Ch III The Yoga of Karma
(Karma Yoga)
Arjuna said:
If greater is wisdom
In option to action
Why I am then deputed
For duty so terrible ?
Listening to thy speech perplexing
My mind is much confused.
Hence tell me the selected one
By which I gain sure perfection.
The Blessed Lord said:
Path is two way in this world
As I told before Oh Sinless.
Wisdom - Yoga for seekers;
Action - Yoga for the saints.
Abstaining from own actions
No man becomes action free
Nor by renunciation of actions
None can achieve perfection.
Because none can remain
Action less even for a second,
But all beings do helplessly
Act by own natural instinct.
Organs of actions restricted, yet;
Mind engaged on fondling objects
Such one ever will remain a stupid
And can only be called a hypocrite.
But one who tries to restrict his
Lust through wisdom Oh Arjuna !
Enduring organs in actions - he,
Is through excellent Karma - Yoga.
Then by staying on as active
Do noble duties as directed.
For inactive too act helplessly
At least to care own body.
Except that for the sacrifices
All other actions binds to world.
Hence to free from bondage do -
Actions as sacrifice Oh Kawntheya !
Creating the mankind with sacrifice
Creator declared in the beginning
Sacrifice will be thy way to prosper
It is the milk-cow of thy desires too.
Worship the gods with sacrifice
In turn Gods will bless you.
Both thus pleasing each other
All will gain great excellence.
Your desires will be fulfilled by
Gods pleased with your sacrifice.
He who enjoys the gift from Gods
With out offering them is thief only.
The righteous are fed on
Remnants of the sacrifice.
As it equals divine nectar,
Eaters of it is freed of sins.
But the sinful cook food
For his own sake only and
Without sharing it with Gods
Verily eat but sin only.
Beings emerge from food
Food arise from the rain.
Rain emerge from sacrifice,
And sacrifice is born action.
Action comes from Brahman
Form imperishable is Brahman.
Hence all pervading Brahman
Exists ever in all sacrifices.
He who does not follow
The wheel thus set in run
Live enjoying lust in vain
His life is sinful, Oh Partha !
Man who rejoices in the self
Is satisfied with in the self
Such man content in self alone
Has nothing more to do here.
He is uninterested in
That done or left over.
He depends on no being
For gaining any objects.
Hence do thy duty unattached
There by thee reach the supreme.
Janka such others attained
Perfection through actions
At least in view of protection
For thy masses thee perform.
What the honoured have done
That the others will follow.
What standard he had set
World follows to scale on it.
No duty binds me ever over
In all three worlds Oh Partha!
Nothing left but all achieved
Yet myself engage in action.
If I do no action thus
Without any relaxation;
My way they will follow
Men all over Oh Partha.
If I do not function, then
World surely will perish
Then I will be the author
Of inter-caste and anarchy.
The ignorant act Oh Bharatha
With attachment to action, while;
The wise acts unattached
Wishing all -world the good.
Agitate not the mind of those
Ignorant with attachment to action.
Let the wise restraint too devote
To engage all and self to work.
Nature makes all to do
Work always by instinct.
I am the doer but he thinks
The ego deluded man a fool.
But who know Oh Mighty armed
Divisions of actions and objects
And sense organs work for senses
Thus knowing act unattached.
Those deluded in the grip of nature, acts-
Attached to actions per ego or instincts.
With such unsettled Hippocratic foolish men
The wise should not try to reform them.
Renouncing all actions in me
With mind centred on own self
With no ego or desire on earth
Sorrow free thee do thy fight.
Men practicing my teaching
Devotionally and regularly
With faith and envy less; they,
Are liberated from all actions.
But those who carp my teachings
And do not practice it either
Know such fools doom for ever
Loosing chance to wake his self.
Even the wise himself do
Like wise his instinct says
All beings follows nature
What else can a restraint do?
Organs made for senses
Sway by love and lust
Don’t surrender to senses
For they are thy real foes.
Greater is own duty which
Though he think its unworthy.
Than the duty of another
Even if it is well discharged.
Greater is the death if it is
Happened while performing own duty.
Terrible is the death if it is
Happened while discharging else’s duty.
Arjuna said:
But what do compels men all over
To commit sin though unwilling.
Engaged as if he is forced to do
Even against his will Oh Varshney!
The Blessed Lord said:
Unquenched is this lust and rage
Originated from the Rajogunas
So, terrible sins are caused by it
Hence treat them as thy real foes.
Like the smoke covers the fire
And like dust covers the glass or
The womb covers the foetus
Likewise wisdom is covered by it.
Ever it is an enemy for the wise
For wisdom is covered by that
Kawntheya it’s the form of desire
Like fire, it can never be appeased.
The sense mind and intellect
Are said to be its seats, and;
It deludes the embodied
By eclipsing his wisdom.
Therefore Oh Bharatha !
Control thy senses first.
Thus axe off the cause of sins
The destroyer of development.
Senses are superior to body
Mind is superior to senses,
Wisdom is superior to mind
Yet, most superior is the soul.
Thus realising the superior wisdom
Restraining the self by thyself
Slay foe - lust Oh Mighty armed
For foe - lust is hard to overcome.
Thus Shimad Bhagavathgithopanishad
The Supreme Doctrine Yoga Science
Shrikrishna - Arjuna dialogue named
The Karma Yoga the Third Chapter.