सांख्ययोग (Sankhya Yoga)

"Sanjaya said: To him, who was overcome with pity, whose eyes were wet with tears, who was sorrow-stricken and bore a bewildered look, Sri Krishna spoke as follows:"

"Sanjaya said: To him who had been filled with pity, whose eyes were filled with tears and showed distress, and who was sorrowing, Madhusudana uttered these words."

"Sanjaya said: To him, who was thus overcome with pity, despondent, with eyes full of tears and agitated, Madhusudana (the destroyer of Madhu) or Krishna spoke these words."

"Sanjaya said: To him, who was thus possessed by compassion, whose eyes were confused and filled with tears, and who was sinking in despondency, Madhusudana spoke the following words."

"Sanjaya then told how the Lord Shri Krishna, seeing Arjuna overwhelmed with compassion, his eyes dimmed with flowing tears and full of despondency, consoled him:"

"The Lord said, "Whence comes this despondency upon you, O Arjuna, in this crisis? It is unfitting for a noble person; it is disgraceful and it obstructs one's attainment of heaven.""

"The Blessed Lord said, "O Arjuna, in this perilous place, whence has this impurity come to you, entertained by unenlightened persons, which does not lead to heaven and brings infamy?""

"The Blessed Lord said, "From whence has this perilous strait come upon you, this dejection which is unworthy of you, disgraceful, and which will close the gates of heaven upon you, O Arjuna?""

"The Bhagavat said, "O Arjuna! At this critical moment, whence did this sinful act come to you, which is practiced by men of low birth and leads to hell, and is inglorious?""

"The Lord said: My beloved friend! Why yield to this weakness, on the eve of battle, which does no credit to those who call themselves Aryans and only brings them infamy, barring them from the gates of heaven?"

"Do not yield to unmanliness, O Arjuna, it does not befit you. Shake off this base faint-heartedness and arise, O conqueror of foes!"

"O Partha, do not yield to unmanliness. This does not befit you. O scorcher of foes, arise, giving up the petty weakness of heart."

"Do not yield to impotence, O Arjuna, son of Pritha. It does not befit you. Cast off this mean weakness of the heart! Stand up, O conqueror of foes!"

"Do not stoop to unmanliness, O son of Kunti! It does not befit you. Shunning the petty weakness of heart, arise, O scorcher of foes!"

"O Arjuna! Why give way to unmanliness? O thou, who art the terror of thy enemies! Shake off such shameful effeminacy and make ready to act!"

"Arjuna said, "O slayer of foes, how can I aim arrows in battle against Bhisma and Drona, who are worthy of reverence?""

"Arjuna said, "O Madhusudana, O destroyer of enemies, how can I fight with arrows in battle against Bhisma and Drona, who are worthy of adoration?""

"Arjuna said, "O Madhusudana, how can I fight in battle with arrows against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of being worshipped, O destroyer of enemies?""

"Arjuna said, "How can I fight in battle with arrows against Bhisma and Drona, both of whom are worthy of reverence? O slayer of Mandhu, O slayer of foes!""

"Arjuna argued: My Lord! How can I, when the battle rages, send an arrow through Bheeshma and Drona, whom I should revere?"

"It is better even to live on a beggar's fare in this world than to slay these most venerable teachers. If I were to slay my teachers, though they may be degraded by desire for wealth, I would only be enjoying blood-stained pleasures here."

"Rather than killing the noble-minded elders, it is better in this world to live even on alms. But by killing them, we shall only be enjoying here the pleasures of wealth and desirable things drenched in blood."

"Better it is, indeed, in this world to accept alms than to slay the most noble teachers. But if I were to kill them, even in this world, all my enjoyments of wealth and fulfilled desires would be stained with their blood."

"It is indeed good to go about begging in this world without killing the elders of great dignity; however, I would not enjoy, with greed for wealth, the blood-stained objects of pleasure by killing my elders."

"Rather, I would be content with a beggar's crust than to kill these teachers of mine, these precious noble souls! To slay these masters who are my benefactors would be to stain the sweetness of life's pleasures with their blood."

"We do not know which of the two is better for us: whether our vanquishing them or their vanquishing us. The very sons of Dhrtarastra, whom, if we were to slay, we would not wish to live, even they are standing in array against us."

"We do not know which is better for us, whether we shall win or they shall conquer us. Those very sons of Dhrtarastra, whom we do not wish to kill, stand in confrontation."

"I can hardly tell which would be better, that we should conquer them or that they should conquer us. Even the sons of Dhritarashtra, whom we do not wish to slay, stand facing us."

"Whether we should conquer in the battle, or they should conquer us—we do not know which is better for us. For, having killed whom, we would not wish to live at all, the same persons stand before us as Dhrtarastra's men."

"Nor can I say whether it would be better for them to conquer me or for me to conquer them, since I would no longer care to live if I killed these sons of Dhritarashtra, who are now preparing for battle."

"With my heart stricken by the fault of weak compassion, my mind perplexed about my duty, I implore you to tell me for certain what is good for me. I am your disciple; teach me, who have taken refuge in you."

"With my nature overpowered by weak commiseration, my mind bewildered about duty, I supplicate You. Tell me for certain what is better; I am Your disciple, having taken refuge in You. Instruct me."

"My heart is overpowered by the taint of pity; my mind is confused as to my duty. I ask Thee: Tell me decisively what is good for me. I am Thy disciple; instruct me, who has taken refuge in Thee."

"With my very nature, overpowered by the taint of pity, and with my mind, utterly confused as to the right action at this present juncture, I ask you: Tell me definitely what would be good for me; I am your pupil; please teach me, who is taking refuge in You."

"My heart is oppressed with pity, and my mind is confused as to what my duty is. Therefore, my Lord, tell me what is best for my spiritual welfare, for I am Your disciple. Please direct me, I pray."

"Even if I were to win unchallenged sovereignty of a prosperous earth or even lordship over the Devas, I do not feel that it would dispel the grief that withers up my senses."

"For I do not see anything that, even after acquiring on this earth a prosperous kingdom free from enemies and even sovereignty over the gods, can remove my sorrow that is blasting the senses."

"I do not see that this sorrow that burns up my senses would be removed, even if I were to attain prosperous and unrivaled dominion on earth or lordship over the gods."

"I do not clearly see what would drive out my grief, the scorcher of my senses, even after achieving a prosperous and unrivaled kingship on this earth and also the overlordship of the gods in the heavens."

"For even if I were to attain the monarchy of the visible world, or the sovereignty over the invisible world, it would not drive away the anguish that is now paralyzing my senses."

"Sanjaya said, Having thus spoken to Sri Krsna, Arjuna, the conqueror of sleep and the scorcher of foes, said, "I will not fight," and became silent."

"Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus to Hrsikesa (Krsna), Gudakesa (Arjuna), the afflictor of foes, verily became silent, telling Govinda, 'I shall not fight.'"

"Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha, the Lord of the senses, Arjuna, the conqueror of sleep and destroyer of foes, said, "I will not fight," and became silent."

"Sanjaya said, "O scorcher of foes, Dhrtarastra! Having spoken to Hrsikesa, the master of sense-organs, Govinda, in this manner, and having declared, 'I will not fight,' Gudakesa became silent!""

"Sanjaya continued: "Arjuna, the conqueror of all enemies, then told the Lord of All-Hearts that he would not fight, and became silent, O King!"

"O King, to him who was thus sorrowing between the two armies, Sri Krishna spoke the following words, as if smiling (by way of ridicule)."

"O descendant of Bharata, Hrsikesa, mocking as it were, said these words to him who was sorrowing between the two armies:"

"To him who was despondent in the midst of the two armies, Krishna, smiling, O Bharata, spoke these words."

"O descendant of Bharata, Hrsikesa, as if smiling, spoke to him who was sinking in despondency between two armies."

"Thereupon, the Lord, with a gracious smile, addressed him who was so much depressed in the midst of the two armies."

"The Lord said, "You grieve for those who should not be grieved for; yet you speak words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the dead nor for the living.""

"The Blessed Lord said, "You grieve for those who are not to be grieved for; and you speak words of wisdom! The learned do not grieve for the departed nor for those who have not departed."

"The Blessed Lord said, "You have grieved for those who should not be grieved for; yet, you speak words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead.""

"While lamenting for those who cannot be lamented on and those who do not deserve to be lamented on, you do not speak like a wise man! The learned do not lament for those who have departed life and those who have not departed life."

"Lord Shri Krishna said: Why grieve for those for whom no grief is due, yet professing wisdom? The wise grieve neither for the dead nor the living."

"There never was a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor any of these kings. Nor will there be any time in the future when all of us shall cease to exist."

"But certainly it is not a fact that I did not exist at any time; nor you, nor these rulers of men. And surely it is not that we all shall cease to exist after this."

"Nor, at any time, was I not, nor thou, nor these rulers of men; nor, verily, shall we ever cease to be hereafter."

"Never indeed at any time did I not exist, nor you, nor these kings; and never shall we all not exist hereafter."

"There was never a time when I was not, nor you, nor these princes were not; there will never be a time when we shall cease to exist."

"Just as the self associated with a body passes through childhood, youth, and old age, so too, at death, it passes into another body. A wise man is not deluded by that."

"As boyhood, youth, and decrepitude are to an embodied being in this present body, so is the acquisition of another body. Therefore, an intelligent person does not get deluded."

"Just as the embodied soul passes through childhood, youth, and old age in this body, so too does it pass into another body; the steadfast one does not grieve over this."

"Just as boyhood, youth, and old age come to the embodied soul in this body, so too is the attainment of another body; the wise man is not deluded by this."

"As the soul experiences infancy, youth, and old age in this body, so finally it passes into another; the wise have no delusion about this."

"The contact of the senses with their objects, O Arjuna, gives rise to feelings of cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go, never lasting long. Endure them, O Arjuna."

"But the contacts of the organs with the objects are the producers of cold and heat, happiness, and sorrow. They have a beginning and an end and are transient. Bear them, O descendant of Bharata."

"The contact of the senses with the objects, O son of Kunti, which causes heat and cold, pleasure and pain, has a beginning and an end; they are impermanent; endure them bravely, O Arjuna."

"O son of Kunti! The touches with the matras cause feelings of cold and heat, pleasure and pain; they are of the nature of coming and going and are transient. Bear them, O Descendant of Bharata!"

"Those external relations that bring cold and heat, pain and happiness come and go; they are not permanent. Endure them bravely, O Prince!"

"For, he whom these do not affect, O chief of men, and to whom pain and pleasure are equal - that steadfast man alone is worthy of immortality."

"O Arjuna, who is foremost among men, verily, the person whom these do not torment, the wise man to whom sorrow and happiness are the same—he is fit for immortality."

"That firm man, whom surely these afflictions do not, O chief among men, to whom pleasure and pain are the same, is fit for attaining immortality."

"O best among persons! That wise person becomes immortal, whom these situations do not trouble, and to whom pleasure and pain are equal."

"The hero whose soul is unmoved by circumstances, who accepts pleasure and pain with equanimity, is only fit for immortality."

"The unreal never comes into being, the real never ceases to be. The truth about these two is seen by the seers."

"There is no being of the unreal; the real has no non-existence. Yet, the nature of both has been realized by the seers of Truth."

"The unreal has no being; there is no non-being of the real; the truth about both has been seen by the knowers of the truth (or the seers of the essence)."

"Birth does not happen to what is non-existent, and destruction to what is existent; the finality of these two has been seen by the seers of reality."

"That which is not shall never be; that which is shall never cease to be. These truths are self-evident to the wise."

"Know that to be indestructible by which all this is pervaded. No one can cause the destruction of this immutable."

"But know that to be indestructible by which all this is pervaded. No one can bring about the destruction of this immutable."

"Know that to be indestructible, by which all this is pervaded. No one can cause the destruction of that, the Imperishable."

"And know That to be indestructible, by Which all this (universe) is pervaded; no one is capable of causing destruction to this unchanging One."

"The Spirit, which pervades all that is seen, is imperishable. Nothing can destroy it."

"These bodies of the Jiva (the embodied self) are said to have an end, while the Jiva itself is eternal, indestructible, and incomprehensible. Therefore, fight, O Bharata (Arjuna)."

"These destructible bodies are said to belong to the everlasting, indestructible, and indeterminable embodied One. Therefore, O descendant of Bharata, join the battle."

"These bodies of the embodied Self, which are eternal, indestructible, and immeasurable, are said to have an end. Therefore, fight, O Arjuna."

"These physical bodies, which have an end and suffer destruction, are declared to belong to the eternal, embodied Soul, which is indestructible and incomprehensible. Therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata!"

"The material bodies that this Eternal, Indestructible, and Immeasurable Spirit inhabits are all finite; therefore, fight, O valiant man!"

"He who considers It (the self) to be the slayer, and he who thinks of It as slain—both are ignorant. For, the self neither slays nor is being slain."

"He who thinks of this One as the killer, and he who thinks of this One as the one being killed, both of them do not know. This One neither kills nor is It killed."

"He who takes the Self to be the slayer and he who thinks it is slain, neither of them knows. It does not slay, nor is it slain."

"Whoever views This as the slayer and whoever believes This to be the slain, both of them do not understand: This does not slay, nor is This slain."

"He who thinks that the Spirit kills, and he who thinks of it as killed, are both ignorant. The Spirit neither kills nor is it killed."

"It is never born; it never dies; having come into existence once, it never ceases to exist. Unborn, eternal, perpetual, and primordial, it is not destroyed when the body is destroyed."

"Never is this One born, nor does It ever die; nor, having come into existence, does It cease to be. This One is birthless, eternal, undecaying, and ancient; It is not killed when the body is killed."

"It is not born, nor does it ever die; after having been, it again does not cease to be; unborn, eternal, changeless, and ancient, it is not killed when the body is killed."

"This is neither born nor ever dies; nor, having not been at one time, will it come to be again. It is unborn, destructionless, eternal, and ancient, and is not slain even when the body is slain."

"It was not born; it will never die, nor, once having been, can it cease to exist. Unborn, eternal, ever-enduring, yet most ancient, the spirit does not die when the body is dead."

"He who knows this self to be indestructible, unborn, unchanging, and thus eternal—how, O Arjuna, does he cause anyone to be killed, and whom does he kill?"

"O Partha, he who knows this One as indestructible, eternal, birthless, and undecaying—how can that person kill, or cause to be killed, whom?"

"Whoever knows it to be indestructible, eternal, unborn, and inexhaustible, how can that person slay, O Arjuna, or cause to be slain?"

"Whoever realizes this to be changeless, destructionless, unborn, and immutable, how can that person be slain? How can they slay anyone else? O son of Prtha!"

"He who knows the Spirit to be indestructible, immortal, unborn, and always the same, how should he kill or cause to be killed?"

"As a man casts off worn-out garments and puts on new ones, so does the embodied self cast off its worn-out bodies and enter into new ones."

"As after rejecting worn-out clothes, a man takes up other new ones, likewise, after rejecting worn-out bodies, the embodied one unites with other new ones."

"Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so too the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others that are new."

"Just as a man rejects tattered garments and takes on new ones, so too, the embodied Self, discarding worn-out bodies, rightly obtains new ones."

"As a man discards his threadbare robes and puts on new ones, so the Spirit throws off its worn-out bodies and takes on fresh ones."

"Weapons cannot cleave It, fire cannot burn It, waters cannot wet It, and wind cannot dry It."

"Weapons cannot cut It, fire cannot burn It, water cannot moisten It, and air cannot dry It."

"Weapons cannot cut it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, wind cannot dry it."

"Weapons cannot cut This; fire cannot burn This; water cannot make This wet; and the wind cannot make This dry."

"Weapons cannot cleave it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot drench it, and wind cannot dry it."

"It cannot be cleaved; It cannot be burned; It cannot be wetted, and It cannot be dried; It is eternal, all-pervasive, stable, immovable, and primordial."

"It cannot be cut, burned, moistened, or dried up; it is eternal, omnipresent, stationary, unmoving, and unchanging."

"This Self cannot be cut, burned, wetted, nor dried up; it is eternal, all-pervasive, stable, immovable, and ancient."

"This cannot be cut; this cannot be burnt; this cannot be made wet nor dried; this is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable, and everlasting."

"It is impenetrable; it cannot be drowned, scorched, or dried. It is eternal, all-pervasive, unchanging, immovable, and most ancient."

"This (self) is said to be unmanifest, inconceivable, and unchanging. Therefore, knowing it thus, it does not befit you to grieve."

"It is said that This is unmanifest; This is inconceivable; This is unchangeable. Therefore, having known This thus, you ought not to grieve."

"This Self is said to be unmanifested, unthinkable, and unchangeable. Therefore, knowing this to be so, you should not grieve."

"This is declared to be non-evident, imponderable, and unchangeable. Therefore, understanding this as such, you should not lament."

"It is named the Unmanifest, the Unthinkable, and the immutable. Therefore, knowing the Spirit as such, you have no cause to grieve."

"Or, if you consider this self as constantly being born and constantly dying, O mighty-armed one, it still does not become you to feel grief."

"On the other hand, if you think this One is born continually or constantly dies, even then, O mighty-armed one, you should not grieve."

"But even if thou thinkest of It as constantly being born and constantly dying, even then, O mighty-armed one, thou shouldst not grieve."

"On the other hand, if you deem this as being born constantly or as dying constantly, even then, O mighty-armed one, you should not lament."

"Even if thou thinkest of it as constantly being born and constantly dying, O Mighty Man, thou still hast no cause to grieve."

"For, death is certain for the born, and rebirth is certain for the dead; therefore, you should not grieve for what is inevitable."

"For the death of anyone born is certain, and the rebirth of the dead is certain. Therefore, you should not grieve over an inevitable fact."

"For the born, death is certain, and for the dead, birth is certain; therefore, you should not grieve over the inevitable."

"Death is certain indeed for what is born; and birth is certain for the dead. Therefore, you should not lament over something that is unavoidable."

"For death is certain for that which is born, just as birth is certain for that which is dead. Therefore, do not grieve for what is inevitable."

"O Arjuna, beings have an unknown beginning, a known middle, and an unknown end. What is there to grieve about in all this?"

"O descendant of Bharata, all beings remain unmanifested in the beginning; they become manifested in the middle. After death, they certainly become unmanifested. What lamentation can there be for them?"

"Beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their middle state, O Arjuna, and unmanifest again in their end. What is there to grieve about?"

"O descendant of Bharata! The beings have an unmanifest beginning, a manifest middle, and an unmanifest end. Therefore, why mourn?"

"The end and beginning of beings are unknown; we only see the intervening formations. So, what is there to grieve about?"

"One regards This (self) as a wonder; another speaks of It as a wonder; yet another hears of It as a wonder; and even after hearing of It, one does not know It."

"Someone visualizes it as a wonder; someone else talks of it as a wonder; someone else hears of it as a wonder; and yet someone else does not even realize it after hearing about it."

"One sees this (the Self) as a wonder; another speaks of it as a wonder; another hears of it as a wonder; yet, having heard, none understands it at all."

"This someone observes as a wonder; similarly, another speaks of This as a wonder; another hears This as a wonder; but even after hearing, not even one understands This."

"One hears of the Spirit with surprise, another thinks it marvelous, the third listens without comprehending. Thus, though many are told about it, scarcely is there one who knows it."

"The self in the body, O Arjuna, is eternal and indestructible. This is the case for all selves in all bodies. Therefore, it is not fitting for you to feel grief for any being."

"O descendant of Bharata, this embodied Self existing in everyone's body can never be killed; therefore, you ought not to grieve for all these beings."

"This indweller in the body of everyone is ever indestructible, O Arjuna; therefore, you should not grieve for any creature."

"O descendant of Bharata! This embodied One in the body of everyone is ever incapable of being slain. Therefore, you should not lament over all beings."

"Do not be anxious about these armies; the spirit in man is imperishable."