Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga

"Sanjaya said: Seeing Arjuna overwhelmed with compassion and grief, his eyes full of tears, Lord Krishna spoke these words."

"The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you in this hour of crisis? They are not befitting a noble person and lead neither to heaven nor to fame."

"O Arjuna, do not yield to this weakness. It does not suit you. Give up this petty weakness of heart and arise, O conqueror of enemies!"

"Arjuna said: O Krishna, how can I fight with arrows against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship?"

"It is better to live in this world by begging than to kill these great teachers. If we kill them, our enjoyments will be tainted with blood."

"We do not know which is better — to conquer them or to be conquered by them. The sons of Dhritarashtra stand before us, and killing them, we would not wish to live."

"I am confused about my duty and have lost my composure. I am your disciple. Please instruct me and guide me."

"I do not see anything that can remove this grief, even if I gain a prosperous kingdom or sovereignty over the gods."

"Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus, Arjuna told Krishna that he would not fight and became silent."

"O Bharata, Krishna, smiling gently, spoke to the distressed Arjuna standing between the two armies."

"The Supreme Lord said: You grieve for what is not worthy of grief, yet you speak words of wisdom. The wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead."

"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor will any of us cease to exist in the future."

"Just as the embodied soul passes from childhood to youth to old age, similarly it passes into another body after death. The wise are not deluded by this."

"O Arjuna, contact with the senses produces cold, heat, pleasure and pain. These are temporary; endure them patiently."

"One who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and remains steady is eligible for liberation."

"The unreal has no existence, and the real never ceases to be. The truth of both has been seen by the wise."

"Know that which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one can destroy the imperishable soul."

"The body is perishable, but the soul is eternal and indestructible. Therefore, fight, O Arjuna."

"One who thinks the soul kills or is killed does not understand. The soul neither kills nor is killed."

"The soul is never born nor does it die. It is eternal, everlasting, and ancient. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed."

"One who knows the soul to be indestructible, eternal, unborn and unchanging — how can such a person kill anyone or cause anyone to be killed?"

"Just as a person puts on new garments after discarding old ones, the soul accepts new bodies after giving up the old ones."

"Weapons cannot cut the soul, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, and wind cannot dry it."

"The soul is unbreakable, incombustible, cannot be moistened or dried. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable and immovable."

"The soul is invisible, inconceivable and unchangeable. Knowing this, you should not grieve."

"Even if you think the soul is constantly born and dies, still you should not grieve."

"For one who is born, death is certain; and for one who has died, birth is certain. Therefore, you should not grieve over the inevitable."

"All beings are unmanifest in the beginning, manifest in the middle, and unmanifest again in the end. Why lament?"

"Some see the soul as amazing, some describe it as amazing, and some hear about it as amazing — yet even after hearing, none truly understand it."

"The soul residing in the body is eternal and cannot be killed. Therefore, you should not grieve for any living being."

"Considering your duty as a warrior, you should not waver. For a warrior, nothing is higher than a righteous battle."

"O Arjuna, fortunate are the warriors who get such an opportunity for a righteous battle, opening the doors to heaven."

"If you do not perform this duty, you will lose your honor and incur sin."

"People will speak of your dishonor forever, and for a respected person, dishonor is worse than death."

"The great warriors will think that you have retreated out of fear, and those who once respected you will lose respect."

"Your enemies will speak many insulting words and mock your strength — what could be more painful than that?"

"If you are killed, you will attain heaven; if you win, you will enjoy the kingdom. Therefore, arise and fight."

"Treat happiness and distress, gain and loss, victory and defeat equally — then engage in battle without incurring sin."

"Thus far I have explained knowledge. Now hear about Karma Yoga — by practicing it, you can free yourself from bondage of action."

"In this path, there is no loss of effort, nor any adverse effect. Even a little practice of this dharma protects one from great fear."

"Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. The thoughts of the irresolute are many-branched and endless."

"Those with limited understanding are attracted to flowery words of the Vedas, focusing on material rewards and claiming there is nothing beyond."

"They are driven by desires and seek heaven, engaging in actions for pleasure and power."

"For those attached to pleasure and wealth, whose minds are distracted, determination for spiritual progress is not possible."

"The Vedas deal with the three modes of nature. Rise above them, O Arjuna — be free from dualities and remain steady in the self."

"All purposes served by a small well are fulfilled by a large reservoir. Similarly, one who knows the truth gains all knowledge."

"You have the right to perform your duty, but not to the results. Do not be attached to outcomes, nor avoid action."

"Perform your duties with balance, abandoning attachment, and remain equal in success and failure. This equanimity is called Yoga."

"Action driven by desire is inferior to action guided by wisdom. Seek refuge in wisdom; those who seek results are miserly."

"A person established in wisdom frees himself from both good and bad results. Therefore, engage in Yoga — it is skill in action."

"The wise, endowed with wisdom, give up the fruits of action and are freed from the cycle of birth and death, attaining a state beyond suffering."

"When your intellect crosses beyond confusion, you will become indifferent to what has been heard and what is yet to be heard."

"When your mind is no longer disturbed by conflicting teachings and becomes steady in meditation, then you will attain Yoga."

"Arjuna said: O Krishna, what are the signs of a person of steady wisdom? How does such a person speak, sit, and walk?"

"Krishna said: When a person gives up all desires arising in the mind and is satisfied within the self, he is called a person of steady wisdom."

"One whose mind is not disturbed by sorrow, who does not crave pleasure, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger is called a sage of steady mind."

"One who is unattached everywhere, neither rejoicing nor hating upon receiving good or bad, is firmly established in wisdom."

"When a person withdraws the senses from objects, like a tortoise withdraws its limbs, his wisdom becomes steady."

"Though one may refrain from sense objects, the desire for them remains. But upon experiencing higher truth, even that desire disappears."

"Even for a wise person who strives for self-control, the senses can forcibly carry away the mind."

"One who controls all the senses and focuses on Me becomes steady in wisdom."

"Thinking about sense objects leads to attachment; attachment leads to desire; desire leads to anger."

"From anger arises delusion; from delusion, loss of memory; from loss of memory, destruction of intelligence; and from that, one is ruined."

"One who controls the senses and is free from attachment and aversion attains peace."

"In peace, all sorrows are destroyed, and the intellect becomes steady."

"Without control of the mind, there is no wisdom; without wisdom, no meditation; without meditation, no peace; and without peace, no happiness."

"When the mind follows wandering senses, it carries away one’s wisdom like the wind carries a boat on water."

"Therefore, one who controls the senses from all sides is firmly established in wisdom."

"What is night for all beings is day for the wise, and what is day for others is night for the wise."

"Just as rivers flow into the ocean which remains steady, one who is not disturbed by desires attains peace, not one who seeks to satisfy desires."

"A person who gives up all desires, lives free from craving, without a sense of ownership and ego, attains peace."

"O Arjuna, this is the state of spiritual realization. Having attained this, one is never deluded, and even at the time of death, one attains liberation."