CHAPTER
4:
THE
YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE
About sacrificing
and the importance of knowledge
(1)
The
Supreme Lord said: 'This imperishable yoga I instructed
to the sun-god Vivasvân who told it to the father
of mankind who in his turn said it to
Ikshvâku.
(2)
Thus
one following the other, the saintly kings received this
science understanding it that way but in the course of
time in this world this great way of connecting oneself
was scattered, o subduer of the
enemies.
(3)
This
very same very old science of yoga today is spoken by Me
to you as you are My devotee and friend as well and thus
factually you can come to understand the mystery of this
transcendence.'
(4)
Arjuna
said: 'Your birth came after the one before of
Vivasvân. How must I understand Your instructing in
the beginning thus?
'
(5)
The
Supreme Lord said: 'Many births of Mine and also of you
have passed, o Arjuna, I know them all but you do not, o
subduer of the enemy.
(6)
Despite
of being unborn by nature, the imperishable soul and the
Lord of all living beings, I, although situated in
transcendence, out of My own do incarnate as the covering
of My own Self.
(7)
Whenever
and wherever it is sure that one weakens in righteousness
and a predominance of injustice does manifest, o
descendant of Bharata, at that time I do manifest
Myself.
(8)
To
liberate the seekers of truth, to take the power away
from the wicked ones and to reestablish the way of the
human principles, I do appear age after
age.
(9)
Anyone
who knows as such of my divine birth(s) and activities
will never, after leaving his body, take birth again, but
will attain Me, O Arjuna.
(10)
Freed
from attachment, fear and anger in the full awareness of
Me, many who were purified in the knowledge of penance,
have attained My transcendental
love.
(11)
All
who surrender themselves to Me I surely award My path
that is followed by all men, o son of Prithâ, in
all respects.
(12)
Desiring
the perfect of the profit they worship the gods here and
certainly in the worldly society success will quickly
ensue of that fruitive
labor.
(13)
Of
the four vocations accomplished by Me according the
qualities and the divisions of labor I am the Father,
although you may know Me as the nondoer and
unchangeable.
(14)
Doing
work does not affect Me as I do not aspire the fruits
thereof. Therefore one who knows Me will, of labor, never
become entangled.
(15)
Knowing
this the ancients who attained liberation surely knew to
keep to their duty and therefore you should act the way
your predecessors did in the
past.
(16)
What
is action and what is inaction? Even the intelligent are
in illusion about this matter. That I will now explain to
you and knowing it you will be liberated from ill
fortune.
(17)
Working
in desiring the fruits, unwanted work and work as a
sacrifice should each be considered intelligently as it
is difficult to understand the goal of
karma.
(18)
One
who sees labor for profit as inactivity and who sees work
as a sacrifice as labor is intelligent in human affairs;
he, although engaged in all sorts of action is of the
transcendental.
(19)
The
karma of him who of determination tries with everything
without desiring, is burned up by the fire of knowledge,
the learned declare who know about
this.
(20)
He
who has given up to work for the attachment to the
fruits, is always satisfied and free from clinging to his
home. He does, although fully active, not really do
anything.
(21)
Not
desiring, controlled in his conscious self and giving up
all claims of property he keeps himself together by doing
work only, without ever running into the reactions of
sin.
(22)
Satisfied
with gain coming on its own accord, free from the duality
and envy and steady in success and failure, he, although
of action, never becomes
entangled.
(23)
With
the attachment gone, being liberated and with the mind to
the transcendent in the wisdom of acting in sacrifice,
the complete of karma
dissolves.
(24)
The
sacrifice itself, that which is offered in the fire of
sacrifice and he who is of sacrifice are of the same
spiritual nature; he will certainly attain the spirit of
the Absolute who is completely absorbed in working for
the spiritual.
(25)
Some
worship the godly in this while other followers of the
path of yoga perfectly offer in sacrifice to the fire of
the spiritual itself.
(26)
Some
sacrifice by the hearing process to the senses in
contemplating sound vibrations in the fire, while others
offer their sensegratification relating to material
objects in the fire.
(27)
Still
others in need of selfrealization too, offer in the fire
of sacrifice of all functions of the senses, their
unregulated breath in the selfrestraint of
yoga.
(28)
Some
sacrifice their possessions, in austerity and yoga thus
while even others as ascetics haven taken to strict vows,
sacrifice their knowledge in the studying of the Vedas
also.
(29)
Offering
the inward breath to the one going outward and the
outward breath to the one going inward also others are in
effort to attain to cessation by following the inward and
outward going air while still others sacrifice the
inhaled air into itself in controlling their
eating.
(30)
Although
differing, all the ones knowing of sacrifice are purified
of the reactions of their darkness and having tasted the
nectar as a result of those sacrifices, they reach the
spirit of the eternal.
(31)
When
this world is not for the one without sacrifice, then
what of the next, o best of the
Kurus?
(32)
Thus
the different types of sacrifices are defended by mouth
of the Vedas. You must see them all as the result of
karma and knowing thus you will find
liberation.
(33)
Greater
than the sacrifice of material things is the sacrifice of
knowledge, o chastiser of the enemy; all this karma in
sum, o son of Prithâ, finds its end in
knowledge.
(34)
Try
to understand that by exercising respect, inquiring
submissively and rendering service to the ones who know,
as they will initiate you into the truth of the
seers.
(35)
Knowing
it so you will never fall victim to illusion again as
from this you will, o son of Prithâ, go for the
vision of the soul of all living beings, that is in
Me.
(36)
Even
if you are the greatest of all sinners you will, with
this boat of transcendental knowledge, cross the ocean of
all this misery.
(37)
Like
firewood ablaze with fire turns to ashes, o Arjuna, so
the fire of knowledge turns all of your karma to
ashes.
(38)
Surely
there exists nothing of knowledge in this world that can
compare to this purification and he who is mature in his
own yoga will enjoy that in due course of time within
himself.
(39)
A
man of faith can attain keeping close to the knowledge in
the control of his senses as of that knowledge having
achieved the transcendental he very soon attains to
peace.
(40)
But
not knowing and also without belief a person of doubts
has no taste for it; never in this world nor in the
beyond will there be happiness for such a doubtful
soul.
(41)
One
who by yoga renounced materially motivated work and by
means of knowledge broke with the doubt is situated in
the soul and will never be bound by his work, o conqueror
of riches.
(42)
Therefore
must this doubt that out of ignorance was born in your
heart be cut by means of the weapon of the knowledge of
the soul; be situated in that yoga and rise to fight, o
descendant of Bharata!
Spoken
by Anand Aadhar Prabhu
to the text offered below