ARJUNA:-

1. IF THY THOUGHT IS THAT VISION IS

GREATER THAN ACTION, WHY DOST THOU
ENJOIN UPON ME THE TERRIBLE ACTION OF
WAR?
2. MY MIND IS IN CONFUSION BECAUSE IN THY
WORDS I FIND CONTRADICTIONS. TELL ME
IN TRUTH THEREFORE BY WHAT PATH MAY I
ATTAIN THE SUPREME.
3. KRISHNA:--
IN THIS WORLD THERE ARE TWO ROADS OF
PERFECTION, AS I TOLD THEE BEFORE, O
PRINCE WITHOUT SIN: JNANA YOGA, THE
PATH OF WISDOM OF THE SANKHYAS, AND
KARMA YOGA, THE PATH OF ACTION OF THE
YOGIS.
4. NOT BY REFRAINING FROM ACTION DOES
MAN ATTAIN FREEDOM FROM ACTION. NOT BY
MERE RENUNCIATION DOES HE ATTAIN
SUPREME PERFECTON.
5. FOR NOT EVEN FOR A MOMENT CAN A MAN
BE WITHOUT ACTION. HELPLESSLY ARE ALL
DRIVEN TO ACTION BY THE FORCES BORN OF
NATURE.
6. HE WHO
WITHDRAWS HIMSELF FROM ACTIONS, BUT
PONDERS ON THEIR PLEASURES IN HIS
HEART, HE IS UNDER A DELUSION AND IS A
FALSE FOLLOWER OF THE PATH.
7. BUT GREAT IS THE MAN WHO, FREE FROM
ATTACHMENT, AND WITH A MIND RULING ITS
POWERS IN HARMONY, WORKS ON THE PATH
OF KARMA YOGA, THE PATH OF
CONSECRATED ACTION.
8. ACTION IS GREATER THAN INACTION:
PERFORM THEREFORE THY TASK IN LIFE.
EVEN THE LIFE OF THE BODY COULD NOT BE
IF THERE WERE NO ACTION.
9. THE WORLD IS IN THE BONDS OF ACTION,
UNLESS THE ACTION IS CONSECRATION. LET
THY ACTIONS BE PURE, FREE FROM THE
BONDS OF DESIRE.
10. THUS SPOKE THE LORD OF CREATION WHEN
HE MADE BOTH MAN AND SACRIFICE: ‘BY
SACRIFICE THOU SHALT MULTIPLY AND
OBTAIN ALL THY DESIRES.
11. BY SACRIFICE SHALT THOU HONOUR THE
GODS AND THE GODS WILL THEN LOVE THEE.
AND THUS IN HARMONY WITH THEM SHALT
THOU ATTAIN THE SUPREME GOOD.
12. FOR PLEASED WITH THY SACRIFICE, THE
GODS WILL GRANT TO THEE THE JOY OF ALL
THY DESIRES. ONLY A THIEF WOULD ENJOY
 THEIR GIFTS AND NOT OFFER THEM IN
SACRIFICE.’
13. HOLY MEN WHO TAKE AS FOOD THE REMAINS
OF SACRIFICE BECOME FREE FROM ALL THEIR
SINS: BUT THE UNHOLY WHO HAVE FEASTS
FOR THEMSELVES EAT FOOD THAT IS IN
TRUTH SIN.
14. FOOD IS THE LIFE OF ALL BEINGS, AND ALL
FOOD COMES FROM RAIN ABOVE. SACRIFICE
BRINGS THE RAIN FROM HEAVEN, AND
SACRIFICE IS SACRED ACTION.
15. SACRED ACTION IS DESCRIBED IN THE
VEDAS AND THESE COME FROM ETERNAL,
AND THEREFORE IS THE ETERNAL
EVERPRESENT IN A SACRIFICE.
16. THUS WAS THE WHEEL OF THE LAW SET IN
MOTION AND THAT MAN LIVES INDEED IN
VAIN WHO IN A SINFUL LIFE OF PLEASURES
HELPS NOT IN ITS REVOLUTIONS.
17. BUT THE MAN WHO HAS FOUND THE JOY OF
THE SPIRIT AND IN THE SPIRIT HAS
SATISFACTIN, WHO IN THE SPIRIT HAS
FOUND HIS PEACE, THAT MAN IS BEYOND
THE LAW OF ACTION.
18. HE IS BEYOND WHAT IS DONE AND BEYOND
WHAT IS NOT DONE, AND IN ALL HIS WORKS
HE IS BEYOND THE HELP OF MORTAL BEINGS.
19. IN LIBERTY FROM THE BONDS OF
ATTACHMENT, DO THOU THEREFORE THE
WORK TO BE DONE; FOR THE MAN WHOSE
WORK IS PURE ATTAINS INDEED THE
SUPREME.
20. KING JANAKA AND OTHER WARRIORS
REACHED PERFECTION BY THE PATH OF
ACTION: LET THY AIM BE THE GOOD OFF ALL,
AND THEN CARRY ON THY TASK IN LIFE.
21. IN THE ACTIONS OF THE BEST MEN OTHERS
FIND THEIR RULE OF ACTION. THE PATH THAT
A GREAT MAN FOLLOWS BECOMES A GUIDE
TO THE WORLD.
22. I HAVE NO WORK TO DO IN ALL THE
WORLDS, ARJUNA, FOR THESE ARE MINE. I
HAVE NOTHING TO OBTAIN, BECAUSE I HAVE
ALL. AND YET I WORK.
23. IF I WAS NOT BOUND TO ACTION, NEVER-
TIRING, EVERLASTINGLY, MEN THAT FOLLOW
MANY PATHS WOULD FOLLOW MY PATH OF
INACTON.
24. IF EVER MY WORK HAD AN END, THESE
WORLDS WOULD END IN DESTRUCTON,
CONFUSION WOULD REIGN WITHIN ALL:
THIS WOULD BE THE DEATH OF ALL BEINGS.
25. EVEN AS THE UNWISE WORK SELFISHLY IN
THE BONDAGE OF SELFISH WORKS, LET THE
WISE MAN WORK UNSELFISHLY FOT THE
GOOD OF ALL THE WORLD.
26. LET NOT THE WISE DISTURB THE MIND OF
THE UNWISE IN THEIR SELFISH WORK. LET
HIM WORK ON DEVOTION, SHOW THEM THE
JOY OF GOOD WORK.
27. ALL ACTIONS TAKE POLACE IN TIME BY THE
INTERWEAVING OF FORCES OF NATURE; BUT
THE MAN LOST IN SELFISH DELUSION
THINKS THAT HE HIMSELF ACTOR.
28. BUT THE MAN WHO KNOWS THE RELATION
BETWEEN THE FORCES OF NATURE AND
ACTIONS, SEES HOW SOME FORCES OF
NATURE WORK UPON OTHER FORCES OF
NATURE, AND BECOMES NOT THEIR SLAVE.
29. THOSE WHO ARE UNDER THE DELUSION OF
THE FORCES OF NATURE BIND THEMSELVES
TO THE WORK OF THESE FORCES. LET NOT
THE WISE MAN WHO SEES THE ALL DISTURB
THE UNWISE WHO SEES NOT THE ALL.
30. OFFER TO ME ALL THY WORKS AND REST THY
MIND ON THE SUPREME. BE FREE FROM VAIN
HOPES AND SELFISH THOUGHTS, AND WITH
INNER PEACE FIGHT THOU THY FIGHT.
31. THOSE WHO EVER FOLLOW MY DOCTRINE
AND WHO HAVE FAITH, AND HAVE A GOOD
WILL, FIND THROUGH PURE WORK THEIR
FREEDOM.
32. BUT THOSE WHO FOLLOW NOT MY
DOCTRINE, AND WHO HAVE ILL WILL, ARE
MEN BLIND TO ALL WISDOM, CONFUSED IN
MIND THEY ARE LOST.
33. ‘EVEN A WISE MAN ACTS UNDER THE
IMPULSE OF HIS NATURE: ALL BEINGS
FOLLOW NATURE. OF WHAT USE IS
RESTRAINT?’
34. HATE AND LUST FOR THINGS OF NATURE
HAVE THEIR ROOTS IN MAN’S LOWER
NATURE. LET HIM NOT FALL UNDER THEIR
POWER; THEY ARE THE TWO ENEMIES IN HIS
PATH.
35. AND DO THY DUTY, EVEN IT BE HUMBLE,
RATHER THAN ANOTHER’S, EVEN IT BE
 GREAT. TO DIE IN ONE’S DUTY IS LIFE: TO
LIVE IN ANOTHER’S IS DEATH.
36. ARJUNA:--
WHAT POWER IS IT, KRISHNA, THAT DRIVES
MAN TO ACT SINFULLY, EVEN UNWILLINGLY,
AS IF POWERLESSLY?

37. KRISHNA:--
IT IS GREEDY DESIRE AND WRATH, BORN OF
PASSION, THE GREAT EVIL, THE SUM OF
DESTRUCTON: THIS IS THE ENEMY OF THE SOUL.
38. ALL IS CLOUDED BY DESIRE, AS FIRE BY
SMOKE, AS A MIRROR BY DUST, AS AN
UNBORN BABY BY ITS COVERING.
39. WISDOM IS CLOUSED BY DESIRE, THE
EVERPRESNT ENEMY OF THE WISE, DESIRE
IN ITS INNUMERABLE FORMS, WHICH LIKE A
FIRE CAN NOT FIND SATISFACTION.
40. DESIRE HAS FOUND A PLACE IN MAN’S
SENSES AND MIND AND REASON. THROUGH
THESE IT BLINDS THE SOUL, AFTER HAVING
OVERCLOUDED WISDOM.
41. SET THOU, THEREFORE, THY SENSES IN
HARMONY, AND THEN SLAY THOU DINFUL
DESIRE, THE DESTROYER OF VISION AND
WISDOM.
42. THEY SAY THAT THE POWER OF THE SENSES
IS GREAT. BUT GREATER THAN THE SENSES
IS THE MIND. GREATER THAN THE MIND IS
BUDDHI, REASON; AND GREATER THAN
REASON IS HE—THE SPIRIT IN MAN AND IN
ALL.
43. KNOW HIM THEREFORE WHO IS ABOVE
REASON; AND LET HIS PEACE GIVE THEE
PEACE. BE A WARRIOR AND KILL DESIRE,
THE POWERFUL ENEMY OF THE SOUL.
END OF PART THREE!