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Chapter-4
Gyan-Karma-Sanyas Yog
1: The Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, said
: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the
sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu.
The father of manking, and Manu in turn instructed it to
Ikavaku.
2: This supreme science was thus received through
the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings
understood it in that way. But in course of time the
succession was broken, and therefore the science as it
is appeare to be lost.
3: That very ancient science of the relationship
with the Supreme is today told by My to you because you
are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore
understand the transcendental mystery of this science.
4: Arjuna said : The sun-god Vivasvan is senior by
birth to You. How am I to understand that in the
beginning You instructed this science to him?
5: The Personality of Godhead said: Many, many
births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of
them, but you cannot, O subdue of the enemy!
6: Although I am unborn and My transcendental body
never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all
living entities, I still appear in every millennium in
My original transcendental form.
7: Whenever and wherever there is a decline in
religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a
predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend
Myself.
8: To deliver the pious and to annihilate the
miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of
religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.
9: One who knows the transcendental nature of My
appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the
body, take his birth again in this material world, but
attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
10: Being freed from attachment, fear and anger,
being fully absorbed in My and taking refuge in Me,
many, many persons in the past became purified by
knowledge of Me – and thus they all attained
transcendental love for Me.
11: As all surrender unto Me, I reward them
accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O
son of Prtha.
12: Men in this world desire success in fruitive
activities, and therefore they worship the demigods.
Quickly, of course, men get results from fruitive work
in this world.
13: According to the three modes of material nature
and the work associated with them, the four divisions of
human society are created by Me. And although I am the
creator of this system, you should know that I am yet
the nondoer, being unchangeable.
14: There is no work that affects Me; nor do I
aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands
this truth about Me also does not become entangled in
the fruitive reactions of work.
15: All the liberated souls in ancient times acted
with this understanding of My transcendental nature.
Therefore you should perform your duty, following in
their footsteps.
16: Even the intelligent are bewildered in
determining what is action and what is inaction. Now I
shall explain to you what action is, knowing which you
shall be liberated from all misfortune.
17: The intricacies of action are very hard to
understand. Therefore one should know properly what
action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction
is.
18: One who sees inaction in action, and action in
inaction, is intelligent among men, and he is in the
transcendental position, although engaged in all sorts
of activities.
19: One is understood to be in full knowledge whose
every endeavor is devoid of desire for sense
gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker for
whom the reactions of work have been burned up by the
fire of perfect knowledge.
20: Abandoning all attachment to the results of his
activities, ever satisfied and independent, he performs
no fruitive action, although engaged in all kinds of
undertakings.
21: Sush a man of understanding acts with mind and
intelligence perfectly controlled, gives up all sense of
proprietorship over his possessions, and acts only for
the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not
affected by sinful reactions.
22: He who is satisfied with gain which comes of
its own accord, who is free from duality and does not
envy, who is steady in both success and failure, is
never entangled, although performing actions.
23: The work of a man who is unattached to the
modes of material nature and who is fully situated in
transcendental knowledge merges entirely into
transcendence.
24: A person who is fully absorbed in Krsna
consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom
because of his full contribution to spiritual
activities, in which the consummation is absolute and
that which is offered is of the same spiritual nature.
25: Some yogis perfectly worship the demigods by
offering different sacrifices to them, and some offer
sacrifices in the fire of the Supreme Brahman.
26: Some (the unadulterated brahmacaris) sacrifice
the hearing process and the senses in the fire of mental
control, and others (the regulated householders)
sacrifice the objects of the senses in the fire of the
senses.
27: Others, who are interested in achieving
self-realization through control of the mind and senses,
offer the functions of all the senses, and of the life
breath, as oblations into the fire of the controlled
mind.
28: Having accepted strict vows, some become
enlightened by sacrificing their possessions, and others
by performing severe austerities, by practicing the yoga
of eightfold mysticism, or by studying the Vedas to
advance in transcendental knowledge.
29: Still others, who are inclined to the process
of breath restraint to remain in trance, practice by
offering the movement of the outgoing breath into the
incoming, and the incoming breath into the outgoing, and
thus at last remain in trance, stopping all breathing.
Itself as a sacrifice.
30: All these performers who know the meaning of
sacrifice become cleansed of sinful reactions, and,
having tasted the nectar of the results of sacrifices,
they advance toward the supreme eternal atmosphere.
31: O best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice
one can never live happily on this planet or in this of
the next?
32: All these different types of sacrifice are
approved by the Vedas, and all of them are born of
different types or work. Knowing them as such, you will
become liberated.
33: O chastiser of the enemy, the sacrifice
performed in knowledge is better than the mere sacrifice
of material possessions, After all, O son of Prtha, all
sacrifices of work culminate in transcendental
knowledge.
34: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a
spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and
render service unto him. The self-realized souls can
impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the
truth.
35: Having obtained real knowledge from a
self-realized soul, you will never fall again into such
illusion, for by this knowledge you will see that all
living beings are but part of the Supreme, or, in other
words, that they are Mine.
36: Even if you are considered to the most sinful
of all sinners, when you are situated in the boat of
transcendental knowledge you will be able to cross over
the ocean of miseries.
37: As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O
Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all
reactions to material activities.
38: In this world, there is nothing so sublime and
pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the
mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who has become
accomplished in the practice of devotional service
enjoys this knowledge within himself in due course of
time.
39: A faithful man who is dedicated to
transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is
eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved
it he quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.
40: But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt
the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness;
they fall down. For the doubting soul there is happiness
neither in this world nor in the next.
41: One who acts in devotional service, renouncing
the fruits of his actions, and whose doubts have been
destroyed by transcendental knowledge, is situated
factually in the self. Thus he is not bound by the
reactions of work, O conqueror of riches.
42: Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your
heart out of ignorance should be slashed by the weapon
of knowledge. Armed with yoga, O Bhatata, stand and
fight.
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