2 The Supreme Lord said: According to the learned, the abandonment of all materially desirable actions is called renunciation (sannyasa), and the abandonment of the fruits of all kinds of action (whether daily, incidental, or based on material desire) is called detachment (tyaga).
3 Some scholars (of the Sankhya school) hold that action (on account of its faults such as violence) should be renounced. Others (of the Mimaµsaka school) hold that (scripturally enjoined) duties based on sacrifice, charity, and austerity should never be abandoned.
4 O Best of the Bharatas, now hear My perfect conclusion regarding renunciation. O foremost among men, it has been clearly defined that renunciation is of three types.
5 Duties based on sacrifice, charity, and austerity should never be abandoned. Such duties must be performed, because they serve to purify the hearts of the intelligent.
6 Moreover, O Partha, all these actions are to be performed as a matter of duty, abandoning attachment and fruitive desire. Know this to be My irrevocable, perfect, supreme conclusion.
7 Renunciation of one's daily duties is never desirable. To abandon routine duties out of delusion is false renunciation, or renunciation of the nature of ignorance.
8 One who abandon his routine duties out of fear of bodily discomfort, considering them a cause of inconvenience, performs renunciation of the nature of passion. Thus, he does not attain (knowledge, which is) the fruit of genuine detachment.
9 O Arjuna, one who performs routine works as a matter of duty, and abandons attachment and fruitive desire such a person performs renunciation of the nature of goodness. This is My opinion.
10 A sharply intelligent, renounced person who is endowed with the nature of goodness, and who is free from all doubts, neither resent troublesome duties, nor is he attached to those works which bestow happiness.
11 Actually, it is impossible for the embodied soul to utterly renounce all action. Therefore, one who is truly renounced is he who renounces the fruits of his actions.
12 Persons who aspire for the fruits of their actions acquire three types of rewards after death good, bad, and mixed. But a true renunciate (sannyasi) never touches such fruits of action.
13 O mighty hero, in the scripture known as Sankhya, or Vedanta, these five causes of the accomplishment of all actions have been described, and you may now learn of these from Me.
14 (With the help of these five factors, all actions are effected:) The body, ego (in the form of the knot of spirit and matter), the separate senses, the different endeavors, and destiny, or the intervention of the Supreme Universal Controller.
15 Whatever lawful or unlawful action a man performs with his body, mind, or speech, is caused by these five elements.
16 Therefore, a wicked fellow who considers himself to be the only performer of action can never perceive the actual situation, due to his irrational conception.
17 He who is free from egotism (arising from aversion to the Absolute), and whose intelligence is not implicated (in worldly activities) even if he kills every living being in the whole world, he does not kill at all, and neither does he suffer a murderer's consequences.
18 Knowledge, the knowable, and the knower these three are the impetus for action. The attempt, the work, and the performer these three form the basis of action.
19 In the Sankhya scripture, knowledge, action, and the performer have each been classified according to their (good, passionate, or ignorant) natures. Now hear of these categories from Me.
20 That knowledge by which one imperishable and undivided divine principle (My superior divine potency) is seen to be present in all the diverse living beings, is known as knowledge of the nature of goodness.
21 In the world of the living beings, that knowledge by which one experiences multifarious separate attempts (of conflicting nature, due to individual separate interests) and many separate (independent) conceptions of the truth such knowledge is known to be of the nature of passion.
22 And that knowledge by which one becomes attracted to trivialities (insignificant matters), considering them to be all in all (ultimate), and which is irrational, devoid of scriptural deliberation, and bigoted (like an animal's) that knowledge is known to be of the nature of ignorance.
23 That action which is constantly executed by a detached person who is indifferent to obsession and repulsion, is certainly action of the nature of goodness.
24 And that action which is performed with tremendous endeavor by an ambitious or egotistical person, is known as action of the nature of passion.
25 And action of the nature of ignorance is that which, out of illusion, is undertaken without consideration of its consequences, its injurious effects, mischieviousness, and one«s capability to perform it.
26 A worker of the nature of goodness is one who is fully detached, non-egotistic yet patient and enthusiastic, and unaffected in the face of success or failure.
27 A worker of the nature of passion is said to be one obsessed, a fruit-hunter, greedy, violent, engaged in unscriptural or abominable practices, and dominated by elation and lamentation.
28 A worker of the nature of ignorance is one who is fickle-minded, of gross mentality, pretentious, fraudulent, given to insulting others, lazy, morose, and a proscrastinator.
29 O Dhananjaya, hear Me attentively, I shall clearly describe the three different types of intelligence and de- termination, classified according to the modes of nature.
30 O Partha, good intelligence is that by which the intrinsic nature of (religious) inclination and (irreligious) disinclination, duty and nonduty, fear and courage, as well as bondage and liberty (and all such distinctions) can be perceived in reality.
31 O Partha, passionate intelligence is that by which the intrinsic nature of religion, irreligion, duty, and nonduty can only be partly ascertained.
32 Intelligence spoiled by ignorance is that deluded perception by which irreligion is taken as religion, and everything is taken as its opposite.
33 O Partha, determination of the nature of goodness is that one-pointed determination which continuously controls the mind, the vital life forces, the senses, and all their activities.
34 O Partha, O Arjuna, determination of the nature of passion is that which, out of fruitive desire, always resorts to ritualistic religion for the purpose of amassing wealth in the attempt to fulfill mundane desires.
35 Determination of the nature of ignorance is that by which an unintelligent person does not give up sleep, fear, lamentation, dejection, and pride.
36, 37 O Bharatarsabha, now hear from Me about three kinds of happiness. That which by cultivation gives birth to delight while causing the death of all miseries, which in the beginning troubles one like poison but subsequently pleases one like nectar, and which arises from pure self-knowledge that happiness is said to be of the nature of goodness.
38 Happiness of the nature of passion is said to be that which is born from the contact of the senses with their objects, and which in the beginning is perceived as nectar, but subsequently realized to be just like poison.
39 Happiness of the nature of ignorance is that which from beginning to end produces delusion of the soul, and arises from sleep, laziness, and negligence.
40 Either on Earth (among all life-forms, headed by the humans) or in the heavenly plane among the celestial gods, no one and nothing is liberated from these three modes which are born of material nature.
41 O Parantapa, according to the modes (of goodness, passion, and ignorance) which are born of their natures, all the duties of the brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, and sudra sections are divided in a projected manner (in graded classification).
42 Internal and external sense control, austerity, purity, forbearance, straightforwardness, knowledge, realization, and theism certainly these are all the natural duties of the brahmana section.
43 Valor, zeal, endurance, expertise, courage in battle, charitable disposition, and leadership certainly these are all the characteristic actions of the ksatriya section.
44 Agriculture, tending to the cows, and trade are the natural work for the vaisya section; and natural to the sudras is the rendering of service to the brahmana, ksatriya, and vaisya sections (giving assistance to their various works).
45 Self-knowledge is attained by a person who dedicates himself to the appropriate action prescribed for his natural qualification. Now hear from Me how he attains perfection in this way.
46 A man achieves perfection by the performance of the appropriate duties prescribed for him according to his qualification. By the execution of his duties, he worships the Supreme Lord from whom the generation and impetus of all beings arises, and who permeates and pervades this entire universe (exercising His Supreme qualification of Lordship over one and all).
47 Although there may be imperfections in their execution, it is better to remain faithful to one's natural prescribed duties than to perform another's duties immaculately. Sin is never incurred by a man conforming to his natural duties.
48 O Kaunteya, despite imperfections in their execution, duties prescribed according to one«s nature should not be abandoned. Verily, all action (karma) is (more or less) covered by imperfections, as fire is covered by smoke.
49 His intelligence detached from all mundane objects, the self-controlled and desireless person attains to the ultimate perfection of cessation of reactionary work by abandoning the fruits of all his actions.
50 O Kaunteya, now hear from Me in brief how the person who has attained the perfection of cessation of all reactionary work attains to the divine plane of the Absolute, the attainment of which is the supreme goal of (divine self-perceptive) knowledge.
51-53 Endowed with intelligence of the nature of goodness, mentally controlled with determination of the nature of goodness, detached from the sense objects of sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, free from obsession and repulsion, aloof to the association of materialistic persons, a temperate eater, a controller of the body, mind, and speech, constantly absorbed in thought of the Supreme Lord, thoroughly detached from the mundane world; non-egotistic, devoid of despotism, vanity, lust, anger, and the acceptance of service from others such a person, devoid of all sense of possessiveness and absorbed in divine tranquillity, is certainly qualified to achieve divine self-perception.
54 The spotlessly purehearted and self-satisfied soul who has attained to his conscious divine nature neither grieves nor craves for anything. Seeing all beings equally (in the conception of My supreme energy), he gradually achieves supreme devotion (prema-bhakti) unto Me.
55 By the potency of that supreme devotion, he is able to completely know My nature of Almighty Lordship and majesty (aisvaryamaya-svarupa). Thereafter, acquiring the perception of his divine relationship with Me, he enters into a group of My intimate personal associates, whose nature is nondifferent from Mine.
56 Although always active in the performance of all kinds of duties, those who have taken exclusive refuge in Me attain to the eternal plane of flourishing service, by My grace.
57 By the art of service connection, offering all your actions unto Me with the understanding that I alone am the supreme goal, take refuge in linking your intelligence with Me (becoming detached from general duties) and thus be loyally devoted to Me always.
58 When you have devoted your heart to Me, you will be able to surpass all kinds of formidable obstacles and adversities by My grace. And if out of pride you do not hear My words, you will surely reap ruination.
59 Out of pride you are thinking, 'I shall not fight', but such a decision will surely be in vain because your nature (befitting a ksatriya) will certainly compel you to engage in battle.
60 O Kaunteya, being compelled by the tendency of your nature, that very duty which out of delusion you are now avoiding will be (soon) inevitably executed by you.
61 O Arjuna, the indwelling Supreme Lord, by the potency of His deluding energy, causes the living beings to wander hither and thither (in many postures), as though each were merely a puppet on strings, riding on a carousel. Verily, that Lord is dwelling within the heart of all living beings.
62 O Bharata, surrender unto Him in all respects. By His grace you will attain the supreme peace and the eternal abode.
63 I have now disclosed more and more hidden treasures to you. Remember all this, and then do as you wish.
64 Now again hear My supreme teaching, the most hidden of all hidden treasures. You are extremely dear to Me, and really, this is why I am explaining this for your true benefit. Commentary 18.64
65 Think of Me, serve Me, worship Me, offer your very self unto Me, and surely you will reach Me. Sincerely, this is My promise to you because you are My dear friend.
66 Totally abandoning all kinds of religion, surrender exclusively unto Me. I will liberate you from all kinds of sins, so do not despair. Commentary 18.66
67 You should never disclose this hidden treasure to the ease-lover, the faithless, those who are averse to My service, or those malicious persons who are envious of Me.
68 One who recounts the glories of this most hidden of all hidden treasures to My devotees such a person, attaining supreme devotion for Me, will reach Me without a doubt.
69 In human society there is no one who pleases Me by his actions as does he (who preaches the glories of this Bhagavad-gita: the Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute), and (in the future) there will never be one more dear to Me in the whole world than he.
70 And one who regularly reads, contemplates, or sings with a devoted heart this holy conversation between us, will thereby effect My worship through the sacrifice of wisdom. Certainly this is My opinion.
71 And the faithful and devout who simply hear this without jealously will become liberated, and will attain to the auspicious abodes befitting those endowed with the merit of supreme virtue (sukrti).
72 O Partha, have you heard all this with singular alertness? O Dhananjaya, has your darkness of delusion been dispelled?
73 Arjuna said: O infallible one, by Your grace my delusion has been dispelled. I can now remember who I am, all my doubts have gone, and I have become reposed in surrender unto You. Now I shall follow Your order.
74 Sanjaya said: In this way I heard this amazing, ecstatic conversation between the Supreme Soul Vasudeva and Arjuna.
75 By the mercy of Srila Vyasadeva I heard this most hidden treasure which emanated directly from the holy lotus mouth of the Supreme Lord of all mystic power, Lord Sri Krsna Himself.
76 O King, repeatedly remembering this incredible divine conversation of Lord Sri Krsna and Arjuna, my heart rejoices, over and over again.
77 O King, and now I repeatedly remember I marvel at that amazing, tremendous universal form of the Supreme Lord Hari, and my whole being thrills with emotion.
78 Wherever there is the Supreme Lord of all mystic power, Lord Sri Krsna Himself, and wherever there is the conqueror of wealth who carries the bow, Arjuna himself at that very place the goddess of good fortune, at that very place the goddess of victory, at that very place flourishing prosperity, and at that very place supreme virtue prevails. Certainly that is my firm resolution.