न हृष्यति सुखेनात्मा दुःखैर् ग्लायति नार्जुन । दृषद्वच् चेतनात्मापि शरीरान्तर्गतो ऽपि सन्
The Self is not elated by pleasure nor distressed by pain, O Arjuna; even if the conscious Self is within the body, it is unmoved, like a rock.
जडं चित्तादि दुःखस्य भाजनं देहतां गतम् । न चैतस्मिन् क्षते क्षीणे किञ्चिद् एवात्मनः क्षतम्
The inert mind and such, which have become the body, are the vessels of suffering; but when these are injured or destroyed, nothing of the Self is harmed.
जडं देहादि दुःखादेर् यद् इदं भोक्त्र् इति स्थितम् । तन् मायाभ्रमम् एवाङ्ग विद्ध्य् अबोधवशोत्थितम्
This idea that the inert body and so on are the enjoyers of suffering is only a delusion born of ignorance, O dear one; know it to be a trick of illusion.
न किञ्चिद् एव देहादि न च दुःखादि विद्यते । आत्मनो यत् पृथग्भूतं किं केनातो ऽनुभूयते
There is truly no body or anything like suffering; whatever is imagined as separate from the Self—how could it be experienced by whom?
यद् इदं कथयाम्य् अत्र तेनैषा ते विनश्यति । भ्रान्तिर् दुरवबोधोत्था सम्यग्बोधेन भारत
By what I am telling you here, that delusion—arising from difficult-to-understand ignorance—will be destroyed for you, through true understanding, O Bharata.
यथा रज्ज्वाम् अहिभयं बोधान् नश्यत्य् अबोधजम् । तथा देहादि दुःखादि बोधान् नश्यत्य् अबोधजम्
Just as the fear of a snake on a rope, born of ignorance, is dispelled by knowledge, so too, suffering and the like, arising from the body and such, are destroyed by knowledge.
विष्वग् विश्वम् अजं ब्रह्म न नश्यति न जायते । इति सत्यं परं विद्धि बोधः परम एष सः
Everywhere, the unborn Brahman, the universe, neither perishes nor is born; know this as the highest truth—this is supreme knowledge.
ब्रह्मार्णवतरङ्गस् त्वं किञ्चिद् भूत्वा विलीयसे । ब्रह्मावर्ते स्फुरस्य् अद्य ब्रह्मैवासि निरामयम्
You are a wave in the ocean of Brahman; becoming something for a while, you dissolve again. Today, you shine forth in the whirlpool of Brahman; you are Brahman alone, free from all affliction.
जगत् कालः क्रिया देशस् त्वम् अहं सैनिका इति । ब्रह्मण्य् एवं परिस्पन्दो नात्र स्तस् सदसत्क्रमौ
World, time, action, place, you, I, and the armies—all this is but movement within Brahman; here, there is no sequence of real and unreal.
जहि मानं मदं शोकं भयम् ईर्ष्यां सुखासुखे । द्वैतम् एतद् असद्रूपम् एकस् सद्रूपवान् भव
Abandon pride, arrogance, sorrow, fear, envy, pleasure and pain; this duality is unreal—be one, possessing the true nature.
पुरुषाक्षौहिणीनां त्वं क्षयेणानुभवात्मना । ब्रह्मणा बृंहितं युद्धं ब्रह्म ब्रह्ममयं कुरु
As the destruction of the armies of men is experienced by you, make the battle, which is magnified by Brahman, into a battle of Brahman, composed of Brahman alone.
असंविदन् सुखं दुःखं लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ । युद्धब्रह्मैकतां गच्छ ब्रह्मादिस्तम्भ भारत
Without awareness, pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat—attain unity with the battle that is Brahman, O Bharata, from Brahma down to a blade of grass.
लाभालाभसमो भूत्वा भूत्वा नूनं नकिञ्चन । जडो वात इव स्पन्दी प्रसृतं कार्यम् आचर
Be equal in gain and loss, becoming truly free of possessions; act, like the wind moves, without attachment, carrying out what is to be done.
यत् करोषि यद् अश्नासि यज् जुहोषि ददासि यत् । यत् करिष्यसि कौन्तेय तद् आत्मेति स्थिरो भव
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give, whatever you undertake, O Kaunteya, do it with the thought: 'This is the Self,' and remain steady.
यन्मयो यो भवत्य् अन्तस् स तद् आप्नोत्य् असंशयम् । ब्रह्मसत्यम् अवाप्तुं त्वं ब्रह्मसत्यमयो भव
Whatever one is filled with within, that he surely attains; to realize the truth of Brahman, become filled with the truth of Brahman.
अनपेक्ष्य फलं ब्रह्म भूत्वा ब्रह्मेति भावितम् । क्रियते केवलं कर्म ब्रह्मज्ञेन यथागतम्
Without seeking the result, having become Brahman and contemplating 'I am Brahman,' action is performed simply as it comes, by one who knows Brahman.
कर्मण्य् अकर्म यः पश्यत्य् अकर्मणि च कर्म यः । स बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु स चोक्तस् सर्वकर्मकृत्
He who sees action in inaction and inaction in action, he is wise among men, and is said to be the doer of all actions.
मा कर्मफलहेतुर् भूर् मा ते सङ्गो ऽस्त्व् अकर्मणि । योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय
Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction; established in yoga, perform actions, abandoning attachment, O Dhananjaya.
कर्मासक्तिम् अनाश्रित्य तथा नाश्रित्य मूढताम् । नैष्कर्म्यम् अप्य् अनाश्रित्य समस् तिष्ठ यथास्थितम्
Without relying on attachment to action, nor on dullness, nor even on the idea of non-action, remain equal, as you are, without dependence.
त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः । कर्मण्य् अभिप्रवृत्तो ऽपि नैव किञ्चित् करोति सः
Having abandoned attachment to the fruits of action, always content and independent, even when engaged in action, he does nothing at all.
आसक्तिम् आहुः कर्तृत्वम् अकर्तुर् अपि तद् भवेत् । मौर्ख्ये स्थिते हि मनसि तस्मान् मौर्ख्यं परित्यजेत्
Attachment is called doership; even in one who is not a doer, it may arise. When the mind remains in ignorance, therefore, one should abandon ignorance.
परं तज्ज्ञत्वम् आश्रित्य निरासक्तेर् महात्मनः । सर्वकर्मरतस्यापि कर्तृतोदेति न क्वचित्
Relying on that supreme knowledge, in the great soul who is free from attachment, even though engaged in all actions, the sense of doership never arises.
अकर्तृत्वाद् अभोक्तृत्वम् अभोक्तृत्वात् समैकता । समैकत्वाद् अनन्तत्वं ततो ब्रह्मत्वम् आततम्
From non-doership comes non-enjoyership; from non-enjoyership, oneness; from oneness, infinitude; and from that, the state of Brahman is attained.
नानाताम् अलम् उत्सृज्य परमात्मैकतां गतः । कुर्वन् कार्यम् अकार्यं च नैव कर्ता त्वम् अर्जुन
Having completely abandoned diversity and attained the oneness of the supreme Self, whether performing action or inaction, you are not the doer, O Arjuna.
यस्य सर्वे समारम्भाः कामसङ्कल्पवर्जिताः । ज्ञानाग्निदग्धकर्माणं तम् आहुः पण्डितं बुधाः
He whose every undertaking is free from desire and intention, whose actions are burnt by the fire of knowledge—him the wise call a sage.
समस् सोम्यस् स्थिरस् स्वस्थश् शान्तस् सर्वार्थनिस्स्पृहः । यस् तिष्ठति स सुव्यग्रो ऽप्य् अलम् अव्यग्रतां गतः
He who is equal-minded, gentle, steady, self-composed, peaceful, and free from all desires—though he may appear greatly agitated, he is truly free from agitation.
निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान् । यथाप्राप्तानुवर्ती च भव भूषितभूतलः
Be free from duality, established in constant purity, unconcerned with gain and security, self-possessed, and following what comes as it comes, O one who adorns the earth.
कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् । इन्द्रियार्थान् विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारस् स उच्यते
He who restrains the organs of action and sits remembering sense objects in his mind, with a deluded self—he is called a hypocrite.
यस् त्व् इन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभते ऽर्जुन । कर्मेन्द्रियैः कर्मयोगम् असक्तस् स विशिष्यते
But he who, restraining the senses with the mind, undertakes the yoga of action with the organs of action, unattached, O Arjuna, excels.
आपूर्यमाणं त्व् अचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रम् आपः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् । तद्वत् कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे स शान्तिम् आप्नोति न कामकामी
Just as waters enter the ocean, which is ever being filled yet remains unmoved, so too, all desires enter into one who is at peace; not so for the one who longs for desires.