BHAGVAD GITA CHAPTER-18

BHAGVAD GITA

Chapter 18: Nirvana through Samnyasa

Arjuna said: I wish to know the nature of Samnyasa and Tyaga and the difference between the two, O Lord Krishna. (18.01)

Lord Krishna said: The sages define Samnyasa as abstaining from work for personal gain. The wise define Tyaga as giving up attachment to the fruits of all work.  (18.02)

Some philosophers say that all work is full of faults and should be given up, while others say that acts of sacrifice, charity, and sense-control should not be abandoned. (18.03)

O Arjuna, listen to My conclusion about Tyaga. Tyaga is said to be of three types. (18.04)

Acts of sacrifice, charity, and sense-control should not be abandoned, but should be performed, because sacrifice, charity, and discipline purify our mind. (18.05)

Even these necessary works should be performed without attachment to the fruits. This is My definite supreme advice, O Arjuna. (18.06)

Giving up necessary duty is not proper. The giving up one’s duty is due to ignorance, and is declared to be Tamasika Tyaga. (18.07)

One who gives up duty merely because it is difficult, or because of fear of bodily trouble, does not get the benefits of Tyaga by performing such Rajasika Tyaga. (18.08)

Work performed as duty, without attachment to the fruit, is alone regarded as Sattvika Tyaga, O Arjuna. (18.09)

One who neither hates a disagreeable work nor is attached to an agreeable work, is Sattvika, wise, a yogi, and free from all doubts about God. (18.10)

Human beings cannot completely abstain from work. Therefore, the one who gives up attachment to the fruits of all works is considered a Tyagi . (18.11)

The threefold fruit of works . desirable, undesirable, and mixed . accrues after death to a non-Tyagi but never to a Tyagi. (18.12)

Learn from Me, O Arjuna, the five causes, as described in the Samkhya doctrine, for the execution of all actions. (18.13)

The physical body or the seat of Karma, various instruments or the eleven bodily organs of perception and action, the doer or the three Gunas, five Pranas or bioimpulses, and the fifth is the presiding deities of the eleven organs. (18.14)

These are the five causes of all action, whether right or wrong, one performs by thought, word, and deed. (18.15)

Therefore, the one who considers one’s body or the Atma as the sole doer, does not understand due to imperfect knowledge. (18.16)

One who is completely free from the feeling of doership  and whose intellect is not polluted by the desire to reap the fruit for personal gain . even after slaying all these people . neither slays nor is bound by the act of killing. (18.17)

The subject, the object, and the knowledge of the object are the threefold driver of action. The eleven organs of the body, the act, and the Gunas are the three components of action. (18.18)

Knowledge, action, and doer of an action are said to be of three types according to the Guna theory of Samkhya doctrine. Hear duly about these also. (18.19)

The knowledge by which one sees the same eternal reality in all beings; such a knowledge is considered to be Sattvika. (18.20)

The knowledge by which one sees each individual as different and separate from one another . such knowledge is in the mode of passion. (18.21)

The illogical, baseless, and worthless knowledge by which one thinks that this body is everything; such knowledge is declared to be Tamasika. (18.22)

Duty performed without likes, dislikes, and attachment by a person who does not desire fruits for personal enjoyment is said to be Sattvika action. (18.23)

Action performed with selfish motives and ego that ‘I am the doer’, and with too much effort; is declared to be Rajasika action. (18.24)

Action that is undertaken due to ignorance; disregarding outcome, loss or injury to others, as well as one's own ability is said to be Tamasika action. (18.25)

A person who is free from attachment, is selfless, has willpower and enthusiasm, and remains calm in success or failure, is called good. (18.26)

A person who desires the fruits of work, who is greedy, violent, impure, and affected by joy and sorrow, is called passionate. (18.27)

A person who is undisciplined, vulgar, stubborn, wicked, cruel, lazy, depressed, and who always postpones doing things; is labeled as ignorant. (18.28)

Now hear Me explain the threefold division of intellect and willpower, based on modes of material Nature, O Arjuna. (18.29)

The intellect by which one understands the path of work and the path of samnyasa, right and wrong action, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation, that intellect is Sattvika. (18.30)

The intellect by which one incorrectly distinguishes between Dharma and Adharma, and right and wrong action; that intellect is Rajasika, O Arjuna. (18.31)

The intellect that accepts Adharma as Dharma due to ignorance, and thinks everything to be which it is not, that is Tamasika intellect. (18.32)

The willpower by which one regulates the activities of mind, Prana  and senses for Self-realization; that willpower is Sattvika, O Arjuna. (18.33)

That resolve . by which a person hankering for the fruits of work sticks to duty, wealth, and pleasure with great attachment. is in the mode of passion. (18.34)

Resolve by which a dull person does not give up sleep, fear, grief, despair, and arrogance; that resolve is Tamasika, O Arjuna. (18.35)

And now hear from Me, O Arjuna, about the threefold pleasure. The pleasure one enjoys from spiritual practices ends all sorrows. (18.36)

The spiritual pleasure, appears as poison in the beginning but is like nectar in the end, comes by the grace of Self-knowledge; is good or Sattvika. (18.37)

Sensual pleasures appear as nectar in the beginning, but become poison in the end; such pleasures are called Rajasika pleasures. (18.38)

Pleasure that befools a person in the beginning and in the end as a result of sleep, laziness, and carelessness, is in the mode of ignorance. (18.39)

There is no being, either on the earth or among the Devas in the heaven, who can remain free from these three modes of material Nature. (18.40)

The division of human labor into four categories . Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra .

is also based on the qualities inherent in peoples’ nature (18.41)

Those who have calmness, discipline, sense-control, purity, patience, honesty, knowledge, Self-realization, and belief in God are labeled as Brahmanas, the intellectuals. (18.42)

Those having the qualities of heroism, vigor, willpower, mental power, not fleeing from battle, charity, and administrative skills are called Kshatriyas, the protectors. (18.43)

Those who are good in cultivation, cattle rearing, business, trade, and industry are known as Vaishyas. Those who do service and labor type work are classed as Shudras. (18.44)

One attains spiritual perfection by devotion to work suited to one’s own nature. Listen to Me how one attains perfection while engaged in doing natural work. (18.45)

One attains perfection by worshipping the Supreme Being . from whom all beings originate and by whom all this universe is pervaded . through performance of one’s work as worship, dedicated to God. (18.46)

One's inferior natural work is better than superior unnatural work. One who does the work suitable to one's nature . (18.47)

One's natural work, even though defective, should not be given up; because all works have some bad aspects as fire has smoke, O Arjuna. (18.48)

The person who has control over his mind and senses, and is free from desires, attains the perfection of freedom from the bondage of Karma by giving up attachment. (18.49)

Learn from Me briefly, O Arjuna, how one who has attained such perfection realizes Brahman, the supreme state of knowledge. (18.50)

Endowed with purified intellect, controlling the mind with willpower, turning away from sound and other objects of the senses, giving up likes and dislikes; and (18.51)

Living in solitude, eating lightly, controlling the thought, word, and deed; ever absorbed in soul-consciousness, practicing detachment; and (18.52)

Giving up body-consciousness, violence, pride, lust, anger, and desire for possession; free from the feeling of ‘I and my’, and peaceful; one becomes fit for attaining oneness with Brahman. (18.53)

The peaceful one who is absorbed in Supreme Being neither grieves nor desires. He becomes non-judgmental and obtains the highest devotional love for God. (18.54)

By Para Bhakti  one truly understands what and who I am in essence. Having known Me in essence, one immediately merges with Me. (18.55)

One attains Supreme abode by My grace, even while doing all duties, just by completely surrendering unto My will. (18.56)

Mentally offer all actions with love to Me and set Me as the highest goal. Always reflect on Me by keeping the mind ever absorbed in My thoughts. (18.57)

You shall overcome all difficulties by My grace when your mind remains absorbed in Me. If you do not listen to Me due to self-identity  you shall not attain nirvana. (18.58)

If due to ignorance you think: I shall not fight; this idea of yours is vain. Your own nature will compel you to fight. (18.59)

O Arjuna, you are bound by your own nature-born Samskara. Therefore, you shall do . even against your will . what you do not wish to do out of ignorance. (18.60)

The Lord abides in the causal heart of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all beings to work out their Karma by His power of Maya as if they are (puppets of Karma) mounted on a machine. (18.61)

Depend on Him alone with loving devotion, O Arjuna. By His grace you shall attain supreme peace and the eternal abode. (18.62)

Thus I have explained the knowledge that is more secret than the secret. After fully reflecting on this, do as you wish. (18.63)

Hear once again My most secret, supreme word. You are very dear to Me; therefore, I shall tell this for your benefit. (18.64)

Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, offer service to Me, bow down to Me, and you shall certainly reach Me. I promise you because you are very dear to Me. (18.65)

Setting aside doership and attachment to all works, just joyfully surrender to My will. I shall liberate you from all bonds of Karma or sins. Do not grieve. (18.66)

This knowledge should never be spoken by you to one who is lacking sense-control, who is without devotion, who does not desire to listen, or who speaks ill of Me. (18.67)

The one who shall study and help propagate this supreme secret philosophy amongst My devotees, shall be performing the Para Bhakti to Me and shall certainly come to Me. (18.68)

No other person shall do a more pleasing service to Me, and no one on the earth shall be more dear to Me. (18.69)

Those who study our sacred dialogue shall be performing a holy act of Jnana-Yajna, the acquisition and spreading of self-knowledge. This is My promise. (18.70)

Whoever even hears this sacred dialogue with faith and without finding faults becomes free from sin, and attains heaven. (18.71)

O Arjuna, did you listen to this with single-minded attention? Has your confusion born of ignorance been destroyed? (18.72)

Arjuna said: By Your grace my confusion or identity crisis about our true nature as Spirit is destroyed, I have gained knowledge, my confusion with regard to body and Atma is dispelled and I shall obey Your command. (18.73)

Sanjaya said: Thus I heard this wonderful dialogue between Lord Krishna and Mahatma Arjuna, causing my hair to stand on end. (18.74)

By the grace of sage Vyasa, I heard this most secret and supreme yoga directly from Krishna, the lord of yoga, Himself speaking before my very eyes. (18.75)

O King, by repeated remembrance of this marvelous and sacred dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, I am thrilled at every moment; and (18.76)

Recollecting again and again, O King, that marvelous form of Krishna I am greatly amazed and I rejoice over and over again. (18.77)

Wherever there will be both Krishna  and Arjuna, the embodiment of duty and protection, there will be permanent prosperity, victory, happiness, and morality. This is my conviction. (18.78)