Listen, as the Lord addresses Arjuna, troubled and uncertain on the battlefield. He begins by revealing the nature of the true Self: it cannot be broken, burned, wetted, or dried. This Self is eternal, all-pervading, stable, unmoving, and ancient. It is unmanifest, inconceivable, and unchanging. Knowing this, Arjuna is told, there is no reason to grieve. Even if one assumes the Self is born and dies repeatedly, still, sorrow is not warranted. For all who are born, death is inevitable; and for all who die, birth will surely follow. Thus, lamenting the unavoidable is futile. All beings are unmanifest at their origin, manifest in their lifetime, and return to unmanifest at their end. What then is there to mourn? This Self is a wonder: some see it as wondrous, others speak of it as such, and some hear about it in wonder, yet none truly comprehend it. The indestructible Self abides in every body, therefore, Arjuna, do not grieve for any living being. Turning to duty, Krishna reminds Arjuna: even considering your own dharma as a warrior, you should not hesitate, for no greater good exists for a warrior than a righteous battle. Fortunate are those who encounter such a battle, which opens the gates of heaven. But if you refuse this righteous fight, neglecting duty and honor, you incur sin. Your reputation will suffer undying shame, and for one honored, dishonor is worse than death. Esteemed warriors will think you withdrew from fear, leading to disgrace. Your enemies will speak ill of your strength, and nothing could be more painful. If you fall in battle, heaven awaits; if you win, you enjoy the earth. Therefore, arise, Arjuna, determined to fight. Make pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat equal in your mind, and prepare for battle. In this way, you will not incur sin. This wisdom has been shared from the standpoint of knowledge; now hear it from the perspective of discipline. With this understanding, you will free yourself from the bondage of action. On this path, no effort is wasted, nor is there harm. Even a little practice of this discipline protects one from great fear. Those established in this path have a resolute, single-pointed intellect, while the irresolute are scattered and endless in their thoughts. Unwise people, attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, believe there is nothing else. Their minds are set on desires and heaven, promising rebirth as the fruit of action, filled with rituals aimed at enjoyment and power. For those attached to pleasure and power, whose minds are thus carried away, the resolute intellect for concentration is not established. The Vedas deal with the three modes of nature. Arjuna is advised to rise above these modes, above dualities, established in purity, unconcerned with acquisition or preservation, and rooted in the Self. To the knower, all purposes served by the Vedas are fulfilled as a small well is in a flood of water. Krishna instructs Arjuna: you have a right only to action, never to its fruits. Do not let the fruits of action motivate you, nor be attached to inaction. Established in yoga, perform your actions, abandoning attachment and remaining equal in success and failure. This equanimity is called yoga. Action is inferior to the yoga of wisdom. Seek refuge in wisdom, for those who desire the fruits of action are miserable. Endowed with wisdom, one casts off both good and evil deeds. Therefore, devote yourself to yoga, for yoga is skill in action. The wise, united with wisdom, abandon the fruits of action, freed from the bondage of birth, and reach a state beyond all suffering. When your intellect crosses beyond the thicket of delusion, you will become indifferent to what is to be heard and what has been heard. When your intellect, confused by what you have heard, stands firm and unmoving in concentration, then you will attain yoga. Arjuna asks Krishna: How does one whose understanding is steady, who is established in concentration, speak, sit, and walk? The Lord replies: When a person gives up all desires arising in the mind and is satisfied in the Self by the Self alone, he is said to have steady understanding. One whose mind is undisturbed by sorrow, who has lost craving for pleasure, and is free from attachment, fear, and anger is called a sage of steady mind. He who is unattached everywhere, who neither rejoices nor hates when obtaining good or evil, his wisdom is firmly established. When, like a tortoise withdrawing its limbs, one withdraws the senses from sense objects, his wisdom is firmly established. Sense objects turn away from the embodied one who abstains, but the taste for them remains; even this taste disappears upon seeing the Supreme. Yet, the turbulent senses can violently carry away the mind of even a wise striving person. Therefore, one should restrain all senses and sit steadfast, intent on Krishna. For one whose senses are under control, wisdom is firmly established. When a person dwells on sense objects, attachment arises; from attachment comes desire, from desire arises anger. From anger comes delusion; from delusion, loss of memory; from loss of memory, destruction of intelligence; and from destruction of intelligence, one perishes. Thus, the Lord guides Arjuna, offering wisdom and discipline, urging him to rise above grief, perform his duty, and establish himself in yoga and self-mastery.