There is a person who, through the practice of yoga, attains purity of mind, controls himself, conquers his senses, and realizes his own self as the self of all beings. Though he acts in the world, he remains untouched by its stains. Established in yoga and knowing the truth, he perceives, “I do nothing at all,” even as he sees, hears, touches, smells, eats, moves, sleeps, or breathes. Whether he speaks, releases, grasps, opens or closes his eyes, he knows that only the senses interact with their objects, and he himself is not the agent. Such a one performs all actions, offering them to Brahman, free from attachment, and is not tainted by sin—just as a lotus leaf is not wetted by water. Yogis act with their body, mind, intellect, and even with their senses alone, abandoning attachment, seeking only the purification of the self. The one who has united himself in yoga, giving up the fruits of actions, attains lasting peace. But the restless person, driven by desire and attached to results, finds himself bound. The self-controlled yogi, having mentally renounced all actions, dwells happily within the body—the city of nine gates—neither acting nor causing action. The Lord does not create agency, actions, or the union with the fruits of actions for people; it is nature that acts. The all-pervading does not accept anyone’s virtue or sin; but ignorance covers knowledge, and thus beings are deluded. Yet, for those whose ignorance is destroyed by self-knowledge, that knowledge shines like the sun, revealing the supreme. Those whose intellect, self, faith, and refuge are fixed in That, and whose impurities are destroyed by knowledge, reach liberation and do not return to the cycle of birth. The wise see with equal vision a learned and humble brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even a dog-eater. Even here, those whose minds are established in equality have conquered birth and death, for Brahman is flawless and equal, and they abide in Brahman. One who knows Brahman and whose intellect is steady and undeluded is not elated by pleasant things nor disturbed by unpleasant ones, and remains established in Brahman. With the self unattached to external contacts, finding happiness within, that person, united with Brahman-yoga, attains imperishable joy. Pleasures born of contact are sources of pain; they have a beginning and an end, and the wise do not delight in them. Whoever is able, even before leaving the body, to withstand the force of desire and anger, is a yogi and a happy human. One whose happiness, delight, and light are all within, having become Brahman, attains Brahman-nirvāṇa. The seers whose impurities are destroyed, whose doubts are cut off, whose minds are controlled, and who delight in the welfare of all beings, attain Brahman-nirvāṇa. For those renunciates who are free from desire and anger, whose minds are controlled and who know the self, Brahman-nirvāṇa exists all around. Turning outward contacts aside, fixing the gaze between the eyebrows, and making the in-breath and out-breath move equally within the nostrils, the sage whose senses, mind, and intellect are controlled, intent on liberation, free from desire, fear, and anger, is always liberated. Knowing Krishna as the enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities, the great Lord of all worlds, and the friend of all beings, one attains peace. Then the Blessed Lord spoke: “Whoever performs the required action without relying on the fruits of action is the true renunciant and yogi—not one who has merely given up sacred fire or works. What is called renunciation, know that as yoga, O Pandava; for no one becomes a yogi without giving up desires and intentions. For one aspiring to yoga, action is the means; for one established in yoga, tranquility is the means. When one is not attached to sense objects or actions, and has renounced all intentions, then he is said to be established in yoga. One should lift oneself by one’s own self, not degrade oneself; for the self alone is one’s friend, and the self alone is one’s enemy. For him whose self is conquered by the self, the self is a friend; but for one who is not self-controlled, the self acts as an enemy. For one who is self-controlled and peaceful, the Supreme Self is established; he remains the same in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor. He whose mind is satisfied with knowledge and wisdom, who is steadfast, who has conquered the senses, is called a yogi, and is equal toward earth, stone, and gold. He who has equal understanding toward friends, companions, enemies, neutrals, mediators, the hateful, relatives, the virtuous and the sinful, is distinguished. The yogi should always practice self-union, remaining alone in seclusion, with controlled mind and self, free from desires and possessions. In a clean place, he should establish a firm seat for himself, not too high nor too low, with cloth, deer skin, and kusa grass as the foundation. There, having made the mind one-pointed, with controlled thought and senses, he should sit on the seat and practice yoga for self-purification. Holding the body, head, and neck straight and steady, gazing at the tip of his own nose, without looking in any direction. With a peaceful mind, free from fear, established in the vow of celibacy, controlling the mind, absorbed in Krishna, he should sit, devoted to Him. Thus, always practicing self-union, the yogi with controlled mind attains peace, supreme liberation, established in Krishna. Yoga is not for one who eats too much, nor for one who abstains entirely; it is not for one who sleeps excessively, nor for one who is always awake. For one who is moderate in eating and recreation, moderate in actions, moderate in sleep and waking, yoga destroys all suffering.