Chapter 4

Knowledge and Renouncing Action

Krishna explains why he takes birth in every age, and how wisdom turns every action into a sacred offering.

Verses in this chapter(43)

4.1The Blessed Lord said: I taught this imperishable Yoga to Vivasvan; he told it to Manu; Manu proclaimed it to Ikshvaku.
4.2This, handed down thus in regular succession, the royal sages knew. This Yoga, by long lapse of time, has been lost here, O Parantapa (burner of the foes).
4.3That same ancient Yoga has been today taught to thee by Me, for thou art My devotee and My friend; it is the supreme secret.
4.4Arjuna said: Later on was Thy birth, and prior to it was the birth of Vivasvan (the Sun); how am I to understand that Thou taughtest this Yoga in the beginning?
4.5The Blessed Lord said: Many births of Mine have passed as well as of thine, O Arjuna; I know them all but thou knowest not, O Parantapa (scorcher of foes).
4.6Though I am unborn, of imperishable nature, and though I am the Lord of all beings, yet, governing My own Nature, I am born by My own Maya.
4.7Whenever there is decline of righteousness, O Arjuna, and rise of unrighteousness, then I manifest Myself.
4.7-8Whenever and wherever there is a decline in dharma and a rise in adharma, O Arjuna, at that time I manifest Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well...
4.8For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age.
4.9He who thus know, in their true light, My divine birth and action, having abandoned the body, is not born again, he comes to Me, O Arjuna.
4.10Freed from attachment, fear and anger, absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, purified by the fire of knowledge, many have attained to My Being.
4.11In whatever way men approach Me even so do I reward them; My path do men tread in all ways, O Arjuna.
4.12Those who long for success in action in this world sacrifice to the gods; because success is quickly attained by men through action.
4.13The fourfold caste has been created by Me according to the differentiation of Guna and Karma; though I am the author thereof know Me as non-doer and immutable.
4.14Actions do not taint Me, nor have I a desire for the fruit of actions. He who knows Me thus is not bound by actions.
4.15Having known this, the ancient seekers after freedom also performed action; therefore do thou also perform action, as did the ancients in days of yore.
4.16What is action? What is inaction? As to this even the wise are confused. Therefore I shall teach thee such action (the nature of action and inaction) by knowing which thou shalt...
4.17For verily (the true nature) of action (enjoined by the scriptures) should be known, also (that) of forbidden (or unlawful) action, and of inaction; hard to understand is the...
4.18He who seeth inaction in action and action in inaction, he is wise among men; he is a Yogi and performer of all actions.
4.19He whose undertakings are all devoid of desires and (selfish) purposes and whose actions have been burnt by the fire of knowledge, him the wise call a sage.
4.20Having abandoned attachment to the fruits of the action, ever content, depending on nothing, he does not do anything though engaged in activity.
4.21Without hope and with the mind and the self controlled, having abandoned all covetousness, doing mere bodily action, he incurs no sin.
4.22Content with what comes to him without effort, free from the pairs of opposites and envy, even-minded in success and failure, though acting, he is not bound.
4.23To one who is devoid of attchment, who is liberated, whose mind is established in knowledge, who works for the sake of sacrifice (for the sake of God), the whole action is...
4.24Brahman is the oblation; Brahman is the melted butter (ghee); by Brahman is the oblation poured into the fire of Brahman; Brahman verily shall be reached by him who always sees...
4.25Some Yogies perform sacrifice to the gods alone; while others (who have realised the Self) offer the self as sacrifice by the Self in the fire of Brahman alone.
4.26Some again offer the organ of hearing and other senses as sacrifice in the fire of restraint; others offer sound and other objects of the senses as sacrifice in the fire of the...
4.27Others again sacrifice all the functions of the senses and those of the breath (vital energy or Prana) in the fire of the Yoga of self-restraint kindled by knowledge.
4.28Others again offer wealth, austerity and Yoga as sacrifice, while the ascetics of self-restraint and rigid vows offer study of scriptures and knowledge as sacrifice.
4.29Others offer as sacrifice the outgoing breath in the incoming, and the incoming in the outgoing, restraining the course of the outgoing and the incoming breaths, solely absorbed...
4.30Others who regulate their diet offer life-breaths in life-breaths. All these are knowers of sacrifice, whose sins are destroyed by sacrifice.
4.31Those who eat the remnants of the sacrifice, which are like nectar, go to the eternal Brahman. This world is not for the man who does not perform sacrifice; how then can he have...
4.32Thus, manifold sacrifices are spread out before Brahman (literally) at the mouth or face of Brahman). Know them all as born of action and thus knowing, thou shalt be liberated.
4.33Superior is wisdom-sacrifice to the sacrifice with objects, O Parantapa (scorcher of the foes). All actions in their entirely, O Arjuna, culminate in knowledge.
4.34Know That by long prostration, by question and by service; the wise who have realised the Truth will instruct thee in (that) knowledge.
4.35Knowing ï1thatï1 thou shalt not, O Arjuna, again get deluded like this; and by that thou shalt see all beings in thy Self and also in Me.
4.36Even if thou art the most sinful of all sinners, yet thou shalt verily cross all sins by the raft of knowledge.
4.37As the blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge reduce all actions to ashes.
4.38Verily, there is no purifier in this world like knowledge. He who is perfected in Yoga finds it in the Self in time.
4.39The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued the senses obtains (this) knowledge; and having obtained the knowledge he attains at once to the supreme...
4.40The ignorant the faithless, the doubting self goes to destruction; there is neither this world nor the other, nor happiness for the doubting.
4.41He who has renounced actions by Yoga, whose doubts are rent asunder by knowledge, and who is self-possessed actions do not bind him, O Arjuna.
4.42Therefore with the sword of the knowledge (of the Self) cut asunder the doubt of the self born of ignorance, residing in thy heart, and take refuge in Yoga. Arise, O Arjuna.

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