Chapter 2

साङ्ख्ययोग

The Path of Wisdom (Sāṅkhyayoga)

Arjuna becomes Krishna's student, and Krishna teaches that the true self is never born and never dies, so grief over the body is misplaced. He then introduces action without craving for results and describes the person of steady wisdom who stays calm in pleasure and pain.

Do your best work and let go of the anxiety about how it turns out.

2.1तं तथा कृपयाऽविष्टमश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम्।Sanjaya describes the scene: Arjuna is overwhelmed by pity, his eyes are full of tears and troubled, and he is sinking into despair. Then Krishna, slayer of the demon Madhu, speaks to him.
2.2कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम्।Krishna asks Arjuna: at this critical hour, where has this gloom come from? It does not suit a noble person; it brings neither higher good nor honour.
2.3क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते।Krishna says: do not give in to this cowardice, Arjuna; it is not worthy of you. Throw off this petty weakness of heart and stand up, you who defeat your enemies.
2.4कथं भीष्ममहं संख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन।Arjuna replies: Krishna, how can I shoot arrows in battle at Bhishma and Drona? They deserve my reverence, not my weapons.
2.5गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके।Arjuna says it would be better to live by begging in this world than to kill these great-hearted teachers. Even if they are driven by desire for gain, killing them would mean enjoying pleasures stained with their blood.
2.6न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः।Arjuna admits he cannot tell which is better: that we defeat them or they defeat us. The sons of Dhritarashtra stand facing us, and after killing them we would not even wish to live.
2.7कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसंमूढचेताः।Arjuna says: my natural strength is overcome by a weak, clinging pity, and my mind is confused about dharma (right duty). Tell me clearly what is truly good for me. I am your student; I come to you for refuge; guide me.
2.8न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्या द्यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम्।Arjuna says he sees nothing that could remove this grief that is drying up his senses, not even an unrivalled, rich kingdom on earth or rule over the gods themselves.
2.9एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप।Sanjaya tells Dhritarashtra: having spoken this way to Krishna, Arjuna, the conqueror of sleep, said "I will not fight" and fell silent.
2.10तमुवाच हृषीकेशः प्रहसन्निव भारत।Sanjaya continues: then, between the two armies, Krishna, as if smiling, spoke these words to the grieving Arjuna.
2.11अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे।Krishna says: you grieve for those who need no grief, and yet you speak words that sound wise. The truly wise do not grieve for those who have died or for those who live.
2.12न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः।Krishna says: there was never a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor these kings; nor will any of us ever cease to exist in the future.
2.13देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा।Krishna explains: just as the embodied self passes through childhood, youth and old age in this body, it likewise passes into another body. A steady person is not shaken by this.
2.14मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः।Krishna says: the senses meeting their objects bring cold and heat, pleasure and pain. These come and go; they do not last. Learn to bear them patiently, Arjuna.
2.15यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ।Krishna says: the steady person who is not disturbed by these, who stays the same in pleasure and pain, becomes fit for immortality.
2.16नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः।Krishna says: what is unreal has no lasting existence, and what is real never stops existing. Those who see the truth have understood the nature of both.
2.17अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम्।Krishna says: know that what pervades this whole universe is indestructible. No one can destroy that which cannot perish.
2.18अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ताः शरीरिणः।Krishna says: these bodies of the eternal, indestructible and immeasurable self are said to come to an end. Therefore, Arjuna, fight.
2.19य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम्।Krishna says: whoever thinks the self is a killer, and whoever thinks the self can be killed, both fail to understand. The self neither kills nor is killed.
2.20न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि न्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।Krishna says: the self is never born and never dies. It did not come into being, and it will not stop being. Unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient, it is not killed when the body is killed.
2.21वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम्।Krishna asks: Arjuna, how can a person who knows the self to be indestructible, eternal, unborn and unchanging kill anyone, or cause anyone to be killed?
2.22वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि।Krishna gives an image: just as a person throws away worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, the embodied self leaves worn-out bodies and enters new ones.
2.23नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः।Krishna says: weapons cannot cut the self, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, and wind cannot dry it.
2.24अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च।Krishna continues: the self cannot be cut, burned, wetted or dried. It is eternal, present everywhere, stable, unmoving and ever the same.
2.25अव्यक्तोऽयमचिन्त्योऽयमविकार्योऽयमुच्यते।Krishna says: the self is called unmanifest, beyond thought and unchanging. Knowing it to be so, you should not grieve.
2.26अथ चैनं नित्यजातं नित्यं वा मन्यसे मृतम्।Krishna adds: even if you think the self is constantly born and constantly dies, mighty-armed Arjuna, you still should not grieve over it.
2.27जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च।Krishna says: death is certain for whatever is born, and birth is certain for whatever dies. So you should not grieve over what cannot be avoided.
2.28अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत।Krishna says: beings are unseen before birth, seen in the middle, and unseen again after death. Arjuna, what is there to lament in this?
2.29आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः।Krishna says: some see the self as a wonder, some speak of it as a wonder, and others hear of it as a wonder; yet even after hearing, no one truly understands it.
2.30देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत।Krishna concludes this point: the self that dwells in every body can never be killed, Arjuna. Therefore you should not grieve for any being.
2.31स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि।Krishna now turns to duty: considering your own dharma (rightful duty) as well, you should not waver. For a warrior, nothing is better than a fight for what is right.
2.32यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं स्वर्गद्वारमपावृतम्।Krishna says: fortunate are the warriors, Arjuna, who meet such a battle that comes on its own, unsought, like an open door to heaven.
2.33अथ चैत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि।Krishna warns: but if you do not fight this righteous battle, you will abandon your duty and your honour, and you will incur wrongdoing.
2.34अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम्।Krishna adds: people will speak of your disgrace for a long time, and for a person who has been honoured, disgrace is worse than death.
2.35भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः।Krishna continues: the great chariot-warriors will think you fled the battle out of fear, and those who once held you in high regard will think little of you.
2.36अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून् वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः।Krishna says: your enemies will speak many hurtful words about you and mock your ability. What could be more painful than that?
2.37हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम्।Krishna says: if you are killed, you will reach heaven; if you win, you will enjoy the earth. So rise, son of Kunti, determined to fight.
2.38सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ।Krishna says: treat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat as equal, and then get ready for battle. Acting this way, you will not incur wrongdoing.
2.39एषा तेऽभिहिता सांख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां श्रृणु।Krishna says: so far I have given you this understanding through Sankhya (knowledge of the self). Now hear it through yoga (the discipline of action). Joined with this understanding, you will break free from the bondage of karma.
2.40नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते।Krishna says: on this path no effort is ever wasted and there is no harmful reverse. Even a little practice of this dharma protects you from great fear.
2.41व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन।Krishna says: on this path the resolute mind is focused on one aim, Arjuna. But the thoughts of the undecided branch out endlessly in many directions.
2.42यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः।Krishna says: people lacking discernment speak in flowery language, delighting in the Vedic texts and claiming there is nothing beyond them.
2.43कामात्मानः स्वर्गपरा जन्मकर्मफलप्रदाम्।Krishna continues: full of desires and treating heaven as the highest goal, they praise many rituals that promise rebirth as the reward of actions and aim at pleasure and power.
2.44भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम्।Krishna says: those deeply attached to pleasure and power, whose minds are carried away by such talk, do not attain the steady, focused understanding needed for deep meditation.
2.45त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन।Krishna says: the Vedas largely deal with the three gunas (qualities of nature). Arjuna, rise above these three qualities. Be free of pairs of opposites, stay rooted in what is true, free of the urge to acquire and hoard, and centred in the self.
2.46यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः संप्लुतोदके।Krishna says: a small well is of little use when there is water flooding everywhere. In the same way, all the Vedic rituals offer little more to a wise seeker who knows the truth.
2.47कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।Krishna tells Arjuna: your right is only to your action, never to its results. Do not let the result be your motive, and do not become attached to doing nothing.
2.48योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।Krishna says: established in yoga, Arjuna, do your work giving up attachment, staying even-minded in success and failure. This evenness of mind is called yoga.
2.49दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय।Krishna says: action driven by desire is far inferior to action guided by balanced understanding, Arjuna. Take refuge in that understanding. Those who work only for the reward are to be pitied.
2.50बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते।Krishna says: one who acts with balanced understanding lets go of both good and bad results even here in this life. So commit yourself to yoga; yoga is skill in action.
2.51कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः।Krishna says: the wise, joined with this understanding, give up attachment to the fruits of their actions. Freed from the cycle of birth, they reach a state beyond all sorrow.
2.52यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति।Krishna says: when your understanding crosses beyond the thick mire of confusion, you will become indifferent to all you have heard and all you are yet to hear.
2.53श्रुतिविप्रतिपन्ना ते यदा स्थास्यति निश्चला।Krishna says: your mind is now unsettled by many conflicting teachings. When it stands firm and unmoving, steady in deep meditation, then you will attain yoga.
2.54स्थितप्रज्ञस्य का भाषा समाधिस्थस्य केशव।Arjuna asks: Krishna, how would you describe a person of steady wisdom who is established in deep meditation? How does such a person speak, sit and move about?
2.55प्रजहाति यदा कामान् सर्वान् पार्थ मनोगतान्।Krishna replies: when a person gives up all the cravings that arise in the mind and is content in the self, by the self, then that person is called one of steady wisdom.
2.56दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः।Krishna says: one whose mind is not shaken by sorrow, who does not crave pleasures, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady wisdom.
2.57यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम्।Krishna says: one who is without clinging attachment anywhere, who neither gloats on getting something good nor resents getting something bad, has steady wisdom.
2.58यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः।Krishna gives an image: just as a tortoise draws its limbs into its shell, the one who can fully withdraw the senses from their objects has steady wisdom.
2.59विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः।Krishna says: when a person stops indulging the senses, the objects fall away, but the inner taste for them remains. Even that taste disappears once the person experiences the Supreme.
2.60यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चितः।Krishna warns: Arjuna, the restless senses can forcibly drag away the mind even of a wise person who is making sincere effort.
2.61तानि सर्वाणि संयम्य युक्त आसीत मत्परः।Krishna says: restraining all the senses, one should sit with a disciplined mind, focused on me. One whose senses are under control has steady wisdom.
2.62ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते।Krishna explains: when a person keeps thinking about sense objects, attachment to them grows. From attachment comes craving, and from craving comes anger.
2.63क्रोधाद्भवति संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः।Krishna continues: from anger comes delusion; from delusion, loss of memory; from loss of memory, the ruin of judgement; and when judgement is ruined, a person is lost.
2.64रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन्।Krishna says: but a self-controlled person, moving among sense objects with senses free of attraction and aversion and held in check, attains inner peace and clarity.
2.65प्रसादे सर्वदुःखानां हानिरस्योपजायते।Krishna says: in that inner clarity, all sorrows come to an end, and the understanding of one whose mind is clear soon becomes firmly steady.
2.66नास्ति बुद्धिरयुक्तस्य न चायुक्तस्य भावना।Krishna says: one who is undisciplined has no steady understanding and no deep contemplation. Without contemplation there is no peace, and without peace, how can there be happiness?
2.67इन्द्रियाणां हि चरतां यन्मनोऽनुविधीयते।Krishna gives an image: when the mind runs after the wandering senses, it sweeps away a person's wisdom, just as a strong wind sweeps a boat off course on the water.
2.68तस्माद्यस्य महाबाहो निगृहीतानि सर्वशः।Krishna says: therefore, mighty-armed Arjuna, one whose senses are fully held back from their objects has steady wisdom.
2.69या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी।Krishna says: what is night for all beings is where the self-controlled person stays awake; and what the world is awake to is night for the sage who truly sees.
2.70आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत्।Krishna says: the ocean stays full and unmoved though rivers keep pouring into it. In the same way, one into whom all desires flow without disturbing them attains peace, not the one who chases desires.
2.71विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान्पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः।Krishna says: the person who gives up all desires and lives free of longing, without the sense of "mine" and without ego, attains peace.
2.72एषा ब्राह्मी स्थितिः पार्थ नैनां प्राप्य विमुह्यति।Krishna concludes: Arjuna, this is the state of being rooted in Brahman (the ultimate reality). Reaching it, one is no longer deluded. Remaining in it even at the hour of death, one attains the peace of Brahman.