śrīmadbhagavadgītā mūlam - caturtho'dhyāyaḥ

The Blessed Lord said: I taught this Imperishable YOGA to Vivasvan; Vivasvan taught it to Manu; Manu taught it to Ikshvaku.

This knowledge, handed down thus in regular succession, the royal sages knew. This YOGA, by long lapse of time, has been lost here, O Parantapa (burner of the foes).

That same ancient YOGA has been to-day taught to you by Me for you are My devotee and My friend. This is a Supreme secret.

Arjuna said: Later was Your birth, and prior was the birth of Vivaswan (Sun); how am I to understand that You taught this YOGA in the beginning?

The Blessed Lord said: Many births of Mine have passed as well as yours, O Arjuna; I know them all but you know them not, O Parantapa (scorcher of foes).

Though I am unborn and am of imperishable nature, and though I am the Lord of all beings, yet, ruling over My own Nature, I take birth by My own MAYA.

Whenever there is a decay of righteousness, O Bharata, and a rise of unrighteousness, then I manifest Myself.

For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of rightenousness, I am born in every age.

He who thus knows, in true light, My divine birth and action, having abandoned the body, he is not born again; he comes to Me, O Arjuna.

Freed from attachment, fear and anger, absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, purified by the Fire-of-Knowledge, many have attained My Being.

It whatever way men approach Me, even so do I reward them; My path do men tread in all ways, O son of Pritha.

They who long for satisfaction from actions in this world, make sacrifices to the gods; because satisfaction is quickly obtained from actions in the world-of-objects.

The fourfold-caste has been created by Me according to the differentiation of GUNA an d KARMA; though I am the author thereof know Me as non-doer and immutable.

Actions do not taint Me, nor have I any desire for the fruits-of-actions. He who knows Me thus is not bound by his actions.

Having known this, the ancient seekers-after-freedom also performed action; therefore, you too perform action, as did the ancients in the olden times.

What is action? What is inaction? As to this even the wise are deluded. Therefore I shall teach you action (the nature of action and inaction) knowing which you shall be liberated from the evil (of SAMSARA --- the wheel of birth and death).

For verily (the true nature) of right action should be known; also (that) of forbidden (or unlawful) action and of inaction; imponderable is the nature (path) of action.

He who recognises inaction in action and action in inaction is wise among men; he is a YOGI and a true performer of all actions.

Whose undertakings are all devoid of desires and purposes, and whose actions have been burnt by the Fire-of-Knowledge, him the wise call a Sage.

Having abandoned attachment to the fruits-of-action, ever-content, depending on nothing, he does not do anything, though engaged in actions.

Without hope, with the mind and Self controlled, having abandoned all possessions, doing mere bodily action, he incurs no sin.

Content with what comes to him without effort, free from the pairs-of-opposites and envy, even-minded in success and failure, though acting he is not bound.

Of one who is devoid of attachment, who is liberated, whose mind is established in knowledge, who acts for the sake of sacrifice, all his actions are dissolved.

BRAHMAN is the oblation; BRAHMAN is the clarified butter, etc., constituting the offerings; by BRAHMAN is the oblation poured into the fire of BRAHMAN; BRAHMAN verily shall be reached by him who always sees BRAHMAN in all actions.

Some YOGIS perform sacrifice to DEVAS alone (DEVA-YAJNA); while others offer sacrifice as sacrifice by the Self in the Fire of BRAHMAN (BRAHMA-YAJNA).

Some again offer hearing and other senses as sacrifice in the fires-of-restraint; others offer sound and other objects of sense as sacrifice in the fires-of-the-senses.

Others again sacrifice all the functions of the senses and the functions of the breath (vital energy) in the fire of the YOGA of self-restraint, kindled by knowledge.

Others again offer wealth, austerity and YOGA as sacrifice, while the ascetics of self-restraint and rigid vows offer study of scriptures and knowledge as sacrifice.

Others offer as sacrifice the out-going breath in the in-coming, and the in-coming in the out-going, restraining the courses of the out-going and in-coming breaths, solely absorbed in the restraint of breath.

Others, with well-regulated diet, offer vital-airs in the Vital-Air. All these are knowers of sacrifice, whose sins are destroyed by sacrifice.

The eaters of the nectar --- remnant of the sacrifice --- go to the Eternal BRAHMAN. Even this world is not for the non-performer of sacrifice; how then the other (world), O best of the Kurus?

Thus innumerable sacrifices lie spread out before BRAHMAN --- (literally at the mouth or face of BRAHMAN ) --- Know them all as born of action, and thus knowing, you shall be liberated.

Superior is knowledge-sacrifice to Sacrifice-with-objects O Parantapa. All actions in their entirety, O Partha, culminate in Knowledge.

Know that by long prostration, by question, and service, the wise who have realised the Truth will instruct you in (that) Knowledge

Knowing that, you shall not, O Pandava, again get deluded like this; and by that, you shall see all beings in your Self, and also in Me.

Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners, yet you shall verily cross all sins by the raft of Knowledge.

As the blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the Fire-of-Knowledge reduce all actions to ashes.

Certainly, there is no purifier in this world like Knowledge. He who is himself perfected in YOGA finds it in the Self in time.

The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to It, and who has subdued the senses, obtains (this) Knowledge; and having obtained Knowledge, ere long he goes to the Supreme Peace.

The ignorant, the faithless, the doubting-self goes to destruction; there is neither this world, nor the other, nor happiness for the doubter.

He who has renounced actions by YOGA, whose doubts are rent asunder by Knowledge, who is self-possessed, actions do not bind him, O Dhananjaya.

Therefore with the sword-of-Knowledge, cut asunder the doubt-of-the-Self, born of ignorance, residing in your heart, and take refuge in YOGA. Arise O Bharata. Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fourth discourse entitled "The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action."