» Bhagavad Gita 4.1
sri-bhagavan uvaca: imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave ’bravit "The Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikshavaku." » Bhagavad Gita 4.2 evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh sa kaleneha mahata yogo nastah parantapa "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 appears to be lost." » Bhagavad Gita 4.3 sa evayam maya te ’dya yogah proktah puratanah bhakto ’si me sakha ceti rahasyam hy etad uttamam "That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science." » Bhagavad Gita 4.4 arjuna uvaca aparam bhavato janma param janma vivasvatah katham etad vijaniyam tvam adau proktavan iti "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?" » Bhagavad Gita 4.5 sri-bhagavan uvaca bahuni me vyatitani janmani tava carjuna tany aham veda sarvani na tvam vettha parantapa "The Personality of Godhead said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!" » Bhagavad Gita 4.6 ajo ’pi sann avyayatma bhutanam isvaro ’pi san prakritim svam adhisthaya sambhavamy atma-mayaya "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.7 yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.8 paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskritam dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge "To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium." » Bhagavad Gita 4.9 janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ’rjuna "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.10 vita-raga-bhaya-krodha man-maya mam upasritah bahavo jnana-tapasa puta mad-bhavam agatah "Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me 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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.11 ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham mama vartmanuvartante manushyah partha sarvasah "As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha." » Bhagavad Gita 4.12 kanksantah karmanam siddhim yajanta iha devatah ksipram hi manuse loke siddhir bhavati karma-ja "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.13 catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah tasya kartaram api mam viddhy akartaram avyayam "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.14 na mam karmani limpanti na me karma-phale sprha iti mam yo ’bhijanati karmabhir na sa badhyate "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.15 evam jnatva kritam karma purvair api mumuksubhih kuru karmaiva tasmat tvam purvaih purvataram kritam "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.16 kim karma kim akarmeti kavayo ’py atra mohitah tat te karma pravaksyami yaj jnatva moksyase ’subhat "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.17 karmano hy api boddhavyam boddhavyam ca vikarmanah akarmanas ca boddhavyam gahana karmano gatih "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.18 karmany akarma yah pasyed akarmani ca karma yah sa buddhiman manusyesu sa yuktah krtsna-karma-krt "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.19 yasya sarve samarambhah kama-sankalpa-varjitah jnanagni-dagdha-karmanam tam ahuh panditam budhah "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.20 tyaktva karma-phalasangam nitya-trpto nirasrayah karmany abhipravrtto ’pi naiva kincit karoti sah "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.21 nirasir yata-cittatma tyakta-sarva-parigrahah sariram kevalam karma kurvan napnoti kilbisam "Such 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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.22 yadrccha-labha-santusto dvandvatito vimatsarah samah siddhav asiddhau ca kritvapi na nibadhyate "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.23 gata-sangasya muktasya jnanavasthita-cetasah yajnayacaratah karma samagram praviliyate "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.24 brahmarpanam brahma havir brahmagnau brahmana hutam brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahma-karma-samadhina "A person who is fully absorbed in Krishna 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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.25 daivam evapare yajnam yoginah paryupasate brahmagnav apare yajnam yajnenaivopajuhvati "Some yogis perfectly worship the demigods by offering different sacrifices to them, and some of them offer sacrifices in the fire of the Supreme Brahman." » Bhagavad Gita 4.26 srotradinindriyany anye samyamagnisu juhvati shabdadin visayan anya indriyagnisu juhvati "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.27 sarvanindriya-karmani prana-karmani capare atma-samyama-yogagnau juhvati jnana-dipite "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.28 dravya-yajnas tapo-yajna yoga-yajnas tathapare svadhyaya-jnana-yajnas ca yatayah samsita-vratah "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.29 apane juhvati pranam prane ’panam tathapare pranapana-gati ruddhva pranayama-parayanah apare niyataharah pranan pranesu juhvati "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. Others, curtailing the eating process, offer the outgoing breath into itself as a sacrifice." » Bhagavad Gita 4.30 sarve ’py ete yajna-vido yajna-ksapita-kalmasah yajna-sistamrita-bhujo yanti brahma sanatanam "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.31 nayam loko ’sty ayajnasya kuto ’nyah kuru-sattama "O best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live happily on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?" » Bhagavad Gita 4.32 evam bahu-vidha yajna vitata brahmano mukhe karma-jan viddhi tan sarvan evam jnatva vimoksyase "All these different types of sacrifice are approved by the Vedas, and all of them are born of different types of work. Knowing them as such, you will become liberated." » Bhagavad Gita 4.33 sreyan dravya-mayad yajnaj jnana-yajnah parantapa sarvam karmakhilam partha jnane parisamapyate "O chastiser of the enemy, the sacrifice performed in knowledge is better than the mere sacrifice of material possessions. After all, O son of Pritha, all sacrifices of work culminate in transcendental knowledge." » Bhagavad Gita 4.34 tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya upadeksyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darshinah "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.35 yaj jnatva na punar moham evam yasyasi pandava yena bhutany asesani draksyasy atmany atho mayi "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.36 api ced asi papebhyah sarvebhyah papa-krt-tamah sarvam jnana-plavenaiva vrjinam santarisyasi "Even if you are considered to be 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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.37 yathaidhamsi samiddho ’gnir bhasma-sat kurute ’rjuna jnanagnih sarva-karmani bhasma-sat kurute tatha "As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities." » Bhagavad Gita 4.38 na hi jnanena sadrsam pavitram iha vidyate tat svayam yoga-samsiddhah kalenatmani vindati "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.39 shraddhaval labhate jnanam tat-parah samyatendriyah jnanam labdhva param shantim acirenadhigacchati "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.40 ajnas casraddadhanas ca samsayatma vinasyati nayam loko ’sti na paro na sukham samsayatmanah "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.41 yoga-sannyasta-karmanam jnana-sanchinna-samsayam atmavantam na karmani nibadhnanti dhananjaya "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." » Bhagavad Gita 4.42 tasmad ajnana-sambhutam hrt-stham jnanasinatmanah chittvainam samsayam yogam atisthottistha bharata
"Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge. Armed with yoga, O Bharata, stand and fight."