part of the eternal cosmic dance
in which each atom mirrors every other;
unknowable and inexpressible.”
Arjuna can hardly concentrate
on Krishna’s words. He is preoccupied
by the enemy drawn up in front of him.
“Krishna, what impels a man to do evil
even when he receives the best advice,
even though he understands what is right—
as if some hidden force is pushing him?”
“It is desire and anger—those attachments
that cast a screen of smoke over the world.
Desire is the root, giving rise to anger.
These are the age-old enemies of wisdom.
The clamorous senses must be grappled with,
the mind must be brought under one’s control.
Beyond the workings of the mind is wisdom
grounded in awareness of the infinite.
This is my yoga, the eternal way
I have taught since the human race began.”
Arjuna is surprised, and mystified.
“But, Krishna, I know when you were born—
what do you mean by since the human race . . . ?”
“I have passed through many lives, as you have;
but I remember them, and you do not.
I am the changeless and eternal Self,
sufficient, never born, never dying.
Yet I take on a material form
whenever the world is in need of me,
to protect the good and destroy evil.
I have no personal need to act—and yet
I act, to set the world the right example,
a bulwark against ruin and anarchy.
“The spirit, the ultimate reality
that pervades the cosmos is impersonal.
You should know, I am its embodiment.
Act, and dedicate your actions to me.
Those who truly devote themselves to me,
in whatever way, will be released
from the relentless wheel of birth and death.
“You need to understand what is action
and what is non-action. It is not obvious.
Action can reside in non-action
and non-action can underlie action.
Everything depends on the state of mind.
If a person is bound up, attached
to the outcome of their action, then
that action’s consequences, like a burr,
will stick to them through this life and beyond,
determining the nature of their rebirth.
That is the unshakable law of karma.
But those who do not grasp after results,
who treat success and failure as the same,
are always satisfied. Although they act,
they are really doing nothing—like a boatman
rowing with the current, at his ease.
Their actions do not stick to them, because
they are free of yearning for results.
In acting in this way, they are engaged
in one variety of sacrifice,
offering up their actions with simplicity,
relinquishing all doubt and ignorance.”
“Krishna,” says Arjuna, “I hear you praising
action, and the relinquishment of acts.
I am confused—which of these is better?”
“Both of these can lead to liberation.
Right action is the better course. And yet,
essentially, they are not alternatives.
Through either one, carried out sincerely,
one can attain the benefits of both.
Indifferent to the fruits that follow action,
those whose actions spring from the right spirit
are renouncers, since they have relinquished
attachment to everything impermanent,
seeing that these things bring no real delight.
“Such rare people see the eternal Self
everywhere—see themselves in all creatures
and all creatures in themselves; for Brahman
is one and the same in everything.
They radiate joy, exude peace and love,
knowing me as their true companion.
Understanding this is everything,
and spiritual discipline—yoga—
is the key.
“I shall tell you what yoga is.
Yoga is austere but temperate.
It is not for the glutton, Arjuna,
but neither does it mean self-starvation.
It is not for one who lies in bed till noon,
but nor does it require sleep deprivation.
“The disciplined mind is calm, as unswerving
as a lighted candle in a sheltered place.
Not identified with suffering,
it is not shaken even by great sorrow.
That is what yoga means—yoking oneself
to true understanding; equanimity
that faces pain and pleasure evenly.”
“That unswerving calm you speak of, Krishna,
seems to me impossible to attain
since the mind is obstinate and fickle,
scattered by impulse, as leaves are by the wind.”
“Without a doubt, the mind is most unruly;
yet, by patient practice, by constant effort,
it can be reined in under one’s control.”
“But what happens to one who tries sincerely
to follow the path of discipline, yet fails?
When they die, is all their effort lost,
disintegrating like a tattered cloud?”
“No, Arjuna, no one is destroyed
who struggles to do good. They are reborn,
sustained by their efforts in previous lives,
into a family which will support
their further progress on the path to freedom.”
Sanjaya continues to repeat
Krishna’s profound teaching: Krishna says,
“Now I shall tell you how, by practicing
discipline, counting me as your refuge,
you shall know me fully, without reserve.
For all that exists is suspended on me
like jewels on a necklace. I am everywhere.
“I am the essence of everything that is;
the cosmos is sustained by my energy.
I am the deathless radiance of the sun,
the heat of fire, the soft gleam of the moon.
I am the taste in water, son of Kunti.
I am Om, the sacred syllable.
I am the roar of the wind, the manhood of men.
I am the pure fragrance of the earth.
I am the life in all life that exists.
I am the discipline in holy men.
I am the eternal seed in all creatures.
I am the intelligence in the intelligent.
I am the brilliance in the brilliant.
I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion.
I am the desire which is not self-seeking.
All states of being are from me alone,
facets of my all-creative nature.
“The world is caught up by appearances,
dazzled by their infinite variety,
snared by illusion, endlessly distracted,
and does not recognize me, the eternal
principle that connects the humblest flower
with the grandeur of the constellations.
It is hard to penetrate appearance;
only those who seek me pass beyond it.
Evildoers do not turn to me;
but those in distress, those who long for knowledge,
the purposeful, and those who pursue wisdom—
all these seek me out and share in me.
The afflicted world, bewildered by craving,
is blind to me, who am unborn, eternal.
But there are
a few liberated souls
who know me and devote themselves to me.
“Beings are born into delusion, vision
skewed by hatred and self-centered desire.
But those that strive, through me, for liberation
even as they draw their final breath
know me as Brahman, the absolute, at last.”
Arjuna says, “Please explain these matters—
say more about action, about Brahman.
Tell me, what is the true nature of beings?
How, at the point of death, can one know you?”
“Brahman is the ultimate reality,
the indestructible, unchanging Self;
it is the inherent nature of every being,
neither existent nor non-existent.
It supports all; it seems to have all senses
yet it is free of senses, unattached;
outside and inside, moving and unmoving,
distant yet near, destroyer and creator.
It inhabits every human heart.
“Action is the cosmic energy
that brings every creature into existence.
From material nature, there arise
three modes of being—purity, passion, dullness.
There is no creature in heaven or earth free
of these constituents, part of their nature.
They have diverse effects, swaying a person
this way and that. Only through detachment
can that person arrive at peace and balance.
“The state of mind that comes from purity,
based on clear understanding of the Self,
seems bleak initially, but as it grows
it reveals itself as a precious nectar.
The happiness that is based on passion
springs from sensual delight; at first
it seems like nectar, but later it turns out
to be a bitter poison. The happiness
arising out of negligence and sloth
is a dull state, lacking in energy,
a state that comes from settling for less.
“A person achieves perfection by doing
their own work, in a spirit of dedication—
better to perform one’s own work poorly
than to do well the work of someone else,
for every human enterprise is clouded
by shortcomings, as fire is by smoke.
No one can go wrong if they are working
according to their station, and their nature.
Though acting in the world, they surrender
every act to me and, through my grace,
gain the eternal, imperishable home.
“But for those encumbered by desire,
consumed by appetite which knows no limits,
the world is empty. There is no sacredness,
only the frantic scramble after gain.
They tell themselves how great they are; success
is measured by their piled-up treasuries.
They despise the weak, fawn on the powerful,
grasping, grabbing, pushing, trusting no one.
Such people are reborn in degradation.
The gateway to the ruin of the soul
is built of lust, of anger and of greed.
“As cosmic day and night succeed each other,
helpless creatures take shape constantly,
and continually dissolve, perishing,
to be reborn when day comes round again.
Impartially, I witness the endless cycle.
But those who, as they die, think of me
become a part of me, be sure of that.
“Such people have gone beyond rebirth.
Casting off the body, closing the doors
of all the senses, focusing the mind
on the breath, pronouncing Om, Om,
ever absorbed in thought of the divine,
what they think, they become. Therefore, Arjuna,
think of me always. And take up your bow!”
All this time, with the vision Vyasa gave him,
Sanjaya witnesses each precious word
of Krishna’s great address to Arjuna.
He has already recognized that Krishna
is a divine avatar, and now
he hears his teaching with wonderment and joy;
what he is hearing nourishes his devotion.
Sanjaya continues:
“Now, open-hearted Arjuna,” says Krishna,
“I will reveal further secret knowledge
and wisdom which will shelter you from harm—
wisdom rooted in direct experience.
Those who turn away from this remain
shackled to the wheel of birth and death.
“In my unmanifest form, I pervade
everything that is, yet I am greater
than all appearances. For my spirit
is the source of all beings, and sustains them.
All creation manifests the divine.
“When I take human form, only a few
recognize me, and worship me with love.
I am the father of the world, the mother,
the great maintainer, the sacred hymn;
I am the goal, the lord, the upholder,
the witness, the imperishable seed;
I am the home, the refuge and the friend;
the origin, support and dissolution.
Those who devote themselves to other gods
really worship me, for I am the object
of all devotion, though they do not know me.
“I am disinterested toward all:
I feel no partiality, no aversion.
But those who truly devote themselves to me
are in me, and I am with them, always.
Offer to me everything you do—
the food you eat, the help you give a stranger,
your daily routine, even your suffering.
I accept every gift with gladness.
A humble soul may offer me a leaf
with love in their heart, and I will welcome it.
Whoever depends on me, however low,
however ignorant—without distinction
of race or gender or community—
shall attain freedom. How much more, then,
“Devote yourself to me with discipline,
and you will rest in me, your final goal.”
“All virtuous qualities have their roots
in me, springing from the one transcendent
reality—understanding, knowledge,
freedom from confusion, patience, truth,
self-control, calmness, fearlessness,
non-violence, fairness, generosity—
all are states that come from me alone.
“Those who know this are unshakable
in their disciplined devotion. Their lives
are given up to me, and I grant them
concentration; I dispel the darkness
of ignorance with the light of knowledge.”
Arjuna embraces Krishna’s feet.
“I have heard wise seers acknowledge you
and call you Brahman, the eternal Self.
And now you are telling me the same.
I do not disbelieve your words—and yet
this knowledge seems remote to me. Please tell me
all the forms in which you are manifest
so I can know how to meditate on you.
Best of persons, I love to hear you speak.”
“You should understand, I am everywhere,
but I shall tell you the most important forms
by which you can know me. I am the spirit
seated in the heart of every creature.
I am the death that carries all away
and I am the life of everything to come.
I am the beginning, middle, end.
Of female qualities, I am wisd
om,
constancy, prosperity and patience.
Of the deities, I am Vishnu. I am Rama,
I am Shiva, I am Skanda, god of war.
Of mountains, I am Meru. Of waters,
the ocean; of wild animals, the lion.
Of birds, I am the eagle. Imagine
the greatest and the most essential form
of any class of beings—I am that, Arjuna.
“Whatever is endowed with grace and splendor,
strength and vigor, springs from a fragment of me.
But what use are all these details to you?
Enough for you to know that with a mere
fraction of myself, I support the cosmos.”
“This supreme mystery you have taught me,”
says Arjuna, “your discourse on the self,
has cleared the fog of my bewilderment.
But words by themselves cannot convey
the mystery of the ineffable.
I long to witness your divinity,
to see for myself what you have described.
Great lord of all creation, I beg you,
if you think me capable of seeing it—
show me your divine manifestation.”
“I will show you my hundred thousand forms,
their colors, shapes and infinite variety.
I will show you the universe in my body.
But to look at this with human eyes
would destroy you instantly, utterly.
“I will give you supernatural sight.
“NOW BEHOLD MY DIVINE POWER.”
Arjuna is astounded, shivering,
bent in awe before the divine being.
He struggles to shape his vision into words,
not to be engulfed by insanity.
“Ah! Krishna, your supreme form fills the world,
with many gaping mouths and staring eyes;
with countless ornaments more beautiful
than any seen on earth; with garlands, robes,
a million arms wielding divine weapons,
dazzling, as if the light of a thousand suns
were blazing all at once, the divine form
faces in all directions, stretching out
to infinity. The whole universe
is concentrated by magnetic force
in the person of the god of gods.
“I can see . . . I can see
all gods contained within your body.
O boundless, without end, without beginning,
your innumerable arms, insatiable bellies,
all your terrible appearances.
Crown. Mace. Discus—a dazzling mass of light,
fiery brilliance.
O resting place of the universe,
Lord!
Guardian of law.
Hosts of gods enter you in procession
with folded hands, adoring, singing