Chapter 4

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: I taught this imperishable yoga to Vivasvān; Vivasvān taught it to Manu; Manu declared it to Ikṣvāku.

Having received it in disciplic succession, the royal sages thus knew this knowledge. But due to the passage of great time, Arjuna, this yoga was lost to the world, O conqueror of enemies.

The same ancient yoga has today been taught to you by Me, since you are My devotee and friend; it is indeed the highest mystery.

Arjuna said: Your birth was recent, and the birth of Vivasvān was long ago. How shall I understand that You taught this knowledge in the beginning?

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: Many births of Mine have passed, O Arjuna, and so have many of yours. I know them all, but you do not know them, O vanquisher of enemies.

Although I am unborn and unchanging, and although I am the Lord of all beings, controlling My own nature, I manifest in this world by My own potency.

O Arjuna, whenever there is a decline in dharma, and an increase of adharma, I manifest Myself.

I manifest Myself age after age for the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the sake of establishing dharma.

Whoever knows the essence of My divine birth and deeds, O Arjuna, is not reborn again. After leaving the body, they come to Me.

Freed from attachment, fear, and anger, absorbed in Me, having taken refuge in Me, and purified by the austerity of knowledge, many have attained My nature.

In whatever way people approach Me, in the same way I reciprocate. Everybody follows My path in all respects, O Arjuna.

Those desiring success of their actions sacrifice to the devas; for in this human world, results born of actions manifest quickly.

The system of the four varṇas was created by Me, based on the division of predominant qualities and corresponding actions. Despite being their creator, know Me to be a non-doer and changeless.

Actions don’t taint Me, since I don’t have a desire for their fruits. One who knows me in this way is not bound by actions.

Understanding this, even the ancient seekers of liberation performed action; therefore, you should also perform your duty just as people in the past have done.

What is action? What is inaction? Even the wise are confused in this regard. I shall now explain to you the nature of action, having known which you will be freed from misfortune.

Verily one must understand what is action, what is forbidden action, as well as what is inaction. The nature of action is indeed hard to understand.

One who sees inaction in action and also action in inaction is wise among people. Such a person is fit for liberation and performs all duties.

One whose every action is free from the egoistic desire to enjoy and whose actions are burnt up by the fire of knowledge, is declared as a sage by the wise.

Having renounced attachment to the fruits of action, without reliance on anything worldly, ever-content in the Self, such a sage truly does not act at all despite being engaged in activity.

Free from desire, possessing a controlled mind, having relinquished all sense of ownership, and acting only to maintain the body, they do not incur sin.

Content with what comes of its own accord, having crossed beyond the pairs of opposites, being free from envy and equal-minded in success and failure, that sage is not bound despite acting.

For the liberated person free from attachments, whose mind is established in wisdom, and acts only for sacrifice, karma is entirely dissolved.

Brahman is the instrument, Brahman is the oblation which is offered into the fire which is also Brahman. Brahman alone is to be reached by one who is absorbed in Brahman-centered action.

Some yogīs exclusively offer sacrifice to the devas, while others sacrifice offerings into the fire of Brahman by the spirit of sacrifice alone.

Some offer senses such as hearing and so on into the fires of restraint. Others offer objects of perception such as sound and other sense objects into the fires of the senses.

Others offer the actions of all the senses and of the life airs into the fire of yoga that is based on self-control and illumined by true knowledge.

Some offer material objects as sacrifice, others make offerings through austerity, likewise others offer their practice of yoga, while some ascetics observe strict vows and offer their scriptural study and knowledge as sacrifice.

Still there are others devoted to prāṇāyāma, who while regulating the movement of prāṇā and apāna, offer prāṇā into apāna, and likewise apāna into prāṇā.

Others who restrain their eating offer their life forces into the vital airs. All these yogīs whose sins are destroyed by sacrifice know the meaning of sacrifice.

Enjoying the nectar of remnants of sacrifice, they attain the eternal Brahman. O best of Kurus, even this world is not for one who doesn’t sacrifice; what to speak of the world beyond?

In this way, many kinds of yajñas are described in the Vedas. Know all of them to be based on action. Knowing this, you shall be liberated.

O Parantapa, the sacrifice of wisdom is superior to ritual sacrifice of external materials, since all action, without exception, culminates in wisdom, Pārtha.

Learn such wisdom by submission, extensive enquiry, and service from a spiritual master. Such realized beings will impart it to you, for they directly perceive the Truth.

Having realized it, you will not again go into delusion, O Pāṇḍava. By that wisdom you will see the entire reality, first in the ātmā and then in Me.

Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners, you can cross over all distress by the boat of wisdom.

Arjuna, just as a blazing fire turns wood to ashes, so does the fire of knowledge turn all karma to ashes.

In this world nothing is as purifying as knowledge. In due time, someone perfected in karma-yoga naturally discovers it within.

One who has faith, is dedicated, and has controlled the senses attains knowledge of the ātmā. Having attained it, one quickly realizes supreme peace.

But one who is ignorant, faithless, and full of doubt is utterly lost. Neither this world, nor the next, nor any happiness exist for a doubtful person.

O Dhanañjaya, actions don’t bind the one who has renounced selfish actions by karma-yoga, whose doubts have been dispelled by knowledge, and who has realized the ātmā.

Therefore, cut this doubt present in your heart, which has arisen from ignorance of the ātmā, with the sword of knowledge. Arise and perform karma-yoga, O descendant of Bharata.