A Song of Fortune - A Classical Gita: Chapter 4

(1) The fortunate one said: 'This oldest science of uniting within is my original instruction to the divinity of the sun, an instruction which has inspired the very lead of creation, called the Creator, who on his turn inspired the first among the rulers to the order of the sun. (2) The rulers of virtue in the past all in succession understanding it learned to manage, but in the long run this great way of connecting oneself got divided in so many branches of knowledge, oh winner of them all. (3) This very old science of uniting consciousness, also called yoga, I now explain to you today because you are devoted to the cause and my friend, and thus you may know about the mystery of the decisive top position, the position in the beyond, the transcendence.'

(4) Arjuna said: 'If I get you right your instruction was there before you were there, you were born after that ancient rule and instruction, how can that be?'

(5) The fortunate one said: 'There were many births of my character before, just as there are of you, dear Arjuna, I know and identify myself with all of them, but you apparently do not, oh victor of the battle! (6) I may be transcendent, of an unborn nature, an imperishable soul who is the Lord over all, nevertheless I appear, from my top position, in the flesh as a covering of my own self. (7) Whenever and wherever there is a decline of righteousness and a predominance of injustice, oh son of Bharata, I manifest myself. (8) To give the ones aching for the truth a life, and to put an end to the miscreants, I appear, generation after generation, in order to reestablish the way of the human principles of truth, purity, penance and nonviolent compassion.³ (9) Anyone who knows of this taking birth of mine and what I stand for, will, turning away from the body as being the true self, not get entangled again, but rejoice in my love, dear Arjuna.

(10) Fully aware of what I am, many have attained my loving nature who freed from attachment and anger found purification in the knowledge of penance. (11) All who are of this surrender to me, I award the basis, the foundation on which everyone is building, oh son of Prithâ, in every possible way. (12) Anxious for the perfect profit one is in this world of sacrifice for different types of divinity. That is a karmic desire which soon brings success in the human world. (13) The four classes or divisions of labor, together with the four age-groups that I settle for in relation to the three material qualities, is the way the cookie crumbles with me, but don't see me, the imperishable soul, as the one who did the crumbling. (14) On me as the soul all this karma has no effect, nor am I part of its ambitions; and thus no aware person, as far as I am concerned, will ever be entangled because of his karma. (15) Following in the footsteps of your ancestors you should , in the same way of keeping to your duty as they did, find liberation.

(16) Many wonder what this karma and the contrary actually would be. Let me explain it to you, so that you'll be freed from all bad luck. (17) Weighing it carefully I must say there is work, crime and devotional service, and it's difficult to understand what it all leads to. (18) If you consider working for a result as unemployment and devotional activities as employment, you may consider yourself intelligent in human affairs; it is then that you, with all the sorts of activities you're engaged in, are connected. (19) The learned who know this declare that he who is free from any intention to endeavor unregulated in lust, is someone whose profit-minded labor, his karma, burned up in the fire of spiritual knowledge. (20) Having given up the attachment to the fruits of labor as also to the comfort and control of a fixed residence - one's private kingdom - there is a lasting satisfaction; even though fully engaged in activities one is not really doing anything then. (21) Free from ulterior motives with his mind and intelligence under control, he does his job to which no guilt accrues then; for all he does actually is maintain the body in forsaking all acquisition. (22) Satisfied with whatever comes his way he has, free from envy, surpassed the material duality and he is, steady in success and failure, never troubled, whatever he does. (23) With his mind firmly established in spiritual wisdom, and with the attachment gone acting for the sake of sacrifice, there remains nothing of his motivation for results, of his karma thus.

(24) Offering for the spirit the spirit becomes the offering and the offerer belongs to the spiritual fire; most certainly he will attain the spirit of the absolute who is fully dedicated to serving that spirit. (25) Some dedicate themselves to the representatives of this or that divine interest, while others, wishing to unify in consciousness, are of sacrifice for being perfectly connected in the fire of the spirit of the Absolute. (26) Some relate to this fire by means of mantras with which they dedicate their ears and such senses, while others sacrifice that what their senses are after in the fire. (27) Still others, who illumined in spiritual knowledge concentrate their minds in yoga, offer their breathing to all the activity of their senses in the fire. (28) Some, being austere, so give up their possessions in the uniting, while even others, ascetically taking to vows, devote all their talents of understanding to the study of the scriptures. (29) Others furthermore, who try to become silent inside with their essence, do so by following their in- and outgoing breath in which they connect the inward with the outward going air, while even others give up on the entire endeavor of breathing it all out by restricting their food intake. (30) Whatever the practice, all who know to sacrifice, find relief that way of the inner turmoil of being stained by the material affair, and reach, having acquired the taste of that nectar of sacrifice, the eternal spirit. (31) How can we ever have a better world, if we're not of sacrifice in this world, oh best of the Kuru rule? (32) This is how the different types of sacrifice are defended in relation to the Vedas. They're all the result of being dutifully engaged; and loving the knowledge of this, being of the âtmatattva⁴ in this, you'll find liberation.

(33) If you, oh son of Prithâ, are determined to dedicate your knowledge to the âtmatattva of this, that is a greater sacrifice than offering your possessions, oh defeat of your opponents, because your duty will be perfectly served and fully heartened by it. (34) Remember that when you are of respect for those who know this, and you, with the wish to serve them, ask them questions, that these âtmatattva people of self-realization will initiate you into the truth of the seers. (35) Being of the âtmatattva you'll never fall victim to illusion again, oh son of aunt Prithâ, because you, with this love of knowledge, will regard all living beings as being part of the soul - or differently stated, that all are in me. (36) Even being the most wretched and lowest of all, you will, with this boat of spiritual knowledge, cross the ocean of all materialistic misery. (37) Just like a blazing fire turning firewood to ashes, dear Arjuna, the fire of this higher knowing will turn all your karma to ashes. (38) Nothing that you know of in this world compares to this purification, and he who is truly experienced in this unification will conclude to this himself. (39) He who believes this will, keeping close to the âtmatattva, manage to subdue his senses, because from this faithfulness to the principles one, very quickly reaching the transcendental abode, finds peace. (40) An ignoramus of doubt without any faith has no taste for it, there will never in this world, nor in the next, be happiness for such a soul full of doubts. (41) The man who, unified in consciousness, gave up the profit-minded type of labor, and, with the âtmatattva of faithfully knowing the absolute, broke with the doubts, lives in the soul and will never be bound in whatever he does, oh winner of the wealth. (42) And so, oh descendant of Bharata, by means of the weapon of the knowledge of the soul cutting with the doubt that out of ignorance rose in your heart, be of the unification and rise to your feet!'