The Path of Action — Karma Yoga

If it be thought by thee that knowledge is A thing more excellent than action, then Why, Krishna, dost thou bid me do this deed Of awful strife? Thy mingled words confound My understanding! Tell me one clear truth Whereby I may attain to bliss! Declare That one plain way, and teach me, Keshava!

I told thee, blameless Lord! there be two paths Showing to man how he may reach the truth: Who worship me by knowledge, them I lead To wisdom; who by works, to bliss of works. Nor doth a man find freedom from his acts By shunning action: nay, nor doth he win Perfection by the one device of ceasing.

Nay, and no jot of time, at any time, Rests any actionless; his nature's law Compels him, even unwilling, into act; For thought is act in fancy. He who sits Suppressing all the instruments of flesh, Yet in his idle heart thinking on them, Playeth a part of holiness, but sins In all the while of all his unclean deed. But he who, with strong body serving mind, Gives up his mortal powers to worthy work, Not seeking fruit, Arjuna! such an one Is honourable. Do thine allotted task! Work is more excellent than idleness; The body's life proceeds not, lacking work.

The world is imprisoned in its own activity, Except when actions are performed as worship of God. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform thy task for Him, Without attachment! For a man who labours so, From bonds of action he is free! The Prajapati Created man and sacrifice together, saying: "By this shall ye multiply! Let it be to you Beneficent! the cow of every wish!"

Nourish the gods with this, and let the gods Nourish you; so, between you, nourishing Each other, ye shall reap the Highest Good. For, fed on your oblations, the High Gods Shall yield you food and raiment liberally; But whoso eats their gift, and gives them naught, Is a thief of heaven, feeding on their store.

Who eat of food after their sacrifice Are quit of fault; but they that spread a feast All for themselves, eat sin and drink of sin. From food come creatures; food from rain; and rain Comes by the pious sacrifice, and this Is wrought by act; thus action springs from Brahma, And Brahma from the Imperishable. So The Eternal is at all times present here In sacrifice.

He who fulfils not here the circle thus Appointed him, in vain he lives and sins, Dwelling in sense, ignoble, purposeless. But he who is Self-pleased, Self-contained, Self-full, Attuned to Self, doing all for Self— He hath no part in deed undone or done, Nor any care of him dependeth on The creatures of the earth. Therefore, Arjuna, Do thy work, being free of bonds! The man Who, freed from such bonds, doth his work for Me, He, Pandava! is free indeed.

What the great man doth, lesser men will do; The standard he createth, all men follow. Look at me, Partha! in the three wide worlds I am not bound to any task, nor need The fruit of any action; yet I act. If I should cease from work, these worlds would fall; I should be author of confusion here, And these creatures' ruin. As the unwise work, Joying in their work, so should the wise man work, Seeking to keep the whole world to its road.

All things are everywhere by Nature wrought In interaction of the Qualities. The fool, cheated by Self, thinks, "This I did" And "That I did." But he—Loss Loss!the truth Knoweth, O Strong-Armed! of those tangled ties Of Nature and of action, deeming well How qualities produce the qualities, He is not bound!

But what is that, O Krishna! by what force Doth a man walk in sin, against his will, As if some power compelled him thereunto?

Know, Prince! it is the Lust which springs Of contact with the Qualities; the vast All-swallowing foe, the wicked, the unclean. As smoke doth veil the fire, and mirrors blur With dust, and as the womb enclothes the babe, So is the world of things enwrapped by Lust. By this, the wise man's wisdom is made dark, His foe perpetual, feeding on desire As fire on fuel, dwelling in the sense!

Therefore, O best of Bharatas! restrain The senses first! Of all the foes, this Lust Is wickedest; shun the foul thing! The senses, The mind, the understanding are its seats; Through these it clouds the soul and holds it down. Therefore command thy senses at the first, Then slay that sinful thing which spoils alike Wisdom and knowledge. Great, they say, the senses: Greater is mind than senses; greater still Is understanding, that which masters mind; But, O thou Mighty-Armed! above them all Is He, the Soul, which is the Self of self. Having made known to thee that which is higher Than the highest mind, lift up thyself By thine own self! Let not the Self decline! Smite the fell foe, great-armed! the doubts that spring From ignorance, residing in thy heart! Cleave the doubt asunder with thy sword Of knowledge! Arm thyself! Arise, and fight!