some offer their senses, such as hearing and sight, into the fire of restraint, while others offer the very objects of the senses—sound, form, and so forth—into the fires of the senses. Still others offer all the activities of the senses and the vital energies into the fire of self-restraint, kindled by knowledge. There are those who sacrifice with material offerings, some with austerity, others with the discipline of yoga. Some, steadfast in their vows, perform sacrifice through study and the pursuit of wisdom. Others offer the outgoing breath into the incoming, and the incoming into the outgoing, practicing breath control; some, with regulated diet, offer the breaths into the breaths themselves. All these, understanding the true nature of sacrifice, have their faults and sins consumed by the very act of sacrifice. Those who partake of the nectar that arises from sacrifice attain the eternal Brahman. For one who does not sacrifice, there is nothing in this world—how then could there be anything in the next? Thus, many forms of sacrifice are spread out at the mouth of Brahman. Know them all as arising from action, and by understanding this, you shall be liberated. Yet, among all these, the sacrifice of knowledge is superior to sacrifice with material offerings, for all actions, O Arjuna, ultimately culminate in knowledge. Seek this knowledge by approaching wise teachers with reverence, by questioning, and by serving them. Those who see the truth will impart this knowledge to you. Once you know this, O Pandava, you will not again fall into delusion, for by this knowledge, you will see all beings entirely within yourself and also within Me. Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners, you will cross over all evil by the boat of knowledge alone. Just as a blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, so does the fire of knowledge turn all actions to ashes. There is nothing in this world as purifying as knowledge. One who is perfected in yoga discovers this truth within oneself in due time. The one who has faith, who is devoted, and who has mastered the senses, attains knowledge; having gained knowledge, one quickly attains the highest peace. But the ignorant, the faithless, and the doubting self are lost; for such a person, neither this world nor the next nor happiness exists. Actions do not bind one who has renounced all actions through yoga, whose doubts are cut away by knowledge, and who is self-possessed, O Dhananjaya. Therefore, with the sword of knowledge, cut off the doubt in your heart born of ignorance. Stand up, established in yoga, O Bharata. At this, Arjuna spoke: “O Krishna, you praise both renunciation of action and the yoga of action. Tell me clearly—which of these is truly superior?” The Blessed Lord replied: “Both renunciation and karma-yoga lead to the highest good, but of the two, karma-yoga is superior. Know that person as always a true renunciant who neither hates nor desires, who is free from the dualities of life. Such a one is easily released from bondage. “Only the childish speak of Sankhya (the path of knowledge) and Yoga (the path of action) as different. The wise see them as one, for whoever properly follows either gains the fruit of both. The state attained by the followers of knowledge is also reached by the yogis. One who sees Sankhya and Yoga as one, truly sees. “But, O mighty-armed, renunciation is difficult to attain without yoga. The sage equipped with yoga swiftly attains Brahman. One united with yoga, pure in mind, self-controlled, with senses conquered, and whose self is the self of all beings, though acting, is not tainted. “The one established in yoga, knowing the truth, thinks, ‘I do nothing at all,’ even while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing, speaking, letting go, grasping, opening and closing the eyes—convinced that the senses move among their objects. “Whoever performs actions, offering them to Brahman and abandoning attachment, is not tainted by sin, just as the lotus leaf is not wetted by water. With body, mind, intellect, and even with the senses alone, yogis perform actions, abandoning attachment, for the purification of the self. “The united one, abandoning the fruits of action, attains lasting peace; but the unsteady one, attached to results by desire, is bound. Having mentally renounced all actions, the self-controlled person dwells happily in the city of nine gates—the body—neither acting nor causing action. “The Lord does not create agency, actions, or the union with the fruits of actions for people; rather, nature acts. The all-pervading does not accept anyone’s sin or virtue. Knowledge is covered by ignorance, and thus beings are deluded. But for those whose ignorance is destroyed by knowledge of the self, that knowledge, like the sun, reveals the Supreme.” Thus, the sacred dialogue reveals the way of true wisdom, the nature of action and renunciation, and the supreme peace that arises from knowledge and yoga.