Verses from
The Bhagavadgita
(Comprehensive Selections from the Bhagavadgita –
Chapters 1-6)
Be Bold and Not Cowardly. The
Blessed Lord said:
Yield not to impotence, O Arjuna, son of Pritha. It does not befit
thee. Cast off this mean weakness of the heart! Stand Up, O scorcher of the
foes! (II.3)
Life and Death Mean the Same
Thing
Thou hast grieved for those that should not be grieved for, yet thou
speakest words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the
dead. (II.11)
The Soul Is Deathless
Nor at any time indeed was I not, nor thou, nor these rulers of men,
nor verily shall we ever cease to be hereafter. (II.12)
Know That to be Indestructible, by Which all this is pervaded. None
can cause the destruction of That, the Imperishable. (II.17)
This Self cannot be cut, burnt, wetted, nor dried up. It is eternal,
all-pervading, stable, immovable and ancient. (II.24)
Bear Pain with Courage
The contacts of the senses with the objects, O son of Kunti, which
cause heat and cold, pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end; they are
impermanent; endure them bravely, O Arjuna. (II.14)
Grieve Not for Anyone
This, the Indweller in the body of everyone, is ever indestructible, O
Arjuna; therefore, thou shouldst not grieve for any creature. (II.30)
Treat Pleasure and Pain As
Equal
Having made pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat the
same, engage thou in battle (for the sake of duty); thus thou shalt not incur
sin. (II.38)
Duty Is Not to Be Confused with
Personal Benefit
Thy right is to work only, but never with its fruits; let not the
fruits of the action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be to inaction.
(II.47)
A Balanced Outlook Is Called
Yoga
Perform action, O Arjuna, being steadfast in Yoga, abandoning
attachment and balanced in success and failure. Evenness of mind is called
Yoga. (II.48)
Yoga Is Dexterity in the
Performance of Work
Endowed with wisdom (evenness of mind), one casts off in this life
both good and evil deeds; therefore, devote thyself to Yoga; Yoga is skill in
action. (II.50)
Contentment Is the Mark of
Greatness and Genius
When a man completely casts off, O Arjuna, all the desires of the mind
and is satisfied in the Self by the Self, then he is said to be of steady
wisdom. (II.55)
Inaction Is Contrary to Nature
Verily, none can ever remain for even a moment without performing
action; for everyone is made to act helplessly indeed by the qualities born of
Nature. (III.5)
Action Not Involving
Self-sacrifice Is Binding
The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake
of sacrifice; do thou, therefore; O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform action for
that sake (for sacrifice alone), free from attachment. (III.9)
Set an Ideal Example to Others
Whatsoever a great man does, that other men also do; whatever he sets
up as the standard, that the world follows. (III.21)
Do Not Disturb the Faith of
Others
Let no wise one unsettle the mind of ignorant people who are attached
to action; he should engage them in all actions, himself fulfilling them with devotion.
(III.26)
You Are Not the Doer of Deeds,
But Nature Is the Real Doer
All actions are wrought in all cases by the qualities of Nature only.
He whose mind is deluded by egoism thinks, "I am the doer." (II.27)
Offer Your Performances As a
Dedication to God
Renouncing all actions in Me, with the mind centered in the Self, free
from expectation and egoism and (mental) agony, do thou fight. (III.30)
Doing One's Own Duty Is Better
than Dabbling in Others', for Which One Is Not Meant
Better is one's own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of
another well discharged. Better is death in one's own duty; the duty of another
is fraught with fear. (III.35)
Selfish Impulses Can Be
Overcome by Resort to the Supreme Being
For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and
for the establishment of righteousness, I manifest Myself in every age. (IV.8)
Sankhya and Yoga
He who has renounced the sense of doership by means of Yoga, who has
destroyed all doubts by knowledge, who is established in the Self, him actions
do not bind, O Dhananjaya. (IV.41)
Children, not wise ones, regard Sankhya and Yoga as different from
each other; (in fact) one who is established in one obtains the results of
both. (V.4)
Without Yoga (of non-attachment) establishment in Sannyasa
(relinquishment of action) is hard to attain; the sage established in Yoga
quickly reaches Brahman. (V.6)
One who is harmonized in Yoga, of purified self, self-controlled, of
subdued senses, whose self has become the Self of all beings, although acting,
is not tainted (or affected in any way). (V.7)
With understanding fixed in That, self-absorbed in That, rooted
(entirely) in That, seeking That alone - they go whence there is no return (to
mortal life), having cleansed themselves with wisdom (of Truth). (V.17)
Shutting off all external contacts (through the senses), with gaze
fixed between the eyebrows, equalizing the ingoing and outgoing breaths within
the nostrils, with senses, mind and intellect firmly restrained, the sage,
intent on the final liberation alone, casting off all impulses of desire, fear
and anger, is, verily, liberated at all times. (V.27, 28)
Knowing Me as the enjoyer of the fruits of all sacrifices and
austerities, the Mighty Lord of all the worlds, Friend of all beings, one
attains to Peace. (V.29)
Renunciation and Work Are
Identical
Do thou, O Arjuna, know Yoga (detached work) to be the same as that
which they call renunciation; no one verily becomes a Yogi who has not
renounced creative willing. (VI.2)
Self-help Is the Road to
Achievement
One should raise oneself by one's Self alone; let not one lower
oneself; for the Self alone is the friend of oneself, and the Self alone is the
enemy of oneself. (VI.5)
The Self is the friend of the self of him by whom the self has been
conquered by the Self; but to the unsubdued self the Self will act as a hostile
enemy. (VI.6)
Moderation in Life Is Yoga
Verily, Yoga is not possible for him who eats too much, nor for him
who does not eat at all; nor for him who sleeps too much, nor for him who is
(always) awake, O Arjuna. (VI.16)
Yoga becomes the destroyer of pain for him who is moderate in eating
and recreation, who is moderate in exertion in actions, who is moderate in
sleep and wakefulness. (VI.17)
Surrender to God and Faith in
His Omnipresence Is the Primary Principle of All-round Attainment in Life
One who is harmonized in Yoga sees the Self as abiding in all beings
and all beings in the Self, beholding the same everywhere. (VI.29)
He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, from him I never
get separated, nor does he become separated from Me. (VI.30)
He who, being established in unity, worships Me Who dwell in all
beings, that Yogi abides in Me, whatever may be his mode of living. (VI.31)
He who, beholding identity everywhere with the Self, O Arjuna, sees
equality everywhere, be it pleasure or pain, he is regarded as the highest
Yogi. (VI.32)
No Perfection Possible Without
Control of Mind
I think Yoga is hard to be attained by one of uncontrolled self, but
the self-controlled and striving one can attain to it by adopting proper means.
(VI.36)
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