अर्जुन उवाच संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि। यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम्॥
Arjuna said O Krishna, you praise Karma Sannyasa (renunciation of action) and also Karma yoga (the pursuit of action). Tell me definitely, which of the two is superior?
श्रीभगवानुवाच संन्यासः कर्मयोगश्च निःश्रेयसकरावुभौ। तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात् कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते॥
The great One said Both renunciation of action and pursuit of action are means for emancipation. But of these two, pursuit of action is superior to renunciation of action.
ज्ञेयः स नित्यसंन्यासी यो न द्वेष्टि न काक्षति। निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात् प्रमुच्यते॥
He, who has no aversion and no desire, should for all times be considered an ascetic. For, O mighty-armed, he, who is free from the pairs of opposites, is easily released from the letters of the world.
सांख्ययोगौ पृथग्बालाः प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिताः। एकमण्यास्थितः सम्यगुभयोविन्दते फलम्॥
Fools, not wise men, say that Sankhya (renunciation of action to know God) and Yoga (pursuit of action living in God) are distinct. He who practices one, fully earns the fruits of the both.
यत् सांख्यैः प्राप्यते स्थानं तद् योगैरपि गम्यते। एकं सांख्यं च योगं च यः पश्यति स पश्यति॥
The place which the follower of Sankhya obtains; is also gained by the followers of Yoga. He sees truly who sees the Sankhya and the Yoga as one and the same.
संन्यासस्तु महाबाहो दुःखमाप्तुमयोगतः। योगयुक्तो मुनिर्ब्रह्म नचिरेणाधिगच्छति॥
O mighty-armed, asceticism is difficult to be attained without the Yoga of action. The sage, possessed of Yoga of action attains to Brahma without delay.
योगयुक्तो विशुद्धात्मा विजितात्मा जितेन्द्रियः। सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा कुर्वन्नपि न लिप्यते॥
He, who is possessed of Yoga, whose mind is pure, who is self-restrained, who has controlled his senses and who sees his self in every being, is not fettered by performing actions.
नैव किंचित् करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्ववित्। पश्यशृण्वन् स्पृशञ्जिघ्रनश्नन् गच्छन् स्वपञ्श्वसन्॥ प्रलपन् विसृजन् गृह्णनुन्मिषन्निमिषन्नपि। इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेषु वर्तन्त इति धारयन्॥
The man of knowledge, the man of Yoga, thinks, I am doing nothing. When he sees, hears, touches, smells, eats, moves, sleeps, breathes, talks, throws out exertions, takes, opens and closes his eye-lids, he thinks that his senses (merely) deal with the objects of senses.
ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः। लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा॥
He, who performs actions, dedicating them to Brahma and casting off all attachments for their fruits, is not touched by sin, as the lotusleaf is never wet with water.
कायेन मनसा वुद्ध्या केवलैरिन्द्रियैरपि। योगिनः कर्म कुर्वन्ति सङ्गं त्यक्त्वाऽऽत्मशुद्धये॥
The yoga perform actions, attaining purity of self, the body, the mind, the understanding, even the senses, being free from all attachments.
युक्तः कर्मफलं त्यक्त्वा शान्तिमाप्नोति नैष्ठिकीम्। अयुक्तः कामकारेण फले सक्ता निबध्यते॥
The Yoga's, abandoning the desire for the fruits of actions, attains to to the highest tranquility, and the Non-yogi, being attached to the fruits of action, is tied down (to re-births) on account of desire.
सर्वकर्माणि मनसा संन्यस्यास्ते सुखं वशी। नवद्वारे पुरे देही नैव कुर्वन् न कारयन्॥
The self-restrained embodied self (man), renouncing all actions by his mind, (but performing actions by his body) lives at ease within the city of mine gates, (his body) doing nothing and causing nothing to be done.
न कर्तृत्वं न कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभुः। न कर्मफलसंयोगं स्वभावस्तु
The Lord does neither create the capacity of action in man, nor the cause of actions, nor the connection of action and its fruits. The Nature only works.
नादत्ते कस्यचित् पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः। अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः॥
The Lord receives no one's sins, nor virtues of any. Knowledge is enveloped by ignorance. For this reason creatures are deluded.
ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः। तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम्॥
To those who have destroyed this ignorance by the knowledge of Self, this knowledge like the Sun shows forth the Supreme.
तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तनिष्ठास्तत्परायणाः। गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिषूतकल्मषाः॥
Those, whose mind is in Him, whose very self is He, who is devoted to Him, whose goal is He, depart, never to return, their sins having been destroyed by knowledge.
प्रवर्तते॥ विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि। शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः॥
The truly wise men look on a Brahmana, endued with learning and humility and on a cow, an elephant, a dog and a Chandala, as all alike.
इहैव तैर्जितः सर्गो येषां साम्ये स्थितं मनः। निर्दोषं हि समं ब्रह्म तस्माद् ब्रह्मणि ते स्थिताः॥
Even here the material world is conquered by those whose minds rest on equability. As Brahma is faultless and equable, therefore they rest in Brahma.
न प्रहृष्येत् प्रियं प्राप्य नोद्विजेत् प्राप्य चाप्रियम्। स्थिरबुद्धिरसम्मूढो ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मणि स्थितः॥
The man, who rest in Brahma, whose mind is steady, and who is not deluded, does not exult on obtaining any thing agreeable or does not grieve for getting any thing disagreeable,
बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसत्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत् सुखम्। स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते॥
One, whose self is not attached to external objects, obtains the happiness that is in one's self; and he, having his self united with Brahma, obtains the happiness which is imperishable.
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते। आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय बुधः॥
The pleasures, derived from objects of sense, are the sources of misery, and they have a beginnings as well as an end. Therefore, O son of Kunti, 'a wise man docs not feel any pleasures in them.
शक्नोतीहैव य: सोढुं प्राक शरीरविमोक्षणात्। कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं युक्तः स सुखी नरः॥
He who is able to bear the agitation of desire and wrath, even in this world, before the dissolution of the body is united with God; he is happy.
योऽन्तः सुखोऽन्तरारामस्तथाऽन्तर्कोतिरेव यः। स योगी ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मभूतोऽधिगच्छति॥ न तेषु रमते
That Yogi, whose happiness is within himself whose recreations are within himself, becoming one with Brahma, obtains Brahma Nirvana (Self extinction in God).
लभन्ते ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृषयः क्षीणकल्मषाः। छिन्नद्वैधा यतात्मानः सर्वभूतहिते रताः॥
The Rishis, whose sins are destroyed, whose misgivings are perished, who are selfrestraint and who are engaged in doing good to all beings, obtain Brahma Nirvana.
कामक्रोधवियुक्तानां यतीनां यतचेतसाम्। अभितो ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं वर्तते विदितात्मनाम्॥
Absorption in Brahma here in this world and hereafter in the next is obtained by those yogis who are free from wrath and desire, whose minds are under control and who have the knowledge of Self.
स्पर्शान् कृत्वा बहिर्बाह्यांश्चक्षुश्चैवान्ते भ्रुवोः। प्राणापानौ समौ कृत्वा नासाभ्यन्तरचारिणौ॥ यतेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिमुनिर्मोक्षपरायणः। विगतेच्छाभयक्रोधो यः सदा मुक्त एव सः॥
The Yogi, who being intent to obtain emancipation, has restrained his senses, mind and understanding, who is freed from desire, wrath and fear, who, excluding from his mind all external objects of sense, directing his sight between the brows, mingles into one the upward and the downward life-breaths and make them pass through the nostril, is sure to obtain emancipation.
भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम्। सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति॥
He, who knows Me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and penances, the great lord of all the worlds and the friend of all creatures, obtain peace".