THIRD CHAPTER

Arjuna said:

1. If, O Janardana, according to Thee, knowledge is superior to action, why then, O Keshava, dost Thou engage me in this terrible action?

2. With these seemingly conflicting words, Thou art, as it were, bewildering my understanding;--tell me that one thing for certain, by which I can attain to the highest.

The Blessed Lord said:

3. In the beginning (of creation), O sinless one, the twofold path of devotion was given by Me to this world;--the path of knowledge for the meditative, the path of work for the active.

4. By non-performance of work none reaches worklessness; by merely giving up action no one attains to perfection.

5. Verily none can ever rest for even an instant, without performing action; for all are made to act, helplessly indeed, by the Gunas, born of Prakriti.

6. He, who restraining the organs of action, sits revolving in the mind, thoughts regarding objects of senses, he, of deluded understanding, is called a hypocrite.

7. But, who, controlling the senses by the mind, unattached, directs his organs of action to the path of work, he, O Arjuna, excels.

8. Do thou perform obligatory [**] action; for action is superior to inaction, and even the bare maintenance of thy body would not be possible if thou art inactive.

9. The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of Yajna; do thou therefore, O son of Kunti, perform action for Yajna alone, devoid of attachment.

10. The Prajapati, having in the beginning created mankind together with Yajna, said,--"By this shall ye multiply: this shall be the milch cow of your desires.

11. "Cherish the Devas with this, and may those Devas cherish you: thus cherishing one another, ye shall gain the highest good.

12. "The Devas, cherished by Yajna, will give you desired-for objects." So, he who enjoys objects given by the Devas without offering (in return) to them, is verily a thief.

13. The good, eating the remnants of Yajna, are freed from all sins: but who cook food (only) for themselves, those sinful ones eat sin.

14. From food come forth beings: from rain food is produced: from Yajna arises rain and Yajna is born of Karma.

15. Know Karma to have risen from the Veda, and the Veda from the Imperishable. Therefore the all-pervading Veda is ever centred in Yajna.

16. He, who here follows not the wheel thus set revolving, living in sin, and satisfied in the senses, O son of Pritha,--he lives in vain.

17. But the man who is devoted to the Self, and is satisfied with the Self, and content in the Self alone, he has no obligatory duty.

18. He has no object in this world (to gain) by doing (an action), nor (does he incur any loss) by non-performance of action,--nor has he (need of) depending on any being for any object.