Chapter 3
Arjuna spoke: “You whom all mortals praise, Janardana — if meditation is nobler than action, then why, great Kesava, do you push me into this terrible battle? Your words confuse me with their double meaning. Tell me one thing clearly: by which path will I reach the better end?”
Krishna replied: “I have already told you, blameless one, that there are two paths shown to this world, two schools of wisdom. The first is the Sankhya path, which leads to liberation through works prescribed by reason; the second is the path of Yoga, which leads through spiritual meditation. But these two are really one. No one escapes action by refusing to act, and no one reaches perfection by renunciation alone. Not for a single moment can anyone remain truly inactive, for nature’s law compels everyone, even against their will, into some kind of activity — since even thought is a form of action in the imagination. Whoever sits suppressing the body’s senses while still letting the mind dwell on them is an inept and guilty hypocrite. But the person whose strong body serves the mind, who devotes his mortal powers to worthy work without seeking personal gain — that one, Arjuna, is honorable.
“Do your assigned task. Work is better than idleness; the body cannot even sustain itself without work. There is a sacred kind of duty, different from worldly labor that binds the soul — and this sacred duty does not bind the faithful soul. Perform your earthly duty free of desire, and you will fulfill your heavenly purpose well.
“In the beginning, Prajapati created humanity along with sacrifice, and said: ‘Do this! Work! Sacrifice! Multiply through sacrifice. Let this be your Kamaduk, your Cow of Plenty, yielding all abundance. Worship the gods through it; the gods will give you grace. The gods will provide what you desire in return for labor offered as tithes in the altar flame. But anyone who eats the earth’s fruits without offering back the gift of toil to kindly Heaven — that person is a thief, stealing from his world.’
“Those who eat what remains after sacrifice are freed from fault, but those who prepare a feast only for themselves consume sin. Living beings live by food; food comes from rain; rain comes from pious sacrifice; sacrifice is paid by the tithe of labor. Thus action originates in Brahma, who is One, the Only, the All-pervading, always present in sacrifice. Whoever refuses to help turn the great wheel of this world, indulging only his idle senses, lives a wasted, shameful life. Self-absorbed, serving only himself, he has no part in anything — nothing he does or fails to do matters, and no living creature depends on him for help.
“Therefore, perform your prescribed task gladly, with a detached spirit, because by carrying out plain duty a person rises to the highest bliss. King Janak and the ancient saints reached blessedness through works alone. Moreover, you should embrace action for the sake of upholding humanity. Whatever the wise choose, the unwise also take up; whatever the best people do, the multitude follows. Look at me, son of Pritha — in all three worlds I am bound to no labor, there is no height left for me to climb, no gift left to gain — yet I act here. If I did not act, earnest and watchful, those who look to me for guidance would sink back into laziness because I slumbered; they would decline from goodness, and I would break the order of the world and ruin its inhabitants, Bharata.
“Just as the ignorant work while attached to their senses, so let the enlightened work, free from sense-attachment, but committed to delivering the world and its happiness — not planting despair in those simple, busy hearts. Let everyone play his part in whatever he finds to do, with an unattached soul.
“All things everywhere are produced by Nature through the interplay of qualities. The fool, deceived by his ego, thinks, ‘I did this’ and ‘I made that.’ But, mighty-armed Prince, a better-trained mind, understanding how visible things operate in the world of the senses and how qualities act upon qualities, stands apart even from his own actions. The untaught get mixed up with these things, not knowing Nature’s way, ignorant of the highest aims, slow and dull. Don’t make them stumble, you who have the light. Instead, perform all your duties for my sake, with your mind centered inwardly, seeking no reward, content, serene, indifferent to outcome — fight!
“Those who follow my teaching this way, with wise and willing hearts, are freed from the consequences of their actions. But those who disregard my teaching, thinking themselves wise though they know nothing, fall into ruin, confused and foolish. Indeed, the wise person acts according to his nature, doing what suits him best — and lesser creatures act according to their natures too; resisting this law is useless. The objects of the senses will inevitably stir up liking and disliking, but the enlightened person does not yield to these, knowing them to be enemies.
“Finally: it is better to do your own task imperfectly than to take up another’s task, even if it seems better. To die fulfilling your duty is no evil; but whoever seeks other paths will only keep wandering.”
Arjuna said: “Then tell me, Teacher: by what force is a person driven toward evil against his will, as if something pushed him down that wicked path?”
Krishna replied: “It is Kama — desire! It is passion, born of the Darknesses, that pushes him. Voracious in appetite, sinful, and powerful — this is humanity’s enemy. As smoke obscures clear fire, as rust dims a bright mirror, as the womb encloses the unborn child, so the world of things is fouled, dimmed, and trapped in this desire of the flesh. The wise themselves fall, caught in it. It is the restless enemy of wisdom, taking countless forms, beautiful but deceitful, subtle as flame. The senses, the mind, and the reason — these, son of Kunti, are its plunder; playing with these, it maddens a person, deceiving and blinding him.
“Therefore, noble child of Bharata, govern your heart! Restrain your tangled senses! Resist the soft, false sinfulness that drains away knowledge and judgment. Yes, the world is strong, but what perceives it is stronger, and the mind is stronger still — and highest of all is the ruling Soul. So, recognizing the One who reigns supreme, put forth your Soul’s full force within your own soul. Fight! Conquer enemies and doubts, dear hero! Slay what haunts you in seductive forms and would betray you!”
Here ends Chapter III of the Bhagavad-Gita, titled “Karma-Yoga,” or “The Book of Virtue in Work.”
