Bhagavad Gita

}} On the holy plain, on the field of Kuru, gathered together, eager for battle, what did they, O Sanjaya, my people and the Pândavas?

}} Having seen arrayed the army of the Pândavas, the Prince Duryodhana approached his teacher, and spake these words

"Behold this mighty host of the sons of Pându, O teacher, arrayed by the son of Drupada, thy wise disciple

Heroes are these, mighty bowmen, to Bhîma and Arjuna equal in battle: Yuyudhâna, Virâta, and Drupada of the great car

Drishtaketu, Chekitâna and the valiant King of Kâshi, Purujit and Kuntibhoja, and Shaivya, bull among men;

Yudhâmanyu the strong, and Uttamaujas the brave; Saubhadra and the Draupadeyas, all of great cars

Know further all those who are our chiefs, O best of the twice-born, the leaders of my army; these I name to thee for thy information

Thou, Lord, and Bhîshma, and Karna and Kripa, conquering in battle; Ashvatthâmâ, Vikarna, and Saumadatti also;

And many others, heroes, for my sake renouncing their lives, with weapons and missiles, and all well-skilled in war

Yet insufficient seems this army of ours, though marshalled by Bhîshma, while that army of theirs seems sufficient, though marshalled by Bhîma;

Therefore in the rank and file let all, standing firmly in their respective divisions, guard Bhîshma, even all ye generals

To enhearten him, the Ancient of the Kurus, the Grandsire, the glorious, blew his conch, sounding on high a lion's roar

Then conches and kettledrums, tabors and drums and cowhorns, suddenly blared forth, and the sound was tumultuous

Then, stationed in their great war-chariot, yoked to white horses, Mâdhava and the son of Pându blew their divine conches

Pânchajanya by Hrishîkesha, and Devadatta by Dhananjaya. Vrikodara of terrible deeds blew his mighty conch, Paundra;

The King Yudhishthira, the son of Kuntî, blew Anantavijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva, Sughosha and Manipushpaka

And Kâshya, of the great bow and Shikhandî, the mighty car-warrior, and Virâta and Sâtyaki, the unconquered

Drupada and the Draupadeyas, O Lord of earth, and Saubhadra, the mighty-armed, on all sides their several conches blew

That tumultuous uproar rent the hearts of the sons of Dhritarâshtra, filling the earth and sky with sound

Then, beholding the sons of Dhritarâshtra standing arrayed, and flight of missiles about to begin, he whose crest is an ape, the son of Pându, took up his bow,

}} And spake this word to Hrishîkesha, O Lord of Earth: In the midst, between the two armies, stay my chariot, O Achyuta,

That I may behold these standing, longing for battle, with whom I must strive in this outbreaking war,

And gaze on those here gathered together ready to fight, desirous of pleasing in battle the evil-minded son of Dhritarâshtra

}} Thus addressed by Gudâkesha, Hrishîkesha, O Bhârata, having stayed that best of chariots in the midst, between the two armies,

Over against Bhîshma, Drona and all the rulers of the world, said: "O Pârtha, behold these Kurus gathered together."

Then saw Pârtha standing there, uncles and grandfathers, teachers, mother's brothers, cousins, sons and grandsons, comrades,

Fathers-in-law and benefactors also in both armies; seeing all these kinsmen thus standing arrayed, Kaunteya,

}} Deeply moved to pity, thus uttered in sadness: Seeing these my kinsmen, O Krishna, arrayed, eager to fight,

My limbs fail and my mouth is parched, my body quivers, and my hair stands on end,

Gândîva slips from my hand, and my skin burns all over, I am not able to stand, my mind is whirling,

And I see adverse omens, O Keshava. Nor do I foresee any advantage from slaying kinsmen in battle

For I desire not victory, O Krishna, nor kingdom, nor pleasures; what is kingdom to us, O Govinda, what enjoyment or even life?

Those for whose sake we desire kingdom, enjoyments and pleasures, they stand here in battle, abandoning life and riches—

Teachers, fathers, sons, as well as grandfathers, mother's brothers, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other relatives

These I do not wish to kill, though myself slain, O Madhusûdana, even for the sake of the kingship of the three worlds; how then for earth?

Slaying these sons of Dhritarâshtra, what pleasure can be ours, O Janârdana? Killing these desperadoes, sin will but take hold of us

Therefore we should not kill the sons of Dhritarâshtra, our relatives; for how, killing our kinsmen, may we be happy, O Mâdhava?

Although these, with intelligence overpowered by greed, see no guilt in the destruction of a family, no crime in hostility to friends,

Why should not we learn to turn away from such a sin, O Janârdana, who see the evils in the destruction of a family?

In the destruction of a family the immemorial family traditions perish; in the perishing of tradition, lawlessness overcomes the whole family;

Owing to predominance of lawlessness, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt; women corrupted, O Vârshneya, there ariseth caste confusion;

This confusion draggeth to hell the slayers of the family, and the family; for their ancestors fall, deprived of rice-balls and libations

By these caste-confusing misdeeds of the slayers of the family, the everlasting caste customs and family customs are abolished

The abode of the men whose family customs are extinguished, O Janârdana, is everlastingly in hell. Thus have we heard

Alas! in committing a great sin are we engaged, we who are endeavouring to kill our kindred from greed of the pleasures of kingship

If the sons of Dhritarâshtra, weapon in hand, should slay me, unresisting, unarmed, in the battle, that would for me be the better

}} Having thus spoken on the battle-field, Arjuna sank down on the seat of the chariot, casting away his bow and arrow, his mind overborne by grief

}} To him thus with pity overcome, with smarting brimming eyes, despondent, Madhusûdana spake these words

}} Whence hath this dejection befallen thee in this perilous strait, ignoble, heaven-closing, infamous, O Arjuna?

}} Yield not to impotence, O Partha! it doth not befit thee. Shake off this paltry faint-heartedness! Stand up, Parantapa!

}} How, O Madhusûdana, shall I attack Bhîshma and Drona with arrows in battle, they who are worthy of reverence, O slayer of foes?

Better in this world to eat even the beggar's crust than to slay these most noble Gurus. Slaying these Gurus, our well-wishers, I should taste of blood-besprinkled feasts

Nor know I which for us be the better, that we conquer them or they conquer us—these, whom having slain we should not care to live, even these arrayed against us, the sons of Dhritarâshtra

}} My heart is weighed down with the vice of faintness; my mind is confused as to duty. I ask thee which may be the better—that tell me decisively. I am thy disciple, suppliant to Thee; teach me

For I see not that it would drive away this anguish that withers up my senses, if I should attain unrivalled monarchy on earth, or even the sovereignty of the Shining Ones

}} Gudâkesha, conqueror of his foes, having thus addressed Hrishîkesha and said to Govinda, "I will not fight!", became silent

Then Hrishîkesha, smiling, as it were, O Bhârata, spake these words to him, despondent, in the midst of the two armies

}} Thou grievest for those that should not be griev- ed for, yet speakest words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead

Nor at any time verily was I not, nor thou, nor these princes of men, nor verily shall we ever cease to be, hereafter

As the dweller in the body experienceth in the body childhood, youth, old age, so passeth he on to another body; the steadfast one grieveth not thereat

The contacts of matter, O son of Kuntî, giving cold and heat, pleasure and pain, they come and go, impermanent; endure them bravely, O Bhârata

The man whom these torment not, O chief of men, balanced in pain and pleasure, steadfast, he is fitted for immortality

The unreal hath no being; the real never ceaseth to be; the truth about both hath been perceived by the seers of the essence of things

Know to be indestructible by whom all this is pervaded. Nor can any work the destruction of that imperishable One

These bodies of the embodied One, who is eternal, indestructible and immeasurable, are known as finite. Therefore fight, O Bhârata

He who regardeth this as a slayer, and he who thinketh he is slain, both of them are ignorant. He slayeth not, nor is he slain

He is not born, nor doth he die; nor having been, ceaseth he any more to be; unborn, perpetual, eternal and ancient, he is not slain when the body is slaughtered

Who knoweth him indestructible, perpetual, unborn, undiminishing, how can that man slay, O Pârtha, or cause to be slain?

As a man, casting off worn-out garments, taketh new ones, so the dweller in the body, casting off worn-out bodies, entereth into others that are new

Weapons cleave him not, nor fire burneth him, nor waters wet him, nor wind drieth him away

Uncleavable he, incombustible he, and indeed neither to be wetted nor dried away; perpetual, all-pervasive, stable, immovable, ancient

Unmanifest, unthinkable, immutable, he is called; therefore knowing him as such, thou shouldst not grieve

Or if thou thinkest of him as being constantly born and constantly dying, even then, O mighty-armed, thou shouldst not grieve

For certain is death for the born, and certain is birth for the dead; therefore over the inevitable thou shouldst not grieve

Beings are unmanifest in their origin, manifest in their midmost state, O Bhârata, unmanifest likewise are they in dissolution. What room then for lamentation?

As marvellous one regardeth him; as marvellous another speaketh thereof; as marvellous another heareth thereof; yet having heard none indeed understandeth

This dweller in the body of everyone is ever invulnerable, O Bhârata; therefore thou shouldst not grieve for any creature

Further, looking to thine own duty thou shouldst not tremble; for there is nothing more welcome to a Kshattriya than righteous war

Happy the Kshattriyas, O Pârtha, who obtain such a fight, offered unsought as an open door to heaven

But if thou wilt not carry on this righteous warfare, then casting away thine own duty and thine honour, thou wilt incur sin

Men will recount thy perpetual dishonour, and, to one highly esteemed, dishonour exceedeth death

The great car-warriors will think thee fled from the battle from fear, and thou, that wast highly thought of by them, wilt be lightly held

Many unseemly words will be spoken by thine enemies, slandering thy strength; what more painful than that?

Slain, thou wilt obtain heaven; victorious, thou wilt enjoy the earth; therefore stand up, O son of Kuntî, resolute to fight

Taking as equal pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, gird thee for the battle; thus thou shalt not incur sin

This teaching set forth to thee is in accordance with the Sâñkhya; hear it now according to the Yoga, imbued with which teaching, O Pârtha, thou shalt cast away the bonds of action

In this there is no loss of effort, nor is there transgression. Even a little of this knowledge protects from great fear

}} The determinate Reason is but one-pointed, O joy of the Kurus; many-branched and endless are the thoughts of the irresolute

Flowery speech is uttered by the foolish, rejoicing in the letter of the Vedas, O Pârtha, saying: "There is naught but this";

With desire for self, with heaven for goal, they offer birth as the fruit of action, and prescribe many and various ceremonies for the attainment of pleasure and lordship

For them who cling to pleasure and lordship, whose minds are captivated by such teaching, is not designed this determinate Reason, on contemplation steadily bent

The Vedas deal with the three attributes; be thou above these three attributes, O Arjuna; beyond the pairs of opposites, ever steadfast in purity, careless of possessions, full of the

All the Vedas are as useful to an enlightened Brâhmana as is a tank in a place covered all over with water

Thy business is with the action only, never with its fruits; so let not the fruit of action be thy motive, nor be thou to inaction attached

Perform action, O Dhananjaya, dwelling in union with the divine, renouncing attachments and balanced evenly in success and failure: equilibrium is called yoga

Far lower than the Yoga of Discrimination is action, O Dhananjaya. Take thou refuge in the Pure Reason; pitiable are they who work for fruit

United to the Pure Reason one abandoneth here both good and evil deeds; therefore cleave thou to yoga; yoga is skill in action

The Sages, united to the Pure Reason, renounce the fruit which action yieldeth, and, liberated from the bonds of birth, they go to the blissful seat

When thy mind shall escape from this tangle of delusion, then thou shalt rise to indifference as to what has been heard and shall be heard

When thy mind, shall stand immovable, fixed in contemplation, then shalt thou attain unto yoga